thirty thankful days-day 21-christmas project

Every day in November I am posting something I'm thankful for, and I would love to have you join me!  Link to your thankful post below, or write about it in the comments.  Let's be thankful together!


Posting this a day late...but a splitting headache took me down yesterday.  Oh well, two thankful posts today!

I'm thankful for the Christmas Project our kids at church are doing this year.  Through partnering with a local elementary school, we learned of 32 children from that school who will not be getting Christmas presents this year, due to financial hardships.  That's not okay, and we needed to do something about it.

Now, let me tell you that one of the things we do with the kids on Sunday mornings is reward them for learning their remember-verse, bringing their Bibles, etc.  What the kids earn are little glass marbles--we call them mementos.  The kids place the mementos in a jar--working together to fill it up.  The deal is when the jar is full, they earn the chance to do something as a group for someone else.  As they do things to build their faith, they not only are blessed themselves, but they become a blessing to others.

The jar is full.  We gathered the kids and parents together this past Sunday, to reveal what project they have earned.  Each family was able to choose a envelope from our wrapped package--and inside the envelope was information on one of the kids in need, and cash with which to go shopping for that child!  They were very excited!   The kids have been instructed to use half of the money to buy them something really fun, and half of the money to buy them something practical.

I'm so thankful for this project--that we get to show kids that God sees them and God loves them.  That our kids get to experience participating in something so close to God's heart.  Our kids will be able to engage their hearts and minds as they think about what this other child needs and would want, and how to best bless them.  It's all pretty stinkin' cool...and I'm thankful.

What are you thankful for today?  Link up or comment!  Let's fill up blogland with thankfulness!

A few simple instructions for the link up:

-please link to your specific thankful post--not just your blog

-please link back to theGoodlife in your post so others can join the fun!
-feel free to grab the 30 thankful days graphic--I haven't figured out how to make it a button yet.  I'm such a techy, huh?

thirty thankful days-day 10--my bosstor

Every day in November I am posting something I'm thankful for, and I would love to have you join me!  Link to your thankful post below, or write about it in the comments.  Let's be thankful together!


As I've mentioned before, I have the privilege of working as the Children's Ministry Director at our church.   It's a job I love very much.  Just about two years ago we got a new senior pastor--who is also my boss.  (Get it? boss/pastor=bosstor?  Kay, that's lame--I made that word up too-late last night when I started this post...and am leaving it cause I like to laugh at myself.)

How do I begin to describe Don?  Passionate.  A visionary.  Straightforward.  A Teacher.  Developmental.  A Leader.  Missional.  A strong communicator.  He is unlike anyone I've ever known before.  Our church has been blessed by his leadership in many ways.

But I'm not thankful on behalf of my church today, I'm thankful for Don's impact on my life in particular.  I have never had a boss speak into my life the way he does, and I've had some really developmental bosses.  He has great insight into people and is able to mentor people like I've never been mentored before.  He does not tread lightly, and is willing to call out things others might not.

Don and I up front at church after our VBX  (hence the green T-shirt)

Last night we spent a few hours talking about me...about what he sees I'm good at. And about what I'm not good at.  He asked me to get over not being good at certain things (working on it...), and to stop trying to do them.  He doesn't want me spending my energy in those ways.  He is able to tell me what type of leader I am, and how that positively impacts our team and our church.  I can't say I completely get everything he said to me last night...It always takes me a while to wrap my mind around it, but I have a feeling he's pretty dead-on.  When I came home, my hubby and I processed, and he seems to agree with the things Don and I talked about.

I am growing and changing under Don's guidance, not only from his teaching, but particularly under his mentorship.    He names my gifts and strengths very specifically, which is extremely affirming.  And he also names the things holding me back, which are sometimes hard to hear--but which I believe is an even bigger investment in me.  God is using Don to help me look at myself in ways I probably wouldn't have. And for these reasons, I'm thankful for Don, my boss and my pastor (my bosster? heh heh) today.

Who would have thought I could still have so much to learn about myself at age halfway-to-ninety??  I'm thankful I'm not done yet...

What are you thankful for?  Link up or comment!  Let's fill up blogland with thankfulness!

A few simple instructions for the link up:

-please link to your specific thankful post--not just your blog

-please link back to theGoodlife in your post so others can join the fun!
-feel free to grab the 30 thankful days graphic--I haven't figured out how to make it a button yet.  I'm such a techy, huh?

thirty thankful days-day 7-a tissue paper bouquet

Every day in November I am posting something I'm thankful for, and I would love to have you join me!  Link to your thankful post below, or write about it in the comments.  Let's be thankful together!


Yesterday was my birthday, and it was a lovely day.  I'm thankful today for one of my sweet birthday surprises--a whole bouquet of tissue paper flowers.

My dear friend Tamara, who also is part of our children's ministry team, coordinated the kids to each make me a flower.  They individually presented them to me with a hug.  On each flower is a paper leaf where they wrote a little birthday note to me.  Isn't that sweet?

some of the kiddos bringing me flowers

It was nice to be remembered, but what I'm really thankful for is what those flowers represent.  Each one represents a child that God has brought into my life, a child who God loves and who I get to love too.  Each crinkly, colorful stem represents a young person that I get to witness grow in their faith and love for God.  What a privilege!

One of my favorite messages was written by a six-year-old and reads, "Mrs Dawn, you keep on telling me my favorite story."  Yes, Thomas, I do.  And I will keep telling you it--it's the story of how much God loves you.

I also received a lovely card, which included an acronym from my name.  As Tamara read it out loud to me in front of the group, she got all choked up.  So, of course,  I choked up.  Crying on my birthday--good times!  Actually, it was a precious moment and I will treasure my giant card and my paper flowers--and thank God for the honor of walking alongside these precious ones on their faith journey.

Yes, I'm thankful today for a tissue paper bouquet.

What are you thankful for?  Link up or comment!  Let's fill up blogland with thankfulness!

A few simple instructions for the link up:

-please link to your specific thankful post--not just your blog

-please link back to theGoodlife in your post so others can join the fun!
-feel free to grab the 30 thankful days graphic--I haven't figured out how to make it a button yet.  I'm such a techy, huh?

The Church has left the building...

What if we stopped talking about it and finally just got to doing it??

That was the question we answered as a church yesterday on our first ever "Be the Church" Sunday.

Yesterday, there were no church services in our building.  Rather 450 of us served at 18 projects around our city!  So cool, huh?

We were able to meet needs at a few food pantries, some thrift shops, some schools, a large rescue mission, a soup kitchen, the Salvation Army, a few retirement homes and some city parks.  We sorted, labeled, painted, prepared food, roofed, landscaped, picked up trash, listened, hugged, swept, and pulled up carpet in the name of Jesus.  We let people know in a tangible way that God sees them and loves them.

Last fall, our church had a white envelope project in which we gave money away.  Last Sunday we were handed white envelopes again, but this time they didn't contain cash--but rather a service assignment. We were to report to that assignment yesterday morning rather than coming to church.   Everyone was quite excited and embraced the idea.

Not everyone would have chosen the assignment they were given.  Some had passion for different areas. Some were in their element, some were out of their comfort zone.  We put all of that aside and just did it.

My family ready to go!  Aren't they cute?

Our family had a pretty comfortable assignment--we were assigned with 11 others to a local ARC thrift shop.  We shelved a lot of books, put many items out for sale, swept a lot of floors, cleaned, and straightened/hung a ton of clothes.  I think the most important thing we did was encourage the manager at our shop.  She couldn't say enough about how much work we saved her...and what a big help that was.  It was EASY, when working together, to make a big difference there...even if just in her heart.

Bubba returning book bins after we emptied them.

Dave doing his thing  (which means I'm not sure what he is doing right there...)

Pickle working in the accessories department--how appropriate!

I found something I should consider buying...heehee.

more of our group at another site.  they were doing the sweaty kind of work... :0)

We ended the day with a celebration service and dinner together as a church family.   Let me tell you, the energy was palpable.  We worked hard, were pretty tired--but absolutely energized by serving in Jesus' name.

I had several requests after the service (I'm on staff at church) that we do this every year, every quarter, even every month!  And maybe we will do it again one day.  But that wasn't the point, at least not from my perspective.  In my opinion, the point was that we all did it.  We all served.  We got to experience how relatively easy it is to give some time and energy, how big the need is, how big the impact is on hearts when they learn that God sees them.  We stopped talking about it and just did it.  We got to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and it felt good.  My hope is that this experience was a catalyst to much more service to our city by individuals, families, and life groups.  My hope is that our city is transformed by the love of Christ--and that we are all part of it.  Because, honestly, we are called to be.

Let me encourage you that you don't need your church to hold an event like this to get out into your community.  Pick an organization and call them--see what they need and if there is any way you could meet that need.  That's all there is to it.  Push aside the thoughts (I know them well) of finding the ideal setting to serve, your impossible family schedule, your concerns about your abilities.  Don't wait until your life calms down, or your kids get older, or move out,  or you feel ready.  Don't wait for some audible word from God--we already know what is close to His heart.  

This is my family's challenge now.  So now what?  How will we serve next?  It doesn't have to be perfect, we just need to do it.  If your family is serving your community...I'd love to hear about it!  And I'll let all you bloggies know what next step our family takes.

Been a little "tied up" lately...

Me being mummified on Sunday morning with the kids.

This is a weird season for me.  Just as things wind down for the kids, things pick up for me.  It is like this every year.  So, while I long to embrace the slower months with the kiddos, I can't slow down.  It is definitely the season of lists (which really help me when I don't lose them!) and so I figure a list is in order here.

1.  School has wrapped up for the kids.  Wednesday was the last final for Pickle and the last half-day for Bubba.  Bubba's end to 4th grade included a state fair project, a field trip, field day and a music performance.  Pickle's involved her first final exams, some grade-salvaging (including me re-learning geometry to help her study--yikes), and final choir performance.  It was a blur, but it's done!

2.  (Bragging mom alert)  I am so happy for Pickle.  She just loves-loves-loves to sing.  She has been taking voice lessons this year.  She has enjoyed her high school choir experience very much--especially the trip to Disneyworld to compete at the end of April!  She aspired to be a part of the select choir at her school one day.  Auditions for the fall were a few weeks ago, and she was in the midst of a terrible cold.  She auditioned anyway.  There was only one alto spot open--so she figured it was a long shot at best....  I will not forget the sound of her voice when she called to tell me that she was selected!  Not as an alto, but as a soprano!  She is the only one from her grade added to the 20-voice choir.  (There is one other sophomore-to-be who has been in it as a Freshman).  Everyone else is an upperclassmen!  She is THRILLED, as are we.  Guess we are buying another dress...

Pickle with two of her friends after her choir concert.

3.   After picking the kids up from school Wednesday we celebrated the beginning of summer in a favorite way. We grabbed a chick-fil-a lunch to eat on my mom's deck as we watched the Air Force Thunderbirds put on a fantastic show for the Academy graduation.  We were joined by my sis Kerry and her two little ones, and our friend Nicole.  It's such a fun perk to living here--as we get to see this show annually.  A great kick-off to summer!

There they are!

goofy posed picture while nothing was happening.  :0)

a non-posed picture of us actually watching.  :0)

My friend Tamara got this shot--which shows what they looked like when they banked over  my mom's house.

4.  I am busy planning VBX--to be held June 13 -17--and am deep in it right now.  We are doing Group's Pandamania-Where God is wild about you!  The whole VBX is based on Psalm 139--filled with the truths about how God feels about and interacts with each one of us.  As things get crazy-busy, it helps me to remember why we do this, and I get excited about kids embracing these important truths for themselves.  It's what keeps me going.  We have planned for double the kids this year--but so far registration is on pace with our normal numbers...will you pray with me that God sends the kids He wants there?

5.  For the first time this year, we are also taking VBX on the road!  Two weeks after our VBX, we will be holding VBX in inner-city Lincoln, NE!  We are partnering with a church-plant there that is only 18 months old and has never had a VBX.  They are in a poverty-stricken area, are under-resourced, and we are so happy for the opportunity to partner with them.  We are taking a large group of teens and adults from our church--and it will be a great team.  However, the amount of unknowns for this venture are sometimes overwhelming.  It's a step of faith for many of us...which is an exciting place to be.

6.  Today is my day off (perhaps the last Friday off until July!) and I am hoping to rally my kids to work with me to get their rooms and our home closer to clean and organized.  Right now it seems one of those terrible tornadoes took a quick spin through our house...

There's more, but before I fall any further into my usual pattern of making my lists unrealistically too long, I'll stop here for today.  I hope this weekend finds you doing things you love and with people you love.

Be back soon, bloggies.

Linking up with the Company Girls today.

the good kind of tired

me at VBX

I tell my Vacation Bible eXperience team every year that at the end of VBX week you will be the "good kind of tired".  It is the kind of tired that comes from knowing that your energy was well-spent.  Well-spent on something worthwhile, something that made a difference--rather than spent on frivolity or fretting.

That's me today.  The good kind of tired.  We finished our High Seas Expedition on Friday, and had it all cleaned up within a few hours.  Yet Saturday held a six-hour push to get a video recap done (my brother-in -law actually did it--I just sat by his side and chose clips and pictures.) for church this morning.  Today was an early morning--two different lessons to prepare, hair to color (I know...Sunday morning??), and speak at both services about VBX before the kids sang.

So, it wasn't really until this afternoon that I felt it.  The adrenaline eased up.  The yawns came.  The weight of responsibility lifted.  The tired was allowed to come.

You know, it does feel good to be this kind of tired.  It feels good to allow myself rest.  I am spent.  But well-spent.

And I'm realizing the good kind of tired is a gift to be felt fully and enjoyed.  I'm going to relish it.

I'm sharing this Sunday-post with emily at Chatting at the Sky, cause it's still the gift I'm unwrapping on Tuesday.  

God Sightings

At VBX, one of the practices we are teaching the kids is to "watch for God".  Each day the kids report their "God Sightings" to their leaders.   Today I heard one tell of a sunset God made, one said God led him to a good VBX, and another talked about the money God provided at his popsicle stand for the missions project.

Yesterday, my son said "tetherball" as his God Sighting.  I wondered about it for a second ( in that "seriously? that's what you said? kind of way) and realized that he is learning to give God the credit for everything--including a good time he had playing with his friends.  The kiddos are learning to look for God and expecting to see Him!

Here are some of my God Sightings this week:
* three sweet ladies who have provided supper for us this week to lighten the load of a busy week.
*  A little girl who I don't know brought me a rose today to say thank you for VBX--and she had tears in her eyes as she gave me two big hugs.
*  Many instances of things working out, just in the nick of time. :)
*  The opportunity to sit for an hour with a visitor's mom who really needed prayer and encouragement.
*  a VBX staff that truly loves God and kids and that bring energy and enthusiasm each day!
*  God giving me the words to say today as I talked to the kids about the gospel.
*   A diet-coke-bearing friend. (thanks Bethie!).
*  The mom who thanked us because on Monday night, while she sat in the ER for a scary allergic reaction, was encouraged by her daughter with what she learned just that morning at VBX.

Do you watch for God?  Do you expect to see Him at work?  He's there...

More on this soon...

We've set sail!

Our High Seas Vacation Bible Experience began this morning!  Whew!  It's always good to get to the first day and always good to get through it!

It was great fun--and I'm looking forward to the rest of the voyage.

Thought I'd share with you some pics of the way we left things last night.  Finally ready to go...

Don't I have the coolest job ever??  I'm the good-kind-of-tired tonight.  Can't ask for more than that.

a short bloggie-break

Hello bloggies.

Just popping in to say that I am taking an intentional bloggie break this week.

This week I'm...

*  deep into our Easterrific community event I'm leading at church--to be held tomorrow night!
*  taking (not enough, but some) time to be with my kids since they are on spring break.
*  anticipating my sister flying in Friday for a girl's weekend!
*  excited about the dozen people getting baptized on Sunday--and that I had the privilege of teaching their baptism class.
*  not sleeping too well with all sorts of details spinning, spinning, spinning through my head.
*  digging out from a spring snowstorm that came in with a fury Tuesday night, and hoping the one predicted for Friday night stays away long enough for Easterrific to happen and my sis to get into town.
*  wishing I had time to spring-i-fy my house.
*  missing blog-world--cause I haven't read my blog feed and know I'm missing all sorts of wonderfulness.
*  trusting God, cause He's got everything under control.

I'll be back blabbing at you next week!

Mary's Story, Part Three, The End

This past Sunday at church I gave the "sermon" in the first person as Mary. Yup, costume and all. Many of you were praying for me, and I definitely felt your prayers. I am my own worst critic, and know I left parts out each service, but I am trusting that what God wanted said was said. The feedback has been very encouraging-what a blessing. Several of you asked if I would post my talk. So here it is over a few days. I hope it encourages you. Disclaimer--I had many sources that influenced my thoughts and word choices...if you would like a list of those...please contact me.

If you prefer to listen to the talk, it is posted here.

continued...the story starts here.

When I returned to Nazareth I knew it was time to tell my parents and Joseph (aah, good, kind Joseph) what God had done in me. The signs of pregnancy were beginning to show. Oh Lord, how would they ever believe me?

My parents did their best to be supportive, but I am not sure if they believed me. If this baby was not God’s own (and who ever heard of that?) then their daughter (who was betrothed!) had committed a wicked sin and dishonored the entire family. Yet, they wondered how I could ever make up such a story. They summoned Joseph and when I told him—he was disgusted and heartbroken. He didn’t say so…but I could see it on his face. He left without a word. That night I cried myself into a fitful sleep. I knew Joseph would likely divorce me…oh what would I do? I waited for word from him. I tried to be strong and take heart. God was in this. He gave me the strength to cooperate with his plans.

I was so relieved when a few days later Joseph returned to say that He believed me. He had thought to divorce me quietly without accusation (such a dear man), but God revealed to him that I was telling the truth. He took me as his wife and promised to care for this holy child as his own.

I remember the day that Joseph and I went to my parents and told them we needed to go to Bethlehem, the city of our ancestor David, for the census. My mother strongly objected. She said my time was near. She was right. I knew it too. But, it was law. God would sustain me. He hadn’t forgotten the baby inside of me. And now I see that God was fulfilling the words of the prophet Micah that said the messiah would come out of Bethlehem…. God was working through the Emperor of Rome to fulfill his prophecy. There’s something to ponder, huh?

Joseph didn’t have much in the way of travel comforts—but he put me and a few belongings, and food for the journey on a donkey and we set off after a tearful goodbye with my family. It was a journey that took over a week. It felt like a year. I was SO uncomfortable, and had to stop often to stretch my cramping muscles and rest my aching back. Any of you who have been heavy with child can relate to how I was feeling. Joseph was kind to me…but also was hurrying us along. He wanted to get there—I think it’s something about the way God created man—always wanting to get there. So, I did my best not to slow us down too much.

It seemed like the longest journey ever. Not just physically, but emotionally. I battled thoughts of inadequacy, and worries about what would happen when we arrived. How was this all going to work out? I felt like these were crazy circumstances. I asked God once again to help me be strong and take heart and wait on him. The pains were coming on and off…and I began to pray we would at least make it to town to find the services of a midwife and a place to have this child. Would Joseph be delivering this baby on the side of the road to Bethlehem? “Oh God, rescue me!” I prayed.

We did make it in time…but we weren’t in town long when my water broke and the pains came quicker. The place was swarming with people, every last corner of folks homes were taken with relatives and travelers, and we had to bed down in a stable-- the place where animals were kept at night. At that point I didn’t care…I just wanted to have a place off the street to have this baby. A midwife was found and some distant female relatives attended me. I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy—ah, you should have seen him—right there in the stable. Without my mother at my side. Without the comfort of home and the celebration of my family.

It wasn’t how I thought my first child’s birth would be. Certainly not. I had dreamed, as most girls did, of marrying a kind man and having lots of children. I never dreamed of this. I have to confess that I wondered if God had forgotten--in all of his Messiah-plans--to secure us a proper place for His arrival. Nothing is impossible with God. The messenger told me that. Why didn’t He remember to take care of securing someone’s guest room for us? A stable? Really? Is that where a king should be born??

But God granted me peace and my heart was filled with joy. He was here. My baby. The Messiah. God with us. And somehow that was more than enough. And He was born in a stable.

I have since come to know that there was a purpose in the stable. God wanted the world to see that this was a very different Messiah than the political king they expected. A messiah who would hang out with the lowly of society. (In fact, some of Jesus’s first visitors where a stinky, dirty group of shepherds—who weren’t intimidated to come visit us in the stable. Their story encouraged us so.) No this Messiah was not going to fit their expectations, but instead cause them to rethink most things they thought they knew. The stable was part of God’s plan from the beginning—regardless of whether I understood at the time.

I wonder if any of you are in your own stable of sorts. Circumstances that are unexpected, don’t make sense and make you wonder if God Almighty has forgotten about you? Maybe He seems silent. Your stable might be a season of heartache, or of discontent or of pain. How will you wait on the Lord? Will you trust that He is Good? That there is purpose in the stable? That there is something bigger going on? Will you ask God what it looks like in your life to be strong and take heart and wait on him?

Remember, God came to earth. As a baby. My baby. For all of us. He is with us. God with us. Immanuel. Praise be to God!

I hope this reflection on Mary encouraged you. Special thanks to Missy at It's Almost Naptime for her influence on this part of my talk.

Mary's Story, Part Two

This past Sunday at church I gave the "sermon" in the first person as Mary. Yup, costume and all. Many of you were praying for me, and I definitely felt your prayers. I am my own worst critic, and know I left parts out each service, but I am trusting that what God wanted said was said. The feedback has been very encouraging-what a blessing. Several of you asked if I would post my talk. So here it is over a few days. I hope it encourages you. Disclaimer--I had many sources that influenced my thoughts and word choices...if you would like a list of those...please contact me.

If you prefer to listen to the talk, it is posted here.

(continued--the story starts here)

I knew what all this meant in my life. When my pregnancy was discovered it would appear as adultery. I would be labeled a sotah and as was our way, be asked to drink the bitter waters to determine if I was guilty or not. I had seen it happen to others—their clothes ripped to expose their skin, publicy scorned and made to be an example to others. If when she drank the bitter waters made her sick, she would be found guilty—and she would be condemned to death by stoning. Even if I was spared death, at the very least, Joseph would be legally bound to divorce me. My child would be an outsider and scorned by the villagers He would not be permitted in public assemblies. My reputation would never recover—I knew well the wagging tongues of the women in my village--and I would never marry. My child and I would be alone in the world. I would be breaking my parents hearts if they didn’t believe me…and I would be destroying Joseph’s reputation as well. If I was to defend myself and share that the child was God’s and not a man’s…I would be labeled blasphemous—perhaps the worst accusation of all.

I remember the weight of the realization that this would be costly. But when Almighty God asks you to do something…you say yes. I knew God’s faithfulness to our people in years gone by…and knew He was good. He had a plan and had somehow chosen me to play a big part in it. And I believed that He would be faithful to me.

And then came the waiting. There would be months til the child came. Days until I could know for sure this was really happening in my body. Weeks until I knew how Joseph and my family would respond.

We were no strangers to waiting—my people. We were God’s chosen people, awaiting a messiah, yet we lived under Roman rule. We were taught early on to fear the soldiers…my mom told me that whenever I heard the yells or hoofprints of Roman soldiers, I was to run and hide…cause it wasn’t unheard of for them to take a young women as their own. They did whatever they wanted and we were the ones to pay. We were oppressed and we were waiting for the messiah. Some had given up hope…it had been 400 years since God had made contact with His people and we waited to hear from Him again. I often dreamed of being one of those freed from Egypt—able to see God in the pillar of smoke and fire. At least they could see Him, and knew He was leading them and doing something. My people were waiting in silence—and nothing around us pointed to the long-awaited messiah. So we waited.

You see, waiting sounds passive. Yet it isn’t. Have you had to wait for something? Are you waiting now? Then you know…It’s active. It takes energy and perserverance. I was on a journey that I needed to be actively engaged in. I have even heard it said that waiting on God is the very work of the people of God.

So the question came to my heart—how will I wait? I remember my father quoting the scriptures. “Wait on the Lord, be strong and take heart, and wait on the Lord. So that’s how I wait…be strong and take heart. I asked God to give me strength for the journey ahead, and Hope that He was in control. I asked Him over and over again in coming months…and He was faithful. My hope was in Him.

After the initial shock wore off—I knew I needed to see my cousin Elizabeth. She is the only person who would understand what it was to be pregnant with a miracle baby. It was a five day journey. I hoped she would receive me and I would find her well. It was hard to wait to reach her and see that she truly was with child as the messenger said she was.

When I arrived… I saw her. My old, tender-hearted cousin, obviously with child. What the messenger said was true! I happily called to her and before I even had a chance to tell her what had happened… she grasped her belly and gasped. I was afraid, “ohno! Elizabeth are you OK?” And she said with a huge smile on her weathered face, “When you greeted me, the baby in my womb leaped with joy!” She went on to proclaim that I was blessed among women and so was the baby I bore. She asked why she should be so favored that the mother of her Lord would come to her. She said I was blessed because I believed that what the Lord said to me would be accomplished. Oh Lord, thank you for this sign that nothing is impossible! My heart rejoiced and I sang out in praise to God. Elizabeth was such an encouragement to me, I decided to stay with her for the remainder of her pregnancy—about three months to help until her baby was born. Then, I’d return to Nazareth.

It wasn’t long before it was obvious to me I was pregnant. I was so very tired, and my stomach was unsettled all the time. It was true. God had given me a baby.

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Mary's Story, Part One

This past Sunday at church I gave the "sermon" in the first person as Mary. Yup, costume and all. Many of you were praying for me, and I definitely felt your prayers. I am my own worst critic, and know I left parts out each service, but I am trusting that what God wanted said was said. The feedback has been very encouraging-what a blessing. Several of you asked if I would post my talk. So here it is over a few days. I hope it encourages you. Disclaimer--I had many sources that influenced my thoughts and word choices...if you would like a list of those...please contact me.

If you prefer to listen to the talk, there is one posted here.

I am so humbled and thankful for this opportunity to share the story of the birth of my first -born son, Jesus with you. It is my favorite story of all. Of course, all mothers love to tell of their experiences of bringing their children into the world…I’m no exception. But this birth story is so un-ordinary. And it doesn’t belong just to me—but to all of us. I’ve treasured these things and pondered them in my heart and am so happy to be sharing them with you.

Even after all of these years I still can’t believe this happened to me. I was just a poor, jewish girl from an obscure village of 400 called Nazareth. I’ll never understand why God chose me to be the one.

Let me start at the beginning. I hadn’t been of marrying age very long…but was already pledged to be married to Joseph, a local carpenter. This was the first stage of marriage, and meant that although I still lived with my folks, I was legally Joseph’s wife. My parents had arranged the marriage, as was our custom. I was relatively pleased with their choice. I didn’t know him well, but I knew he was from our tribe, and from the royal line of David, and that he observed the Torah and loved God. He had a trade that would provide us a sufficient living. What more could I ask for? I knew I would easily grow to love him…just like my mother learned to love my father…and was anticipating the day when he would take me to his home and I would live as his wife.

One day during that time of betrothal--the day that forever changed my life--as I took a break from my daily chores to rest, I felt a disturbance in the air. It’s hard to describe—but the hair on my arms stood up on end and my skin tingled. I looked up and before me was a figure unlike any person I had ever seen before. He was glowing so bright I could not make out his face. He said, “Greetings favored one! The Lord is with you”.

To say I was startled and afraid was an understatement…my heart was racing, my breath was caught in my throat. Could he mean me? Favored? Then he told me not to be afraid and called me by name, Mary. When he said my name, a peace came over me—for which I’m very thankful. I’m not sure I would have been able to hear what he said next because of the pounding of my heart in my ears! But God calmed me. The messenger went on to tell me that I would be with child, and give birth to a son, and give him the name Jesus. (I remember hoping he meant eventually…but somehow knew he meant soon.)

He then went on to tell me the most overwhelming news of all—that this son will be great and will be called Son of the Most High! He will have David’s throne! And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever…His kingdom would have no end!

My mind swirled with the implications of what he was saying. I knew promises of the scriptures well enough to know he was saying that I would be giving birth to the long-awaited Messiah!

I asked him how this could be that I would be with child when I hadn’t been with any man? And then he told me I would become pregnant by the Holy Spirit! I had never heard of that before…and didn’t understand…but he spoke with such authority that I knew that what he was telling me must be true. As if this wasn’t enough for me to take in…He went on to tell me that my cousin Elizabeth was pregnant as well! Let me tell you, this was just as impossible as me being pregnant—as she was well past child-bearing age and had never even been able to have a child. Elizabeth had long ago given up hope on ever having a child. He said nothing is impossible with God.

In my opinion, the most surprising thing of all was yet to come. The most surprising thing was that I consented! I said, “I am the lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said.” God gave me the strength to muster some courage and agree to this plan. As soon as I did, the messenger left me.

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distracto-girl, that's me

Thanks for all the birthday wishes last week--I had a wonderful birthday weekend. You can read some highlights here. On then on Tuesday, hubby and I went to Denver for an overnight and to see Wicked. What a fun show--enjoyed every single minute of it!

Today, I am finding that distractions abound. For one...Lifeway is broadcasting from their woman's leadership conference here. I stumbled on it (thanks Rachel Anne!) and have already listened to Priscilla Shirer give a powerful talk and some chitter chatter from Travis Cottrell--love him. I turned it off for a while now...cause I am recognizing I could watch it all day!

ANYHOO--as I said, I'm distracto-girl today. I know why. I haven't had my diet coke yet! No, that's not the whole reason. The real reason is that I plan to spend a chunk of my day working on (read here: starting) a talk I am giving at church. I need your prayers! I am actually going to be giving the "sermon" (we don't call it a sermon cause we don't really do the women-preaching thing at our church but don't know what else to call it heehee) on December 13! In the first person. As Mary. I will likely regret saying yes at several points along the way...but I think God has told me a theme...and so here I go. Did I say I need your prayers?

I have spoken before. I have done drama before. It's still a bit (actually quite a bit) scary...and will have NO impact apart from God speaking through me...so please pray!

I need to run and focus...have a great weekend!

Linking up with the Company Girls at Home Sanctuary--my friday chat with bloggie friends.