Unexpected gifts

I love to get gifts. I'm sure that at the ripe old age of 35, I should be completely over that, but I'm not. I love gifts. It's not about the price tag. It's about the surprise. The wrapping paper and the surprise.

I've determined that may be part of my difficulty getting into the Christmas spirit, everything is scripted and done according to the list and everyone is appreciative and we move on. There's nothing really wrong with that except...I like to give thoughtful gifts, spontaneous gifts, to people who appreciate those things. Luckily, I work with creative types who would appreciate that. Or, at the very least, appreciate pretty wrapping and bows. Unfortunately, my brain is mostly worn out this time of year so I go with predictable instead.

Last week I got a package at work from a designer who has become a friend. I thought it was work, so when I saw a gift instead...how exciting! A Psalms desk calendar with a lovely note..."I saw this and thought of you."

I love the gift (from someone who is a much better friend than I am, but that's really to be expected!), but even more, I love the note. OK, well, as much anyway. I needed the reminder. I want to be that kind of person...when a friend sees a Psalms calendar, I want them to think of me. I want to be thought of as someone who appreciates God's word. And, even when I don't know it, someone might be thinking of me.

Father, thank you so much for surrounding me with good friends. This time of year is hard and loneliness comes unexpectedly because I feel a little out of step in my family sometimes. It's good to know that my steps are just different, I'm in step with other people. Who like me, not because we has the same parents but because they like me. Help me to remember what's important and that you never leave me alone. And Father, I want people to know that I'm yours, when they see me, they think of you. Help me to be that person.

52 Blessings Week 3: Snow Days

So you won't see a picture of snow, because there wasn't any to speak of, only ice. But I was safe and sound at home with a free day that normally would have been spent working, so I worked...on Christmas. The blessing here is that the extra time couldn't have come at a better time. In the midst of the craziness that is the holiday season, extra time in hard to come by. Work is crazy. And then home is crazier with the shopping and for me, the cooking and cleaning.

It's difficult to find peace and joy at what should be the most joyful and peaceful season. Some are energized by that. Me, I just want to be quiet. And if I can do that at home, even better. So I cooked a little, crafted a lot, and crossed items off of my list, and as a result, I felt better about celebrating with my friends and I've moved on to the next hurdle: cleaning my house. If you could see it, you'd understand how high this hurdle is! And then the turkey is lurking...the source of most of my Christmas stress.

Thank you, Father, for unexpected gifts. They're the best kind! Thank you for the chance to organize myself and spend a little extra time on the people who make my workdays better.

52 Blessings Week 2: Working with Friends

Proverbs 17:17 (New International Version)
A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.

I was thinking hard on the way in to work this morning about the best thing to post today for week 2 of my assignment. I think the original goal on Photojojo was to practice my photography skills. So far, that hasn't panned out but I think it's even more important to think about my blessings. That's my story and I'm sticking to it (but there might also be something to the fact that my schedule is crammed, my camera is out of it's normal place, I'm too busy/lazy to get it and set something up right now, I only do things at the last minute...).

So today my picture is from our Halloween competition here at work and it's just a small representation of my friends here and why working with them is good for me. From this photo, you can tell that my friends are creative with great senses of humor and fun spirits (and maybe they're just a little...different. Like me). It's a little harder to tell is how generous they are, how good they are, and that each one is a good friend. Each person in that picture has gone above and beyond the call of "co-worker" for me. And there are more here, people who aren't in the picture.

I was thinking about this and I guess that spending 8 hours a day together, for years and years and years and years...and years, under the pressure of never-ending deadlines will probably make you best of friends or mortal enemies. And some of them I've even made road trips and worked trade shows with...and we're still friends. In fact, under pressure, I'm the first one to crack and my bad stuff spills out but they still make room for me and laugh with me and forgive me. Good friends.

I do thank God for placing me in the middle of this group of people. They are a blessing.

2 Thessalonians 1:3 (New International Version)
3We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.

Nicodemus

Gohere to read John 3.

In John 3, we have the powerhouse verse found on signs at every sporting event around the world. I'm going to look at something different in this chapter: Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, a Pharisee who sought out Jesus to find out more. Pharisees have a pretty bad reputation but it seems that Nicodemus was faithful, a teacher, and yet also curious about Jesus. And he just couldn't grasp the idea of being "born again."

As someone who has lived her entire life smack dab in the middle of the Bible belt, it's hard to imagine a time and place where being "born again" isn't understood. But it's kind of a difficult thing to grasp. And as Jesus said to Nicodemus, "I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?"

Nicodemus was a learned man and honestly curious to know more...and he just couldn't get it, couldn't understand that Jesus brought new life through a rebirth, not physically here but spiritually. I like this story, especially compared to the next chapter with the Samaritan woman because I think we see these same conversation every day...the super religious who know the right things to say and may even be genuinely seeking Christ like Nicodemus who struggle and sinners like the Samaritan woman who hurt and only have to be offered an option to grab hold of it. Both are sinners, both come to Christ, but with vastly different experiences. How lucky we are that Jesus came to save the lost, no matter their position in society. And even more lucky that Jesus had a message to reach them both...and you...and me.

52 Blessings: Week 1 Christmas Decorations

So in the effort to stick with my new plan to at least post once a week with a blessing as a part of the "52 Blessings" idea from Photojojo, I have my first post ready. Unfortunately my photo isn't really worthy of showing to people who love photography...not very artsy anyway. Still, it works for this.

Week #1-Christmas Decorations...at work
I work for a company where Christmas is present every day of the year, thanks to publishing 2 large Christmas craft books. It takes A. Very. Long. Time. to do this. Even when it's melting hot outside, there's Christmas something hanging around here. But I think it goes deeper than that too. I'm lucky to work for a place that will put up a beautiful nativity set in the lobby. All visitors will see that nativity. And I see it every time I ride on the elevator (and that's a lot because the Diet Coke is on the first floor but I live on the second floor...and I'm lazy so I ride).

I like that it's still "Merry Christmas" around here. Santa and his reindeer and "Happy Holidays" are here too, but Jesus and the manger haven't been hidden away.

John or not John

This is a note for BK, who left comments on the post "John, whom Jesus loved" because there's discussion about who the Beloved Disciple is..John or not John. The writer of the gospel is anonymous and early church tradition attributes it to John. If I'm reading correctly, it appears that an argument exists that the Beloved Disciple is actually Lazarus (from John 11). It's an interesting argument and there's more to it. As it is called the Gospel of John, I'll probably continue to call him John but I'm really trying to find out more about Jesus. Check out more online if you're curious.

So the disciples will believe

Click here to read John 2.

In John 2, it's easier to see how John has carefully chosen the accounts of Jesus that he includes and he also provides some extra insight so that we, the readers, will understand the man and his actions. In this chapter, John tells about Jesus changing the water to wine at the wedding in Cana and clearing the temple...2 very different stories, but in each, his followers come to know more about him.

So Jesus and his party go to a wedding and when the wine runs out, Mary tells Jesus about the problem. He tells the servants what to do and they do it and better wine than they'd had before is now in the waterpot...and no one knows about it except Mary, the servants and the disciples. And about this miracle John says:

This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

From this story we know that Jesus was working on God's timetable, waiting for His direction and command to make himself known. Clearly, fixing the problem wasn't that difficult. And he didn't do it because Mary asked him to (she didn't but she put her faith in his decision) or for his own glory (not a very public display of his power) but to strengthen the belief and knowledge of the men following him.

Then there's the story in the temple, a very public display of his righteous anger, his power, and his conviction. Jesus clearly felt anger at the commercialism in the temple, the place were believers should worship and bring others. From the private miracle at Cana to the public stance at Capernaum, Jesus was building his name. And first, he strengthened his disciples, who were learning him and even though they didn't believe yet, they knew his power, and then he proclaimed his authority:

17His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."18Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"
19Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."
20The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

23Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. 24But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.

And then, just as today, there were people who said they believed. It would be difficult in the face of clearly miraculous signs to not believe. Right? Maybe. But then, as today and certainly someday when we meet Jesus again, Jesus didn't need to hear what they said. He sees the heart.

So from these stories, what do we know about Jesus...
Social-he was out in the world, enjoying a festive occasion like a wedding
Committed-he could change the water to wine for his mother, but the calling from the Father was more important.
Power-making wine from water was simple
Anger-clearing the temple is about returning the focus to the worship of God
Authority-Jesus did not hestitate to run the men out of the temple and when he was challenged, he had an answer.

Jesus, the One

Click here to read John 1.
John's gospel was written in view of a single critical goal. And it wasn't to be a historical record of Jesus' days here or to prove that he fulfilled prophesy. Here's what John said about the "why" of this gospel:

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:30-31

As simple and as important as showing that Jesus was the Son of God so that we may have life. The signs, the sermons, the actions recorded here are here only to show us who Jesus was and is from one who knew him better than anyone. So what do we know about Jesus from Chapter 1?


John 1:1-3; John 1:10-14 (New International Version)

The Word Became Flesh
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

So what do we know...
Jesus is the Word, and the Word is
Eternal-he was with God in the beginning, a part of God.
Creator-nothing is made except that he made it
Incarnate-the Word came to the world as a man
Personal-he came as a man to save his own people and then made it possible for anyone who believes to become a child of God
Singular-this Word, this man, is the One and Only. There is no other who comes from the Father.

This may be the hardest part of Jesus to understand. The historical Jesus is a little easier because the 33 years he was actually here in the form of a man are easier to imagine. We have words here, accounts from the people who lived with him, but the eternal aspect or the "God" part of Jesus is difficult to grasp. Even the idea of being the Son of God is easier to understand for me. For some reason, it seems OK for God to be a mystery but I want to be able to wrap my mind around this man called Jesus.

John didn't seem to have the same trouble. I wonder how long it took John to understand it all. It does not seem that the disciples automatically comprehended the true power of Jesus. It seems that would have been trembling puddles if they had.


Other important pieces of Chapter 1:
John the Baptist as witness. John the Baptist was preaching the coming Messiah and he baptised Jesus and recognized him as the one. John had a sign to confirm it: the dove that came down during the baptism.

And 2 of his disciples: Andrew and John (the Gospel writer) left him to follow Jesus.
How'd you like to be Andrew? The first of the disciples to follow and bring his brother...good ol' Simon Peter...to Jesus.

How many names do you see? Where do they come from? Prophecy, the religious understanding of the day, the unique being of Jesus, each one shows a piece of the character of Jesus.
Word, light, life, Rabbi, Teacher, Messiah, the Christ, Lamb of God, Son of God, King of Israel, Son of Man

John, whom Jesus loved

I decided that for December I'd take a look at the book of John. If you ask me why, I'd have to say something about it seeming like the thing to do at the time. The reasons aren't very black and white, but at this time of year, we talk a lot about the "reason for the season" and we sing songs about silent nights.

And that's all so important. But I think that to too many people, Jesus is either the baby in a manger (although they don't pray to baby Jesus like Ricky Bobby, I hope) or he's a sacrifice on a cross (and maybe he's still there for you, but he should be so much more). So I wanted to take a look at the gospel written by the disciple "whom Jesus loved."

John, one of the inner circle, wrote his gospel close to the end of his life, many years after Christ's death and resurrection, and after the other gospels were written. So why write it? He didn't write it for a person or even to reach a group of people. John wrote it to show the world who Christ was, so that every person could know him and believe.

To John, Jesus was a man but so much more. John didn't know the baby and met Jesus as he began his ministry, traveled and worked with Jesus, saw the signs of the Messaiah, saw his death and resurrected body and he believed. And he became a leader of the church. I've mentioned before that I really identify with Peter, mainly because he messed up. A lot. But now I'm curious about John. He may turn out to be one of the perfect people...and he probably should be to be that close to Jesus, but I'd still like to know more.

And to encourage my study, I ran across these quotes.

"Martin Luther said that if we whould lose all the books of the Bible except two--John and Romans--Christianity could be saved."

"An old story suggests that an agnostic was challenged by Henry Clay Trumbell to study the Gospel of John. After emerging from his skeptical analysis, the man told Trumbell, 'The one of whom this book tells is either the Savior of the world or He ought to be.'"

Now are you curious too? Who do you say he is?
Let's take a look at it with new eyes. I want to see the Jesus that John knew.