How I Prepare for New Year with God

How To Prepare for a New Year with God 

1. Fortify with coffee. Lots of it. You just finished Christmas and you’re gonna need your strength. So pop in a Kcup (white chocolate macadamia is my all time fave) or brew a pot of Folgers. It doesn’t matter what you do just get hydrated. With coffee. Or tea. Or hot chocolate. 
2. Spend some time in peace and quiet. This may mean you have to barricade yourself in the bathroom with all the water running. Trust me. Do this. It’s worth the higher water bill. Take some deep breaths, inhale deeply, (bonus points if you have some delicious air to breathe… a diffuser with Peace and Calming, or a BBW candle… whatever relaxes you) Exhale fully (you’d be shocked at how few mommas do this.Seriously. DEFLATE your lungs until they scream. It’s awesome and makes you appreciate oxygen) 
3. Get cozy with your bible ( If it’s old school then cool… highlight and underline. If it’s on your iPad or phone, that’s cool… highlight and make notes) Concentrate on a small section of scripture and REALLY meditate on it. And yes. “Jesus wept” counts. Those two words from Scripture are FULL of meaning and depth. I focus on a  small portion and I usually write it down, and then ask the Lord to show me how it applies to my life. You’d be AMAZED at what He will reveal to you! 
4. Make more coffee. Because by now you’ve had multiple notes slipped to you under the bathroom door, you’ve been texted a zillion times, and someone is yelling MOMMMMMM or HONNNNNEEEEYYYY at least 23968939 times. But hopefully you’ve gotten some time with Jesus and learned to actually breathe again. 
5. Get your praise on. Crank some Hillsong, Jesus Culture, or … if you’re inclined…. Gaithers  ( I mean whatever worship music makes you cry or makes you laugh with joy or gets you fired up) Your kids may look at you like you are crazy. This is ok. They need to see PURE worship sometimes. For me, there have been times when I’m laid out on the floor sobbing. Other times I’m doing some sort of awkward warrior dance and others I’m just arms up, abandoned….. THIS IS OK FOR YOUR KIDS TO SEE. Too many worship teams are so polished and perfect we never get to see someone truly worshipping abandoned to God, surrendered. WORSHIP is a battle cry. I can’t tell you how many battles have been won while worshipping. Sometimes just playing the same song on the piano and singing until I felt a break spiritually… it’s awesome. God is going to give you a word. But you may have to battle for it. The enemy will hinder this at any cost. So GET. YOUR. PRAISE. ON. 
6. Pray without ceasing. Pray at the grocery store. Pray in the bathroom. Pray while you’re cleaning. Pray while you’re rocking feverish babies. Pray pray pray. Surrender YOUR plans and expectations, don’t tell God your word and expect Him to bless it. ASK HIM FOR YOUR WORD and then EXPECT HIM TO FULFILL IT. If you are a New Years Eve person then either in the moments before the ball drops, or maybe in the aftermath… whatever works for you, let God know that you love Him. He knows but desires to hear it. Lay your life on the altar spiritually and ask Him to burn off the impurities and to refine you. Truly surrender to Him and ask Him to reveal to you His word and promises over you. Get your bible back out. Seek Him. It might take a long time. It might come immediately. But when you seek God, He is faithful to respond.  
7. Don’t just seek Him once a year. As much as you can, make it a regular habit. I have a sweet momma friend that wakes up WAY early and seeks Him. Another stays up way late to spend time with Him. Mine are all teenagers so it’s easier for me to just shut my bedroom door, but I’m also a HUGE advocate for letting your kids see you worship, pray, and seek the Lord. He knows your heart. And He will speak to you whether you’re locked in a bathroom, laid out on the floor, or juggling babies. 

So. This is my method for seeking God for the New Year. It’s not cookie cutter or the RIGHT way. It’s just my way. Do what works for you. The most important thing is that you are seeking Him. 

Happy New Year! 

New Year's Planning and Prayer

A new year is almost here. The days between Christmas and New Years are very meaningful to me. It’s a season of deep reflection, of prayer, and seeking the Lord for HIs will for the upcoming year. Each year our family gathers with our best friends and we usher in the New Year with prayer. We play games and have lots of fun, but as the clock indicates the ending of one year and the beginning of another, we gather and pray over one another. Another dimension to our family New Year traditions is that we pray for a Word from the Lord that we essentially set as our motto for the year. Sometimes we each have an individual Word, sometimes it is for the family. Sometimes it is one word, and others it’s a scripture or a phrase. One year I received the word BRAVE. That year my oldest daughter went to college. There were many opportunities for the Lord to teach me what it means to be brave. It was the year that the spirit of fear that had dominated my life was broken and I was able to enter more fully in to what God has called me to. It was awesome. Last year, JOY was my personal word. For a few years I’ve battled depression, anger, and negativity. The Lord promised JOY to me for this year and it has been one of the years of greatest sorrow in my life, largely due in part to the fire but also because of family dynamics. There were times that it was hard to see how or why the Lord gave me that word. However, He has shown me gently that HIS JOY can be found in the midst of any circumstance. Joy is found in His Presence. He has graciously shown me opportunity to recognize His Presence and be JOYFUL no matter what is going on around me. It’s been a battle at times, but I will continue to battle so that I can enjoy the fullness of His promise of Joy. Zach received a Word for our family and that was FULFILLMENT. In this year God has revealed that to us in so many ways. In March we were asked to consider coming back to our hometown to pastor the church that our friends the McQueens started. It is the church my husband was baptized in, and one that we served as youth pastors at for four years before moving to Redwood Valley. To return as senior pastors was  huge part of FULFILLMENT. Zach also was licensed as an Assemblies of God minister this year which has been a HUGE fulfillment after serving in full time ministry for over 20 years. Then the fire. And yet even in that God has fulfilled our dreams as He has restored everything, even better than it was before. That doesn’t take the pain out of the experience, but it so perfectly reveals God’s faithfulness that we are amazed. 

   So for the past three days I have been seeking God, asking Him to reveal His Word over us for this upcoming season. Asking Him how we can best honor Him with our ministry, our family, our marriage, finances, and lives. I’m excited for Wednesday when our friends come and we will have Christmas together and then Thursday there will be toffee crisps made, lots of yummy food eaten, but most important, there will be the Presence of God. Brave, Joy, Fulfillment, …… I’m excited to see what He has for me , for us, and for our community in 2016. 

    Several have asked me how I personally do this so I’m going to share that in the next post. 

Christmas Future (Part 3 of the Christmas Conversations Series)

Christmas Future. 

I used to dream and envision what my christmases would look like. 

A cozy family reading the Christmas Story by the fire. 

A warm and inviting Silent Night. 

Awakening to the scents of the Day… the crackle of wrapping paper being torn off, fresh coffee brewing, some scrumptious concoction baking in the oven. 

Cherub children, matching pajamas, gratefully receiving all there is that we’ve been able to give. 

A home, comfortable, and filled with the idealogical comforts that contribute to the idealogical Christmas: plenty of counter space, deep sinks for rinsing all the baking trays. Beds made perfectly for dreaming of sugarplums. 

The reality is not quite that picture though. Over the years it’s been any combination of those. But never quite the whole enchilada. And I’m so grateful for that aspect. 

I recently posted that disappointment and joy are not exclusive to one another, but rather, can be experienced simultaneously. I’ve found contentment to be similar. I still dream of Christmas Future. Of grown up kids coming home, of grandkids, and whatever God chooses to bless us with. But I’ve come to realize that I may dream, but whatever reality the Lord places us in is far better than my dreaming ability. It may not be the exact picture, but is often so much more. 

Christmas Future will be different than this one. Our teenagers all grow and change, and maybe there will be Christmases that they can’t or won’t come home. (That very thought strikes my heart and almost makes me cry even now). There may be new homes, smaller, bigger, older, newer. There may be leaner years, or more abundance. There may be some that are more holy and some that are more loud. 

This Christmas is spent in a new home, with new things, and many gifted things. It’s spent in the aftermath of rebuilding our lives, and the smell of ash, though not as strong, is still there. But the blackened hills are capped with snow, and it gives a majestic look to their barren landscapes. Our disappointments from this year are balanced with blessing, provision, fulfillment, and joy. 

Christmas Past has taught the foundation; the reason for this season. The holiness, the awe, the baby, manger, love and peace on earth. 

Christmas Present has taught the responsibility to love and share the joy of the Hope we have. Of containment and peace despite the churning earth. 

Christmas Future has taught the reality of the unknown. That disappointment will come, but so does joy. That the wildest dreams will never live up to the reality that God will create. The delight of a Father on Christmas, giving His children the greatest gift ever. The baby no longer, but a returning and fierce King. 

Tonight, as the mystery of this holy night settles around us like a blanket, surrounding us with promise

I will reflect on the past, on the present, and will look toward the future with great expectation and joy. 

Christmas Present (Part 2 of The Christmas Conversation Series)

There were twinkling lights illuminating the house with a soft warm glow. The echoes of laughter and carols hung in the air, and the home exuded Presence and Hope. 

That was then. 

Fragmented bits and pieces now wait to picked through, decided upon, and put together. The tree remains boxed, the lights are dim, and carols have yet to be sung. But then, that is the home now. 

Christmas Present is a new experience all around. Never having been huge on Christmas anyway has made it hard to get into the spirit of the season. 

Since September 12 we have been in survival mode. Desperately trying to stay positive, keep our eyes on focused on Hope, continue with the business of living and pastoring, parenting and doing marriage, manage the generosity of so many, all while trying to help heal our community, family, and our own hearts. We haven’t actually had a day off. On Zach’s day off from ministry we use our time to piece our lives back together, trying to fill our home and stay on top of bills, insurance inventories, and inhabit our home. We’ve had generous offers of homes and retreats, but have yet to take advantage of any because life is so demanding here and now. We will. Two weeks from now we will have the opportunity to get away for a day or two, and we are looking forward to that. Because survival mode is EXHAUSTING. Survival mode is a constant “treading water” and eventually, your legs tire, your head bobs under the waves, and it becomes too much effort for too long. Survival mode was not meant for sustained periods. 

My soul is worn out. Survival mode for me has just gone on too long. I’ve been hesitant to admit that. But it is the real truth. I haven’t been able to consider Christmas because it’s just taken too much energy to wake up every day. The thought of trying to string lights or organize ornaments or to do much more than remember to breathe has been too much. I believe that God is good. I believe that He has a plan and purpose for every pain. I believe that He is going to restore everything that has been lost and not just from fire. I believe that HE is my HOPE. But in survival mode, the tendency to become self focused is great. I realized it at a memorial service ironically. I was reflecting on my life on the way home, because I can only PRAY I leave a legacy as precious as this woman did. And that is when it hit me. I’ve been survival mode for too long. Decisions that should be easy have become monumental, chronic fatigue, tears leaking from my eyes at inopportune times, and basically, soul weariness, are all indicators that survival mode has reached its limit. And I’m sick of it. I’m sick of being tired, of being overwhelmed. I’m tired of being on edge, of remembering and worrying. I’m tired of feeling depleted and sick all because of trying to survive. So I am done with surviving. It’s time to LIVE again. 

So Christmas present is different than any other Christmas. Our kids have lost some of the magic of the season. There will be no waiting up for Santa. No more 4 am wake ups or finding them sound asleep under the tree. They are all teenagers now. But there are four things I’m praying for specifically for our family this Christmas. 

1. That Jesus will be the focus of our praise, presents, and passion. 
2. That we will choose to love one another well and with the same thought and energy that we put into loving others. 
3. That Christmas this year will be a holy reminder of what God has delivered us from, a reflection on the Promises He has given, and praise for the purpose that He has called us to. 
4. For peace. In our minds, in our souls, in our family, and in our relationships.The supernatural Peace that transcends the crowds, the rush, the parties, the glitz, and the pressure. That the Prince of Peace will permeate our lives in a new way this year. 

Christmas Present will be a reflection on Christmas Past. Not comparison, just reflection. It will hold the Promise of Christmas Future, because truly, the only HOPE that we have is not found in the Christmas tree hunts, the egg nog (lattes in my case), or the traffic downtown at the mall. It’s found In Jesus. The Prince of Peace, our Deliverer, our Sustainer, our King. My Joy. Emmanuel. 

For this Christmas Present, more than in any other that I remember, 

He is God  with us.