Proud Mom with Son

Thanksgiving Weekend - 2008

I couldnt resist! I just had to post this picture of college-son #1 and his proud Mom. Being stressed with upcoming finals he certainly deserved some special attention last weekend. I love you, Taylor!

*Hotel: $140 for two nights
Dinner: $75
Movie tickets: $35
Converse Keds at Target: $39.99
Time with son: priceless

* a steal of a deal at a new Holiday Inn Express for the Thanksgiving weekend

What Child Is This?

"He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'

Matthew 18:2-4

Now that I am with 20 four-year olds for approximately 7 hours daily, I must say, honestly, being a teacher of four-year olds is akin to Hollywood stardom! The smallest things I do excite them. When I sing, they get so excited and when I share a silly story or rhyme giggles are aplenty. They fight over who is going to sit next to me at lunch. They want to hold my hand all the time. It is exhausting, this life! I am a star for sure, at least with my four-year old peeps!

Now preparing for the Christmas season with these little ones is just over the top! Nothing is more fun than being a child at Christmas time. There's been a trip to the Tree Farm this week, ornament making, candy cane tasting, jingle bells ringing. Oh yes, Christmas as a child is fun!

Being a child. His child. That's what God desires of us each day. To become like little children. Coming to Him with anticipation and trusting Him that He will pour out His love and His goodness.

In my devotional time, I chose to meditate on "What Child Is This" (William Chatterton Dix) today and my favorite line of this song is ...

Come, have no fear;

God's son is here,

His love all loves exceeding

This Christmas I want to celebrate the simple joys in life, coming to Him as a child. His child.

Joy To The World ...

I bring you good tidings of great joy.

Luke 2:10

At our wedding, my husband and I left the church after being pronounced husband and wife to the beautiful, triumphant carol "Joy To The World" (Isaac Watts) played by a talented organist named LaRue Rains. It was December 21, 1985 and it truly was a joyful time in my world - marrying my life partner, the love of my life. That is enough reason for this carol to be special to me; however, upon further examination and meditation of the words I have found more reasons why I am so fond of it.

Let every heart prepare Him room ...

This particular line of "Joy To The World" is the secret, the key to living a joyful and victorious life, in my humble opinion. To experience joy I must first prepare my heart. To 'prepare' means to put it in proper condition or readiness. In order for Christ take up residence in my heart I must get my heart right, making room to receive Him. If my heart is filled with anything contrary to the fruit - that is, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control then He can not reside there. I might as well post a NO VACANCY sign on my heart.

One of my biggest pet peeves is clutter. Admittedly, I have learned to live with a lot less in the past three years, but I am still surrounded by things I really have no use for. Things that collect dust and are really in the way. I get a lot of satisfaction from cleaning out and getting rid of unnecessary things in my closet. I wonder what would happen if I took on the same attitude with the closet of my heart. Throwing out anxiety, hurt, shame, past sins, guilt, etc. Emptying out so I can be filled. With His love, His goodness, His grace, His mercy.

"Christian hope is not ...

about wishing things will get better. It is not about hoping that emptiness will go away, meaning return, and life will be stripped of its uncertainties, aches, and anxieties. Nor does it have anything to do with techniques for improving fallen human life, be those therapeutic, spiritual, or even religious. Hope has to do with the knowledge of ‘the age to come.’ This redemption is already penetrating ‘this age.’ The sin, death, meaninglessness of the one age are being transformed by the righteousness, life, and meaning of the other. What has emptied out life, what has scarred and blackened it, is being displaced by what is rejuvenating and transforming it. More than that, hope is hope because it knows it has become part of a realm, a kingdom, that endures. It knows that evil is doomed, that it will be banished. This kind of hope has left behind it the ship of ‘this age,’ which is sinking. And if this other realm, this place where Christ is even now ruling, did not exist, Christians would be ‘of all people most to be pitied’ (1 Cor. 15:19). Their hope would be groundless and they would have lived out an illusion.”
- David F. Wells, The Courage to be Protestant (Grand Rapids, Mi.: Eerdmans, 2008), 206.

Gifts for the 1000 Gifts List ...

384. listening to Ava Maria before my day starts

385. special plans for dinner with husband

386. new friends

387. singing Christmas songs with four-year olds

388. walking on a treadmill when it's too cold outside

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

And the Redeemer shall come to Zion,
and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob,
saith THE LORD.
Isaiah 59:20

It's Day 2 of my commitment to seek out a meaningful Christmas. Today I have, again, chosen a Christmas hymn as my devotion. The hymn is "O come, O come, Emmanuel." The original hymn was written in 8th century Latin, author unknown, and was transferred to English by John Mason Neale in Medieval Hymns and Sequences, 1851.

Here's some of my favorite lines from this beautiful hymn ...

O come, O Come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

I remember back in 1972, during the Vietnam War

I wore a P.O. W. bracelet bearing an actual American soldier's name, a real man who was held by the enemy. I have heard emotional accounts of both Vietnam veterans and WWII veterans who were held as prisoners of war. To be imprisoned, to be bound, with all freedoms removed must be a horrible sentence.

I may have never experienced that life ... a life of being exiled, imprisoned, held in captivity in the same sense that a P. O. W. has. But, I admit I have experienced spiritual imprisonment. Anger, bitterness, blame, resentment, shame, fear, or hostility toward others and myself.

The Word says "... escape the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 2:20). Although I was freed from the power of sin by the blood of Christ when I accepted Him as my Savior, I can still become a captive to sin again, entrapped by the enemy, Satan. (see Acts 8:22,23)

Today my heart cries out. Emmanuel, God with me ... O Come, O come, Emmanuel. Liberate me me from my sin. I am alone and separated. Until you make your presence known. I rejoice knowing You will come to me.

"Sin and the child of God are incompatible.

They may occasionally meet; they cannot live together in harmony.." -John R. W. Stott

To seek for a King was their intent...

A Savior has been born to you;

he is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:11

Wandering,

grasping

in darkness ...

Seeking,

Searching...

Leading me ...

Guiding me ...

to the Light.

December is upon us and so is the Christmas season. Each year I attempt, often failing to make this a season where my heart is prepared to listen and truly receive the greatest gift ... Jesus Christ. So many distractions. Is it that way for you, too?

This December with everyone going in different directions and me returning to work, I am setting out on a new plan, determined to etch out, set aside a meaningful moment daily to meditate on this Holy Season. One of the ways I may do this is to read a different Christmas carol several times a week. I invite you to join me. If you do, please leave a comment on my blog or send me an email at ggmorgan61@hotmail.com. I would be blessed to hear from you.

I am already humbled by the carol I read today. A beautiful, traditional English carol called The First Noel. Here are few of the lines I re-discovered in this familiar carol that absolutely convicted me.

To seek for a King was their intent,

And to follow the star where’er it went.

The wise men came seeking, looking for, searching for the King. One that would reign eternally. That was their objective, their goal. They were determined to follow the light no matter where it took them.

Am I that driven? Is that a priority in my life today? Or am I wandering aimlessly? Am I truly seeking the King, the One who needs to reign in my cold heart? To guide me? Am I willing to go wherever He leads me? To the Light?