Happy New Year...2013

New Year's Eve 2012...I love New Year"s Eve and New Year's Day!!!  There's something refreshing about looking at the past year and truly reflecting not just on what God did that year in your life but also who He was to you.  He showed Himself in some new ways to us this past year.  I could go month by month, and will in my own journal, and see God's hand working and Him showing up in some big ways!!  I also love looking ahead with excitement to the endless possibilities and opportunities!  He's such a creative God that I believe He has some new creative things ahead for all of us.  My prayer for myself is that I don't get bogged down in the unimportant and moved by the urgent that I miss Him in the every day things of life.  That's where I love seeing Him most!!
I've been pouring over some verses, actually passages, in scripture to claim for this new year.  It's always so hard because they're all my favorites.  There's 2 that I just can't choose between so 2013 is going to have to share my script for the year.  My 1st is Phil 1:9-11.  I love it because I think so often we settle for the good when God wants the best for us.  We settle for good relationships when God has some that are best for us.  We settle for good exercise when God wants to push us to the next level of best.  We settle for some good ways to spend our time, money, efforts but God's ways are bigger than ours and He has some of the best ideas for those things.  I also believe discernment is HUGE and I think there's a need to pray for that daily.  I see a need for that more and more not only in my life but as my life intersects with others I believe we all are in great need of godly discernment as Satan attempts to blind us and get us off track and deceive us!!!  I want to love Him more, not what He gives or does, but HIM!! I want to be pure and blameless, not perfect, before Him.  And I want it all to be for the glory and praise of God alone.
My 2nd one is 1Thess.5:16-24.  It's loaded with challenges that I need to clothe myself in daily.  It's a reminder of God's faithfulness and that we can do nothing on our own but He is faithful and He will do it.  I need Him to do some things in 2013!  I want desperately to be a part of His great work and I want it to be a work that ONLY He can do!!  And I need Him to pour faith into my life so that I can trust Him with all of this.
I hope as you set goals for the coming year that you won't forget the spiritual goals.  Start something new with God this year.  Beg Him to stir up a fire in you that will drive you closer to Him.  He will do it.  He's longing to do it.  As Eddie said yesterday, if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.
Happy New Year to all from our entire family!!  May it be a year full of all God longs to do in us and through us!!

Monday Morning Perspective in the midst of so much hurt

I've said it over and over again and I'll say it again...one of the greatest joys of being the senior pastor's wife is the opportunity to be on the front lines of people's lives.  I get to hear and rejoice with many over what God is doing in their lives.  I get to hear from them the struggles and have the privilege of praying for them and with them.  I get to weep with them over the hurt of loss.  So much is not easy and after years in ministry it never gets easier to see the hurt but I get to see God in action and I get to hear words of faith come from so many even in the midst of the struggle and that never gets old!!  JUST LAST WEEK came messages and calls from those facing job loss and 3 deaths of loved ones.  Then top it off with the fears of some from the school shooting in Newtown, CT.  So much heartache, fear, anxiety.  I'm so thankful when I hear people in my church as well as on tv talk of the bigness of God and how they trust Him knowing He is always good and constant.  I'm so thankful for the people who don't waiver in their faith and reach out to those who are waivering a bit to offer hope and encouragement.  I got to witness all of that last week.  I got to witness my husband ministering up close and personal and see the compassion he has for the lost and the hurting.  My favorite time of day is when we go to bed at night and grasp hands and begin to pray together over the day and all the people that God has put in our path and those we love in our church family as well as friends and our own family.  To be able to offer those prayers up to a God we KNOW hears and cares and acts is the most comforting thing of all.  Our hearts ache for those who don't have that assurance and God is burning within us the need to share Him more and more in this sin sick world we live in where tragedy is now much more common than rare.  Eddie said to me last night that it's a time where it's one tragedy on top of another.  Mall shootings, school shootings, robberies and shootings in our town and all over the country that just don't get a lot of press but they're happening constantly.  These are not times to cower in fear but to stand firm on the hope we have in Christ and share that hope with everyone we see.  These are not times to trust in the political system for change or our educational system to make things better.  Jesus Christ is the only hope we have.  I'm so thankful for all the ministers I've seen on tv on the major networks nationally who are sharing the truth and scripture for people.  I am amazed that they are even given air time but it's times of tragedy that we seem to want to hear from God and I'm thankful they are taking the opportunities they are given.  I'm praying that as a country we become a people who daily want to hear from God and that it will begin with His people.  Because until His people get serious about Him, the healing won't happen.
I'm praying that as all of us go about this next week getting ready and preparing for our Christmas celebrations, that we will remember those who are planning funerals.  That we will remember those sitting at the bedside of those sick and dying.  That we will remember those who have lost their job.  And that we will remember that in the midst of all of that, we can still celebrate Christmas because the real meaning is that God sent His Son to us so that in times like this when we are hurting there is One who knows exactly how we feel, exactly what we are going through and He will draw near to all of those who draw near to Him!!  Immanuel, God truly is with us!!!
As for yesterday's message...WOW!!  God press on our hearts to be the church you've called us to be.  May we return to You our 1st and greatest love.  Another perk, I get to hear how these messages are doing a work in people's lives!! I'm right there with you, they are working hard on me!!!

Don't Cancel Christmas

I had a sweet word from a friend the other day about my lack of blogging and she nudged me a bit to get back to it.  As I told her there have been more than a few reasons not to lately, the biggest one being I've been doing lots of journal writing for another purpose but other little reasons were adding up as well.  Anyway, kick the little reasons out the door and took the suggestion to get back to it.
Someone told me yesterday that a friend of hers had canceled Christmas this year.  Since that's impossible, I'm guessing he meant he was cancelling his own personal Christmas...no lights, no gifts, no celebrating.  I understand his reason...he feels it's too commercialized.  I agree.  It's most definitely not celebrated in many circles as the birth of our Savior but I don't think I can go to his extreme. We absolutely LOVE Christmas in the Leopard house.  The decorations begin going up Nov 1st.  I'm not a fan of Halloween so it's usually all I can do to get through that and onto Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Yes, we make a big deal out of Thanksgiving, I just don't decorate for that.  Sorry.  I'm one of those that tends to overdo a bit (my husband would say a LOT) but I love everything about Christmas and I believe that Jesus deserves the best of everything and the most of everything so we do lots of lights, gifts, family time, worship time for about 2 months around here.
The bible talks a lot about celebrating.  The OT is full of feasts and celebrations.  Worship itself is celebration and I'm not shy about being over-the-top with that either.  God encourages joy!!  He encourages us to celebrate who He is and all that He has done for us.  Ezra connected celebrating with giving.  Giving to others strengthens us and fills us with joy.  What joy is there in hoarding up for ourselves?  Sidenote...if you watch the show about hoarders, I've noticed, they don't seem like very happy or joyful people.  Ok, back to the main road.  So many people think that God is anti-celebration and wants to take the fun out of life.  His Word tells us that He came to give us abundant life John 10:10.  I believe that those who know and love Christ have more reason than anyone to celebrate!!
Think about your holiday traditions.  What do they say about you?  What or whom do they say you love and treasure the most?  Do you make Jesus part of your Christmas celebrations or is He the center of them?  Do you leave Him out completely in the rush of it all?  Is He the greatest gift that you give away at Christmas?  Hopefully we are giving Him the entire year!!  Let's not be one of those people who TALK about sharing Him, let's do the thing.  Share your story about your walk with Christ but don't get so caught up in YOUR story that you really don't share HIS story.  We will fill the stores and restaurants over the next few weeks.  Will we tell our waitress and store clerks that Christmas is all about Jesus and how much He loves them, so much that He came at Christmas so that He could die for them so that they could live?  He's not just the reason for THE season, He's the reason for EVERY season.
So celebrate Him!!!  Don't apologize for making the most out of His birthday just make sure He's the focus of it and everything revolves around Him!!!  Merry Christmas!!!