Seeing with New Eyes

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born. Unto us, a Son is given. The government will be on His shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and  Prince of Peace .  Peace; we pray for it. It is used as a salutation or a greeting. Sometimes it's a hand gesture in pictures. It is often a mantra in times of war. Its symbol adorns jewelry and tye dye shirts depending on what's in style. I'm sure I am missing some others. No matter what country or time period, humans cry out for peace on every level. It is one thing most people try desperately to gain both personally and within relationships. In fact, I would guess many people would say being at peace can actually be better than being "happy." When you are at peace, you find contentment. You accept yourself and others around you. This weekend we move on to the last name the prophet Isaiah uses to describe Jesus, the coming King. He calls him the Prince of Peace. Out of the fou...

Isaiah 9: 6 For unto us a child is born. Unto us, a Son is given. The government will be on His shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father , and Prince of Peace.  This week I've witnessed some incredible fathers in action. Without going into detail, I saw men sacrifice, protect, provide, carry, worry, and powerfully pray for their children. Where did they learn these things? Are they modeling taught behavior or simply acting out of instinct? As we continue with our Advent passage for the third week, we come to the third name Isaiah calls God; Eternal Father. In other versions, He is an Everlasting Father. The name Father is used almost 200 times in the Bible. When a descriptor such as this is used so much, we can't ignore the significance. John 8:41 - God Himself is our true Father  Acts 13:33 - I have become your Father 1 John 3:1 - See how much our Father loves Romans 8:15 - We call Him Abba, Father The word used in Roman...

Isaiah 9: 6 For unto us a child is born. Unto us, a Son is given. The government will be on His shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God , Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace.  What do you feel when you hear the roar of a lion? Does it excite or scare you? Maybe you feel a little of both. The lion, one of the most ferocious animals in the animal kingdom, is often used in stories to symbolize power. I recall one scene from a beloved Disney movie, the Lion King. Mufasa rescues his cubs from some mangy hyenas with a simple, yet powerful roar. Another bone shaking scene comes from Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe. It's the part where the White Witch confronts Asland about his deal and she questions his authority. Asland's roar, so intense, the witch can't help but step back and sit. Our God, Maker of the universe, Master of the skies, King of creation, including lions, is described as Mighty the verse above. In other words, h...

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born. Unto us, a Son is given. The government will be on His shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor , Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace.  Have you ever watched someone try to put together a piece of IKEA furniture without the instructions? It's a difficult task even with the cryptic little man demonstrating each step. To enter into the project sans the directions could be deemed insane. Almost all IKEA furniture comes in a flat box.   It's contents: a bag of hardware and multiple identical shelf-like parts with holes both big and small. And somehow it all fits together perfectly to create a closet system. Or a bookcase. Or a bed frame. Or a toy box. Or a Lexus. Okay, maybe that last one is a stretch. The IKEA engineers are quite genius, in my opinion. They created numerous furniture items with just a few basic patterns, and all the same, basic building blocks. When you walk around an IKEA showroom, you might never gue...

I have a holiday hangover. Thanksgiving came and went. I asked for prayer to enter the week with a grateful heart, and I left the week ungrateful, unrested, and with a bad attitude. No real reason for it. I skipped my quiet times with God. I focused on myself and what I wasn't getting, i.e., my way, my time. In our house, we call that out as a "do-over." Usually, it's just a day, not an entire week but you get the point. If someone comes down to breakfast with a bad attitude, that person has to go upstairs, maybe pray, cry, journal, whatever strikes his/her fancy, and return with a 'new attitude' (enter Patti LaBelle: Greatest Hits, Track 8). So I am asking, right now, for a "do-over" this next season. I want to begin today, December 1st, with a new attitude. One with gratefulness, thankfulness, and focused on what really matters. Or rather, who really matters. It is His birthday, after all. Isaiah 9:6: For a child will be born for us, a son wil...

Sometimes our past selves have a lot to teach us. So quickly we forget where we have come from.  I cut and pasted what I wrote 4 years ago on this very day below: "I was reflecting today on this past year. A year ago at this time, we were awaiting some news about our sweet boy. We were waiting to hear whether or not our lives would change forever. We were waiting on God. Waiting for Him to show us what would be next. It was hard. Probably one of the scariest moments a parent can go through. Wondering if your child would have a normal life. If he would be healthy and thriving. And on November 16th, 2012, we got a phone call that our son was just fine. He was completely normal. And we breathed a sigh of relief. I vowed to try and remember that place of desperation as I moved forward. Easier said than done. It's hard to be in that place when life is cruising along. Until something else happens. You are right back there in that place. 6 weeks after I had our sweet baby boy, ...

I wrote last week about the desire to hide behind masks to save "face" or preserve integrity. We do it more frequently than we may think and in at least my case to salvage pride.  The problem is that when we keep the masks on, we forfeit authentic relationships. If we can get to a place where we lay down our masks and acknowledge that we really don't have it all together, that is when we begin to see ourselves come alive. Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. In keeping with the theme of Halloween, it would be fun to demonstrate my ongoing thought with our actual costumes this year. Our family dressed up as superheroes. A couple of a bat people, wonder woman, and a tiny spidy (Spiderman). I think there is a reason we (as a human race) like, at least the idea, of superheroes. They embody what we would look up to. Justice, hope, power, to name a few. At our core, we want to have those qualities or powers that truly impact the world. Make ...