Whether it’s in a flurry of family joy or a day of quiet, cold calm, my prayer for you on this day is that you would experience deep connection to the faith that calls you to rest, the hope that calls you to aspire, and the love that calls you to serve.
I pray that in believing you find an abiding place for your anxious or distracted thoughts. A place to believe that God is still good, and that the riches of His grace are forever inexhaustible.
I pray that in the midst of your uncertainties and insecurities, your fatigue and your failures, you find your way back to the Still, Small Voice.
With the passing of another year of joy mixed with sorrow, clarity colliding with uncertainty, and satisfaction dancing with longing, I pray that you would know in beautiful new ways how grace works.
I pray that you would find delight in being chosen by a Heavenly Father for a plan no less significant than Mary or Joseph, and that you would discover this year what the continuous unfolding of that plan can mean personally.
I pray that you would find the personal care of a God who orders your steps and is far more aware of the details of our lives than you or I could recognize.
I pray that in the trials and struggles that await in the coming year, you will find that Patient Friend who sticks closer than a brother and makes intercession for you at that right hand of the Father ever and always.
As the curtain descends on another year and we pause to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, my prayer is that we can discover in new and meaningful ways how the coming of Jesus all those years ago can speak to you and I still today…
I pray the experience of Anna, the prayer warrior widow in the Temple, will remind you that regardless of your outward circumstances, you are never, ever alone.
I pray that the calculations and seeking of those astrologers from the East will alert you to miracles and possibilities that may be available to you beyond what you ever may think or expect.
As the night falls on another Christmas and you face a new
year, my prayer for you is that in your waiting, working, and worship you’re
drawn afresh to the abundant life and fulfilled purpose we’re all seeking.
I pray that regardless of the challenges or hardships you
may face or the mountains you may climb, you will live with the expectancy that
the breakthrough you await is getting here soon.
I pray that your sorrows and losses will point you to the healing
and joy that comes from knowing the steadfast, ceaseless love of the Lord as
you draw closer to Him.
I pray that your limitations, that others may use as excuses,
point you instead to a Christ whose strength is made perfect in your weakness
and His grace.
I pray that the birth of Jesus is a reminder to you of the faithfulness
of God to swaddle His message of love in an intimate language you and I can
understand.
I pray that this Christmas will remind you of the blessings God
has shown you through the years and that His goodness will inspire new
dimensions of gratitude and draw your heart to want Him more.
In all the buying and giving and receiving this Christmas, I
pray your soul awakens to your Pearl of Great Price, who offers beauty for your
ashes, and for your spirit of heaviness He offers a garment of praise to adorn
you.
In the fatigue of the busyness and the grind of the
schedule, I pray that “peace on earth, good will toward men” is more than a
phrase or song – that in Him that’s something you see for yourself.
Finally, in those seasons when you feel most alone, I pray
that you would find in Him that the nearness of God is your good, and that the promise
of Emmanuel – “God with us” – isn’t just for the world… it’s up close and
personal for you as well.
As the stillness of a silent night gives way to the glory of Christmas dawn, I pray for you this year that the message of the coming of Jesus into this world would speak peace and delight to your longing for life.
I pray that the Birth that continues to bring joy to the world would give birth to new joys and gratitude in your own life and your family.
I pray that you would find in a little town of Bethlehem the heart of a Heavenly Father who was willing to find an answer for your sin and sorrow because of His yearning for you. [click to continue…]
As the joy of expectancy greets the heart’s nostalgia for days and lives gone by this Christmas, I pray that you would experience a fresh encounter with a God powerful enough to whisper His truth in a still, small voice.
I pray that He would manifest His presence in ways that bring new clarity of vision and enflamed imagination for the exploits you and I can do.
I pray that the joy of your salvation would fill you to overflowing as you are conformed daily into the image of Christ and learn to patiently wait on Him. [click to continue…]
(The 12 Pathways to Christmas, Part 11 – The Way of Connection)
(This is a reprint from a previous post and a chapter in my book The Twelve Pathways to Christmas. See below for how you can purchase the book and help support missions.)
“I have connecting gate information here!”
Amber Amari knew something about making connections. And no place connected more people and destinations than Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
“Dallas/Ft Worth? A33. Richmond? Gate B10.”
Amber had the printout for Delta Flight 2943, inbound from Newark, as she stood at Gate A5. But she hardly had to refer to it. She had a remarkable gift for remembering the complex array of gates, times, and final destinations of her assigned passenger manifests.
“Oklahoma City is B14… You’re welcome, sir – Merry Christmas to you, too.”
Everyone else on 2943 was a connection-in-waiting. But today Amber had a special assignment. The last passenger to deplane – six-year-old Bradi Russo – would be her companion for the day.
“Charlotte? B8.”
Amber was something of a specialist in making connections. And nowhere did the 27-year-old Red Coat’s gifts shine more than in unique, delicate situations.
Bradi Russo was a unique situation.
And as the tentative little girl took the hand of the flight attendant and walked toward the gate, it was good to know, Amber Amari understood the concept of delicate. [click to continue…]
The Twelve Pathways to Christmas, Chapter 7: The Way of Warfare
(This is a reprint from a previous post and a chapter in my book The Twelve Pathways to Christmas. See below for how you can purchase the book and help support missions.)
December 23
The first thing Ryan Fisher felt when he awakened was an obnoxious cold wind, pelting his face with sleet. The searing pain coursing down his legs and across his chest further aroused him. Opening his eyes, he saw movement outside, but the angle of his SUV in the ditch made it difficult to tell what was happening. One thing was sure – the distant siren and flashing lights were for him.
Another thing became certain pretty quickly. Assuming he lived, Ryan Fisher would spend Christmas alone. There’d be no plane to catch, and nobody boarding a plane back to Birmingham. Not in this storm.
It was the end of the day from hell, punctuating the week from hell, capping off the year from hell. And now, freezing and in shock, Ryan Fisher closed a mental door. He was done. [click to continue…]
As your heart gathers around memories of Christmases past and delights of Christmas present, as the busyness and stillness collide in something called “holiday,” I pray that like all those involved in the first Christmas, this would be a day of wonder for you.
I pray you would embrace joyfully the beauty of mystery – knowing that the mysterious is a cousin to the miraculous – and you are gloriously free from being able to explain everything in 140 characters or having to control any and every outcome. [click to continue…]
This photo from December 2013 – People scatter rose pedals during an interfaith graveside memorial service.in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Suppose you were hosting an event for a crowd north of 1,400 people. Where would you have it?
That’s a pretty serious venue. Unless your name is something like Biltmore, you can probably scratch the back yard or dining room off the list. But hey, your local hotel ballroom may fit the bill. Depending on the nature of the event, a few church houses or large theaters or auditoriums would work.
When was the last time you were part of a crowd that big? I was there a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve got to tell you, it was noticeable. Parking was a bit of a challenge. The venue was a little crowded. The energy was palpable. Lots of noise and excitement.
And no, I’m not referring to a Black Friday sale at Walmart.
But I want to tell you about a different kind of assembly. One where 1,430 people came together and hardly anyone noticed. Parking wasn’t a problem. Noise wasn’t an issue. In fact, all was deathly(!) quiet, at a venue that was shockingly small.
