What Advent Means to ME

Deuteronomy 7:9 (NIV) “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.”

The season of Advent is upon us and while many believe this is a season for the Catholic faith to celebrate the coming of Jesus’ birth, they are sadly mistaken. While the Catholic Church does celebrate through rites and rituals such as burning a colored candle each week as they focus on the coming of the Lord, many Christians such as myself celebrate Advent as a spiritual renewal.

This was a time in history documented and prophesied about in the Old Testament and came to fruition in the advent of the New Testament. The weeks leading up to Christ being born into this world are a pivotal proclamation to every single Christian. Our faith in Jesus Christ is solid proof, to ME, that the Advent of Christ is true to the biblical word.

Granted I don’t believe December 25^th as the exact day He was born. But it is the day that man has chosen to appoint and celebrate as the day of Jesus’ birth. Advent to me is preparing for the coming of the Lord instead of getting all caught up in the commercialization of a sacred Holy Day.

We’re living in a world where people make up their own choices and minds with how to honor the King of Kings. Christians everywhere claim to be Christian but shrug off Lent and Advent and other spiritual expectancies that the very bible they claim to read speaks of and are happy just declaring they’re Christian’s. To me, that’s a mockery of Christ and the Holy Bible.

Yes, claiming to be a Christian is all well and good but it is more than just words, you have to put physical and spiritual ACTION behind those words for them to be believed. Even through my computer screen I can tell which friends are spirit-filled and which ones put on a show. When sitting in Church I can physically see who is there just to show people that they’re there. I am not judging people; I am confirming that I have eyes to see.

THIS is why a spiritual rejuvenation is needed throughout the year. THIS is why Advent and Lent are so dear to ME. Yes I spiritually reflect throughout the year, but these two seasons take on special meaning to my spiritual growth.

I watch as a globe erupts in turmoil; races against races, wars against innocent, death to believers, fear in the loving. Satan is standing at the threshold of corruption, rising in great power throwing swords of fire at the earthbound physically and spiritually weak.

The flames have reached every corner of the earth, blades of fire have licked the spirit of all as we sit and watch, waiting, just waiting to understand.

THIS is the season for true Christians to fully understand the biblical elements at work. This is where we gather our spiritual strength and prepare for the coming of Christ. We can’t shrug off what we are called to be; we can’t ignore and draw a blind eye of what is to come. We can’t walk and pretend that we’re doing everything in our power to prayerfully heal a nation in the throes of an uprising while we're too busy to reflect even once on the spiritual growth of our being. We’re not called to ‘just’ believe.

This is not a time to wear a mask and delight in the show of the Christmas spectacle; this is the time to be spiritually awake in the depths of your soul. This is not the time to look around at all you don’t hold in your hands; this is the time to be grateful for every little thing you DO have. This is not the time to walk in confidence knowing you have a faith and belief in God; this is the time to meditate on all you are, all you hold true and all you hope to one day become THROUGH the blood and power of Christ.

THIS, my friends, is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. (Pss.118:24)

The Accident...

Job 17:7 Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow, and all my members are as a shadow.


Well friends, I said I’d write about my life if something came in an upheaval. This warrants an upheaval of my life.

I was in an accident yesterday. I’m out on a farm, dirt roads either way for at least 2-3 miles. I was doing about 35 MPH when I hit a wet patch on the road, swerving left, right, left, right. Something came over the truck and a force grabbed the wheel turning me left, placing me into an embankment of water. Had I swerved right, I would have smacked right into a telephone pole. Adam (my 14 yr. old son) and I would probably not have walked away with bruises had we pounded the truck into a pole.

The airbags exploded in our faces, smoke billowed, and stench filled the air.  “Are you alright Adam?” Was my first words that screamed out of my mouth. “Are we dead?” I saw so much smoke, I later joked about us both winding up in hell together since there was so much smoke!

My face felt like I was hit with an iron frying pan. I unloosened my seat belt, Adam did the same. We opened the door to step out into two or three feet of cold water. Adam scurried to get the books out of the back of the truck. We had been on our way to the library and food shopping. He climbed the embankment, placed the books down and came back to help me, my little hero.

My feet were sinking deeper and deeper in the mud and my head was spinning. Instant headache and oh how my face hurt. I reached back into the truck to find my purse and Adam found it, handed it to me. I placed it over my shoulder and headed toward the back of the truck.

My shoe came off, I managed to get it back on my foot and pull it out of the mud, only I couldn’t find my bearings to get across the three foot ravine. Adam reached out and helped me over and we both clawed our way to the top, about five or six feet high, of the embankment.

We’re at the top now hollering for help, our faces burning with pain. Adam had blood running down his face and I immediately went to inspect him. “Are you okay?” shivering, I asked. “YES!” he screamed, “What happened?” tears were now flowing and as we looked off into the distance a truck was coming and we both waved our hands unnecessarily because he was already coming to a stop. “You need help?”

“It just happened. I don’t know what to do.” He told us to get in his truck, he would drive us home. We were wet and muddy, but he didn’t care. Instead of home, he stopped at the nearest farm to see if anyone there could help. They called a sheriff and a wrecker to come dig us out of the mud. My tears and fear would not stop.

More tears as we waited on the side of the road. I had called Steven, my beau, from the truck and I kept thinking how he would hate me for doing this to his truck. He didn’t hate me, he asked if we were both okay.

The man had to go to work. The wait...wet, cold, windy as all get out; face burning, more tears, worry, tears, pain, more tears. The sheriff and then the wrecker arrived almost an hour later. They got the truck out of the ravine and the wrecker guy said, “Your truck don’t come off of my truck until you pay, a hundred and fifty or more.”
“I just want my truck home, can you get it back to our farm, right up the road?” I said, shivering still. “Oh and can you take a check or credit card?” Money we do not have!
“Yeah sure.”  Wow, sympathy flowed from him like a dry damn.

I’m home. I ran into Stevens arms like a baby to her momma! More tears, more pain. I’m alive. Now the affects take shape and form. Can the truck be saved? With Steven blind, and our truck the only form of transportation for us to get ANYwhere, we’ll need all the strength we can muster, once again. Now I need to physically and mentally heal.

Prayers will help too because I believe in the power of prayer. Now I wonder...what is God up to? Everything happens for a reason, right?

Prov. 15:23 A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!