The Small Branch

 Luke 1:38 says, "And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." What did she mean "according to your word?"  What had Gabriel told her?  Gabriel told her that she would become pregnant with the Holy Child.  While this is a great honor, think about what it really meant for her.  She would be pregnant.  Out of wedlock.  While engaged to a man who would know for sure that the child was not his.  In a culture where this sort of thing was punishable by death.  This doesn't even take into account that she would be raising the Son of God.  Not long after He is born, she is even told that a sword would pierce her soul because things would be so hard.  (Luke 2:34-35) Mary only knew a small fraction of the difficulties she would face by being the Lord's mother, but she did know that it would be hard.  So what does she say?  Does she say, "That's a great honor, but, I'd rather not, thanks." ?  Do

 There is a lot of emphasis in our culture on making a name for yourself or being recognized.  People act like the only ones doing any work of note are those who are famous for it, those who are out front and out spoken, those who are the most visible.  Today, jobs like being a stay-at-home mom or janitor or behind-the-scenes organizer are thought to be only for those not intelligent enough to do something else more visible.  Sometimes I struggle with this, as most everything I am gifted in is more "behind-the-scenes."  I am a stay-at-home mom and most of my volunteer work involves things people never really notice.  This morning, I got a "kiss from the King" concerning my worth in these endeavors.   Mark 15:40-41 says, "There were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome.  When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him; and there were many other

 Today, I am on the struggle bus.  For a few years now, I have struggled with some hurt and bitterness, much of which is probably caused by my own pride, against a particular group.  Every time I think I have totally turned this over to God and "gotten over it," something else happens and all the anger and bitterness flare to life in me.  I know this is totally wrong.  This attitude is sin and God doesn't like it.  It is ok to feel hurt.  But bitterness is not ok.  In the book of Hebrews, we are warned against allowing a root of bitterness to spring up.  Bitterness has to be torn out promptly or it just grows and grows.  Over and over in the Psalms, David (and others) talk about their hurt and difficulties when others are against them.  The hurt isn't the problem.  The bitterness is.  The pride is.  So, I am trying to be like David and turn my hurt into prayer and my upset into praise by taking my eyes off the situation (and off myself) and fixing them on Jesus.   &qu

 What does it mean for something to be "first?"  When we run a race, we know that someone is "first" because they crossed the finish line before anyone else.  When we complete a list of tasks, the one that is "first" is the one completed before the others.  Is it safe to say that "first" means before everything else?  Lauren Daigle has a song called "First."     The song talks about seeking God first.  Above and before everything else.  First.  Before our coffee in the morning.  Before we watch the news.  Before we finish that best seller.  Before we work.  Before we play.  First.   Mary sought God first.  Mark 14:3 says, "While He (Jesus) was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the the table, there came a woman (John identifies her as Mary) with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head."  This perfume was worth almost a year's wages.

 Do you ever feel like your life took a wrong turn and you have no idea how to get back on the right road? Sometimes I feel that way.  I am almost done with my master's degree in curriculum and instruction.  I have worked hard to finish this second degree (my first is a bachelor's in math with extra classes to be able to teach), but the only thing I feel like I have learned is that I do not agree with the American education system and I really don't want to teach in a classroom, especially not math.  So then the question becomes, "what now?"  Well, at this particular moment, I am back to homeschooling three of my kids.  If I stick with that, which we plan on, that will take 5 or so more years.  But then what?   I always want a plan.  I want to know every detail of what I should be doing and I think that each "should be doing" is a permanent fix.  Unfortunately for me, that isn't the way life works.  Sometimes, God gives us a plan for a long time.  So

Pride seems to be the root sin of all sins.  We think we know best, so we do things our way rather than God's way.  This is a huge problem for me and something I struggle with on a daily basis.  In Mark 10:43-44, it says, "But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all."  Jesus teaches us that we must be humbly submissive servants.  This means that we don't need to have our way or even that we need other people to see us serve and recognize us for serving.  The way of the Pharisees is to only serve and do "religious things" when others are looking.  We need to fix our eyes on Jesus and serve Him simply because we belong to Him and love serving Him. Sometimes, this is really hard.  My flesh wants people to see how much I have done for them and acknowledge it.  Especially as a mom and homemaker.  My flesh wants some gratitude and even some help

 I've been reading Tamara Alexander's Fountain Creek Chronicles.     As I read, I have been pondering our sight.  We have a tendency not to see people, have you noticed?  Even our very closest friends and loved ones, we see through a lens that is tainted by our own thoughts, feelings, and ideas.  Sometimes, we see only what we wish we could see, the person we want someone else to be.  This means that we miss out on who the person really is.  Sometimes, we see through a cloud of judgement, not understanding a person's struggles and heartache.  This means we miss out on a relationship.   So how do we really see others?  We have to see them through the eyes of the Father.  We should be asking, in all our dealings with others, for eyes to see other people the way God sees them.  Then, maybe, we will have the humility to see who they are rather than what they've done or what we want them to do.

 Mark 8:18-20 says, ""Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  "When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?"  And they said to Him, "Seven."" I want to share something cool that I learned from Michael Card in a class on the gospels a few years ago. Did you know that there are different words for "basket" in Greek?  The word for "basket" in the feeding of the five thousand means a small lunch basket that one would wear around the neck to carry.  So, basically a lunch box.  When Jesus feed the 5,000+, He provided exactly enough extra for the twelve disciples to eat as well.  The word for "basket" in the feeding of the four thousand means a man sized basket, like th

The Amplified Bible translation of Zephaniah 2:3 says,  "Seek the LORD [search diligently for Him and regard Him as the foremost necessity of your life],  All you humble of the land Who have practiced His ordinances and have kept His commandments; Seek righteousness, seek humility [regard them as vital]. Perhaps you will be hidden [and pardoned and rescued] In the day of the LORD's anger." That is some very strong wording.  "Search diligently," not just a half-hearted look, but  "as the foremost necessity of your life."  Do we think of the Lord as our foremost necessity?  Most of the time, as I look around observing people, you would think that our cell phones are the foremost necessity of our lives.  Think about it.  When you lose your phone, do you panic?  Drop everything to look for it?  Hunt high and low until you find it?  Feel great relief and joy when you do succeed in finding it?  It is very sad that we would search for our lost phone with more

 I'm not a wine drinker.  I have family members who really like wine and like to go to the vineyards for tours and wine-tasting, but not me.  So, when I ran across a wine reference in Zephaniah 1, I had to do some research to figure out what God was saying to the prophet.  I'll share -  Verse 12 in the NASB says,  "It will come about at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And I will punish the men  Who are stagnant in spirit, Who say in their hearts, 'The LORD will not do good or evil!'" Now, the phrase "stagnant in spirit" is actually literally "thickening on their lees."  Apparently, "lees" are the refuse of wine.  When wine is left too long in one container, it forms a crust on the bottom, "the lees."  The wine then becomes harsh rather than flavorful.  (If you think wine can be flavorful.  Personally, I think it smells, and therefore must taste, like kerosene, yuck!) So, why does God want to punish men

 Sometimes, it amazes me how much we try to bend God to our will.  Even phrases like, "it was an answer to prayer" express our desire for God to do our will.  How many times have we prayed and said "it was an answer to prayer" when we got what we wanted?  What do we do when we don't?  Do we rant at God and wonder where He is and why He isn't listening?  It is still an answer to prayer - just a "no" or a "not yet" even though we wanted a "yes."  We forget that, as Christians, we are to be fully submitted to GOD'S will, not Him submitted to ours.  Just because we want something doesn't mean we should have it.  Just because we don't want something doesn't mean we shouldn't have it.  God knows best.   In the book of Daniel, we are told of three friends who faced a fiery trial.  They refused to worship the king's idol, and so they were to be thrown into the fiery furnace.  The king gives them one last chance a

 Have you ever felt like a square peg others are trying to fit into a round hole?  This happens when people categorize us and then make assumptions based on those categories.  Sometimes, we do fit into the category, just not exactly like others want us to fit.  Sometimes, people want us to just stay in the one or two categories they have assigned to us.  Sometimes, we just don't fit into the category they want us in at all.   Like most of what happens to us in life, Jesus understands.  In Mark 6, Jesus has returned to His hometown and is teaching in the synagogue.  In verse 3, they ask, "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?  Are not His sisters here with us?"  His hometown people think they know Him.  He was a carpenter, sure.  He was a son and a brother, too.  These are categories He fits into.  They aren't the only ones, though.  Because the people in His hometown wanted Him to fit only into the categories t

 In Mark 5:1-20, the account is given of a demoniac man who is healed by Jesus.  This man dwelt among the tombs and the people tried unsuccessfully to bind him with chains (v. 3).  They wanted this man far away from them because he screamed all night and cut himself relentlessly (v. 5).  Jesus, on the other hand, went to him and healed him.  We are told just before this that Jesus and His disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee and found the man as soon as they got out of the boat (v. 2).  After Jesus heals the man, He then crosses over the sea again (v. 21).  This implies that the whole reason for the trip was to heal this man.  This man that others tried to chain and cast out, Jesus made a special trip to free and bring in.   And what happens as a result?  Well, the people of the area beg Jesus to leave because they were afraid (vv. 15-17).  The man who was healed begs to go with Jesus, but He doesn't let him.  Instead, Jesus assigns him the duty of the first missionary to the

 Do you ever get tired of the dailyness of life?  This morning I was realizing that I really  needed a haircut, and I found myself annoyed with the fact.  Why do I have to keep cutting my hair every month or so?  Why do I have to eat multiple times a day?  Isn't once enough?  Why do I have to buy new clothes?  I'm not growing anymore (or at least, I'm not supposed to be).  Why does the kitchen need to be cleaned over and over?  Why does the laundry need to be done every day (almost)?  etc. etc. etc. Do you ever think about these things?  This morning, I was struck by the fact that it annoys me so much that everything I do isn't one and done.  In fact, most things in life don't work that way.  I could feel the nudge of the Spirit, though, letting me know that there is a reason for this.  We can't be one and done with our relationship with Christ, either.  Just because we have surrendered our lives to Him doesn't mean that's it.  We need to work on buildin

 In Habakkuk chapter 3, the prophet is praying to the Lord because he has been given a vision of the Babylonian invasion of Judah and is in awe and distress.  He has spent the first two chapters of this book conversing with God and getting some of his questions answered.  He doesn't understand why God is allowing evil men to run over the people of Israel, although he does know Judah deserves to be punished.  But Habakkuk ends his book of prophecy with hope and praise: Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.  The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds' feet, And makes me walk on my high places. Habakkuk 3:17-19 Habakkuk knows that destruction is coming, but he also knows that he can trust in th