Category: sacrifice

Snow Day Lessons – Part 1

Posted on by Susan Panzica
Tuesday night, my husband gave me a lesson in Snowblowing 101. It left me more informed, yet less confident of my snowblowing abilities. Tony had to be at the office (you wouldn’t believe who goes out in blizzard conditions for their chiropractic adjustments). So with both kids now away at college and Tony at the office, the snow clearing responsibilities on the homefront were left to me. My usual contribution to snow shoveling is making hot chocolate and chicken soup for the rest of the family laboring away. Now alone I faced the gargantuan task of clearing away the massive snow. Well, not exactly alone. 


Thankfully, God meets us in the mundane.

As I was working away in the middle of the snowstorm, He met me and shared some valuable lessons. So many that it will take more than one post to share. Today and tomorrow, I’ll be sharing some snippets of what I learned in the storm.

Don’t Wait

First of all, I ventured out into the snowstorm to clear away the first 6 inches that had fallen. I knew that if I waited until it was 12 – 18 inches high, the job would be much more demanding. Since I am a first class procrastinator, this was a major accomplishment.
If only I would face my temptations, problems and weaknesses the same way, dealing with my issues early before they get deep-rooted.

Be Prepared

Before going out, I put on my warmest, driest ski coat, my waterproof Thinsulate boots, my ski gloves and hat, and my lumbar support belt. Preparing like this left me relatively warm and dry despite the cold and wet environment.
Before facing the storms of life, it pays to be prepared. It’s important to have God’s Word hidden in your heart before the crisis hits, so that when trials come, the Word can be brought to mind. When you need to withdraw some cash from the ATM, you can only do so if you previously made the deposit in the bank. The Lord can bring to mind only what was previously deposited there.


This May Hurt A Little

The branches heavily laden with snow look spectacular, a pristine winter wonderland. However, they present a danger to the tree. A few years ago, our dogwood tree split due to the weight of the snow and later died due to the gaping wound it exposed. My giant azalea and several trees were now in danger. It took a few battering blows to knock off the offending snow. But after the snow was gone, the branches lifted higher now relieved of their burden.
Jesus said that if we lean on Him, our burden is light (Matt. 11:30). He lifts our burdens and removes our pain. But sometimes, like the prodigal son, we need a “blow” to knock us to our senses and return to our Father.

Who’s Your Neighbor?
“That’s what neighbors do,” said Paul, my wonderful neighbor, who just finished snowblowing his driveway and, seeing my struggle, came over to do mine. We were at the 6 inch mark of the 18 inch snowstorm. Snow and tears froze on my eyelashes, my heart bursting with gratitude. Paul secretly came back later and removed another 8 inches.

When a Pharisee asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor,” Jesus responded with the parable of the “good” Samaritan who, with no thought of being repayed, cared for a man who was left bruised and beaten on the side of the road. He sacrificed his time and money to help another in need. Although he was from a very different neighborhood, the Samaritan was the true neighbor who we are to “love as we love ourselves.”




More on Paul and my life lessons tomorrow….

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

Susan

Advent Conspiracy

Posted on by Susan Panzica
Week #2 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.
 
Today is officially the first day of Advent, the period of expectation and waiting for the arrival of Christmas.

A few weeks ago, my daughter visited another church. She was a guest artist, dancing to “Lead Me To The Cross,” at a church in the next town. She came back so excited having heard about the Advent Conspiracy.

Our family has decided that 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.

Our pastor will be sharing this message with the church as well. And I encourage you to take a look at the website http://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 enter the Advent season, help us to be ever more aware of Your presence. Help us daily to walk in expectation of Your coming.

Susan

Black Friday

Posted on by Susan Panzica



We keep hearing the term “Black Friday” screaming from the TV and newspapers. 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 a lot 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.




Susan

You Can Be a Scholar Athlete !

Posted on by Susan Panzica

On Sunday, we attended a banquet honoring the scholar athletes in NJ. Each high school selects one student who has excelled in academics and sports to receive the Scholar Athlete award, and AJ received it for his high school. (btw – i’m so proud!!)

At the dinner, several speakers mentioned not only the achievements of the students but the sacrifices made by parents and the influence of coaches and teachers as well.

I couldn’t help but see the parallels to the Christian life.

SCHOLAR:
Study to show thyself approved. 1 Tim. 2:15

We are called to be students of the Word. The Bereans were commended because they examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true Act. 17:11

We may not be the most intellectual, the most brilliant, the most studious student of the Word. We don’t have to be. But with our humble understanding, we need to go to the Word, and not just for its teaching (although that is how we grow and learn), but to hear from its Author. When you speak, you use words. When He speaks, He uses His Word.

ATHLETE:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Heb. 12:1

Let us run with perseverance: The Christian life is a race. We are to run the race in such a way that we win the prize (1 Cor. 12:9). We are to press on … forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize. (Phil. 3:12-14) Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, do not run like a man running aimlessly. Do not fight like a man beating the air. (1 Cor. 9:26)

We are running a marathon, not a sprint. My son is a long-distance runner, so he rarely competes in any sprints. He’s got endurance, but just isn’t speedy. In the Olympics, they call the 100m winner the “fastest man alive”. Maybe that’s true in the short run, but how fast will he finish in the long run? And in what condition will he be when a long race is over? We are called to persevere for the long run.

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles: My son badly sprained his ankle a few weeks ago. It was his first injury ever to prevent him from participating in a sport. And Mr. Goofball sustained this injury while fooling around trying pole-vaulting (NOT his sport!!) How can someone so smart do something so stupid? Ooops, how often do I do something I know I shouldn’t! Or not do something I know I should! We ought to stick to the race that God has planned for us and not yield to the temptations that distract us from His purpose.

Yesterday, AJ ran in his first track meet since his injury. He hadn’t been training as usual, so the coach just put him in the short 100m race. Amazingly, he won! Which illustrates that when we need an extra burst of power in a difficult situation, He provides!

We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses: At the banquet were parents, siblings, teachers and coaches, all of whom had logged countless hours cheering on the sidelines, providing taxi services to practices, purchasing equipment & uniforms, investing themselves in the lives of their young athletes. As we run our race, we are encouraged by those around us and by those who have gone before us setting an example for us to follow. And we are called to be encouragers to others on their journey as well. Comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have received from God (2 Cor. 1:4)

So now – Congratualtions to you on your Scholar Athlete Award!

Susan

Hungry

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Tonight I had the privilege of serving the Lord by serving 10 homeless men. Several of us prepared and served the meal while others washed sheets, slept over, shared music and the Word, or drove the men to and from the shelter and the church where they stay for the night because the shelter is over-crowded.

One man asked for prayer for a job interview he has tomorrow at 1 pm. During the course of our conversation, he also asked for prayer for his sister who has been in a coma for 4 months. She suffered with a form of muscular dystrophy all her life, and now is on life support with no brain activity. He hasn’t seen her in over 4 years because he was incarcerated. His request? For God’s will to be done.

Hearing these stories and many others like them help put things in perspective. Somehow, issues like laundry problems (my daughter at college), car problems (my son’s leaks oil requiring major repair), relationship problems, financial problems, and so on, seem to be less consequential by comparison. Normally, I wouldn’t recommend comparison which causes all sorts of dilemmas, including envy, self-consciousness, and feelings of inferiority, to name a few. But in this case, seeing how men who own just a duffle bag’s worth of belongings are praising God, asking for prayer, seeking His will, humbles me. It puts things in perspective.

When I got home, I was going through some of my papers that had been put in a box several years ago and forgotten. I came across the following paragraph that talks about being hungry -hungry for God.

The strongest, most mature Christians I have ever met are the most hungry for God. It might seem that those who eat the most would be the least hungry. But that’s not the way it works with an inexhaustible fountain, and an infinite feast and a glorious Lord. When you take your stand on the finished work of God in Christ, and begin to drink at the River of Life and eat the Bread of Heaven, and know that you have found the end of all your longings, you only become more hungry for God. – John Piper

Wow! That is so true. I find that the more I get into the Word – the more I want to get into it more! Follow me? Does that make sense? The more time I spend getting to know God and getting to know more about God makes me want to know Him more and know more about Him.
Conversely, if I neglect time with God, I get into a pattern where I find myself going through the motions and living far too shallow an existence. Oh, that you and I would get our fill, and then fill up some more from that “inexhaustible fountain and infinite feast”.

Paul said, “I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:11-13,19 NLT

May you hunger only for more of Him, and may He satisfy you completely.
Susan

ps – Hi, Maria! Thanks for your encouragement tonight. Hope you enjoy reading this in the morning!

Bless a Soldier Today

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Here are 2 GREAT ideas to share a blessing with a soldier. These are small efforts on our part that will go a long way to uplift those who have sacrificed so much for us.

GREAT IDEA #1
Something cool that Xerox is doing. If you go to this web site, http://www.letssaythanks.com/ you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can’t pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services. It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?

GREAT IDEA #2
When doing your Christmas cards this year, take one card and send it to this address.
If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderful special people who have sacrificed so much would get. When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please include the following:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20307-5001

Susan