Thanks + Giving + [Always?]

Sun shining; house cozy warm from the heat of the oven, which contains a 12-pound turkey; smell of apple cider and cinnamon candles; husband peeling potatoes and me kneading dough; table set and awaiting guests.

It's Thanksgiving. Autumn is here - my favorite time of the year!

 

There's no way to exactly duplicate a tradition, but we took joy in the newness of Thanksgiving and our first time celebrating it in Germany was a success!  I even managed to come up with a maple leaf - Canadian Pride! :)

Funny how memories are triggered. Memories of family members showing up at our house, of board games, of kids, of lots and lots and lots of (great) food, of getting to use the "special" plates and glasses, of the "go-around-the-table-and-everybody-say-one-thing-they're-thankful-for" round.

Giving Thanks. Because so much has been given to us; it's the least we can do in return. 

But Thanksgiving is more than a day; it's a lifestyle. 

If we only choose joy when we have a full plate, a full stomach, and a full house, are we really giving thanks?

This year my husband and I were confronted with the biblical mandate to REJOICE ALWAYS.

Three days before Thanksgiving, his mom took a fall outside, was rushed to the hospital where it was discovered that she had a complicated wrist and elbow break, had an emergency operation and likely has to remain in the hospital for 3 weeks now.

That wasn't exactly part of the plan. Or at least our plan.

For awhile, I felt guilty for excitedly anticipating food and fellowship, but then the Holy Spirit reminded me, "It's perfect timing to celebrate Thanksgiving." If not now, then when? 

 

The Lord called us here to help bring restoration. And it looked like restoration was happening - my mom-in-law was overcoming the effects of her stroke and was beginning to ride a bike again, re-learning how to write, and becoming more engaged in activities and conversation. And now? She's laying in a hospital bed with metal plates in her arm and can't remember what happened or why she's there.

What does giving thanks look like in this situation? I read a quote from Ann Voskamp the other day which made me think:

"My lips may have said YES to God's grace of a Messiah - 

but my life has said NO to God's gift of this moment."

How is it that we so easily receive God's GIFT of grace, His GIFT of salvation, His GIFT of a Savior...but so often reject His GIFT of each new day? What makes us think we can pick and choose what we get to give thanks for?

And so, in the middle of hospital visits, short nights, telephone calls to family, and conversations with the doctors and nurses, we choose joy.

• We're thankful that in a matter of minutes after calling emergency, we had 5 medical personnel at our doorstep.
• We're thankful for hospital staff working the night shift, so she could receive immediate care.
• We're thankful for friends and family who have stopped in to visit. 
• We're thankful for a praying community of brothers and sisters in the Lord.
• We're thankful that none of this is a surprise to God. 
• We're thankful that God redeemed the situation - my mom-in-law's "room mate" gave her life to the Lord after my husband had a conversation with her about Jesus!

And although the reality of the situation isn't nice, we're allowed to celebrate.

“Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10). Joy is something deeper than circumstances. Receiving each moment with thanksgiving is what allows us to live in joy.

There is another quote that says: "Hope is hearing the music of tomorrow. Faith is dancing to it."

So we "turned up the music" yesterday and enjoyed a feast, knowing God is in control of the end of the story. We're still working on the dancing part, but we believe that God is good and that He's worthy of receiving our thanksgiving. Always.

P.S. Would you pray with us, please? For a quick, miraculous healing, for peace for us as a family, especially my husband's dad, and for the strength to dance? Thank you.

Don't Forget Where You Came From...

1:30am, downtown Toronto City, Canada. August 2013.

We had come in two vehicles, excited to celebrate our friend's upcoming wedding and have fun at a Bachelorette party. And fun it was! A dinner cruise on the harbor, dancing, Starbucks espresso shots, night view from the CN Tower. Good times!

Then it came time to part ways and hop back into the cars to head home. Five of us headed toward the Parkade. We walked the downtown streets in our skirts and high heels, passing pizza shops that were closing down for the night, and construction workers who were just starting their shifts, taking advantage of slower traffic after midnight to finish bridge repairs.

So we walked...and we walked...and we walked...and we walked. Somehow, in the midst of our girly giggling and picture-taking and time together, we could not remember where we parked. I had driven into the city with the other 5 girls, so unfortunately I couldn't be of any help as we tried retracing our steps, even asking a security guard for help at one point after we'd been walking around lost for over an hour and a half.

[Side Note: never get lost in Toronto!]

Not only are there a bunch of parkades in the city, but after awhile, they all start looking the same. Did we drive up, or down? Was the signage black, green, or red? Were we on level 3 or 4? Did we enter from this corner, or a block further down? We passed hundreds and hundreds of cars, but none of them were ours. 

Photo Credit: Led Lighting Toronto

Long story short, we were getting worried (especially since all of our cellphone batteries were slowly dying), tired, and frustrated. We decided to go back one more time to the very first parkade we started in before calling someone for help.

Lo and behold, we walk in and go up a level, clicking the remote for the car alarm, and HALLELUJAH we hear it beeping! Found. Never had we been so relieved, and never had we been so happy to arrive safely back at home and catch a couple hours of sleep before the rehearsal the next day.

We all knew we'd look back on that situation and laugh about it some day. Some day. But you know what the most embarrassing part was? Driving out of the parkade, we noticed BIG signs written in BOLD letters posted all over the beams of the parking garage - "Please make note of where you park!" Oooooops. 

If there's one thing I learned from that adventure, it was this:

Don't forget where you came from.

Canadian Thanksgiving is coming up in a week, and it's a perfect opportunity to REMEMBER where we came from. Like the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 77:11-12 - 

"I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. 

 I will consider all your works
    and meditate on all your mighty deeds."

Our past doesn't define us, but it is a part of our story and we need to remember where we came from. Frustrated with your spiritual growth because nothing seems to be changing? Consider where you were a year ago. Under financial pressure? Remind yourself of how the Lord always came through up in the past. Tempted by pride? Consider Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 - "Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."

Don't forget where you came from. It will help you get to where you need to go.

(Coming next week...pictures from our Canadian Thanksgiving Celebration as some German friends of ours are introduced to this feast for the first time!)

Unless a Seed Falls...

Now tell me...if this isn't a miracle, then what is?

I almost couldn't believe my eyes once I got started harvesting things from our garden last week. How incredibly, richly blessed we are! Food is something I so easily take for granted. It's a normal part(y!) of everyday life, isn't it?

It sincerely amazes me how such a variety of delicious, fresh, nutritious, and colorful fruits, vegetables and flowers can be brought forth from the earth from a single seed.

We all know that a seed needs sun and water in order to grow. But there's another important factor that we often forget...

"Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies..."

(John 12:24)

Without death, there is no fruit. Unless it "falls to the ground and dies, it remains a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." Paul commented on the same principle in 1 Corinthians 15:36 - "What you sow does not come to life unless it dies."

What if a seed had a mind of its own, and could choose it's own glory instead of bringing forth fruit? What if it could decide to become 'big and rich and successful'? It would, literally, be full of itself! Unless a seed bears fruit, it's useless.

Image from foodmate.com

Big seeds are impressive, but big fruit is what counts. The picture above shows the harvest of American pumpkin grower Ron Wallace's world record pumpkin that weighed 2,009 lbs. 

A British seed company bought an inch-long seed from the pumpkin, paying £170 on an online auction, about 400 times higher than what is normally paid by specialist growers for giant pumpkin seeds.

The only reason such enormous fruit is possible is because a seed died in order to give life. 

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

"Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me..." is the invitation from our Savior. Give up your rights, surrender your dreams, and bear the fruit of the Spirit in your life. By refusing to build our own kingdom, selfish and limited, we participate in the building of the Kingdom of God, which is "RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, and JOY in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). Now that is something worth dying for.

Death hurts. But we are called to "offer our bodies as living sacrifices" (Romans 12:1), meaning we always have the choice of crawling off the altar. Taking the easy way out means choosing to live out of our own strength, our own striving, and seeing limited fruit. Surrendering, on the other hand, means participating in God's marvelous, loving plan and fulfilling the "good works He has prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10).

This spiritual principle of a seed falling to the ground and dying gives us hope, since we can be assured that even the things that appear to be "dying" in our lives can be used of God to bring fruit, and can raise a harvest far bigger than anything we could ever do on our own. 

 

"Now this is to My Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples..." (John 15:8). 

Blood Donors

Two weeks ago my husband and I went to donate blood at the German Red Cross. They spoil us here in Germany, in that they actually hire a butcher and prepare a big meal for all blood donors as a thank you! Not quite like the juice boxes and granola bars in Canada, eh? :) They are also very intentional about caring for your health (for example they gave me tablets to replenish my iron). We have begun donating regularly, as often as we're allowed, and it's actually really fun and fulfilling!

Sure the needle pricks a bit, but just the thought that we could be helping save another person's life makes it all worth it! I am amazed at the scientific research and technology that makes this all possible, and totally thankful for the complexity of our bodies and how God created us. WOW! We figure it is such a practical way to "love your neighbor."

I have a hard time fathoming how 500mL of this "red substance" can make such a difference in someone else's life. In fact how is it that blood itself holds the power of life? The Bible was way ahead of scientific data and understanding when it said: "the life of a creature is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11). No blood, no life; but new blood, new life!

Our little experience at the blood donation center reminded me of a t-shirt I once saw someone wearing:

"a blood donor saved my life!"

My life, too, was saved by a blood donor. But it didn't happen to Him through nurses and needles; instead by whips and nails. By piercings in His side, by harassment from His enemies and being spit upon. By a crown of thorns being twisted upon His head and His naked body carrying the weight of a cross up to Golgotha.

"Nothing but the blood of Jesus..."

We sing about it, we read about it, we talk about it, and every time we participate in Communion, or the Lord's Supper, at church, we soberly remember and celebrate it. But what does it actually mean that Jesus gave His blood for us?

Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada, and I thought for this day I would like to start a series about the blood of Christ, because it is what I'm thankful for. It is the most precious gift we could receive, the foundation of our salvation. It is of course a huge topic, but here are some basics about the power of Christ's sacrifice:

It is the symbol of the New Covenant I have with God (1 Cor. 11:25). Jesus said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” Blood was also the seal of the Old Covenant that God made with His people, the Israelites...Every sacrifice the priests made and every animal they offered had to do with the spilling of blood, given "for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance (Hebrews 9:7). "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22). Sacrifices were God's way of providing salvation for His people in the Old Testament, but the blood of Jesus was what sealed the New Covenant.

The good news is that now, Jesus doesn't have to offer Himself again and again - His blood sacrifice was once for all (Hebrews 9:25), sufficient to cover our sins...and so much more.

His sacrificial death on the cross was foreshadowed by the Passover event in the Old Testament. When the Lord was about to release His people from the grip of Pharaoh in Egypt, He gave them the command to sacrifice an offering to Him, taking the blood of the animal and marking their doorframes with it. "The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13). In that way, the people of Egypt were struck with the judgments of God while Israel was set free. 

In the same way, the blood of Christ sets us free. When we accept Christ's gift we are marked by His blood, which offers life, protection, and healing. Here are some of the promises of God from the Bible that talk about the power of the blood of Christ and what exactly this New Covenant is:

1 Peter 1:18-19 The blood of Christ "redeems us from the empty way of life..." Before we knew Christ, we lived in death, in hopelessness, in darkness. Now we belong to Christ and are given Hope and Life and Purpose!

Ephesians 1:7 "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace." We have eternal life! The blood of Christ fulfilled the requirements of the law that nothing and no one else could. Jesus Christ gave His life as a RANSOM (Hebrews 9:15) - setting us free from the effect of sin (which is death) as the power of sin to control us and be our master (Romans 6). 

1 John 1:7 The blood of Christ "purifies us from all sin." That means we are spotless, clean, and no stain of unrighteousness is on us. God sees us as holy, forgiven, perfect in His sight!!! It doesn't matter what we've done or "how bad" we've messed up - Christ's blood was enough to offer forgiveness for ALL.

Ephesians 2:13 We have been "brought near through the blood of Christ." And Jesus reconciled to Himself all things, "making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (Colossians 1:20). Because of sin humans are separated from God, out of relationship with Him, strangers. But the blood of Christ makes it possible for us to be in God's presence, to "approach Him with freedom and confidence" (Ephesians 3:12, Hebrews 4:16). We can have peace with God.  Jesus is standing next to God, interceding for us (Romans 8:34). What does that mean? It means he "destroyed the barrier, breaking the dividing wall of hostility" that separated us from God, and now stands in the throneroom, holding the door open for us so we may talk to God, hear from Him, be in relationship with Him and experience Him.

What precious promises! Jesus Christ willingly went to the cross, laying down His life and pouring out His blood to give us freedom from sin and peace with God.

And we can be partakers of these promises when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. But His blood has power and an effect on our everyday lives as well...

More on that in Part 2!

He does all things well...

{It was a relatively normal, sunny afternoon as a group of friends were out strolling. But suddenly they heard a commotion down by the water. Eager to find out what was going on, they ran toward the crowd, wanting to be part of the action. And what did they see? A celebrity! In their village! Who knew that he would be visiting them?

Giving a knowing glance to one another, they were ready with a plan. One in their group didn't understand what was going on, since he was deaf and could hardly speak. But his friends took him by the hand, and gently led him down the bank to the sea. They pushed their way through the crowd, their hearts burning inside of them as they got closer to the man they had heard so much about. Would today be the day?

As they inched closer, they noticed that the famous man was looking their way. He had noticed them! Suddenly he came walking in their direction, and when he reached them he took their deaf friend by the hand and led him aside, away from the crowd.

Jesus then put his fingers in the man's ears and, looking up to heaven and breathing a deep sigh, said to him, “Ephphatha!” which means, “Be opened!” At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly!

Jesus didn't want this man and his friends to tell everyone. But they couldn't hold it in! They celebrated with excitement, and soon the whole vicinity had heard about the miracle. All those who heard "were overwhelmed with amazement. 'He has done everything well,' they said. 'He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!' " (Mark 7:37) }

 Chris Tomlin wrote a song, "You Do All Things Well." The chorus goes,

"You made it all
Said, 'let there be'
And there was
All that we see
The sound of Your voice
The works of Your hands
You do all things well"

In my own life this past week I've been reminded that I serve a God who does all things well. I was at a seminar where I witnessed the Holy Spirit do an amazing work in the life of each person who was there. People were healed from physical sickness, they found freedom from their past by choosing to forgive those who had hurt them, they came to know God as a Loving Father, they were delivered from lies that they had been believing that had kept them bound, and they experienced the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of them––being their Counselor and Teacher. In my own life, God spoke very clearly and affirmed the calling he has placed on my life.

The sound of God's voice, the works of His hands...He does all things well! I saw a quote on Facebook yesterday by an evangelist named Reinhard Bonnke. It said, "I don’t play the piano to prove that I have fingers. Yes, of course, I have fingers, but I play the piano because I love music. Jesus doesn’t set the captives free and heal the sick to prove anything. HE DOES IT BECAUSE HE LOVES US."

What has Jesus done well in your life lately? I'm learning that as Christians we need to celebrate more (there will be another post on that coming soon). Let's start now! God is our Creator, our King, our Redeemer, our Father, our Healer, our Counselor, our Shepherd, our Leader, our Bridegroom. How has he demonstrated his love to you?


I've been loving the autumn season here in Germany and thought I'd share some pictures of how I've seen him do all things well in creation lately: