I like it when the scriptures are not fluffy. When the Word of God is clear and pointed. It keeps me from rationalizing myself right into the pit of complacency.  In the 17 verses of James chapter 3, I can clearly see the “no fluff zone.”

James talks of words and wisdom. I don’t hear condemnation, only a clear reminder that words and where I get my wisdom matter.

Living in the suburbs, there are some experiences which help me put the agricultural terms in perspective:

The movie Black Beauty comes to mind when I read, “When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.” What are the “bits” of influence that turn my tongue to healing or to harm?

I remember the movie Titanic when I read, “Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder, wherever the pilot wants to go.”  Lord, please remove that “bit of cynicism” that lets me think I have permission to live jaded and entitled.

Verse 5 reads, “…Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark” The May of my junior year in high school, our South Louisiana home burned to the ground. Thanks to a spark from a W.T. Grant TV located in my parent’s bedroom, we lost everything…except our Corelleware dishes and our bibles. The only memory of my childhood that I can hold in my hand is a black, zippered, KJV bible.  Praise you, God, for a lifetime of bringing beauty from ashes in this Jesus Girl’s life.

I feel I have burned hundreds of calories wrestling with chapter 2 of James: Mercy Triumphs. One of the best parts of the audio CDs given to me by Baby Girl and #2 Son for Christmas is the CD I have in my car. The author recites the Book of James from memory. All of it. Every word. Every paragraph. And with energy. I listen to it before anything else goes into the car CD player every time I get in which is at least twice daily to go and to come home.

I can’t tell you how many times I hit pause after she recites the end of chapter 2. It starts with “What good is it?” Then she says it again, “What good is it?”

“What good is it my brothers (and sisters) if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?” Is my faith, my belief system, my heart’s desire to wear my “Jesus Girl” hat good for anything? Is it only good for me? Is it only good for my Man? Is it only good for my kids? Is it only good for my …?

James challenges me to demonstrate my faith. But what does that look like?

– a closet full of Christian message tshirts?
– Christian radio in my car?
– Christan CDs in my CD player?
– bookshelves upon bookshelves of Christian lit?
– bags upon bags with Christian messages?
– surround myself with Christian friends?

Good grief, this hurts.

Baby Girl and #2 Son gave me the audio cds for Beth Moore’s latest Bible Study: James-Mercy Triumphs for Christmas. When the package arrived in the mailbox from LifeWay, I was thrilled. Following the directions I was given, I placed the package under the Christmas tree, but ran to the local LifeWay store to pick up the workbook and threw it under the tree, too.

It’s difficult for me to take 8 actual weeks of Bible Study, so it suits me best to dive into the deep end of the pool of an 8 week study for about 10-14 days.  I take a deep breath, hold my nose, and dive in all the way.  I’ve had to come up for air several times to catch my breath from wrestling sessions, crying sessions, and the frequent sessions that just take my breath away.

James, an unbeliever until Jesus appears to him post resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:4-7), rushes to the front of the influence line among the Christian Jews in Jerusalem.  Knowing my own brothers, I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when Jesus shows up to his unbelieving brother.  Jesus being human as well as God, I wonder if he would have taken the shot of “I tried to tell ya?”  Makes me laugh, just thinking about it.

So far I have washed myself in the words through week 5 and continue to ask myself, “Am I living the faith I believe?”  “Is my world any better because I am a follower of Jesus?”  James’ words are pointed directly to the believers, so I can’t count myself out.  He must have been a practical guy, and one who was unafraid to hit the big struggles.  No ‘namby-pamby’ to do list, but accountability wrapped in barbed-wire.

Being the beginning of a new year, the Sunday paper is filled with ads for workout equipment and apparel.  I think I’ll save us some money and try to wear the words of James as 2012 begins:

Consider it pure joy when I face trials “of many kinds.”

If I lack wisdom, I should ask God (and not Google, or my friends, or the latest newscast, or an app on my IPhone).

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.”  (I am my own worst enemy in more ways than one.)

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.  (Oh, for goodness sakes!)

And that’s just the first chapter of James.

The 3rd session of the new bible study James: Mercy Triumphs stopped me in my tracks. Moore presents the biblical relationship between JOY (Greek: chara) and ANGUISH (Greek: thilipsis). She shares that Joy and Anguish can co-exist and both are experienced through relationships. I couldn’t agree more.

Each year I take the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day to reflect on this new year transition. If ever there was a time when anguish and joy co-existed, it has been in my head and heart this week. I grieve the passing of what I know will never be again. I reflect, but I really grieve. I need to do this in order to reset my hard drive to make resolutions for the new year. It’s not a sad time, but certainly a time of not so few tears.

This I know…

1. Baby Girl will never know life just for herself ever again. In the new year she will give birth to her first child. This is when you get to know what it feels like to hold your very heart outside your body. Friends often ask, “Are you ready to be a Grandmother?”  I can’t say that I am.  Because I am in Mama-Mode.  I know that neither her body nor her heart will ever be the same.  How do you prepare your very “heart-outside-your-body” for such a time?

2.  We serve a God of the resurrection and He is still resurrecting dead places in our hearts if we’ll let Him.  Having experienced too often, and for too long, the wounds of  bullies, I now know what makes me such a target.  It doesn’t help that my vocation is one where selflessness, forgiveness, compassion, and restoration are at the forefront of our calling.  #1 Son says I say “I’m sorry” too much.  Maybe it’s because I think others need to hear it as much as I do.  One of the first things we teach preschoolers is to say, “I’m sorry,” when others are hurt.  I think this and taking a nap would make for a world and a church of less hurtful and less hurting people.

3.  When we are in the habit of being obedient with our finances of giving, saving, and sharing, God multiplies that which makes no sense at all.  Like everyone else in the country, we have been affected by economic instability.  Our Dave Ramsey DVDs and CDs have made their rounds this year in the Bull-Reilly-Peaden clan as reminders.  Speaking engagements, workshops, and the generosity of others have blessed our socks off.  Moderate weather has kept the power bills low and the answered prayer of “Lord, don’t let us need nor want anything today,” remind me that He is interested in numbers, too.

4.  It has been a Philippians year:

“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.”  1:19

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”  1:27

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” 2:1

“For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.”  3:18

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.” 4:8

“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever.  Amen.”  4:20

In 2004, Baby Girl and I partnered to lead a Sunday School of 4th-6th grade girls named The Princesses Of The King Sunday School Class. Princess Diaries was the movie of the day and we used many of the items that were shared in the Hathaway film for the basis of our class. We used diaries weekly and the 10 Commandments for the basis of our curriculum. We went to the movies and had “class” in the lobby.  We signed songs in worship.  We attended a Revolve concert.  Titus 2 Mystery Guests were invited every 6-8 weeks to lead the girls in learning life skills that would grow their faith:

– Mary Kay consultant taught them how to wash their faces with a discussion of their countenance.

– Librarian shared what books were appropriate to “set before your eyes.”

– Grandmother to share the importance of beginning a legacy of faith and practical ways to start that.

– Stamping Ministry Leader to teach how to use the written word to “build each other up.”

– A Personal Shopper to teach what to look for in clothing that would honor them as young women and still be in fashion.  Their mantra:  If my clothing draws attention from my face, it is not modest.

All this is to say that I came across 2 paper bags last week while looking for my copy of an old textbook. In these paper bags were 45 envelopes. All but 2 envelopes were sealed. Every envelope was addressed in 4th, 5th, or 6th grade handwriting.

On September 19, 2004, we led a class on Choices. If I recall, the focus was the importance of each decision we make today MAY have a profound influence on the women we will become. These precious young women, 45 in number on that particular Sunday, each wrote a letter to themselves. They were to list 5 things they would choose today (9/14/2004) they fully intended to keep for themselves from that day forward.  I made a commitment that I would mail these letters to them when they were seniors in high school.

It’s time.

I have watched many of these young women of 9-11 years old in 2004 grow into powerful young women of faith. They serve their local church and many have served in the mission field. Many attended Baby Girl’s wedding the summer of 2010.

The 5 years we were a part of the Princesses of the King Sunday School class set the tone for my confidence in Children’s Ministry.  And provided an intentional movement within my soul for giving youth the opportunity to lead NOW by leading those that are coming up behind them.

Baby Girl was a sophomore in high school when we started the class and she served through her 2nd year at Reinhardt College .  She knew every name of the 65 we had on the roster each year.  She knew every birthday.  She knew every band and she knew every song on the High School Musical soundtrack.  She could engage in a way that I never could.  And it was thrilling to see her grow into her ministry calling right before my very eyes and before the eyes of many young women who spent time in the Princess Class.

I will be mailing these precious letters the day after Christmas.

To God be the glory, GREAT things He has done!

That was the question that was asked by an inquisitive young girl as we were practicing for the children’s Christmas program. At the time, we laughed it off with a, “Well, since we are telling the story of the stable in this program, they are all busy hanging out with the shepherds in the fields.” Having found multiple boxes of angel costumes and wings while cleaning out the KidMin supply closet, I could only assume that there may have always been an angel presence in these things in the past. This year’s program was more about the farm animals. This allowed any child with a desire to be in the program, the chance to wear a farm animal headband and be a part.

Then, this morning, while reading Dr. David Jeremiah’s, “25 Reasons Why We Celebrate The Nativity,” he asked me the question, “Why The Angels?” He shared out loud, on the printed page, that “we tend to place the angels on the periphery of the scene, almost at a distance.” He goes on to say, “In truth, however, the angels cannot be an afterthought.” No kidding. Angels were all over this.

We really know very little about the appearance of angels in the scriptures. The artists of the Middle Ages rendered them glowing, wearing white, toting around huge wings, with their heads encircled with halos. Whatever they looked like, it must have been terrifying. Their first words in the scriptures were usually, “Do not be afraid.”

Yep, angels were all over this one. Why angels? I’m thinking that the close parties in this series of events were not likely to ignore the advice of such fabulous messengers.

Angel to Zechariah in the Holy Of Holies… Angel to Mary… Angel to Joseph in a dream … Angels to the Shepherds… even Angels to the Magi to “go home a different way.”

What really hit me this season is that these Angels were busy carrying out the urgent work of God. They brought messages of critical importance to God’s people. There was a sense of urgency, and God’s people responded…immediately:

Mary went to Elizabeth (later we find that Jesus never sent out His disciples to take on a task alone, but always in groups of 2 or 3.)

Joseph took Mary as his wife. (Even when it seems hard to obey, we can trust that “God’s got this one.” And maybe, just maybe, pleasing God and not others should be the priority.)

The Shepherds left their flocks to find the Christ child and told everyone who would listen of what they had seen. (If He truly is LORD of my life and Savior of the world, shouldn’t there be a sense of urgency to tell others of this God of love and surprises?)

The Magi went home another way. (I’ll let you figure out how you’ll go home a different way this season.)

Hebrews 13:2 reminds us that in showing hospitality, many have entertained angels without knowing it. I’m thinking that Angel activity is ongoing. We may not see them, but we can surely follow their lead:

By staying busy with the work of heaven.

By telling people that God is still in the business of creating and resurrecting.

And sometimes exploding in the simple joy of seeing the miracle that Christ is alive in our world is enough to hold us through the dark times.  Especially when we sit, holding our heads in our hands, and exclaim, “This is not what I had planned.” (Getting a “Joseph.”)

Joy to the world…Joy to my world.

Merry Christmas!

I love how the 2nd chapter of Matthew shares some extra details about the Christmas story the gospel of Luke never touches: Magi

Some great insights into the Magi that make me smile . . .

1. We really don’t know how many wise men were in the entourage, only that there were 3 gifts. But allow me to share a precious friend’s insight…there were really 4 gifts.

Go ahead, I’ll let you run to your Bible and check out Chapter 2, verse 11.

Yep, the first gift was WORSHIP. THEN, they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of frankincense and of myrrh.

Do I offer the gift of worship first?  Is worship a priority?

2. Mary and Joseph were Jewish. Shepherds? Jewish. Magi? Not Jewish.

This event was choreographed by a great God who invited those outside the Jewish faith to participate. This is where WE, the Gentiles, come in.

Am I living up to my starring role?  Or am I satisfied with being an “understudy” in the story He has for me?

3.  The Magi did not arrive at the stable as all of the Nativity scenes suggest.

Verse 11 continues, “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary.”

This realization was a huge turning point for me many years ago.  While visiting what would become our home church during our time in New England, the preacher taught that the Wise Men didn’t come to the stable.  I just knew he had it wrong and went home on a mission to prove it.  Upon every reading of all 3 bibles we had in the house at the time, I discovered that I’d been relying on someone else or a plastic scene to tell me the truth of the scriptures.  I confessed it as sin and said, “No More!”  My journey through the scriptures and the life it gives began that very day.  Jesus was no longer on the flannelboard for this Jesus Girl.

4.  Verse 12 shares that upon being in the presence of the Savior, “they returned to their country by another route.”

After I am in the presence of the Lord, do I go home a different way?  I sure hope so.

Several friends have shared how this affects their Advent Celebrations.  One exclaims, “Three gifts were good enough for Jesus, then three gifts are good enough for each one of my kids. ”  That just makes me laugh…and think.

And then a young mother shared how her family models what the Magi brought Jesus in 3 gifts:

Frankincense (used by priests in their offerings to God, pointing toward Jesus’ role as our high priest) – the gift should be good for your mind…books, museum tickets, lessons, learning opportunity, learning kits, etc.

Myrrh (a spice for a person who is going to die) – the gift should be something to aid healing or a practical gift…clothes, shoes, conference, a box of medicines for that college student who has let himself get run down due to final exams, a Bible or something that encourages the recipient’s spiritual journey.

Gold (a gift for a King – or maybe a princess or son of The King) – something extra, fun, shiny, sparkly…toy, game, jewelry.

Your thoughts and ideas?

When I began teaching Children’s Sunday School beaucoup years ago, I soon discovered that I’d be teaching Christmas every year. Not a big “AH HA” to some, but it was to me. The Bible is a huge book and surely there are enough stories in it to teach little people that I’d only have to repeat every 10 years. On the fast track of devouring the scriptures to know God and make Him known, I found myself stopping once a year to tell this story. This was when my Bible became a “pop-up book.”

Remember the pop-up books? These are the books that each time you turned a page, items on the page began to pop up and jump off the page always to the delight of the reader.

If I was going to share the Christmas Story every year, it was important to share it with a sense of enthusiasm and excitement because somebody was going to hear it for the first time. So each year I seek to learn something new about the Christmas story. Then when the time comes to share, I want the story to pop-up from my Bible.

Details I have learned over the years . . .

1. There is no mention of a donkey in the Christmas story. There is donkey in the Easter story, but not in the scriptures for the Christmas story.

2. There is no Drummer Boy in the scriptures (although I really like the song)

3. The wise men did not come to visit Jesus and His mother at the stable (no matter what the nativity set tells you)

4. Elizabeth was the first Believer

5. The scriptures have much to say about Joseph, but none of his words (perhaps your actions ARE enough)

6. There is nothing cute and darling about a feed trough

7. After the wise men were in the presence of the Lord, they went home a different way (nuff said)

What has popped-off the pages for you this year?

Continuing to read for Advent 2011, I have made a few more discoveries . . .

Women need other women and the older woman should be the initiator.

Titus 2 gives us a great example of the older women sharing life with the younger women. The scripture’s direction is aimed at the older women to teach the younger women.

Mary took the 9 day walk towards Elizabeth, but I think it was because Elizabeth had already been “taking the walk of life” to and with Mary. They must have been very close for Mary to go directly to Elizabeth upon hearing the announcement from the angel Gabriel.

I recall reading an article years ago that claimed there to be a chemical released in a woman’s brain at the onset of an extraordinary situation. This chemical provides the “draw” of one woman to another. We are created for one another especially during the remarkable times in one another’s lives.

Despite what I want to see in the mirror, I have become the older woman. May I be found faithful as I share tea, lunch, breakfast, and life with some precious women whose names are written on my calendar and on my heart.

When #1 Son and Baby Girl were little, I had all these dreams of offering them a holiday season filled with glorious memories and multiple experiences to fully engage their little minds. A few years and several back copies of Southern Living later, I was in sensory overload, as was my family. Then I was hit upside the head with a sermon that changed everything.

This young pastor shared that “If Jesus came back as the entire world is anticipating the arrival of the Christ child during the Advent season, what would He find? Would He find over eating, over drinking, over stimulation, and a world overwhelmed with accumulation?” It knocked me so hard, I dropped all my packages.

That year I decided to declutter the holidays by inviting each member of the family to share the 3 things that made Christmas Christmas. I further decided to only do those things for that season. I was completly surprised by the response. It seemed even the house gave a sigh of relief.

My man’s list:
1. A fire in the fireplace
2. Open gifts on Christmas Eve
3. Church on Christmas Eve

Baby Girl’s list:
1. Fire in the fireplace
2. Open Gifts on Christmas Eve
3. Church on Christmas Eve

#1 Son’s list:
1. Open gifts on Christmas Eve
2. Only 1 Christmas tree in the house and it should have all our handmade ornaments on it (Up to this time, I was trying to keep up with the fabulous ladies in the Junior Service League Christmas Tour of Homes and had a theme-decorated tree in every room that made the house so bright at night we were getting fly-bys from Hartsfield International Airport)
3. He wanted to be IN the Christmas Eve service at Church

My list:
1. Family Christmas Letter written to all our friends and family coast to coast (This endeavor had made for sibling banter between me and my hilarious brothers. We love getting Christmas cards, but I know your name. Please tell me what’s going on your life.)
3. Bobbi Jean’s Lemon Cake only once a year and HAS to be on Christmas Eve (Bobbi Jean was the woman my Daddy married when I was 10 years old. She was an amazingly generous woman. She taught me everything I know about the blessings of family traditions and the power of random, kind words, and face time with those you love.)

Just in case their list of 3 changed, I would ask the question “What 3 things makes Christmas Christmas for you this year?” each Thanksgiving. It freed up a ton of time, energy, and resources.

Now that Baby Girl is married to #2 Son, a fire in the fireplace still tops her list of must-haves.  However, they live in a little house where there is no fireplace.   A fireplace DVD will be their first gift from us for their first Christmas in their new home.

What 3 things makes Christmas Christmas for you?