When we think about New Year's resolutions what probably comes to mind is a list of lofty ambitions we rarely achieve (80 percent of New Year's resolutions are already abandoned by mid-February). Author Amy Wilson suggests a better idea might be to reject entirely "the idea that we have to fix ourselves before our lives can get better." Wilson suggests that, instead of adding commitments, we see the new year as an opportunity to do less, to finally "start saying no" to some of the "oversized and ongoing commitments that take our time and energy without giving us much in return."
In a world of constant pressure to do and be more, it can be easy to miss the radically different rhythm of life Jesu invited His disciples into - one of abiding in Him. In John 15, Jesus describes Himself as "the true vine" (v. 1) and His disciples as "the branches" (v.5).
Vine branches don't grow through working harder but through the nourishment received form the vine. So, too, the growth we long for can only be experienced when we let go of self-reliance in exchange for resting in and finding nourishment in Christ, for "apart from [Him] you can do nothing" (v.5).
Through Jesus, we have hope for a life of less anxiety. Less striving. And more resting in God's love and letting it flow to those around us. (vv. 12, 17).
- Monica La Rose
What might God be leading you to say no to this year?
In what areas of your life might God be inviting you to greater surrender?
Gracious God, please help me surrender my self-reliance to rest in You.
Jefferson and Jaya travelled from Canberra to have Christmas with us...
at the airport
We had Christmas lunch at Marnie's...
me, Jefferson, Denver, Marnie, Jaya, Sophie, Rachel (Sophie's mum), Tom
And today (Boxing Day) we spent some time at the river...
Some thoughts to take you into the new year... (from Our Daily Bread Ministries)
In The Beginning
"Bethlehem is not the end of our journey but only the beginning." So wrote Frederick Buechner in his 1966 work The Magnificent Defeat. And while his words apply to any beginning, Buechner penned them in the context of the Christmas season where the temptation is to linger in the seasonal warmth of peace and joy. But what did he mean, "Bethlehem is not the end of our journey"? Buechner sheds light on that. "Home ... for us in not the manger where the light is gentle and God is a child ... We must also depart to our own country again, where peace is not found in escape from the battle but in the very heat of the battle."
If we're honest about the vast number of unknowns in store for each of us, the very first words of scripture have the power to steady us. "In the beginning God ..." (Genesis 1:1). Even before anything had been formed, "the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters" (v. 2). That's the timeless nature of God's truth. He was before all things. He's there whether we acknowledge it or not, but why wouldn't we? If we're serious about following his ways and will, we'll both remember and cling to that truth as we enter a new year of our life's uncertain journey. As you journey on, remember, God's already there. He's been there from the beginning.
- by John Blase
Father, I thank you for the gift of Your abiding presence as I look to the days ahead.
Garden treasures left on my bedside table by Jaya :)
In the summer of 2024, central Ohio had a severe drought. The grass turned brown and sounded crackly when we walked over it. After six weeks of temperatures often exceeding 90 degrees, rain finally returned and the grass turned nice and green again. This serves as a good illustration of the new birth. Being born again transforms our hearts from being barren and unattractive to being productive and beautiful. This beauty is not something we can put on ourselves; it must come from a yielded heart, a restored relationship with God, and a willing obedience to His word.
Jesus said that we "must" be born again. The new birth is not a matter of "take it or leave it." We cannot neglect it and expect to obtain God's favor on our lives. As the barren grass responds to the gentle rain, so our hearts must respond to the Spirit's call to be born again. Consider what is involved in the new birth.
There is a change from living for ourselves and serving our sinful desires to serving only Jesus Christ. By ourselves we cannot follow Jesus' command to love those who hate us or take advantage of us. Our human nature dies hard and can be subdued only by Jesus within. He offers His overcoming power to all who deny the sinful desires of the flesh and wholly follow God.
The new birth will cause us to hate what God hates. A popular idea today is that we must tolerate and love everyone and everything. Alternative lifestyles are not just permitted but publicly promoted by leaders in government and even in churches. But sin is still exceedingly sinful and will come under God's judgement. As God's born-again children, we dare not allow evil influences to harden our hearts.
Denver Yoder - Somerset, OH
When a man is truly born again, he is transformed into a distinctly different person.
From Our Daily Bread...
With Us in Our Loneliness: Read Matthew 1:18-25
"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." - Hebrews 13:5
Henry David Thoreau described a city as a place where many people are "lonesome together." Those words have the ring of truth. In my youth, songs like "Mr. Lonely", "Only the Lonely", and "Eleanor Rigby" focused on isolation and loneliness. In recent years, the pandemic was one of the most isolating seasons the world has known. And social media can feed that loneliness, giving us connection without relationship. Perhaps loneliness is the new pandemic.
As Matthew shared the story of the birth of Jesus (1:18-25), he told us, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet [Isaiah]: 'The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' (which means 'God with us')" (vv. 22-23). Ponder that for a moment. God with us!
As believers in Jesus, we're never alone. We've been born again into the family of Christ, a family that spans the globe and the ages. The apostle Paul said, "You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household" (Ephesians 2:19). We're loved by the ever-present God, who said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:15).
Whatever you're facing today, your heavenly Father is present with you. Allow Him to help you as you step into life's uncertainties and challenges. He's with you.
- Bill Crowder
Thank You, Father, that because of Your abiding presence, I'm never alone.
Right after handing Uncle Ming the $100, I started to regret it. The elderly man who hung around our neighborhood looked poor, so I thought I'd give him a little something. When I noticed he had several bills in his wallet, I thought, Hey, he's not so poor after all! Did I just waste my money?
As I was beginning to feel regret, he remarked: "Thank you for this! Now I can help our estate cleaner support his family. He earns so little!"
His words put me to shame. While I was fretting over the prudency of helping him, Uncle Ming - who didn't have much himself - was ready to help others with similar or greater needs. As the apostle Peter reminds us: "God has given each of [us] a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts." Ming was showing what it truly meant to take our gifts and "use them well to serve one another" (1 Peter 4:10).
Then it struck me that Uncle Ming's generosity and compassion was also multiplying my gift to him. Despite my overly pragmatic approach towards giving, God in His grace was enabling me to help others through the elderly man. Through Uncle Ming, I could help others I didn't even know. Our loving God provides for those in need, sometimes in amazing, mysterious ways. May we be His obedient channel of giving out of love (v.8) and trust Him to multiply our gifts.
Is there someone you can help, even in a small way, today or this week? What can you do?
Father, help me to be generous and faithful in my giving, for You have given me so much. And I pray that You will multiply whatever I give out of my heart.
It's been a slow week as I've had a cold (and migraines), but feeling better now, apart from bouts of coughing.
Managed to get the grass mowed yesterday...
And we are finally getting a reprieve from the horribly strong winds we've had for weeks...
The garden and especially the roses have taken a battering...
But with the calmer weather we have been getting some lovely sunsets...
I did get Hazel's Christmas blanket finished...
And it got the tick of approval from these four...
I undid the vest I was knitting. I was using the recommended needle size (4mm), but I decided I wanted a softer more open weave knit...
So I'm now using 5mm needles and am happy with the softer, looser knit...
I read somewhere that as the Gospel of Luke has 24 chapters, if you start the 1st December and read 1 chapter a day, you will be finished for Christmas!
