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Loaves of Love

I can’t begin to tell you how many loaves of banana bread I have baked in my lifetime. Hundreds, maybe even into the thousands, but none were more meaningful than the loaves I delivered yesterday.

About a month ago a friend told me of a project, Love Loaves, that has been occurring in our community for a number of years. The local mission has a Christmas dinner each year and when folks leave they are given a “Love Loaf” to take home. I was told that some years they have received between 450-500 loaves of bread.

My heart stirred to be a part and so did my mixer! What a great way to express the love of Jesus at Christmas.

“Jesus then told them, ‘I tell you for certain that Moses wasn’t the one who gave you bread from heaven. My Father is the one who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 And the bread that God gives is the one who came down from heaven to give life to the world.’

34 The people said, ‘Lord, give us this bread and don’t ever stop!’ 35 Jesus replied: I am the bread that gives life! No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who has faith in me will ever be thirsty.” John 6:32-35 CEV

The Bread of Heaven.

“The bread that God gives is the one who came down from heaven to give life to the world”. Heaven’s gift basket! The Bread of Heaven was wrapped in cloth, not plastic, and placed gently in a manger instead of a basket and cradled by the hay.

As I sat thinking of Jesus, the Bread of Heaven, the Bread of Life, the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes took on greater meaning than ever before. Jesus blessed the loaves, broke them and had the disciples distribute them to a crowd of five thousand men plus their wives and children. Miraculously all were fed and there were twelve baskets left over.

Jesus, the Bread of Heaven, was there to meet the hunger in each man’s soul. Not only that, He was also able to continue (via the left overs) to touch the lives of those who weren’t even there.

Isn’t that what He’s doing today? He satisfied the hunger of those men and women almost two thousand years ago, His message of life was distriubted by the disciples down through the ages and He is still filling our hearts today.

Bread of Heaven. The Loaf of Love. Let’s keep sharing God’s gift of life!

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The Story of Possible

The Christmas story is one of hope and love. It’s a story of the impossible coming to fruition. So many times we become frightened or frozen by what appears to be impossible but…

With God NOTHING is impossible!

Nothing. Not our financial situation, not our health, not our kids or our spouse, our job, our safety, our peace of mind. Nothing! God’s gift to us is the gift of making the impossible possible.

These words were spoken to a young Jewish girl by an angel: “Mary was confused by the angel’s words and wondered what they meant. 30 Then the angel told Mary, ‘Don’t be afraid! God is pleased with you, 31 and you will have a son. His name will be Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High. The Lord God will make him king, as his ancestor David was. 33 He will rule the people of Israel forever, and his kingdom will never end.’ 34 Mary asked the angel, ‘How can this happen? I am not married!’ 35 The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come down to you, and God’s power will come over you. So your child will be called the holy Son of God. 36 Your relative Elizabeth is also going to have a son, even though she is old. No one thought she could ever have a baby, but in three months she will have a son. 37 Nothing is impossible for God!’ 38 Mary said, ‘I am the Lord’s servant! Let it happen as you have said.’ And the angel left her.” Luke 1:29-38 CEV

What could be more impossible than this – a young woman, who was a virgin, having a child?

No situation in your life or mine could be more impossible than this. Truly!

God’s power and Mary’s agreement with God’s promise made the impossible possible. If Mary hadn’t believed the angel’s message he would have had to go to someone else. After all, it had been prophesied for hundreds of years that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. But she accepted that NOTHING was impossible.

She believed, she conceived and she received what God gave. The hard thing would be living her conviction. She had to tell her family. She had to tell Joseph and then she had to hear the whispers and the criticism that followed. She was up to the task.

There was another woman who saw the power of God at work; she also saw God do the impossible. She was old, I mean really old. She was almost ninety and her reproductive system had never worked but God made her a promise. Sarah saw God do the impossible in her life.

“The Lord asked Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh? Does she doubt that she can have a child in her old age? 14 I am the Lord! There is nothing too difficult for me. I’ll come back next year at the time I promised, and Sarah will already have a son.’” Genesis 18:13-14 CEV

Compare our impossible situation with Mary and Sarah. Whose need is bigger or more difficult to fix?

God is the same – nothing, absolutely nothing, is too difficult for Him.

Time and time again I come back to my favorite verse. It is the foundation I stand on everyday.

“God is no mere human! He doesn’t tell lies or change his mind. God always keeps his promises.” Numbers 23:19 CEV

Our Father has given us a book filled with promises that cannot fail. Find those promises and then stand knowing that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!

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Committed to the Cause

My children enjoy running; this is something I have never said about myself. Yesterday our son-in-law ran his first full marathon. Amazing!

What’s even more admirable is he ran a race that had been cancelled. It takes months to train for a marathon. Little conditioning runs, followed by rest days build to longer days of training until training runs exceed the twenty-mile length. He had trained for this and he was committed to the cause.

Our youngest daughter just had her first half-marathon cancelled but she is also still training and will run her race regardless.

Commitment.

“You know that many runners enter a race, and only one of them wins the prize. So run to win! 25 Athletes work hard to win a crown that cannot last, but we do it for a crown that will last forever. ” I Corinthians 9:24-25 CEV

Because their races have been cancelled the only prize they won or will win is the prize of achievement, of knowing they worked hard and didn’t give up. They have competed against their own physical pain and exhaustion and won.

What an example! An example for daily life.

When Jesus came to earth he came with one purpose; He came to restore the relationship between God, the Father, and mankind. He came on a mission of love. I’m sure He must have felt like giving up and quitting multiple times but He kept the goal forefront in His heart.

He was asked once what was the most important law to live by and His answer was quick and simple. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself.

He told the disciples that they were to keep one commandment when He was gone; love one another and then the world would know that they were His disciples. What kept Jesus on track the whole time He was here was His goal to love the world and to give His life for them, and for us.

Never did He do an unloving thing. Even when He chased the merchants out of the Temple it was done in love; love for the Father, love for the people who were being cheated.

“Very few people will die to save the life of someone else, even if it is for a good person. Someone might be willing to die for an especially good person. 8 But Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by this God showed how much he loves us.” Romans 5:7-8 ERV

His final act of love on this earth occurred on the cross. He gave his life for us and His final words, like the words of a runner, were “it is finished”. He had crossed love’s finish line and been true to His purpose.

“I mean that while we were God’s enemies, he made friends with us through his Son’s death. And the fact that we are now God’s friends makes it even more certain that he will save us through his Son’s life. 11 And not only will we be saved, but we also rejoice right now in what God has done for us through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is because of Jesus that we are now God’s friends.” Romans 5:10-11 ERV

Because of His love, because He finished the course, we receive the prize. We are the victors. We win love’s greatest gift, eternal life!

We’ve been given the same instruction that the disciples received. Love one another! Let’s be committed to the cause – let’s run our race with the love of God in our hearts.

We win because love never quits!

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Love Was Born

Most of my days are very ordinary, just like yours. Take yesterday for instance, it started with picking up our grocery order that I had placed the day before. Had to run in to Home Depot and grab a couple things Dave needed to complete his home project.

Back to the house where I put the groceries away, started laundry, and reconciled the bank statement before I headed out again to an appointment at the bank and a couple of other errands before heading home. All this was done following the proper safety guidelines and handing out candy canes at each stop.

I had been listening to a Christmas CD as I went from place to place. When I left the last location and started the car toward home a song came through the sound system speakers, “Love Was Born on Christmas Day” *. My heart had been touched by the apprehension of the people I had met at my different stops and this song brought me to tears.

All those folks were wearing their masks, but obviously bothered by the close proximity of their surroundings. There was no Christmas music playing through the intercom systems, no smiles to be seen, no real Christmas joy. Their faces would brighten as I said Merry Christmas, thanked them for their assistance and handed them a candy cane but for the most part the Christmas spirit was missing.

** “This is the story, the power and the glory
Three wise men knelt to pray
A guiding star had led the way
And there he lay born on Christmas day

Joy did he bring, the king
Let every song rejoice
And every heart did sing, hear it ring
The sound of heaven’s voice
The angels proclaimed his holy name
King of kings”

**partial lyrics of Born on Christmas Day

This is the story – the power and the glory, Christ was born on Christmas day. As the words of this chorus repeated my eyes filled with tears. The world, my small world, was missing the joy and the love that He came to bring. I felt God’s heart ache. I wanted to give them all a hug and tell them things would get better. I wanted them to know that they could give all their fears and disappointments to the Lord. Jesus came so we could have a relationship with the Father.

“But when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law, 5 so he could set us free from the Law, and we could become God’s children. 6 Now that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father.” Galatians 4:4-6 CEV

If each of us touches one person with the love of Jesus this Christmas season it will be life-changing. I pray that we give the most wonderful gift of all, God’s love, to those around us.

* (The underlined song title is an active link to the song on YouTube. I know you will enjoy it.)

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Did You Hear That?

That was my question this morning. Reaching for my coffee, suddenly the quiet of my office was disturbed with a strange noise. For a moment I sat and waited, would it happen again? Nothing…

The Lord and I were talking, some of you call it praying, when there it was again. Since it’s pitch black outside I got up to investigate. It was coming from the back patio. Thankfully, Dave wired the patio with a multitude of lights. I flipped the switch and the enter backyard lit up.

Nothing…but there is a breeze and a power cord that had been on the bar stool must have slipped because now it is on the concrete slab. Mystery solved. Prayer time continued.

In my heart I began singing the Christmas song “Do You Hear What I Hear?”. Said the night wind to the little lamb, Do you hear what I hear? But it’s the final verse of the song that really resonates with me.

Said the king to the people everywhere,
Listen to what I say!
Pray for peace, people, everywhere,
Listen to what I say!
The Child, the Child sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light,
He will bring us goodness and light.

The message of the song is about the Child who brings light. Our world has many dark and threatening places; some are imagined and some are very real. However, wherever light shines darkness is dispelled.

When I was a child living in northern New Mexico I saw lumanarias for the first time. They lined the path leading to a mission. We were attending the Christmas Eve service there with our neighbors. All other outside lights had been extinguished, just the lumanarias lit our way.

Once inside the mission we sang carols and the priest told the story of Christ’s birth. There was a candlelabra at the front, it gave the only light to the interior. As he finished the story we began to sing one more carol, “Silent Night, Holy Night”.

Someone began to extinguish the candles at the front and someone else took one of the candles and went to the people who had received smaller candles. Each person used their candle to light the one next to them. When the carol was finished, what had been a dark and instinctive mission interior was glowing with light.

“Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, 29 ‘Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. 30 I have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared for all people. 32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!'” Luke 2:28-32 NLT

Simeon, the priest, took the baby Jesus into his arms and declared that this child would reveal God to the nations. Jesus came to be THE light of the world. He shines brightly with God’s love and forgiveness, lighting the way that leads to the Father. No more darkness in our lives. He will light our way.

He will bring us goodness and light!

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Where’s Jesus?

This year I scaled back on my Christmas decorating but this little nativity is front and center. It has such meaning to me. I’ve shared this story before but it’s worth repeating.

In our area we have beautiful, brightly colored pottery which is made in Mexico and it is known as talavera.

For years I have purchased pieces to use in my decorating; cups, bowls, plates, canisters, etc. Each piece brings an atmosphere of gaiety and joy to the room. Several years ago, I was shopping in Tubac, an artisan community near us, when I saw the talavera nativity sets. I knew I had to have one. 

Most of my decorating at Christmas is done with nativity sets and angels. I studied each figure in the set; their smiling faces, their clothing, the shape of the stall and then I realized there was no baby Jesus! Where did He go? What happened to Him? 

The shop that we were in had many different size nativity sets and they were all missing the Christ child. And then I saw the handwritten sign…If you buy a nativity, ask for Jesus. 

Ask for Jesus!

Wasn’t that the Father’s intent from the beginning? He wanted us to recognize that our lives were not complete without Jesus. 

Ask for Jesus?

When I asked the shop owner why there were no baby Jesus figures he told me this. We never have any problem with theft in this shop except for the baby Jesus. We keep Him in the back until a nativity is sold and then bring Him out and add Him with the rest of the pieces. 

Who would steal the baby Jesus?

That is completely counter to the reason He came. When Jesus was born the angels filled the heavens with the announcement. The shepherds were told to go find Him. The wise men saw and followed His star. Everyone was welcome to come see Jesus!

Jesus came to forgive the sins of all men, even the ones who would steal the baby Jesus.  Jesus wasn’t born in a palace where only a few of the elite would be allowed to enter. He wasn’t born in a monastery where only the religious and the holy would be. No, He was born in a barn; anyone – man, woman, child, elite or poor, educated or unlearned was welcomed at the manger. 

“‘Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box.’ 13 Then a huge army of angels from heaven joined the first angel, and they were all praising God, saying,

14 ‘Praise God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace to the people who please him.’

15 The angels left the shepherds and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this great event the Lord has told us about.’

16 So they went running and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the feeding box.” Luke 2:11-16 ERV 

I want to encourage you to put Jesus on display. Don’t hid Him, let the world see that He lives in you. Love the way He did; reach out to everyone the Father brings your way. The sign on our lives should be Jesus is free to all who ask.

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The Christmas Letter

Never enough time and too much distance…

When I think of all the dear friends we have made over the years and the miles between us I am filled with a desire to transcend time and space. The ability to move from home to home – to spend time, as much time as desired, visit, laugh, cry, give and receive those wonderful hugs is the desire of my heart.

That’s why I take time to write my Christmas letter. I try to make it a conversation between myself and my willing reader. I hear the question “So, what have you been up to this year?” and I picture fifty or sixty of my closest friends having coffee, enjoying a fresh baked cinnamon roll and listening to Christmas music as we catch up.

Relationship! Relationships filled with love.

I guess I’m like my Father in that regard. From the beginning all He ever wanted to do was to walk and talk with us. He wanted to share our lives, filling them with good things and giving us His ability to overcome and make it through adversity in victory.

And then one starry night Jesus transcended time and space. He came, born to a virgin in a small town called Bethlehem. He clothed Himself in flesh and came to live among us. He limited Himself by his humanity.

But then at His resurrection He was released from limitation. Before He was Emmanuel, God WITH us and now He is Christ IN us the hope of glory. He dwells in each and everyone of us who open our hearts to Him.

RELATIONSHIP RESTORED!

Over half of the books in the New Testament are letters. Letters inspired by God and written to encourage, instruct, correct and strengthened us in our relationship with the Lord.

“May God give you every good thing you need so you can do what He wants. May He do in us what pleases Him through Jesus Christ. May Christ have all the shining-greatness forever! Let it be so. 22 Christian brothers, I beg of you to listen to these words that will help you. This has been a short letter. ” Hebrews 13:21-22 NLV

How I look forward to heaven, to seeing my Father face to face. Being in eternity with no limits of time, no limits of distance. There we will continually sing His praises… O, come let us adore Him. O, come let us adore Him. O, come let us adore Him. Christ the Lord.

And there we will have unlimited time to visit with you dear friends. To hug your necks, to see your faces, to thank you for your prayers and to tell you how dear you are – to share glory with you. Until then, please accept this feeble attempt of passing through the miles as our way of saying we love you, we wish we could be with you and we thank you for being a part of our lives and making them better.

“Every time I think of you, I thank my God.” Philippians 1:3 CEV

Merry Christmas from our house to yours, Kristi and Dave

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When Things Go Wrong

There were lots of images I could have used for this morning’s blog but I thought a picture of Elvis, smiling, in a cowboy hat was a good way to start the day.

Growing up I often thought that things going wrong was God’s way of teaching me something. I was mistaken.

As I got older and wiser, I realized that some things that go wrong are a result of our lack of knowledge, our poor planning or our outright stubbornness. I also learned from God’s word that we have a real enemy, who we can’t see, that is out to steal, kill and destroy. If he can’t kill us he certainly wants to render us useless.

“A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good.” John 10:10 ERV

The Bible is filled with people who had circumstances in life go wrong.

  1. Joseph was sold into slavery
  2. Moses had to lead a million grumbling people
  3. Ruth’s husband died
  4. David faced a giant
  5. Daniel was carried away as a prisoner of war
  6. Hannah was barren
  7. Jesus was born during the cruelty of Roman rule in Israel
  8. A young Jesus went missing & his parents didn’t know where he was
  9. John the Baptist was thrown into prison and then beheaded
  10. Jesus was constantly harrassed by the religious leaders
  11. The disciples were in a storm at sea and nearly sank
  12. Peter was beaten and thrown in prison
  13. Paul was beaten, stoned, imprisoned and ship wrecked

These circumstances were not easy situations to deal with but each of them came to a positive end. In each occurrence the Father had a plan to rescue and restore. Each one of these people, people just like you and me, looked to the Lord for help and found it. They were never deserted by God or left to handle things on their own.

“Keep your lives free from the love of money. Be happy with what you have. God has said, ‘I will never leave you or let you be alone.’ 6 So we can say for sure, ‘The Lord is my Helper. I am not afraid of anything man can do to me.’” Hebrews 13:5-6 NLV

I know I quote these verses frequently and that’s because they are life verses for me. They have brought me through some really tough times, and brought me through with peace. We can spend so much of life chasing after financial gain that we lose sight of ouf Father’s provision. We can make money our god and be miserable.

However, when we keep our focus on the Lord and His presence in our lives and things go wrong we can be at peace. We can trust that God is with us and He will be our deliverer. He will be our help.

“Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:15-16 CEV

When things go wrong we don’t have to go with them. We can come to the Maker of the Universe, the Almighty God who just happens to be our heavenly Father and when we do we will find all the help we need!

He’s reaching out to us; we simply need to take His hand.

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The Candy Cane

Have a cup of coffee with me this morning as I share “The Legend of the Candy Cane”. Every year I share the story in one fashion or another. Since so many of you are new readers this year I thought I should share it again.

Over thirty years ago I was given a little lapel pin at Christmas. It looked like a cute little candy cane. However, when I held it upside down it was in the shape of a “J”. It was attached to a little card which told the story of how it came to be.

“I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. 15 Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep. ” John 10:14-15 CEV

A few years later I was in a bookstore and found a wonderfully illustrated children’s book, “The Legend of the Candy Cane”. I bought it and it sits on our coffee table each year and I have read the story to our children and grandchildren. It’s a cute story of a confectioner who moves to a small town and sets up his shop. The winter is harsh and the town folks are feeling isolated and alone. The candy maker, with the help of a little girl from town, set out to do something to lift the spirits of their neighbors. They make candy canes. The confectioner tells the little girl the story behind his new candy as they work.

The story gave me an idea of how to share the message of Jesus with all I meet throughout the Christmas season. I have printed little cards, like the one picture above and attach each card to a candy cane with a red ribbon. I always have a supply of them in my purse or coat pocket and when I’m out and about I hand out candy canes to store clerks, waitresses, postal workers, anyone I have dealings with.

Handing out Candy Canes with this little message is a great way to share Jesus at Christmas. I even have a basket of them on the counter in our home to share with neighbors and friends who drop in.

Who doesn’t like candy at Christmas? The candy cane has been associated with Christmas for as long as I can remember. The story of the candy cane is one of Jesus and His saving grace. Find a way to have fun and share the love of Jesus with folks.

“His teachings are worth more than pure gold. They are sweeter than the best honey dripping from the honeycomb.May my words and thoughts please you. Lord, you are my Rock—the one who rescues me.” Psalm 19: 10 & 14 ERV

The story of Christmas is not only the greatest story ever told but it’s the sweetest!

(You can find a link to the book on my website page “I Like These”.)

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Overwhelmed

The last month of this year, 2020, continues to be challenging. Frustrating. Emotionally difficult. Even overwhelming.

Holidays and life in general can do that too us. Finances, health issues, family, new jobs, finals, relationships, scheduling, legal threats, loneliness…these things can be overwhelming.

“o·ver·whelm: bury or drown beneath a huge mass. synonyms: swamp, submerge, engulf, bury, deluge, flood, inundate, defeat completely, overcome, move, stir, affect, touch, strike, dumbfound, shake, devastate, floor, leave speechless” Any of those sound familiar?

I know a good number of people that have and are experiencing this. For some it is temporary and they are able to shake it off and regain a sense of stability and clear headedness but for others it can linger on.

I’ve been there but that was a long time ago! I have found the answer to being overwhelmed.

“Please listen, God, and answer my prayer! 2 I feel hopeless, and I cry out to you from a faraway land. Lead me to the mighty rock high above me. 3 You are a strong tower, where I am safe from my enemies.4 Let me live with you forever and find protection under your wings, my God.” Psalm 61:1-4 CEV

In another translation of this verse it says “when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I”. Jesus tells us the Word of God is our rock or a firm foundation! In and through God’s word we are able to gain victory over those things that seem overwhelming.

“What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? 32 God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won’t he freely give us everything else?” Romans 8:31-32. CEV

This ties in with what we were discussing yesterday. When we begin to understand the depth of God’s love for us – the all encompassing compassion that He wraps us in – we are no longer the victim of overwhelming situations but we become the victor. We aren’t isolated to fight alone; we have God on our side!

No longer overwhelmed. I’d like to pray for you now.

Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray for all who are reading this and have been overwhelmed by circumstances in their lives. I don’t know them personally or their situations but You do. There is no time or distance in the realm of spiritual things so I thank you for touching their hearts, healing their hurts and bringing strength to their emotions. Your word states that “with God all things are possible”. I believe that and I pray that Your peace, the peace that goes beyond our natural understanding, will flood hearts now. I pray that they are no longer overwhelmed by circumstances but that their curcumstances are overwhelmingly defeat by Your love and power. Amen.

Was it you I was praying for?

Go to the Rock of God’s word. It will crush the attacks coming against you!

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