Due Season

A change in the air, a breeze turned cool, green buds popping out of the snow usually denotes the change of a season. Seasons come and go. But all in their due time. Like clock work each one takes its turn. Greeting the next season with transitions that take our breath away like the autumn leaves on a crisp fall day.

This post marks the changing of seasons. Yes, I’m aware that it is the end of January and the physical seasons are not changing at this point. The seasons of life, however, are changing and growing. There’s a lot of hope and growth in this season. A lot of life.

Jubilee’, my youngest sister turns 10 years old today. It’s incredible! I can hardly believe that she is turning 10! You can tell though, that it is due season. From the bright eyed baby, to the precious toddling girl with perky blond pigtails, or the long legged exuberant girl that she is today we’ve watched as the seasons have passed. She’s grown and so has our love for her. Thinking back to the day that she was born, you think you could never love her more. Yet with everyday that she grows so does love. Jubilee’ is a constant source of joy to my heart. A jubilant girl she is always seeking to serve people and love others. As we’ve watched her grow we’ve marked seasons of love our own hearts.

I’m greeting a new season as well! I’m moving to Texas at the end of this month, which is fast approaching. It’s taken me off guard in some ways. I never could imagine what this season would look like. But it’s far surpassed my hopes and dreams. Why is this you might say? New seasons come in their time. I don’t hold my seasons. It’s divine clock work you see. Not my timing but the One who holds me. It’s due time for a change in season and my heart knows it! I’ve been waiting for the timing of the seasons. Finding it’s now, I greet the new season with a fearless smile and hold the past season with a long embrace. I will miss living at home with my parents, brother and sisters. But this past season has been full! I am so grateful for the life that we’ve shared. It’s due season and we all sense it.

As the seasons change my heart desires to greet the next season of transitions with grace. Some seasons have already come, some have already gone and some have yet to come. But all in their due time. I’m not in a rush. Simply trusting the One who sets the time for this divine clock work as each season takes its turn. I know that future seasons will take my breath away like the autumn leaves on a crisp fall day.

Come and Listen

I’m thinking about the Nations today…

Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

Proverbs 25:25

Come and Listen

-David Crowder

Come and listen, come to the water’s edge, all you who know and fear the Lord.
Come and listen, come to the water’s edge all you who are thirsty, come.

Let me tell you what He has done for me.
Let me tell you what He has done for me,
He has done for you,
He has done for us.

Come and listen,
come and listen to what He’s done.
Come and listen,
come and listen to what He’s done.

Praise our God for He is good.
Praise our God for He is good.
Praise our God for He is good.
Praise our God for He is good.

He has done for me,
He has done for you,
He has done for us.

Come and listen,
come and listen to what He’s done.
Come and listen,
come and listen to what He’s done.

Timely

Sometimes life feels like it’s not moving at all.

Sometime life flies past and you feel like you have to run a marathon to catch up.

Sitting at the table with my Mom today looking at the calendar I exclaimed “I would never have dreamed I’d be at this place two months ago…” She smiled and agreed. Her reply “but the timing has been so perfect.”  Indeed, the timing though unforeseen by me has been perfect. It may feel like I’m in the midst of a whirlwind with all the changes and excitement. But I crave obedience to the Lord, first and foremost. The Lord’s timing has caught me unaware. My Mom’s recognition of the Lord’s timing in my life though it means changes for her as well blesses me. She knows so much about me and she knows a lot about our Lord. I am so thankful for her love and her example of faithfulness to the Lord.

My heart burns to follow Him closely.

To see the path that He continues to lead me on.

To run a marathon just to simply keep in step.

If you’re not from the prairie…

I’m missing my uncle Bruce today; something fierce. He unexpectedly passed away while I was on internship in SE Asia. The news came as a painful shock. Uncle Bruce was one of the dearest and best men that I’ve ever known. I was looking forward to share my internship experiences with him.

As I was cleaning my room today I came across a large manila envelope. The writing on the front is what brought tears to my eyes… The apparently hurried jotting clearly his. It was one of the last things that I received from him. It contained a paperback book called “If you’re not from the prairie…” by David Bouchard The note inside said “Sweet Jaree’, Just a quick note to let you know that I love you and am proud of you. Uncle Bruce”

If you’re not from the prairie you don’t know the sun, the wind, the sky, what’s flat or heard grass. You’ve never known snow or known cold. If you’re not from the prairie you can’t know me. As I read this precious paperback book again… I teared up. Missing my dear Uncle Bruce who knew me so well; down to the most minute details. He knew I’d love a children’s book, paperback preferably. He must have known I was missing the flat prairies while living on a tropic island.

Today I’m missing Uncle Bruce. His gentle voice, vibrant laughter and quick wit. There’s comfort in the fact that our parting was not a farewell, but until we meet again. Sometimes the heart hurts and though it knows the truth doesn’t feel it. I miss him, but with the hope of seeing him again soon.

Because I’m from the prairie I’ve known love.

Season of the heart

Words fail me today. I cannot find them because of the mass quantity of words that are flurrying through my chest. There is so much that I want to say today. Sitting here trying to compose something I decided that less is best. So, here are the words that are filling my heart, my mind and my praise today.

Words from the season in my heart:

Peace

Joy

Fullness

Alive

Wonder

Adoration

Nearness

Grace

Longing

Desire

Hope

Lavish Love

As this year finds it’s end and a new one gets ready to begin I find myself astounded by the lavish love that I’ve seen. Last year at Christmas time I was praying about a theme or word for the coming year. Asking for a theme for a year isn’t something that I am in the habit doing but felt strongly impressed that He had a word for me. Perhaps I am simple but I believe that when you ask you shall receive. He had a word for me that proved to be a theme throughout this year.

Love; it’s simple and overused. But what is love? “Love in its highest form is… giving someone that which eternally satisfies; that is, God Himself.” -John Piper, The Blazing Center  This love has evidenced itself in the things that I’ve read, places I’ve been, the people I’ve met, family I share life with and friends who have become more dear with another year. Love in every aspect of my life has abounded and increased! It’s been a year of lavish love.

This past year’s journey has been full to overflowing with the greatness of His love. I’ve looked back at the moments that I felt I was floundering remembering that I chose to walk in obedience. Have I done this perfectly, by no means! A year later I see these parts of the journey that I questioned were not out of line. They were prescribed by His hand and resulted in some small way for His glory. My love for Him has increased in the last year, of that I am sure. My greatest hope is that my love has drawn others into new depths of His love.

Lavish love undoes me. His graciousness towards me is never ending! My own love is so selfish, though I beg it not to be. It’s often flawed. As my heart sees His love, there is a constant challenge to grow. In the past year, this year of love, my love has been molded. Experiencing His love in new ways has grown, encouraged and tempered my love. I know more now what my love should look like than I did at this time last year. My prayer is that my understanding and grasp of love shall increase every year from here on out. In His presence we are continually changed, His love nurtures that growth. I’ve grown, the marks are there evidencing the fact that love has grown. It’s still imperfect but it’s His. For His pleasure and for the glory of His name. I want to love Him well and in turn to love others well for His sake. Oh, that my love would abound for His glory and my delight! His is the Love that will not let me go!

Small Publicity

“Christmas for the pagans is small publicity for the Christian it is a gigantic secret.”

-G.K. Chesterton

The gigantic secret is that God in flesh was born by humble and miraculous means two thousand years ago in Bethlehem. This babe took on our dusty frame, dealt in love with our humanity, became like us so that we could know the Father. This secret love astounds me. Finding myself continually thinking about this perfect Love that embraces humanity undoes me. He is so gracious and His love perfectly complete! Love has shed light on our path. This light has shone in our hearts giving us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. Where light is darkness cannot dwell.

Our neighborhood lines the sidewalks and curbs with luminaries. They remind me that light fills the darkest void. The sun goes down swiftly and all becomes dark quickly here in the desert. But as soon as the sun begins to rise upon the desert light floods the sky with some of the most stunning colors known by man. Once we are stuck by the radiance of Christ’s glory we can never be the same. (Hebrews 1:3) His life, our Light! “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:4 If this Light is the secret of this season, let us not keep Him as such. May we not treat this Christmas with small publicity denying the Light’s radiance. Let Light shine forth! “The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” Matthew 4:16  The Light has come! May this Christmas be one of power and might not one of small publicity.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Light

“Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing.

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers,

to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,

who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves,

but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”

has shone in our hearts to give the light

of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay,

to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”

2 Corinthians 4:3-7

This week has been one of light. Superficially it seems that Christmas has a lot to do with light. Candles, lighted trees, roofs with dazzling lights of all colors shapes and sizes. In our area perhaps even a cactus or two gussied up for the season with a festive string of lights gingerly wrapped around it if the owner is brave (or foolish?)! I love the light and warmth of Christmas. I would gladly leave twinkle lights up in my room the whole year round. There is something about light that draws me in. Light brings with it a sense of hope, peace and direction. Growing up at Christmas time I always had a “Jesus Star” in my bedroom as a girl. Lest I forget what the season was about; Christ who is the Light for men. For those who honor Christmas for Christ’s sake this is a season filled with Light. This light treasured in our jar of clay. Finding myself continually thinking about this verse and the Light that shows us the way, that embraces humanity with perfect love undoes me! This is a poem I wrote last week thinking after I had finished it that I would share it with y’all on Christmas day. I kept coming back to this verse and the poem finding that I could not share anything else with you today. ”But we have this treasure in jars of clay…”

the Jesus star in my room this year

“Dusty Frame”

Fragile, frail, shades of gray

Ours alone the guilty shame

The lost, lonely and the stray

Poor, sickly and lame

Glorious from heaven came

The Babe born on Christmas day

God within this dusty frame

Born for man, for them to pay

Father, Son, Spirit, One in the same

Christ, our Light, to make the way

Seeking those lost, for this He came

He is all our hope and stay

Alive within my dusty frame

Treasure in this jar of clay

Lit within this heart a flame

Hope of the world within Him lay

Salvation abundantly came

For every tribe, tongue and frame

All who are called by His name

What a bright and glorious day

Jaree’ Isa 12/09/09

The Great Season of Hope

It’s the title of a chapter I just read out of The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus by Brennan Manning. The title caught my eye. Only six pages long this chapter made me stop and ponder the greatness of hope in the midst of this season. As I’ve been reading my advent scriptures daily I marveled at how the chapter and those verses collided within the theme of hope and light.

“Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” Psalm 43:3-6

Hope resides in us. Vibrantly living in our midst as we look to God and draw on him as our source.  In the chapter “The Great Season of Hope” Brennan Manning says that “Jesus Christmases in us whenever people come home to themselves in our presence, and when they fell a little less hopeful and joyful because we are absent.” Not less hopeful or joyful because of simply being around us, but because of the hope that lives in us. He causes this to be a season filled with hope.

Sitting over Pad Thai, and sipping chai today with my dear friend Crista I was reminded of the hope that lies within. Our hopes spilling out in conversation. “The Hope That Lies In You” is a song by the Glorious Unseen that has spoken to me since it first came out here are the lyrics.

We can hear the sound of all creation sing – a song to heal the earth,

a song to spark a dream.

Where are you optimists?

We need your strength in this.

There’s a stirring in your soul that cannot be controlled.

This is the hope that lies in you.

We can hear the sound of all the earth rejoice;

with angels all around – lifting up their voice.

Where are you hopeful ones?

Have we come undone?

There’s a stirring in your soul that cannot be controlled.

This is the hope that lies in you.

Through all the questioning, you’ve been the hope in me.

Despite uncertainty, you’ve been the only constant thing.

When I’m struggling, you keep on loving me the same.

This is the hope that lies in you.

Come Down – we need your hope to come down.

We need your grace to pour out.

We need your love to shine down.

We need the face of God now.

He is our exceedingly great and glorious hope! In this season my prayer is that you draw ever nearer to Christ and become all the more hopeful!

As This Wednesday Flies By…

As we entered the Christmas season, I find myself desirous to be more mindful of Christ. Wanting to be ever mindful, I find that in a season that is traditionally set apart for Christ we honestly overlook Him. I don’t want to get caught up in the hustle and bustle. January finding that I mindlessly wandered through the month of December. I have determined, I will be mindful of Him. This season is to radiate Jesus’ glory. As He draws the deepest affections of my heart through His care, love and joy my prayer is that my life draws the affections of those around me towards Him. Today has been a very busy day, at moments on the verge of overwhelming, but it’s His tenderness towards me that fills my heart to overflowing. This song has been on my heart and lips today…

You are worthy of affection

You’re the radiance of all of His glory

Let adoration fill this place

You hold everything together

by the Word of Your immovable power

We sing this song of praise

Worthy are you Lord

-Shane & Shane

(Worthy of Affection)