Time, Money, & Talent

When I was a girl, I was part of a girls club.  One of our mottos was: To be a faithful steward of my time, money and talents.

Now, for a middle school girl with no job and no money, whose time was largely governed by others, this didn’t seem too hard, especially during those awkward pre-teen years of wondering if you even have any talent other than annoying your sister.

However, as I have gotten older, this simple motto has become more complex. I’ve grown-up and have a family. No one dictates how I will spend my time; instead I do that for others. We have an income and a budget to balance. And my talents are different than what I thought they would be.  But I still hear those words echoing, be a faithful manager.... 

To read the rest of this post, visit me at Keeping it Personal where I am sharing today. 

Thanks for joining me over there.  You can comment on this post or at Keeping it Personal. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Look For The Blessings

The holidays should bring us joy and reunions with friends and family.  We should be able to approach them with expectation and anticipation. 

But some years we can’t. 

Some years, too much has changed from the way it was to fully embrace where we are. 

We have been blessed this year and we are looking forward to our holiday celebrations, but we have also had the privilege and challenge of walking with some of our friends as they travel a road marked with sorrow this season.  It is not easy for those who walk through trials or those who walk with them... 

Read the rest of this post at Keeping It Personal, where I am contributing today.

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Who Would You Be?

We had a Christmas program at church this year, the first one in nearly 7 years! It was a beautiful, but simple retelling of the Christmas story, with songs and scripture readings, and a manger scene. 

Every little girl was hoping to be Mary.  There is just something about her character that little girls gravitate toward.  A young girl, full of innocence, who found favor with the Most High God. 

Isn't that what we all strive for?

Finding favor with someone or because of something good we have done.  Ultimately, we strive to find favor with God, but sometimes this striving is misplaced and we seek to be fulfilled by other means.

Do we truly seek to our fulfillment in God? In Christ alone. Do we make room for him in our lives?  Do we allow him to fill the empty places?  In this season of rushing, are we so busy that we don't even know where our empty places are?

In the final few days we have left before Christmas, I would like to challenge you to consider where you fit in the Christmas story. 

Who would you be? 

The little drummer boy who feel he has no gift to bring. (I know he is not in the Biblical account, but sometimes an easy one to relate to.)

The betrothed Joseph, perhaps bewildered by what God has called you to.

The shepherds, outcasts of society, but full of joy at the arrival of a Savior.

The innkeeper, challenged to make room for the coming king.  This is is where I often find myself in the story, and not just at Christmastime, struggling to make room in the fullness of life.

Last year, we went to a small Christmas party at our church. The worship team leader asked each of the people at the party what person in the Christmas story they would like to be. All the women said Mary or the Angels. All the men said Joseph or the Shepherds. 

I had given it some real thought and I said, "The Innkeeper." They all looked at me strange, like they'd never heard that one before. They asked me why and then they still looked at me like they didn't get it. But I did. 

I still want to be an innkeeper, even if others don't get it. You see, the innkeeper didn't turn Jesus away, like so many had and so many would. He invited them into the mess. Into the very place he lived and kept things most valuable to him.

This is where Jesus wants to be anyway, right in the very center of our lives, part of that fullness.  The real source of the fullness of  this life he gives.

Who would you be? 

 

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Choosing the Next Thing

I attended a conference a few weeks ago.  It was a great conference where they were extremely generous with all the stuff they gave away to the attendees.  I left for the conference with a short list of books I need to review. I came home with a stack of books so tall; it may take me all year to read them!

It was overwhelming to think about how I would get all the books read.  For a few days, I just stared at the stack of books unable to decide where to start.  Then I began to realize something...

If you'd like to read more about my discovery, join me over at Keeping It Personal.  I am guest posting there today.