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The Waiting....

11/30/2015

Through the years, I have celebrated the Advent season as a time of reflection and anticipation. For Americans who celebrate Thanksgiving, the Advent season begins the Sunday after turkey day and ends on Christmas Eve. This is a time for Christians to prepare and wait for God’s promise of salvation through the birth of the Christ child. Many people, especially children, would agree that this is a season of waiting, not for the baby in the manger, but for Santa to deliver presents to the nice and coal to the naughty. Like the children, many churches do not wait but jump right into the Advent season by singing Christmas carols, like “Joy to the World the Lord has come” because it is the season to be jolly. To be honest this was my expectation too. For years counting the number of shopping days, holiday parties, and children’s programs that were left until Christmas Eve were part of my tradition too. That was before I discovered the blessing of the Advent season, which creates a space of waiting and preparation for the birth of the baby Jesus.

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Let the Children Come

11/23/2015

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The gospel text of Matthew 19:13-14, describes parent taking their little children to the man Jesus in order for him to touch the little ones and bless them. This interaction between Jesus and the children might not have happened as the story states, “the disciples rebuked them (children).” But Jesus stopped the disciples by saying, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” The disciples reflected the first-century ideal where children were to be seen and not heard. They did not want Jesus to be bothered by children when there were more important things to do such as healing the sick and teaching about obedience to the Law. But Jesus showed his followers that he did not follow the norm but consistently showed his love for the poor, the widows, the weak, the disenfranchised and even the little children. He was never too busy to care for the children.

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Beyond Brokenness

11/9/2015

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Everyone has a story about someone in their lives that has looked beyond their brokenness and recognized a valuable person inside. The person in my story is my sister La Vonne. As a divorced mom of two very small toddlers, I returned to my hometown to live and raise my girls. As a previous stay-at-home mom with only a high school education, I did not feel equipped to find a job that could support my family. Who would hire me with no higher education and very little work experience? My sister and her husband managed a restaurant in this small town and after discussing my dilemma with her, she asked if I would be willing to wait tables a couple of nights a week. I remember asking her, “Do you think I am capable of doing that?” She replied, “of course you are.” La Vonne looked through my brokenness to give me an opportunity to feel valued when I did not think I was worthy.

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Change Your Voice

11/2/2015

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There is a long history of mental, emotional and spiritual abuse in my life, which has taken me years to work through and rise above. I have always struggled with identifying my value as a woman given the long history of choices, circumstances and experiences grounded in abuse. Moving away from the negative influence of these relationships requires a new perspective.

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The Waiting....

Let the Children Come

Beyond Brokenness

Change Your Voice

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