Jana Spicka

Traditions and Blessings

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I am sitting in Starbucks on the eve of Christmas Eve. You can feel the tingle in the air. It is the feel of hope, the expectancy of gifts, family, friends, familiar foods, new beginnings.

But in the midst of the tingle, I have a challenge for you this year. Celebrate with intention. Invest more of your heart than swiping a card.

What I am thinking involves two words: tradition and blessing.

The word tradition means “the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction.” Beliefs passed from one generation to another without written instruction…. This is a tall order to me, but I am going to go for it.  I want the loved ones in my life to know WHY we do WHAT we do.

So this Christmas focus on passing down the truths of God to those around you. Don’t worry about their reactions, just cast out seeds of truth.  Be creative, either through game, song, food, decoration, or reading aloud, just tell the wonderful story of God come to dwell among us.

In like manner, the word blessing means “to communicate encouragement or approval, to give thanks for, or to ask favor to be poured out upon.” We talked about this in conjunction with birthday blessings, but my challenge to myself, the WGR class, and now you, is for you to bless your family and friends. Consciously, purposely speak words of thanks, encouragement and blessing on those you love. It may be a card or face to face, but let the words of blessing flow.

Again, don’t worry about the reactions. Jesus was ever blessing people, even those who rejected Him. But Jesus trusted his Father to take care of the seeds He cast out. Just like with Him, some of our kinds words may fall to the ground, rejected. But what joy we have when some of our seeds are planted in the hearts of those who desperately need a loving word.

Speak the truths of God. Bless those around you. May this be our Christmas gift to our loving Father.

“From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.” John 1:6

Not as the World Gives

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Have you ever noticed how the Lord will direct your attention to something, and then He repeats the message again and again?  I love that about Him.  He is so insistent that I “get it” that He doesn’t mind repeating Himself.

I mentioned in a previous blog about God’s deposit of supernatural peace. Jesus said in John 14:26-27:

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.

The phrase, “not as the world gives,”  has been rumbling around in my head. Peace in God’s economy is radically different than the world’s. I have been thinking about how we look, strive, long for peace through the world’s ways but are always frustrated and denied. Why? The world’s peace usually comes by way of consumption. Think food, sex, power, money. We think if we have “enough” of one of those things we will have peace. Or we escape to one those places because we lack peace. There is no relationship, no intimacy, no trust. No God.

Jesus didn’t stutter when He said that what He gives is altogether unlike the world’s version. The peace that Jesus gives is rooted in truth. Earlier in this conversation, Jesus has just told them that He is “the way, the truth and the life.”

This whole passage is loaded, but for today, I notice that I am most at peace when I am at peace with God; when I am  conscious, connected and dependent on Him. For everything. I am most at rest when I am most leaning back on the God of Truth. His way, His truth, His life.

You can’t buy that in a store. Hear again what the angels declared, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” Luke 2:14

No Exchanges, No Returns

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An unplanned baby is not always a  welcomed gift.  It is not a gift you can return, or use once and then pass on to Goodwill. For sure you cannot “re-gift” a baby. And even if you felt the overwhelming glee of something “new,” changing diapers and wearing spit up would douse those warm fuzzies pretty quick.

Which makes me wonder what Mary thought.  Do you ever ponder the reality of Jesus as a baby?  I know we get all wrapped up in the story of them, but let’s make it more real than that.  When they were getting up in the middle of the night, or trying to figure out how to be married and parent the Son of God, did they ever just flat have a meltdown?

It is much easier, though still taxing, to love a child you long for. But a child that is thrust upon you, perhaps is a different story.

We went to the Living Christmas Tree last night.

Two years ago, Charis accepted Christ at this event, so it holds a sentimental place for us. But last night  as we sat on the side we could see much of the before and after happenings of each scene.  Mary and Joseph were about to enter stage left and a woman walked briskly up to them, laid Baby Jesus in Mary’s arms and walked away.  This very young woman’s eyes widened and she cuddled and jostled him, trying to position him so that he wouldn’t cry. Then they entered the spotlight and the camera zoomed in on Baby Jesus.

Well, first let me just say that I was glad Baby Jesus was a real baby. (See post Plastic Baby Jesus.) But second, the absolute magnitude of God in the form of an infant hit me radically differently this year. He was vulnerable, at risk, 100% needy, and not necessarily a “wanted child.”

I was overwhelmed at how God timed everything so perfectly, but also all that God entrusted to this young couple, even to us.  He was so confident in His ability in them to complete this world changing plan. It wasn’t about THEIR perfection, but God’s sustaining power.

Hmmmm. Let me see, what was that petty thing I was worrying about again?  If God can handle His Son being in the hands of humans like me, maybe He can handle my freak out too.

In a round about way, seeing Jesus up close on the screen made me think about giving gifts. Sometimes you just buy what you can afford. Sometimes you buy what you hope they will like. But sometimes you buy what you know is an absolute home-run gift.  That person has either expressed need or interest or you just know that they will be delighted at your thoughtfulness, effort or expense.

God really set the perfect model for gift giving. He knew not only we needed—salvation, forgiveness, but also we desperately wanted— unfailing relationship, eternal peace, unshakable hope.  And sparing no expense, He packed all this into one tiny little package.

So my question today is, how are you receiving His Gift this Christmas?

Mayhem in Bethlehem

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So yeah. I went to Walmart between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. with only eight days left until Christmas. Not smart. Then I came home to four piles of unfolded laundry and about ten gifts to be wrapped.  Then I sat down to make a grocery list for my holiday cooking: (background music swells)

4 yummy cakes,
3 pecan pies,
2 shrimp dips
and a partridge in a pear tree…

On top of this, our new Lab puppy named Lucy has decided that her wake up time is about 5:00 a.m.  Is there a Babywise for puppies??

Anyway, all this mayhem combined with the stress reflected in the faces of people I was shopping with made me think about Bethlehem.  With the influx of people coming in to town for the census, it must have been crazy.  Imagine game day in Tennessee multiplied by 100.  No hotels, standing lines at eateries, bumper to bumper traffic. Only there is no exciting game to anticipate, just more hassle from a hostile government.

And here He comes.  In the middle of all that commotion Jesus comes, quietly tucked into a stable but still in the middle of it all.  When we talk about the “peace that transcends understanding” think about the contradiction of God being born right smack dab in the center of town.  Peace that defies explanation, that goes beyond the ability to calculate or manipulate.

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

He came in peace, lived in peace, left in peace. Even today He gives peace and leads in peace. I mean to say, He pours something into us. Just like God placed His Son into the world, He puts His peace into our lives. So despite the laundry and the to do lists, reflect on peace. It really does stretch you beyond your understanding.

Christmas Musings

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I love the dictionary. And I love how things don’t necessarily mean what I think they mean. So I had to look up the word “ponder.” It means to weigh heavily, to meditate, to soak or saturate your thoughts. Do you remember that Mary “pondered these things in her heart” ? She let the truths, thoughts, and realities permeate her being, her inner core. Her ponderings changed the way she viewed God, herself, and her circumstances.

So I thought I would offer some Christmas questions for you to ponder:

When the angel called Mary to the unbelievable task of carrying Jesus, he told her not to be afraid. He knew the magnitude of the calling and that she was overwhelmed with fear. He didn’t shame her, only comforted her.

1) What has God called you to and in what places are you afraid?
2) Are you willing to let God comfort you in these places?

After Gabriel foretold her future, he also told Mary that Elizabeth would have a baby, even in her old age. This is an incredible gift given to reassure Mary. There is a line out of the movie, “The Nativity” where Mary whispers a prayer: “Please Lord, let Elizabeth be with child.” One miracle confirmed the coming miracle. The birth of John the Baptist preceded the coming Messiah. The Lord didn’t have to time it that way. But He was paving the way for His work to be fulfilled. He wanted Mary to walk in confidence, even in the midst of the unknown.

4) Has the Lord sent you confirmation in your calling?
5) Have you pondered the small events, words, actions that seem to reassure you of the things to come?

Joseph is a mighty character in this story. Mary by all rights should have been stoned to death with Joseph throwing the first rock. But God’s intervention changed his mind. Joseph was wiling to take a radically different course of action because he believed what the angel had spoken in a dream.

6) Are you set on a course of action that goes counter to God’s calling?
7) Are you willing to listen to the small, still voice that whispers a completely different route than you          expected?

Don’t miss the power of the Christmas story. Instead of dismissing the familiar, ponder the deep workings of God. Let your mind reflect on all the characters and pieces of this event that changed history, the real flesh and blood human actions and reactions. Your heart will be awakened to the might and beauty of God in a new way. And then, lay these truths over your own story. After all, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Seth’s Blog: 8 Questions and a Why

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I like the way Seth Godin thinks out of the box. Now I can’t go all the way with him. In fact, Jesus is the only person I can go all the way with all the time. But these are just good questions. Good as in, get in your craw and unsettle you. I like questions like that. And if you want to really be bold…Go answer the questions. I am.

Jana

8 Questions and a Why

Who are you trying to please?

What are you promising?

How much money are you trying to make?

How much freedom are you willing to trade for opportunity?

What are you trying to change?

What do you want people to say about you?

Which people?

Do we care about you?

(and after each answer, ask ‘why?’)

Thoughts to Ponder

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I have been pondering the daily of living.  About how we get sucked dry, sucked into drama, suckered by distractions instead of Living full out in our strengths.  My favorite Bible teacher, John Dee, calls it reality with a little “r”, as opposed to God Reality with a big “R.”  He says that the Big R is much more real than the little r.  So I want to be conscious of that and press into God Reality without getting stopped by the daily junk. But how do we do that?

If we are not careful, we will become like hamsters on wheels trying to figure out how to do life full out and still get laundry done. (Can I get an “Amen, Sister”?)

Still there is a focused living that Jesus did so beautifully.  He knew what He was about. Um, that would be saving the world. Yet He was so connected to His Father, so empowered by the Holy Spirit, He didn’t have to freak out in the day to day. And when He got tired, He “withdrew to a solitary place to pray.”

Even as I write this, I know that is what I need.  Time with God.  Nothing will bring more big R Reality to my life that time in His presence. How about you? What reality are you living in today?

I’m off to find a solitary place, right in the middle of my daily drama. Come Lord Jesus.

Plastic Baby Jesus

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My family  hits several Christmas-y kind of events each year. And one such event will always stick in my memory. Last year Chuck took the girls to a nativity pageant while I was working. When they got home, I was a little surprised by their reactions. Despite all the hoopla of live animals and multi-member choirs, light shows and fake blue-bearded Isaiahs declaring the birth of the Messiah, there was one glaring and telling reality that summed up the whole of present day Christianity. The first thing my two daughters said when they got home was, “Mom, baby Jesus was plastic!!”

Did you hear me? Plastic. A shiny hunk of pink polyethylene.

Even with their childlike faith and same childlike imagination, the girls were scratching their heads in disbelief.  “Why would they do that?” they asked, verging on  indignation. Surely as adults we can offer lots of reasons and excuses why they did it. Convenience, practicality, order and control.  But aren’t those the very things that God sent Jesus to overturn?

Wasn’t it the absurdity of God born in a babe that changed all life and history as we know it?

The virgin bride didn’t get to consider whether it was convenient.

The betrothed business man didn’t get to waiver simply because it wasn’t practical.

And don’t forget an outraged king shed innocent blood just to control an outcome he couldn’t control.

It makes me wonder if we would even recognize a Real Jesus if we saw Him. Or heard Him. Or felt Him.

Don’t think for a moment that baby Jesus didn’t cry or have hunger or wet His pants. That is how radically God entered His world in our language. He was a helpless babe that we could all relate to — the warm little cuddle against our skin, the sound of His breathing and tiny cries; the delight when eyes meet and recognition sets in. How brilliant is the Lord?

Maybe we should have fake animals and pre-recorded tracks. Maybe the one thing, the most important thing we should see is a baby, a real crying or cooing baby snuggled in his mother’s arms.  And maybe the one thing we should always witness is the wonder and wrestling of these new parents as they hold this tiny child in a world full of chaos and commotion. A world like ours. Frantic and confusing like ours. God in our world. Emmanuel.

Your God Stories: The Gift of a Name

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I love to tell women about how much God loves names. All through the Bible, He gives people names or changes their names. A new identity in Him.  Abram to Abraham. Sari to Sarah. Jacob to Israel. Simon to Peter. Saul to Paul. In Revelation 2:17, God says, “I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.” Isaiah talks about it. Ezekiel talks about it. I mean, new names are  everywhere.  And better yet, He still does this. God has given each of us “a new name.”  A pet name between Him and us.  This new name is such a gift from Him. Affirmation of how He sees us.

So I frequently invite women to ask God to reveal their name. “Go ask Him to tell you what your  name is. Look up your name meaning. Watch for Him to tell you again and again until you believe it.”  Here are a couple of girls’ stories.

Jana,

So I went to the website that gave us our name meanings. They didn’t have my name listed. So I just gave up.

Well, God put it on my heart to look again somewhere else. He gave me its meaning: “Princess”!

That’s what he’s been calling me the last couple of months, but I wasn’t sure it was really from Him. I just thought that I would share that. 🙂 God is good.

~Tia

__________________________________________________________

Jana ~

I’ve been meaning to email you since last class, but finally am making time to do it. I just wanted to share a couple things that have been going on with me. I left class last week angry (as you mentioned might happen)! I basically half-a$$ed the exercise, got in my car, and cried the entire way home. I came to the realization that I feel like I don’t have TIME to breakdown. I don’t have TIME to think about all this heavy, emotional stuff. I don’t have TIME to be so completely broken which then makes me feel like I need to fix everything, take time for myself, etc. So instead, I’ll turn my head and be fine =) Right? Because that’s way easier!

There’s so many things I want to share with you – my ‘journey’ on value, being be-loved, recently this notion of affirmation – and I’m aware they all are connected. And I get overwhelmed thinking I need to conquer all of them at the same time since they are all staring me in the face.

I was sharing last night in my small group how I’ve somewhat acknowledged the fact that I don’t want to ‘go there’ with the Lord. I get this picture of someone taking tiny, tiny baby steps towards the ledge – not really wanting to peer over and see what’s on the other side, knowing I could be cheating myself from the beauty and freedom of the view.

For whatever reason, I’ve been meaning to look up the meaning of my name. I know we’ve touched on that a couple times during class, so I finally did it this morning. Wouldn’t you know this is what I found:

Jamie

Meaning: truthful

Verse: “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” – Proverbs 3:3

Which is obviously the same context of scripture we talked about last night! Ah, I thought that was cool =) I also saw another version where they used the words kindness, trust, and mercy interchangeably with love and faithfulness. What website did you use when you looked up our names?

I’m way past my 3-sentence mark =) but wanted to share. Even though sometimes I don’t want to admit it, I know the Lord is working on my heart ever so slowly – or maybe it’s just that I’m ever so slowly starting to turn to Him.


The Seasons of Loss

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God is teaching me a lot about loss right now. Right here at Christmas, when the focus is on getting — getting gifts, getting decorations up, getting together with loved ones — I am living through different kinds of loss. Charis losing her front tooth. Losing my time. Losing a dog. Tucked into each of these losses are good lessons, but they are bittersweet.

Charis is now officially without two front teeth. I must be getting sentimental in my old age, but it marked more than being able to sing the “All I want for Christmas” song. She is growing up. The baby of her is almost gone. I looked at her and thought, “Childhood is passing so quickly.” And there is a spiritual picture in losing teeth — moving away from baby things to maturity, from temporary to permanent, from milk to solid foods. I am forced to ask: Am I investing in the days I have with her? I found myself praying, “Lord, help me to relish the moments. Help me to savor her as she lets go of childlike things, and to not miss these vanishing days.”

Birthdays, though wonderful, are a kind of loss to me. They mark a passage of time. I always do an evaluation of where my life is to date. What am I doing with my time? Am I moving forward in my life goals and dreams? Have I allowed another year to be sucked away by distractions and excuses? Now more than ever, I am seeing that my time is a gift. My energy and health are gifts. But they are like seeds that can only be sown in certain seasons. I don’t want to lose the seeds to neglect.

We had to put Pearl, our Great Dane, down. She was nine years old, which is old age for these gentle giants. But age didn’t ease the how, why, and when questions, the second-guessing, the wishful thinking. When your dog weighs 150+ lbs, your options are very limited. But her frailty didn’t lessen the bitter decision.  Finally, one day when Salem and I were both trying to lift Pearl up to help her outside and failing miserably, Charis’ voice hit home. “Mom, it’s just time. It’s time to put her down,” she said quietly. Just like that, I realized that my avoiding the moment wouldn’t stop the moment. The loss was inescapable.

We all went together as a family, by choice. We cried and prayed before we took her to the vet. We thanked the Lord for the years, for the great dog that she was. And again Charis’ voice cut through the fog. “Lord, it is just time to let Pearl go. Help us let her go. We love her. And we let her go back to You. Amen.”

The peace that transcends understanding flooded into my weeping heart. After it was over — the vet, the tears, Pearl’s last breaths escaping her body — I asked the Lord to show me the sweet of this bitter moment. And the sweet was in the weeping. We all came home and lay on our bed together and wept. It was the realness of the loss, the realness of the emotion, the realness of death that we needed to experience and be comforted in.

What makes gain so real, so beautiful, is when it laid up against loss. My heart knows joy better when it has known grief. A hungry belly appreciates a meal more than a well fed one. A father letting his son go off to war knows better than anyone the joy of his son’s return. Let God soften and comfort your heart in losses. He is an ever-present help in time of need.