Angela Parlin

Seeing Jesus

December 11, 2013 By: Angela Parlin

Yesterday, I sat in Barnes & Noble and my insides were crying out to sing. But I couldn’t unleash the voice welling up in me because I shared this cafe with 30 others, most of whom worked quietly on laptops.

Over the loud speakers, they sang about Jesus. Clear as day, in a world where Jesus is increasingly censored out of the public square–a Christmas song preached Jesus in this little corner of the world.

We allow Him in here, at least at Christmas. And even if they’re not listening yet, people are hearing.

I wonder if at some point, someone will complain about the words. Come let us adore HIM, Christ the Lord.

For now, this choir sings Christ, the King, in front of everyone here, and my heart swells, because this is Who He has become to me–the King, my King.This is the stuff that lights one up on the inside!

May all our traditions, our celebrations this year, take us back to Jesus.

Jesus~the light of the world–when we drive around sipping hot cocoa and enjoy great displays of light in our communities.

Jesus~the cornerstone, the rock, our refuge–when we build cute little gingerbread cottages, with frosting and red and green gum drops.

Jesus~the miracle baby born that holy, silent night when angels sang–while we sing Christmas carols in our cars, our homes, our neighborhoods.

Jesus~who brought joy to the world–when we gather in living rooms and laugh our way through favorite Christmas movies.

Jesus~the greatest gift who took upon Himself the sins of all of us–when we exchange gifts and pass out little treasures.

Jesus~our reason to celebrate all through the year–as we gather with friends and family around the holiday to feast and enjoy each other.

May we see threads of Him woven through our stories, our celebrations, and our traditions…Merry Christmas!

12 Days of Christmas {Giving Edition}

December 5, 2013 By: Angela Parlin

Yesterday I told you a little about how we’re Reconstructing Christmas around here. I hope to inspire your family with an abundance of ideas for giving, family-style.

Before we get started, I have to say–this is not a list we’re trying to complete. It’s so easy to get stuck there, in the trying. If we’re just trying to love God by loving people, I’m afraid we’ve missed something important.

God isn’t looking for a grand performance, even when it comes to giving. He’s looking for hearts fully committed to Him. Whenever I get a little too wrapped up in what I’m doing, I have to go back to this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength…and love your neighbor as yourself.

12 Days of Christmas {Giving Edition}:

Start with Shoeboxes. I feel like everyone knows about Operation Christmas Child, but just in case, it’s our favorite way to give at Christmas. We collect items year-round, watch shoebox videos online, make cards for the kids and pray for the ones who’ll receive them. Local organizations collect boxes in November, but it’s not too early to get started for next year.
Care for the Homeless. Pack bags or backpacks with soap, washcloths, toothbrushes, blankets, peanut butter and jelly, crackers, and a Chick-Fil-A gift card. Have the kids make cards, and then give the kits away. Or, head downtown one morning with donuts and coffee (or bottled water) to give out.
Reach Out Together. Serve food at a soup kitchen, help at the rescue mission, or put bags of food together at Stop Hunger Now. If your kids are younger, shop for Angel Tree gifts to love on children of prisoners, or for the rescue mission’s most urgent needs. Be sure to shop and deliver the goods together. If you know a single mom, invite her kids over so she can rest or get some things done. Take her family a meal, or give that hard-working Mama an anonymous gift card.
Ask your kids for ideas. Our kids thought we should ask neighbors (and grandparents) for some chores they could do to serve. They also suggested selling some legos (in bulk on ebay) and using the profits to feed the hungry. I wonder what yours will come up with!
Give Blessing Bags. People in our community serve us all year long, so we’ve made up little bags of candy with THANK YOU and a note to say they are a blessing and we hope they’ll be blessed this Christmas. Ours are simple–a candy cane, some peppermint patties, and chocolates. We’ll give them to librarians, our regular grocery cashiers, the mailman, and many more.
Serve the Servers: We love this idea from our Pastor, and it’s certainly not only for Christmastime. Before you pray over the food, ask your server if there’s anything you can pray for them. And then do it. Tip generously, and leave them a blessing bag.

Take milk and cookies to your local firestation, with a thank you note. If your kids like to draw, let them use their skills to draw firefighters in action and give them to your community helpers.
Be Neighborly. Bake some yummy bread or treats and drop in on your neighbors. Better yet, invite the neighbors on your street over for an open house one evening. Serve drinks and treats but keep it simple. Or start with one neighbor you don’t know well, and invite them over for dinner.
Pay & Pray: Next time you drive through Starbucks, pay for the next car’s order and pray for them.
Love-on-Purpose. Pick a day (or more) to actively look for small ways to love people. At home, play a game the kids love, and do each other’s chores. While out and about–hold doors, return shopping carts for others, and do random acts of Christmas kindness.
Sponsor a Child through Compassion International. If you already sponsor, send a special handmade Christmas card and a small online gift to your child. In-country staff will purchase items, and you’ll hear about it!
Have a “Shop-In” family dinner with the Compassion catalog. Place an order online to support families in crisis, to care for a child waiting for a sponsor, to buy a goat for a family’s livelihood, or provide HIV/Aids testing and treatment.

We find that a lot of great intentions slip past us these days, unless we set a date and time. So make it a plan!

Oh, and this one’s probably just for me, but with all of these fun things to do for others—don’t lose sight of your closest neighbors, the ones you live with, who need your love more than anyone.

Merry Christmas!

Reconstructing Christmas

December 4, 2013 By: Angela Parlin

A Christmas overhaul is long overdue here.

Our problem is, we love buying gifts, wrapping gifts, and taking in the kids’ excitement Christmas morning. And so?

We’ve done this:

Overgifted. Big-time. {That wasn’t even all of it. Unfortunately.}

We’ve taught the kids with words it’s better to give than to receive.

To be fair, we’ve also taught them to give with our actions. But they wake each Christmas to another Get-Fest. Christmas morning becomes all about finding loads of gifts with their own name attached. And eating yummy food.

We read the story of Jesus’ birth together and they act out parts with our Little People Manger set. But they are giddy over the abundance of sparkly, tangible gifts they are ready to receive. Gifts that dazzle and fill their little minds with big plans. Gifts that leave little room for wonder over the greatest gift of all.

And it’s not only the children…we grown-ups are also easily amused by treasures we can hold. In some ways, we forget Jesus is the greatest gift, the answer, the hope.

Well friends, some things are changing up in here this year, and this overgifting issue is just one.

How can we truly live a meaningful Christmas?

My husband and I have talked about this for a few years, so this year, he suggested a new tradition. He loves new traditions.

In addition to reading scriptures and doing some crafts and activities to prepare for advent, we’re going to celebrate with 12 Days of Christmas, which have nothing to do with 9 ladies dancing or a partridge in a pear tree.

Our 12 Days of Christmas will be hands-on ways to give, serve, and love our neighbors, both near and far–as a family.

We want to give because our true love gave.

“The Son of God became a man to enable men to become the sons of God.” –C.S. Lewis

Later this week, I’ll share some ideas we’ve collected for 12 Days of Christmas {Giving}, and I’d love for you come back and join me. Until then, be not dismayed for our children. They’re still going to find a couple of gifts under the tree. 🙂

If you’d like to receive my posts in your email inbox, click on the Follow box to your right. Merry Christmas!

We Are Flowers

November 26, 2013 By: Angela Parlin

I met him at a Starbucks down the road, this widowed man in his 70’s. When I looked up from my book, he asked a simple question. Then he sat down across from me and let me peek into his life.

He was waiting for a blind date, a friend of a friend, so he endured the awkward wait telling his stories to a stranger. He spoke of losing his wife, and reminded me life is short.

Who we have now—the main characters in our stories—are gifts to unwrap, to love, and to thank God for every day.

Yesterday, I found out a childhood friend passed away, without warning or expectation. I read thoughts from her husband and sisters, some of the broken-hearted she leaves behind. Even they admit, there’s much more there than sadness. One sister said she’s in awe thinking of her little sister with Jesus. Because this friend trusted in the Lord, we know she’s in a far better place than the rest of us.

She knows more than the mystery of being IN Christ—now she knows what it is to be WITH Christ.

“I haven’t been asked yet to walk the hard roads. Still there’s a sense of deep loss in my soul…” –Christa Wells, How Emptiness Sings

Some of you have been through a similar valley, and some of us have not. Yet. But we carry through life this sense of loss, of longing for the emptiness to be filled. We look forward to the full mercy of Christ and eternal life.

We are flowers,

Eternal flowers, and

We are dust.

We were planted, seed-bearing,

To grow and reproduce,

To bloom ~ for a season.

We know not when

Our season ends,

But that some are picked suddenly,

Uprooted to another place,

Leaving pieces of themselves behind.

Some color landscapes long

Until they wither,

Alongside others passing away.

We are dust, passing dust,

Eternal dust.

The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here. But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. Psalm 103:13-17, NLT

You Will Fly {Five-Minute Friday}

November 22, 2013 By: Angela Parlin

I’m linking up once again with Lisa-Jo Baker for Five-Minute Fridays. Today’s prompt is FLY…

A newly-born Mama, I woke up to a bad dream. This was not a safe place to birth a baby. I’d been tucked away in a bubble, feeling invincible. But now—pieces of my insides existed outside of me, outside of my control.

I remember the stiff hospital bed and holding him, cheek to cheek. I inhaled his perfect scent, and sobbed.

The world is going to hurt you.

So I clutched tight my swaddled bundle and wrote him the first of many Letters from Mom. I wrote for comfort, but not to comfort him. He was already happy and warm and snuggled in close. I was the scared one, trying to hold it together.

But I learned, a day at a time.

I learned to take the rest when it came, to put my feet up. I learned how to do life at home and let people help. I learned we needed the outdoors, on all the days but the frozen ones. And I hovered. I took him out but shielded my fragile human from the elements—and flying insects—and other people’s germs.

I learned to be me but not really me anymore.

I felt so young on the inside. Too young to know everything a Mama knows. So I kept my own Mom close those first weeks, until I knew I could do it. Actually, until she had to head back home.

My Mom kept telling me I had this. I could do it. She taught impromptu courses–How to Bathe a Wet, Angry Baby and Burping For Real Results. {I cried through the first and failed the latter.} I cried a lot those days and had no idea why. I was both gloriously happy and shockingly terrified. Mom said it was all normal. Hormonal-normal.

You’ll feel normal again once the abundance of hormones leave your body, she said. Actually, I hate to tell you this, but you’ll never feel normal again, at least not the old normal. She said it with a laugh, like one who’d been around this block a few times or four.

But you’ll do great.

You’ll fly.

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Seeing Jesus

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We Are Flowers

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You Will Fly {Five-Minute Friday}

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