Christmas Letters

In an age of ecards and Instagram, it's amazing that Christmas cards and letters still exist.

What is it that still compels us each year to choose a favorite photo.  Upload it to a printing site.  Add all the addresses and a Christmas stamp. And mail a card to our loved ones?

It's a tradition from times past.  Yet it remains.

Have you ever wondered why?

A recent podcast suggested suggested that we need to surround ourselves with things that are real.  Real sunlight, real food, real books, real people.

A Christmas card is real, tangible, and mailed from someone who knows you.

A reminder that the best nouns are not digital.

The best memories are not on social media.

And lasting relationships are worth their investment.

So as your mailbox fills with glittering Christmas cards and letters, remember the uniqueness of each person on your address list.

Happy reading!

Photo Credit

Lament for a Coffee

Coffee is meant for sipping
Not gulping.

Such a shame to watch its drops
Disappear quickly.

Losing the time to savor them
While words flow in and out.

Sometimes life demands gulping
But it should not always.

Otherwise caffeinated and brimming
We may forget.

Life is not only doing
Life is also being.

And who we are becoming
With each sip.

-Kristen Meyer Harmon

Just another Tuesday?

It's Tuesday.  A day usually overshadowed in dread by Monday and in excitement by Friday.

But what makes this day unique in perhaps both dread and excitement is the culmination of months of planning, reading, commenting, thinking, debating, and hopefully praying.

It's election day.   While some of us cast our votes by mail or at libraries around the country, many Americans went to the polls today.   And soon, the outcome of this volatile election season will be revealed.

Some Americans will be genuinely happy for the victor.  Others will find solace in knowing their opponent lost, and pray the victor isn't too terrible for America.

And still others may fear for our future.  For the America the next generation will know.

Whatever your opinion of the result today.  And whether that result be fairly or fraudulently won, this will remain true.

Time will pass.

And truth will be known, whether in this life or the next.

God is still on His throne.

The best thing we can do tonight is pray for our nation.  Pray for those who influence its leaders. Pray that they might have wisdom and discernment in their counsel.  And pray that God will fulfill His purpose for you.  For me.   That we may be lights in this world.

Shining brightly towards the next.

Book Review- The Silver Chair

I recently listened to a podcast that referenced the Silver Chair, book 4 in the Chronicles of Narnia series.   After the podcast, I was inspired to read the book again.

In the Silver Chair, Jill and Eustace are sent to Narnia on an urgent quest to find the lost prince of Narnia who has been missing for 10 years.  He disappeared after falling captive to a strange entrancement while seeking vengeance for his mother's death.  Narnia had sent many valiant men to find and rescue him. But none prevailed.   Until the two children arrived on the wind to Narnia and take up the quest once more.

The Silver chair reminds us that just as Jill and Eustace must remember the signs while they seek the lost prince, so we must remember God's promises.   And just like the signs do not always make sense at the time, God's plans are not always clear while they are unfolding.

My favorite part of the story is the end.  The allegory of Aslan and the thorn and the arrival of King Caspian to his country is an incredible picture.

Overall ratings below:

Story- 8
Beauty- 8  (Though the ending is a 10)
Bookshelf worthy- 10

In Search of Truth

Is truth what we see with our eyes?

What we hear with our ears?
How do we know what is true?

Is truth what we believe?
What we perceive?
What life has taught us?

Is truth on the Internet?
In the nightly news?
Can we trust anything we intake?

Is there a deep truth that supersedes all?
Truth that gives oxygen
Truth that keeps the planet spinning

Truth that will one day illuminate all
Truth that is the foundation of all
For there must be truth.

Even amid the chaos and lies
Especially amid the chaos and lies
Truth remains. 

May we have the wisdom to seek it with all our hearts.

By Kristen Harmon

Photo Credit to Michael Browning

The one thing we must NOT do

America is facing the most controversial presidential election I have ever seen or studied.   Many people have chosen a candidate based on a few key issues and a strong dislike for the other one.

But this is where we must be so careful.

Christians who have a public following on social media are speaking out for one side or another.

The danger in this is the conversations that can follow.

The other night I read a comment that actually declared this bold opinion: if you vote for the candidate I oppose, you must serve a different Jesus.

No.  No.  NO.

No matter how horrible and frustrating and deplorable this election season is, let us not for one moment assume that how a person votes in this election has a correlation with their eternal salvation.

Remember these verses.

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is the Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved...As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and gentile-- the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." " Romans 10:9,11-13

"The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”  Acts 16-29-31

There is only one election that has eternal consequences.   

It is not for President of the United States. It is for the Ruler of our hearts.   And there are two contenders.  No third party options.

The choice we must make is this.  Do we believe in and honor God? 

Or do we side with his enemy?

Let us never confuse this decision with less weighty matters.

Safe in the Storm

This blog post comes to you from the middle of a hurricane.

It's been 12 years since Central Florida was impacted by an actual hurricane.   Since then, there have been potential threats, cones of uncertainty, tropical storms, and excited weather forecasters.  But no real impact.

Until yesterday.

By 6 pm yesterday evening we were asked to be off the roads, to be secured in the place where we planned to stay for the next 36 hours.

With whatever provisions we had prepared.

Earlier this week was the time to get bread and gas and water.

But earlier this week, the signs weren't as obvious.  We weren't quite sure the hurricane would actually come.

Therefore, I ordered the camping stove and emergency radio on Amazon Prime too late to get it before the storm came. (Apparently 2 day shipping is actually paused in the midst of a hurricane.)

As the warning signs predicted, Hurricane Matthew showed up in Central Florida. Bringing with him a tremendous amount of rain and wind.

I'm grateful to be safely inside my home with a bathtub full of water and extra phone chargers, just in case.

Ignoring the signs of a hurricane could result in inconvenience, injury, or possibly even death for those directly in its path.

But there are other signs we should monitor with even greater concern.   This week I thought of a parable that I had not considered for a long time.   It is found in Matthew 25.

In this parable, the kingdom of heaven is compared to a a group of young women waiting for the bridegroom.  Some prepared.  Some did not.   The bridegroom took so long, that they all fell asleep while waiting for him.  But then the cry finally came.  "Here's the bridegoom!  Come out to meet him!"

Those who had extra oil could light their lamps again.  But those who did not have extra oil could not and ultimately missed the wedding feast.

What is this oil? We are given insight into its symbolism in the bridegroom's sad response to those who were missing it.  "Truly I tell you, I don't know you."

The story concludes with this sober advice:  "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

Just like Christmas always comes, even though at times it seems so far.  Like Spring triumphs over winter.  And like hurricanes do not always cry wolf.  

One day the King will come.

And then we will each remain in the kingdom we have chosen.

"This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  Now choose life, so that you and your children may live."  Deuteronomy 30:19.

May we each choose life.

How do you find truth?

I've reached a point in the political disaster that is this election season where I'm done.  I'm not watching the debate.  I rarely click on FB links or read the emotionally charged news articles that pop up in my feed.

I'm frustrated with the whole thing.  And with that frustration comes doubt and distrust.  I'm skeptical of almost anything circulating about the election today.   How do I know if it is true?

Technically it may be true.  But the message could be a complete lie.

For example, what if I gave this statement to a reporter: "I hate getting up for work in the mornings, but I'm so grateful for my job."   

The reporter could choose to only broadcast the first part. "I hate getting up for work in the mornings."

"What an ungrateful person", the commenters could then say.  "Kristen has a great job.  How could she complain like that."

The statement broadcast about me would be only partially true, this rendering it actually false.

How then do we find truth?   

I don't have a political answer.  But the apostle John has a lot to say on this topic.     Biblegateway.com tells me that John mentions the word 'truth' 23 times in his gospel and 19 times in his letters.  Matthew, Mark, and Luke mention the word 'truth' only 4 times combined in their gospels.

In his second letter, John says that the truth "lives in us and will be with us forever."

In John 16:13 he tells us that when the Spirit of truth comes, "He will guide you into all truth...He will tell you what is to come."

Like so many good things in life, the answer is not always quick or easy.  In order to find truth we must learn to listen for its voice.

But what a voice worth finding.

Photo Credit Aaron Burden

Book Review- Gardenias for Breakfast

Is there a memory from childhood that remains perfect?  Do you ever wish you could go back and relive that vacation, that summer at Grandma's, that school year?

In Gardenia's for breakfast Abby and her daughter get a chance to visit Louisiana from their home in Maui, Hawaii.  Abby has fond memories of her summer there and looks forward to giving her daughter a chance to make similar memories.   However, she is confronted with the reality that life does not always remain as we left it.  Things change, and some memories cannot be remade.   But even so, there is space for new ones to form.

Gardenias for Breakfast is beautiful story of the relationship between a mother and her growing daughter.  A coming of age in a sense for both women.  

And a reminder of God's grace intertwining with our lives, even when we don't always see it.

Overall ratings below.

Story- 9

Beauty- 9

Bookshelf worthy-  9

Amazon link to Gardenias for Breakfast

Light Shines in the Darkness

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."  John 1:5

This week we remember a day that was very dark.

America changed on that September 11.   

On September 10, 2001, it was inconceivable that a plane could become a missile.

On September 10, 2001, passengers could walk, fully clothed through the simple metal detectors, with full sized bottles of shampoo stashed in their carry on.

No one could have guessed the changes that would follow.

Was it just airline convenience that changed? Or did America change too? 

Did we suddenly realize that the darkness could reach us?  Could invade our land? That perhaps darkness didn't exist only in lands across the sea, while we counted our blessings to be born in the country of light?

And yet.  The light shines in the darkness.  And the darkness has not overcome it.

Where does the light come from?  Jesus gives us a clue in Matthew 5:14.   "You are the light of the world.....let your light shine before others."

Darkness cannot overtake our nation as long as God's people continue to shine our light, which of course is really His light, into the world.

May God bless America.  
Stand beside her. And guide her.
Through the night.  With a light.
From above.

Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/@aaronburden 

The Difference between Prayer and Magic

Recently two very different things happened around the same time.

1)  I finished a fascinating fantasy book full of magic and complex characters.
2)  I learned that Craig McConnell, a key member of Ransomed Heart Ministries and someone whose voice I know from podcasts, was unexpectedly dying after a long battle (which he thought he had won) with cancer.

As I was praying that day, I couldn't help contrast the difference between words of a fantastical spell and words of a prayer.

In most fantasy worlds I have visited, the hero is the special one.  And they gain victory by growing stronger or faster, or smarter than their opponent.  They have the power.   And they can control that power for good (in the books I read) or perhaps even for ill.

But in our world, such magic does not exist.  We might like to pretend it does.  (Because really, how cool would it be if I could say a word and make a flower grow.) But it does not.

There is however; power in our world.  Power that makes the flowers grow, that brought people out of dust, and that can intercede even when science says it cannot.

All good things flow from their Creator.

And we learn through His Word that there is also power in prayer.  That we can partner with Him to fight for good and beautiful things.

BUT, this is also where we must be careful.  A strong prayer with beautiful, powerful words, is not magic.

The difference between prayer and magic is this: in our world it is God who is the strong, special, powerful One.   Not us.  And whatever power comes through our earnest prayers, is placed beneath His will.  If our request will bring Him glory, will be for His ultimate good, then let it be so. But if not, we must learn to submit, and do to so without despair.

If prayer was more like magic, I think Craig would be healed, ready to live many more years with his family.  The Ransomed Heart team has a book on effective prayer that I love, and (as best as I can tell) they are strong warriors of faith.

But in the end they submit to the will of God, just as we must. While still believing that He is good. Remembering that our story may not always be clear in this life, but that it does not end with this life.

There is a phrase in second Peter 1 that I love:  "You will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts."

The world is not always as it may seem.   There is great power here.  We do not always understand the battle we face.   But if we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, our Morning Star, we will never be left in darkness.

Freedom

I have a country
I have a King
I have a song
That I can sing

I love my husband
And our tiny bird
My stacks of books
With their faithful words

I have strong family
And lifelong friends
That make life richer
At each day's end

We aren't home yet
But each day we find
We're one step closer
To that finish line

So while we wait
Life's immortal birth
Dear Lord, I think you
For blessings on Earth.

-Kristen Meyer Harmon

A Prayer

Our Father, which art in heaven,
How you must weep at the pain of our world today.  The unthinkable actions of hate and ignorance and their terrible consequences.

Hallowed by your name.
Your holiness beckons us from darkness.

Your kingdom come
We long for the day when your kingdom will reign over all people, when darkness will vanish, and death will be no more.

Your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.
The evidence of life outside your will is plain, ugly and heartbreaking in the events today.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
Help us not to harbor bitterness, but to trust vengeance to you.  Thank you for offering forgiveness when we do wrong.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
We ask for your angels to walk beside us, to surround us with your protection. Thank-you for deliverance from evil through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.
Even so Lord Jesus, quickly come.

Amen

Jesus the Warrior

There is incredible story tucked in the book of Daniel.

Daniel had been praying for answers to his vision, one of a great war.  Three weeks after he prayed this prayer an angel appeared before him.  His appearance was so overwhelming that Daniel fell into a deep sleep with his face on the ground.   The angel had to lift him up so that he was able to hear the incredible message:

“Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.  But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days.  Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me.”   (Daniel 10:12- 13)

Many people believe that Michael is a mythic word for Jesus.   His name appears again in Revelation.

“Then war broke out in heaven.  Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.  But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.  The great dragon was hurled down.”  Revelation 12:7-9.

How does that match your picture of Jesus on Earth?

Its easy to imagine Him wearing sandals and a long white garment.  Smiling at children.  Kind eyes and powerful presence.  The perfect blend of humility and confidence.

But these verses paint a different aspect of Jesus.  Imagine Him leading an army of angels –one of which nearly frightened a very Godly man to death- but now an army of them!   Imagine Him wielding a leading an army to battle, his face shining like the sun, holding a sharp sword.  

A glimpse into this aspect of Jesus gives me a new appreciation for His sacrifice.

Consider the world from the Lord of the Rings movies.  Aragorn was a warrior.   If needed, he would have given his life in battle to save Frodo and Sam.

But, would he have dropped his sword?  Would he have willingly walked into Mordor, defenseless?

How much strength must it take for a fierce and powerful warrior to not use their strength?  To allow the weaker enemy to prevail, even for a moment.

Jesus said in John 10:17-18.   “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.  I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. “

On this Good Friday, consider what we know of Jesus.  He bears so much outer strength that no warrior on heaven and earth can defeat him.  Yet inner strength enough to conceal His glory to win a different kind of battle on earth.

Today we honor his sacrifice.  But the tomb is empty.  Jesus the Savior lives.  Jesus the Warrior lives.

And if we let him, He will fight for our freedom.  Our hearts.  

I can think of no better hero then this.

Hope

Hope is like air.
A constant source of life,
Even when we aren't conscious of it.

Hope is like water.
Filling us, sustaining us,
Providing energy as we drink.

Hope is like an anchor.
Grounding us when winds blow,
Reminding us of what we know.

-Kristen Harmon