Looking Back and Dreaming Ahead

Each year about this time, I get all excited for the New Year. January 1 is one of my favorite days, marking the start of something new. For me, that newness is related to an assessment of the year that is ending and a vision for the year that is about to begin.

As I look back at 2013, my breath catches. Lots of things happened. Check out this sampler:

celebrated my 40th year at the Goofy Challenge (39.3 miles of running) // started working for Revive Our Hearts // attended The Story conference at Spread Truth & met the shining Laura Karr // traveled to California // attended the Revive Our Hearts Revive Tour // started Snapchatting // enjoyed Beach retreat 2013 // ran the Champaign half marathon // survived a Cupcake Crawl w/niece Isabelle // created a Dream Map // celebrated the Hubster’s work in opening Immanuel Health Clinic // spent two glorious months in Boulder, Colorado & made precious new friends at The Well // started reading Brene Brown // found Lucky’s Bakery & Boxcar Coffee // ran the Boulder Heart & Sole half marathon // ate seven pounds of Swedish fish in a month // celebrated my parents’ 45th anniversary // discovered my personality INFP matches the Hulk (mean & green?) // cheered the Hubster in his first competitive half marathon at Indy (he won the Master’s Divison! we got to see his brother & our dear friends! and we ate Flying Cupcakes!) // traveled to Disney w/dear friends // started working for Naomi’s House // made progress on my book // enjoyed countless hours with loved ones

So much joy, so much blessing—and most of it was not listed as part of my 2013 hopes and dreams. But some of these things came about because my vision was set toward those goals. And this is why I keep on with New Year’s Resolutions.

So I’m on it for 2014, and I’m going with a theme. My dream for the new year is that my life would be fruitful:

By God’s grace, 2014 will be a year of fruitfulness for me as I yield my moments to the Lord Jesus and seek to live by His Spirit.

From this vision flow specific goals that I’ve arranged into seven categories:

• spiritual: tending to heart & soul
• relational: nurturing bonds
• physical: training the flesh
• professional: investing talents
• mental: stimulating curiosity
• domestic: creating a refuge
• financial: growing in generosity

One thing I learned this past year is that when my goals are merely a to-do list, I get overwhelmed. This dreamer needs the vision to fuel the actions! For instance, motivation and attitude are greatly lacking when I need to do some cleaning; running it through the filter of creating a refuge makes all the difference for me. I want a refuge, and that would be one with clean sheets.

Most of my goals are typical, not too out-of-the-ordinary . . . but I need them on paper because this dreamy-girl forgets things. If my life is going to be fruitful, I need God’s power working in me and focusing my efforts. There will be lots of praying happening to that end! I’m so excited to see what comes about in the next 12 months—not only what’s on paper, but also all the extra things that I would never dream about.

What are your hopes and dreams for 2014? How do you organize your goals? I’d love to hear all about it—share in the comments or post a link to your blog post detailing it. Here’s to hopes and dreams and things unseen.

Which Word Wednesday: Christmaswhichwowedday

If anything, 2013 has brought us some fabulous holiday match-ups. Earlier this year, we had Thanksgivukkah—when the first day of Hanukkah fell on Thanksgiving Day. And today, we have Christmaswhichwowedday (Christmas-which-wow-edday), when Christmas and Which Word Wednesday align.

You’ve not heard of Christmaswhichwowedday? hmm. Well, I’m sure it’s very popular somewhere, even if it’s only in my own heart.

My love for words started before I knew the Word, back when I was a kid, before Jesus captured my heart and made sense of my story. But then my love for language met the One whose words spoke everything into being:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:1–5, ESV).

Jesus is the Word from which all words flow. He speaks light and life—literally—upholding all of creation by the word of His power (Col. 1:17). Astounding, isn’t it? Although, humans have been given similar faculties, as we are made in His image; I have seen my own words nurture light and life (as well as darkness and death). Words are powerful, indeed.

Words are powerful because they echo something of their origin, of Jesus who is the Word who was from before the beginning. Jesus is the Word that speaks, to us, telling us who God truly is, showing us the love of the Father:

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, ESV).

And this is the meaning of Christmas, what gives meaning to our days (and especially our Which Word Wednesdays). Merry Christmas and may your Christmaswhichwowedday celebrations be joyful and triumphant!

This Is What I Want to Get Everyone for Christmas

Beautiful words were spoken by my pastor during worship yesterday. His Christmas message series is titled “Responding to the Voice of God” and yesterday’s message was from Luke’s Gospel, recounting Mary’s praise that we refer to as The Magnificat. In it, Mary pours out these beautiful words to her cousin Elizabeth to explain how she is handling the miracle of God’s choosing her—a young virgin girl—to carry the Savior in her womb:

“My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; for behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name. And His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him. He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things; and sent away the rich empty-handed. He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.” (Luke 1:46–55, NASB)

As my pastor spoke from this passage, he noted that Mary describes the greatness of God and His response to two sorts of people, the humble and the proud:

God has mercy for those who fear Him. He exalts the humble. He fills the hungry with good things.

But God scatters those who are proud in the thoughts of their heart. He brings down the rulers. He sends away the rich empty-handed.

As I pondered my pastor’s message this morning, his plea for us to soften our hearts toward God was echoing in my ears. The state of the heart matters greatly. It is the difference between mercy and discipline, exaltation and demotion, receiving good things and receiving nothing.

Mary’s heart was soft toward God—she revered Him and chose to trust Him, even when He turned her life upside-down. And so must we, when our lives take a turn we didn’t anticipate or request. How we respond to life, how we process the twists and turns matters because this will serve to soften us or harden us.

Soft hearts continue to fear Him when life goes crazy. Soft hearts wait for Him to exalt and redeem. Soft hearts trust in Him to satisfy the hungry growls of the soul with good things.

Years after Mary spoke these words of praise, her Son Jesus confirmed them in a sermon:

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matt. 5:7).

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3).

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matt. 5:6).

Hearts that are soft toward God, waiting for Him, trusting in Him, will surely be blessed. That’s what I want most this Christmas, for myself and for everyone I care about.

How to Deal with Gloomy Clouds and Dark Shadows at Christmas

Typically I crack out the Christmas tunes the day after Thanksgiving. My meager collection has the usual—renditions of the classics along with plenty of creative original songs. I know the lines by heart, slipping into them like a favorite cozy sweater. Sometimes I am singing along, almost mindlessly, and my attention isn’t even with the song—I’m thinking about baking measurements or crafting a newsletter for a client project or something.

But then, a snippet of lyric will break through my fog, flooring me. What am I singing?

Two songs in particular are working together on my heart this year, breaking though all manner of mindless singing. The first is my all-time Christmas favorite, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” with its mournful, wistful longing that chips away at the stone within my heart. This verse does it every time:

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

How I want—how I need—Jesus to chase away my sin and sadness, to cheer my spirit and remind me that He is greater than the brokenness I see in me and those I love and the evil in the world.

The second song, “Joy to the World,” ties in with my longing for Jesus to draw near. This verse reminds me of the sure hope He is:

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

Because Day-spring has come to “disperse the gloomy clouds” and “death’s dark shadows,” He has come “to make His blessings flow as far as the curse is found.”

Isn’t that good news? How I need that. I admit—there are days when the curse feels greater. It’s fueling war, poverty, human trafficking, exploitation, violence, and injustice. It’s fueling sadness, mistrust, worry, fear, betrayal, hatred, selfishness, hiding, posturing, and greed. The curse is powerful, indeed.

It seems every day I read another account of how the curse is running rampant around the world. Likewise, it seems every day I find another way the curse has run deep in me, in the back alleys and darkened corners of my own heart.

My Christmas joy is dampened by the curse’s gloomy clouds and dark shadows. I feel the weight of it in my bones, in the deepest part of my heart, in the pit of my stomach.

These Christmas songs remind me of the good news: that the curse’s reach can go only so far. Christmas reminds me that Jesus reaches farther still with a love that will not let me go.

Am I Ready for Christmas?

So, Christmas is coming. In less than two weeks, even. Already this season I’ve been asked if I’m “ready for Christmas.” Most are inquiring of my progress with the typical preparations—the gifts, the food, the décor. But Christmas is more than that—it’s when we celebrate God’s coming near to us in Jesus. And the question, “Are you ready for Christmas?” reminds me to check the state of my heart, if I am ready to pause, to remember, to worship the God who “became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14, MSG).

As of today, I don’t feel ready. We talked about observing Hanukkah again. We discussed an Advent devotional. But intentions fell short on implementation. And that discrepancy between where I am and where I want to be causes no little amount of discouragement. My critics (inner = my flesh, outer = Satan) sing a chorus serenading me with accusations about the quality of my faith. And then I fear God will soon join and make it a trio.

It is true what A. W. Tozer purports in The Knowledge of the Holy:

“The whole outlook of mankind might be changed if we could all believe that we dwell under a friendly sky and that the God of heaven, though exalted in power and majesty, is eager to be friends with us. But sin has made us timid and self-conscious, as well it might. Years of rebellion against God have bred in us a fear that cannot be overcome in a day.” (83)

The dark clouds of sin and sadness formed from my discouragement cannot change what God has pronounced: that because of Jesus, the skies are friendly and friendship with God is possible. God came near to remind me that He is good and intends good toward me. Tozer continues:

“Christ walked with men on earth that He might show them what God is like and make known the true nature of God to a race that had wrong ideas about Him. This was only one of the things He did while here in the flesh, but this He did with beautiful perfection. From Him we learn how God acts toward people. The hypocritical, the basically insincere, will find Him cold and aloof, as they once found Jesus; but the penitent will find Him merciful; the self-condemned will find Him generous and kind. To the frightened He is friendly, to the poor in spirit He is forgiving, to the ignorant, considerate; to the weak, gentle; to the stranger, hospitable.” (84)

This is the crux of my Christmas celebration, the remembrance that because Jesus came near, I can begin to see God for who He is and not who I fear Him to be. Christmas is all about God coming near long ago and again today and in every minute I seek Him with His Spirit hovering and teaching the truth about who He is.

Oh, how I need more of that.

So yes, I am ready for Christmas to come near to me. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Give It up for #GivingTuesday

Did you know this was a thing? Well, it is, and it’s TODAY. Giving Tuesday is a call to give something more to charities and nonprofits that rely on donations to serve others. How great is that?!

I write all about #GivingTuesday in my latest for Christ and Pop Culture; check it out here. Give it a read, then share in the article comments how you are participating in Giving Tuesday 2013.

And if you are looking for some recommendations for organizations worthy of your gifts today, I offer these from my article:

I can give a family for life and a bright future to girls in India who were at great risk of being trafficked by giving to As Our Own.

I can help spread the hope and joy of most beautiful story—the Gospel—to others by supporting the work of Spread Truth.

I can provide food to families in need in my region and beyond by giving to Midwest Food Bank.

I can help women recover from the trauma of sexual exploitation here in the States by giving to Wellspring Living.

I can support the clean water access programs for the people of Africa by partnering with Blood:Water Mission.

Happy #GivingTuesday!

Inviting Change to Our Thanksgiving Holiday

As Mike and I prepped a menu for this year’s Thanksgiving feast, we wanted to take our traditional dishes and shake them up a bit. Instead of the typical corn casserole, we’re making a chipotle-cheddar variant; sweet potato souffle will be traded in for twice baked sweet potatoes; green bean casserole is being switched out to a swiss cheese version (thanks to my sister-in-law).

It’s change. It’s only food, I know—but it’s change. When I think about the fun of sampling these new recipes, I get excited . . . but my heart is also tugged back to tradition, back to the warm familiarity of what those typical dishes represent. I find myself using such traditions as anchors for a life that is ever shifting. Traditional meals (as well as visitors, conversations, stories, and activities) build a framework upon which my memories can be hung. I know where to find them, how to categorize them, what to expect—everything is in place. The year may change, but the rest is constant, and somehow in the middle of that I find solace when I feel like life is unpredictable.

Change is both a blessing and curse. Change signals a shift for the better or the worse, for life or for death. We experience both sorts, whether we like it or not. And because I’m pain averse, I can paint change as the bad guy. Sometimes I want to shrug off the good along with the bad as a manner of self-protection. I want change to stay away from me (and my traditions and my Thanksgiving dishes, thank you very much). But then, even this very morning, I read A. W. Tozer’s commentary on change in The Knowledge of the Holy, and it reminds me that change is not always bad:

“[As] much as we may deplore the lack of stability in all earthly things, in a fallen world such as this the very ability to change is a golden treasure, a gift from God of such fabulous worth as to call for constant thanksgiving. For human beings the whole possibility of redemption lies in their ability to change. To move across from one sort of person to another is the essence of repentance: the liar becomes truthful, the thief honest, the lewd pure, the proud humble. The whole moral texture of the life is altered. The thoughts, the desires, the affections are transformed, and the man is no longer what he had been before. So radical is this change that the apostle calls the man that used to be ‘the old man’ and the man that now is ‘the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.’ “

Without the possibility of change, I would be stuck. Change is the way to hope and life, and with out it, I would have no chance of discarding my old self. I would have no chance of becoming truthful, honest, pure, humble. In Christ, change is possible and even good.

For that I am truly thankful.

Although this does not make me want to welcome change unilaterally, I am at least willing to entertain the notion that it’s not all bad. It’s a start.

Which Word Wednesday: Bad vs. Badly

source: http://www.grammarcomic.com/files/grammar-block-002-adverbsaries.jpg

The worst part about my interest in language is that I know just enough to make myself crazy when I talk. I know what I want to say, but I need to choose between two words that confuse me, and then I get stuck in the recesses of my brain, trying to remember which word is correct. It’s linguistic torture.

One of those mean word duos is bad / badly. For example, if I am experiencing regret, do I feel bad about it or do I feel badly about it? I can get myself all turned about inside on that one. Perhaps today’s Which Word Wednesday will help. Let’s look first to the New Oxford American Dictionary:

bad :: adjective
of poor quality; inferior or defective; not such as to be hoped for or desired; unpleasant or unwelcome; regretful, guilty, or ashamed about something

badly :: adverb
in an unsatisfactory, inadequate, or unsuccessful way; to a great or serious degree; severely

We have one adjective (modifying nouns) and one adverb (modifying verbs)—so these words are not interchangeable. Context is key. To use the correct word, you have to know what you are modifying. Not always so easy, especially when the words are gushing out and you have like five seconds to choose.

Grammar Girl explains:

“The reason it’s easy to be confused is that ‘feel’ can be a linking verb or an action verb. Action verbs are easy to understand. They describe actions. If I reach out and touch your cashmere sweater to see how soft it is, I’ve taken an action. I am feeling your sweater.

“Linking verbs are more subtle. They describe emotions or states of being. If I am regretful about something and I want to describe my feelings, I’m describing my state of mind, not an action.”

This is why we get confused, but we also need help to not be confused. Grammar Girl gives this tip:

“Can you replace ‘feel’ with ‘am’? If so, choose the adjective and write ‘I feel bad.’”

And I add this memory hook to the mix:

If your hand is numb, you can’t feel what you are touching, so you feel badly.

If your heart is sad, you feel the weight of emotion, so you feel bad.

What’s my WWW verdict? Numb hands make for a heavy heart.

What’s your verdict? Do you stumble over bad and badly? Do you have a tip for keeping them straight? Do share in the comments.

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Check out previous Which Word Wednesday verdicts here.

Which Word Wednesday: Anytime vs. Any Time

source: http://stylecarrot.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/whatever-illustration.jpg

You’ve heard it said that two are better than one. It is often true in regard to brainpower (two heads together think better than one alone) or laboring (some wisdom from King Solomon) and is always true in regard to cookies (at least, for me).

But this rule is not always true for words. Two words are not always better than one, especially if it changes the intended meaning. Today’s Which Word Wednesday tackles the usage of anytime (one word) versus any time (two words) to prove when the opening axiom is correct.

Let’s look first to the New Oxford American Dictionary:

anytime :: adverb
at whatever time; without exception or doubt

any [time] :: determiner / pronoun
used to refer to one or some of a thing or number of things, no matter how much or many

As one word, anytime takes on an aloof air a la Alicia Silverstone in Clueless—use it when there’s no need to get specific with plans, as the event in question can happen whenever.

As two words, the phrase any time refers to one of something in particular. Use it when you are making plans, giving several options to choose from—the plans can happen at any one of those times.

Mark Davidson explains it like this:

You can write: “My veterinarian is available for emergency house calls at any time.” Or you can write, “My veterinarian is available for emergency house calls anytime.” But if you write that your vet is available at anytime, you’re redundantly stating that the vet is available “at at any time.”¹

So there you have it. Everything hinges on the presence of a third word, at. Your options are:

Be here anytime. = Be here whenever.

Be here at any time. = Be here at a specific time.

What’s my WWW verdict? In this case, it looks like three words are even better than two but sometimes one word is all you need.

What’s your verdict? Have you ever wondered about anytime vs. any time? Do you remember Clueless? Do share in the comments.

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Check out previous Which Word Wednesday verdicts here.
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<sup>Sources
1. Mark Davidson, Right, Wrong, and Risky: A Dictionary of Today’s American English Usage (New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006), 78.</sup>

What God Says to Comfort Addicts like Me

For some time now I’ve been working on a writing project about a condition I call comfort addiction. We are all prone to it, for deep within, we all face an ache—whether we can name it or not.

Our soul-aches push us to seek soothing. We sample ointments of success and belonging and power and pride and judgment. We try them one at a time; we make our own concoctions and mix them together, but to no avail. Comfort eludes us.

Like a snake oil peddler, Comfort keeps coming around, spilling a carefully crafted pitch, calling us to try again—try the latest and greatest elixir that’s sure to ease the pain. But it’s all for naught, for our aches are never healed with such fleeting treatments.

You might think the trouble is that we long for comfort. Maybe if we resolved to quit wanting comfort—help, soothing, relief, and so on—then we would forget about the ache.

That hasn’t worked for me. My futile attempts to obtain comfort have led me to seek God, and the more I seek, the more I find that comfort is a major theme of the grand narrative that God has been telling throughout history.

One of my favorite passages about true comfort is in Isaiah 40, and yesterday my pastor spoke about that chapter, reminding me once again of God’s heart toward us comfort addicts:

“Comfort, oh comfort my people,” says your God. “Speak softly and tenderly to Jerusalem, but also make it very clear that she has served her sentence, that her sin is taken care of—forgiven! She’s been punished enough and more than enough, and now it’s over and done with.”

According to this, we ache inside when we aren’t clear that our sins are taken care of, when we aren’t sure of forgiveness. True comfort eludes us because we’ve been using substitutes, mere topical treatments that only mask the pain rather than healing the root of it.

I loved the points my pastor made about Jesus being the Good News—the Gospel:

1. The Good News is comfort after pain (Isa. 40:1–5).
2. The Good News is that God shows up to clean up our mess (Isa. 40:6–11).
3. The Good News is the incomparable greatness of God (Isa. 40:12–26).
4. The Good News is that jaded skepticism is overruled—God visits us (Isa. 40:27–31).

The Good News is that God offers true comfort in answer to our brokenness, that He cleans up the mess in our hearts so we see His greatness and know His nearness.

God is no comfort peddler. He offers the real deal—real freedom from the sin that weighs us down from the inside. This is the Good News: Jesus is the balm for our souls.