All posts by Kari

Last week, I was up to my eyeballs in Christmas preparation — Pinterest projects and online shopping and making lists and checking them twice. I felt that nudge of conviction that I was probably getting distracted, a little too caught up in trivialities. Then, wouldn’t you know it — Oma falls and suddenly it was all-hands-on-deck surrounding her, it was daily trips to the hospital, cancelling plans and rearranging schedules and suddenly I could care less what got done and what didn’t. And it was exactly what I needed most. Of course I’m sad for Oma suffering, but I’m so grateful for how it reoriented my heart around what matters. It reminded me of this, from last year. I love how our gracious God works in our lives. Bless you all!

~

“Are you ready for an emergency?”

My stomach sank. What was it?   I had been having a low-key, relaxing morning. The night before I’d hosted our Renew ladies’ Christmas party. I was leisurely washing dishes and sweeping up crumbs, putting away platters, and letting the kids linger at their play. It was 9:26am and I was still in my jammies, enjoying the Christmas music floating through the house, relishing the idea that we had nothing planned that day.

Then Jeff called. I don’t know about you, but texting is the norm, so when my man calls, I know I’d better answer!

His first words: “Are you ready for an emergency?” 

I waited, anxious.

“That luncheon is today.” 

Oh no. Oh NO. No no no no no!

Months ago, we’d been asked by a dear local pastor, if we would come together and speak at a Christmas event at their church. We were so honored at the request, and gladly accepted. The invitation had come while we were on our road trip, and we were so excited to serve together in this way, so we mentally made note of it …

… Get that?

We mentally made note of it. 

Now, understand: I speak dozens of times a year, we have a full life, we have lots of things on the calendar. We know how to schedule, people! We do a synch every week to make sure we have all our ducks in a row, make sure I know his stuff and he knows mine. We plan ahead. I’m a planner!

How, oh how, oh how, oh how did I MISS THIS?!!

This was 9:30am and we needed to be there at 11:30am. I had no plan for the kids. No notes. I was still in my JAMMIES, PEOPLE!

How could I have missed this? How could I be so woefully unprepared?  The overwhelming emotion I felt was shame.

Shame at being so unprepared. 

But then, I turned my attention to my Only Hope. The Only One I really have to please. And I poured out my feelings of shame and failure and feeling unprepared, and so clearly I sensed in my heart,

“You aren’t unprepared.”

Suddenly it all tumbled down, the truth, straight into my heart: I was prepared. I realized that every single day, every day when we wake up early, we spend time with the Father in prayer and the Word. Every single day as we abide in Him, commune with Him, fellowship continually with Him.

Isn’t that preparation? 

And the revelation rang so clear and true in my mind:

Being prepared is a matter of the heart. 

The truth is, I could have perfectly-scripted notes and be completely unprepared to speak God’s heart to His people.

I sat down with my Bible. I needed to look no further than today’s journal entry to see a message from God for His people. It was just my own personal study, my heart-wrestlings, the things the Father had been showing me that morn.

Sure, I hadn’t written it to preach, I’d written it to live.

And isn’t that just so much better anyway?

How often have I been “prepared” for something with everything external? How often have I worked to have my ducks in a row, but my heart has been misaligned? 

Being prepared is a matter of the heart.

How often do we think that being “prepared” for Christmas is having all the presents wrapped? Lights hung. Stockings stuffed. Cards sent. House cleaned. Boxes checked off.

How about my heart? 

When Jesus came to earth, there were some who were ready. Prepared. Their hearts had been fixed on the God, patiently waiting for the coming Messiah. They didn’t know when, how, where. But they were prepared because their hearts were ready.

On the one hand, God birthed His Son into a situation where nothing was ready: To two dirt-poor clueless engaged teenagers, in a filthy manger, in a barn. On the outside, nothing was ready.

But their hearts were ready.

The one item left on our Christmas To-Do List today: Let every heart prepare Him room.

Lord, let our hearts be prepared for You. 

{Thank you for reading.}

As some of you know, my sweet Mama took a bad spill last week and broke her femur, so we’ve been a bit busy and haven’t had a chance to write more on the Advent traditions. We’ll continue! For now, I’ve been thinking about this, from last year. It seems so appropriate again. Perhaps it will speak to a situation in your life as well…

~

We’ve all gotten one, right? The gift you didn’t ask for. The thing you’re not sure how on earth that person thought was  just perfect for you.

Inwardly you think, This most certainly was not on my wishlist. 

Out loud you say, “Oh, you shouldn’t have!”

I think we’ve all been there. You might be there again next week. *smile*

But what about when it’s bigger than the contents of a gift-bag?

What if you find yourself staring at the content of your life, overwhelmed, and find yourself, in weak or tired moments, saying these same words…

“I didn’t ask for this!”

I’ve heard these words, from others. I’ve silently said them, in my heart. Not necessarily talking about utter despair, but haven’t we all looked at some certain aspect of the hand dealt us, and shaken our heads, 

This most certainly wasn’t on my wish list. 

It’s silly, perhaps, whether I intend to or not, I subconsciously craft my life-wishlist. And then, each day is handed to me as a fresh gift of grace.

It is unwrapped and often there are squeals of delight.

But some days there are moans. Disappointment. Really? THIS is the gift for today?

I didn’t ask for this.

I’d venture to say we all have aspects of our life where we battle this. Sometimes I’m tempted to redraft my wish list, spend a little more time in prayer to let Him know, Whoops-a-daisy! I think you gave this to the wrong gal! I actually didn’t want this AT ALL. Thanks! 

But He smiles. Patient.

“Oh no, dear daughter. I knew this gift was perfect for you. I know, it’s not exactly what you had in mind. But it’s so much better. It feels a little awkward when you first try it on. I get it. I knew it’d be a struggle for you at first. But I promise if you’ll just trust Me in this. I promise you’ll be so glad someday. I promise you’ll see that this was, indeed, the best gift for you.” 

And so we take that sting of disappointment, or that ache of longing, or that weariness of carrying a gift that feels heavy and hard … and we ask the Father to help us see this gift the way He does. To help us trust Him in the meantime. To help us fight evil but love people. To see beauty in broken places and celebrate victories in the midst of what feels like disastrous failure.

Heavenly Father, our Good and Perfect God, thank You so much for the gifts you give us that we don’t ask for. The ones that aren’t on our wish list. The ones that feel confusing, just a little bit. Thank you that You love us so much, and that LOVE is what we rest in, no matter what we feel. Thank you that You equip us to carry whatever load you call us to bear. Thank you that Your burden is light and there is new mercies every morning. Thank you for Christmas. All Your gifts are good, and perfect. 

{Thank you for reading.}

For our first Christmas after we were married, Jeff gave me the book Treasuring God in our Traditions by Noel Piper (free PDF here). It had just come out, and it was perfect timing. We were a brand-new family, deciding together what traditions we’d keep, leave behind, or begin.

These days, tradition sometimes get a bad rap, at least in some circles. We’re looking for things that are new, fresh, innovative — not old, regular, same. Why do the same thing again and again when you can do something NEW?

But tradition isn’t good or bad in and of itself, it’s simply a vehicle. It’s the transmitting of customs, beliefs, behaviors, from generation to generation. It’s a way of passing down. Or, quite simply, it’s a way of remembering.

There’s a Jewish proverb that says,

“Put something where you can see it so your eye will remind your heart.”

Yes! We observe a tradition because it reminds our hearts of what is good, right, and true. The reason God gave the nation of Israel various feasts to celebrate, various rituals and ceremonies, was to remember. By speaking certain words, eating certain foods, and engaging in various activities, they were reminded again of the truth, of God’s faithfulness, of all that He had done.

Tradition is simply something we do again and again, for a particular purpose. So even if we say we don’t “do” Christmas traditions, we probably do.

We shop. We wrap. We use bows. We decorate with green and red. We eat cookies. We throw parties. We get a manicured fir tree. We string lights on it. We hang stockings on the hearth, but not real stockings that we wear, huge decorated boot-shaped things for the purpose of stuffing full of stuff. We listen to certain music. We watch certain movies. We wear ugly sweaters. We exchange gifts and eat pie and all of these are traditions.

So the question isn’t, “Do you do traditions?” the questions is, “What do your traditions do?” When you observe a tradition, what do you see? What do your traditions say, what do they imprint on our hearts, what purpose do they serve?

I’m really not sharing all this to poo-poo the “traditional” traditions. I love exchanging gifts. We have a tree and stockings too. The point is, if we’re going to go through all this hassle to “keep” such elaborate traditions (I’d say paying money to cut and haul and prop up an actual tree inside our house is elaborate), then let’s make sure that at least most of these traditions point us in the direction we want to go!

The direction of Christ.

Some prefer to say Advent instead of Christmas, but no matter what we call it, both are about Jesus. Advent simply means Coming. Jesus’ birth is His first coming. Christmas comes from the words Christ’s Mass, the church service held to honor Jesus’ birth.

Advent is fun because it’s not just about one day, it’s the 4-5 week period of preparation and anticipation. It usually involves a daily countdown to Christmas day.

So, where do we begin? Here are a few ways to celebrate Advent as a family:

• Unwrapping the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp — we use this as a daily Advent reader, and Heidi and I made felt Jesse Tree ornaments using these as a rough pattern. I love these ornaments!

• Tomorrow, Dec 4th, will actually be the second Sunday of Advent. So, on Sunday, perhaps at dinner, you can explain that we are anticipating the coming birth of Christ, and will be lighting a candle each Sunday, leading up to Christmas. On Christmas morning you’ll light the final candle. My friend Anna has a great script you can follow for each Advent Sunday, with songs and scriptures (hoping to share soon). Or you can simply choose one Christmas carol and one Scripture to read each Sunday. Keep it simple, especially for small kids. Isaiah 9:2 or John 1:1-9 is a great place to begin! There are dozens of scriptures talking about Jesus being the LIGHT. Do a study and dig them up on your own then share with your kids!

• Advent cake. You can bake a simple bundt (round) cake, and decorate with green frosting and green-tinted coconut flakes, as an advent wreath (see pic). Use red-hots for decoration, and celebrate the beginning of Advent with this sweet treat. You could also do sugar cookies instead, decorated as wreaths, or any special treat you choose. The point is to make the beginning of Advent a celebration, a treat, a special opportunity to point your family to Jesus. 

• Advent calendar. These are readily available in every store, usually including chocolate. I have the fabric one from when I was little, which my mom would use to write notes and verses.  Now, the kids each have a special little “mailbox” on the Christmas tree, and each day they receive “mail” from me— a love note, a treasure map to find a treat, or some special fun instructions about the day ahead. The kids love receiving their mail each morning!

So, this is all for now, there are many more fun things to share in days ahead. We’ll talk about St. Nicholas Day, stockings, nativity scenes and activities, Christmas day and Epiphany.

I’ll leave you with a fun little Christmas story Anna read to us, for perspective. 😉 Thanks for reading.

Joy to the Mall

Chris Dolson

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from the U.S. Treasury that all of America should go shopping. (And this decree was first made when leading economic indicators dipped to their lowest point.) And all went out to shop, each to his own mall.

And a Christian also went up from his suburban home to the city with its many malls because he wanted to prove he was from the household of prosperity. And with him was his wife, who was great with economic worry. And so it was, that, while they were there, they found many expensive presents, pudgy-faced dolls, trucks that turn into robots, and a various assortment of video (and computer) games. And the woman wrote checks for those they could afford and charged the rest on many different kinds of plastic cards; she wrapped the presents in bright paper and laid them in the garage; for there was no room for them in her closet.

And there were in the same country children keeping watch over their stockings by night. And, lo, Santa Claus came upon them; and they were sore afraid (expecting to see the special effects, they had seen in the movies). And Santa said to them, “Fear not; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people who can afford this holiday. For unto you will be given this day, in your suburban home, great feasts of turkey, dressing, and cake – and many presents. And this shall be a sign unto you: you shall find the presents wrapped in bright paper, lying beneath an artificial tree adorned with tinsel, colored balls, and lights.”

And suddenly there was with Santa Claus a multitude of relatives and friends, praising one another and saying, “Glory to you for getting me this gift; it’s just what I wanted.”

And it came to pass, as the friends and relatives were gone away into their own homes, the parents said to one another, “I sure am glad that’s over. What a mess! I’m too tired to clean it up now. Let’s go to bed and pick it up tomorrow.” And when they had said this, they remembered the statement that had been told them by the storekeepers: “Christmas comes only once a year.” And they that heard it wondered at those things that were sold to them by the storekeepers, but the children treasured all their things in their hearts, hoarding their toys from each other. And the parents, after a drink, went to bed, glorifying and praising each other for all the bargains they had found in the stores.

What one word would describe your usual Christmas season?

Busy?

Hectic?

Fun?

Stressful?

Sad?

Debt-accruing? 😉

I love Christmas.  And, to be fair, we don’t usually have an over-full schedule, so I don’t feel super busy or hectic. I don’t stress a lot about things being perfect, and we don’t overspend. So, on the whole I don’t feel like there’s anything wrong with our holiday season, but I also feel like there’s potential for better.

That is, I think we effectively keep out a lot of stress and distraction, but I don’t feel like we are taking full advantage of the opportunity to point our eyes toward Christ. Plus, I see how my kids gravitate so strongly toward tradition. They LOVE traditions. And tradition provides such a powerful way to shape our children’s hearts and lives. We don’t usually remember what we do once. We remember what we do again and again.

I’ve forgotten almost all the Christmas gifts I ever received, but I remember the traditions. That’s what sticks with me most.

I want the same for my kids. And while we have a few simple traditions (accidentally), it hasn’t been with much intentionality. I’ve always given the gift of Whatever, which is a great start, but I think there’s something even better than Whatever. 

Before Thanksgiving, I was praying about the upcoming Advent season, about how to focus our efforts, align our hearts, what to do and not to do. And the one word that surfaced in my heart and mind, time and time again, the word I wanted to describe this Christmas season, for myself and my family, was this:

WORSHIPFUL.

I want a worshipful Christmas. I want to be like the wise men, who searched out Jesus, bringing their gifts to him, and when they found him, “the fell down and worshiped him.”

That’s how I want to respond to Christ’s birth. 

So, worshipful has become the new filter for sifting through all the scores of possible Christmas-time activities. The question becomes, “Can I do this as an expression of heartfelt praise, thanks, and honor of Jesus Christ? Does it draw our hearts closer to His?” And no, this doesn’t mean we can’t have gingerbread cookies and spiced cider! For “whether we eat or drink or whatever we do we can do it all for the glory of God.”

Pursuing a worshipful Christmas means I put to death my toxic tendency to worry about pleasing people. I will pray specifically about any simple gifts I can give to loved ones, without obsessing. I will ask the Father how He wants me to spend His money to honor His Son. I’ll ask Him for ideas, and spend more time in His Word than on Pinterest.

I’ll remember that God chose a filthy stable as the perfect place for His Son to be born, so pursuing the perfect Christmas-decor need not consume my thoughts. 

I’ll remember that trying to control is never worshipful, so I will not attempt to manufacture magical experiences.

The miracle has already happened. We’ll witness more miracles when we stop controlling and start honoring our miracle-working God who came to earth as a baby in order to save us.

Of course the big question is: HOW? Well, most importantly I’d encourage you to seek the Lord on your own and ask Him for ideas, but I also would love to share with you some simple ways that I recently learned from a dear friend, Anna Hunter. She put together a presentation called Celebrate the Truth: Inspiration for a Christ-Centered Christmas. It’s fabulous! 

She’s generously shared her materials with me so I can share here in abbreviated form. All that to say: More to come! For now, 2 things:

1. Spend today praying God will show you how He wants you to honor Him in intentional ways this Christmas? Ask Him for specifics! Ask Him what needs to go, to stay, to change. 
2. Look around for 5 candles. You can use a traditional Advent-wreath, something more like this (this is like mine) or even five tea-lights from the dollar store. Go as simple or elaborate as you wish.

Okay, my kids need breakfast! More later. Happy Advent! Thanks for reading. 

There is good news:

People are praying. Though Christians’ views differ widely on political issues, the current climate is literally bringing people to their knees. I see it. I hear about it. I now actually have a scheduling conflict because I have two prayer meetings scheduled at the same time.

What a great problem!

Recently I’ve been chewing on Philippians 4. 

Two verses, really, contain all we need to see radical change—in our hearts and in our nation. So often I’m doing all this Bible study, all this reading and trying to learn more, when really, if we’d just DO the most simple things Scripture tells us, things would be dramatically different. Here are three things from Phil. 4:6-7

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

• DO NOT be anxious.

Girls, guys, this is a command. This means when we have a wild bucking bronco of a thought-life, and our fears and anxieties are yanking us around something terrible, we’ve got to rope those thoughts DOWN and make them obedient to Jesus. Fear will lead us to make terrible decisions. Only the fear of the Lord (acknowledging His rightful place as Lord and King) brings wisdom.

This starts by recognizing I am not my own. My life is Christ’s. My mind is His. My family is His. My body is His. My marriage is His. My country is His. My money is His. I have been bought with a price and I am not my own. So I do not have the legal right to let my thoughts run amok. My only hope of joy, peace, stability, and victorious living, is to take those thoughts captive and make them bow down to their rightful Lord and Master, King Jesus.

• With Thanksgiving.

Oh, that we’d give THANKS! What a game-changer this is! If all we resolved to do this year was become habitual thankers, what a difference we’d see in our mindset, our marriage, our families. If we would devote ourselves to a daily thanksgiving habit, things would change.

• Present your requests to God.

Pray. Oh, that we’d PRAY. I am the first to raise my hand, that we have been a nation of so-called Christians who simply do not pray. We are spiritual sloths, content to stay in the same place, eating Sunday’s leftovers day after day, instead of fervently, passionately, patiently, faithfully, pressing in in prayer and seeking God’s heart, His will, letting His kingdom come and His will be done HERE on earth as it is in heaven. We’ve embraced apathy and called it His sovereignty. We’ve ignored injustice and shrugged our shoulders, assuming it’s “His will.” 

Sisters, we must pray.

And it begins with simple stuff, daily stuff. How often have we made requests known to everyone but God?! That is, how often have we wished, lamented, vented, Facebooked, texted a friend, or Googled an issue, instead of simply presenting our requests to God. Note it doesn’t even specify “needs” here. It’s just “requests.” Anything we want, anything, we can go ahead and lay before God. He’s smart enough to sort through it all and let us know what makes the cut.  How much time and metal energy would we save if we went to Him first! Man, this is really hitting home. Just this week I wasted so much time …

Anyway.

Notice the promise: Peace. Isn’t this what we’re all desperate for these days? Isn’t this what we need as a shield about our minds and hearts right now? He promises His peace will guard us, a peace so much greater even than familial peace or national peace. His peace can endure no matter what outward circumstances you face.

No matter how hectic your house or heart may feel today 😉 may we do these 3 simple things and enjoy His unshakable peace, today and always.

Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for reading.

I’ve been a little gun-shy about writing out here in the wide-open spaces. Even as I typed that sentence I felt the need to clarify that “gun-shy” isn’t referring to the second amendment and the right to bear arms! See, where I live the environment feels hostile right now, and I find myself so afraid I’m going to mis-step, accidentally squish someone’s toes, hurt feelings, unintentionally offend. My heart is not to offend or hurt, my heart is to display the grace and goodness of God, through His Word as it relates to my everyday life. 

If there was one thing I could magically give to everyone I know, it would be this: A genuine love and hunger for the Word of God. With everything in me, I believe that so many of the painful situations we are facing politically simply stem from a sharp departure from God’s enduring, life-giving Word.

Every Wednesday night, a group of us women gather to get into God’s Word and let Him guide our lives. We don’t have a workbook or videos (although those are great), we just journey through the New Testament together, book by book. This is our third year doing this, and I’m always floored at how much God allows us to glean collectively, so much more than when I just study alone. We each see things so differently, and yet God’s Word never changes, so while we have differing perspectives and opinions, the Scriptures anchor us to unwavering truth. I wish that every woman had the joy of being part of a group like this. It has been life-changing for me, not because our group or method is special, but the living and active Word of God exposes the thoughts and intentions of the heart, and accomplishes the work of God through its immeasurable power.

The book of Judges describes,

“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

It seems that more than ever we are living in a day like this, even among Christians. We want to pick and choose which parts of the Scriptures are applicable for us, we are masters at making a god in our own image. I’m just as susceptible as anyone else, which is why I have to read the WHOLE Bible, every single year, just to help guard against my tendency to only turn to the parts I like.

We so desperately want to feel great about the way we’re already living. 

And honestly: If it wasn’t for the Bible, I would think I was awesome. 

Right?? But every single day, the Bible confronts me. Every day it holds up a terrifyingly magnified mirror that exposes all those things I’d rather hide. Perhaps most importantly, every day is shines a light into my motives, my intentions, the all-important reason why that no one else can see. 

As I’m finishing my reading for the year, I’ve been journeying through the minor prophets and Revelation, and here’s just a spattering of what I’ve seen:

“For 3 transgressions of Israel, and for 4, I will not revoke punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals — those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted;”

“Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of your devise evil against another in your heart.”

“And this second thing you do. You cover the LORD’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards your offering, but you say, “Why does he not?” Because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. For the man who hates and divorces, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence. So guard yourselves in your sprit, and do not be faithless.”

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs (cruel devourers of others) and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”

So, we’re all nailed. Right? God is grieved by oppression of the sojourner AND by divorce. By murderers AND sexually immoral. We decry racism but celebrate “sexual freedom” — BOTH grieve the heart of God. We shrug our shoulders over divorce but are up in arms over tax-payer funded abortions. BOTH are never what He intended for His beloved people. Blue and red alike, liberals and conservatives, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. He loves us so much, He desperately wants our best. 

If only we would listen. 

So, the solution isn’t to pull our Bibles out like swords and hack each other to pieces. The solution is to RETURN. Return to a humble acknowledgment that God is GOOD. That His Word is good. That I, yes I, have personally fallen short. And as often as He convicts (which is often!), I will repent, which just means to turn around, and I will seek His best, as revealed through His Word.

And, once we have been forgiven, there is no need for shame. The hero of our faith, humanly speaking, was the Apostle Paul who was once a murderer. There is NO SIN that the blood of Jesus cannot cover, completely, forever. 

His sacrifice is big enough for us all. It is for all who would receive it.

Let us receive. Let us return to God. 

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which is able to save your souls.

James 1:21

{Seeking to do this, right alongside you. Thanks for reading.}