Here is how to join us in reflection of the spirit of this upcoming holiday season.

Two thoughts on this verse & devotional story. The first is about family, specifically my family. My dad was the one that took me to church faithfully as a child and the one who instilled a great deal of my beliefs about my faith. Given the several recent deaths in the family and the ever-aging grandparents and aunts/uncles, I am very torn about their salvation. I feel confident that I will see my husband and my father in heaven again one day, but I’m not so sure about many other very important members of my family. I really struggle with how and when to share more of my faith and when to invite them to church. I just pray and ask God to give me the right words to be able to speak with them to ensure that they are going to Heaven one day.

The other aspect of this passage is the verse itself that remarks about how foolish and naive the disciples, Jesus’ family and other of the day were about Jesus and his teachings. We can study the Bible, seeing how obvious the parables and lessons that Jesus was trying to teach. What really disturbs me today is that we do not recognize this same problem in Christianity today. Yes, we can clearly decipher the parables and do all sorts of bible studies on every verse and chapter, BUT where along the way did we, as Christians, lose the bigger picture?

Why is there more hate than ever directed at Christians? Why are we so disdained by the secular world? Why are most Christians defined by their hypocrisy and once a week appearance in a church? Where did we lose the message of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and goodness that Jesus outlined in the New testament? Why aren’t Christians fighting for the poor and homeless? Why aren’t Christians among the leading advocates of taking care of the environment and fragile earth entrusted to us? Why aren’t Christians giving more and more of their wealth to the poverty stricken areas and being active in the political process to create genuine change? WHY- because we “lack faith” in the lessons that Jesus taught us.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: I’m excited to see a genuine, real, authentic revival in the Church that’s returning believers to the faith of Jesus and the principles by which he lived his life.

Here is how to join us in reflection of the spirit of this upcoming holiday season.

I’ve read and thought about today’s passage and I just really couldn’t get into it. All of my previous readings & reflections have sparked some type of reaction and deeper thoughts. As I went through my day, I tried to think about the literal title of the chapter, being called Grace, and the verse of Jesus knowing us inside and out, not necessarily the larger context of the woman at the well.

I had a long, stressful day and I think I especially needed the title of Grace. Normally, I’m pretty much a klutz and totally non-graceful in the physical sense, I don’t often ponder grace in the spiritual sense. I woke up at 4:45 (eastern time!) and instead of H just hopping on the hotel shuttle to the airport, he called up to me to drop him off. I frantically threw on my clothes, dashed out into the cold rain and battled the airport monsters to drop him off for his flight back to Houston. I headed back to the hotel to finish packing & drive across Atlanta for my seminar.

My morning went downhill from there. In the dark, rainy morning I drove about half way across the city when I realized I didn’t have my camera with me. I just about had a panic attack, then slowly tried to re-trace our steps and tried to convince myself that I just left it in the hotel room. I pulled over and spent a few minutes making phone calls to get the hotel phone number and then leaving a message pleading with them to please find my precious camera. Continuing my cross-city trek, I arrived in the area near my seminar and missed the turn-off the road into the building and accidentally turned back onto the freeway. What a mistake! About 6 miles to the next exit, then bumper to bumper traffic back in the direction I needed to go for my class. Normally, I’m pretty calm, cool and collected about all sorts of situations. However, I know nothing that will getting me more agitated, panicked and generally flipped out than being lost or confused about where I am going.

Luckily, I made it back to my class on time and the rest of the day went smoothly, including driving back across Atlanta to retrieve my camera and back up North again. No great revelations about today’s material, other than I needed some extra grace to get through my day and put all my worries into God’s hands. I remember that no matter how well I manage to reign in my emotions or reactions, God can still see the inner agitation or anxiety. And He still loves me.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Though I may not have all the physical-grace I desire, I assuredly have all the spiritual-grace I will ever need.