In "Other" Words...God With Us!

Welcome to today's In "Other" Words!   Please join with us in sharing your thoughts on the John MacArthur quote below.  After posting on your blog, come back here and post the perma-link (the link to your In "Other" Words post, not the main page of your blog) in the Mr. Linky.  If you have trouble with Mr. Linky, please post your link in the comments to this post. Also, if you don't have a blog, feel free to post your thoughts in the comments here.  Thank you for joining us today!

“If we could condense all the truths of Christmas 

into only three words, 

these would be the words: 

'God with us.' 

We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Christ. 

The greater truth of the holiday is His deity. 

More astonishing than a Baby in the manger is the truth that this promised Baby is the 

omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth!”

~ John F. MacArthur, Jr.

God with us!  Such an amazing truth to ponder.  Even His name was to remind us that this was no ordinary baby born in such humble circumstances, but God, come to be with us:

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name 

Emmanuel, 

which being interpreted is, 

God with us. 

~Matthew 1:23

This past Sunday evening, our Children's Choirs presented the musical The Best Christmas Present Ever.  All four of our children were in the musical...Peter, Bayley, and Emlyn had speaking parts, and Ammah Grace and Emlyn had solos.  Billy and I were both involved as well...Billy working the sound and me as an accompanist.  All of that to say, we've been pretty immersed in this musical for the past few weeks/months.

It was a perfect combination of humor and *teary-eyed* spots, with great music and excellent drama.  But in between the howls of laughter and the "Awwww...how sweet"s, the message was very clear.  The main character, an arrogant news anchor, makes it quite plain that he sees no way that a "2,000 year old guy" could be relevant today.  Only naive children could believe anything different.  The children and their teacher explain that the "Good News" is that God gave us the greatest gift of all...He sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to be born in a manger.  But...we have a choice to make...to accept the gift of salvation He provided through His death and resurrection, to give Him our hearts, and acknowledge Him as our King.  

At the end of the musical, the anchorman reports that the "2,000 year old man" has changed his life~He has saved him and given him the best Christmas present ever!

It is so easy to get wrapped up in the "sweet little baby Jesus" aspect of Christmas.  As I've heard several times lately, the people all over the world celebrate His birth...whether they truly acknowledge it as such or not.   But when we actually stop and think about the fact that that "sweet little baby" in the manger was "the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth", it gets a little harder.  That requires a more serious response from us than "Oh, how sweet!"  It requires a choice from us...a choice to accept the gift of salvation He offers, a choice to give Him His rightful place as King of our hearts.  It demands reverence, and worship, and obedience.  

But...not only is that realization a bit harder, it is also infinitely more wonderful!  If it was just a "sweet little baby" born in the stable that night, it is little more than a beautiful story.  But the fact that the All-Powerful God of the universe was in that manger is Something indeed!  He loved us so much that He chose to come to earth in human form, be born as a baby, grow into a man, and then be beaten and tortured before He took our sin on Himself and gave His life on the cross.   But then, because He *is* the Almighty God, He rose from the dead on the 3rd day, and now sits in Heaven at the right hand of the Father, offering the free gift of salvation to all who will accept it.

For those who have not yet accepted that gift, the most wonderful thing that could happen this season is to accept that gift of salvation.  For those who have already accepted that gift, we too have choices to make this season.  Is he truly Lord of our Life?  Are we truly worshiping Him as the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth?  Are we obeying Him in all that we do?   Does He truly have first place in our hearts this holiday season?   Are we sharing the Good News with others?  

I so want to focus not only on the Baby in the manger this Christmas season, but on "God with Us" throughout the year. 

"She will bear a Son; 
and you shall call His name
Jesus, 
for He will save His people from their sins."

~ Matthew 1:21

Therefore 

God exalted Him to the highest place
      and gave Him the name that is above every name,
 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
      in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
      to the glory of God the Father.

~ Philippians 2:9-11

(My apologies to those who looked for In "Other" Words earlier today.  I had planned to post early this morning, but between Billy being off and our being completely off-schedule, and the engagement last night of a dear friend's daughter, I've been a bit distracted this morning! )

In "Other" Words...Bitter or Sweet?

“If a sudden jar can cause me to speak an impatient, unloving word,

 then I know nothing of Calvary’s love, 

for a cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, 

however suddenly jolted.”
Amy Carmichael

This is the quote chosen by Miriam Pauline for today's In "Other" Words.  When I first saw it a few weeks ago on the IOW hostess site, my immediate thought was "Ouch!"   In the intervening weeks, I've been very convicted on this very subject in totally unrelated ways.   So on Friday when I saw that this was this week's quote, I once again thought, OUCH!"

I've been cranky the last few weeks.  It's been easy to "explain" that...sick children, vehicle and house issues, increased pain level, not being able to be at church, sleep deprivation, and various other external stressors.   I'm catching myself often "reacting" in the moment, rather than stopping and turning those "moments" into teachable ones...when a child makes a mess, or the whole crew comes in arguing, or I am sending the *same* child back to bed for the 4th time that night.  It's easy to rationalize that with "It's been a rough week" or "I'm exhausted".  But not only did Amy Carmichael say it doesn't work that way....so does Jesus, in Luke 6:45...

"The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, 

and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.

For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."

Luke 6:45

The good news is that it doesn't have to stay that way.  I can choose to change.  But...not on my own.  I can't change the *inside* by myself...and what's in my heart has to change before what comes out of my mouth changes.  Those impatient, unkind words aren't just going to go away on their own, but they are "a reminder to call on God to change your [my] heart."  (The 100 Most Important Bible Verses for Mothers

 , by the W Publishing Group).  

Thanks to Miriam Pauline at Miriam Pauline's Monologue for this week's very convicting quote.  Visit her to see what others are sharing about it today here.  

In Other Words ~ "All is Well"

I'm excited to have the opportunity to host this week's In "Other" Words! We we would love to hear your thoughts on this week's quote. To join us, after you have posted on your blog, come back here and add your permalink (the link to your In "Other" Words post, not the main page of your blog, please :)) to Mr. Linky below. If you don't have a blog, you can leave your thoughts in the comments here. For more information about In "Other" Words, please visit Loni at Writing Canvas.

“Believer . . .

banish your fears;

cast out all doubts;

lift up the happy head;

clap the exulting hands;

rejoice;

give thanks.

Your heavenly Father cannot set you in wrong place.

Your loving Savior cannot lead you in wrong paths.

All is well.”

~ Henry Law

"All is well."

But is all well?

It certainly doesn't seem like it at times. In fact, it often seems as though things are as far from "well" as they can get.

The past few years have been filled with circumstances that seem very "unwell", for us and so many others we know. Not just sad things, but truly tragic, horrific things...things that rank up there as people's worst nightmares, only these aren't nightmares, they are "real life".

During these times, I have seen, over and over, people rejoicing and giving thanks~albeit often through tears~for God's sovereignty and goodness. I have seen, over and over, people acknowledging that although the circumstances they are facing are horrific, God is in control, and all is well. I have seen people choosing to "cast out all doubt", and have learned the importance of making that choice myself...although it is still sometimes a daily or even hourly struggle. During the circumstances our family has faced in the past few years, I have learned more deeply and certainly than ever before that "Your heavenly Father cannot set you in wrong place. Your loving Savior cannot lead you in wrong paths." Through the most difficult events in our lives, God's goodness and love have become more sure to me than ever.

We recently watched the movie "Last Flight Out" by Billy Graham's World Wide Pictures. (Excellent movie, by the way!) In the movie, the agnostic pilot who has gone to South America to rescue his former fiancee, who is now a missionary in a village that has been taken over by dangerous drug lords, asks Mateo, a missionary doctor in the village, why he would stay in such a dangerous place, especially since he could be living a life of ease as a physician in the States. Mateo replies, “My safety is of no concern. There is no better place to be than in the center of God’s will.”

That has been one of the prime lessons God has taught me in the past few years. "There is no better place to be than in the center of God's will." No matter how dark, how tragic, or how truly evil that place seems to be, if God has put us there, there is no mistake, He is good, His ways are perfect, and all is well.

In "Other" Words...Living Intentionally

Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion.

You must set yourself on fire.

~Arnold H. Glasow

Karen chose this week's In "Other" Words quote, and added this note: When I saw this quote I not only thought of success but it made me think of our Christian life and our relationship with others as well. They too are not the result of a spontaneous combustion and that is what I would like to write on with this quote.

When I read this week's quote and Karen's note on it, the first thing that came to mind was a phrase I seem to be bumping into a lot lately: living intentionally. It's a phrase I've been pondering often in recent weeks. Part of that has due to being in "school planning mode", which morphs into "life planning mode" because our "school" and "life" are so intertwined. As I've evaluated where we are in various areas of our lives, where we want to be (and where God wants us to be), and how to get there, I've realized that I must get much more intentional about our living, or none of it will ever happen.

Intentional living has also been on my mind and heart a great deal recently due to the tragedy our church family has experienced. Sudden, unexpected death, especially of a young person, has a way of stopping us in our tracks, causing us to realize how brief and uncertain life is and making us evaluate what is really important.

God has convicted me over the past few weeks of my need to live more intentionally in every area.

I must be intentional in my relationship with the Lord. We are called to pursue holiness (1 Peter 1:15-16), to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33), and to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind (Luke 10:27), etc. If I am not intentional about Bible Study, prayer, and Scripture memory, they are not going to happen.

I must be intentional in my relationships with my family. Being the wife and mother that God has called me to be and that my family needs is not going to just "happen". I must be intentional in those areas as well. (Ouch!)

I need to be intentional in relationships with others. Just recently this one hit hard. I had had a particular friend on my mind for weeks...even longer...and would think several times a week "I need to call her" or "I should send her a note". I even sat down and wrote a note one morning, but never got it mailed. I discovered later that this friend had been going through a very difficult time and had really needed encouragement. The fact that she had been on my heart and that I had been missing her wasn't of much help to her when she didn't *know* that. I realized God had been prompting me to get in touch with her, and I had just "not gotten around to it." I need to be much more intentional about stopping when I am prompted and obeying...right then--not waiting until I "get around to it." I wouldn't accept that from my children...why do I expect God to accept it from me?

I need to be intentional in ministry. This one has been nagging at me for a while now. It is so easy to agree to teach a class or take a position or fill a need just because there is an empty spot, without truly being called to that task. Not only are we then doing something we are not called or equipped to do at that point, but we are also possibly standing in the way of someone else who *is* called to that particular role. And we may also be missing out on what God is actually calling us to do in the meantime. We need to be intentional about seeking out what He is calling us to do and doing it...and not doing anything else.

I need to be intentional in *every* area. Of course, the paradox with that is that *just* being intentional will get me nowhere. We can't truly "set ourselves on fire". That fire must come from God in the Holy Spirit. I may really desire to live an intentional life, but as Paul said, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. " (Romans 7:15) Living intentionally is not easy. But...through Him "I can do all things"...including live intentionally. (Phil. 4:13).

"Success"...in any area...isn't just going to happen. We aren't going to become mature Christians, Godly spouses and parents, or encouraging friends by chance. We have to let Him "set the fire", and seek His wisdom to live intentionally every day.

In "Other" Words...Loneliness

I can't believe it's been over a week since I've posted! I had plans for a whole week's worth of posts last week, and was especially excited about last week's In "Other" Words quote by C. S. Lewis. Then I got sick. Or maybe make that SICK. Why is it that I either am really motivated to blog and don't have time, or have the time and am too tired/brain fogged/whatever else to blog? I managed to get a (late) book review posted, and apparently used up all available brain cells to do that. ;-) So I have much more to share...hopefully this week I'll have time and brainpower together long enough to whittle down my "to blog" list a bit!

“Rather than turn from loneliness,
what if we turned toward it?
Could it be that loneliness is not a curse
but a gift?
A gift from God?”

~Max Lucado,
Traveling Light: The Promise of Psalm 23

I did somewhat of a double-take on this quote when I first read it. My initial reaction was "Well, that is one thing I have been blessed with during the past few years...it has not been a season of loneliness."

I have had very definite seasons of loneliness in my life, but they have been few and far between. Between being richly blessed with close friends *almost* continually since meeting Susan and Julianne when we were three :), and having grown up in a very close-knit family, loneliness was somewhat brief and episodic in my life. The year we lived in Russellville, when I was in the sixth grade, and I spent the entire year praying to move back to Conway (which we did the following summer :)). My early days in Fort Smith after college, when I missed family, friends, and church immensely. These and other "bursts" of loneliness had definitely shown me that loneliness can be a blessing as well as a curse. That sixth grade year in Russellville especially was a year of tremendous growth for a young adolescent girl experiencing the culture shock of a new church and school.

But one of the things I've been most thankful for during the past few years of turmoil here has been the tiny group of very close friends who have "been there" for us in ways we could never have imagined before. I hear and read about people going through severely hard times with no support system and am constantly reminded how blessed we've been and how grateful I am. I am also reminded of how many people go through difficult days with an unbelieving or unsupportive spouse, or no spouse at all...and I am so thankful for Billy, who has been my rock of strength and my soft cushion of comfort, even as he has been right in the midst of the searing pain himself.

A little deeper thought, however, brought awareness of times of intense loneliness during the past few years...times that have been glaring reminders of the old saying about being lonely in a crowd full of people. I remembered the times I have told my two friends, who have stood on either side of me and almost literally propped me up at times during the past few years, that while I was more thankful than they would ever know for the ways they have been there for me, there are times when I would give almost anything for someone who has actually walked in our shoes. These friends have been amazingly understanding in their sharing of our burdens...but there have still been times I have literally ached for somone who could say, "I've been there. I know what you're going through. I know how you feel." How I would love to be able to "pick someone's brain" and ask "How did you handle this? Did you ever feel like this? Do you have any suggestions for this part?"

There have been other aches of loneliness during these years, too. I grew up with a very close and connected extended family, but my children's experience of extended family is much different than I expected it to be. Some of my biggest struggles with discontent in the past few years have been over this very issue. A friend mentioning a family get-together, photos of long-ago family friends on Facebook with their grandchildren, memories of my childhood holidays...little things that can send me straight into pity party mode if I'm not careful. And then there are those days when I would give anything and everything for an hour with my dad...when my thankfulness that he hasn't been here for the events of the past few years is overcome by longing for just a tiny bit of his encouragement and wisdom.

Loneliness hasn't been as much a stranger as I sometimes think.

And yet, I have definitely seen God working in that loneliness. We have truly learned to turn to Him in ways we otherwise wouldn't have. During times when we have desperately sought wise counsel and come up empty, we have learned first hand the truth of Jesus as the "Wonderful Counselor" spoken of in Isaiah 9:6. During times when I have ached for a hug and wise words from my dad, God has shown Himself faithful as the "Father to the Fatherless" promised in Psalm 68:5. In the times when my heart has broken over the pain my children were going through, when I have felt so woefully inadequate as a parent to deal with that pain, God has reminded me that He watched His innocent Child go through unimaginable pain...and that He went through that pain because of His love for *us*. He has reminded me in those times that He loves my children even more than I ever could...and that He is in control and is working His plan for good in their lives.

I am so very thankful for my husband, my travelling companion on this journey neither of us could ever have foreseen, and which we would never have chosen. I am so thankful for the handful of people who didn't have to walk this road with us, but who have chosen (or been chosen to :)) walk along-side us as burden-sharers. And I am, albeit a bit hesitantly, thankful for the gift of loneliness...one which would never have gone on any wishlist, and yet *is* still, amazingly, a gift.

To see others' thoughts on this week's In "Other" Words quote, visit Patricia at Typing One-Handed. Thanks to Patricia for hosting this week, and to Loni at Writing Canvas for her leadership of In "Other" Words. I'm excited to now be part of the In "Other" Words hostess team, and looking forward to hosting on September 29!

In "Other" Words...Tuesday's Quote

I'm so excited to be guest hosting (hostessing? hmmm...) next week's In "Other" Words. I can't wait to read others' thoughts on Tuesday's quote, and I hope that some of you who haven't participated in In "Other" Words before will jump in and share your thoughts, too!

Tuesday's quote is a recent favorite of mine from C. S. Lewis:

“We’re not necessarily

doubting

that God will do the best for us;

we are wondering how

painful

the best will turn out to be.”
~ C.S. Lewis

To participate in In "Other" Words, share your thoughts about the quote on your blog on Tuesday, and come back here to leave the link to your post. Then visit other IOW participants for their take on the quote. You do not have to have participated before to post...and if you don't have a blog and would like to share, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments on Tuesday's In "Other" Words post.

Many thanks to Loni at Writing Canvas for giving me the opportunity to guest hostess and for organizing In "Other" Words each week! Visit her blog for more information on In "Other" Words, and while you are there, be sure to check out her give-away for the book Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner (as well as her review of the book!) I loved last week's quote from the book, and can't wait to read the whole thing.