HOPE Advent week 1

GOOD MORNING!  Have that warm drink in your hand?!  I DO!  So let's have some "Coffee Time with a Dear Friend!"

I hope that you have enjoyed our meetings together.  My HOPE is to post every Monday.....a special coffee time to start off your week!
So check-in every Monday morning and IF I am on task you should find something new to read.

For the next 4 weeks leading up to Christmas I have decided to do Advent.  I am actually sharing the one that I have put together that we do at our church.  Each Sunday a new candle is lit. Just a thought....if you have an advent wreath...a candle holder with 4 or 5 holes....you can actually light your candle each week as we do this together! (3 purple candles, one pink and one Christ Candle, white or we use a large pillar candle with red stripes)

 First of all IF Advent is new to you let me give a definition:

ad·vent

noun

noun: advent; plural noun: advents

the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event

1. "the advent of television"

   
   

   synonyms:

   arrival, appearance, emergence, materialization, occurrence, dawn, birth, rise, development; More approach, coming "the advent of a new school year"

   • the first season of the Christian church year, leading up to Christmas and including the four preceding Sundays.

     noun: Advent
   • Christian Theology

     the coming or second coming of Christ.

     noun: Advent

SO it is the anticipation of something, SOME ONE great!  Our Savior and King!  It is also to help us prepare our hearts for the Christmas Season, to make sure our focus is on WHY we celebrate
Christmas.

                        Hope (11/27/2016)

                        LIGHT THE FIRST PURPLE CANDLE

  “We light this candle to represent HOPE. The prophecy of HOPE for a Savior to come.

Isaiah 9:6-7 

“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.”

HOPE in the birth of a child .   

Luke  1:31-33

“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

We have the HOPE of Christ’s coming again.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

                      We HOPE for the Savior’s love to be spread through-out the world.

                        Prayer

Heavenly Father we thank you for the hope that we have in You.  You were, are and will be forever the HOPE of the world! May all who are here place their hope in You and You alone. Amen

Knee Time

We have all heard it, many of us have said it...."I need some ME time!"  Usually it is said when we have reached the end of our serving, nurturing, mothering, fathering, loving, catering, caring rope.
We just want a little recharge, rejuvenate time....R and R!

What I have learned in my relationship with my Dear Friend is that regardless of ME time....is the need for KNEE TIME!
The need for me to be on my KNEES with my Dear Friend!
Jesus Himself had Knee Time with His Father...our Father, so should we do any less?

Luke 22:⁴¹ He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, ⁴² “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

It was a moment of totally surrendering to the will of the Father.  I believe that on our knees we are humble, surrendered to our Maker.
Our time in prayer needs to stem from our humility before God.  One of my favorite sections of scripture comes from Philippians 2

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

To me this says it all!  We MUST be humble in our relationships, before our God.  And it says that "at the name of JESUS every knee shall bow"!  not just here, but in heaven...even the heavenly beings will take a knee before Christ! 

The more humble we are, the more things will be as God would have them be.

Now I don't think that every time we pray we must be on our knees because we are called to pray with out ceasing;

1 Thessalonians 5:¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

But I do believe that at some point our prayer life requires us to humble ourselves before the Throne of our God.  It has an affect on our hearts, on our spirits.  It changes our perspective.

** a side note.....for those of you saying "well that is all well and fine, but my knees, (back, hips etc) don't work the way they used to."  I understand physical limitations.  But if you can sit in a chair maybe you can put your head down, lay it right on the table.  IF you are confined to bed ...maybe you can be face down for a time, on your stomach.  If not, remember that this is more about the attitude of your heart than the location of your body.

Your spirit must be humble before your God.  Putting away all selfish desires, all things that clutter our mind and soul. 

Ephesians 4:³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

If you aren't sure if anything is in your way of humbling yourself before God, ASK!

Psalm 139

²³ Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting

James 4:"¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."   (I would encourage you to read all of  James 4 )

In the old testament there were times when people would fall prostrate on the ground before the awesome power of God. 
1 Kings 18:
³⁸ Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
³⁹ When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

Oh that we would be so humbled and overcome by God's awesomeness and power and authority that we fall on our faces before Him!

Paul's prayer for the people of Ephesus, is my prayer for you today!
 Ephesians 3
¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
and AMEN!

Look On the Bright side

Aren't we always told that?  When we have a problem or something goes wrong...."oh look at the bright side".   Usually at a time when that isn't very helpful, every thing looks pretty grim. The cars low fuel light is on, the tire needs air and you are already running 10 minutes late. 
The kids are crying, breakfast is still on the table, you haven't gotten your shower yet and your mother-in-law calls to say she has something for the kids and will be there in 15.
You haven't felt yourself in months, everything around you is piling up and the doctor tells you your report isn't good, you need more tests to be conclusive.
You can fill in your own scenario, but our answers might all be the same....

"Nope, no bright side here....dark, dark, dark!

Isaiah 59  ⁹ So justice is far from us,    and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;
    for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.

I believe the bright side of a situation comes first in lifting our head, our eyes and looking UP↑
John 1:4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.....
...⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

Christ came to this world to be  A Light... OUR Light.  
It stands to reason that IF we needed a light then there is going to be some darkness.  
First we will be born into darkness, into sin, because we are born on this earth.  And when we come to a  time in our life when we choose Christ, we choose His light to guide us, to fill us!  He came to be our salvation!
Romans 1:¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes:

But in our walk with Him there are also dark times; times we struggle, times we never thought we would see....illness, death, betrayal, cruelness, hate, bitterness, tragedy and many others, and more specific.  It is in those times, IF we look to Him, He will shine His brightest.
The darker our moment, the brighter He will be!
Isaiah 58: ⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
⁹ Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

Did you just read that!!  "HERE AM I!"  How remarkably awesome is that!!

It is dark, so dark you can't see which way is up or out, and you cry out for help.....
"LORD" .. "DEAR GOD"  or just cry...
and from out of that darkness,  moving over you slowly a feeling of warmth
"Here am I"
 You hush your crying just a little......"Lord" 
and you begin to see shadows as if a light is slowly seeping into the darkness...
"HERE am I"
You breath deep, almost a sigh from somewhere in your soul....."Dear Lord" 
"HERE AM I"
and you are surrounded by Light that warms you, from the inside out and  you begin to cry again, but this time it is tears of joy mingled with the sweetness of restoration.

Now that is just a poetical picture of how it might be.  Sometimes it can take a moment.  Sometimes it can take a season, and sometimes, friend, it can be what seems a lifetime.

But I know that my Dear Friend, (I hope He is yours too) will be there if you call on Him,
John 8  ¹² When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

So if our coffee time finds you in a dark place I pray that you can look up, look out and
LOOK AT THE BRIGHT SIDE

Psalm 104
¹ Praise the Lord, my soul.

Lord my God, you are very great;
    you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

² The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;
    he stretches out the heavens like a tent
³     and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.

And if you can read this and say "been there and I am filled with His light!"
PRAISE GOD!  give Him the Glory!
Don't hide it but let His light shine!

Matthew 5 ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Thank you for joining me and our Dear Friend for coffee time today.

Until next time 

Keep Looking on the Bright Side!

I have had this laid on my heart for a little bit now, not sure where or how this will go, but the first step is obedience, in faith.
With that, my first step will be to introduce myself a bit and introduce you to my dear Friend, and how this Coffee Time came to be, and then if you would like to join us regularly for Coffee Time that would be wonderful!
I have had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ since I was about 10 years old, was baptized at the age of 12. I knew then that I had a dear Friend, some one who was there for me and I would talk to Him, as I would a friend walking down the road, in my room, where ever I needed.
I would talk out loud, having a wonderful time communing with my Friend.  And that continued through my teens and into my adult life. I talk and share with Him in my car, while I am cleaning house, where ever (and people think I am talking to myself!)
He is someone I have introduced my children to, and now my grandchildren.  I have tried to show them that He is there, real and very much involved!
I would like YOU to meet Him.  Jesus Christ....God's Son born of a virgin named Mary.  He was born very humbly to Mary and an earthly father, Joseph, who stepped in and stepped up (the first "step" dad!) and was obedient to what God had asked him to do and raised Jesus as his own.  Christ's ministry on this earth was not a very long one, but while here he lived a sinless life as an example to us. How to deal with temptation Matthew 4:1-11, betrayal Matthew 26:14-16, family, obedience, and so much more!  How to be humble despite being God. Philippians 2:6-8 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!    But always truthful and to the point, compassionate and full of grace and mercy.  His purpose on this earth was to point us in the direction of the Father. John14:6 "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me." and to die for our sins.  Romans 3:23  We "all sin and fall short of the Glory of God."  A sacrifice was needed for the sins of man....funny thing is I am included in that word "man", it means all who have and do and will inhabit this earth  He came to take on MY sins, to DIE for my sins...so I wouldn't have to. Romans 3:25-26 "God presented Christ as an a sacrifice of atonement through the shedding of His blood, to be received by faith. Without Christ and eternal life I would be separated from God not only here on earth but though all eternity!  But He took the punishment, humiliation, pain and eventually death for me...BUT if that wasn't enough!!! after he was buried in a tomb He rose again 3 days later!  He did not stay dead, He became ALIVE again!      Luke 24:7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 

For me...and for you, because of His great Love for us!   John 3:16 (paraphrase)  For God so loved YOU that He gave His only Son, that if YOU believe in Him YOU will not perish (you will not be separated for all eternity) but YOU will have ETERNAL, EVERLASTING life with God the Father, Jesus the Son in heaven!

My mind works in mysterious and wondrous ways ( because I am "fearfully and wonderfully made" by God the Father!) when I read a scripture or hear a song or sometimes just have a thought I get images and encouraging words.   So as I share what God lays on my heart, my prayer is that you get to know Him better, that He becomes (if He isn't already) your best and dear Friend, your Savior, the boss of your life. And that in spending a few moments with a warm cup, and some good friends you are encouraged (to have a smile on  your face and joy in your heart), inspired (to read, search out scriptures) and energized (to go out and SHINE)
These tidbits of encouragement I like to share, (I have no idea who will want to read them)  but in recent days the thought has come that I could blog these bits of encouragement that I believe God gives me. 
We shall see if this is what God has in mind as you join us for Coffee Time, my dear Friend and me!

See you next time!
Tracey