Sent from God

I love giving presents.  I especially love giving handmade gifts.  In between rehearsals for our Christmas service, you can usually find me in the kitchen baking or with crafts spread out all over the dining room table.  Sometimes both.  I doubt God gets as giggly as I do over making the perfect gift, but I have to think He had joy over sending us His Son.  He selected the perfect time, the perfect way to send Him, and the ultimate gift.  Our salvation began that quiet night in Bethlehem. 

What are you giving this year?  When I see the musicians of our church come together this season, they give the gift of music.  When our volunteers prepare millions of music packets, they give the gift of service and time.  Whatever gifts you give this year, give it with the upmost joy. 

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”  Matthew 7:11

November 29th - The Hustle and Bustle

The holiday season is such a hustle and bustle of activity.  In my house, we are both musicians, so between the two of us we have eight concerts in the month of December.  Sandwich those between work parties, Christmas parties with friends, our annual family rituals on both sides of the family, not to mention shopping and preparing for the family to descend upon our home for Christmas day, and we neer stop moving.  While many of those things don't matter in the grand scheme of life, some of them do.


When was the last time you spent with your colleagues outside the office? When did you last hug your cousin and tell them that you love them? For me, being in the eight concerts means I have eight opportunities to share the joy of Christ's birth through the gift of music.  And the Christmas parties with friends?  It's God's reminder that we have been given people to share this life with.

As you embark on the busiest time of the year, thank god for the things you are called to do today.  You may grumble about going out the door to another party, but use the opportunity to love on those around you instead of figuring out how fast you can make a break for the door.


"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."  John 15:12

Using the Little Things

If you enjoy cooking (and I don't mean just heating something up in the microwave), you know that to prepare a meal can take a ton of ingredients.  The prep work alone generally takes longer than the time it takes your family to scarf down whatever you have prepared.  Using each of these ingredients, even those whose quantity is small, plays a vital role in the meal.  Without one, it's not the same dish.

As God made His preparations for the big event of Jesus' birth, the small details were just as important.  Would we have looked at the birth as such a miracle if it happened in a big fancy inn instead of a tiny manger?

The tiny things that seem like inconveniences in our life are sometimes setting the stage for bigger things yet to come.

"And this will be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."  Luke 2:12

Copyright 2011 Michelle D. Gibson

Preparation

I was asked this year to write an advent devotional series for our church, since Concordia Publishing House didn't provide one.  I plan on sending this in to them, so hopefully they can publish it next year to churches everywhere, but I wanted to share them this year with you!  They start today and finish Christmas Day.  If you are looking to focus in on the real reason for the season, I encourage you to read these (and feel free to give me some feedback, as this is the first thing I've written that's actually been "published.")  These are based on the hymn, "Once in Royal David's City."  Enjoy!

Anything important takes preparation.  For instance, as I write this, it's October.  Halloween decorations are beginning to come out and pumpkins adorn porches and roadside stands.  However, in a church office, Christmas music packets are being passed out and Advent banners are being sewn.  For such a major season of the church year, such preparation is required. 

Our Lord made the same preparation in getting this world ready for His son.  Prophets were sent to speak of His coming, tax decrees made, and the inns were slowly filling up.

What is God preparing you for today?  Are you watching for the signs?

"A voice cries: 'In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.' "  Isaiah 40:3

Copyright 2011 Michelle D. Gibson

I suck at my blog.

But I have a good reason.  Actually, I have several.  And I'm going to try to get back into writing on here, because it's kinda therapeutic.  I'm also not sure if anyone really reads this, but that's ok.  I'll write for me. 

So why haven't I written since September?  Life took two very sharp turns that have rattled me down to my inner core, and honestly, I'm struggling to figure out what life is supposed to look like now.  We've kept most of this to ourselves, but I've noticed over the past few weeks, the more people I share this with, the less of a hold it has on my heart.

September 30th was a normal morning - I took a walk, came home and jumped in the shower.  Got out of the shower, and noticed there were 2 lines on the pregnancy test I'd used prior to jumping in. What?!  Excuse me?!  I was absolutely overjoyed, as was Kyle, and the next couple of weeks were a blast, dreaming of our future baby and telling our parents.

October 20th was not a normal day.  After bleeding for a week, we found out we lost the baby.  It wasn't anything we could have done or not done, it was just that for some reason it wasn't going to turn into a healthy baby, and it just didn't live.

The month since then has been horrible.   I'm really struggling with the loss of my child, and the last month has been filled with doctor visits and blood work and sadness.  Every day has been a struggle to try and act "normal,"  to go on with my life like it's always been...just the two of us here.  Miscarriage is something nobody really talks about, and I know why, it's a personal deep sadness that takes over your whole being, but in my opinion, it needs to be talked about. 

That's why I'm writing this blog.  It's too deep a hurt to have to go alone, and those that have been the biggest help were those who also struggled through a miscarriage.  I also write to ask for your prayers.  It will be awhile before I'm "fine" again, whatever that now is.  I don't want pity, I don't want to be the victim, I just want to heal.  I want to not think about it everyday.  Pray for my body to return back to it's normal state.  Pray for Kyle and I to learn to deal with our grief.  And mostly, pray that we will become parents again one day.