​Chaotic and loud noise has filled our world.  Are you hearing all the shouting?  Shouting about political parties, racial injustices, and religious thoughts and opinions.  Today in my quiet time, I read about people shouting.  In John, Chapter 12, crowds gathered shouting, “Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessed is the King of Israel!”  Only five chapters later, we hear more shouting, but this time, the shouting is “Crucify him, Crucify him!” (John 19). 
When Jesus walked the earth, there were two extremes.  Those who praised Him with everything they had, and those who rebutted their shouts of praise, with shouts to annihilate Him.  I cannot help but see this exact same pattern in our world today.  A line is being drawn, and our hearts and lives are either yelling, “Hosanna, Hosanna,”, or “Crucify Him”.  If you think you are in between, then you are yelling the latter.  Everyday, may our lives, our lips, our hands, our feet and our hearts choose to praise the name of Jesus, no matter what the cost.  Our lives are shouting one message or the other.  May our shouts add to the chorus of those around the world who are praising Jesus. 

This week I got the privilege of speaking and serving at camp.  One piece of camp was journeying to the cross.  The whole camp on mission to reach and experience the cross.  As we were approaching it, my six year old, Sadie, began to weep.  I was thinking that she was hot, tired or hurt, but when I bent down and asked her what was wrong, her simple response was “I don’t know”.  So we sat, and the tears flowed from her big blue eyes. It was apparent that the Holy Spirit was overwhelming her as she reflected on the sacrifice made for her on the cross.  And Sadie wasn’t alone.  Something about the cross breaks downs walls, convicts hearts, humbles spirits, and surrenders souls to Jesus.  As I reflected on that experience at the cross, I thought about the people that were there on Friday.  The followers of Jesus who were completely broken as they helplessly witnessed the death of their Savior.  The Friday people were hopeless, helpless, lost, full of grief and overwhelmed by sadness.  God allowed the brokenness to marinate for 3 days until Christ’s resurrection on Sunday.  Sunday brought revival as Jesus revealed himself alive.  The Sunday people were full of hope, life, and purpose. 
You see, sometimes we need to go back to Friday, to the cross.  We need to be broken before The Lord, completely surrendering to him our sin, shame, guilt, hurt, disappointment and fear.  The Friday must empty us, so the Sunday can fill us. 
Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Let me give you some background to help this post make sense to everyone.  We have a dog named Bill.  Six years ago, I found Bill on the side of the highway covered in fleas, ticks and mud.  Bill suffered for a year with a tick born illness that would leave him paralyzed, but with diligent medical treatment, he was healed of this disease.  He is terrified of men, loud noises, thunder, and anything else that reminds him of his past.  And this takes us to a story about yesterday.
We were scheduled to get up early and go to my mom’s to help her clear some trees that had been downed by a recent storm.  I noticed the radar showed storms in our area and made the last minute decision to bring Bill with us.  The car ride he panted, the arrival he fretted, and the whole time at my mom’s he had to have me in his sight to help with his separation anxiety.  At one point he jumped in my lap and I looked him in the eyes and said, “After all I’ve done for you bud, I’m not going to leave you now.”  You see I was frustrated with Bill’s anxiety because surely after all I’ve done for him, he should know that my intentions are good and with his best interest in mind….can’t he trust that? 
Immediately, I felt God’s reminder to me.  “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you,” yet I still find myself anxious.  After God has picked me up off the streets of the world, saved my soul, healed my wounds, and provided my needs, I still fret about viruses, worry about riots, fear for my children, and spend time feeling alone.  In these moments, I have forgotten who God is, and what his heart is for me.  We are all like Bill.  If Bill really understood my heart for him and for animals, he would consider himself the luckiest dog in the world.  If we really understood our God, deeply reflected on what He has done for us, and believe in His promises, how much more confident would we be facing the challenges and changes ahead?  May we all trust in His promises and be reminded of his faithfulness now and always. 
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

Luke 15:8-10    8"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

​This is a really short read, packed with such a powerful message.  I was really picturing myself being this woman.  A woman who had ten coins, but lost one.  I was thinking about how many times I had dropped a penny and just left it, because “it wasn’t worth it to me.”  However, this parable shows the lady not only trying really hard to find her lost coin, but then celebrating with friends and neighbors and saying, “I have found it!”  The difference is the value she placed on that coin.  When I drop a penny, and don’t pick it up, it is because I do not highly value it.  However, this woman valued this one coin greatly.  Why? There are two reasons that this coin value in this woman’s eyes.  First, she only had ten of them, a limited number.  Each one became so precious. Second, the coins were silver, and held monetary value. 
Now, if you and I and are the coins, and God is the woman, does this start saying something about our value?  First of all, out of all the humans in the world that were, have been, and will ever be, The Bible makes it clear that not everyone is going to go to heaven.  When we accepted or will accept Jesus into our hearts, we become one of those ten coins.  Also, God doesn’t value us as I do a penny.  God sees the true worth in each of us.  A worth that he would not just drop and not pick up.   No.  He is searching for you with his light, sweeping the floors, and celebrating when at last he finds you, or you find Him.  

     As Christmas approaches, you have to sense the anticipation that the wise men felt as they anxiously awaited the birth of the new King. With The 30 Day Gift, we have waited, and waited, and waited for the first shipment of journals; and after over two years of work, they finally arrived! There were so many boxes, we were thankful to have these two strong cowboys offer to pick them up and unload them! I have boxes of books covering the walls in my house, but it is the happiest I have ever been about such clutter! I want to thank everyone for your love, encouragement, support, and mostly, your prayers that have gone into this project. I looked at all the boxes and realized that when every journal in my living room is completed, it will be about 150,000 prayers going up on behalf of others! I wait, just like the wise men did, in eager anticipation to see God's plan unfold before my very eyes.  ​