Worth For The Soul

The following is an article published in The Town Messenger on December 21, 2010.

Christmas. I love the word and I love the music. I love the sights, the sounds and the smells of this season. I love Christmas. I always have.

What I'm not overly fond of is the insanity that seems to creep in no matter how valiant my effort to keep it at bay. The moment my focus drifted to money and gifts and what is "expected" of me, I was in trouble. Not that buying gifts for family and friends is in itself a bad thing. It just should not (in my opinion), be the primary focus.

This past week has been an unusually emotional one for me as I received some disappointing news. It came on the heels of a very stress-filled series of events that have made the past year one that I will be glad to put behind me. Nothing tragic, just a very long year of difficult circumstances and changes that, when put all together, have taken their toll on my emotional strength.

So, when my disappointing news came the other day, I wallowed around in the mess of it for a while, then sat down at my computer. A friend had posted on her Facebook page a video link of a little girl, seven years of age, singing O Holy Night. I clicked "Play" and was washed away in a river of tears as I was overtaken by the emotional release that only comes when we reach our breaking point and finally lay down that which we have been clinging to, but were never intended to carry in the first place.

Listening to that precious voice singing the familiar words, my self-focused worry and desperation were magnified as my heart threw down the weight I had been carrying and ran to the truth that had been standing firmly in front of me all along.

Long lay the world (me)

In sin and error pining (for things and ideals),

Til He appeared and the soul (mine)

Felt its worth. *

My disappointment was so strong because something I had been longing for was being delayed again, and there was nothing I could do about it. How foolish I had been to allow my heart to chase after something that could so manipulate my emotions and my outlook. Instead, my heart should have been pursuing the One who makes all things new and Who promises to give me the desire of my heart if I delight myself in Him.

My soul does not find its worth in any material thing, circumstance or situation. My soul finds its worth in the appearance of Him, in the tangible presence of the Almighty in my every moment. Why? Because it is for relationship with Him that I was created in the first place. Immanuel, God with us, makes that relationship possible. My surrender to His love makes it a reality.

Life is filled with ups and downs. Some days we laugh, some days we cry. Some days we want to scream and shout, and some days we find our comfort in silence. We will be happy, we will be sad and yes, we will be disappointed. But our disappointment only comes when we put our hope and trust in something that is not meant to carry the weight of such precious cargo. I, for one, must be constantly reminded of this one simple truth:

But seek first His kingdom

and His righteousness,

and all these things will be

given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33

In this season, may the true wonder of the Creator of the Universe coming as a baby through the womb of a young virgin Hebrew girl captivate you and pull you into the beauty of His presence. Wise men (and women) still seek Him.

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*O Holy Night (Lyrics by Placide Cappeau; Music by Adolphe Adam. Read about the history of this hymn here.

The artist referred to in this article is Rhema Marvanne, now eight years old, from Dallas, Texas. For more on Rhema’s ministry and music, visit RhemaMarvanne.com.

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Home For The Holidays

The following is an article published in The Town Messenger on December 14, 2010.

This year, for the first time in our married life, my husband and I will not be travelling home for Christmas. That’s because earlier this year, we moved back to the Austin area. This is where we are from, where we were married, and where most of our family (immediate family, that is) lives. We are already home for the holidays.

During our time in Fort Smith, Arkansas, we made the annual trip home to Austin for Christmas, and each year the futile attempt to squeeze in even brief visits with as many friends and family members as possible always left us wishing we had more time.

Since we are already here, rather than just showing up to exchange presents and eat, we get to be a part of the Christmas preparations with our families. David hung lights outside his mom’s place the other day, and I decorated my parents’ Christmas tree this week. We received a Christmas card from one of David’s sisters the other day, and I was almost giddy as I realized it was our first since returning home. Despite my husband’s claims that I am high-maintenance, it really doesn’t take much to make me a happy girl. Home is a good place to be.

It’s interesting to me that of all the holidays we celebrate, Christmas and Thanksgiving are the ones that draw us away from our daily grind, sending us into planes, trains and automobiles bound for the place we long for more than any other: home. Thanksgiving has obvious undertones of why we go home, being thankful for the things and people most important to us, the traditions and activities that keep us connected through the years.

But I found myself wondering today, “Why Christmas? Why is being home for Christmas so important to us?” It didn’t take long for the answer to become clear in that simple, quiet way that the most profound truths usually arrive. The still, small voice inside me whispered, “Isn’t that what Christmas is all about?”

It’s true. God sent His son into a broken humanity with the single purpose of restoring our fellowship with Him, ultimately bringing His family home. To be with Him. Forever.

I believe that our desire to be home for Christmas is actually part of a deeper desire to be drawn into that place where we truly belong – that spot that can only be filled by us, deep in the heart of God Himself. It was the longing in His heart that motivated Him to give us the most precious Gift ever given, and it is the longing in our own hearts that must ultimately respond, accepting that gift and giving ourselves in return.

That is what Christmas is all about. Everything else is just fluff.

No matter where you find yourself as Christmas rolls around, whether or not you get to spend the day with family or friends, you can still spend it with the One who made it all possible. In your own heart of hearts, will you be home for Christmas?

A Timeless Message

A friend posted a video this evening on Facebook. It is a YouTube video of the Opera Company of Philadelphia, along with over 650 other singers from 28 participating organizations, descended on a Macy's store in Center City Philadelphia. Their purpose was to surprise the unsuspecting shoppers with a Random Act of Culture. The event took place just a few days ago, on October 30, 2010.

Scattered throughout the unwitting crowd were randomly placed individuals who, when given their cue, burst into a full rendition of the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah. As I watched and listened to this mass choir sing one of the greatest and most inspired choral pieces of all time, something began to emerge in my spirit - a realization of what I was witnessing as being a picture of what the Church is to be in world.

This was a secular group on a secular mission, but what transpired was a public declaration of who Jesus is and His ultimate dominion over the kingdoms of this world - His eternal reign as King of Kings.

Here is what I saw:

1. Hundreds of individuals from dozens of organzations coming together for a common purpose.

2. A multi-generational, multi-cultural ensemble of voices singing the praises of our Eternal King.

3. These individuals are not all dressed alike and standing together as a group, thus separating themselves from those they are singing for. They are dressed like everyone else, scattered throughout the crowd. Until they started singing, they appeared to be just shoppers.
4. Each individual sings his/her part from wherever they are standing, with faces upturned and eyes fixed on the conductor, who is standing on an upper level.

5. When the shoppers realize what is happening, they stop what they are doing and engage in the process. They smile. They laugh. They break out cameras and video cameras and phones to capture the moment. They sing along.  They sway to the music. You will even see one woman with a camera in hand and the other hand lifted in worship as she was unable to stand still.

How profound a challenge this is to the Body of Christ - to unite under one banner and take the message of Jesus to the public forum in a bold and beautiful display of a multi-generational, multi-cultured declaration of who Jesus is! I promise you - when the Church begins to take this kind of a unified approach to getting the message of Jesus into the marketplace, the schools, the businesses and other public arenas, the world WILL SIT UP AND TAKE NOTICE!

George Frideric Handel was a child prodigy who began composing operas at a very young age. By the time he was in his twenties, he was the best paid composer in the world. Over time, however, as his music came to be regarded as old-fashioned, and he was unable to sell anything. He endured bankruptcy, depression, a stroke and a palsy that crippled his fingers.

In August 1741, Handel began to compose the music for a libretto given to him by a friend, a collection of works about the life of Christ. Inspired by the words, "Comfort ye, comfort ye My people" from Isaiah 40, Handel had agreed to the project. Less than a month later, the entire work of The Messiah was complete.

The lyrics to the Hallelujah Chorus are few, but their message is profound:

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth

The kingdom of this world

Is become the Kingdom of our Lord

And of His Christ, and of His Christ

And He shall reign forever and ever!

King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Forever and ever!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!



The fact that this masterpiece was written by a man whose career was essentially over in the eyes of the world around him is a message for another time. God can and will use the most unlikely among us to accomplish His purposes. He always has and He always will. It's what He does best.

So here, for your watching and listening enjoyment, is the Opera Company of Philadelphia and over 650 of their friends, singing the "Hallelujah Chorus" in a Macy's store. May we, the Church, receive inspiration from this to unite under the watchdul eye and graceful movements of our Conductor as we unite together to bring the music from the heart of heaven itself outside the walls of the church and into the streets.

Selah.

(Be sure to pause the music player on the left side of this page before starting the video.)



Christmas in the Heart of God

Music from the Heart: Welcome To Our World by Michael W. Smith

It's hard to believe it's been nearly a month since I last posted. Needless to say the past several weeks have been crazy busy, which is why I have had little time so sit down long enough to process a thought, much less write about it. Somehow I have managed to do so today. Right here. Right now.

So here it is, two days after Thanksgiving with Christmas fast approaching, and as usual, my heart longs to make this season linger as long as possible. As much as I love Christmas and all the nostalgia and tradition that accompanies it, there is still a part of me that is saddened a little more every year as I realize that so much of how we celebrate the birth of Jesus really does very little to touch the heart of God. And as the objects of His deepest affection, isn't that what we should be about in everything we do ~ touching His heart?

There is nothing inherently wrong with buying (or making) and exchanging gifts, nor is there anything evil about the parties, cookie exchanges, school and church programs, and other festivities that we engage in to celebrate Christmas.

But as we spend hours standing in lines, baking cookies, and attending all the functions of the season, and while we are doling out hard-earned dollars for gifts, cards, and decorations, may we regain a sense of the purpose for which He came.

"...the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
       He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
       to proclaim freedom for the captives 

and release from darkness for the prisoners, 

  to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
       and the day of vengeance of our God,
       to comfort all who mourn,

  and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
       to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, 

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
       and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
       They will be called oaks of righteousness,
       a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor."

Isaiah 61:1-3

This is what touches the heart of God. This is why He came here in the first place. This is how we should celebrate His coming ~ to fulfill His purposes in our generation. His plans and purposes have not changed. They remain as they were in the beginning.

"But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, 

the purposes of His heart through all generations."

Psalm 33:11

Christmas Blessings

Tonight's Music from the Heart: Josh Groban - I'll Be Home For Christmas

It's Christmas Eve, and I'm at my brother's house, awaiting the arrival of my nephew, Tyler, who has just been released from the hospital. He was admitted last week with a staph infection. The details aren't important at the moment, but it all stems from a foot injury he incurred this past summer. We were initially told he would not be home for Christmas, but today we were surprised to learn that he will be.

We'll be starting soon, so I'll keep this post short. I'll write more soon about our Christmas. In the meantime, I'm wishing a Merry Christmas to one and all, and a very blessed time with those you hold dear. May the Lord abundantly bless you and yours, and may He wrap his love and protection around those who are spending Christmas in the hospital with loved ones who are ill or injured, those who are working away from home, and those who are serving our country in foreign lands defending our freedom.

Merry Christmas.

Love,
Rachael

Seasonal Craziness

What a week! I found myself several times wishing I had a few moments to sit down and gather my thoughts in such a way as to present them here, but it simply did not happen. Here's the condensed version of my week:

At the Office
In addition to diligently plowing through a huge mound of insurance applications that found their way to my desk in recent weeks, I spent a good deal of time assisting a co-worker prepare enrollment materials for a new client she recently acquired. Scheduling and prepping the monthly enrollment for a large client of ours and brainstorming with my coworkers on what to get the boss for Christmas rounded out the week.

Church Life
Tuesday night was our women's ministry's annual Christmas Ornament and Cookie Exchange. We had a great time, enjoyed lots of yummy holiday goodies, shared tons of cookies, and laughed a lot. If you can imagine 45 women in a white elephant-style ornament exchange, you can get a little glimpse of the antics that ensued. I had three ornaments "stolen" from me and ended up with a cute little painted metal Santa who feels right at home on my country themed tree. I brought home lots of yummy cookies, many of which have disappeared already, mostly into the belly of my chocolate-loving hubby.

After church yesterday, the Tribe of Judah (small vocal ensemble I lead) sang carols in the foyer as people were leaving. Caroling is one of my favorite things about this season.

Last night was the church Christmas Banquet, the theme of which was "I'll Be Home For Christmas." A pickup truck pulling a trailer greeted us in the parking lot and carried us around the block to the "barn" (other side of the building) where the party was being held. The fellowship hall was decked out like the inside of a barn, complete with a huge wooden frame from which were hung lanterns. On the stage, a country Christmas tree with popcorn garland, hay bales and baskets of apples. The catered dinner was yummy, and was served by the youth, who worked as waiters and waitresses for tips that will be used to help send them to the annual Desperation Conference in Colorado. The "entertainment" (designed to be nice and simple) was Mr. Bill Spilman (our resident Santa-favoring story-teller) reading the Christmas story from Luke 2. The children, who sat on the stage while Mr. Bill read the story, tried their best to be still and quiet, but sitting through the entire passage proved to be a little too much for some of the little angels, and they turned to entertaining themselves (and the rest of us) by carefully disassembling the apple baskets, distributing the fare to their friends, and picking apart the hay, tossing it into the air, and watching it land in the hair of the unsuspecting kids sitting in front of them. They ended the evening by singing "Silent Night". No grand holiday production could have been more memorable.

The River
We had two events this week to prepare for, the first of which was the blanket giveaway at Boardwalk apartments. We had been collecting fleece blankets to distribute to the residents of a local apartment complex that we have been working with. The Tribe of Judah caroled around the complex, and we handed out cookies and punch (we nixed the hot cocoa and cider when the day turned out to be unseasonably warm). Thanks to the generosity of those who gave, we had more than enough to give blankets to every child and baby, every single and every couple in the complex. We even had some left over, which will be given to residents of another apartment building (elderly disabled residents) where we hold a weekly Bible study. God is SO good!

Tonight is our River Christmas banquet. This will be a formal sit-down dinner, something our precious people don't get to experience very often, and we take great pleasure in serving them start to finish. The Tribe of Judah will be caroling table-to-table and providing some special music after dinner. Can't wait!

At Home
Most of my time at home was spent relaxing, wrapping gifts and being thankful for my husband, who has helped me with cooking, cleaning and shopping while me ankle continues to heal. He keeps making me sit down so he can take care of things. Yes, I know what a blessing I have in him, and yes, I am thankful beyond words.

So this was my week, having fun, working, and getting ready for a couple of River events. Believe it or not, in spite of the full schedule, there actually have been some precious moments when the Lord has spoke some very deep things to me this past week, one of the most powerful of which came from an unexpected source yesterday during the outreach at Boardwalk. God has a way of capturing our attention in ways unique if we are watching and listening.

Now and always, may we be like the wise men,
seeking Him with hearts filled with worship and wonder,
like the shepherds, whose fear was replaced with hope,
and like Mary, who pondered all these things in her heart.

Blessings in Disguise

Tonight's Music from the Heart: Kenny G - White Christmas

It's early December, and to celebrate the colder temperatures we are now experiencing, I played around a little with the camera this morning, donning woolly hat, gloves and scarf, all in an attempt to dress for the season.This evening I uploaded the pictures and played around a little more with various colors, soft edges and a host of other wonders of modern photo-editing software, and have selected a few "self-images" to share with you, dear friends and family. You can find the link, entitled "Just Messin' Around" in the photo gallery section on the left of the page.

The flip side of why I had so much time today to play around with this stuff is that I seriously sprained my ankle and foot Monday and am operating with limited mobility for at least a week. Ugh.

Ace bandages & crutches aren't exactly my idea of a festive holiday season, but I have chosen to accept this temporary slow-down as a blessing in disguise, as it has necessitated a slow-down of my busy-ness for a little while. This slow-down,while not on my calendar, is a welcome reprieve from the craziness that I tend to surround myself with if I'm not careful. Truth be told, I have actually enjoyed the opportunity to delve a little into a creative project, something I don't make enough time for these days.

So, no deep profound thoughts this evening. Only a gentle reminder to take a few moments each day to savor the season, especially the moments that kinda sneak up on you unexpectedly, and look for the little blessings nestled inside those unplanned interruptions.

Happy December!

Rachael

Pumpkin Pie, Twinkle Lights & Peace

It's been ten days since my last post, and what a ten days it has been. Thanksgiving came and went, and we had a full table with friends from church who joined us for dinner. We ate too much, tried to justify it with a walk around the neighborhood, then came back and stayed up too late talking over pumpkin and cherry pie. All in all, it was a wonderful evening that I would not trade.

As is my usual tradition since David and I were married, I used the long weekend to put the tree up and decorate the house for Christmas. I have this secret love affair with little twinkling lights, and to me, the more the merrier. I have placed white lights in the kitchen (laid on top of the cabinets so they create a soft glow near the ceiling), in the dining room (draped on the baker's rack to help illuminate the nativity scene that now resides on the shelf), and all over the tree, where they are joined by a couple of strands of multicolored lights. I still have a couple more places to put them (living room on top of the entertainment center) and in the office window (the only window in our house that faces the street). As I said, the more the merrier.

It's been a rather relaxing weekend overall, having no particular schedule to adhere to and not being one to take part in the black Friday craziness that has permeated our culture. I did do a little shopping, mostly online, the rest as I stumbled upon a few gifts items while I was picking up more decorations for the house. David and I watched a lot of Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel and ate Thanksgiving leftovers. Relaxation reigned in our house this weekend.

This morning at church, Craig had several couples and individuals share what they were thankful for this year, and almost invariably, despite whatever difficult circumstances, hardships or losses they were introduced to this past year, the underlying theme was peace. Peace in the face of uncertain economic times, serious illness, loss of loved ones, and other unnamed personal struggles. We are a people thankful for God's peace.

Regardless of what we face as individuals, families, communities, or as a nation, let us all be thankful for the sweet peace that we enjoy day after day, moment by moment. For tonight's music from the heart, I am leaving Rachael Lampa's Blessed up a little longer. The lyrics are simple and powerful at the same time, as is the peace that we are so blessed with.

As we run full-speed ahead into this holiday season, please remember to take a few moments daily to be thankful for the simple things, for little daily blessings, and for the most precious gift we received two-thousand years ago when the Prince of Peace arrived on the scene and changed everything.

"The God of peace be with you all.
Amen."
Romans 15:33

Ten Things I'm Thankful For

Tonight's Music from the Heart: Rachael Lampa - Blessed

With Thanksgiving being a week away, our thoughts are turned, naturally, to all the things that the holiday has come mean in our fast-paced modern culture; things like The Dinner (planning, shopping, cooking), travel, decorating, a few days off of work and school, and of course - Black Friday.

Well, indulge me, if you will, as I rebel against the modern interpretation of Thanksgiving and construct a short list of just some of the things for which I am truly thankful, and encourage you to do the same.

Here they are, just a few of the things I am thankful for:

(1) The priceless gift of Jesus' ultimate sacrifice, making it possible for me to embrace a rich and personal relationship with the Creator of all.

(2) My husband, David, the man who pursued and captured my heart and now shares my life and is the object of my love and affection.

(3) A safe, warm house to come home to in a world that is cold in more ways than one.

(4) Every moment with the people I love.

(5) Memories that live on long after the people in them have passed through or passed on.

(6) Laughter.

(7) Music.

(8) Friends who know me well and love me anyway.

(9) Babies.

(10) Parents and grandparents who taught me to give generously, receive graciously, hug often, laugh heartily, and love deeply.

What are ten things for
which you are truly thankful?