Tonight’s guest blogger is Henri Nouwen. I found some thoughts of his on the process of waiting that I thought I’d share with all my loyal readers out there. Here’s one.

“Waiting is essential to the spiritual life. But waiting as a disciple of Jesus is not an empty waiting. It is a waiting with a promise in our hearts that makes already present what we are waiting for. We wait during Advent for the birth of Jesus. We wait after Easter for the coming of the Spirit, and after the ascension of Jesus we wait for his coming again in glory. We are always waiting, but it is a waiting in the conviction that we have already seen God’s footsteps.

Waiting for God is an active, alert – yes, joyful – waiting. As we wait we remember him for whom we are waiting, and as we remember him we create a community ready to welcome him when he comes.”

Waiting isn’t passive. It’s actively seeking to prepare for the next step, the next part of God’s plan for you. It’s preparing your fields to receive the coming rain, to borrow a very good illustration from the movie Facing the Giants.

Here’s another good quote about actively waiting with patience:

“How do we wait for God? We wait with patience. But patience does not mean passivity. Waiting patiently is not like waiting for the bus to come, the rain to stop, or the sun to rise. It is an active waiting in which we live the present moment to the full in order to find there the signs of the One we are waiting for.

The word patience comes from the Latin verb patior which means ‘to suffer.’ Waiting patiently is suffering through the present moment, tasting it to the full, and letting the seeds that are sown in the ground on which we stand grow into strong plants. Waiting patiently always means paying attention to what is happening right before our eyes and seeing there the first rays of God’s glorious coming.”

Here’s something that I learned yet again. Or you could say I was reminded yet again. Peace is not a feeling. At least not primarily.

Many times, people (including me) think of peace as the kind of calm similar to when you finish eating your favorite meal and you’re full, but not too full.

But that’s not peace. At least I don’t think so.

I think peace is the assurance that the outcome is in God’s hands. It’s knowing the future that God promised is so certain that you live as though it were already present.

Peace isn’t a zen-like absence of any worry or doubt. Peace can exist in the midst of worry and doubt, because real peace isn’t the absence of mayhem but the presence of Jesus with you in the midst of that mayhem. It’s not knowing how everything will work out, but knowing with confidence that it will.

It may sound trite, but it’s true. Peace isn’t a feeling or a state of mind. Peace is a person– Jesus. He truly is the Prince of Peace.

That’s where I am. I’m trying not to equate peace with contented cows in a pasture. Sometimes, it looks that way, sometimes not. I just know that for me, peace is wherever Jesus is, and if I’m with Jesus, I’ll have true peace.

“Give thanks to God no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. This is God’s will for all of you in Jesus the Anointed” (1 Thes. 5:17).

Have you ever wondered what God’s will is for your life? Unless you’re that one weird guy who still lives in his mom’s basement and never leaves the house, then you’d probably say yes. Even that weird guy would probably say yes.

What is God’s will for your life? I can’t tell you everything, but I can tell you one thing. God’s will for you is that you give thanks. Be grateful.

Give thanks in everything, as one translation puts it. Not FOR everything, because not everything in your life that happens to you is good. You don’t give thanks for getting fired or totaling your car, but you can still give thanks in those circumstances.

Give thanks for the little things, like waking up this morning. For the sun shining on your way to work. For you still having a job. For having a working vehicle.

One thing I’ve learned is it’s better to give thanks specifically. Don’t be like me at the end of the day and say something like, “God, thank you for everything You’ve done for me in the last 24 hours.”

God knows what He did, but when you remember what He did, it changes your perspective. As I’ve quoted before, “Gratitude makes what you have enough.” When you’re thankful, you forget about how much you don’t have and realize that you have everything you need.

I love what I heard recently. If you have God and everything else, you don’t have anymore than if you had God and nothing else. God is enough.

So give thanks. Right now, I’m giving thanks for my mentally disturbed feline who likes to curl up in my lap and rub her face against the corner of my iPad. I’m thankful for a roof over my head, a comfy chair, and for warmth on a very cold night.

I know you northerners always get a kick out of us southerners complaining about how cold it is when it’s 40 degrees outside. Well, guess what. It really is cold outside. As in 24, headed for a low of 16. That’s cold for just about anybody, right?

I do love cold weather, as long as I get to enjoy it from inside a heated house. I even love snow as long as I don’t have to drive in it. Or better yet, drive amongst other people who don’t know how to drive in it.

But back to it being cold. It’s cold. Like winter cold. And it’s not even Thanksgiving. Where’s Al Gore and his global warming when you really need it? I’d settle for some Tennessee warming.

Anyway, it’s Monday and Monday is almost over. And I survived. I woke up this morning and God was still on His throne and that happy ending in the book of Revelations still holds true. Jesus wins. Spoiler alert.

Once again, I’ll be a broken record and say that I really and truly am blessed. That will never get old for me. Or at least I hope not.

This appeared in my emails and I thought it could not have come at a better time. Not just for me, but possibly for some of you as well:

“God knows how to give you a life far greater than the one you planned.

No matter where you find yourself right now, or where you have come from, you can trust that the plans God has for you are so much better than anything you could have ever thought of.

The word tells us that our minds can not conceive of the plans he has in store for us.

Honestly, I find this very comforting because so many times it seems I mess everything up.

Praise God for his redemption and commitment to bring us to a better life!

Trust that The One who loved you and gave himself for you wants the very best for you in every way – even better than the plans you have for yourself” (Neil Vermillion).

I hope this speaks to you like it did to me. May you find that life God has planned for you and live it to the brim.

Ok, I have to confess something. When I sang this as a kid, I always pictured the grumpy old man Scrooge who hated Christmas. Why would I want to life him up?

Now, I understand that an ebenezer is a kind of memorial stone. It’s a visible reminder of a time when God interceded on behalf of His people and brought deliverance.

I think it’s good to have an ebenezer handy for when times get tough and God seems so very far away. Maybe it’s a journal. Maybe it’s a family heirloom. Maybe it’s an actual stone from a place where you witnessed God’s care and provision firsthand.

We need these reminders because we are so forgetful, especially in the trials. It’s easy to look around and see only struggles and issues and problems and how everything seems to be going wrong. It’s hard to remember past the pain or to conjure up memories of good days.

The ebenezer is a kind of reminder that yes, God delivered you before and is certainly capable of doing it again. It’s a tangible witness to the mercy of God that met you when you needed it most.

I think even old Mr. Scrooge might have found his own ebenezer. Here’s hoping and praying you and I find ours.

Are you having trouble sleeping? Are you tossing and turning long after you thought you’d be asleep? Do all your efforts at falling asleep only lead to you being more awake, not less?

This isn’t an ad for a mattress or a pillow. It’s not a commercial for a pill that helps you sleep without leaving you feeling groggy in the morning. This is where I give you a suggestion or two.

Maybe you can’t sleep for a reason. Maybe God’s putting someone or something on your mind that you need to pray for.

Search your mind. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Pray about it. Whose name comes first to your mind? Pray for that person.

And when you pray, thank God in advance like He’s already done the thing you prayed for. I’m not saying “name it, claim it.” What I am saying is that if God doesn’t answer your prayer like you wanted, it’s only because He has something better in mind.

Just a suggestion. I’m not saying you’ll sleep better, although you might after releasing your worry to God. I am saying that the whole pray without ceasing thing is a pretty goof idea.

PS My cat never has trouble falling asleep. Maybe I should take a few pointers from her.