"The World Is the Manger"

Frederick Buechner's writings never fail to get my mind thinking in new ways. His manner of word crafting often causes me to pause and re-read, re-think and decide for myself. I like that in a writer. Here's an excerpt from him on Christmas that I'd like to share:

"The lovely old carols played and replayed till their effect is like a dentist's drill or a jackhammer, the bathetic banalities of the pulpit and the chilling commercialism of almost everything else, people spending money they can't afford on presents you neither need nor want, "Rudolph, the Red- Nosed Reindeer," the plastic tree, the cornball creche, the Hallmark Virgin.

YET FOR ALL OUR EFFORTS, WE'VE NEVER QUITE MANAGED TO RUIN IT.

That in itself is part of the miracle, a part you can see. Most of the miracle you can't see or don't...The world is the manger. It is only by grace that [we] happen to see this other part of the miracle. Christmas itself is by grace. It could never have survived our own blindness and depredations otherwise. It could never have happened otherwise...

~Frederick Buechner, "Beyond Words"

It Takes A Lifetime

"The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him." (Romans 12:3)

There are verses in the Bible which I read and feel immediately humbled by because I know I'm not there yet. They are what I refer to as the "IT TAKES A LIFETIME VERSES". Human nature and personal tendencies urge us to forget them or replace them with our own ideas and understandings. The point is not to be discouraged but to pray for guidance, keep trying and remember...there is G-R-A-C-E in this space of a lifetime.

When you read God's Word, you must constantly be saying to yourself, "It is talking to me, and about me." --Soren Kierkegaard

Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand. --Mark Twain

A is for Adventure

“God, who got you started in

this spiritual adventure, shares

with us the life of his Son and

our Master Jesus. He will never

give up on you. Never forget

that.”
~1 Corinthians 1:9 (MSG)

I have always admired people who approach new opportunities with a sense of adventure. The boldness and determination to approach life’s unknowns with confidence is enviable to those of us who drag our feet at the thought of change. We all deal with feelings of uncertainty and trepidation before striking out on new paths, but perhaps genuine confidence comes from being willing to first examine doubts and fears and then look beyond them to the possibilities of what lies ahead.

Something about the 2nd verse of Amazing Grace caught my attention this past week as I was writing this post. At first glance, these two lines put together sound contrary:

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved;

“Grace” taught my heart to fear? Shouldn’t grace relieve fears?

There is a great amount of grace that goes into the life decisions we make and fear is perhaps what gives us pause and turns our hearts toward asking God’s help rather than relying on our own weak and reckless understandings.

Having done that, God’s grace will give us the strength to set aside fear and step out with confidence when we know the “God who got us started on this spiritual adventure” and gladly shares that journey with us, will follow through to the end.

“You are tough because the Spirit of God lives in you – and if anyone tells you otherwise, you want to meet them outside. Whether things are good or bad, happy or sad, difficult or easy, you’re in the middle of a God-ordained adventure that changes day by day – sometimes second by second. You are never abandoned, never destroyed.”
~Thelma Wells, The Great Adventure (A Women of Faith Devotional)

I feel that perhaps I am being called to consider some new adventures. I’m not sure yet what steps I need to take or where I will be lead, but the thought of setting out is less fearsome when I remind myself that God and I are in this together and His grace is sufficient for all my adventures …day by day, second by second.