Christmas Collissions

Within my most favorite time of year are collisions...

Financial Collissions where the size of my heart to give collides with the limitations of my pocket book.

Relational collisions where the countless Facebook faces instead of soliciting joy create in me anxiety...too many to love well. 

Spiritual collisions where minutes for meaning and significance are choked out by shopping agendas parties and Christmas obligations, all of which I too love. 

The collision is within. Another Kingdom fighting to break through in each soul.  The cookies, Santa, presents, and parties are not to blame. They are our best attempt at something much more significant. It's the craving of our souls for "good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”  Luke 2:10-11 NIV

Over 2,000 years ago there was a collision. It reappears each year in each soul. The earth felt its impact the same as each soul does each Christmas. Eternities hope desperate to break through. 

...let it

Redeeming Love!

This week we had 17 of us under one roof.  Once a year the Woody family gathers at one of our homes in the four different states we live in to spend one week together. It's the only time we see one another living so far a part. 

The history of the Woody family like so many families is one of brokenness.  But that has changed and is still changing. Here is my journal the Sunday morning my family loaded up at 5am to return to their homes. It is my tearful experience of his redeeming love...

Psalm 127:3-5 “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.”

You are still restoring a broken family.  You are never done redeeming!  I can't thank you enough. I am in tearful awe of your love and majesty that keeps healing, keeps restoring, keeps redeeming, keeps giving grace, and keeps building our future.  We try to fight it, we sabotage it with our sinful ways and stupid thinking. But we can't do what you do.  We can't draw so perfectly a masterpiece as you. Your masterpiece is redeeming love!!  Nothing is more beautiful. It's even more beautiful than original design.  Because no love has never stretched so far or given so much endured so long, or fought so hard as your love has.  That love is an unmatched brushstroke.  It's an original work.  It's a color more vivid, texture more complex, and shading more real than anything else!  

Why would anyone walk away from that. Why would anyone want to try to paint anything different?  Why would anyone choose a different canvas then the one you put brush too?  "Where can I go from the lord? " "What good is for a man to gain the whole world but forfeit his soul?" 

This is why I must serve you. I didn't know what I needed from this vacation. But you did!!!  I needed you to restore. I always do. I need it more than anything. I need heaven. My soul craves heaven. It's Paul's struggle with staying or going desiring so much to be there where you are but needed here. My soul craves 100% of redemption. Heaven to be real in me and all around me. 

You gave me a piece of heaven this week. My soul feels restored!  My hope restored!  My spirit renewed!  

Thank you Jesus!