I would hope that I am wiser today than I was a year ago on December 30, 2010. As we leave 2011 and head into 2012 most of us will reflect on the past and resolve to improve and grow in physical health, wisdom, and understanding in the future. As adults, hopefully, we have matured and no longer respond to situations as an infant, toddler, or teenager would. Our maturation happens in stages and over time. There is physical change but there should also be emotional, intellectual, and spiritual growth.
The world revolves around a baby and that is the way it should be. A baby is totally dependent but with the passage of time the baby is gradually taught how to become more self sufficient. As the years pass we should leave behind our selfish dependent selves. Our world broadens and we become more aware of the needs of others. We stretch out of our myopic infant box and should demonstrate more selflessness. Each of us is in a different place. Wisdom and maturation isn’t gauged chronologically. It is important to be growing forward and not getting stuck so that we remain in the same place for any length of time. I have known some adults who still react like toddlers, throwing temper tantrums when they get angry. Some adults still think that the earth continues to exclusively revolve around them. Each of us is somewhere between the infant stage and Mother Theresa, being the epitome of selflessness.
God uses the circumstances of life to grow our spirits. Our human spirit is carnal and selfish. When I received Christ as my Savior, the Holy Spirit entered my physical body birthing God’s Spirit within me. This is the second birth which God speaks about in His Word. Read the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in the third chapter of John.
We are mind, body, and spirit. Each part of us must be nurtured. We would not want to remain a baby. As Christians we do not want to continue being a new born Christian. In order to grow, we must feed our spirits with daily spiritual bread. In Matthew 4:4 Jesus said “People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God”. In the Lord’s Prayer we ask for God to give us our daily bread. The food which we ask for is spiritual as well as physical. God promises to hear our prayer and supply all of our needs. Philippians 4:19 tells us that He does this “according to His riches in Glory in Christ Jesus”.
I study the Word because I believe, have received, and want to be in God’s perfect will. How will I know what His will for my life is if I don’t know Him personally? My faith is a gift and it grows as I hear the Word of God (Romans 10:17). As God’s Spirit within me increases, my carnal spirit decreases. For the stubborn and logical minded this internal battle can be a difficult and long process. God doesn’t just want pieces of us; He wants to be the Lord of our entire life. He wants us to trust Him and to rest in His presence and promises.
I will be in eternity far longer than I am on this present earthly journey. I will continue to seek a closer walk with my Lord so that I will be nearer to Him next year than I am with Him today. I will keep on sharing my journey with you through my blog thoughts and writings. I would encourage you to be discerning and search the scriptures for yourself because you are on your own journey. My New Year’s wish and prayer for my family and friends is that each of you would seek a new or deeper spiritual walk with Father God, Our Creator, through His Son and our Savior, Christ Jesus who is the promised Messiah.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Prepare the Way
In the season of Advent we anticipate a beginning, a start, an arrival, a coming. We are to prepare our hearts for the celebration of the birth of Christ but most of us get caught up with the busyness of the holiday itself and forget to take time to reflect on Christ, the reason for the season.
As we look at the account of the First Christmas in the Scriptures we remember Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, the manger, the shepherds, the sheep, other animals, the star, and the Wise Men. As Christians, this picture is etched in our minds and in our hearts. We believe that Father God sent His Son, Jesus, to be born of The Virgin Mary so that He would become our Savior so we could live our eternal lives in Heaven with Him. We see this in John 3:16 and read the Christmas story in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.
To prepare is to make ready or to put in condition for something. In the Scripture account of the Christmas Story, God was preparing Elizabeth and Zechariah to parent John the Baptist. Mark 1:1 says, “Here begins the Good News about Jesus, The Messiah, The Son of God. In the book of the prophet Isaiah, God said, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger before you, and he will prepare your way. He is a voice shouting in the wilderness’…. This messenger was John the Baptist”. The Angel Gabriel came to Mary to announce that she would be blessed by God to be the mother of the promised Messiah. She believed and responded to the angel, “I am the Lord’s servant and am willing to accept whatever He wants”. In her obedience, she prepared for the birth of Jesus. Joseph was prepared by God in a dream. He believed, took Mary as his wife, did as God wanted, and prepared by taking care of Mary in anticipation of the Baby’s birth.
God prepares us, His children. He grows our spirits and makes us ready to be used by Him for His Glory. Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah, and John the Baptist were all chosen and prepared by God to be used in the fulfillment of His plan of redemption; the plan which is written about in the Old and New Testaments. The Messiah was to be born from the lineage of David and this list of ancestors is recorded in Matthew 1. This lineage was prophesied and planned by God. In Jeremiah 1:5, God says to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart, I appointed you as a prophet to the nations”. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you”, says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope”.
I believe that God has a plan for our lives as He did for Mary, Joseph, and the others in the Christmas Story. We are all on a spiritual journey. Let us prepare to hear, see, and experience the love and promise of the Christmas Story in our lives this Christmas.
In the past I posted a Blog, “My Journey to Bethlehem”. I am going to update it and re-post it with this Blog. As I read it again, I recall all that God has brought me through in my personal spiritual story. I remember His faithfulness and I will continue to prepare the way for my ongoing spiritual journey. It is a season which fills itself with memories; sad ones and happy ones. May we all prepare for Christ to enter our hearts as we get ready to make new Christmas memories and look forward to 2012. Wishing you God’s Blessings, His Peace, and His Presence in your lives at Christmas, in the New Year, and always.
With Love and Merry Christmas to All, Anna Mae
December 17, 2011
My Journey to Bethlehem
As God prepared the road for Joseph and Mary, He is preparing our road.
Our road is our walk through this physical journey of life and our spiritual journey to God. My walk has taken me to Bethlehem and The Christ Child.
We are all at a different place in our spiritual walks.
God will help us to walk forward into a deeper place.
How do we get there?
How does our spirit grow?
I have found that God uses the circumstances and trials of life to awaken our spirits and to make us open to what He wants to teach us.
When the situations of life empty our cups of what we think is so important; God then, has the opportunity to fill our cups, our spirits, with the things which are spiritually and eternally important.
The things of this life are temporary. The physical busyness of getting ready for Christmas is soon over and we are taking down the tree, putting away or returning gifts, and making New Year’s resolutions to diet and exercise.
Each of us is looking for more than the temporary.
Scripture has taught me that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God”.
As we hear again the Christmas story, as we listen to and read scripture, as we sing songs of adoration, praise, and thanksgiving, as we worship together, and as we share our faith with each other, we grow and move into that deeper spiritual place.
I have found that love is contagious and so is faith.
Faith is a gift from God.
The Bible says that we all have been given the gift of faith even if it is as small as a mustard seed.
When we believe and receive this gift, our faith will begin to grow. We are to confess our faith, use our faith, and share it with others.
I have been given the gift of faith. I would like to share with you a little about my life and my personal faith journey.
To grow in faith is a choice. How God chooses to bring us to the place where we meet Him is not usually a choice. I have asked Him, “couldn’t you have brought me into a closer walk with you some other way?” I personally believe that God has a purpose and plan for each of our lives.
I was born in Brooklyn. My father was born in Norway. My mother was born in North Dakota. Her parents were pioneers from Norway and she was a teacher who taught in a one room school house. Dad was a carpenter. I have two sisters, Marlene and Jane.
We moved to Huntington in 1955. I graduated from Walt Whitman High School in 1960 and from Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in 1963. In 1964 I married my high school sweetheart, Richard. We started our family 6 years later. We lived in West Hempstead during our first years of marriage and moved to Dix Hills in 1974. Richie built our home on Long Island and we lived in it for 35 years.
God gave us four daughters but has only allowed us to raise two of them.
Erica is 39 and married to Trevor. They have two sons, Trevor and Hunter.
Christa is 28 and is married to Kristopher. They are expecting their first child in the Spring.
Our first born Elisa died at 9 years of age in 1979.
Our third born Carrie died at 2 weeks of age in 1980.
Elisa died in her sleep early one morning and Carrie was post mature in utero and died of the complications of meconium aspiration.
Needless to say these were the hardest years of my life.
My faith was being severely tested.
No physical person could help me.
I felt as if I was walking in a fog.
I was going through the motions of living.
I had to keep going for Erica. Richie couldn’t even function.
My parents and sisters were devastated.
No one could help us.
I was searching for comfort and purpose.
Many couples are unable to make it after the loss of a child because both are hurting so much that they can’t help each other.
Prior to the death of my children my life had been a very stable one.
Richie did not have an easy childhood but was now settled and happy as a husband and father. His world came crashing in on him once again.
His spiritual foundation was not strong enough to bring him any peace or comfort.
My friend Bobby said “you have the Lord and Richie has you”.
My faith gave me strength.
As God lifted me up I could keep Erica and Richie going.
My foundation of faith was begun and nurtured by God fearing parents who brought me to church and Sunday School at a very young age. I was baptized at Bethelship Methodist Church in Brooklyn.
I was confirmed at Gloria Dea Lutheran Church in Huntington.
I attended and taught Sunday School as a teenager at West Hills Methodist Church.
While living in West Hempstead, I attended Hempstead Methodist Church. This is where Elisa and Erica were baptized.
When we moved to Dix Hills in 1974 we attended the Dix Hills Methodist Church.
After the death of my children, I went back to West Hills Methodist Church to be with my parents and to be spiritually fed by a wonderful pastor who helped me through a very difficult time.
In my search for deeper understanding, increased faith, and spiritual growth, Erica and I began attending The Commack Church of God. God used the preaching and the loving congregation of this church to feed my spirit and to bring me into a deeper dimension of faith.
It was during this time that I continued to pray for another child. I had had two miscarriages. My prayer became, “God, if it isn’t in your plan please take the desire for another child away from me”. I had submitted to his will. He did not take the desire away. He gave us the desire of our hearts on May 25, 1983. Christa Grace was born. I thank Him every day for giving us another child and for giving Erica a sister.
In 1984 our family joined St. Luke Lutheran Church. It became our church home for 23 years. I taught Sunday School for 10 years and as a family we grew in faith and love for our Lord. Pastor Froehlich baptized, confirmed, and married Christa. Pastor confirmed and married Erica and baptized her two sons. The people at St Luke were our extended family.
In 2008 we sold our home of 35 years; I retired from Oncology Nursing at Huntington Hospital; and we moved to Orefield, Pennsylvania. Our new home is one mile away from Erica and one hour away from Christa. We had purchased a house in The Florida Keys in 1991. Again, God has given us the desire of our hearts. We are spending our retirement between sunny Florida in The Keys and Orefield, Pennsylvania near our children and their families.
I can only remember one time in my life when I questioned God’s existence. It was after Baby Carrie died. I couldn’t believe that a second child would be taken from me. When she died, others including Richie questioned how I could maintain my faith. How could a loving God have allowed this to happen again? Maybe the God, whom I’ve always known, was not really there. It was the loneliest time of my life. Who could I turn to if He wasn’t there, if He wasn’t walking with me.
This dry period only lasted a few weeks. I searched the scriptures. Where else could I go for answers? I would sit in my yard with my Bible. God led me to the Book of Job. Job was God’s most beloved servant and God allowed him to loose everything including his children. Job never lost faith. I wasn’t going to either! I was reminded of the poem, Footprints in the Sand. God was there and He would continue to carry me through the tough times in life.
When I read 2 Corinthians1: 4, 5, I knew that the words in this passage were meant for me. “God helps us in all of our troubles, so that we are able to help others who have all kinds of troubles, using the same help that we ourselves have received from God”.
He spoke to me through His word. I would continue to search and believe! I was sure that He had spoken to me; I was sure that He was there! I knew that He would use me in the lives of others and He has.
Faith is an awesome gift but with that gift comes responsibility. To he whom much is given, much is required.
Jesus is the Lord of my life. I love Him with all of my heart, mind, and soul. I am able to love others because He loved me first.
I pray for wisdom and discernment daily, asking God to use me to His glory in the lives of others. My trials have given me spiritual strength and understanding. God in me, through The Holy Spirit, gives me the ability to know what He would want me to do or to say to help others. He has touched people through me in my personal life and in my professional life as a nurse. I want to be His vessel and I know He hears my prayer.
Nothing is more important to me than being in God’s will. What I do for Him is the only thing that will last throughout eternity.
The Bible is our road map and GPS, giving us direction. It is God’s love letter to each of us. God’s promises are real. Jesus is our Savior. The Holy Spirit is our comforter and guide and God’s power within us.
We are God’s children and He calls each of us to come to Him just as we are. He draws us to Himself; asking us to believe and to receive the gift of faith. Anyone who truly confesses believing and receiving Christ will never want to turn back from their walk to Bethlehem.
By sharing myself with you, my hope is that your faith will be encouraged.
If anyone is going through a difficult time in their lives, you are not alone, God is with you. Ask for and seek His presence. He will make His presence known and give you His peace.
As we walk the road to Bethlehem this Christmas; may we grow in the love of Jesus, may we grow in faith, and may we pass on our increased love and faith to others.
I pray that the lights of Christmas will glow through each of us all year long.
I wish a Merry Christmas to everyone. I plan to continue my writings in the New Year. I thank The Lord for working in me and through me to complete my 2011 blogs. It was a promise which I made to Him and to myself two years ago. Thank you Dear Lord.
Wishing all who read my blog, a happy, healthy, and spiritually full 2012 as we continue our faith journey together.
As we look at the account of the First Christmas in the Scriptures we remember Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, the manger, the shepherds, the sheep, other animals, the star, and the Wise Men. As Christians, this picture is etched in our minds and in our hearts. We believe that Father God sent His Son, Jesus, to be born of The Virgin Mary so that He would become our Savior so we could live our eternal lives in Heaven with Him. We see this in John 3:16 and read the Christmas story in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.
To prepare is to make ready or to put in condition for something. In the Scripture account of the Christmas Story, God was preparing Elizabeth and Zechariah to parent John the Baptist. Mark 1:1 says, “Here begins the Good News about Jesus, The Messiah, The Son of God. In the book of the prophet Isaiah, God said, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger before you, and he will prepare your way. He is a voice shouting in the wilderness’…. This messenger was John the Baptist”. The Angel Gabriel came to Mary to announce that she would be blessed by God to be the mother of the promised Messiah. She believed and responded to the angel, “I am the Lord’s servant and am willing to accept whatever He wants”. In her obedience, she prepared for the birth of Jesus. Joseph was prepared by God in a dream. He believed, took Mary as his wife, did as God wanted, and prepared by taking care of Mary in anticipation of the Baby’s birth.
God prepares us, His children. He grows our spirits and makes us ready to be used by Him for His Glory. Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah, and John the Baptist were all chosen and prepared by God to be used in the fulfillment of His plan of redemption; the plan which is written about in the Old and New Testaments. The Messiah was to be born from the lineage of David and this list of ancestors is recorded in Matthew 1. This lineage was prophesied and planned by God. In Jeremiah 1:5, God says to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart, I appointed you as a prophet to the nations”. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you”, says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope”.
I believe that God has a plan for our lives as He did for Mary, Joseph, and the others in the Christmas Story. We are all on a spiritual journey. Let us prepare to hear, see, and experience the love and promise of the Christmas Story in our lives this Christmas.
In the past I posted a Blog, “My Journey to Bethlehem”. I am going to update it and re-post it with this Blog. As I read it again, I recall all that God has brought me through in my personal spiritual story. I remember His faithfulness and I will continue to prepare the way for my ongoing spiritual journey. It is a season which fills itself with memories; sad ones and happy ones. May we all prepare for Christ to enter our hearts as we get ready to make new Christmas memories and look forward to 2012. Wishing you God’s Blessings, His Peace, and His Presence in your lives at Christmas, in the New Year, and always.
With Love and Merry Christmas to All, Anna Mae
December 17, 2011
My Journey to Bethlehem
As God prepared the road for Joseph and Mary, He is preparing our road.
Our road is our walk through this physical journey of life and our spiritual journey to God. My walk has taken me to Bethlehem and The Christ Child.
We are all at a different place in our spiritual walks.
God will help us to walk forward into a deeper place.
How do we get there?
How does our spirit grow?
I have found that God uses the circumstances and trials of life to awaken our spirits and to make us open to what He wants to teach us.
When the situations of life empty our cups of what we think is so important; God then, has the opportunity to fill our cups, our spirits, with the things which are spiritually and eternally important.
The things of this life are temporary. The physical busyness of getting ready for Christmas is soon over and we are taking down the tree, putting away or returning gifts, and making New Year’s resolutions to diet and exercise.
Each of us is looking for more than the temporary.
Scripture has taught me that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God”.
As we hear again the Christmas story, as we listen to and read scripture, as we sing songs of adoration, praise, and thanksgiving, as we worship together, and as we share our faith with each other, we grow and move into that deeper spiritual place.
I have found that love is contagious and so is faith.
Faith is a gift from God.
The Bible says that we all have been given the gift of faith even if it is as small as a mustard seed.
When we believe and receive this gift, our faith will begin to grow. We are to confess our faith, use our faith, and share it with others.
I have been given the gift of faith. I would like to share with you a little about my life and my personal faith journey.
To grow in faith is a choice. How God chooses to bring us to the place where we meet Him is not usually a choice. I have asked Him, “couldn’t you have brought me into a closer walk with you some other way?” I personally believe that God has a purpose and plan for each of our lives.
I was born in Brooklyn. My father was born in Norway. My mother was born in North Dakota. Her parents were pioneers from Norway and she was a teacher who taught in a one room school house. Dad was a carpenter. I have two sisters, Marlene and Jane.
We moved to Huntington in 1955. I graduated from Walt Whitman High School in 1960 and from Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in 1963. In 1964 I married my high school sweetheart, Richard. We started our family 6 years later. We lived in West Hempstead during our first years of marriage and moved to Dix Hills in 1974. Richie built our home on Long Island and we lived in it for 35 years.
God gave us four daughters but has only allowed us to raise two of them.
Erica is 39 and married to Trevor. They have two sons, Trevor and Hunter.
Christa is 28 and is married to Kristopher. They are expecting their first child in the Spring.
Our first born Elisa died at 9 years of age in 1979.
Our third born Carrie died at 2 weeks of age in 1980.
Elisa died in her sleep early one morning and Carrie was post mature in utero and died of the complications of meconium aspiration.
Needless to say these were the hardest years of my life.
My faith was being severely tested.
No physical person could help me.
I felt as if I was walking in a fog.
I was going through the motions of living.
I had to keep going for Erica. Richie couldn’t even function.
My parents and sisters were devastated.
No one could help us.
I was searching for comfort and purpose.
Many couples are unable to make it after the loss of a child because both are hurting so much that they can’t help each other.
Prior to the death of my children my life had been a very stable one.
Richie did not have an easy childhood but was now settled and happy as a husband and father. His world came crashing in on him once again.
His spiritual foundation was not strong enough to bring him any peace or comfort.
My friend Bobby said “you have the Lord and Richie has you”.
My faith gave me strength.
As God lifted me up I could keep Erica and Richie going.
My foundation of faith was begun and nurtured by God fearing parents who brought me to church and Sunday School at a very young age. I was baptized at Bethelship Methodist Church in Brooklyn.
I was confirmed at Gloria Dea Lutheran Church in Huntington.
I attended and taught Sunday School as a teenager at West Hills Methodist Church.
While living in West Hempstead, I attended Hempstead Methodist Church. This is where Elisa and Erica were baptized.
When we moved to Dix Hills in 1974 we attended the Dix Hills Methodist Church.
After the death of my children, I went back to West Hills Methodist Church to be with my parents and to be spiritually fed by a wonderful pastor who helped me through a very difficult time.
In my search for deeper understanding, increased faith, and spiritual growth, Erica and I began attending The Commack Church of God. God used the preaching and the loving congregation of this church to feed my spirit and to bring me into a deeper dimension of faith.
It was during this time that I continued to pray for another child. I had had two miscarriages. My prayer became, “God, if it isn’t in your plan please take the desire for another child away from me”. I had submitted to his will. He did not take the desire away. He gave us the desire of our hearts on May 25, 1983. Christa Grace was born. I thank Him every day for giving us another child and for giving Erica a sister.
In 1984 our family joined St. Luke Lutheran Church. It became our church home for 23 years. I taught Sunday School for 10 years and as a family we grew in faith and love for our Lord. Pastor Froehlich baptized, confirmed, and married Christa. Pastor confirmed and married Erica and baptized her two sons. The people at St Luke were our extended family.
In 2008 we sold our home of 35 years; I retired from Oncology Nursing at Huntington Hospital; and we moved to Orefield, Pennsylvania. Our new home is one mile away from Erica and one hour away from Christa. We had purchased a house in The Florida Keys in 1991. Again, God has given us the desire of our hearts. We are spending our retirement between sunny Florida in The Keys and Orefield, Pennsylvania near our children and their families.
I can only remember one time in my life when I questioned God’s existence. It was after Baby Carrie died. I couldn’t believe that a second child would be taken from me. When she died, others including Richie questioned how I could maintain my faith. How could a loving God have allowed this to happen again? Maybe the God, whom I’ve always known, was not really there. It was the loneliest time of my life. Who could I turn to if He wasn’t there, if He wasn’t walking with me.
This dry period only lasted a few weeks. I searched the scriptures. Where else could I go for answers? I would sit in my yard with my Bible. God led me to the Book of Job. Job was God’s most beloved servant and God allowed him to loose everything including his children. Job never lost faith. I wasn’t going to either! I was reminded of the poem, Footprints in the Sand. God was there and He would continue to carry me through the tough times in life.
When I read 2 Corinthians1: 4, 5, I knew that the words in this passage were meant for me. “God helps us in all of our troubles, so that we are able to help others who have all kinds of troubles, using the same help that we ourselves have received from God”.
He spoke to me through His word. I would continue to search and believe! I was sure that He had spoken to me; I was sure that He was there! I knew that He would use me in the lives of others and He has.
Faith is an awesome gift but with that gift comes responsibility. To he whom much is given, much is required.
Jesus is the Lord of my life. I love Him with all of my heart, mind, and soul. I am able to love others because He loved me first.
I pray for wisdom and discernment daily, asking God to use me to His glory in the lives of others. My trials have given me spiritual strength and understanding. God in me, through The Holy Spirit, gives me the ability to know what He would want me to do or to say to help others. He has touched people through me in my personal life and in my professional life as a nurse. I want to be His vessel and I know He hears my prayer.
Nothing is more important to me than being in God’s will. What I do for Him is the only thing that will last throughout eternity.
The Bible is our road map and GPS, giving us direction. It is God’s love letter to each of us. God’s promises are real. Jesus is our Savior. The Holy Spirit is our comforter and guide and God’s power within us.
We are God’s children and He calls each of us to come to Him just as we are. He draws us to Himself; asking us to believe and to receive the gift of faith. Anyone who truly confesses believing and receiving Christ will never want to turn back from their walk to Bethlehem.
By sharing myself with you, my hope is that your faith will be encouraged.
If anyone is going through a difficult time in their lives, you are not alone, God is with you. Ask for and seek His presence. He will make His presence known and give you His peace.
As we walk the road to Bethlehem this Christmas; may we grow in the love of Jesus, may we grow in faith, and may we pass on our increased love and faith to others.
I pray that the lights of Christmas will glow through each of us all year long.
I wish a Merry Christmas to everyone. I plan to continue my writings in the New Year. I thank The Lord for working in me and through me to complete my 2011 blogs. It was a promise which I made to Him and to myself two years ago. Thank you Dear Lord.
Wishing all who read my blog, a happy, healthy, and spiritually full 2012 as we continue our faith journey together.
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