Month: January 2010

No Regrets

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Today’s post is stolen from “Stuff Christians Like” by Jon Acuff. Jon writes hysterical Christian satire. Except on Wednesdays which is reserved for more serious issues.  Last Wednesday, he wrote the following story about a conversation with his coworker, Brian. At the end, I’ll add my two cents. To read his post in its entirety, click here.
————-

REGRET:
While at the gym the day before, Brian had seen a man have a heart attack on one of the machines. A crowd quickly formed, but confusion reigned. The gym employees were slow to act and 911 was not called immediately. Brian prayed with a handful of other people and comforted the man the best he knew how, but by the time the ambulance showed up, it was too late. With his wife standing in the crowd of exercisers, a stranger at the gym passed away.


So on an otherwise uneventful morning in an otherwise ordinary conference room, Brian was replaying the whole situation. With the laser focus we all seem to inherit when feeling guilty, he was watching the film of the day before looking for something he could have done differently. There must have been something. Anything that would have saved that man.

That’s a horrible moment that maybe you’re familiar with too. Perhaps the circumstances were different, but somewhere in your life, there’s been a moment you wish happened differently. You lost your job. You lost your marriage. You were too slow to act in a car crash. Your son, the one who used to laugh so hard when you’d build towers of wooden blocks for him to knock over is running away from you and you’re left wondering what you could have done differently.


I don’t know. I don’t know the specifics of your situation. There are some circumstances where we are called to act and have the chance to do something and we don’t. But I think far more often we make the same mistake Brian made. We look back on yesterday or last year or ten years ago and we think we could have done something differently. And if I could tell you the same thing I told Brian, it would be pretty simple.


“God didn’t ask you to be God that day.”


God didn’t turn the reins over to you that day. Just like he didn’t ask Brian to handle a stranger’s aorta tear in the gym, he didn’t ask you to be the God of any particular situation. He is still God. He is still in control. He is still on the throne. And when we act otherwise, it must pain him so.


Because it hurt me to watch Brian that day. It hurt to see him running through scenarios and CPR techniques and a thousand other “what ifs” that morning in the conference room. He had a limitless supply of things that a good person should have done.

Maybe you do too. About your marriage and your job and your childhood and your family. And while I’d never encourage you to shirk the responsibility and accountability God gives each of us, I can promise you one thing, he didn’t ask you to be God that day. He’ll never do that. You get to just be Brian. Or Pam or Sue or Felix. That’s enough. That’s how he planned it. For yesterday and today and tomorrow.

—————
Too often, I pull out thethe “if only’s,” the coulda, shoulda, woulda” wistful thinking, and then my mind parks there filled with regrets or frustrations.


Jon’s statement “God didn’t ask you to be God that day” is what really pierced me. Maybe you too. Why is it so hard to relinquish control sometimes? Why is feeling helpless so difficult?

 
Jon titled his post “Regret”, but I titled mine “No Regrets.” On one of my son’s mission trips a few years ago, he chose a personal theme for training camp and the trip = “No Regrets.” AJ didn’t want to look back on the trip [or on his life] and have regrets. He purposed to make choices, to go places, to say and do things that would leave him satisfied, fulfilled, with no regrets. Hearing his wisdom, I purposed to learn something from my young son.

For those things that are in our control, let’s take the action, say what should be said, avoid what we know to avoid, so we won’t have regrets.
And for those things that are out of our control, let’s let God be God and rest in His divine wisdom.

What do you think?

Susan

Climate Change

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Yesterday, a patient entered our office declaring, “It’s so hot outside.” Hmmmm… It’s January in New Jersey, how can it be considered “hot”?? Well, at 55 degrees, it was sweltering and came close to setting a record.    

But the same 55 degrees in August would be considered frigid.

Now today it’s down to 35 degrees, a cold snap compared to yesterday, but compared to the 10 degree temperatures we suffered in December, today’s 35 degrees would be considered downright balmy.
This thing is – 55 degrees is 55 degrees.
Period.
If it’s been cold, 55 feels like a heat wave, but if it’s been warm, 55 feels chilly.

It only seems to be cold or warm because of our feelings. The temperature is what it is, but we respond to it differently based upon how we feel at any given moment.

And our feelings are subjective. They are influenced by people around us, circumstances that we can or cannot control, health issues, the slow driver in front of us, the pants that no longer zipper up, the song that reminds us of something we want to forget, hormones (or as Beth Moore says “haaar-mones, ladies”).

How we feel about something doesn’t necessarily reveal the truth of a matter.

One day, my husband can ask, “Are you ready?” and I’ll say, “Just a minute, hon, gotta grab my bag.”

And another day, same question, same 3 words, but I’ll bite his head off. “What do you mean – am I ready? Who do you think you are anyway, the time-dictator? You’re always criticizing how long it takes me to do things. You don’t always have to wait for me. Sometimes, I’m ready on time. Do you think I try to make you wait? This is how long it takes me to get ready, so just hold your horses. Now I gotta grab my tissues and makeup. You made me cry. Thanks a lot.”

Same question. Two different responses depending on how I was feeling.

Our feelings change like the weather, up and down. (Sometimes even because of the weather, right?) And how we feel changes how we perceive things.

But there is something that never changes.

Jesus.

He is who He is – unchanging, fixed, the same yesterday, today and forever. Our temperature may change, but His truth remains the same.

When we are upset or depressed, we must evaluate our feelings against the barometer of God’s Word. What is really the truth? How I feel? Or what God says?

True peace is not found in positive thinking, in absence of conflict, or in good feelings. In fact, true peace is found in spite of them. (Philippians 4:6,7)

And speaking of personal climate change, Ron Hutchcraft wrote a wonderful story about how our temperature affects those around us.

http://www.hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-personal-power/changing-the-climate-6010

His conclusion:
It’s easy to complain about how things are in your family, or how they are at work or how they are at church or at school. But complaining won’t change a thing. Neither will condemning or criticizing or preaching. What is needed where you are is someone who will be what they wish others would be – to lead by contagious example. To step out from a climate that is negative or nasty or stressed or prideful or selfish, and to challenge it, not by their words, but by their actions. Decide how you wish everyone would be in your situation, and then start being it yourself!


Over time, one person can have amazing power to change the atmosphere and to improve the climate. In the places God has put you, why don’t you be the one who quietly leads everyone else to something better? Don’t wait for someone else to change. You have the power to start changing the climate in your personal world.


————




How can you be a climate-changer? What would it take? 

Susan

Stains and Devils

Posted on by Susan Panzica

There’s an unwritten (though oft spoken) rule in our house. My husband coined it, and my kids swear to it. The rule is this:

When something is spilled, it is either I who has spilled
or someone else has spilled on me.

I have learned to face the ugly truth:
I am a mess-magnet.


If you hear a crash in a restaurant, you can be sure that I am sitting nearby. When my dog hears me squeal “Oh no!” she makes a beeline for wherever I am, knowing that she might get a lucky mess to slurp off the floor.


This week, I exchanged an ill-fitting Christmas gift for a pretty new coat. I have always had black coats, yet for some reason, this pale pink faux shearling caught my eye. My daughter said it’s the ugliest thing she’s ever seen (she hates pink), and my husband thought it looks like pigskin, no not football pigskin leather, but a real pig’s skin. Despite their blistering fashion critique, I loved it.


I wore it the next day. As we were returning home, my husband asked me if I knew that there was blue ink all over the front of the brand new coat. The blood drained from my face when I saw the mass of squiggley road-map-blue lines staining the front of the coat. “That’s why you always have black coats,” said my astute husband.


So to deal with the crisis, I sought wise, experienced counsel.


Unfortunately, the trip to the dry cleaners confirmed my worst suspicions.


There was no hope.



But wait….

On my laundry room shelf was a product that had worked for me before (remember I am Stains ‘R Us).

Carbona Stain Devils
Good Christians everywhere avoid this product because of its name. Who wants a devil in their house?
But unlike that other devil, these devils remove stains.
Using #3 – the ink/crayon devil, I carefully followed the instructions, blotting out the ink and voila! No more stain!
Can you hear the Hallelujah chorus in the background as I jump around the laundry room?

And can you figure out where I’m going with this?

“God’s Stain Removal Guide”

After King David’s sin was exposed, he was filled with remorse. He cried out to the Lord asking for cleansing and renewal, asking for his stains to be removed. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin…. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” Psalm 51:1-2, 10


Though a murderer, David’s sins were no greater or worse than mine or yours. All sin separates us from God (Is. 59:2). But in His love and desire to be reunited with us, God got into the cleaning business.


He set up a sacrifice system under the law to cover sins, but then, Jesus came and paid the cleaning bill in full.


For our possessions, there are stain-devils to remove all kinds of stains, even blood.


But for His precious possession – us – He used His blood to remove our stains and to overcome the devil.


The stains on my pink coat rendered it useless, good only for the garbage heap, but with the cleansing, it is now a useful, functional asset to my wardrobe. When we’ve been cleansed and renewed, we become useful, functional assets to His kingdom.


“…Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. Eph. 5:26-27


(Ooooo, He removes our stains and our wrinkles! )


It’s a good thing for a mess-magnet like me that God is in the cleaning and renewal business. It may have appeared that there was no hope for me, but that wasn’t the truth. He longs for us to be restored to Him.
So, my friend, how has He restored and used you?

Susan



Prayer for Haiti

Posted on by Susan Panzica

This prayer was sent to me in an email. Please pray with me…

Lord, I just want to say THANK YOU, because this morning I woke up and knew where my children were. Because this morning my home was still standing, because this morning I am not crying because my husband, my child, my brother or sister needs to be buried out from underneath a pile of concrete, because this morning I was able to drink a glass of water, because this morning I was able to turn on the light, because this morning I was able to take a shower, because this morning I was not planning a funeral, but most of all I thank you this morning because I still have life and a voice to cry out for the people of Haiti.


Lord I cry out to you, the one that makes the impossible, possible, the one that turns darkness in to light, I cry out that you give those mothers strength, that you give them peace that surpasses all understanding, that you may open the streets so that help can come, that you may provide doctors, nurses, food, water, and all that they need in a blink of an eye. For all those that have lost family members, give them peace, give them hope, give them courage to continue to go on! Protect the children and shield them with your power. I pray all this in the name of Jesus.

To all my friends please continue to forward this so that we can pray together for the people in Haiti.



Thank you Father, for your daily blessings.
—-
Please continue to support those laboring to help the Haitians. I know several people who have been or will be going to aid in the relief effort. As you know, it is a very dangerous place right now, with crime and disease rampant.
 
Here are some ways to provide assistance:
Nazarene Compassionate Ministries – is partnering with the Haiti Project to ship urgently needed supplies to the earthquake crisis in Haiti. The custom store, at Amazon.com, only includes the specific items requested by NCM and the relief effort on the ground in Haiti.

To visit the NCM store, click here.

For financial donations:
Samaritans Purse
World Vision

Susan

Yellow Snow

Posted on by Susan Panzica
I must confess to you, my friends. I have had this post sitting in my draft folder for over a week. I have mixed feelings about posting it. Usually, my motto is “when in doubt, don’t.” However, I am conflicted here.
You see, my husband got an email with this 30 second video in it, and it is the video itself that is the inspiration for this post. But truth be told, the video is rather disgusting. Kinda funny disgusting, but gross nevertheless. Yet I find a kernel of truth in it worth sharing.
I included the warning notice, but still, I was in a quandry. Oh, what should I do? So, I consulted with my wise friend, Nancy, who, in essence, said “You’re on your own here, girlfriend.” Well, that’s not exactly her words, but then I thought I’ll share this complete disclaimer with you first, and let you decide whether to click on the link to see the video or not. If you take heed of the warning and choose not to view the video, scroll down first to the more palatable verbal description I provided at the end of the post, so you can still retrieve the kernel of truth. How’s that for a compromise!
Just please don’t judge me….
—————————————————————————

WARNING!

In the interest of full disclosure,
the following video is not for
– the squeamish
– the legalistic
or
– the mature.

If your email doesn’t have the video, click below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXtFGT6BKzQ

I warned you.

First, let it be said – I don’t drink beer. I think it tastes vile, and don’t want to waste my money, my time or my calories on such a product.


That being said, why would I share this video with you?


Well, it’s a funny way to bring up my point for today,
and as I said, it is the inspiration for this post:

Things are not always what they seem.

How many times have we looked back on something that, at the time, seemed to be horrible only to realize later that it was exactly the opposite.

But until that realization, we deal with disappointment, anger and frustration.
-Losing that “perfect” guy.
-Not getting that “perfect” job.
-Moving away from that “perfect” home.
–Even if things aren’t “perfect,” but they’re familiar, we have expectations that we’ve grown accustomed to. And disillusionment sets in when setbacks happen.

Sometimes, I wonder who first looked at a hard, hairy coconut and decided to crack it open for the sweet milk inside. Or who looked at a red, spiny lobster and thought, if I boil that ugly thing, the meat inside will be tasty.


Too often, in our discontent, we miss the blessing hidden inside.


The apostle Paul was imprisoned, yet he was able to see that God was using his chains as a platform to share the good news with the entire palace guard, and furthermore, “Because of my chains,” he said, “most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.” Paul saw the blessing hidden inside.


My daughter, Lauren, had more struggles than most to pass her audition to the dance department at her college. Although at the time, it was a period of great disappointment, one of her ballet professors (the one we secretly call the “dance nazi”) later told Lauren that she was a much better dancer because of it.


The Lord gave Lauren this verse: “Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.” Phil 1:18-19


When our children are denied dessert until after they eat their broccoli, they’re displeased. My dog doesn’t understand why she needs a leash when we walk outside. They have neither the knowledge or maturity to see what we can.


Is there a hardship that you are facing today that may turn out for your deliverance tomorrow? The struggles we face can be either stumbling blocks or stepping stones to maturity. Perhaps your yellow snow, coconut, lobster, broccoli or leash may be a blessing in disguise.


Susan

ps – My daughter just came in and told me a story from one of her little dance students about what she learned in Hebrew school that week. To her dismay, she found out that “Sacagawea”, the Indian guide who led Lewis and Clark across the continent, was not Jewish after all. She always thought that “Sock-a-Jew-ae-ah” was a Jewish name. She was certain of it. But she found out: “things aren’t always what they seem.”

Video description:
Two men are walking along a snow covered path. They come upon a patch of yellow snow. Ed stoops down to eat it. Shocked, his friend starts to warn against it, but when he spies the source of the yellow, he bends down to partake of the spiked snow himself. The source? A man lugging a leaking keg of beer.

Once was lost….

Posted on by Susan Panzica

It was just a scarf. But it was one that I loved and that represented so much to me.

It was a gift from my mother-in-law. But it was one that I picked out myself.

It was one of the first things that I bought that my daughter said,
“Cool. Can I borrow it sometime?”


Oooooh… I have now morphed from classic (aka -“boring”) mom to funky (aka – “cool-er”, not yet totally cool) mom. I’ve been trying to move away from my typical traditional styling with some trendy fashion pieces. The scarf was one of my breakthrough items.

And it kept me warm – a practical bonus.

Now it was gone.

Driving home from dinner and a movie Saturday night, for no apparent reason, I got that heightened sense something was amiss. My nerves tingled. The hairs on my head prickled. It was that “spidey-sense” feeling. Where was my scarf? I knew, just knew for sure, that it was gone forever.

Arriving home, I called the restaurant, waited on hold for over 15 minutes while they searched, but alas, with no luck. Certain that I’d have worse luck at the mega-movie theater, I felt despair, but called their “Guest Services” anyway. No one ever answers that line. I know, I’ve tried before.


Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring….


“AMC Garden State Plaza, Guest Services, May I help you?”


“Duh, Uh, … you’re really there??”


“Yes ma’am. How can I help you?”


“I lost a scarf there tonight. In Theater # 14. Any chance you have it?”


“Please describe it.”


(Are you kidding me? If you don’t have it, just say so. Why waste my time and yours?)


“Well, it sounds gross, but it’s sortof brown, red, orange and purple. And it’s not flat, it’s round.”


Pause.


(I know she’s thinking, Why would anyone want something like that back?)


“Hold on. Let me check.”


Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick….


“Ma’am, there’s something here that might be it. You can come to Guest Services tonight.”


Elation…., could it be? “I can’t come back tonight. Can you hold it ’til Monday?”


“Uh, sure.”


“My name is Su…….”


“We can’t put your name on it. It might not be yours.”


“Oh, okay.”


Why wait until Monday? On Sunday afternoon, I stopped in at AMC Guest Services and shared my dilemma with the hip-hop fashionista clerk.


She disappeared into the lost-and-found black hole. When she returned, she held out my beloved scarf on both hands away from her torso as if she was holding roadkill.

With dismay, “Is this it????”        

“Oh, thank you so-o-o much. It may not mean much to you, but means the world to me.” I circled the scarf around my neck and headed back out into the cold.



What exactly does this all mean? Is there a message to be gleaned here?

Well, first of all, someone cared enough to bring my bedraggled scarf to a place where it could be redeemed. And 30 years ago, someone cared enough to share the gospel with me so that I could be redeemed. Who cared enough about you to share the gospel? Have you brought someone to your home or to church or out for coffee lately who needs to hear the good news?

My scarf clearly wasn’t the clerk’s style, and sometimes, people just don’t appeal to us. But they appeal to God and mean the world to Him, and because of that, they must mean the world to us, too. Is there someone unlovely that you need to see God’s way?

OK, this next one is a totally cheap illustration I know. When I was separated from my scarf, I sorely missed it. Being reunited with my scarf warmed my heart. Of course, this cannot begin to compare to the unfathomable love that God has for us, but you get the picture. Apart from Christ, we just are not complete. In Christ, we have joy, purpose, fulfillment, peace.
.
This scarf of mine was lost and now is found, so I began to celebrate –


“…For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” Luke 15:24
.

Do you know Him? Celebrate!

Susan

Elementary, my dear….

Posted on by Susan Panzica
For my birthday, the family and I went to see the new mystery movie, “Sherlock Holmes.” I won’t critique it for you nor will I spoil it for you by giving away any info. But there is one observation that I do want to share with you.
Several times in the movie, we are allowed a vision of what Sherlock Holmes is planning. The director reveals what is about to happen, and then it does happen.
Other times, however, we see Sherlock making observations, but have absolutely no idea what the clue might mean, if it is relevant, or how they will all fit together.
Life with God can be like that, too.
And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, … Ephesians 1:9
Sometimes, His strategy is clear. He reveals to us just what He wants us to do, His perfect plan apparent to our lowly eyes. The Word provides confirmation, and we can take action with the confidence that comes from knowing we are following His will.
But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as He announced to His servants the prophets. Revelation 10:7

But there are times when it is all just a complete mystery, and we won’t know the reason for His plan until much later, if in this lifetime at all.

Perhaps we need to mature some more before we are ready to understand:
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
1 Corinthians 13:11-12 

Or perhaps, He just wants us to trust Him. It is at those times that we walk by faith, and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7) like a child holding hands with her Father. [See my post on that here.]

If you’re like me, you want to know it all – all the “who, what, where, why and  how’s” of  life. But “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Heb. 11:1), so by its very nature, the life of faith must contain the unknown.

It’s a wonderful mystery, the greatest story ever told. And we are part of it!

Susan

 

Carpe Annum!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

 

It’s that time again.
A new year.
A new decade, too.
Some people reflect on the past.
Others look ahead.

 
 
 
 
 
Sometimes, God’s Word says to look back and remember.

  • And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, … Exodus 13:3
  • Jesus asked, “You of little faith, … Don’t you remember … ? Matt 16:8-10

And other times, we’re warned against looking back.

  •  No one in the field should go back for anything… Remember Lot’s wife! Luke 17:32
  • Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. Luke 9:62

Sometimes, we’re encouraged to forget the past and look ahead at the goal.

  • Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Proverbs 4:25
  • But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal … Phil. 3:13-14

Yet, other times, we’re cautioned to just focus on today, not the future.

  • Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. Josh 24:15
  • Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matt. 6:34

So confusing –
Do I look back or not?
Do I look ahead or not?
What’s a girl to do?

After compiling 4 pages of Scripture verses on both sides of this issue, I have arrived at the following conclusion:

There is a time to look back and remember, as long as our looking back is not filled with regretting and remorse.
Over and over, when the Lord talks about remembering, it is the covenant He made with His people that He remembers(Gen. 9:15).
Jesus’ closing words to His disciples at the Last Supper include exhortations to “remember the words I spoke to you.” (Jn 15:20)

David remembered the works of God. “I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. Psalm 143:5

As for our sin, that He chooses to forget (Heb. 10:17).
Oh, thank you, Jesus!



Corrie ten Boom said, “When God buries your sins in the deepest sea, He posts a sign that says No Fishing Allowed!”


Time spent rehashing “could’ve, should’ve, would’ve” is time wasted. In a recent email I received, author Cec Murphy said, “No matter how many times I examine the past, there’s nothing I can do to make it different.”


Okay, so here it is –
Remember His words, remember His works, and remember the “great cloud of witnesses” that the writer of Hebrews mentions – those people like us who have gone before us, have had experiences like ours, have been victorious and are now cheering us on in our race of life.


Learning from past mistakes is worthwhile, but regurgitating the past is just futile.

At this time of New Year resolutions, we look back and evaluate how far we’ve come. We look forward and see how far we have to go. We set goals and make plans. My friend, Jean from Encouraging Words, said, “I can usually handle planning my work. But I’ve come to realize that I fall short in the area of working my plan.” How true those words are for me, which is why I often regret looking back.

I recently saw a magazine with the headline, “Carpe Annum!” I so want to seize 2010, but it seems too awesome a task. Yet time is so fleeting. Can you believe Y2K was 10 years ago!! We need to make the most of every opportunity.


The key for me is found in Psalm 118:24:

“This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”


How do I seize the year? Hmmmm – Carpe Diem – day by day.



The caption above says,
“Every moment is an opportunity for those who are ready to seize it.”


In the movie “Dead Poets Society,” Robin Williams quotes John Keating when he says, “Carpe diem.
Seize the day, boys.
Make your lives extraordinary.”




Well, friends, I guess it’s about time I take my own advice 🙂

Susan

40 Day Wrap-up

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Hope that you had a most wonderful Christmas – especially the 40 days from Nov. 15th to Dec. 25th!


I’m grateful to the Lord for giving a new vision for this time of year. As I shared on Nov. 15th, my prayer is that these days, rather than be filled with the Christmas spirit, would be filled with the Holy Spirit. I prayed for you all that you would be led into His presence in a greater way, that the distractions so common at this time would be relegated to the background, and that this time of year would be redeemed for the Lord – in your life personally and across the country, in small measure now, but perhaps building as time goes on.


I did feel less stress and more blessed than in years past. Did you?

Even though it was much more work for me, both in writing and in coordinating the other writers, it kept me in the right focus.


I am so thankful for the guest contributors to Eternity Café. Each woman who shared did so out of her heartfelt desire to bring you closer to God. I invite you to check out their blogs for some great inspiration. And I thank Edie for providing the wonderful 40 Day Focus button. You can check out her blog for great graphic design options.

Joanne Kraft at Blessed


Cheri Bunch at Seven Branches


Laurie Hock


Lynn Mosher at Heading Home


Susan Reinhardt at Christian Writer/Reader Connection 


Jean Matthew Hall at Encouraging Words for Writers


Sonya Thompson at Truth 4 the Journey


Kelly Combs at Chatty Kelly


Susanne Scheppmann  from Proverbs 31 Ministry


Edie Moore at Rich Gifts

Patti Niebojewski


Pastor Janice Rizzo

My prior post was about how since childhood I’ve felt that Dec. 26th is the most anti-climactic day of the year. Maybe it was because of the 40 Day Focus, or maybe I’m just growing up a little, but this year provided a whole new insight regarding that day.


It occurred to me that perhaps Dec. 26th seems so dull because there’s so much hustle and bustle prior to that day, and then the activity level just drops suddenly.


Hmmmmm… I wonder how I’ll feel when God takes me home to heaven after the clamor of this earthly existence. Somehow, I just don’t think it will be anti-climactic at all! Aside from the obvious joy of being in God’s presence, on a purely earthly level, I think I’ll feel relief and peace and release from the never-ending hamster-wheel pace of life.


From now on, I’m going to consider my birthday (Dec. 26th) a little taste of heaven!

Susan