New blog location

For the droves of people that read this blog ;-) (ha ha) I've moved to a new place online:


http://dadabi.tumblr.com

Divine "Interruption"

I'm always fascinated by looking at Christmas from "the other side." What I mean by that is often we look at the Christmas story in retrospect, rather than looking at the situation from Mary and Joseph's perspective. They didn't have the knowledge of how their earthly son's life would play out. They obviously knew there was something special about this son God was giving them, but other than that, they chose to embrace God's invitation without knowing exactly what he was inviting them into. God drastically interrupted whatever expectations they had about their lives.

Mary bore the stigma of being an unwed mother in a society that would fiercely judge her. Many of her contemporaries probably saw her as a "good girl gone bad" with her unexpected pregnancy. Similarly, Joseph was willing to carry the burden of social stigma along with Mary as, after the angel appeared to him, he still took Mary as his wife, despite the rumors about their "predicament" that I'm sure were rampant in their communities.

They could have said no. They could have grasped the acceptance and familiarity that following the social norms would have afforded them. But for whatever reason, they said yes. Somehow they knew that while we busily build our ideas of life, in love God breaks into our worlds to invite us into real life.

As we celebrate Jesus' birth, may we with grace, humility and trust embrace God's interruptions in our lives.

*You can read more about Mary and Joseph in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2 in the New Testament of the Bible.

Welcome to Our World

Beautiful Christmas song by Chris Rice.


Welcome to Our World
by Chris Rice




Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You've been promised, we've been waiting

Welcome Holy Child
Welcome Holy Child

Hope that you don't mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
Long-awaited Holy Stranger
Make Yourself at home
Please make Yourself at home

Bring Your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking Heaven's silence

Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us

Unto us is born
Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy

Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God

Welcome to our world

A Life Like Alabaster Perfume

I'm officially 26 and this past weekend my friends reminded me of the words below that I spoke at my 25th birthday celebration. Here's to pouring out everything you have & to friends who tell you the truth when you've forgotten who you are...

The temptation is to hold back, keep it in. After all, when you go all out there's great risk for failure, mistakes, exposure, vulnerability. You are willfully breaking yourself open so that people can see the life inside of you.

We hold this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is God, not from ourselves.

When you break yourself open, the light can shine out and through you...So go all out and leave nothing of yourself in the jar. Pour it all out and let yourself be surprised by the joy that emerges. Pour it all out like alabaster perfume. Pour your heart, your soul, your tiny voice, your small gift out like a river of fragrant love.

*Photo taken by Hector

Artistry--It Builds Character

Recently came across this quote from Anne Lamott, a fabulous and funny writer, that pertains to how artistry shapes character. In her book she's speaking to writers, but it applies to all artists:

"You are going to have to give and give and give, or there's no reason for you to be writing. You have to give from the deepest part of yourself, and you are going to have to go on giving, and the giving is going to have to be its own reward. There is no cosmic importance to your getting something published, but there is in learning to be a giver."

From Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Beauty & Bitterness

Every season has beauty and bitterness. Moments of joy when we feel like we're who and where we're supposed to be. And moments when we're caught up in disappointment, longing, and struggle.

It takes a phenomenal amount of grace to ask the question, "Where is God?" in whatever situation or circumstance you're in. It's hard to embrace our identity as children of God sometimes. When we face the unexpected it's so easy to feel like an orphan, forgotten and abandoned, rather than a child deeply loved and cared for.

May we "walk with grace our feet and faith our eyes"* as we navigate beauty and bitterness with the hope that we are loved.

*From Derek Webb's "Faith My Eyes"

Grateful for Hope

I have to admit that more often than not I want mammon more than manna*. I'd rather have cold hard cash and self-sufficiency, rather than dependence on God and the miracle of provision at just the right moment. It's been uncomfortable being in a season of tight finances, and it's been hard to see just how much trust I've put in the dollar, rather than God.

In a moment of striking anxiety, I was reminded of a song by India.Arie, "There's Hope."

There's hope/It doesn't cost a thing to smile/You don't have to pay to laugh/You better thank God for that

There are many gifts to be grateful for, and there are many gifts that money can't buy. There are many, many generations that have accomplished God's purposes without a great amount of resources. They have been privvy to the truth that it is Jehovah Jireh, our Provider, through whom all things are possible--not mammon.

*In the Old Testament of the Bible, manna is the food God miraculously provided for the people of Israel as they were in the desert on their way to the Promised Land. Check out the book of Exodus, chapter 16.