Month: November 2010

Mary’s Song

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Many thanks to Elise Daly Parker for today’s post. Elise is a valued friend and gifted professional writer, and the author of Our Stories God’s Glory.

And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation…”
Luke 1:46-50



I am embarrassed to say I did not really know what the Magnificat, or Mary’s Song, found in the Gospel of Luke, was until a few years ago. I’m sure I’d heard it through the many years of attending church, but it was Amy Grant’s version below that really struck a chord. I remember listening to this song, back in the early 90s, when the song first came out.
I was tired from raising two young children and a teenager…and it was Christmastime. I was making little hand-painted boxes that were to be my gifts that year, back in the days when I actually did arts and crafts. It was late and the girls were asleep. I was overwhelmed by my self-imposed desire to make Christmas magical…and we were still living in the wake of a serious accident that had left my husband brain injured, changed, and without a job.
What I was so struck by was Mary’s “Yes.” Though she was uncertain, frightened, pregnant out of wedlock, she said yes to the Lord’s call on her life. I guess I related (though one might think that awfully audacious of me). I remember crying as I listened to the words of weariness, the contemplation of being chosen, and her utter dependence on her Father, her need for His very real presence as she walked down a path of uncertainty. Mary seems at once scared and awed that God would choose her to bear God’s only son.

And that’s how I was feeling too, frightened, yet honored. I was concerned that I was in over my head with babies, a teenage stepdaughter, and a brain-injured husband…and what was beginning to feel like a call to ministry. Could it be? You have chosen me, Lord? I think you’ve got the wrong girl. I don’t think I can do this…I think you’ve made a mistake. You tell us you never give us more than we can bear. Yet here I am.

Be with ME. Hold ME together. Pour over ME your holiness. Be forever near ME, Breath of Heaven.
The Good news, the awesome news is we are all chosen by God to do things we cannot do without Him. But we, like Mary, can do all things through Christ who gives us strength and never leaves us nor forsakes us. Amen!
Mary’s Song
Lyrics by Amy Grant
I have traveled
Many moonless night
Cold and Weary
With a babe inside
And I wonder
What I’ve done
Holy Father
You have come
Chosen me now
To carry your son
I am waiting
in a silent prayer
I am frightened
by the load I bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone
Be with me now
Be with me now
[chorus:]

———————————–

Breath of Heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me, your holiness
For your holy Breath of Heaven

———————————–
Do you wonder
As you watch my face
If a wiser one, should of had my place
But I offer-all I am
For the mercy-of your plan
Help me be strong
Help me be
Help me
.



Blessed… or stressed?

Posted on by Susan Panzica
It’s officially Advent, a time of expectation.
What do you expect to be for the next 25 days until Christmas Eve?
Blessed… or stressed?
Too often, particularly at this time of year, there seems to be too much to do and not enough day to do it!
Years ago someone shared with me a quote by Allen Redpath,
“There are enough hours in the day to do what God wants you to do…
…and no more.”

So, if I’m too busy, the question that begs to be answered is,
“What am I doing that God doesn’t want me to do?”
It may be a good thing, even a very good thing, but not a God thing.
Not what He wants me to do, right here, right now.
Oswald Chambers said, “Good is the enemy of best.” How often am I busy doing a good thing and miss the best thing? How often am I distracted like Martha, rather than sitting at the feet of Jesus, like Mary? Martha of Bethany reminds me of Martha Stewart, who’s tag line was “It’s a good thing.” What Martha was doing was a good thing. Jesus and His crew needed to eat, didn’t they? They needed a place to rest, and Martha wanted them to be comfortable, didn’t she?
But Jesus said that Mary chose the better thing. It wasn’t that Mary never served. She did. But not when the better thing to do was sit and listen to her Guest. True hospitality makes the guest feel welcome and important, not impressed by the fashionable surroundings. And when your guest is Jesus, there is nothing more important than listening.
You might respond, “But I HAVE to ________________.” (fill in the blank)
Do you really?
• What would happen if you used lovely paper plates instead of china (like I did at Thanksgiving)?
• What if your children didn’t have to participate in all the sports/arts/music/scouts/etc. activities that are available to them?
• What if you purposely left a box of decorations in the attic this year?
• What if you bought fewer gifts this year?
• What if you used dollar store gift bags rather than wrapping each gift?
• What if you committed some time each day to be spent just listening to Jesus?
Ask yourself, “Is what I am spending my time on a good thing? or the best thing?”
Lord, help me sift through the many demands on my time and determine which is the best thing You want for me. Help me to not feel guilty or disappointed, but to enjoy the satisfaction of being in Your presence.

War and Peace

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Please forgive me. I know this issue won’t be resolved today, but here’s my little contribution to the discussion.

This week, the following headline caught my eye:

In ‘The War on Christmas,’ Christmas is winning
For increasing number of retailers this year, no more ‘Happy holidays’

The WAR on Christmas???

Who declared war on Christmas? According to the article, the American Family Association retaliated against the political correctness of retail advertising with Action Alerts calling for boycotts. It seems this pro-family, Christian organization has challenged retailers to use the word “Christmas” in their advertising as opposed to “holiday.” For example, for many retailers this year “holiday trees” are “Christmas trees” and “holiday shopping” is “Christmas shopping.” The article can be read in its entirety at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40260889/ns/business-consumer_news/ .

The article refers to this challenge as a “crusade” stating that many view the AFA’s tactics “as bullying, but Randy Sharp from the AFA rejects that. It’s not bullying, it’s consumer advocacy.”

Personally, I wonder about the wisdom of these tactics. While I grieve on behalf of my Savior whose Name has been cast aside in the interest of profits and political correctness, Christmas is about the Kingdom that Christ came to this earth to establish. And the hallmark of that Kingdom is love, not boycotts. Using earthly tactics for heavenly gain doesn’t honorably represent Christ who came as a servant though He is a King, who died a criminal’s death though He was the most innocent of any who ever lived, who taught us to turn the other cheek, walk the second mile, and love the unlovely. Maybe if instead of rising up in righteous anger, more time was spent on our knees, praying for those who don’t know the God we serve, we’d see a change in hearts which concerns Jesus much more than a change in advertising.

I feared boycotts and aggressive stances would cause a backlash to the backlash. And sure enough, today’s newspaper headline “War on Christmas” describes the atheists’ multimedia “strike against Christmas.”
http://www.northjersey.com/community/religion/Atheists_ad_blitz_calls_Christmas_a_myth.html

Using a giant billboard at the heavily trafficked entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel to NYC as their weapon, they declare “If the religious right wants a war on Christmas, this is what they’re going to get. If they want a war on Christmas, we’re going to make sure they know what one looks like.”

Well, I for one, don’t want a war.

In this season celebrating the Prince of Peace, about whom the angels declared, “Peace on earth, good will to men,” how is it that we are discussing war, the very thing that Jesus deplores? I do not believe we are to be doormats or ignorant. I believe that we are to be “wise as serpents and gentle as doves.” We should counter the culture with both righteousness and compassion.
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In Ephesians 6, Paul records the armor of God that we as His soldiers are to employ. There is only one offensive weapon – “the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.” The word “sword” refers to a type of knife that is better translated as “scalpel,” a knife that is an instrument of healing, not of destruction or war. That is how the Bible is to be used, as an instrument of healing.
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Oh that we would be prayer warriors in this conflict, seeking salvation for the lost. That our hearts would be focused on the One who willingly left His throne to don flesh and bone that He might redeem us for His own. Let us remember that the war was already won at Calvary.



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Decorations

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Today’s message is from Clare Cartagena, a friend, a member and a mentor of my writing group, and a gifted, multipublished writer with her first novel in the works.

Proverb 14:13 “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief.”

Every year my mother created Christmas in our house. Despite having things going wrong in her life, she transformed our unhappy, tension filled home into a winter wonderland. For those weeks, the scepter of fear was removed and the light of the Star put in its place. Angels appeared, music filled the air and special stuffed toys came out of hiding. Colored lights and silvery tinsel sparkled like magic on the tree. The decorations inspired joy where joy might not normally be.

I enjoy a happy home with my husband and children but I continue my mother’s tradition at least in the zeal with which I decorate. Christmas starts the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Boxes are pulled from the crawl space, numbered and labeled. The Christmas village gets put out first, then the garland, the lights and candles. The list goes on and on until nearly all of downstairs is covered in Christmas cheer. Sometimes however if I am not careful, circumstances can invade the holiday so that the cheer is only in the decorations and not in the heart.

It is strange that a time of joy can intensify our feelings of pain. Even as we put out cherished heirlooms, fill the house with the smell of evergreen and sing carols known since childhood, our hearts can be heavy. Maybe this season you are trying to keep a smile upon your face and cheeriness in your voice, while inside a hidden pain bleeds away your strength. Take heart friend, the Lord knows your struggle. He does not want you to carry this burden without Him. Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Take your pain to Him in prayer. Go to the altar. Pour out your heart to Him. Let Him give you rest. Let Him give you a smile inside and out. It’s the best decoration to wear.

Clare Cartagena



Black Friday

Posted on by Susan Panzica

The term “Black Friday” screams from the TV, newspapers, radio and online. The day after Thanksgiving begins the unofficial “holiday shopping season”, the time of year when retailers move from operating “in the red” (at a loss) to operating “in the black” (making a profit). Stores open at 4 or 5 or 6 a.m. offering crazy low prices to lure customers in, hoping that they will in turn spend tons of money for gifts.

I can’t help but think of another “Black Friday”, a day when the greatest price was paid for the greatest gift ever given. 2000 years ago, an innocent man gave His life so that others might live. Jesus, God the Son, left His heavenly home, to be born into an ordinary family and live an ordinary life in an ordinary town, until He began His extra-ordinary ministry on earth. For 3 years, He healed the hurting, taught those who would listen, and preached the truth to all. The conclusion of His time on earth was paying the price for the sins of the entire world, past, present and future, and providing the gift of eternal life to any who receive it.

Now that Thanksgiving Day is over, let’s continue to live with thanksgiving in our hearts.

Thank you Lord for paying the debt we owe. Thank you for rising from the dead in victory, giving us the opportunity to live in victory. May we keep you as our focus in the days and weeks to come, and be ever ready to share the real reason for the season.

It’s Not Always Picture Perfect

Posted on by Susan Panzica

The picture “Freedom From Want”, by beloved painter Norman Rockwell, is a wonderful depiction of the All-American holiday, Thanksgiving Day. This poignant painting seems so simple, yet it is actually very complex. For example, it has over 100 different shades of the color white in it. Sometimes, looking at the big picture, we miss the details.

For many across the country, their day will be as perfect as this picture, a festive day filled with family, friends, football and food, food, food. But for some, Thanksgiving Day will be a sad reminder of loss, pain, absence, hurt.

Through the “magic” of Facebook, I heard from a young single mother who was seeking the ex-wife of her baby’s father, a man who had abandoned her and their son. While I wasn’t the person she was looking for, I prayed for her and kept in touch with her. This Thanksgiving Day will be difficult for her and her little boy, and for so many others like her. It will be difficult for families with soldiers overseas, for single people longing for a family unit, for those with health issues, haunting memories or too many bills and not enough income.

When we face difficult times, is it possible to offer thanksgiving to God? Yesterday, I shared that Jesus gave thanks when He broke the bread representing His body broken at the hands of His betrayer and His crucifiers. How was He able to do so? The writer of Hebrews tells us that He endured the cross for the joy set before Him. He fixed His eyes on the joy of what He was accomplishing – the reconciliation of His people to Himself – and we are told to fix our eyes on Him. (Hebrews 12:2)

He was able to offer thanks, because He was filled with thanks. It is out of the abundance of our hearts that our mouths speak (Luke 6:45) So if we are filled with thanks, we will offer thanksgiving. We can’t give what we don’t have. So to give thanks, we must be thankful.

We don’t offer thanksgiving just because we are feeling thankful. We offer it because He deserves it. We offer it because we are His children with all the benefits that relationship provides. He is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving. Period. Circumstances change. We change. He never changes.

A pop-up ad for Oscar Mayer bacon streamed across my computer screen.

“Thanksgiving doesn’t have to end Thursday night
….for the love of bacon.”

Hmmm, I’d rather say it this way:
“Thanksgiving doesn’t have to end Thursday night
….for the love of Jesus.”

Lord, thank You for Your unfailing, unending love for us. May we all experience Your presence today. May we sense Your love and provision. And as we fill up with thankfulness, may we offer up thanksgiving as a testimony to You.

He Gave Thanks

Posted on by Susan Panzica



The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 1 Cor. 11:23

Amazing! Jesus, knowing that He was betrayed, knowing that the bread represented His broken body, knowing what He was to suffer, gave thanks. So agonizing that He would later pray that His “cup” be taken from Him (Mt. 26:39), He still gave thanks to the Father.

And He set an example for us to follow (John 13:15).

Oh, but He was Jesus, God incarnate. We’re not. Surely, we can’t do what He can do… Can we?

Can we give thanks in the midst of suffering? Can we give thanks when there seems to be no hope?

James tells us to consider it joy whenever we face trials, not because of the trial itself, but because of what the trial produces: perseverance, maturity, completeness. (James 1:2-4) The New Living Translation puts it this way: Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

We are not asked to give thanks FOR the trial, but for the opportunity it presents to us. We are asked to give thanks in spite of the trial, to look past it and see that God is working in it and through it for our benefit.

Thanksgiving is a decision. It’s a choice that the Pilgrims made, and a choice that we must make. I was taught in school that the Pilgrims were thankful to the Indians. That’s false. The truth is that the Pilgrims were thankful to God. Not because of their hardships, but in spite of them. It is unlikely that any of us will ever face the hardships the Pilgrims faced. We have different ones in our generation, to be sure, but the fact that they were thankful to God despite their hardships provides hope that we can be too.

And He empowers us to do what He asks us to do.

You, however, are controlled … by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. … The Spirit helps us in our weakness. (Romans 8:9, 26)

And not only does He give us His power, He provides benefits and blessings besides!

My friend shared a recent disappointment with me. During our discussion, she made a statement I will long remember:
“A grateful heart is rarely discontent.”



Lord, help us to be grateful, to see the purpose in difficulties and disappointments, to allow You to work to bring us to maturity.

How to Survive Distractions

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Back in ancient Turkey lived a young boy who loved to amble through the marketplace. Accompanying his wandering feet were his wandering eyes… and his wandering hands. His curiosity turned him into a thief. The sights, sounds and smells of the marketplace were a relentless temptation for him. One quick grab, two swift feet and the object of his desire would be his.

Until he was caught.


The penalty for thievery = the amputation of the thief’s hands at dawn.


Slowly, the sun’s rays peeked out over the horizon. Dawn was coming too quickly for the little thief. Brought in chains before the king, he waited for his sentence to be carried out. As the king viewed the prisoner, compassion filled his heart. He presented a shell filled to the brim with oil to the lad. “If you can carry this shell through the market from one end to the other without spilling a drop, you will not have your hands cut off.”

Tenderly, the boy took the shell and worked his way through the market. The vendors hawked their wares, screaming for attention. The smells wafted up the boy’s nostrils. Colorful banners, tents, merchandise crowded his passageway through the alleys of the marketplace. But the boy carefully wove his way through the crowd, past all the distractions that usually captivated him.
 When he arrived at the other end, there stood the king awaiting his arrival. The boy raised the shell and presented it to the king, filled with oil. Not a drop was spilled.


“How did you manage to get through the market without spilling a drop?” asked the king.

“I kept my eyes focused on the shell the whole time,” said the boy.


“That,” said the king, “is how you are to always move through the market. Keep your eyes focused where they belong, and you will not be tempted by the distractions along the way.”






I share this story because we will all be in markets of various kinds over the next few weeks. The mall, the supermarket, the boutiques. We will be shopping for gifts, for food, for our families, to bring to other’s homes. There will be vendors tempting us with their wares, salespeople who are inattentive or incompetent, fellow shoppers who are inconsiderate, traffic jams, lack of parking, should I go on? There will be all manner of situations designed by the enemy to rob our joy, to steal our peace, to hinder our witness, to distract us from the real meaning and purpose of Thanksgiving and Christmas.


The antidote?

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Heb. 12:2-3

Fix our eyes on Jesus.


Consider Him.


And you will not grow weary and lose heart.






Lord, help us to fix our eyes, our minds, our emotions on You. Help us to sense Your presence in the midst of the chaos. We love You.

Advent Conspiracy

Posted on by Susan Panzica





Week #1 of our 40-day Focus is now complete! How are you doing keeping the Lord as the focus of your preparations, get-togethers, alone time? Today is a new day to start over if necessary. Invite Him to go shopping with you, to hang out in the kitchen with you, to spend time with your family.


Jesus prayed this for His disciples and for us, His future disciples.
My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. … I have made You known to them, and will continue to make You known in order that the love You have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” (John 17:15-18, 26)


We are under His protection as we are sent out into the world. He is in us as we travel here and there. He’s in us in the stores, in the traffic, in the family gatherings. We represent Him to the world. This time of year, we will have more opportunities to share Christ than at any other time of year. Let us make the most of every opportunity! Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Colossians 4:5


He didn’t promise it would be easy. He promised He would be with us.


Advent, the period of expectation and waiting for the arrival of Christmas, is quickly approaching.


Our family has decided that we will once again observe the Advent Conspiracy. We will not be buying gifts for each other this year. We will still do stocking stuffers (gotta open something on Christmas morning!), but our gifts to each other will be things like: support for missionaries in Uganda, wells for clean drinking water, etc. We will each research and individually decide which need we wish to meet with the money that we would otherwise have used for gifts. Last year, we bought my husband a fishing pond in Africa that will sustain a village. My gift was sewing machines for a vocational training center in Uganda (that my daughter visited in July). The kids bought fresh water and animals for impoverished people. We used catalogs from World Vision and Touch The World for our “shopping.”


The Advent Conspiracy has a four point message:
– Spend Less
– Give More
– Love All
– Worship Fully


I encourage you to take a look at the website www.adventconspiracy.org and share this information with your friends and family.













“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ “Matt. 25:40

Lord, as we approach the Advent season, help us to be ever more aware of Your presence. Help us daily to walk in expectation of Your coming.

Wish I Was There!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

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It’s that time of year when Christmas carols are streaming from stores’ P.A. speakers. What if every time we heard them, we imagined a “great cloud of witnesses” surrounding us singing praises to the Lord on high. Wouldn’t that make that trip to the mall worthwhile?

Alleluia!

ps – This is my 300th post! Now that deserves a Hallelujah!