Merry Christmas to all...

Thanksgiving is over and Christmas looming. I am confused because there seems to be much more commercialism this year.

The Christmas displays went up around Halloween and the usual "black Friday" sales started weeks in advance. Telling us we could get Black Friday pricing 2 weeks before Thanksgiving is just odd to me.

Many local stores did close on Thanksgiving Thursday, where they had previously been opening in the afternoon or evening on that day.

There are a few who had sales all day, but I can't think that they had an overflow of customers.

Right now, businesses are claiming the best sales in a long time. Great! Christmas is setting buying records. I wonder how many of those purchases are going to upstage a traditional Nativity set and how many are going to say from "Santa?"

I shouldn't be bitter because I know that the giving of Christmas is the best part. It is a joy to share your gifts and resources with someone else, but shouldn't we also share with the poor and needy; the sad and lonely? And shouldn't we remember to give our time and smiles to those we love? Not just at Christmas, but every day?

OK - obviously I am mourning the loss of innocence and Jesus. I find that the "performance" of Christmas even in churches is getting so big it is overwhelming the message. Every child does not need to be on the stage to sing. Every company does not need a fancy dress party or an oversized exhibition of their spirit.

My life right now is filled with trials and tests. Many un-Christmas things are happening in my life that are keeping me from sharing the overall madness of Christmas. I don't have time to think about entertaining, or partying, or even baking my special Christmas meal.

I will decorate and buy gifts. I will have a Christmas eve filled with fun and music and laughter.

But on Christmas Day, I plan to be somber and quiet in the presence of the newborn Baby Jesus - my Savior. Honoring His birth is the one thing that will never change. It is on one day - fulfilling one promise - guaranteeing one gift.

Remember when that is what Christmas was all about?

Really God...I'm ok

When my father was just about 80 years old, he got a fever. It was over 105 degrees, which would have killed a less sturdy man but he was struggling through it. His wife had him rushed to the hospital, but they couldn’t break the fever and he was in a watch and wait state.

As the days stretched on, he was in and out of consciousness. We would visit, wondering if we would be sitting next to a man trying to wake and remain awake or a man drifting away in a deep, seemingly endless sleep.

After a time, we were informed the fever had broken and he was moved to a nursing facility. My sister Elaine and I went to visit him, happy that we could finally have a conversation with him. What he told us still affects me today.

He said that while he was laying in the hospital, a young man in white came in to see him. He said that no one could see his visitor and that he thought it may have been Jesus. My father was a man of words. He was a voracious reader and writer, yet said the visit had been so wonderful and beautiful that he could never put it down on paper. And then he said, “He asked about you Maggie. He wanted to know how you were doing.”

At the time, I was not a believer, so brushed off what he had said as the imagination of an old, sick man. I kidded with my sister that I wasn’t sure which was more disconcerting – that Daddy had an imaginary friend, or that the friend had asked about me.

Now I wonder.

In my life I have suffered many hardships. Some were before my father’s illness, but many occurred since. I know that only God’s strength enabled me to survive and thrive throughout, all the time maintaining a semblance of normalcy to the outside world.

I think that my dad’s visitor wanted him to let me know that God was concerned about me. In retrospect, and knowing that I think of this often, I wonder if those words were to assure me that for the moment, it was ok for me to keep trying on my own, but remind me that I should be checking in periodically.

Today, I try to turn everything to God in prayer. I try to remember to thank Him for the good days, and ask Him to help me make it through the bad. I try to remember that asking for things is fine, but asking for grace is better. I hope that through all my growing and praying, He doesn’t have to ask about me anymore. Not because He knows it all, but because He has already heard it from me. 

why I can't say "I believe in God."

I don’t believe in God.

I know that will surprise many people, but I started thinking that I have been saying  “I believe in God” for many years and it is a lie.  Think about it.
How can I see the majesty of a sunset or the glory in a sunrise and say “I believe in God?”

How can I hear the gentle cry of a baby or the last breath of someone dying and say “I believe in God?”

How can I watch the wind rustle trees, see a hurricane ravage the coast of a state or feel the cool summer breeze on my cheek while I am outside and say “I believe in God?”

You see, I have thought it over and I don’t believe in God. I believe in …

GOD!  GOD!  GOD!  GOD! 

The Powerful, Majestic and Omnipresent GOD! Not God, but GOD!!

Who do you believe in?

LIke the movie... read THE BOOK

A woman my husband worked with was talking with coworkers, and mentioned that she wanted to see the movie, Titanic. One of the gentlemen said, it’s pretty slow, but once the ship starts sinking, it gets pretty good. She was livid, exclaiming “I haven’t seen it – don’t go and spoil the ending for me!”

I wish I was kidding about this but she had no idea this movie was based on an historical event.

I think that many people go through life with a distorted reality when it comes to the Bible. They watch “the 10 Commandments”, “David and Bathsheba” or even the recent “Noah’s Ark” (movie and miniseries) and think that they have a grasp of what the Bible is all about.  I find it hard to believe that Moses looked like Charleton Heston (yes, from the Planet of the Apes movies) or that David is not the twin of Gregory Peck (young people…look him up. He was also Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird.”)

But the best thing these “based on history” movies have going for them, is that the seekers of the world will open the Bible to see what really happened. If you watched the miniseries and wondered how Noah fought off the pirates, you will be greatly disappointed. But you may discover how faith saved him and his family.

Those who find they are compelled to learn the real story after seeing a movie will be surprised to see that the romance, emotion and excitement of Bible based movies are only a fraction of what they will find in God’s written word.

So my advice is to keep Hollywood making epic movies about biblical times and when you think it is too much or too little or too unbelievable to comprehend from a 2-3 hour flick, go to the source; encourage your children; share with your friends and coworkers.

Remember… it doesn’t make you a snob to say the book is better than the movie. It does make you smarter and stronger and just a little closer to a truly happy ending.

the A-B-C's of M-I-D.

I find it very hard to write about myself. I put my views and observations down. I tell you how I love my family and friends. BUT what do I ever say about me.

I thought it only fair that I give you the A-B-C’s of M-I-D.

A – average. Yes, I am average. Not TOO on any front. Not too smart, not too dumb. I am not too skinny (ever!) or too fat (but close.)

B – beautiful. No, not physically, but I strive to be beautiful in my heart and actions.

C – cute. OK, this one is true. I find the cutest people know how to smile and laugh and that is one thing I am good at.

D – determined. No matter what situation I am thrown into, I am determined to achieve the best solution possible. Now that is not always the solution that works for me, but every situation I am in is not necessarily about me.

E – elephant. I like elephants and they deserve a letter. I actually relate to them because they are large and appear clumsy, but are really graceful, excellent parents and totally involved in their communities.

F – funny. I am funny – I don’t try to be, but seeing as I view the world as an interesting and humorous place, I have to be funny.

G – generous. For someone as selfish as I am, I try very hard to be generous. I know that doesn’t make sense, but it goes back to D…

H – happy. Every day I try to find something to be happy about. Whether it is the temperature, my job or my home life, I can always find one thing to make my happiness meter hit the top.

I – independent. I try to do everything myself, until I am in over my head. Then I ask for help. It is a fine line, but it makes me learn and not just rely on others.

J – just. Especially when facing uncomfortable situations, or difficult people, I try to not jump to conclusions but analyze and understand what they are facing, before I come to a conclusion about them. Granted, sometimes the conclusion is that they are stupid, or lazy, or out of line…but at least I strive to be fair before I decide.

K – keen. Well, the fact that I was looking for a K-word besides KIND and googled “Adjectives Starting with K” and found “keen” makes me look kind of sharp…doesn’t it?

L – lazy. Yes, I am hardworking, active and somewhat hyper but when I am doing nothing, I give 100%.

M – musical. I love to sing and am constantly singing or humming or tapping my foot. I listen to music, all kinds, and have definite likes and dislikes. I believe the world needs a sound track. There are songs to finish tons of sentences and songs to start things up. There are songs that create and destroy a mood. There are songs that make you cry, or make you laugh, or make you want to stop and listen or just sing your heart out. I have to have music or I wouldn’t be me.

N – nasty. I try to be kind, but I can be very nasty to people. If you are not in my good graces, I will give you no time or attention. Someone told me that they always knew where they stood with me and they do. Not the best trait, but I hope the good ones balance this out.

O – opinionated. I definitely have opinions on everything. I don’t force my opinions on people, even if the other people are wrong. They can find out from someone else and remember that we were not in agreement. Live and learn people! I was right!

P – personable. I like people. I like talking to them, listening to them and being with them…usually.

Q – quirky. I eat my animal crackers based on my animal preferences, sort chips to eat small ones first and only eat cookies in multiples of 3.

R – religious. I am a Christian and try to keep my faith foremost in my words and actions. I don’t always succeed, buy my faith is in my mind and heart 99% of the time. (for 1% - see l and N…maybe O)

S – silly. I love the odd joke, weird situation and laughing at the world. I act silly too so others can laugh.

T – talkative. I talk to everyone…even strangers…especially to myself. Talking is my release valve.

U – unusual. As much as I am average, that makes me different from everyone else. I am not striving to stand out, succeed or overwhelm others. I naturally just move forward knowing that when I am gone I will be forgotten, but my deeds will remain as a tribute to what I have done (and allowed others to think they did on their own, or with “remember that lady who…”)

V – vulnerable. Many times I am in situations that are intended for me to just witness and move on, but my heart is touched. Sometimes it is facing a personal attack and absorbing it to avoid a volatile situation. Sometimes it is seeing someone else being hurt and going to their aid, listening to their story or watching as they fail. But my heart aches every time a horrible word is thrown at me, a person I love aches for something I cannot give or I see the inhumanity around me and know that alone I am helpless to fix it.  

W – wise. In my many years, 60+, I have experience changing and bettering myself as well as falling down and failing. For this reason, I have wisdom stored up to advise what succeeds and what does not. I just need a little tact to help people without being a know it all.

X – xylophone. Yes, back to music. I have a unique response to everything depending on how I am approached. If you hit me with a mallet or a stick, on my long key or short one, you will find I reply differently, but I am still just one instrument.

Y- young. I have many years, but I have to remain young. I have to be young enough to learn, young enough to love without expecting anything back, and young enough to know I have room to grow.

Z – zealous. I love life. But I wonder why showing enthusiasm and excitement in life is called having zeal, but they say zealous instead of zealful. If Q was for questioning, I would address this.  

flowers and dandelions

Flowers and Dandelions

God planted me a flower to bloom, to prosper in His grace.

My feet the seed in God’s lush soil, with petals for a face.

I hold my spot, I show His love, through me His love does grow,

My arms like leaves reach out for Him, His caring my life shows.

Consider then the dandelion, In grass and sidewalk cracks,

A nasty weed, a silly plant, stability it lacks.

The dandelion God made as well, but not to hold its place,

It blooms, and changes buds to seeds, the wind its fluff to chase.

In sacrifice, it takes God’s love, and scatters it around,

To grow all over, everywhere, on any piece of ground.

While I stand firm and show His love near to my garden home

The dandelion, expands His love as all the seeds do roam.

There’s nothing wrong in flower-hood, to bloom to those you know,

But God so needs the dandelions, to plant, to bloom, to go.

 

Margaret Duchrow 5/18/16

God rewards us...go figure!

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.  Heb 11:6

There it is – right in the Bible….believe in God and look for Him in daily life and get rewarded. YEP – new car, new house, cool clothes… all for the price of believing in God. WRONG!!

The reward is nothing of earthly value. It isn’t things we get rewarded with, but belief in God rewards us with more valuable gifts.

1)      Peace of mind. You cannot underestimate the power of peace of mind. As a true believer, you know that there is nothing to fear and you are guaranteed peace of mind.

2)      Friendship. Did you ever wonder why you can go to any Christian event or church and immediately be comfortable? Because one quality of friendship is having something in common with someone else. By believing in God, you already have a bond with every other believer. If you are different financially, educationally, ethnically or any other-ally, you are alike in your spirituality and that makes for a pure and lasting friendship with every other believer.

3)      Love – no strings attached. Yes, God is Love. As long as you believe, you have the untarnished love of God.

4)      An ear to listen. We underestimate the value of just having someone listen. When we fall to our knees in prayer, whether for help or just to share your thoughts, God listens. When we ask He hears us and intercedes on our behalf. We don’t get everything we want or ask for, but God assures us that we get everything we need; even some things we didn’t know to ask for.

5)      Eternal life.  God told us that there was a place with Him in heaven, as long as we truly believe and live our lives as He instructs us.

I believe in God and this is my plan to seek Him. With every step I take I will move in the path my God laid out for me. With every move I make, I will support and help those around me in the example my God showed me. With every word I say, I will praise and glorify the God who gives me opportunity, life and reward.