When the holiday gathering goes horribly wrong

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It happens.

The anticipation of the approaching holiday puts a desire for perfection inside even the most reluctant host or hostess.

You dream about all of the sights and smells and the family around the table.

You clean. Everything. From the salad bowl to the toilet bowl and even the fish bowl, all things must be presentation ready.

You pour over Pinterest recipes. Pinterest decoration suggestions. Pinterest DIY table favors. Pinterest wreaths. Pinning, pinning, pinning.

The menu planning begins. The grocery list grows and grows and grows…

Finally the day arrives and family and friends begin to trickle in. Everything is going great, the compliments are flowing and you can literally feel the love.

Then it happens. Disaster.

holidays

(This beautiful pie was made by my favorite missionary in Tallinn, Estonia, Ingunn Bakke Turner! This was taken at my first Thanksgiving overseas and her very first made-from-scratch apple pie. Isn’t it gorgeous!)

What is your worst Thanksgiving faux pas, catastrophe or embarrassment?

Did you burn the bird? I admit to overcooking the turkey on more than one occasion. Everyone has family stories of drama and can’t get-alongs in their family gatherings. Let  me share one of our family favorites:

This was The Sweetheart’s first Thanksgiving with my family and we were gathered at my paternal grandmother’s house. Cousins were oozing out the woodwork, my aunts were busy being ordered around by my grandmother and everyone else was just trying to stay out of the way.

The Sweetheart found a spot in the living room that he considered safe alongside my Uncle Joe, a quiet man of few words. When he did speak you wanted to listen to this wonderful man of God, who has since gone on to be with the Lord.

Dinner wasn’t far from being served and my grandmother wanted everything to go just so. All of a sudden we heard a tremendous crashing from the kitchen as dishes came tumbling out of the cabinet when someone reached up to get some plates. Along with the crash we heard a blood-curdling “JESUS!!!!!” as my grandmother, God rest her beautiful soul, reacted to the unfolding tragedy. But it wasn’t just one “JESUS!” it was a whole lot of “JESUS!” and the ensuing chaos that goes along with such a mess.

My poor Aunt, (she is free to correct me if I get the details incorrect), was just trying to clean up but Mamaw couldn’t calm down. It sounded much worse than it was and The Sweetheart was terrified. Everyone had jumped up from their coveted spots and hurried to see what all the excitement was about.

Except Uncle Joe. He never moved, never got excited, never even looked up from his reading material. He was cool like that.

The memory didn’t die there though. Every year, Mamaw made sure she had a cassette tape recorder documenting our entire get-together.  After we all left she would then send that tape to my Aunt Judy in Texas who didn’t get to be with us very often.

So yes, you are way ahead of me. All of the drama was recorded for our listening pleasure. For the rest of our natural lives.

I could tell you about the church Thanksgiving dinner where I walked up the steps of the church carrying my Mother’s prized pineapple upside-down cake. As I crossed the threshold, I tripped and the cake went flying and was no longer a pineapple upside down cake but a pineapple right side up!

I was mortified but I had provided plenty of laughs for all of the men just sitting on their behinds with nothing to do. I’m cool like that.

How about YOUR family gatherings?

Tell us about your ruined meals, your family fights or what you left in or out of the turkey. We want to know! (Seriously, it makes us all feel better about our own mistakes!)

This year? We are gathered in Tennessee and my daughter-in-law, Rachel, is the hostess with the mostest. Korey and Alicia have been cooking at my house and Kristopher is helping to entertain Norah Jayne. Little Lark is busy keeping away from Eisley Quinn. Rachel’s mother, Tonya, a chef herself, is in charge of the turkey and the stuffing. It is going to be amazing. Oh, and Kyle and The Sweetheart are somewhere supervising…

Blessings to you all on this family holiday. I pray you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and may your drama be subdued.

Kingdom2

 

 

Light a lamp for me!

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I’m not crazy about the dark.

I struggle driving at night anymore. 

I have always feared going blind! 

I would claw your eyes out if you put me in a room with no windows and no lights.

Seriously.

Now you know a little more about me. Let’s look at someone else who didn’t like the darkness.

The Apostle Paul is standing before King Agrippa (the same one who says, “Almost, you have persuaded me to become a Christian.”) and explaining to him how he went from persecuting Christians to preaching the Gospel. He relates how he was on the road to Damascus to gather up more Christians and “put them in chains” but then a light came down from heaven, blinding Paul, and he head a voice say, “ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’…” (emphasis mine)

Paul was blind for three days until Ananias arrived and told him that he was to be a messenger for the Lord.

You light a lamp for me

In Paul’s darkness, God lit a lamp for him! 

This “chief of sinners” was raised at the feet of one of the greatest scholars of that time, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.” Acts 22:3 NIV

He was zealous for God but did not know Him! He had been in darkness all of his life and was still blind to the Truth, he did not know Jesus until the Lord came and turned on the light!

“In darkness God’s truth shines most clear.”
― Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place

In that darkness, God’s light shined through and reached down to the most dangerous man of that time. God transformed the Apostle Paul into the most influential and powerful preacher who ever lived. Something miraculous happened on that road to Damascus and Paul was never the same.

Will we be like Paul, allowing the Light to come in and push away the darkness? Or will we be like those Timothy speaks of in the last days? “…having a form of godliness but denying its power….always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 3 NIV.

Lord Jesus, help us to allow the Light of Your Truth to shine in our lives! Push back the darkness and fill us with Your love, making us more like You so others can see Your glory!

It is crucial in this dark hour that we, The Church of the Living God, allow the Light of the Holy Spirit to shine through us. We must share this Gospel and not be laden down with the cares of this world. Our most important job that He has given us is to reach the lost. When we are filled with His spirit, others will see that Light and be drawn out of darkness to the One true God, Jesus Christ.

He will light a lamp for you! He will light up your darkness…if you allow Him to.

Light a lamp for me!

 

 

That which is truly life…Enjoy!

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“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19 ESV.

I haven’t written for a while, especially for #FiveMinuteFriday. I look at the word prompt every Thursday night hoping it will spark a memory or a thought but lately I guess you could say I have had writer’s block. Big time.

This morning, in my bleary-eyed state, I saw the word Enjoy and knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to at least thank God for the things that He gives us to enjoy. There is so much evil, so much upheaval and unrest in the world that we tend to be focused only on the bad. We forget the blessings around us and even more so we forget to BE that blessing. We have the opportunity to be the Salt and Light in the world; Jesus wants us to remember our purpose here on this earth but to enjoy this life along the way!

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10.

Abundant life!

That which is truly life...Enjoy!

So, just what is truly life to the Christian? How do we fulfill our purpose and enjoy life? The scripture in 1 Timothy breaks that down beautifully for us when Paul actually addresses those that are wealthy in the Church. He first instructs them on what NOT to do, or be. Don’t be haughty, (arrogant, proud, vain conceited, snobbish, superior, you get the idea…) and not to set their hopes on their money or possessions. Why? Because they will pass away!

The wealth could be gone tomorrow due to the economy, job loss, disaster, or the stock market. And even more importantly, it is temporary; we will not carry it with us when we leave this world.

But, if instead they USE that blessing, that benefit of plenty, and are generous, ready to share, do good and be rich in good works, then they will be laying a foundation for the future…they will be taking hold of what is truly life.

Most of us are wealthy compared to two thirds of this world. We have more than we need, we are blessed beyond measure and if we know Jesus Christ, if we are in relationship with Him, we cannot keep that blessing to ourselves. It was given to us to enjoy and live an abundant life and it was given for us to give away.

Since the word prompt is ENJOY, I couldn’t resist bringing some sunshine to your day. Norah Jayne’s other beloved grandmother, Nanny Tonya, celebrated her birthday yesterday and Norah made sure she enjoyed every minute of it. Check it out and then go share what is truly life with someone else today.