Archive for the Category »My village «

08
Dec
How to Celebrate Christmas When You’re Not in the Mood
Christmas Bible text

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com

Are you avoiding Christmas this year because you aren’t in the mood? Is busyness or financial troubles making Christmas seem like too much of a hassle? I have a friend who doesn’t decorate for Christmas because she feels there is no one to enjoy it. The kids have all left home, and her husband has passed away. Another friend just isn’t in the mood for Christmas and plans to ignore it this year.

I can relate to sorrow invading the Christmas season, limiting our joy. I lost my mother a week before Christmas a few years ago, and it was a very sad time. The Christmas gathering at my house gets smaller every year as the kids marry and get involved in their extended families. Loneliness, sorrow, and depression are all valid feelings and shouldn’t be ignored during the holidays. But Christmas shouldn’t be ignored either.

Christmas isn’t about us. It is about the celebration of the coming of our King to planet earth–God becoming man. We call this season Advent, which means “arrival.” Christmas sets us up for the Christian’s main celebration of Easter–the death, burial, and resurrection of this God Man so that our sins could be forgiven. Without Christmas, there would be no Easter. In my book, celebrating Christmas is a form of worship.

Are you avoiding Christmas this year? Too busy? Financially strapped? Have sorrow, loneliness, or depression robbed you of the opportunity to worship the King?

Here are five tips for how to celebrate Christmas when you’re not in the mood:

1. Get yourself over to a senior citizen facility and ask the receptionist for the names and room numbers of those who have no family in the area to visit them. Then visit each senior and listen to their stories, pray with them, and leave a Christmas card or plate of cookies. If you have children still at home, get them involved in the baking and visiting.

2. Give a gift of value to those you love–a heart felt letter of appreciation for how their lives have touched yours, a pretty plate that belonged to your grandmother, a box of family recipes you’ve copied, or that set of teacups that are gathering dust in the china cabinet. Some things shouldn’t be left until you are too old to enjoy giving them away.

3. Plan a day to make Christmas crafts or cookies with your kids, grandkids, or some of the children from the church whose mother works and has little time for this kind of special activity. Play Christmas music, serve hot chocolate, and share with the children your memories of Christmas and how Jesus has impacted your life. Let them tell you their stories of Jesus.

4. Call your local homeless shelter or soup kitchen and find out what they need during December. Choose one avenue in which to help serve those less fortunate than you. Then do it.

5. Visit Ann Voskamp’s blog, A Holy Experience, and download her free Advent Jesse Tree book. For many years, our family has enjoyed the story of the coming of the Messiah as a December daily devotional. The kids enjoy putting the symbols of each Old Testament promise on the special tree as we slowly work our way up to December 25th, the day of the birth of the King. We use a traditional small fir tree, but my friend Vickie always finds a bare branch that she sprays white and sets in a weighted pot for her family’s Jessie Tree. Even though the kids have all left home, Vickie and Dave still celebrate Advent with their Jessie Tree.

What have you found helpful in keeping Christmas as a time of worship to our King? What brings Advent alive for you? I’d love to have your input.

Susan Gaddis, Helping you build your spiritual legacy

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06
Jun
Monday’s Moment–The Greatest Music Video Ever Made

Today I’m launching my “Monday’s Moment.” Every Monday this summer you can expect a sizzling summer video to get your week started out right. Yep, it frees me up to get some serious writing done, yet still connect us via a common bond–multimedia.

This week I’m proud to present the Grand Rapids Lip Dub, which Roger Ebert calls “The Greatest Music Video Ever Made.” After Newsweek labeled Grand Rapids, Michigan, a “dying city,” thousands of Grand Rapids citizens, including the mayor, responded with a huge lip dub.

Filmed in one continuous take, the 9-minute video rendition of Don McLean’s “American Pie” has sparked an international response.  (If you received this post via RSS or email and cannot view the clip, please visit my Holy in the Daily blog to experience your Monday’s Moment.)

My response—“Church, take notice—if this is what an American city can do to stir up community pride, what can we do to stir up Kingdom pride! We belong to an eternal community—let’s promote it!”

What do you think? American pride? Kingdom community pride? Your opinion is invited.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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20
May
Not Your King Arthur Kind of Celts

Contrary to popular American thought, the Celts were not barbarians who fought the Romans alongside King Arthur. Celtic culture was far richer than a King Arthur Hollywood movie. Tonight we’re hosting a party at Father’s House where Liz Babbs will be weaving the story of Celtic Christianity into a Ceilidh.

In her book, Celtic Treasure, Liz Babbs explains: “A ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic social dance originating in Ireland and Scotland, but which is now popular throughout the world. Originally, a ceilidh was a social gathering that could include stories, songs, poems, proverbs, ballads, and need not necessarily feature dance.” Later dance became a natural part of a ceilidh as the whole of life was celebrated.

Creativity and community go hand in hand in Celtic Christianity. Before TV and the Internet, there was storytelling by the fireplace, singing and dancing when folks gathered for community meals, and the reading of poetry or the sharing of arts and crafts. People had time for each other–for listening, laughing, eating, and living life in celebration of the God who creates and enlivens ordinary people like you and me. This is what community is all about–sharing together our expressions of God.

Sacred Tapestry

Each person

a precious thread

open ended with

creative possiblity

and when linked to others

weaves a community

of beauty –

a sacred tapestry

mirroring heaven.

Liz  Babbs in Celtic Treasure

I hope you get to party in celebration of God this weekend. Our ceilidh includes Celtic music and not-so-Celtic raps, dancing, poetry, storytelling–all served up with large plates of food and laughter. Works of various artists will be on display–yarn creations and woodworking are just a few. And, of course, there will be the story of the Celts weaved throughout the evening.

All ages are invited–just bring a plate of finger-food and a smile. It’s time to put on your dancing shoes! (For location, time, and other details, please visit our Celtic California website.)

What creative gift has God given you and how do you celebrate that gift with others?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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29
Apr
Why Church is Like a Box of Crayons

“We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors but they all have to learn to live in the same box.” I don’t know who originated this quote, but I’m sure he was referring to church.

After 35 years of pastoring the same church, I am still surprised when folks leave because they can’t get along with others in the fellowship. Often times people leave for logical and healthy reasons, but sometimes they just shoot out the door and never come back—and this after calling Father’s House their home for several years.

Working through difficult relationships takes commitment and work, and most folks don’t want church to be work—it’s the one spot in their busy week where they can rest and receive. I disagree. I view church as the training ground for relationships for the rest of eternity future. That is not exactly restful or easy.

I can also say that after 35 years in the same church, I am still learning how to get along with people in a healthy manner. I know I am dysfunctional and so are the people I fellowship with—that’s why we need Jesus. Most of us aren’t even aware of our dysfunctions—we’ve each lived with our abnormalities so long, we think they are normal. It’s always the other guy who is the problem—not me! But that’s the point—people aren’t the problem; what a person thinks and does is the problem.

It is hard to separate people from their actions— to love people and address their wrong thinking and actions in a healthy manner. This takes learning new relationship skills. It means having the heart of Jesus for an individual and seeking to communicate with him or her in healthy ways. Sometimes sin is involved and needs to be addressed, but always from a heart of compassion and a desire to draw closer to Jesus and to each other.

Does this mean that we never leave a church because of relationship problems? No. Sometimes spiritual abuse is a factor and spiritual authorities don’t want to recognize and work through such actions. I’ve known pastors that shouldn’t be pastoring. I’ve also seen the accusation of spiritual abuse used as an excuse by those who don’t want to work on their authority issues.

People are people and do people things. Jesus died for such people. Are we willing to lay down our lives to build relationship with folks we consider to be “difficult”? Are we willing to own the fact that we can be “difficult” at times too? What are your thoughts?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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14
Mar
An Update From Earthquake Country

a helicopter flies over Sendai, Japan

Some of my friends and family think I’m nuts to carry water and energy bars around in an emergency bag in my car. I also carry a spare tire and a jack. I really don’t think about my emergency bag or my spare tire unless they are needed–at that point, I’m thankful they are there.

We live in earthquake country on the Central Coast of California, 50 miles from Parkfield—Grand Central Station for the Big One expected by all earthquake experts.

A friend with connections in Christchurch, New Zealand told me that her friends were without water for six days, and their neighborhood still shares a Porta Potti since sewage pipes were destroyed in last month’s 6.3 earthquake. Japan’s 9.0 earthquake last Friday was 8,000 times greater than the one in Christchurch.

Our beaches here on the Central Coast were evacuated and put on tsunami warnings Friday morning. Although only minor damage occurred, other areas in California weren’t so lucky. We are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and have yet to pay our dues.

Our city government is telling us that after a major disaster, community resources will be spread pretty thin. This includes disasters such as earthquake, fire, and terrorist attacks. Prudence would tell us to prepare for any disaster, especially one that seems inevitable at some point in the future. Here are 5 tips to help you prepare for disaster, even personal disaster, such as a house fire or the death of a family member.

Resources for disaster preparation:

  2. Website 72Hours.org recommends preparing an emergency kit for 72 hours. Their website contains many resources to help you prepare at minimum expense.
  3. Reader’s Digest explains How to Save a Life in 12 different emergency situations
  4. Organize your family’s essential information in case of an emergency. I use the book If Something Happens To Me (available on Amazon.com), to keep all our insurance, bank accounts, will, passwords, basic list of bills, doctor’s names and phone numbers, medical data, and even my computer backup information recorded in one location. Then I tell those who would need such information where the book is located in case of an emergency.
  5. Prepare a home inventory to document everything you own for insurance purposes. This short YouTube clip explains how to do this.

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

For more information on earthquakes see my post Earthquake–Earth Groaning.

If you have other helpful suggestions, please share them with us in the comment section below.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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02
Feb
Finding Value and Worth in Invisible People

It is really hard to value invisible people. Most of the time I’m unaware of how I ignore and mentally dismiss people as unimportant. The clerk at the store becomes a tool to process my groceries. A mailman is faceless unless my mail is late. The homeless are remembered with a few cans of cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving when I feel I need to get in the spirit of the season and give to the homeless shelter.

Yet, God places great value and worth in dismissed people. What we see on the outside of a person doesn’t equate what is inside the person–we can’t see the richness placed there by an unseen hand. One of my favorite poems, written in 1921 by Myra Brooks Welch, examines this thought beautifully.

The Touch of the Master’s Hand

Twas battered and scarred and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile.

“What am I bid, good folk?” he cried.
“Who’ll start the bidding for me?
A dollar, a dollar … now two … only two …
Two dollars, and who’ll make it three?”

“Three dollars once, three dollars twice,
Going for three” … but no!
From the room far back a gray-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow.

Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet,
As sweet as an angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said, “What am I bid for the old violin?”
As he held it up with the bow.

“A thousand dollars … and who’ll make it two?
Two…two thousand, and who’ll make it three?
Three thousand once and three thousand twice …
Three thousand and gone!” said he.

The people cheered, but some exclaimed
“We do not quite understand …
What changed it’s worth?” and the answer came:
“Twas the touch of the master’s hand.”

And many a man with soul out of tune
And battered and scarred by sin
Is auctioned cheap by the thoughtless crowd
Just like the old violin.

But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul, and the change that is wrought
By the touch of the master’s hand.

O Master! I am the tuneless one
Lay, lay Thy hand on me,
Transform me now, put a song in my heart
Of melody, Lord, to Thee!

Who are the invisible people that cross your path each day? The next time you pick up your coffee at Starbucks, look the clerk in the eye and express your thanks. Notice a new employee at work and invite him or her out for coffee. Stop and visit with a new neighbor.

We are all capable of ignoring people and dismissing the value hidden within them by God. Who have you unknowingly dismissed? Whose melody are you missing?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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15
Oct
How to Taste the Seasons

Taste the seasons

Some years ago the Lord began to ask me to honor his cycle of seasons in creation. So, in obedience, I began to change some of my home décor based on the rhythm of winter, spring, summer, and fall. But lately that hasn’t been enough—I need to taste the seasons.

The Central Coast of California enjoys a mild climate most of the year. Some leaves change color in the fall; we have frost in the winter and heat in the summer, but most of the time we lack a significant change that marks the seasons. I think this lack of change has lulled my honor of God’s cycle of seasons into a note on my day planner to change my décor. Lost is the wonder that follows the Creator’s works and the honor of him that should be the result.

Last Monday Tom and I took a new step into honoring God’s seasons by visiting Nature’s Touch Nursery and Harvest. I signed up for their weekly bag of locally grown, organic produce gleaned from the current harvest. Of course the items in the bag will change as the seasons change, challenging me to learn how to cook things I haven’t eaten since I was a child—things like chard, beets, and different varieties of winter squash.

Eating each season’s harvest was normal when I was growing up on a ranch, but in the years since I’ve found the local grocery store to carry all the things I love to eat in season and out—hot-house grown food or fruits and veggies shipped in from places that experience their seasons opposite of ours. I’ve missed the experience that was designed by the Creator to be a taste of his seasons.

Yes, I’ll continue to cook the traditional seasonal markers such as pumpkin pie and sweet potato pudding, but I’m interested to see the wonder return and the honor due the Lord as I taste things grown locally and seasonally in my home community.

How do you taste the seasons?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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09
Jul
See How Easily You Can Change Someone’s Day for the Better

It doesn’t take much to change someone’s day for the better.

I don’t remember where I first heard this tale, but the story is told of a blind man sitting on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet and a sign that read: “I am blind, please help.”

A creative publicist was walking by and stopped to observe. He saw that the blind man had only a few coins in his hat. He dropped in more coins and, without asking for permission, took the sign and rewrote it.

He returned the sign to the blind man and left. That afternoon the publicist came back to the blind man and noticed that his hat was full of bills and coins.

The blind man recognized his footsteps and asked if it was he who had rewritten his sign and wanted to know what he had written on it.

The publicist responded: “Nothing that was not true. I just wrote the message a little differently.” He smiled and went on his way.

The new sign read: “Today is spring and I cannot see it.”

How can you infuse a little of the Holy into someone’s world today?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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07
Jul
Walking To a Broken World

How do we become God’s feet walking to a broken world? Bard and Chrystal, one of the couples at church, came up with the simple idea of putting together lunch bags containing water bottles and pre-packaged snack foods donated by different families from church.

On the way out of church, we can grab a few of these bags to keep in our car. During the week, we can give them out to those ever present folk with the “I need food” signs standing at the off-ramps in our local community.

This is just one more way to incorporate the Holy into our daily.

 What small thing can you do to touch a broken world?

If you received this post via a RSS reader or by email and cannot view the video, please stop by the Holy in the Daily blog to enjoy it.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis


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25
Jun
Who Resides In the Margins of Your Life?

Do you ever notice the people who reside in the margins of your life–the elderly neighbor, the homeless guy with the sign standing at the side of the intersection, or the girl with acne bagging your groceries? There are folks we barely acknowledge at work, the gym, or even church.

Why, I wonder, do certain people draw my attention and others are pushed to the side in my mental overview of a room? I think Emily Sander got it right when she said, “Safety in a community gets defined by how the most marginal person in the community is treated. We all believe that if people could see into our hearts and know who we really are, we too might be rejected, so we notice how those at the margins are welcomed.”

Here’s a test to see how well you welcome  the marginal people who occupy the borders of your life:

1. What are the names of the children of your least known neighbor? How many houses down from you does this family live?

2. Who always sits on the back row at church and why?

3. Who struggles with a serious health issue at your workplace or at your church? When did you last talk with them? What did you talk about?

4. Name three single moms you know who struggle raising their kids. How might you encourage them?

5. What is your mailman’s name?

Who are the marginal people in your life, and how are you treating them?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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