Author: Polly

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Gathering

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Though I absolutely love Christmas music, I restrain myself from breaking it out before Thanksgiving. When I give any thought to music at Thanksgiving, my mind immediately goes to the hymn, “We Gather Together.” Well, that, and “Over the River and Through the Woods!”

Thanksgiving Gatherings

As we close in on Thanksgiving 2021, I am mindful of the fact that, for many, Thanksgiving is going to look a bit different this year. Some families have joyously added on in 2021. Others have subtracted. For some, gathering together this Thanksgiving won’t even be an option. And some will be gathering in a completely different location.

Guest List

I don’t know how your Thanksgiving gathering is shaping up this year, but I do know someone who will be delighted to join you, regardless of the setting or time. It doesn’t even matter if the weather cooperates because there is no commute involved! As believers, we have access to God 24/7 through the Holy Spirit living inside us, all thanks to Jesus. Isn’t that a beautiful thing?

Personality Traits

In a sermon series recently concluded by my pastor, we took a deep dive into the character of God. It was based on the following verse:

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,” Exodus 34:6b NIV

By the end of the series, we had the 5 characteristics from this verse memorized.

God is…

  1. Compassionate
  2. Gracious
  3. Slow to Anger
  4. Loyal in Love
  5. Faithful

He’s all that…and in just one verse! Who of us doesn’t need that reminder when life is throwing curveballs our way? If you are old enough to read this, I imagine you’ve already learned that things don’t always go as planned or expected. Are you still waiting on an answer to prayer? Have your hopes been dashed? Your dreams shattered?

The Real King

My small group recently finished watching and discussing a 5-part sermon series by Andy Stanley titled “David”. If you recall, David was known as a man after God’s own heart. In spite of that, David was still a flawed man. He learned some tough lessons throughout his lifetime, but, in his messages, Andy Stanley kept stressing that David never lost his confidence in God. In spite of his position as king of Israel, David never confused himself with THE King. That King is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, loyal in love and faithful for starters. Our hope isn’t found in fulfilled dreams or answers to prayers, but rather, in the character of God.

“He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8b CEV

Circumstances change, God does not. He is our Rock, a refuge in times of trouble. In the words of David,

“In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. My hope is in you ALL day long.” Psalms 25:1,5 NIV

Though your Thanksgiving celebration may look a bit different this year, the MVP has already RSVP’d. He’ll be there!

Enjoy your gathering, no matter the size or shape…Happy Thanksgiving!

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GPS

When I’m unsure of where I’m going when traveling, I often rely on the community-driven GPS navigation app, Waze, to lead me to my destination. There have been times when I’ve not reacted quickly enough to the directions and missed my turn. Other times, I’ve intentionally disobeyed the directions being given because I was sure I had a better way. When I miss my turn, whether intentional or not, I hear a familiar sound that I’ve come to know as the “recalculating” notification.

A Steady Voice

I used Sesame Street’s Elmo voice to direct us on Waze for a time, but when that got too annoying, I switched to a British woman’s voice. My husband and I get a kick out of imitating her accent! No matter the chosen voice, its temperament remains the same, even when I don’t follow the directions. After a missed turn, my GPS just recalculates and the voice directs me from right where I am at that moment. No choice words. No raised voice. She just redirects me based on my current location.

GPS – An Alternate Meaning

When I think about it, my GPS and God have some things in common. GPS could stand for “God’s Protection Service” rather than “Global Positioning System.” As a child of God, I have access to His guidance and direction through the Holy Spirit 24/7. But I must seek it. He is very familiar with the best route to my intended destination because He paved it. As with Waze, I sometimes miss my turn and find myself off course, either intentionally, or by accident. I’ve taken my own route on occasion, thinking “I’ve got this!” without ever even consulting my GPS.

His Response

When I wander off the intended route, the British lady’s got nothing on God. He patiently and gently directs me from where I am when I call out to Him. He doesn’t scream He doesn’t even say, “I told you so!” when He has every right. Instead, God lovingly recalculates and directs me to the best route from my current position.

Have you missed a turn for one reason or another? Do you think you’re too far off the route to ever find your way back? I have good news for you…

“The LORD is compassionate and merciful, very patient, and full of faithful love. He doesn’t deal with us according to our sin or repay us according to our wrongdoing, because as high as heaven is above the earth, that’s how large God’s faithful love is for those who honor him.”

Psalms 103:8, 10-11 CEB

If we just turn to Him and seek His direction, God will show us the way. For, according to the songwriter Sinach, He is the…

“Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness”

THAT is who He is! God, through Jesus, made a way for us to get to heaven. Neither Elmo, nor the British lady, can help us out with that! Who will you ask for directions?

“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”

Nahum 1:7 NIV

Trust and rest in His faithful, loving care today.

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My Word for 2021

It’s that time of year again—time to choose a word and verse for the new year! Unlike last year, this word came to me rather quickly…and directly. In fact, it all started before I even went to church on the first Sunday of 2021. The devotional I used that morning talked about God as my SOURCE. I remember making a mental note of that word before I headed off to church. When my pastor announced his word and verse for the new year during the service, he encouraged us to choose ours too. At that time, I put the word SOURCE in my message notes as a definite possibility for 2021.

The Confirmation

Several years ago, I read a book written by Lysa TerKeurst titled, “What Happens When Women Say Yes to God.” In this book, Lysa devoted a chapter to how we can determine if God is speaking to us by asking ourselves five questions. One of those questions is to ask yourself if you are hearing the same thing from different sources. The very next day, the word SOURCE came up again in the daily story in YouVersion. By this time, I was feeling pretty confident that my word for the year was to be SOURCE. The kicker is what happened next though. After my quiet time with God, I went upstairs to get a shower. When I stepped in, there was a freshly unwrapped cake of soap waiting for me with the word SOURCE written on it. If you aren’t an Aldi shopper, that is the brand name of their soap. That was confirmation enough for me! I literally laughed out loud and said, “Ok, God, I get the message!”

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5 NIV

Selecting My Verse

The verse for 2021 was not quite as obvious, as many could serve as a reminder that God is my SOURCE. I had it narrowed down to three and finally settled on the verse above, John 15:5, just over a week ago. This happened to be the same day that my dad was admitted to the hospital and I was 1000 miles away from him. What a helpless feeling! With my mind racing and my emotions all over the map, I certainly needed the reminder that God is my SOURCE. He is the SOURCE of everything I need. The list is extensive, but peace was my greatest need that day. As always, the Prince of Peace provided. What I want you to take away from this post is not my word and verse for the year, but rather that He is the SOURCE of everything you need too.

Our Part and His Part

The Bible is packed with promises from God. Many of those promises come with a condition though. We are not just passive observers; we have a role to play. In John 15:5, our assignment is to stay connected to God. If a branch is separated from the vine, it’s dead wood. And that makes it powerless to bear fruit. Apart from Jesus, we are also powerless. He is our power SOURCE! The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22). It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that others will see this fruit on display in the lives of His children. That is assuming we do our part. To bear fruit, we must remain connected to the SOURCE of our power.

Bear It and Eat It

All this talk of fruit is making me hungry for a different kind. I’m dreaming of my next trip to the strawberry farm. I find this fruit especially delicious this time of year in Florida, especially when shortcake and ice cream are connected to those strawberries!

Can you taste it?
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Not As Expected

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The sermon series for this Advent season at my church is aptly titled, “A Disrupted Christmas.” If you can’t relate to that this year, then you’ve missed a good chance! It seems this global pandemic has turned everyone’s life upside down in one way or another. Nothing is as expected in 2020.

Disrupted Plans

It seems we may have something in common with Mary & Joseph. It wasn’t a pandemic, but rather a couple of angels who disrupted their plans, hopes, and dreams. After Mary and Joseph were engaged, they were busy making wedding plans and dreaming of their future as husband and wife when God sent the angel Gabriel to give Mary a message:

“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”  

Luke 1:31-33 NLT

When Mary questioned how that was possible for a virgin,

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

Luke 1:35 NIV

Gabriel left Mary with one final message:

“For no word from God will ever fail.”

Luke 1:37 NIV

As you can imagine, the news of Mary’s pregnancy didn’t sit well with Joseph. He had decided to break their engagement quietly when he, too, had an encounter with an angel.

“As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:20-21 NLT

Upon waking from his dream, Joseph did as the angel directed and married Mary.

Not As Expected

I have a feeling that this wasn’t quite how Mary & Joseph drew it up when they got engaged. But God had far bigger plans for them than they could have ever imagined. These angelic disruptions, coupled with Mary and Joseph’s obedience, changed not only the course of Mary & Joseph’s life, but also the course of eternity for all who have placed their faith in the Son of God. From the womb to the tomb, Jesus fulfilled His Father’s purpose and saved his people from their sins. Furthermore, His resurrection conquers death. Believers everywhere can look forward to everlasting life.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 NIV

Because of love, He came for us;

Because of grace, He died;

Because of hope, He gave us life—a living sacrifice.

Jesus truly is the Ultimate Gift—believe and receive.

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