Archive for » 2010 «

31
Dec
The 10 Most Popular Posts of 2010

Time for our 10 most popular posts of 2010! But first, thank you for stopping by my place this last year. I hope you enjoyed my Holy in the Daily blog posts and found them helpful. The process of writing allows me time to process the things God is doing in me, and you get the overflow.

Sometimes the process is fun. Often it is not as the Spirit Holy seems to continually take me higher up and further in—and blisters accompany the boots. I look forward to 2011 and more blisters. Thanks for walking with me. Here’s a look at the most popular posts of 2010.

  1. Warning! Your Work Can Kill Your Relationships
  2. What Simple Pleasure Marks Your Life as Good?
  3. Celtic Prayer For Your Family
  4. How to Help Someone Through the Process of Grief and Loss
  5. Dancing in the Midst of Difficulty
  6. The Importance of Doing Nothing
  7. Poop, People, and Looking Like Jesus
  8. Let Go of the Rope
  9. How to Pray Your Child “Home”
  10. I’m Not in the Mood to Go to Church

What was your favorite Holy in the Daily post from 2010?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: Celtic Christianity, Daily, praying for your kids, Relationships  Tags: , , , ,
29
Dec
Forgiveness and Honest Little Grandchildren

Little grandchildren are always honest, even when you don’t want them to be. Last Sunday was our Father’s House Christmas Breakfast complete with pancakes, bacon, and lots of adults and kids. Our missionary-home-on-vacation, Dow Saunders, gave a brief Christmas message on forgiveness before we dined. Well timed since most everyone had just spent several days with family and were probably feeling a little of the frustration and offence that often accompanies a gathering of relatives.

Just as Dow began the most important point of his message, my granddaughter, Paisley, loudly demanded that her sister, Karalee, get her hands off her water cup—“Right now!” A two-year-old can be quite vocal when she has been offended. The aspect of sitting in a room full of people who are trying to hear a sermon didn’t deter Paisley’s anger and mission. She wanted her water cup untouched, and dang if she wasn’t going to make Karalee suffer for her insensitivity. Forgiveness definitely was not on the menu at this breakfast table.

I loved it—what a perfect illustration of unforgiveness among relatives. Being proper adults we seldom manifest our offenses in a large gathering of people—at least not usually in church. We will think all kinds of things, but that doesn’t mean we will voice them. That’s too bad, because it means we seldom express forgiveness either. We don’t view forgiveness as a gift we can minister to another.

Am I suggesting that we should all be more vocal in church about our offenses? No, I’m suggesting that we be more aware of our offenses and how each offense is an opportunity to give a gift to another—the gift of forgiveness. This is something Paisley is just now beginning to learn under the careful tutoring of her mother and father. They’re workin’ on it, but it isn’t easy for a two-year-old . . . or a 50-year-old.

How did your relationships survive over the holidays? Did you have opportunities to give the gift of forgiveness? Inquiring minds want to know.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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27
Dec
Homesick for Heaven

“Christmas is a time when you get homesick,” says Carol Nelson, “even when you’re home.” I had that homesick feeling off and on all during this holiday season. I miss my folks who are no longer here, my kids adventuring in far off places, and I miss something that I haven’t yet experienced—Heaven—my home.

Why is that so? How can I miss something I’ve never known? My spirit seems to cry out for a familiar place, a time, a Person I’ve not yet held. I’ve sat and stared out the window musing over what is not yet mine; thinking of people waiting for me there. Yearning for a sight, a smell, a sound that is so new and, yet, so old.

“Yet”—a word in tension between what is coming and what is now.

My friends tell me that I talk more about Heaven than anyone else they know. Do I think I’m going to die soon? No. Am I more heavenly minded than earthly good? No. Am I getting old? Yes, but not that old.

Yet (there is that word again), Heaven is very real to me. For much of Christina history, Heaven was very real to every follower of Christ. It was often a topic of conversation and regarded as one of the major doctrines of the church. People knew Heaven was as real as the next town down the road. Each choice in life reflected a person’s real citizenship, and folks took their heavenly citizenship seriously.

You don’t find Heaven talked about much any more except at funerals. Technology has shrunk our world, but distanced Heaven. The Undiscovered Country doesn’t appeal to people as it once did. Most folks who experience homesickness when they are home don’t connect the feeling with the reality of a place they’ve never seen or care to know much about.

However, if you are like most historical Christians, you probably want to know all you can about the home awaiting you. Heaven’s guide book, the Bible, lists many interesting facts and helpful information about that home. See my posts What Everybody Ought to Know About Heaven and What Do People Do in Heaven? for starters. But be prepared—the more you know, the more homesick you get.

So I’m wondering, did you get homesick this Christmas even when you were home? I’m sure that I’m not the only person out there who experiences this. Let’s talk about Heaven as others have throughout the centuries.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: Eternity Future, grief, Quiet moments  Tags: , , , , ,
24
Dec
A Mother’s Voice Calls Us to Hope and Faith

Merry Christmas to each of you. May your Christmas be filled with Jesus, family, and friends. I’m looking forward to two days full of all of the above. My gift to you is this lovely video of the song ”Mary, Did You Know” with clips from The Passion of The Christ. It so beautifully expresses the birth of Christ that made possible his death and resurrection. I cried watching it and marveled at the hope and faith that Mary must have experienced.

If you are unable to view this clip via RSS feed or email, please visit my Holy in the Daily blog to enjoy it.

Merry Christmas, Susan Gaddis

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22
Dec
An Ancient Voice Calls Us to Truth and Awe

Amid the glitter and sparkle of the holiday season, I sometimes need an ancient voice calling me back to the truth I long to hear at Christmas time. Saint Augustine is old enough to be that voice. Born in 354 AD and known as one of the most notorious prodigals in history, St. Augustine emerged as the greatest influencer in Western Christianity. He continues to influence us today in so many of his writings, but I especially enjoy this short piece revealing the wonder of the birth of Christ.

My mouth will utter the praise of the Lord, of the Lord through whom all things have been made and who has been made amidst all things; who is the Revealer of his Father, Creator of his mother; who is the Son of God from his Father without a mother, the Son of man through his mother without a father.

He is as great as the Day of Angels, and as small as a day in the life of men; he is the Word of God before all ages, and the Word made flesh at the destined time.

Maker of the sun, he is made beneath the sun. Disposing all the ages from the bosom of the Father, he consecrates this very day in the womb of his mother. In his Father he abides; from his mother he goes forth.

Creator of heaven and earth, under the heavens he was born upon earth. Wise beyond all speech, as a speechless child, he is wise. Filling the whole world, he lies in a manger. Ruling the stars, he nurses at his mother’s breast.

He is great in the form of God and small in the form of a servant, so much so that his greatness is not diminished by his smallness, nor his smallness concealed by his greatness. For when he assumed a human body, he did not forsake divine works. He did not cease to be concerned mightily from one end of the universe to the other, and to order all things delightfully, when, having clothed himself in the fragility of flesh, he was received into, not confined in, the Virgin’s womb. So that, while the food of wisdom was not taken away from the angels, we were to taste how sweet is the Lord.

What about you? What ancient voice speaks to you of the reality of Jesus? Do you have a favorite quote from one of the early church fathers or a Scripture that calls you back to what Christmas is really about? Please share it with us.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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20
Dec
The Voices of Children Call Us to Wonder and Joy

Wonder and joy are discovered when we view Christmas through the eyes of children. I hope you enjoy this refreshing version of the Christmas story as much I as did. (Thank you to the children of St. Paul’s Church in Auckland, New Zealand for this amazing video!)

(If you received this post via a RSS reader or email and cannot view this short clip, please visit my Holy in the Daily blog to enjoy it. It will keep you grinning.)

I loved the sheep, the star, and the music—and the wise men, Joseph, and Mary. Which part did you like best?  Use the “Share and Enjoy” buttons at the bottom of this post to send this on to folks who need a smile today!

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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17
Dec
How to Give From the Heart

I enjoy Christmas—it’s a season of giving, and the giving of gifts is one of my favorite love languages. Deep joy comes from contributing to another person’s happiness and comfort. Yet, I found myself frustrated the other day as I hurriedly searched for a gift to take to a Christmas party.

Why did I feel so obligated? No one was forcing me to bring the gift. Even though the party invitation asked that a gift be brought for the benefit of another, it was still my choice to participate or not participate. I was losing my joy over something that was meant to be caring, fun, and fulfilling.

I soon realized my frustration was with a time and money crunch, not the gift giving. Instead of labeling myself as “Scrooge,” I decided to look beneath the surface for a deeper motivation in buying the gift—one other than, “I have to buy a gift if I want to participate in this party.” What need was I trying to fulfill within myself through the giving of this gift?

I decided that my need for community was the real reason I was going to the party and buying the gift. To connect with others and enjoy their company seemed the most honest answer I could give myself for braving the crowds on a busy day and spending money I could have used elsewhere. With this admission came relief and the ability to give from the heart.

The holidays provide plenty of opportunities to give from a sense of obligation. Underneath that obligation lays a hidden need waiting to be met. Below are some basic needs common to all people. Perhaps one of them is your motivation for giving a gift to your boss, and a different one might be your motivation for giving a gift to your sister.

Be honest with yourself. Identify your own need first, and then you will find the freedom to give from the heart.  

You want:

  • Connection—because you need community
  • Celebration, fun, and laughter—because you need to play
  • Acceptance and appreciation—because you need love
  • Respect—because you need to be understood and valued
  • Integrity—because you need to live your values
  • Self-expression—because you need to express yourself

Well–where did your honesty take you?

Identifying a felt need within frees you up to truly give from the heart. The need you confess can become the need you desire to meet in the person receiving the gift. My need for community became part of the gift I was able to take to the party—I contributed to another’s desire for community. 

Christmas is the season of giving gifts. What gift are you really giving when you place that package under the tree?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: Advent, Brain overhaul, Personal growth, Relationships  Tags: , , , , , ,
15
Dec
Praying the Prodigal Home

Ruth Bell Graham was married to a famous evangelist. You would think her life held excitement and God experiences, and I’m sure it did. Yet it also held heartbreak. Not all of Ruth’s children walked with God. It took many years to pray her prodigal son, Franklin, into the boots of his father. She wrote this prayer over 20 years ago.

Lord, With My Jacob, I Would Pray

“Lord,
with my Jacob,” I would pray,
“wrestle till the break of Day”;
tell he, knowing who Thou art,
tho’ asked, will not let Thee depart;
saying, “I’ll not let Thee free
saving Thou wilt first bless me.”
O God of Jacob, who knew how
to change supplanters then, so now
deal, I pray, with this my son,
though he may limp when Thou art
done.

Based on Genesis 32:24–31

As a mother of six, I’ve had my Jacobs too. My heart has cried tears of desperation, and a worn notebook of Scripture prayers sits by my bed. God is faithful. Joy does come again to those who storm heaven’s gates on behalf of their children. Do you have a prodigal in your family? In what way are you praying him or her home?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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13
Dec
What the Bells of Christmas Really Ring

Mission San Miguel bells by Willie Barrow

In 1861 the Civil War broke out. It was this same year that Fanny, the wife of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, died in a tragic fire. Two years later, Longfellow’s son was seriously wounded in the Army of the Potomac. 

It has been said that music holds no depth unless the writer has been broken deep within. Truth and hope bloom when deep calls to deep in the hearts of those who sing such words or hear them. 

It was from this place of deep pain that on a Christmas day Longfellow heard the church bells ringing. Sitting down at his desk he wrote these words: 

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
 
And thought how, as the day had come
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
 
Till, ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
 
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
 
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The household born
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
 
And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
 
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep.
“God is not dead, nor doth he sleep!
The wrong shall fail,
The right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men!”
 

Longfellow experienced the devastation of his family and a nation at war—not so different from much of the world this Christmas day. Yet in the face of such realities we still celebrate Christmas and sing the Christmas carols that continue to bring truth and hope to our world. 

I Head the Bells on Christmas Day is one of my favorite Christmas carols causing me to stand up on the inside when the last verse is sung. What Christmas carol brings truth and hope to your heart every time you hear it? Why? 

In Him together, Susan Gaddis 

P.S. I just have to brag on Willie Barrow. He’s the photographer of the San Miguel Mission bells used in this post. Will designed my awesome website, which you can view here.

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10
Dec
The God Who Wears Skin

My daughter, Kati, tells me that her three little princesses get so excited when they know they are coming to Grandma’s house. As the grandmother whose house they are coming to, this information inspires me to make sure the candy jar is full and the story books ready. I love to hold my granddaughters close, skin to skin, as we read stories together.

God is no different. He is getting his place ready for us. When it is time, he’ll come to get us. And yes, there will be stories to tell and good things to eat at his house. And yes, he will hold us close—skin to skin, and we will live with him forever.  This is the third coming celebrated during Advent.  

God wore skin

Years ago God became man—human body and all. He walked among us—ate, drank, told stories, hugged people, laughed, lived, and loved. He died in that body and came back to life. His new body was recognizable—different, transformed, yet totally human.  That body bore the scars of his sacrifice (see John 20:24-29).

God will always wear skin

Jesus is still in that body. He is still wearing skin. Someday, when I see Jesus face to face, he’ll be wearing skin. I will eat and drink with him. We’ll laugh, talk, hug, tell stories, listen, and he’ll continue to reveal his glory to me. Will I have a new body? You betcha. A body that is young and healthy. (You’ll still be able to recognize me by my red hair.)

The God Who Wears Skin is Coming

Jesus is coming back to get us so that we can live together for all of eternity future. He has promised that He will come for us, and He will. As His followers, we are to remind each other of this promise and encourage each other to live as if this third coming could be today (see 1 Thessalonians 4 and Revelations 19:7-9).

Advent—“coming”—a time of celebrating the three comings of Christ:

  1. the promised coming of Christ on that long ago Christmas morning
  2. because of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, He comes and gives us eternal life and forms His image in us
  3. his promise of coming again to take us to be with him forever

Jesus is coming. He could come today. How are you getting yourself ready to live forever with the God Who Wears Skin?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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