It’s an evening event for prayer, music, fellowship and reflection on the meaning of the season.  Simple to host, the event is wildly popular and at many churches has grown every year. 

For more details on how to host an event, visit these websites:

WELS Women’s Ministry

Morning Star Church

And, I highly recommend this speaker for your event! 

A Great Christmas Surprise! from Maria Rodgers O'Rourke on Vimeo.

So I wanted to be sure you heard about her new song.  It has a powerful message for us when life’s trials seem to be too much:  God loves us just as much in our pain as he does in our joy.  Maybe we think we have to get it all together before we can talk to God, like the only face God wants to see is a happy one.  “Better than a Hallelujah” assures us that no matter what we’re feeling, God loves us and throws his arms open to us anytime we turn to him–in laughter or in tears.

Amy Grant’s Her music often finds that hidden spot in my heart, heals the pain, and helps me feel God’s great love once again. Her new song and video tell a bittersweet story; maybe some of the words will touch your heart, too.

“Why It’s Okay (Actually, Essential) to Put Yourself First” is a wonderful article recently published on Oprah.com.  The author, Valerie Monroe, tells a compelling story of how she “learned the hard way to put myself first.”

There are really two selves to consider here, one the “self”: that woman, wife, mother, sister, friend, daughter who is always putting others first, and; the “Self”: that marvelous, unique person who has been created by God and whom God constantly invites into deeper relationship, and fuller expression, in life.

Take for example the sisters in scripture who embody these two selves:  Martha and Mary.

In Luke’s Gospel, we read: “But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’” 

Let’s rewind a bit and take a look at the scene that took place before Jesus’ remark to Martha. When we first met Martha, she was running around her house hosting Jesus and his disciples. Martha was trying to be a good hostess; after all, she had a celebrity in her midst! In her whirlwind of activity, she noticed her sister, Mary, had seated herself at the foot of Jesus and was enjoying his teaching. Noting Jesus’ hold on Mary’s attention, Martha asked him to intercede with Mary and ask her to contribute to the work of entertaining their guests. Instead, Jesus turns his rebuke to Martha, and seems to judge her efforts as unimportant.

How hurtful and confusing! Martha was doing what she’d been raised to do—prepare a lovely table for her guests—and doing it well, no doubt. Yet the teacher whom she admired seemed unsympathetic to her plight. Imagine the sting of embarrassment in her heart, the flush of red on her cheeks, and the tears that filled her eyes as she turned away from Jesus.

We cannot hear the tone of voice with which Jesus speaks to Martha. If she was harried and unable to enjoy herself at the party, perhaps his words were spoken with compassion. Perhaps he was inviting her to relax a bit and enjoy the fellowship of the gathering, and not let the tasks of entertaining consume her. This is good advice for everyday of life, not just when hosting a party. Martha, so occupied with serving others, needs to tend her “self” so that she won’t get burned out.

Perhaps Mary’s is the better choice, or at least should be the first choice in our busy lives–to take time in prayer and quiet ourselves in the presence of God.  Mary
 is tending to her “Self”:  that part of her where God resides.

Our busy days challenge us to attend to the Self as well as the self.  When both are cared for, marvelous transformations take place.

Consider the next time we meet Martha in the Scriptures, in John’s Gospel:
“Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’”

Just a few few short years after her dinner party, we meet a woman transformed by faith. Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus very much. When Lazarus died, Jesus came to visit the sisters, and Martha was the one who met him on the road and proclaimed her faith in him. The one busy and distracted by many things becomes the one to declare her faith so simply and plainly that Jesus performs one of the most powerful and dramatic miracles of his ministry. Her faith healed her brother, and her family. If Martha can be so changed, there is hope for all the Martha’s in the world!

And so it is essential, to be the fullest expression of God’s love to those around us, to put our Self first, and our self. 

Why It’s Okay (Actually, Essential) to Put Yourself First

Christmas will be here before we know it.  This is the year for mom to have a great Christmas–one that’s spiritually rich and deeply connected to the reason for the season.

Michael Gott sings of this special night on his Christmas CD.  The song is entitled, Christmas in the Trenches.  Both the music and the movie are fitting reflections this time of year as we are mindful of all those who serve our country in the military. 

Today I am thankful for:

• a home to entertain my family, raise our daughters, and work and live in;
• music that lifts my heart and mood;
• watching movies with my loved ones;
• my health.

For what are you grateful this Thanksgiving Day?

Rather than dwelling on what our economic condition will deprive us of this year, we can ponder the opportunity it gives us to recreate our Christmas observance.  For years I’ve heard friends and family (and me!) complain about the craziness of the season, how hectic and packed our days are, and how little time and energy we have to appreciate our loved ones.  We commiserate, but do little to change.  Perhaps the lack of disposable dollars will set the boundary we need to focus our time and efforts on events, people and things that are truly meaningful to us.

This year can be different.  Let’s take this opportunity to envision and create a great holiday season.  Let’s start by getting a clear picture of what the ideal Christmas season is.  This vision will be different for everyone, because it is a wonderful amalgamation of warm memories and joyful anticipation unique to each of us.  Here’s one way to get started.

Music is a wonderful source of inspiration, so pull out some of your favorite holiday music.  If you’re not ready to open that floodgate just yet, listen to something soft and contemplative.  As a compromise, I listen to my Hidden Christmas Tracks.  Take a few deep breaths and consider these questions:

1. The highest vision for my Christmas season is….

2. What must I become to empower this vision?

3. What must be released?

4. What must I embrace to empower this vision?

5. Anything else I need to know to empower this vision?

(This is a simple visioning process that can be applied to any concern or idea in your life.  My thanks to Michael Gott for this process.)

What’s important in this case is to allow meaningful experiences from past Christmases to come to mind, along with your hopes for this year’s observance.  Most likely, there are things you’ve always wanted to do during the holidays “if I had more time!” Try not to edit any idea as too outrageous or difficult to achieve.  Give yourself permission to dream.   Jot all these thoughts down and complete the first statement on the list.  Then, reflect on the answers to the next four questions.  Note how each focuses on the internal transformation necessary to move you from commiseration to empowerment in creating a great Christmas for those you love, and yourself.

This year, it will be different!

Coming up:  Create and Prioritize your Holiday To-Do List