Category: Holidays

Resurrection: Breakthrough Movie & Easter

Breakthrough movie poster
Photo from breakthroughmovie.com.

 

Boy died.

His mom prayed.

Boy came back to life.

 

That’s almost precisely what was written on high schooler John Smith’s medical paper.

Not back in Jesus’ time. (But maybe I don’t need to clarify that…”John Smith” doesn’t have the most biblical-ring to it, does it?)

Note: That sort of thing did happen in Jesus’ time of walking on the earth, and you can read about it more in Mark 5. It’s awesome.

But, yeah, this John Smith story was 4 years ago. In 2015.

John Smith is now alive and is living for Jesus.

But, in 2015, he was dead for 45 minutes.

And Jesus, who heard the prayers of one dedicated mother, brought the boy back to life.

 

It’s so cool to see a movie about modern-day miracles come out on THE MOST miraculous anniversary of all: the weekend we celebrate what we, as followers of the Way/Jesus Christ, base our faith on:

The resurrection of the Savior of the world

 

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah indeed.

 

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
Ephesians 1:18-21

 

Go see Breakthrough if it’s playing near you. It’s a vital reminder of the preciousness of life and the power of Jesus and prayer.

Oh, and maybe bring Kleenex.

 

I’m thankful to serve and celebrate a miracle-working Savior who rose from the grave, just like He said He would. (Mark 8:31)

How about you?

 

 

 

Letting Go of Christmas?

Christmas decorations

I dread taking down the Christmas tree.

Is it a chore? Surely it’s not in the same “chore” family as sweeping or vacuuming. It’s way more magical than that. A much less-often-occurring chore, too. Plus it might remind you of the joys of Christmas.

On the other hand, it’s harder. Because it reminds you that, the older you get, it seems, the quicker Christmas goes by. Before you know it, another Christmas is waving to you from your rearview mirror, asking you to take its decor down. And you hardly got to say hello, let alone goodbye.

“It’s not time for you to leave,” you say.

 

And then He asked, “What about Easter?”

 

What about Easter?

Do we need to let Christmas go in order to prepare for Easter?

 

This thought is new to me, just in the past hour as I’m writing this, so let’s process/ponder this together.

I don’t want Christmas to leave. I feel like the longer I have decorations up, the easier it is to feel the happy, comfy spirit that I associate with Christmastime.

Here’s the thing.

That word, Christmas: It’s about Christ. And if Christmas is the only time of the year our minds are extra Him-focused, Houston, we have a problem.

What if we need to take down the Christmas decorations (without like forgetting Christ or anything like that) to leave room for an equally marvelous (yet wayyyyy less-hyped) holiday to park in our homes? In other words, is your Heart Inn too full with Christmas to have room for Easter?

(SEE WHAT GOD JUST DID THERE?)

Christmas is super important, and super awesome–don’t get me wrong, please. But, if you’re like me, Easter gets far overshadowed by Christmas. Granted, Easter is still months away from now. But I feel like my heart needs a good bit o’ time to get ready for that…and to stop worrying about Christmas feeling shorter (and different) this year.

 

There’s a place for Christmas, 100%.

I just need to make sure there’s an equal place for Easter.

 

So, how do we end this? I’m leaving room for the Holy Spirit to do what He wants to do in your heart. Maybe this–this message–means something different for me than it does for you. I just wanted to share anyway, in case this wakes you up like it woke me up.

 

If you dread taking Christmas decorations down, for whatever the reason, just remember that Easter’s coming.

 

Merry Easter’s-on-its-way, friends.

 

So, um, special shoutout to GOD for completely (per usual) giving me this idea/these words! *praise hands*

What’s your favorite holiday? Have holidays changed for you through the years? Share your story below!

Merry Christmas!

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Merry Christmas, friends!

 

I apologize for being one day late on my normal posting schedule. Today’s post will be short and hopefully sweet.

 

My prayer for you is that your soul feels its worth today.

You are worth it.

You are worth Jesus coming to earth to die for your (and my) sins.

 

As the pastor of my “second home church” said this weekend, “whosoever” is a really good word. (See John 3:16)

 

And friend, “whosoever” includes you.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

 

Photo: Taken last year at Grace Chapel’s original Christmas musical “The One Story,” written and directed by Josh Childs and Allison Allen

Breaking Down Carols: Joy to the World

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“And heaven and nature sing…”

 

Is this new to you?

Nature sings/proclaims God’s praises.

…at least according to Joy to the World.

Oh wait, no, according to the Bible, too.

“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

Luke 19:40

 

Interesting. (Maybe I’m taking this a bit of context, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to, in general, say that God created nature, and that nature, though it is impacted by sin in this fallen world, causing tragedies, reflects the love of the Creator, possibly through worshipping Him in its own less-than-human-but-still-created way.)

I wonder if that’s the verse Isaac Watts, Joy to the World‘s lyricist, was inspired by when he penned “and Heaven and nature sing”….

Hmmmm. Let’s ponder that as we move into our observations.

 

3 Other Observations:

We’ll break them down in a min.

  1. “Let earth receive her King”/ “Prepare Him room”
  2. “Repeat the sounding joy”
  3. “Wonders of His love”

 

Observation #1: “Let earth receive her King”/”Prepare Him room”

Jesus came and it was a B.I.G deal.

This isn’t a “Cool, we’ll try to fit Him into __________” (fill in your blank: i.e. history/my hearts/my busy schedule)

This is an “Everything is different now.”

We are changed by Him and His coming, yes. But we also need to do the work to give Him all the room He deserves in our hearts. (Once again, I’m preachin’ to myself and anyone else who needs to hear this like I do. Holy Spirit, have Your way in our hearts!)

Receive Him. If you never have, or if you feel like you need a refresher. Receive Him, right now. Worship His glory. Receive the gifts He’s given you:

*The talents He’s given you

*The family He’s blessed you with

*LIFE

 

Prepare Him room. If you’re already His follower, then specifically prepare room for Him in your heart this season. Be intentional about advent–the history, heartbreak, and reconciliation. (Were you wanting that last one to be an ‘H’ word, and thus complete the alliteration, like I was? Darn.)

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Question #1: Does He fit? What needs cleaning out in your heart, so that Jesus can have the most room?

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Observation #2: “Repeat the sounding joy”

This is not a one-time story. This, along with Easter–Jesus’ rising from the grave–is the most important event in history. It’s a story worth repeating.

Repeat:

*The story

*Worshipping Him

*(sharing) His love

Question #2: Does Jesus get the praiseful repetition of your heart?

quote 2

 

Observation #3: “Wonders of His love”

What God and Jesus did–God sending His Son, Jesus, to be a humble Savior born in human (while still being Divine) baby form–is remarkable. It’s never happened before, and it will never happen again. It’s incredible that a poverty-striken girl from an unremarkable village became pregnant, regardless of her virginity. It’s ironic that the Savior of the world was born in a stable into a poor family and was visited by both wise men and shepherds.

Question #3: Does His love, and does Christmas, leave you in wonder?

quote 3

 

Me and you, we need to embrace Jesus. This season and always.

 

I pray we’ll both prepare for Christmas, and for His second coming, with joy, worship, and wonder.

Have a beautiful Christmas time, friends!

Breaking Down Carols: O Holy Night

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I kind of hate to admit that O Holy Night is my favorite carol *it’s just so cliche*, but maybe (hopefully) today’s breakdown will lessen the judgement surrounding innocent people who favor stereotypical Christmas songs.

To be fair, “Carol of the Bells” is right up there on ma’ favs list. Let’s say COTB is my fav melodically, and OHN is my fav lyrically. Although a well-placed OHN key change never hurt nobody. 

 

Lists are good. Let’s make one.

 

Breaking down O Holy Night:

  1. The imagery
  2. The history
  3. The (goosebump-inducing) feelings
  4. The declarations

 

Time to dig in.

 

1. The Imagery:

‘The stars are brightly shining…” 

This song does a beautiful job of illustratively setting the stage for the listener/caroler. Think about the opening lyrics for a sec. Just do it.

It’s night. But the stars are brightly shining.

Something about the beautiful simplicity is goosebump-enducing for me. It’s the set up for a pretty mundane night. And yet, this night couldn’t be more important.

This is the night that changed everything.

And this song gives us time-changing goggles through which to see the chilly, bright night that would be like no other.

 

2. The History:

“Long lay the world in sin and error pining”

I didn’t know about the time gap until like high school or later. It’s not even that it’s a taboo or controversial topic. I just hadn’t heard it (or had tuned it out, I guess?).

Did you know? Here’s what I’m talking about: There are approximately 400 years between when the last part of the Old and the first part of the New Testaments were written. Stop. What? Four-freakin’-hundred. YEARS. Not seconds, which might even be “too long” for my puny patience span. Not days, which seems far too long to wait for something INSANELY important.

years.

YEARS, son.

400 of them.

Quinn, they get it. Move on.

Right.

Ok, so inevitably there were people who existed in this “Intertestamental Period.” And they were just waiting. They didn’t have Jesus yet, which was nothing new, but they also didn’t hear from God during that time. Not that God took a vacay. No, they just didn’t hear from Him. How weird and lonely and isolating must that have been?

Let’s allow that–that need for something–to sink in as we move to the next point.

 

3. The (goosebump-inducing) Feelings:

“‘Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth”

“A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices”

“Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we”

So, 400 years of nothing. And then, on a “normal” night, suddenly the remedy for SIN is born. He appears on earth in perfect timing, albeit totally surprising circumstances.

He appeared, and no one was the same.

Suddenly, we realized how precious we were/are to God. That God would send His Son, One of the Trinity, the Royal-est of the Royals, down to earth in the quite humbling form of a helpless baby, just to allow Him to be sacrificed so that we didn’t have to spend eternity apart from God as a result of our sins. That’s life-changing.

To know that we’re worth that–the ultimate sacrifice, such a high price–is indeed goosebump-worthy.

We say “Thank You.”

 

4. The Declarations:

“Fall on your knees”

“Oh hear the angels voices”

“Oh night divine”

“Let all within us praise His Holy Name“

“Christ is the Lord!”

“Oh praise His Name forever”

“His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim”

This moment–this song–is for Him. And Him alone. Praise Him, from your knees, with your voice, lifting your arms, letting the tears of awe fall.

For He is worthy of praise. What unmatchable power and glory His Name contains.

 

And that, in a sparkly, *feeling-all-the-feels* nutshell is my (hopefully Holy-Spirit-inspired) take on O Holy Night. Thanks for reading. ❤

 

 

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9

 

Listen, friend: If this–any of it–is new, how exciting. If you didn’t know that Jesus did that for You (what the true meaning of Christmas is), I hope you’ll consider accepting Him into your heart and declaring Him as your Lord and Savior. Remember, He loves you. Otherwise, why would He have come to earth to be born and die?

Please check out this awesome Christian resource that has lots of Bible-based info for new believers.

And please comment with your thoughts on Christmas, carols, and such! ❤

 

Big thanks to Juan from Pexels for the GLORIOUS opening picture. 

Breaking Down Carols: Intro

Canva - Choir, Singing, Song Book, Notenblatt, Club, Song

Welcome to a new series:

Breaking Down Carols!

 

No, this is not some random thing about analyzing famous “Carol’s” or possible similarities among women who share that name. (Dang, I really want to do that now…hmm, let’s put a pin in that)

It’s that time of year: hot chocolate’s only a cup away, the revitalizing scent of baking cookies is in the air, and Christmas music is blaring in the background.

Grumpy Grandpa Joe (isn’t it always Grandpa Joe?) is on a new rant.

“If I hear one more ‘Santa baby, come–‘, I’m going to go insane!”

Honestly, I’m with Joe. That’s BY FAR not my favorite Christmas song. Thankfully there are a lot of other ones to choose from.

If you work retail, particularly during the holidays, this series might be especially for you. The fact that you have to hear pretty much every Christmas song approx. 5 times a day for like 3 months is roooough.

Getting to the point: This series is about being reminded of the power of Christian Christmas carols and of what they’re really about.

…

I had a moment 2 years ago where, all of a sudden, mindlessly repeated lyrics became real. I probably can’t count the number of times I’ve heard the lyrics to “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.” But, 2 years ago, my friend gave me the lyrics. A physical copy. So, 2 years ago, I got a moment to actually read the words we sing so often. And, man, those lyrics firework-ed out of nowhere off the page and into my heart!

“Born that men no more may DIE”

I mean, are you kidding me?? That’s p.o.w.e.r.f.u.l.

…

So, that’s why I’m doing this series. Because, maybe you’re like me: You love Christmas, but the lyrics don’t mean a ton anymore. It’s up to us to be intentional about rediscovering their meaning, with the help of the Holy Spirit’s guiding wisdom.

I can’t wait to see what He’s going to do.

 

Our first carol breaking session is comin’ at ya next week! Stay tuned!

 

What carol do you want to break down?

Comment with your suggestion!