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Posted on December 28, 2019 by beverlyeash

Today would have been my mom and dad’s 68th wedding anniversary. My dad passed from this life into his eternal home in September of 2009. I still miss him and his stubborn ways. But one thing that lives on is his commitment to family and faith. I cannot thank him enough for his stubbornness in making sure we were immersed in truth and his love for family. Thank you, Mom and Dad!

The day after (Christmas) turned out to be a real bummer for me. I woke up not feeling well and the longer I was up, the worse I felt. I spent the day on the couch under my weighted blanket, watching hours of Hallmark Christmas movies.

The next day, four more family members had the same thing, crawling from bed to bathroom and back again. It always makes me appreciate health when I get sick.

As I recovered, I found another movie to watch. This time I chose “Heaven is for Real.” I read the book a few years ago, but it was inspiring to watch this account of a little boy’s interaction with Jesus.

After my dad passed away, I struggled. One afternoon soon after his death, I was driving and thinking about Dad and heaven and I found myself wondering, “What if this is all just a big joke? Where is Dad now?”

As quickly as I thought it, I “heard” a voice say to me, “If it weren’t so, I would have told you. But I am going to prepare a place for you…and I will come back and take you to be with me there.”

If you are familiar with scripture, these are Jesus’ words to the disciples in John 14. As I listened to the words replay in my mind, I immediately felt peace that I cannot describe. I knew in that moment that heaven is real. My dad is there with Jesus and the angels and all the others that have gone on before me.

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going… I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. ”

John 14:1-6

May the words of Jesus comfort and bring you peace in whatever you are experiencing today!

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Posted on December 27, 2019 by beverlyeash

Henri J.M. Nouwen wrote a beautiful book entitled “Life of the Beloved.” A short and valuable read, it explores the possibility of spiritual living in a secular world.

During Advent, I read Nouwen’s Advent devotional. The entry for Day 21 was entitled, “Belovedness Belongs to All.” I was challenged to see not only myself, but all people as the beloved of God.

A day or so later, I was at the mall. Crowded with last minute shoppers, there were plenty of people to observe. As too often happens, I made instant observations (hear “judgments”) about the people I encountered. “Nice hair.” “Weird outfit.” “Too thin.” “Too fat.” “Good parent.” “Bad parent.” And on it went.

As I walked out of Macy’s, I stopped the chatter in my brain and really noticed several people coming in and intentionally thought, “She is the beloved of God.” “He is the beloved of God.”

You know what it did? It leveled the playing field. You see, when I allow myself to make instantaneous judgments about others, even unconsciously, I elevate someone – either me or the other person. Essentially, I am saying I am better than or worse than what I am seeing. When in reality, we are all the same. We are all the beloved of God.

As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”

Mark 1:10-11

As children of God, brothers and sister of Christ, we are the beloved of God. We don’t earn it and we certainly don’t deserve it. But it is what we are.

Try it – make your mantra today this simple phrase:

I am the beloved of God. And so are they!

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Posted on December 26, 2019 by beverlyeash

The day after…it can be a let down. Gifts given and received, special dinners prepared and eaten, toasts made, games played, movies watched. The house is quiet and you are alone with your thoughts.

And me, because you are reading this blog. It reminds me of a baking snafu my daughter had a couple days ago. She set out to make cinnamon rolls. Wanting a recipe that was no fail, she searched the internet, coming up with a quick, easy no yeast version of this delightful treat.

She mixed, rolled, baked and frosted her creation. Sampling them, the product seemed a little salty. And then she discovered the mixture she thought was cinnamon and sugar was actually her husband’s mixture of cinnamon, sugar AND salt he uses to rim the glass for an apple cider margarita.

She anticipated enjoying a fluffy, ooey, gooey yeast cinnamon roll hot from the oven. Her reality was a biscuit type creation, a bit on the salty side.

Holidays can feel like that – the experience doesn’t always match the expectation. And even when the experience is really good, coming down from that holiday high can be disappointing. Here is an activity to help put things in perspective again. Take a few minutes to review your holiday and find at least three things for which you can be grateful. Then think on those things.

Read: Philippians 4:4-8

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 

Philippians 4:8

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Posted on December 25, 2019 by beverlyeash

Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com

Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger”…

…The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

Luke 2:9-12, 20

May the reality of the Incarnation of Christ be as real to you today as it was to the shepherds so many years ago. I pray that you allow Him to be all that he truly is and wants to be in your life both now and in the coming year!

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Posted on December 24, 2019 by beverlyeash

Advent Day 24: Read: Luke 24

It was many years ago, a lifetime it seems. I struggled under the heavy burden of religious obligation. Weary and tired, like a candle flickering before it is extinguished, I nearly collapsed under the weight. And then I read this scripture:

“Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, who pleases me. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not fight or shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious. And his name will be the hope of all the world.”

Matthew 12:18-20

I remember reading this passage like it was yesterday. My heart and soul gave a little leap and my eyes turned upward. He wasn’t going to leave me stranded. It wasn’t his idea that I be broken or snuffed out. He gently steadied me, supported my weak knees and protected the flame of my life so I might burn bright again. He is my hope!

Jesus truly is the hope of the nations. His life and death, while not what the religious people expected, set us free from the constraints of sin and the punishment of death. Go ahead! Do a little twirl! Jump and shout! He is our hope!

Congratulations to all those who took on the Advent challenge to read the entire book of Luke in the last 24 days! I would love to hear what you gleaned from this reading of the Gospel of Luke.

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Posted on December 23, 2019 by beverlyeash

Day 23 of Advent: Read: Luke 23

The reading today feels dark and devoid of hope. Jesus is put on trial with the entire religious community yelling for his crucifixion. The scoundrel, Barrabas, is released instead. Can the world get much darker than this? The One who ignited hope, who proclaimed the Good News, who announced the kingdom of God – is led away by ruthless men.

I can feel the hopelessness his followers experienced. Questions raged. Fear threatened. Hope vanished. And yet…

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.

Isaiah 9:2

Your way may seem dark and hopeless right now, but the light is here (Luke 2:32). The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot extinguish the light (John 1:5).

“And I still dare to hope when I remember this:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”

Lamentations 3:21-24

It’s okay. Everything is going to be all right. Turn your eyes toward heaven and declare that the Lord is your HOPE!

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Posted on December 22, 2019 by beverlyeash

Advent Day 22: Read: Luke 22

Today’ reading is heavy. The final days of Jesus begin with the Passover celebration with his disciples followed by his arrest and trial.

Jesus warns of the impending events, but Peter quickly replies he is willing to go to prison and even die, if necessary. Jesus gently informs Peter that he will deny even knowing him three times before morning.

I understand Peter’s bravado. I fear I would have done the same thing, including denying that I even know Jesus. Perhaps Peter’s mistake was not seeing within himself the good and the bad.

We are a bundle of dichotomies. I am good and bad. I am honest and deceptive. I am brave and cowardly. I am strong and weak. It is when we refuse to see these differences that we open ourselves up to failure.

Peter did not see himself capable of denying Jesus until it already happened. It could be that if he entertained the possibility of doing, so the outcome would have been different.

Jesus’ words to the disciples when he went to the garden to pray are, perhaps, the key:

Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”

Luke 22:39-40

Accepting my humanness and knowing I need help doing the good thing, I bend my knees and bow my head to the One who can strengthen me. I invite you to do the same.

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Posted on December 21, 2019 by beverlyeash

Advent Day 21: Read: Luke 21

Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory!

Luke 21:27

Advent: the arrival of a notable person or event

We wait, not for a tiny baby to be born, but for the victorious Jesus to return with power and great glory.

Are you ready for his return?

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Posted on December 20, 2019 by beverlyeash

Advent Day 20: Read: Luke 20

Already it is Day 20 of Advent. Congratulations to those who persevered through the reading of Luke. It has been rewarding for me to take time daily preparing for the coming of Jesus.

Today the word that comes to me after reading the chapter is OPPOSITION. The religious leaders continue to badger Jesus, even sending in spies to try and trap him in what he says (verses 20-26). But Jesus prevails. He continues to turn their questions around while warning his followers of the religious leaders’ hypocrisy.

You see, the religious people had a very narrow view of what the Messiah would do when he came. Jesus did not fit in their paradigm, even though scripture clearly pointed to him. (I can say that because I live on this side of the events in scripture.)

I ask myself – who am I expecting to come as I wait for the Messiah to return? Is the one I expect still a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in the manger? Is he the man who traveled around Israel announcing the kingdom of God is here, is coming, is already among you, is not yet? Or is the one I expect something else entirely?

Jesus won’t come as a baby the second time. He won’t be the historical Jesus we read about in the gospels. So, who will he be?

He will be the victorious Christ, coming on the clouds, with victory and honor in his hands. He will be more, much more than I can imagine. He will be the one that every knee will bow to acknowledge, every tongue will speak to confess he is Lord!

I want to celebrate the coming of Jesus as a baby. But I don’t want to leave him there. I want to see him as he is – the conqueror of sin and death; the victorious, risen Lord, my intercessor, my friend.

How do you see Jesus? Are you celebrating the baby or the risen Christ? What gets in the way of seeing him as he is now?

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Posted on December 19, 2019 by beverlyeash

Advent Day 19: Read: Luke 19

Is what you see in the mirror an accurate reflection of who you are?

This chapter begins with Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus. He is a tax collector, despised by other Jews because he worked for the Romans. Jesus goes to his house for dinner anyway. The Pharisees and religious people say he is a “notorious sinner.” Jesus says he is a “true son of Abraham.”

Richard Rohr in “Preparing for Christmas: Daily Meditations for Advent” says it like this: “I always say that I will take God’s kind judgment of me any day over my usually harsh judgment of myself. I will take God’s image of me any day, which is always patient and merciful, over my neighbor’s rashly formed image of me. God always sees his son, Jesus, in me, and cannot not love him! (see John 17:22-23). This is a solid and enduring self-image–no up and down anymore.”

Who or what is defining your self-image today? God’s words about you or the world’s crushing words about you?

No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God.

John 5:44

I needed to hear this today! Thanks for letting me be a part of your day in this way!

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