"Walking to Bethlehem" by guest Pastor/Writer

I received this email just before Christmas from my friend Mark McMahon, Pastor of Hope Christian Church, Wichita, KS. I pray the words give you encouragement as you enter the New Year.


Walking to Bethlehem,
   still looming with huge questions.
How did I get to this place?
   I had a glimpse of a dream, of love longed for.
I trusted an all powerful God, growing to worship Him.
   I pledged my life, my heart; I knew he'd take care of me.
And now, a turn of events that I had not, to say the least, anticipated.
   This, His plan?
He said to me not to be afraid, but fear circles constantly near.
   Where will this take me?
 
I hold to His promises to never leave me,
   clutching to the reality of His love for me.
When will the mystery end and His life for me begin?
   Or, is this part of living for Him?
His timing, his purpose, his place, his promises;
   and my faint heart.
I know that I must be nestled in his protective arms.
   Your presence holy Father, my peace.
Please come near, you know my name.
   I am yours.

   It is interesting to remember that there was so much uncertainty, so many questions during the first Christmas season. Mary and Joseph were being faithful to God in their daily lives and grew deeper in their trust when the unexpected happened. Their walk with God, His care for them and the story of Christmas all can be a wonderful encouragement to you and I.

"When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, 

In God I trust; I will not be afraid..."  Psalm 56:3-4a

"Strengthen the feeble hands, Steady the knees that give way;

Say to those with fearful hearts, Be strong, do not fear;

Your God will come. . . He will come to save you."  Isaiah 35:3-4

I hope the light of God's promise will brighten up your day and illuminate your path this Season.  Allow worship to be a part of your celebration... 

To learn more about Hope Christian Church in Wichita, KS, contact Pastor Mark McMahon

Christmas…the most wonderful time of the year!

Christmas has never been the same since I sang my first John W. Peterson Christmas cantata at the age of thirteen. My love of everything Christmas and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ exploded.

“…‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the 

Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!’” Luke 2:10, 11 nlt

Peterson told the story of Jesus' birth through the lyrics, melodies, and scriptures. Growing up often times playing Mary in the Sunday school program, I knew the story of Christmas, but there are no words to express how I felt stepping out of the church into the cold and snow on Christmas morning after such a life-changing John W. Peterson musical experience.

The lights on the tree twinkled brighter; the shimmer of the tinsel intensified. My love sending and receiving cards became more meaningful. Tears flowed more freely from watching sappy holiday movies or reading of Christmas miracles. The music stirred the depths of my heart.

Celebrating Christmas has always been special. As a little girl, I pushed and prodded my mom to buy a tree—one of those real ones smashed against the grocery store wall. After Dad secured it into the red and green stand, I carefully hung ornaments, and then tossed slivers of silver icicles as high as I could.

When cards and letters from and about people I’d never met came in the mail, I read every word before displaying them around the dining room window.

My big sister’s record player and a few 45-rpm Christmas records were worn from being played them over and over, year after year. Around my twelfth birthday, I received my very own stereo and two Christmas LP’s (33 rpm). I still have them; a few years ago my oldest son copied them on to CD’s…scratches, skips, and all.

These days, I sing, ring bells, dress in costumes, and sometimes dance for our church Broadway style musical; rehearsing from September to November to perform fourteen times. The handmade nativity scene and stable nestled under a house plants reminds me of the first Christmas.

The biggest artificial blue spruce tree my house (and husband) will allow stands adorned with silver icicles accenting old, new, homemade, store-bought, shiny, and dull decorations. Suspended garland enhances the cards displayed on the wall around the windows. Our annual family letter will be tucked within a Christ-centered card for family and friends we haven’t’ seen in years (some my kids have never met). A couple of Christmas miracles books lie next to my chair. I’ll watch “White Christmas” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” soon. And, Christmas music plays in the background throughout the day.

Did I mention that I think “Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year”?

Weather you live where there are white Christmases or not, “may your days be merry and bright.”

Costumers from past Christmas programs at Capitol City Christian Church, Lincoln, NE 

  

Keeping the Sabbath holy

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy…” Exodus 20:8-11

Is it okay…
…to eat at a restaurant after church on Sunday? Should the waitress be required to serve us on the Sabbath?
…to go shopping on Sunday?  Is it right for us to make someone else work on the Sabbath by patronizing these businesses?

(As a Christian, I recognize Sunday as the Lord’s Day, rather than the traditional Jewish Saturday because Jesus rose from the grave on the first day of the week Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:1-2, and Luke 24:1).

After reading Isaiah 56:1-8, a search of the scriptures ensued.

What is lawful to do on the Sabbath? Matthew 12:1-8, 9-13
The Pharisees condemned Christ and His disciples for picking heads of grain and eating them on the Sabbath because they were hungry. Jesus then went into the synagogue where a man with a withered hand became the object of contention concerning what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath.

As for the grain, Jesus refers them back to a time when David was hungry and ate the consecrated bread meant for the priests. (1 Samuel 21:1-6) He then speaks of His desire for His follows to show compassion and mercy rather than sacrifice on the Sabbath.

When questioned about the man’s hand, Jesus used the example of how if a sheep fell into a pit on the Sabbath the shepherd would rescue it to explain the value of "doing good" on the Sabbath.

What is unlawful to do on the Sabbath? Exodus 20:8-11
According to the original commandment, God spoke of rest versus work on the Sabbath. He reminds us that He worked six days to make all of creation and then rested on the seventh. (Genesis 2:1-3)

It sounds to me like we are to work six days and not to work on the seventh or the Sabbath! And, that we are allowed to eat when hungry and to show compassion to others. It is also my great pleasure to attend church on Sunday mornings, the Lord’s Day, to worship Him with fellow believers.

There’s a fine line between legalism and obedience, and I want to be on the right side. I don’t want to live as the Pharisees with legalism as my motivation, yet I want to be in line with God’s desire for us to keep the Sabbath holy.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this and how you keep the Sabbath or Lord’s Day holy.

Additional Holy Sabbath scriptures:
Exodus 16:4-5; 16:22-26; 31:12-18; Nehemiah 10:31; Isaiah 58:13; Jeremiah 17:19-27; Mark 2:27-28

By Merrie Hansen, Christian Author

Turning my Doubt into Determination

-          Stay teachable, humble, & grow*

-          Write what I know…walk in my own shoes

-          The only time you fail is if you quit*

-          How do you eat an elephant?* How do you write a book?

-          Throw the net out a little deeper in the water…submit, submit, submit

-          Celebrate the successes, big or small; Toughen up for the letdowns*

-          Finish the race

I feel as though I’ve been on my writing journey for forever; but it actually only began five-and-half years ago, in June 2006. Along the way, some dreaded “D” words like disappointment, doubt, and discouragement pulled me down or made me drag my feet.

My disappointments don’t come because of rejected submissions, but rather because I fail to submit for publication often enough. My doubts spring up when I step out of my writing comfort zone even though that’s where I’m drawn. Discouragement is simply the result of an undisciplined life. Together, they cause the ugliest “D” word of all: depression.

These words are not just troublemakers for my writing journey, but to life itself. They plague me as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend. In those roles, I set my own flexible or rigid schedule. Generally speaking, I answer to no one expect the One who placed me in those positions. The encouragement phrases from above apply to every area of life and help to move me toward the ultimate goal in all my roles.

Today, I am changing my dreaded “D” words to determination, definition, and discipline. I’m determined to finish projects in a timely matter. At this juncture in my writing journey, success will not be defined by being published, but by the number of submissions I make. It's time to discipline my flexible schedule for a more rigid one.

“When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.”

Psalm 94:19 nlt

*some phrases are direct quotes from seekerville.blogspot.com (“Albert Einstein, Wet Noodles, and Kick Butt Advice”), others are paraphrased, & some are just my thoughts

Looking for Nellie Elvira

Who is Nellie Elvira? What happened to her? Where did life take her? Did she live a long happily-ever-after life?

She was born December 23, 1887 to my great-grand aunt who died March 9, 1888. Prior to visiting the local historical society several months ago, I thought my great-grand aunt only had a son, but then I found the daughter’s birth announcement in the archived newspapers. My heart ached as I stood over the lonely grave of my great-grand aunt, but ached even more for this child without an ancestral trail.

I’ve searched ancestry.com for her, but without a name nothing popped up. Last week that piece of information emerged. There it was—there she was—in a letter written to my great-grandfather from her aunt D. J.

Jamesport, MO - Oct. 17, 1889

…I received your letter... Her name is Nellie Elvira and she looks just like her mother. I do not know how long we will keep her. The little boy's name is Guy. he lives with his grandparents in Ohio, but I can't give their address. Mother spent last summer with me, and she talked of going to see you, but her health was so bad that she thought she had better not go. She was nearly crazy over the loss of our sister. I do not know that I can tell any more, only that the children are real smart and sweet little things. Yours, D.J.

She’s alive! Or she was at that time. Where did she go from there? The censuses follow her brother and father back to Ohio and Illinois, but no Nellie. I have found a possibility of her living with a cousin in Ohio, but I’m not 100% certain this is my Nellie.

Yes, she’s become my Nellie, my obsession. I can’t get her off my mind. Where did this little orphan girl go?

My questions began at that lonely gravesite looking over Trenton, Nebraska.

-          Did my great-grandfather’s half-sister die due to complications of the child’s birth, the severity of the 1888 winter, or something else?

-          Was her husband so distraught, he buried his wife of three years without a headstone, and then immediately set out for his homeland with only their 2-year-old son in tow?

-          Did Nellie’s papa feel it would be best to let his grief-stricken mother-in-law, who was present at the birth of his daughter and the death of her own 24-year-old daughter, take his baby girl to D.J.’s Missouri home?

-          Is she the 12-year-old Nellie living with cousins in Ohio?

-        Did she skip rope in the school playground, fuss with her hair, and meet Mr. Right to have babies of her own?

I want her to have a legacy—a happily-ever-after life. I want her life to count for something. 

I may never find out what happened to Nellie Elvira, but I have found Lord. No matter my ancestry, no matter my past, I am blessed and saved. If one day, my want descendants seek to know me, I want them to know me as a passionate seeker of the Lord—as one who found the way to live a happily ever-lasting life.

“You will search for me. And when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me!”

Jeremiah 29:13 ncv