Friday, December 21, 2012

It Is Well With My Soul!

 
 
 
A week ago today the horrible shootings in Connecticut shocked and saddened our nation. Most of us had a hard time even imagining the despair that family members of the victims must be feeling as they lay their beautiful children to rest. Many times through this week I have heard “where is God” in this horror. There are no easy answers to that question except I know He is still God. I know that His heart broke as well to see such evil perpetrated against such innocence. This story and this hymn came to my mind this morning as I thought of the deep pain inflicted upon these families.



This hymn was written by a Chicago lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford. You might think to write a worship song titled, 'It is well with my soul', you would indeed have to be a rich, successful Chicago lawyer. But the words, "When sorrows like sea billows roll ... It is well with my soul”, were not written during the happiest period of Spafford's life. On the contrary, they came from a man who had suffered almost unimaginable personal tragedy.



 
Horatio G. Spafford and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known in 1860’s Chicago. And this was not just because of Horatio's legal career and business endeavors. The Spaffords were also prominent supporters and close friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, however, things started to go wrong. The Spaffords' only son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio
had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.

Aware of the toll that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four daughters on a holiday to England. And, not only did they need the rest -- DL Moody needed the help. He was traveling around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns. Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in late 1873. And so, the Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French steamer 'Ville de Havre' across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned. He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford
returned West to Chicago. Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read: "Saved alone." On November 2nd 1873, the 'Ville de Havre' had collided with 'The Lochearn', an English vessel. It sank in only 12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford had stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters
Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her. Her last memory had been of her baby being torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up. When the survivors of the wreck had been rescued, Mrs. Spafford's first reaction was one of complete despair. Then she heard a voice speak to her,
"You were spared for a purpose." And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, "It's easy to be grateful and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."

Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father's voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. "A careful reckoning has been made", he said, "and I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep." Horatio then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.
The words which Spafford wrote that day come from 2 Kings 4:26. They echo the response of the Shunammite woman to the sudden death of her only child. Though we are told "her soul is vexed within her", she still maintains that 'It is well." And Spafford's song reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is as unwavering as hers was. It would be very difficult for any of us to predict how we would react under circumstances similar to those
experienced by the Spaffords. But we do know that the God who sustained them would also be with us.

No matter what circumstances overtake us may we be able to say with Horatio Spafford...

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul!
It is well ... with my soul!
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
 
 
May these family be comforted by His grace and goodness during this horrible time.  May they someday be able to say "It is well with my soul"!
 
 

Thursday, December 20, 2012

"A Long Distance"

My Grandma Camp
 
 
An African boy listened carefully as his teacher explained why Christians give presents to each other on Christmas day. “The gift is an expression of our joy over the birth of Jesus and our friendship for each other,” she said. When Christmas day came, the boy brought to the teacher a seashell of lustrous beauty. “Where did you ever find such a beautiful shell?” the teacher asked as she gently fingered the gift.  The youth told her that there was only one spot where such extraordinary shells could be found. When he named the place, a certain bay several miles away, the teacher was left speechless.  “Why…why, it’s gorgeous…wonderful, but you shouldn’t have gone all that way to get a gift for me.”
His eyes brightening, the boy answered, “Long walk part of gift.”

I read this sweet little story in a devotion from "Girlfriends in God" today and had to share it. 
 
 
In the devotion, a question was asked, "Have you ever received a gift that was a sacrifice for the giver? My mind went to my Grandma, who made very little money but managed to give everyone in her family a gift for Christmas. She spent hours making things for gifts or would take from her meager earnings to buy a pair of socks, gloves or a pretty scarf. Each gift was wrapped in love and, as in the story above, the "Long walk was part of the gift"!


And then of course, when we think of coming a long distance we must always think of the Christ child who left heaven to be the gift of salvation. Like any gift, it is free, but this gift came with great sacrifice.   His death on the cross!

He stands today with outstretched arms, bidding all who will, to take His gift! His eyes brightening, He says "Long walk part of gift"!
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Monday, December 17, 2012

I Heard The Bells

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day!

"I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!"

I have heard this song many times without knowing it's author or the story behind the words. The entries into a journal was penned during the Civil War era and after a tragic fire took Longfellow's wife.

 The year after Fanny's death he wrote in his journal "a Merry Christmas say the children, but that is no more for me.". By the next Christmas his oldest child Charles was severely wounded in the horrible war between the states. The Christmas of that year, 1863, Longfellow made no entry into his journal, thinking it was better to keep silent.  It was Christmas day of 1864 that he wrote the words we now sing.

I am reminded today, of the horrific tragedy in Connecticut that took place a year ago, and of those who would say, with the next to last stanza, "and in despair I bow my head", declaring that death does not take a holiday. Hardships do not lessen and in our midst there are those who hurt so badly they proclaim with Longfellow, "There is no peace on earth, for hate is strong and mocks the song, of peace on earth good will to men". My heart is encouraged by the last stanza which proclaims "God is not dead nor does he sleep" "the wrong shall fail, the right prevail with peace on earth good will to men!"

Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep" (Psalm 121:4).

Lord, give peace to the broken hearted, give rest to the weary because I know you care about those who hurt today! Amen!

Sent from Jeanie!













Monday, December 10, 2012

GREAT WITH CHILD!




In December of 1979 I was feeling every syllable of "GREAT WITH CHILD"! I was slightly overdue with my fifth child and longing for this baby to finally be born. I read with great empathy the story told of the birth of Jesus. I could feel each bump that Mary, the mother of our Savor, felt as she rode along on the back of the donkey, on her way to be registered for a census. I just knew that her ankles were swollen as they dangled at the sides of little donkey. I could hear the urgency in her voice as, for the hundredth time she begged Joseph to stop long enough for her to get some RELIEF! I knew she felt every mile of their eighty mile trip to Bethlehem.

But every mile and everyday brought her closer to the much anticipated birth of this child she carried. No amount of misery could diminish the joy of this glorious thought for Mary or me, for that matter.


Mary's day came in a stable in Bethlehem because there was no room for them in the Inn. Her son Jesus our Savior was born and she lay Him in a manger. She forgot the miseries of the eighty mile trip she had just been on, she forgot the pain of birth and even forgot about the smell of the stable. She remembered the Angel telling her that her son would be the Messiah but for this night He was her beloved baby boy and the bible says she pondered all these things.

My day came December 10, 1979 when my sweet baby girl, Melinda Jill was born. The pure joy of that occasion made me forget those last few weeks and the miseries of pregnancy. The soft coo of my sweet baby girl brought sheer contentment! She was my joy! That day, as today, I ponder all these things.

Happy Birthday Mendy Jill!


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Friday, December 7, 2012

Gabriel's News To Poor Ole Zack!

John baptising Jesus

I love the story of John the Baptist, especially as I grow older and can appreciate this dear couple, Zacharias and Elizabeth, who the bible says were of advanced age. The angel of the Lord said to Zacharias, “Your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son”. Do you think that maybe ole Zack wanted to say, “did my mail get lost I sent that petition 40 years ago, when Elizabeth and I were young!”? He finally did get up enough courage to remind the angel that he and his wife were advanced in years and he wasn’t certain how all this could happen. Did you ever ask God for something only to come back to Him with a “I’m not certain how this will all happen?” The angel, Gabriel did not take kindly to this question as scripture points out. Zacharias was immediately unable to speak because he did not believe this “one” who, in no uncertain terms, told Zacharias that he was from God and this was the “good news” God himself has sent to him. I wonder sometimes if Zacharias was unable to speak because the angel knew that his muteness might keep him from having to explain to Elizabeth that she was soon to be pregnant at her age.
If Zacharias did get up the courage to warn Elizabeth by writing on a tablet, I hope he told her everything the angel said. “You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at this birth”. And how about, “he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb”. And get this…. the angel shared that her son would be the forerunner to the long awaited Messiah! What assurance was given that day to the sovereignty of God.

"And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. "It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
Luke 1:16-17

Six months later, an angel tells Mary that she will become pregnant even though she is a virgin. He tells the bewildered Mary that her cousin Elizabeth who has been barren all of her life is with child in her old age. Then the angel told Mary something that we today can still claim, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD!
I could almost “shout” with the way the hand of God reaches down into common everyday lives to do His will in the lives of His people. Are you always certain as to how it will all happen?
Not only was this promise for Mary, but is also meant for us today “Nothing is impossible with God! NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD! NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD!  This is the GOOD NEWS God Himself sends us today!




Wednesday, December 5, 2012

The Visitors Book


Kellan's light show!



Each year, sometime during the Christmas season, we would make our annual visit to an old farm house that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. At dark we would put the kids in the car and head out into the country, down winding dark roads and directed only by my husband’s memory of how we got there last year. Finally, we would begin to see a glow in the sky that always meant we were close to our destination. The couple who owned the house in the country would put out thousands of lights (there was always a sign that said how many) that brought people from miles around. It was an unofficial "Festival of Lights" that thrilled all who took time to visit.

After driving around the glittering display we were welcomed into the old house for cider and hospitality. We always had to sign the visitors book that lay on it’s special table and the couple would always rush over and bring attention to those who had traveled for miles to see their special Christmas lights. They would nearly burst with pride when someone from across the country would find their way to sign their visitor book. One signature I remember them being especially proud of was from London, England.

Though this sight was a delightful array of everything Christmas, it could never compare to what the shepherds beheld that night so long ago, when the sky lit up as if it were day with angels singing and praising God. Can you imagine what the poor shepherds must have thought? In fact the bible says they were frightened but the angels were sure to comfort this straggly bunch by saying "Fear not!".

But the angel said to the, "
Do not be afraid ; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people ; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." Luke 2:10-14

Can you imagine the size of the visitors book the shepherds would have needed to hold all the signatures of all the heavenly hosts that showed up for this light show? Can you see Gabriel’s name there written boldly and in the address column would be written “Heaven”? Quite a distance to come for these visitors, I would say.

The bible says they were all praising God and saying “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men…..! What a sight that must have been for the poor shepherds, the least among men. But isn’t that just like God to show up in undeserving lives like yours and mine?  What hope and joy the shepherds beheld in this heavenly light show! What an overwhelming blessing for them, of all people, to later behold the baby Jesus lying in a manger just as the angels had said.

Glory to God in the highest and on earth Peace among men!  Amen

 

Sunday, December 2, 2012

A Lesson Atop An Illinois Grain Bin


I got up today as usual before the sun came up, but as I read my bible and prayed, I looked across the field, at a cross that was lit on Thanksgiving evening, an annual event. I was taken by the stark contrast between the barren field and the warm light that sits atop a grain bin., (How Illinois is that?) and to me it was a beautiful reminder that I should not to lose sight of the cross during this Christmas Season, not even as we sing Silent Night and think of the little baby, sleeping in the manger.

I, like many people, display my treasured Nativity in it’s appropriate place each year. I wonder as I look at the familiar porcelain characters, what the real characters thought about as God’s plan unfolded. I imagine they were surprised at this activity that surrounded the birth of Jesus. They must have been bewildered at the hustle and bustle of the shepherds coming in and out, and at the wise men crowding into the little stable. What went through their mind as men begged for just a glimpse at the child that lay in Mary’s arms.

Though Mary and Joseph knew God’s plan in part, they like us at this Christmas season, most likely did not look past the activity of this hectic time, to the cross, that lay on the horizon for this dear child, who slept before them. But without the cross, the shepherds got the message wrong, the wise men were looking at the wrong star and you and I would still be lost in our sin.

In a short time this cross that sits atop the corn bin will shut off until darkness comes again, when once again the dark barren land will be illuminated by the light from the cross. I thank God that one day a baby that was Christ the Lord came into our world and that He brought light to my barren soul through an old rugged cross.

And
an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid ; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people ; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:9-11