Here is some more Santa Claus information found on the wiki.

Interestingly enough,I finally had that birdbath moved just a few months ago. To my surprise it wasn’t made of heavy concrete like I’d always believed, it was made of plastic and it only took one person a few minutes to move it to its new home. Every time I see that birdbath in its new home I think of how long it took to get there, not with regret but with anticipation that if the situation presents itself again I’ll get it moved a whole lot sooner.

I think we have all had one(or maybe more than one) job that would qualify as awful! Right after I graduated high school, I got a new and exciting job at a local store. I was so excited for this new position even though I didn’t know exactly what I’d be doing. I showed up on Monday morning ready to work and boy was I surprised, my new position was in the warehouse sanding, painting and assembling huge industrial shelves. I wasn’t strong enough to sand the shelves much less assemble them. This was a job that I was not well suited for because I did not have the skill set, or the muscles, needed to complete my work. I tried to do the job, but I just couldn’t.
I recently read a verse in the Psalms that reminded me of my not so favorite job, Psalms 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” How many times have I decided to build something for God without asking Him first? As I think back there are many. I showed up at the building site with my tools and plans only to discover I was three streets off from where I needed to be. I had the best of intentions but this wasn’t even my job site, it belonged to someone else. I’d like to tell you that once I discovered my mistake I immediately packed up my tools and set off to find my own build site but many times I didn’t. I tried to use my gifts and my tools in an area I wasn’t even supposed to be in and wondered why my plans weren’t working. Just like the awful job I had, I was trying to build yet my labor was in vain, I just couldn’t do it. I had forgotten some critical pieces of information about the building process, I can’t build a house all by myself and I can’t build it on someone else’s property.  I can work all day every day on my building but if I’m not in the place God wants me, building alongside Him then my work is completely and totally in vain. When I’m not where God wants me and I’m trying to do everything on my own this is where the discouragement and disillusionment sets in. And then I just don’t get why my great and wonderful plans aren’t coming together. That’s when I have to go back to the drawing board and begin again. I have to locate where my build site is and start with God and His plans, not mine. Then I am ready to build!! What have you been trying to build on our own?

Two years ago is when I began to discover that Jesus really was enough. I resigned from the job I’d had for 9 years with no idea what I’d be doing next. I also left the church that I’d been going to for 25 years which meant leaving my friends and my parents. I also began having health problems that required multiple doctors visits and expensive medications. And then, just when I thought all the changes were done for awhile my husband lost his job the day before his 30^th birthday. This left us with only the income I received for subbing in the public schools. This was all within a 6 month time frame. I didn’t even have time to recover from one change before another one blind sided me. It was at this place of confusion and change that I needed Jesus to be enough! I still had an amazing husband and friends and family who loved me but this was the first time I had to completely rely on Him for everything. What I learned from this time of physical, emotional and mental upheaval was that He was sufficient to meet my needs. My husband and I never ran out of money, we both got amazing jobs that we love and the doctor finally figured out what was wrong with me (I can hear some of you laughing at this one:)). This time is what I like to affectionately call the best worst year ever because I learned and grew so much! God has always been there at every twist and turn supplying all the while, even if I couldn’t see it at the time. There are still many days when I don’t think that the way I’m living my life shows that Jesus is enough for me but there are more days now than there used to be. So in answer to the question is Jesus enough for me- the answer is absolutely, completely, 100% yes. Now I need to take that head knowledge and transfer it to my heart so that it can start to transform me from the inside out.

Psalms 139:5-6 You hem me in, behind and before and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me: It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

What is a refuge?  It is defined as a place of shelter, protection or safety.  Some days I feel like I have been under attack from the moment my feet hit the floor in the morning until the moment my head hits the pillow at night.  On these days, I can almost see the fiery darts of the evil one flying at me from every direction; this was one of those days.  By the end of the day I was in desperate need of a place of refuge!  Luckily, I knew where to go.  I needed somewhere to go to quiet my thoughts, open my heart and leave all of the distractions of the world behind.  I needed somewhere to go where I could simply spend time with my Heavenly Father.  I needed a place to pray, to read God’s Word and to just be.  I needed a place where I knew it was okay for me to arrive empty.  Some days when I arrive at this place I’m feeling so broken that I’m not sure if God will ever be able to put me back together again.  Then, there are some days when I arrive in silence, unable to even put into words how I’m feeling.  Some days I come with rejoicing and praise.  Some days I come in awe and wonder.  Some days I just show up.  I’ve also discovered that the time I spend in this place of refuge is crucial because I’ve learned that if I’m empty, I have nothing to give to those around me.  As I spend time here I come away full and ready to pour out on others.  This is where I come to meet God and where He meets me.  I’ve noticed that the more I visit this place of refuge, the more I desire to come back.

I’m a very structured person so I’ve discovered that it helps me to have a particular area for my place of refuge.  Over the years I’ve used my recliner, my study and my back yard.  These are not the only places I use, but they are the ones I use most frequently.  Your place of refuge will most likely look different from mine.  Susanna Wesley, mother of 19 children including Charles and John Wesley, had to get creative with her place of refuge.  When she needed to pray, she would sit down in the middle of the kitchen floor and throw her apron over her head so her children would know not to disturb her. My mom’s place of refuge was (and still is) the love seat in her living room.  Before His crucifixion, Jesus found a place of refuge in the Garden of Gethsemane.  It doesn’t matter if you choose a love seat or an apron to be your place of refuge, what does matter is that you choose to show up.  God, the Creator of the universe is already there waiting for you…

Are you a wall builder?
I spent the last week building a wall to close in part of my garage to make a nice work space for me and my wife. There are many reason for the wall:  to help keep it cool, to help limit the noise level from out side and  it looks much better than the garage door.

What does it take to build a wall?
There are a lot of things required to build a physical wall. You need to pick a location for the wall. Once this has been found you must build the base for the wall. Off of the base you will install the vertical support. Now that you have those in place you need to top it all off the support from the top. With all of of that together you have a frame. That frame will need to be covered. There are many things that it can be covered with some stronger than others. Once it is covered it is now a wall. The strength of this wall will be determined by the materials you used in the wall. Some being much stronger than others.

Do you have blockades in your life?
Walls also provide a barrier between two things. In life this is usually something between you and God or you and another person. Have you built these blockades in your life? Between you and God this will most likely be sin. That is a quick way to build these barriers. The longer you let them build the bigger they will get and the stronger they will become. This will make them very strong and very difficult to break down.

What does it take to bring down a wall?
This will depend on what you built the wall out of. The stronger you built it the more difficult it will be to bring it down. I find that there is a trick to this. Find what is supporting it. Nails, screaws, bolts there are many things that it can be. Once you know what it is it will make it much easier to bring the wall crashing down.

Where are you in the deconstruction of the walls you have built between you and God?

What do you really love?

Wife?
Family?
Church?
Things?

What is love? 

Love is a choice a decision you make, not something you may feel. Feelings are fickle and can change quickly without notice.

Do you really love?
I have to work at this. You are supposed to love everyone. That is a hard choice to make. It is something we need to work on daily. I have to work really hard at this one.

What do you think love is? 
For me love is a choice I made. For example I love my wife. Is it because she is perfect and fun all the time? No, because no one is. It is because I made a choice to love her many years ago. It does not matter what changes in her life or mine. I made a choice to love her and the only way that will change is by choice.

So how do you love?
This one is going to be different for everyone. How you love them and how they want to be loved.

What do you love?
This is one we need to watch close. Do not love things more than the people in your life. I know you have heard this before, but you can not take the things with you. It is true. Things are replaceable. You can live with out things. It is much more difficult to replace friends and family, we need people more than things.

Why do you love?
Simple, we need it.

Are you open to love?
Well, are you? I have to work at this as well as being open.

Are you vulnerable? 
If not, you cannot truly love. There are many different types of love love for mother, father, God, family, friends, spouse and many other types.

Verses on love:

Genesis 29:20, Proverbs 5:19, Proverbs 10:12, Proverbs 13:24, Proverbs 15:17, Proverbs 17:9, Proverbs 17:17, Proverbs 30:18-19, Song of Solomon 1:2, Song of Solomon 2:16, Song of Solomon 4:10, Song of Solomon 8:6, Song of Solomon 8:7, Matthew 22:37–39, John 15:13, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 1 Corinthians 13:4–8a, 1 Corinthians 13:13, Ephesians 5:25, Ephesians 5:33, Colossians 3:14, 1 Peter 4:8, 1 John 3:16, 1 John 3:18, 1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:18

Jeremiah Williams | jeremiahwilliams.com | analogrelic.com

“Faith never knows where it’s being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.” Oswald Chambers

How could four simple words impact me so much? They are found in 1 Samuel 14:1 and if you blink, you just might miss them. One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. Because of Jonathan’s initiative and willingness to listen he, with the help of one other man, defeated the Philistines. The four words that have me completely floored are these, Come let us go. Each word by itself seems very small and insignificant but when you put them together they definitely pack a punch. I did not discover the importance of these words on my own, they were pointed out in an amazing book called Chasing Daylight by Erwin McManus. I borrowed this book from a friend and before I’d read 10 pages I decided I needed my own copy because this was going to be one of those books that I was going to read over and over again! This book talks about seizing the power of every moment and that’s why the story of Jonathan that includes my four new life-changing words is included.
I can think of many times in my life that God whispered in my ear, Come let us go, but I can only think of a very few times that I actually surrendered and followed with reckless abandon. Normally when this call would come my response would range anywhere from “I’d like to know where we are going first before I decide” to “This is a really busy time for me, can we do it later?”. Not exactly seizing the moment was I?! I’ve discovered that the times that I feel the closest to God are the times when He calls and I follow even though I have no idea where we are going. From a young age I decided that I wanted to be a teacher so that’s what I went to school for and that’s what I became. I loved teaching and thought that I’d be doing it until I retired. I’d been happily working with children for 9 years when I heard God say it’s time to go and I actually said okay, let’s go . I had no idea where we were going when I resigned my position but I had complete and total peace that this was the right thing to do. Because I seized the moment God has given me several new passions that I never imagined I would have. When the disciples were in the boat Jesus came to them, walking on the water. He said “Come.” So Peter got out the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. Are we willing to get out of the boat and go with Jesus? When He says, come let us go, will we go?

Maybe these four simple words will have a life-changing effect on you too….

Jaclyn Williams | surrenderedsojourner.com