 I am honored to share this blog post written by our daughter-in-law, Stacey.
Wishing all of you a blessed Christmas! An old friend called out of the blue and asked me to be apart of a special event. As she told me a little bit more about it, my first thought was... wow, I'm honored you'd even think of me... and you've definitely got the wrong person! In a nutshell she wanted me to stand in front of 300 plus people and paint a picture of Mary and Christ during the reading of It Began in a Manger by Max Lucado, oh and in about 12-15 minutes. No big deal, right?!?! Well, maybe not to some but certainly to someone who A. hyperventilates at the thought of being in a room full of strangers, let alone stand on a stage with their full attention; B. is completely un-confident {yes, I realize that's not a word} in the ability to draw people, less yet our Lord and Savior, you know the Prince of Peace and the King of Kings!!!! And C. has a hard time doing anything in a handful of minutes (I've self diagnosed myself with a serious case of ADD becoming more severe with age)! But she didn't ask anyone else, and the Lord was really tugging at my heart. I read the story and started to cry. I've heard the story of Jesus's birth a million times but reading it this time, this version, something was different. I thought of Mary holding her newborn baby, as a new mom, looking at her little miracle so tiny and helpless. All the emotions that must have gone through her mind... On This I could relate to, which I'm so grateful to be able to say; I could begin to understand Mary in a different way. Immediately a picture came to mind and I felt that familiar tug at my heart yet again. The picture I was led to was not the traditional one I remember from Sunday school of Mary and Christ, or even the one often seen on Christmas cards of Jesus in a manger, but I was reminded of a picture taken of our son a few days old as I held him in my arms. It was a natural unposed picture capturing a moment that every new mom can relate to. God started speaking to my heart, encouraging me to trust Him, that I could do this, He would help me do this. This thing I saw as Goliath, this thing I couldn't possibly do, this thing I wasn't talented nor confident enough to do. So I agreed to do it...After all God had tugged at my heart before, and it led my husband and I to adopt our son, and that turned out to be more of a blessing than we had dreamed of. If I could honor God with the gift He gave to us, how could I say no? It took a couple months to figure out the logistics... We changed it from painting to chalk drawing on black paper, and added some time with the reading and the song Mary Did You Know (along with a million other behind the scenes organizing and planning I had nothing to do with, but my friend and a group of wonderful people at the church worked endless hours on). But the composition stayed the same, a simple innocent baby's face cradled in his mothers arms. After lots of practice and even more prayers, the day arrived. It was time to face "Goliath." I had been calling it this with my husband throughout the whole process but that morning I actually read the story in 1samuel of David and Goliath. Although it was Quite {with a capital Q}, different circumstances there were some similarities... I was terrified and about to go to battle with a tall order of fears, facing them head on and unarmed. But the Lord had my back and held my hand (literally in my case). Once again I trusted him and once again I was blessed because if it! It was an amazing experience that I was so humbled to be apart of. It wasn't the greatest work of art, lots of little mistakes, but in combination with the heartfelt reading, stage set up, lighting, atmosphere, and music, the message was clear... It began in a manger, and that's what Christmas is all about. Although I'm glad it's over, I'm so thankful to have been apart of that event {A Christmas Remembered at Old Fort Baptist Church} I faced my fears, my "Goliath,"and was reminded in the process how good and reliable God is! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me ~ Philippians 4:13... Good to remember when bigger "Goliath's" come along! You can see more of Stacey's creative talents by going to her website: www.sweetaspeas.com
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This devotion is an excerpt from Lori Hatcher’s new book, Hungry for God … Starving for Time, Five-Minute Devotions for Busy Women. Like a spiritual power bar, Hungry for God is the nutrition women need to get through the day.
Green Bean Wars and Camel Knees Facetime: God, I’m not seeing results. Why should I keep praying? I knew I could outlast ‘em. Normally easy going, my mother seldom forced us to eat food we didn’t like. But that day she must have read the “5 Reasons Your Child Needs Green Beans” article in the latest Parents Magazine. Mom had always respected my aversion to green food, so the five slimy green beans she spooned onto my dinner plate puzzled me. “I don’t like green beans,” I reminded her. “Well you can’t leave the table unless you eat them,” she responded, crossing her arms for emphasis. Mealtime came and went. My other, more compliant, siblings choked down their required quota of beans and went out to play. Mom cleared the dinner table, washed the dishes, and still I sat, staring at my plate. Considering my prospects, I noticed the longer the green beans sat there, the more shriveled they became. If I waited long enough, I reasoned, perhaps they would shrivel up completely, and disappear. I would be emancipated. I determined to outlast them. After an hour of watching me from the other room, Mom stomped back into the kitchen where I sat and said with a huff, “Oh, go outside for heaven’s sake!” I had won the Green Bean War. Many years later, when I began to learn about prayer, I encountered several inspiring examples of similarly stubborn persistence. Jacob wrestled with the angel of God and declared, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Gen. 32:26). The Syrophoenician woman of Mark 7 humbled herself, begging Jesus to heal her tiny, demon-possessed daughter. To test her perseverance and faith, he rebuffed her initial requests for help. But she loved her daughter. She recognized that Jesus was her only hope. Instead of pridefully responding to his testing, she continued to plead gently with him until he healed her child. James, the half-brother of Jesus, was such a man of prayer that he earned the nickname Camel Knees because of the calluses he developed from kneeling. When D.L. Moody became a believer, he began to pray for his friends. All but one was saved in his lifetime, and the last trusted Christ as his Savior three months after Moody died. What are you wrestling with God about in prayer? A prodigal child? A medical miracle? An impossible financial situation? A broken marriage? God’s Word promises, the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous (wo)man avails much (James 5:16, change mine). He reminds us those who sow in tears shall reap in joy (Psalm 126:5). I encourage you to join Jacob, the Syrophonenician woman, D.L. Moody, and me in praying with tenacity and determination. Claim God’s promises with boldness and faith. Like the green beans on my childhood plate, with the Lord’s help, we can outlast ‘em! Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9 Lori knows what it’s like to be busy. And what it’s like to struggle to make time for God. Her passion is helping women connect with God in the craziness of everyday life. A Yankee transplant living in Columbia, South Carolina, Lori uses her speaking and writing ministry to equip and empower women. She’d love to connect with you on her blog (www.LoriHatcher.com), on Facebook – Hungry For God, and Twitter @lorihatcher2. link to HFG on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1x39tq8 YouTUBE VIDEO http://youtu.be/ph9KBQcDTy4 Facebook Kindle Giveaway http://is.gd/T10Een Facebook Launch Party: http://tinyurl.com/ms33dmb HFG on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/mkave7u Giveaway http://is.gd/T10Een
Book blurb: During World War Two Nathan and his family are sent to Heart Mountain, an internment camp in Wyoming for Japanese-Americans. Nathan's one desire is to protect the family's gold pocket watch, a family heirloom brought over from Japan. He fails; the watch is stolen. Struggling to make sense of his life in a bleak camp as the only responsible man of the household, Nathan discovers truths about his family, God, and the girl he loves. Many Japanese-Americans, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, were sent to internment camps much like Heart Mountain in my novel where there's upheaval, frustration, pain, and sorrow. Families are separated. Some members are accused of being spies, like Nathan Mori's father. To balance the discrimination that evolved during this time period, I had to rely on humor and romance. One of the most fun relationships I enjoyed crafting was between the main character, Nathan, and his aunt Kazuko. Even though she's single and has no children of her own, Aunt Kazuko knows how to keep Nathan and his brothers in line. But even she knows a body can't live on hard work alone. Cookies are her friends! She keeps morsels in her sweater sleeves, taking them out when she needs “a pep". And of course, there's young romance. Nathan dreams of the lovely singer, Lucy, and wants her to notice him, but she seems more interested in his older brother, Ken. There are two characters which are not people---one is Heart Mountain, the mountain viewed every day from those in the barracks at the camp. Then there is the Mori family's coveted gold watch, a family heirloom from Japan. So the questions form: Will Nathan get the girl? What happens to the family heirloom during the war and after the war ends? Does Nathan's father return? How does war and discrimination change hearts? How does God's love prevail? Recipe from Under the Silk Hibiscus: My character, Aunt Kazuko, is all about eating a cookie . . . or two. She often says she needs “a pep” to pep her up. Here is her cookie recipe for raisin cookies, sure to add fun to anyone’s day. Recipe for Aunt Kazuko’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (1946) 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ cup shortening 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1 ½ cups rolled oats 2/3 cup buttermilk ½ cup chopped nuts 1 cup seedless raisins Cream shortening, blend in sugar and add egg. Beat until smooth and light. Sift flour with salt, soda and cinnamon. Stir half the flour in with egg mixture; add milk, the rest of flour, and then oats, nuts and raisins. Stir till well mixed. Drop from a teaspoon onto a buttered baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees F. for 10 minutes or until nicely browned. Yields about 36 cookies. Alice has authored four contemporary novels published by Bethany House: Rain Song (Christy Finalist), How Sweet It Is (Christy Finalist), Hatteras Girl and A Wedding Invitation, and Still Life in Shadows by River North/Moody. Her newest novel, Under the Silk Hibiscus (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas) is her first historical romance. Since the death of her four-year-old son, Alice teaches grief-writing workshops and her devotional, Getting out of Bed in the Morning: Reflections of Comfort in Heartache (Leafwood), covers the many losses we face and how God sustains us through each one. In 2012, Alice and her husband started a business, Carved By Heart, where they carve memorial plaques/remembrances, house number signs, bird feeders, rustic clocks, and other home décor. Her website is: http://www.alicewisler.com Links: Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Alice-J.-Wisler/e/B001J6GVNE/ Website: http://www.alicewisler.com Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alice-J-Wisler/333751835453 Alice’s Patchwork Quilt Blog: http://www.alicewisler.blogspot.com/ |
