“What is coming upon the world is the Light of the World. It is Christ. That is the comfort of it. The challenge of it is that it has not come yet. Only the hope for it has come, only the longing for it. In the meantime we are in the dark, and the dark, God knows, is also in us. We watch and wait for a holiness to heal us and hallow us, to liberate us from the dark. Advent is like the hush in a theater just before the curtain rises. It is like the hazy ring around the winter moon that means the coming of snow which will turn the night to silver. Soon. But for the time being, our time, darkness is where we are” (Frederick Buechner, The Hungering Dark).

I’m not sure if Advent has started or not. I suppose not since it’s not even Thanksgiving, but since Thanksgiving is later in the year this year, it could be.

All I know is that this is my favorite time of the year. Advent is a season of waiting, a word that is almost obscene in this frantically paced culture of instant gratification and . . . no waiting.

But waiting is where we learn to appreciate what we already have and to anticipate what’s coming. In this case, it’s celebrating the incarnation of the Christ child and awaiting His return.

I’m still not very good at waiting. I get impatient and distracted and forgetful. I try to help the process along and hurry it up. I get bored and move on to something else.

But waiting is the part where we get silent and still enough to hear the voice of God speaking to us apart from the noise and distractions of every day life.

Lord, help me to learn more of what it means to wait well this Advent season as I wait upon you.

If you’re not quite where you want to be, you may be exactly where God wants you.

Just as gold undergoes a refining process, just as a sculpture undergoes chiseling, so must the child of God undergo the sometimes painful process that God uses to make us more like Jesus.

Just remember that everything worthwhile will be costly. But if God is in it, it will be worth it.

Peanut is living the dream– the feline dream.

She gets to sleep in every day and does pretty much whatever she wants whenever she wants for as long as she wants.

Her usual pattern is eat, sleep, repeat. Not a bad way to live.

Just once I’d like to send her off to my job so I can spend the whole day being a feline.

She’s an unusual little critter. I’ve had her going on 3 years and I have never once heard her growl or hiss. She’s super laid back and compliant with two exceptions: whenever she accidentally gets outside and is frantically trying to get back in or whenever I’ve tried to introduce her to new people.

I sometimes wonder if rescue cats (and dogs) have a vague shadowy memory of their previous life. Maybe they remember being abandoned or thrown away. Maybe over time that memory fades as it is replaced by new and better ones.

Whatever the case, little Peanut is living the good life now.

“Want you sing me back home 
With a song I used to hear
Make my old memories come alive
And take me away and turn back the years
Sing me back home before I die” (Merle Haggard).

I’ve been watching the documentary on country music by Ken Burns and marveling at how good a filmmaker he is and at how much fascinating history there is to the genre of country music.

It also got me thinking of what makes a song good, what truly sets it apart from the thousands and millions out there that don’t make the cut.

For me, a good song can take my own thoughts and feelings and put them to words in a way I never could. It’s almost like having your own diary read back to you in someone else’s voice.

The right song at the right moment is magical. I can probably think of several movies where the perfect song elevated a particular scene to make it memorable (and in some cases iconic). Personally, I can hear a song and be transported back to when I first heard it — what I was thinking and feeling at the time.

There’s healing power in music. I know because I’ve seen it firsthand. After a stressful day, music has been able to lift me out of my own problems and transport me somewhere else, even if only for a little while.

Music is good.

I’ve been there, done that.

Thankfully, I am looking forward to a night to turn off the alarm and sleep in.

Fridays never get old.

It’s Friday Eve! You’ve got this, people! You can do it!

Whether it’s been a great week or a terrible week or somewhere in the middle, Friday is almost always a welcome relief.

For me, it means at least one day of sleeping in.

So go forth in the knowledge that no matter what happened today, good or bad, tomorrow is a new day with new possibilities and new opportunities. You choose what kind of a day it will be by your attitude and how you choose to respond to what happens to you. No one can make you happy or mad or anything but it all depends on how you respond.

You get to wake up tomorrow and live another beautiful day.

Also, the hedgehog believes in you.

None of the following is original, but it is entertaining and useful. Enjoy.

“One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worth it
to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

MORAL :
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred – Forgive.

2. Free your mind from worries – Most never happens.

3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less from people but more from yourself.”

From your friends in Wytheville, Virginia; R & M STABLES!

The topic of tonight’s Kairos was taken from Genesis 24 where Abraham grieved the loss of his wife Sarah. It was a good reminder of the importance of allowing space in ourselves and others for grieving loss.

Some of the takeaways are:

1. It’s important not to rush through any of the seasons of life, even the unpleasant ones. Allow winter, the season of loss, to have its work instead of hurrying through it.
2. The only way to navigate the grieving process is to grieve. Don’t try to minimize the loss or wish it away.
3. Don’t apologize for your tears of grief. The Bible is full of many people, including Jesus, who were not ashamed to weep.
4. There is no time limit to grief and loss. The point is not to “get over it,” but to find healing and a new normal.
5. Part of the healing process involves talking about the loss. Don’t avoid the subject but also don’t try to fix the person in the grieving process.
6. Don’t wait until it’s too late to appreciate the people in your life. Let them know face to face what they mean to you.

One of the best books I’ve ever read about this kind of loss is C. S. Lewis’ A Grief Observed. It’s one of the most painfully honest, vulnerable, raw, and true books about grieving after Lewis lost his wife Joy to cancer.

Sometimes, the best thing you can do for someone is to be there. Job’s friends were at their best when they sat in silence with Job in his sorrow. More than any words, your presence is what matters most.

Even on Monday, you can bank on every single one of God’s promises.

Even on Monday, you can be sure that the God who was for you yesterday is for you today.

Even on Monday, you can live in the freedom of the fully forgiven and set free.

Even on Monday, anyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved.

Even on Monday, the worst day ever is still only 24 hours long.

Even on Monday, the stedfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to and end, and they are still new every morning.

Even on Monday, God loves you infinitely and unconditionally.

Yes, even on Monday.

Gatlinburg 2019 is now in the past. It exists for me only in my memory and in the photos I took while I was there.

I’m thankful for the chance to go, and I’m thankful to be back home in my own bed.

Did I get to do absolutely everything on my imaginary wish list for this trip? Close, but not quite. But then again, there’s always the next time, God willing.

It’s always a nice change of pace to get away from the normal routine for a day or two, sort of like hitting the reset button or doing a reboot.

It is true that you never fully appreciate the moments in your life until they become memories. I’m glad I have a few new memories to cherish in the days to come.