Archive for the ‘Heart To Hand’ Category
Dec
01
Posted by karen twombly
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” Phil. 2:5-7
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
Jesus, who is God, became flesh and dwelt among us. This has taken up my thoughts this Christmas season. This is a truly amazing point in human history, to have Jesus the Christ become a man and live with us. It is unfathomable to me that he was so accessible that mere mortals could speak with him face to face, touch his garment, shake his hand, kiss his cheek, sit beside him, look in his eyes, hear his voice, ask him questions.
Often times we may be tempted to graze right past the birth of Jesus and run right to the crucifixion and resurrection. But I think we err when we do this. We miss the sacrifice involved with Jesus becoming man. Not only did he become man, but was birthed like the rest of us as a helpless babe. Jesus, who was involved in creating this world (Col. 1:16), became a part of it! He the all powerful, all knowing One was willing to live as a man, as a helpless babe.
He did not choose a rich family with its priviledges. He did not choose a powerful family full of prestige and influence. No, he chose a route truly humble in every way. He didn’t even have a decent receiving blanket or a beautiful bed. No, he was wrapped in strips of cloth and laid in a manger. He came into our world,not in a palace, but in a building reserved for cattle. Here he was the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, helpless and poor.
Jesus’ humanity, being 100% God and 100% man, is an important part of his sacrifice to save mankind. We must not neglect to thank and praise him!! This Christmas I will meditate upon Jesus becoming man with great joy and greatfulness. What a great God we serve!
Karen Twombly
karen@t2chk.org
Jun
24
Posted by karen twombly
“The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” Douglas MacArthur
“For he (governing authorities of verse 3) is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” Romans 13:4
As I write this a member of my extended family is lying in a hospital in Germany while doctors perform multiple surgeries to try to “patch him up” enough to live a normal life. This is the result of a life threatening injury suffered in Iraq as he served his country there. His young wife keeps vigil by his bedside. They are coping with his pain and endless procedures, hoping and praying that all this work on his internal organs will be successful. It is hard for me to even see this as reality. This man who I still picture as a young boy is now a War Veteran and Purple Heart recipient.
William Sherman once said, “I know I had no hand in making this war, and I know I will make more sacrifices to-day than any of you to secure peace.” I cannot think of the sacrifices of the men of the United States and every other country that pursues peace and safety for its people without tears. When I see a man with a purple heart emblem on his license plate I tear up. When I see men in uniform in a store I tear up. Many times we will go up to such a man or woman and thank them. One time in particular our children were with us. My younger son was quite taken with this group of men in uniform. He wanted their autographs but was too shy to ask. He settled for a shake of the hand. One particularly young soldier looked quite confused at the attention. I said to him, “You have to understand that to him seeing a real soldier is equivalent to seeing someone famous.” He said, “Well there’s nothing special about me.” I said, “There is something very special about anyone who is willing to defend their country.” He dropped his head in embarrassment but I could see his smile.
This strong reaction of mine never surfaced until I had chidren of my own. Understanding the challenges to keep my children safe in such a sinful world has caused a great appreciation for those who will lay aside their own safety to secure my safety and the safety of my children. I praise God for these men. Every time I turn on the TV there is another bombing. Yet I walk freely without concern from place to place here in my own country. Yes, we have been attacked in the past and we will likely be again. However it is not an every day occurance and for that I am thankful. I freely attend church Sunday after Sunday with no fear. I share Christ with others freely. I have so much freedom with safety that I struggle not to take it for granted.
So, as I go and celebrate our country’s independance on July 4th with fireworks and concerts, I will not forget the men and women who have represented our government both home and around the world. I will pray for their safety. I will thank God for such as these. And I will pray for peace.
Praise Him! Karen Twombly
(You can read Karen Twombly at karen@t2chk.org )
May
14
Posted by karen twombly
I hope every mother reading this has had a wonderful Mother’s Day. Do you realize how much God loves you? I hope so! For my own sake this year I looked up verses in the Bible about God’s love and attention to mothers and I thought I would share them with you.
Isaiah 40:11 says, “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those who have young.” There are so many times that I cry out to God in confusion. Perhaps my child is struggling with a problem for which there is no easy answer. Perhaps there is a discipline problem that I am struggling to break. What a joy to know that the Lord is leading me. When motherhood drives me to my knees my Heavenly Father hears my prayers and tenderly leads. There is a beautiful example of the heart of Jesus toward a mother in Luke 7:11-17. A woman’s son has died and they are carrying out his body. This poor woman is already a widow and now her only son is dead. Verse 13 says, “When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry.’” You can guess what happened next. Jesus healed the boy and he was restored to his mother. It is these words that catch me: “his heart went out to her.” How loving! This is the God we serve, a God that tenderly loves us!
Not only does God tenderly love us as mothers, but our unique love for our children and influence in our children’s lives is acknowledged in Scripture. God’s love for His people is compared to the love of a mother for her children in Isaiah 66:13: “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.” Paul the Apostles’ love for the people to which he ministered is compared to a mother’s love in 1 Thess. 2:6b-7: “As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.” Paul acknowledges a mother’s (and grandmother’s) ministry to her child in 2 Timothy 1:5: “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded now lives in you also.” It is very sad to me that many people in the world believe that women are devalued by the Scriptures. But this is just not true. There is an honor and tenderness attached to the role of women and the role of mother in the Bible.
God protects mothers by instructing husbands to love their wives and to treat them gently. Eph. 5:25 instructs: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave him up for her…” 1 Peter 3:7 further instructs: “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” These passages make it very clear that God is serious about the manner in which husbands treat their wives.
Dear mothers, do you see how the Lord loves you? Motherhood is a great challenge. Isn’t it such a comfort to know the Lord tenderly leads us? Have a Happy Mother’s Day!
Praise Him!
Karen Twombly
(You can reach Karen at karen@t2chk.org)
May
13
Posted by karen twombly
Have you ever caught yourself worrying about your children? I know that I certainly have! I have worried over their safety when they are away from me. I have worried when they were sick. I have worried over some of their behaviors. I have worried over their futures and whether they will make wise decisions concerning who they marry and how they live. I have worried over whether their decision to follow Christ was sincere. When it comes to my concerns for my children, I can come up with quite a list. I love them so much and want what is best for them.
On one such morning, I was thinking about my children and beginning to worry about a certain situation concerning one of my children. Suddenly a thought occurred to me: How many hairs on his head? I mulled this over….how many hairs on his head? I have no idea how many hairs there are on any the heads of my children. But, God knows exactly how many hairs are on the heads of my children (Mt. 10:30). What a wonderful thought.
I am with my children every day. I am their mother and their school teacher. I certainly feel like I know them better than just about anyone. But I don’t know them better than God does! He knows them best. But better than knowing them best, He also loves them best. I just love the account in Mt. 19:13-15 where some children attempt to approach Jesus and the disciples try to shoo them away. Jesus says, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Jesus loved children then and He loves them now.
Therefore I know I can trust God with my children. I can handle this worry the same way I handle other worries in my life, the Phil. 4:6-7 way! “Do not be anxious about anything (including my children), but in everything (including my children), by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (parenthesis mine)
Praise Him!
Karen T.
(You can reach Karen at karen@t2chk.org)
May
13
Posted by karen twombly
I am a born again Christian, a wife, a mother, a homeschool teacher, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a great aunt, a sister in law, and friend. Like everyone, I am but a small speck in the timeline of human history. I rejoice, I mourn, I strive, I succeed and I fail. There is nothing necessarily spectacular about me. You will likely never see my name in a World History text.
However, as a child of the One, True Eternal God of Heaven and Earth, I know that the things I say and do each day stretch out into eternity! Now that IS spectacular. I am secure in knowing my God loves me and will take care of me. I have a purpose knowing that He has given me spiritual gifts that I might serve Him. “For we are His workmanship, created by Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10. How wonderful it is to be God’s child, to know I will spend eternity with Him.
Therefore I have sought to serve God by ministering within the roles, or “many hats” for which I have been entrusted. I can’t possibly wear all the hats I mentioned at once! What to do? At first I tried to organize my hats in order of importance. I put the one I deemed the most important first in line and so on. My Christian hat was first, my wife hat second, my mom hat third and so on. But the urgencies and emergencies of life stole in and my careful order became a jumbled mess! So, I decided to put each hat on a pole and spin it to keep it on the pole. I divided the hats on poles between two hands. I had several poles and each hand and started spinning. If I could only keep the hats spinning they wouldn’t fall! This did not work!! It was not long before I was an exhausted heap on the floor covered in hats!
I went to my Lord for answers. What took me so long? Here is what I learned: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you!” Mt. 6:33 So I took all my hats and put them inside His hat! I have committed to seeking Him first each day by studying His Word, the Bible, and spending time in prayer to Him. I ask Him for wisdom in ordering my day. Before Him I make a plan for the day, all the while acknowledging that “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Prov. 16:9 As I seek to follow Jesus, my Shepherd daily, I know He only has one thing for me to do at a time. This acknowledgement is my goal, my striving. In my journey of life, I am learning afresh to lean on Him by committing the first fruits of my day to Him. He is first and last on my list and everything in between!
Praise Him!
Karen Twombly
(You can reach Karen at karen@t2chk.org )
