Joy Archives - The Ultimate Gift

December 25, 2024

The Ultimate Gift

Considering the name of my blog, it wouldn’t seem right to allow Christmas to pass without a word from me. After all, Jesus IS the ultimate gift. In the wee hours of Christmas morning, I’m feeling too exhausted to write, yet too wound up to remain silent.

From One Extreme to the Other

What a difference a year makes. This time last year, I was in bed recovering from my initial cervical spine surgery. It was the quietest Christmas that I ever recall. I watched enough Christmas movies to exceed my life’s quota all in one month! This year I felt like I couldn’t have possibly packed another thing into December. Thankfully there were precious celebrations of the season with friends and family to break up that lengthy list of tasks that come with preparing for Christmas.

Singing and Ringing

Music played a big role in making this a December to remember. It was an honor to play a beautiful Christmas medley with the handbell choir early in the month. The following week, my church presented a Christmas cantata for the first time since 2019. What a joy it was to sing in that again after the lengthy layoff!

Words are Powerful

The Christmas Eve service last night felt like the grand finale. I recently admitted that I do not pay a whole lot of attention to the words I’m singing. Songs in my digital library are generally there because I like the tune. And just when I admitted that publicly, the words in the choir music suddenly started jumping off the page. They have moved me to the point that I get too choked up to sing at times. It happened again last night when the choir sang a beautiful anthem titled “Behold Our God.”

To cap it off, my pastor delivered a powerful message that everyone needs to hear, using a ladder as a prop. We strive to be closer to God, to reach the top of the ladder. But life happens, and no matter how hard we try, we can’t earn our way to the top. Good news—God knew that from the start and had the perfect solution. His name is Jesus. Love came down to us at Christmas. There is no greater gift!

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Matthew 1:23 NIV

Merry Christmas!

Charter Oak Church
Christmas Cantata ’24

March 16, 2024

A Patient Patient

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Romans 12:12 NIV

I usually write a post sharing my verse and word of the year in January. Well, that artificial deadline came and went, didn’t it? I’ve been a bit distracted these last few months. In the midst of it, the verse above picked me!

Be Patient in Times of Trouble

If you’re anything like me, you could use an extra helping of patience. That has never been truer for me than over these past few months when the road to recovery from cervical spine surgery took me on quite a detour.

My word for 2024, patience, is included in the Fruit of the Spirit. That is a biblical term that sums up nine attributes of a person or community living in accord with the Holy Spirit.

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

Galatians 5:22-23 NLT

Practice Required

I want to bear that kind of fruit. How about you? By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can! As one of my pastors once said, we won’t become patient without being given the opportunity to practice it. Practice makes perfect, right? I’ve gotten plenty of chances to be a patient patient over these last several months. I would like to say that I’ve aced the test, but, since sitting still is not one of my strengths, I imagine a solid ‘C’ is a more accurate reflection of my current level of patience. No, He’s not done with me yet!

An Unplanned Detour

The recovery from my initial surgery called for me to be a patient patient. Not knowing what to expect, I just felt like it was going painfully slow, pun intended. I was a good patient, and, as is often the case, followed all the rules. It wasn’t until the lower part of my incision split open that I realized I had taken a detour. That detour included two additional hospitalizations and a second surgery 1000 miles away from home. The prize from Round 2 was 31 staples in my neck, easily surpassing the total from Round 1. The bonus prize was yet another surgeon’s haircut! I have had no shortage of opportunities to practice patience!

Be Joyful in Hope

To this point, I have focused on the middle segment of Romans 12:12–be patient in affliction, but the bookends deserve mention as well. The beginning of the verse tells us to be joyful in hope. What does that look like in the midst of life’s difficulties? We must remember that Jesus is our Hope. Our joy is found in Him, not our circumstances. Knowing that He is with us and working on our behalf in the middle of a trial is reason to be joyful. To keep from drowning in our circumstances, it is important to keep our eyes focused on Him. That’s not always easy. If it were, I would have written this post a month or two ago rather than waiting until I saw light at the end of the tunnel!

Be Faithful in Prayer

Finally, Romans 12:12 calls us to be faithful in prayer. Seek, ask, knock—keep at it and don’t give up. While it’s true that God already knows what we need, He still wants us to come to Him with our concerns. It’s all about the relationship and that requires participation from both parties.

Pastor Chris often reminds us that everyone is dealing with something. Isn’t that the truth?! Whatever that something is for you right now, try living out Romans 12:12 and see how God responds.

- Be joyful in hope
- Be patient in times of trouble
- Pray, pray and pray some more

In my case, I have found myself back on the road to recovery. After being sidelined for 3 months, I have had a taste of normalcy in my life recently. It has been oh so sweet to be able to do some things that simply haven’t been possible since the first surgery! If you know me very well, you know that I like my sweets! Strawberry shortcake anyone?

Strawberry Shortcake — It’s strawberry season in Florida!

December 24, 2023

Merry Christmas

This gift perfectly fits the size of every heart. — Jesus–the Ultimate Gift

Though not up for writing much at this point, it wouldn’t seem right to let Christmas pass without a word. With every writing, it is my desire to remind myself and each one who reads it that Jesus truly is the Ultimate Gift. He perfectly fits the size of every heart. You can be assured that He is your source of peace, hope, joy and love.

Update

I am in the early stages of recovery from spinal surgery (laminoplasty). I will admit that I was at peace AND scared half to death all at the same time leading up to the surgery. As promised, He was right there with me every step of the way. And still is as I make my way back. I’m discovering the road to recovery to be a long and winding one but am so very grateful to be on it.

A Different Christmas

Getting ready for Christmas by December 13 was no easy task, but, in His strength, I reached my goal. It seems so strange spending the days leading up to Christmas resting rather than going 100 mph in fifteen different directions. I’ve actually watched some Christmas movies this year rather than just talked about it.

Timing

In some ways mid-December is the absolute worst time to schedule a surgery, but in other ways it was absolutely the perfect time. During this Advent season, I’ve been reminded nearly every day through various readings that Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace. I’ve not only read about it, but I’ve also experienced it firsthand, before, during, and after surgery. I’ve been in His hands all along and there’s no better place to be.

Jesus–the Ultimate Gift

I pray that you too would experience all the benefits that come with receiving the Ultimate Gift. Jesus came so that we would have LIFE and have it in abundance (John 10:10b). Enjoy that life and thank God for this indescribable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15).

Merry Christmas!

May 9, 2023

Exceeded Expectations

Now that my daughter’s wedding is in the rearview mirror, I’ve been pondering just what to write about it. The title came to me this morning while I was walking and talking with God and sums the day up pretty perfectly—exceeded expectations.

Read the following passage about a lame man who experienced a result that far exceeded his expectations:

“Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.”

Acts 3:2-8 NIV

The lame man expected coins, but instead, he gained the ability to walk. That turned out better than he ever expected. That’s how I felt on my daughter’s wedding day!

The Hurdles Fell

If you follow my blog, then you already know that my mother and the father of the bride both had to clear some significant hurdles with their health to even get to the wedding. Then there was the weather! With an outdoor ceremony planned, we were watching the forecast closely. Three days beforehand, the wedding day forecast for our part of the Sunshine State did NOT include sunshine. In fact, it looked more like a total washout. But then it changed…and for the better! It improved to the point that it became worth the risk to hold the ceremony outdoors as planned. I’m so glad we did as the rain stayed just to our north and we made it through the whole day without a drop of rain. Yes, even the weather exceeded expectations!

A Day to Behold

Since this was my first (and last) rodeo as mother-of-the-bride, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Multiple people encouraged me to soak up every minute and I took that advice to heart. It was the most amazing day, from start to finish! I find it hard to put into words. You may remember “Love is in the Air,” a song from the 70s by John Paul Young. Indeed it was! I think every square inch of Cross Creek Ranch was saturated with love. Naturally, it oozed from the bride and groom, but it didn’t stop there. To share that sacred day with so many who are near and dear to my heart was incredibly special. I’m still flying high nearly two months later! It was everything I could have hoped for and more. Like the lame man, I am praising God for an outcome that far exceeded my expectations.

In Other News

And while I’m on the subject of exceeding expectations, how about those 1st place Pittsburgh Pirates? The Buccos gave their fans an April to remember winning 20 of their first 29 games. (Let’s not talk about May)

Praise the Lord

God is in the business of exceeding expectations. Exhibit A – Jesus!

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV