OK everybody up! Rise and shine! Good Morning ♪♫•*¨ To You ¸•♫¸.•.¸ ¸♥¸*♫*•.¸¸♥Good Morning ♪♫•*¨ To You ¸•♫¸.•.¸¸♥¸*♫*•.¸¸♥
YES! It’s Saturday … and yes, I could have slept in, but what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t wake you all up with a joyful song. Come on now. Really. We need to do this. Up! Up! Up! Did I hear someone say “COFFEE!”?
Let’s talk about friends today. In the past two weeks I have felt the presence of friends more often and more intensely than most other times. We have literally been folded into a gathering of friends or family every evening for a reason. I know what you’re thinking. Let me take a stab at those thoughts. “It’s Christmas. Of course there are parties to attend. There are the obligatory school concerts. There are invitations it would be inconsiderate to ignore. Whew! Bet you’ll be glad when it’s over.” If you are thinking that – you’re on your own there. This is what I’m thinking. God knows just what we need. Starting back in November when I started adding events to our calendar, God was at work behind the scenes preparing to fill a need that I would have and that every other person involved would have right at that moment in time. Last night was the final ‘Christmas party’ on the calendar and as I was sitting on the floor watching an amazing video of a Christmas Concert in Branson, Missouri I was thinking of Scott Steiner’s Sunday school class where we just learned about Spiritual Gifts – how to discover, develop, and deploy them.
I thought about the past few weeks and how so m any people – an entire village, really – have used their gifts to bless others this Christmas season. When I entered the home of Dave Jensen last night I was awestruck by the living spirit of Christmas in his home. Outside and inside was a masterpiece! These photos of the village Dave built reminds me of the way God designed His world. Of the billions of people inhabiting the Earth today, God has a plan for each individual.
He calls us by name, he sees our heart, he knows what we need right now, and he understands us when we talk to him. The village needs us and we need the village. Take a tour of Romans 12 and see for yourself how each of us is unique and vital to how we do life. We are a village bundled up with unique individuals, each with our own job to do, our own gifts to deploy.
I’ve been on the receiving end of some of those deployed gifts, right when I needed them. A new friend texted me a Bible verse Psalm 91:4 “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and protection. Someone I’ve never met (but 15 years ago we had a mutual friend) sent me an email to welcome me to my new job. My granddaughter texted me a cheery message and said she loves me. My husband cooked dinner – that’s a big deal to have a homemade meal at our house. But wait! There’s more – I guess God knew I had more holes in my armor and he was still filling them up. Gifted teachers at church on Sunday shared their knowledge of the scripture and music of talented musicians and singers was both uplifting and soothing. God brought my friend who led me to the Lord way back in 1987 to me; the one who still sends me a spiritual birthday card every year. Are you getting the picture here? We all have needs and we all can meet a need. Sometimes it takes effort, but other times the tiniest act can have an astronomical impact. We’re all part of the village of humanity. Act one: Get our own heart right. If we get the inside right, the rest will take care of itself. Then just show up! Be willing to be willing. Tiny act over here > Big impact over there
Ready? I thought so. We need a silent night to get some focus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRSSsNbF29I
Because of Grace we Press On