The New Year's Sign

There are two things you needs to know about my mama. First of all, she made great fried chicken. It was my favorite thing that she cooked. The other thing you need to know is that my mama always said that what you do on New Year's Day is what you are going to be doing all year long, so what happens on New Year's Day is a sign of what's to come in the next year. 

Today, I drove Ryan back to Atlanta and Georgia Tech. We had a leisurely drive with too many stops and were running late. The plan was to unload Ryan's things at his apartment, stop by the hotel and let me check in, stop somewhere for dinner, then see The Hobbit in IMAX 3D. Unfortunately, it took longer to unload Ryan than we expected and our schedule was suddenly extremely tight. Somehow, we managed it with 45 minutes to eat and get in the movie. 

Chick a Biddy is the new restaurant across from the theater. "Hey Ryan, let's see if we can get something quick here," I said. He wasn't hungry but I wasn't sure I could hold out for three more hours, so we stopped in. Since they had fried chicken, and I can't eat wheat, I figured I'd just get a salad. We picked up menus, and I started trying to find something gluten-free to eat.  Suddenly, Ryan said, "Hey Mom, look. They have gluten-free!"  There was a GF icon by the chicken tenders. The FRIED chicken tenders. There was also a GF icon by the sides section. ALL the sides. 

The waitress came to take our order. I wasn't positive about what I'd just read, so I asked to be sure. "Does this mean the tenders are gluten-free?" She smiled a huge, beautiful smile and said, "Oh, yes! Our fried tenders and all our sides are gluten-free." Somehow, it was such an unexpected gift that I started crying. I had to blink back tears and swallow back sobs to regain my composure enough to order my meal. I looked like a total nut, but Ryan just watched and smiled. He was rejoicing with me. Well, he was laughing a little bit, too.

When my meal came, it was astounding! It had been a long time since I last had fried chicken, but this was so crispy, juicy, and tender that it was just about better than my mama's. The Mac and cheese was so smooth and creamy that it was unbelievable. Yum! My tears had dried, but when the waitress came by to see how we were doing and asked how I liked the chicken, I started crying again. It was outrageous and embarrassing, but Ryan wasn't embarrassed. He was thrilled for me, still smiling and laughing. Then, the manager came by to see how I liked the GF Mac and cheese.  Apparently, they'd been talking about the weepy lady at the front table. I started leaking again. She was radiant at my response to their food. 

It wasn't so much that the food was wonderful, nor that it was gluten-free, although it was. Because of her celiac disease, my mama was gluten-free long before it was trendy, and she would've loved the meal. That was part of what was overwhelming. Really, though, my tears were mostly because my mama would've said it was a sign of something good to come in the new year. 

Such a sweet, totally unexpected surprise was not just a coincidence. I took it as a gift from God and, regardless of whether or not it was a "sign", it was an unexpected blessing in the least likely place. Because of travel today, we missed all those traditional New Year's foods like cabbage and black-eyed peas that are supposed to bring luck and prosperity. I've never put much stock in that anyway. I know that every good and perfect gift comes from above. The likelihood of blessings has nothing to do with peas or cabbage, or with chicken tenders and macaroni and cheese for that matter. Tonight, I was reminded all over again that blessings come straight from the hand of God, and the one I received at dinner was mighty precious, indeed.  

I've had some blessings that didn't look as much like a gift from God as the fried chicken did, though. In fact, they looked terrible and more like a curse than a blessing.  Now that I'm on the other side of them, however, I can see they made me more Christ-like, and that made enduring the blessing worth it. Perhaps you've had a few of those blessings yourself. There's no way to know what form our blessings will take this year, but there is one thing we can count on. Every blessing we receive will come, not from our own hard work or as a gift from a loved one, but straight from the hand of God, and that is something to which we can look forward all year long.  

Christmas Redemption

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" (Genesis 3:1 NASB)

It started right there, in front of a loaded fruit tree. The road to the manger in Bethlehem began at the foot of what turned out to be the first Christmas tree. The enemy of our soul, in the form of a serpent, entered the idyllic garden of love designed by God Himself as home to His new humans. He befriended Eve, deceived her, enticed her, destroyed her, and left her. That's how sin works, and when her hand reached out and took the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the sin of mankind began. A penalty for that breach of contract between God and man was owed. 4,000 years or so later, God Himself would come to straighten out the mess of sin mankind had created and pay our penalty Himself.  He came in the form of a tiny baby, and today we celebrate His birth. His was the gift that paid the debt we owed but could never repay, and it is the most important gift of all those that will be exchanged today. It is the gift we didn't request, aren't always sure we wanted, and may not be quite sure what to do about. It is, however, the perfect gift, the perfect fit. 

As you enjoy opening gifts, eating feasts with loved ones, and celebrating the joy of this day, remember that it is more than a celebration of a baby in a manger. This is a day to celebrate our redemption. 

May the lights on your tree point you to that tree in the garden where it all began, and remind you that we are redeemed because of what God did in response to it.  

Merry Christmas! 

Christmas Eve

The journey to Bethlehem is nearly complete for another year. Tonight we celebrate the obedience of a young Jewish girl, the bold faith of her bridegroom, and the son of God entrusted to the most unlikely of couples. May your hearts be drawn to Him as never before and may you lives reflect the change He brings.

Merry Christmas!

The Perils of Parousia

My son Ryan was scheduled to fly home from college today. I expected that he would arrive in Tupelo around 1:30 pm. Unfortunately, he missed his flight and has been rescheduled for a later flight. The new flight has been delayed, and now is delayed again. As I was thinking about the waiting, it reminded me of the Advent period, which seems a lot like a "waiting" of its own. 

This may seem a little complicated, but the term advent is an Anglicized form of the Latin word adventus, which means "coming".  Adventus is the Latin translation of the Greek word parousia. Parousia is a word that means "presence" or "presence after absence".  It is used in the Gospels to denote Christ's return (see Matt. 24:3). This word is actually used, for the most part, to indicate the second coming of Jesus, not his natal arrival. Technically, advent (the time of Christ's coming after an absence) is better related to Easter and lent than to Christmas. 

Since I'm having some very joyful parousia of my own today as I wait for my son and his tardy flight, the whole idea of "anticipating the coming" is on my mind. 

This December Advent of ours actually celebrates that first coming of the Presence of God. Emmanuel, God with us. How wonderful to anticipate with the knowledge that we celebrate what is historical fact and spiritual victory! Even more exciting is that every day we live as believers is a kind of Advent, a parousia, as we anticipate the "coming after an absence" of our risen Lord. 

During these last few days of our December Advent, keep in mind the more wonderful Daily Advent, our Daily Parousia, as we anticipate not only the natal arrival of Christ but also his majestic second coming!  

Hear the good news! Christ has come. Christ is risen. Christ is coming again! 

"They shouldn't have done that"

I had the opportunity to speak with a young man recently who, by some standards, is a little handicapped. After our visit, I'm not so sure about that. Our conversation had meandered through a few topics when he unexpectedly said, "They shouldn't 'a done that to him!" What ??? I obviously did not understand, so he repeated it, a little louder to be sure I got it this time. "They shouldn't have done that to him!" he said, as plain as could be. Still not understanding, I asked, "Who?" I didn't know who did it, nor to whom they did it, much less what they did.  He looked at me with the sternest expression and said,"Jesus."  

Indeed. They shouldn't have done what they did to Jesus. He was exactly right. We shouldn't have done what we did to Jesus.  In the most incredible gift of grace ever imagined, Jesus knew what we would do to Him, yet He willingly came anyway. We would do well to remember this wise young man's words this Christmas season. We shouldn't have done what we did to Him, but He knew we would, and He came anyway. THAT should make all the difference - in our attitude, our spending, and how we live - this advent season. 

Thanksgiving Compliments

My sister and her husband joined my son Ryan and me for Thanksgiving dinner today. I had cooked up a storm, of course, and we had quite a spread. In addition to the usual turkey and dressing, I had my favorite orange cranberry relish and pumpkin pie. I'm not much on casseroles, so we had a variety of vegetable dishes which, in retrospect, were actually pretty healthy (as far as holiday food goes).

Yesterday, I text'd the menu to my sister, proud of my culinary prowess. Her reply was not at all enthusiastic considering the magnificence of the menu. I was surprised. No "Yum".  No "Great!"in reply. It all sounded good to me. Who doesn't like roasted root vegetables? What's not to like about rutabagas?

We all ate more than we should today, as usual, and were sitting around the table enjoying the last crumbs of our pie. My brother-in-law looked at me and delivered a stunning compliment. "Well, 'Anna, I have to say this is the first time I've ever eaten at your house when I actually liked everything you cooked!" What??? I was shocked. Having put his foot in his mouth up to his knee, he tried to explain that I served weird food that he didn't recognize, cooked in ways that were unusual and unexpected. It was not that my food was not good, it was just strange. I was incredulous! What foods were weird? I wanted specifics. You may be as surprised as I was by his list. Kiwi, artichokes, avocados, and pumpkin pie. Apparently the creamed rutabagas and roasted parsnips today were also candidates for the weird list, but had gotten a pass because of their deliciousness. Joe went on to explain that the weirdness was mostly because the foods were unfamiliar. I had simply introduced him to something new, but perhaps a little too often. He has come to expect the unexpected (at least menu-wise) from me. 

That whole idea of introducing someone to something new reminds me of the disciple Andrew. He was good at introducing, too. He introduced his brother to Jesus and, later, introduced the boy with the loaves and fishes to Jesus.  Apparently Andrew kept his eyes open for people who needed to know The Messiah, and he didn't hesitate to introduce them. Andrew's kind of introducing seems a lot more important than mine, doesn't it?

As Thanksgiving winds down and we begin the Advent season, let's make an effort to be more like Andrew. Who do you know who needs Jesus? Now is a perfect time to introduce them. 

The new Waiting Thankfully Season

     Somehow, I seem to have my holidays upside down.  In August, I wrote a series on the birth of Christ.  Today, I've been formatting that series as a little Advent book.  In the midst of all this formatting, I've been cooking for Thanksgiving.  We aren't even through October yet!!  For the people who are coming to my house for Thanksgiving, I might as well tell you that I have the menu a little mixed up.  I started out to make traditional cornbread dressing, got distracted, and ended up with Taco Soup and Chili. I'm not sure how that happened, so don't ask. I did make gluten-free cornbread, but I still don't have the dressing.  Today, I got distracted again and made watermelon sorbet.  How that's going over at Thanksgiving is anybody's guess.  I still don't have dressing.  Oh well.  Since I've started so early, there is still time for dressing and turkey!

     After I got the little book formatted, I realized you couldn't tell clearly when one day's devotional stopped and the next day's devotional started, so I went back to number them.  This is clearly not a well-planned project, because it has FORTY THREE days of Advent.  I have checked with that modern authority on all things, Wikipedia, and Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before December 25th.  It's always the Sunday between November 27th and December 3rd. That sounds as confusing as my forty-three day Advent, so I guess I'm good to go.  I have decided to start Advent on November 13th or maybe November 23rd, which means t hat, either way, I will be combining Thanksgiving and Advent this year.

     Since Advent is "a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity" (thanks, Wikipedia) and Thanksgiving is a day of giving thanks for the harvest and the blessings of the preceding year, I've decided to celebrate a new season this year.  It's the Waiting Thankfully Season. Isn't that perfect?  While we wait for the celebration of the Nativity, we can ponder it, and as we ponder, we can consider just how grateful we are (or how grateful we should be). The best way to celebrate the Waiting Thankfully Season will be to give thanks every day for that wonderful event for which we wait... the Nativity.

That gives Advent a whole new meaning doesn't it?  It spices up Thanksgiving a bit, too, if you ask me. Waiting Thankfully Season. With grateful hearts for decorations and bended knees for the main activity, I think it might be one of the best seasons of all.  Who's joining me this year?

Happy Boss's Day to the Boss of the World

On the way home from work today, I was considering possible blog topics for tonight. There were tons of interesting things that happened today, and I couldn't decide. A comment I hear sometimes (and heard today) is, "You should write about that..."  It's actually pretty helpful, so feel free.

Anyway, I was pondering and praying and said,"Lord, what do you think?"  Immediately I had a distinct impression about National Boss's Day. What?? As I was laughing about how silly that seemed, I realized suddenly that it might not be so silly after all. God is the One in whom we live and breathe, and have our being. (Acts 17:28) He commands the dawn, contains the seas, stores the snow and hail, knows the stars, yet also has the very hairs on our head numbered. (Job 39) He loves us, sustains us, and provides for us. He guides and directs us.  He is Omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipowerful.  He IS the "Boss of the World". 

It turns out there are many articles on the internet today about how to celebrate Boss's Day. Cards and thank you's are especially popular. Business Insider had an article about ten ways to impress your boss.  Not all of this article was worth quoting, but it did have a few helpful tips. Wear red. Get up early and get to work early. Smile a lot. Contented employees are better employees, it suggested, so do what is needed to be content. 

I suppose it might please God if we were smiling and content. Getting up early for quiet time with Him would certainly please Him. The prophet Micah, however, gave us all the tips we need to please God (AKA Boss of the World). I like The Message paraphrase: 

"But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously— take God seriously." (Micah 6:8 MSG)

What a great way to honor the One who is the boss of us all! 

With that verse in mind, I am completely serious and worshipful as I say this...

"Happy Boss's Day to the Boss of the World."  After all, He is the Best Boss of all. 

Christmas Shopping

Christmas shopping has officially begun!  One of my favorite catalogs has arrived, and I have wept with joy over the offerings. The Samaritan's Purse Christmas Catalog is here, and what wonderful choices they have!  If anyone is wondering, I want #11, located on page 9.  It is a gift to the Education and Literacy Project, and it provides supplies and tutoring to teach a child to read and write.  Literacy would open the world for a child, give them opportunities they will never have without it.  They can improve their life and the lives of their family, maybe for generations to come.  Most importantly, they can read the Bible for themselves.  What a precious gift!

My family has not always shopped the donation catalogs.  We grew up with mountains of presents under the tree, and my sister and I carefully divided the gifts into stacks to see who had the biggest pile. (Well, mostly I counted the haul.) Christmas was, in some ways, about what we wanted and how much we would get.  Oh, and all the cakes and candies my mom and grandmother made.  What wonderful sweets we would get for the holidays!

Please don't think my family was pagan.  Far from it.  We were very active in our local church.  My grandmother saved for the Lottie Moon Christmas offering all year long.  You could borrow from the stash in her purse if you asked just right, but you were definitely going to pay it back.  She was totally serious about her Christmas missionary offering.  I didn't realize it at the time, but my grandmother saved all year long for Jesus' Christmas gift.

Really, how crazy is it to give gifts to ourselves when it is Jesus' birthday?  I'm not sure how we have justified all this gift giving, but I am no exception to the shopping frenzy.  I am sure I will still buy and wrap a stack of presents this year, just like always. Somewhere along the way, however, I have begun to understand that Christmas is not at all about gifts or what I want. Christmas is about Jesus, God's gift of redemption to a perishing world.  

A few years ago, my sister and I began a new tradition.  We carefully looked at all the opportunities for giving and selected donations for every person on our gift list.  We tried hard to match the gifts to the person so that it would be meaningful.  My elderly mama was always cold.  She received a "gift" of blankets for elderly people in a cold environment.  My sister, with two lovely granddaughters, received a gift that provided for the rescue of two girls from sexual trafficking.  I received the gift of life giving medications for a third-world county.

That first year, my son received the gift of sponsorship of a young Rawandan boy with his same birthday.  We studied about Rawanda and learned about the political climate, the culture and class structure, and the geography of the country. A few months later, Ryan moved into a student apartment complex, where he had randomly assigned roommates.  Much to my surprise, one of his new roommates was from Rawanda!  His parents had been refugees from the Rawandan genocide.  How amazing is that? Even though we may never meet our sponsored child, Gil has made Rawanda real to us, and the sponsored child even more precious.

Ryan showed livestock when he was in 4H, so the gift of a pig for a family in a third-world country wasn't surprising to him.  That pig may sound unusual, but one pig will have multiple babies with every litter, providing food and income for the family.

Just thinking about all those fun choices has me really excited!  I hope you are catching some of  that excitement.  You can change the world with your holiday shopping.  There are lots of options for giving to large international ministries, but your local relief organizations can use a helping hand as well.  Salvation Army, Goodwill, local food pantries, all need extra help during the winter months.

My challenge to you tonight is to work on Jesus' Christmas list first.  After all, it is the most important. See how creative you can be as you touch the world, one person at a time.  As you look at the needy around you, be careful to see Jesus in every face.  Here's what Jesus said, "I'm telling the solemn truth; whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was Me - you did it to Me."