“And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.”.. This morning I was reading through Luke when these words leaped off the page and their simple reminder woke me up! They made me smile and chased away the tension that had settled in my soul. The stress from the drama of our messed up world mingled with the anxiety of wondering what God is doing in our life was beginning to take its toll. Thankfully, a walk with Jesus through His word reminded me that all is well! The One who loved me enough to step into this crazy world to rescue me has put all my puny cares into perspective with this good news that forever changes everything! If He can do that for me, I think I can trust Him with my life! (Even with all the unexpected twists and turns!) He is, after all, the Master of the unexpected, as we can see in His birth, life, death, and resurrection!
Earlier this month, as I was thinking about this most miraculous event we call the advent, I tried to put my astonishment on a canvas and into words. Of all the miracles in the bible, this one… God incarnate… The Creator of the universe in an infant… confined in the womb of a peasant girl… this is the miracle that amazes me the most!
A Gift to send
How far would Heaven’s love extend
To bring the shadow to an end
The veil to rend, my heart to mend
Awaken hope and grace begin
To buy me back, the Word is penned
Transformed, His Majesty Divine
In tiny flesh of frail design
His hands that hung the stars – confined
Eyes that painted sunsets – blind
Master of wisdom in a fetal mind
So curious, this given Son
This Holy unexpected One
Turning the tables to make darkness run
Defining love as He said it’s done
Victoriously my heart He won
Lord, I ask, please be my guide
As kingdoms shake and worlds collide
In gratitude an ocean wide
Make this wandering heart abide
In joy forever by your side
I pray that as you celebrate the birth of Jesus this week, that you’ll set aside time to walk with Him through His word and give Him the opportunity to awaken hope as He whispers His love into your soul!
As this crazy year comes to a close, we want to express our sincere gratitude for all of you who have prayed for us! Mike is doing great and getting stronger every day! Please join us in asking the Lord to show us just what He has in mind for us in 2017! We don’t believe He’s finished with us in Italy, and yet, even with the miraculous news that Mike is showing no sign of cancer, his doctors still want to keep a close eye on him, so we’re praying about the possibility of serving in Italy for 2-3 months in the spring and then again next fall. We’ll keep you posted as the Lord leads.
God bless you all & Merry Christmas!