Journey to Israel - Chapter 14

Chapter 14 - Monday continued...

We arrived at En Gev on the east side of the Sea of Galilee in the early evening. Our accommodations for the next two nights were cottages right on the shore line of the lake. Called “Kibbutz”, these cottages are actually run by a commune. This group of people combine their skills and wealth and families and live together in an agricultural setting. Even though we were separated in groups of 2-4 in the cottages, we all came together in the communal dining room to eat. The whole setting was very clean and well organized.

Staying on the shore of Galilee I was next to heaven. I had been waiting for this shore for a long time. There was something here I needed to experience, to learn. I wanted to better understand why God had brought me to the shore in my mind during times of deep meditation. Having stood on this shore so many times mentally, to be on it physically was a very moving experience for me. I was the last person to leave the beach and go in at night, and the first one out in the morning. At 5:30 a.m. I would get up and be out by the water to watch the sun rise (what magnificent sun rises and sun sets they were!) I wanted to capture every possible moment I could on this shore line.

That first night, in the blackness of the night, I looked across the sea to the city of Tiberias on the hillside. The lights of the city seemed at first like a million tiny flickering candles. Then as I gazed at them, it seemed that they started sparkling like jewels. The lay of the city on the hillside made it seem like the bottom of a staircase just beginning to ascend into heaven. I thought, “If the entry is this awesome, this beautiful, what must heaven itself be like! It must be far too brilliant for human eyes!”

I saw a single light way down the shore on the other side of the lake, and I imagined Jesus down there frying fish over an open fire, just waiting for me to join Him. As I looked out across the waters it seemed that I could see the flowing white robe of my Jesus walking on the water, as though His feet did not touch. He was walking toward me. I sensed His presence all around me.

As I watched the waves roll softly into the shore, I realized that everything I had gone through in my depression was worth this moment. I cannot believe that I might have ended my life and never have had the opportunity to stand on the shore of Galilee in the presence of Jesus. Somehow I felt that no matter what comes my way in the future, I know that with Jesus I can make it through. He holds my hand and will never let me drown. We will walk on top of the troubled waters together.

Journey to Israel - Chapter 13

Chapter 13 - Monday, 3/27/89

Today we loaded into the bus for a three day journey through the area of Galilee in the northern part of Israel. We drove through Tel Aviv, which to the world is the capital of Israel. The population there is 500,000. To the Jews, Jerusalem (population 450,000) is the capital.

From Tel Aviv we drove to Caesarea, a port Herod built on the Mediterranean Sea in honor of Caesar Augustus. It was styled after the Greek city of Athens, only larger. Herod did everything in a big way. For those of us who like to golf, it is in the Harbour of Caesarea where the only golf course in Israel is located.  We had a picnic lunch on the white sandy beach of the Mediterranean. It’s a beautiful blue-green sea.

We stopped in Megiddo and viewed the lush Jezreel valley, so fertile and green and peaceful looking. So many battles have been fought here, but there remains the big slaughterhouse of them all---the battle of Armageddon. It’s very disturbing to think that the beautiful, serene valley will be war torn and bloodied. However, we can rejoice because we know that our side wins!! Jesus will be victorious and will set up His kingdom to reign forever!!

“All hail King Jesus! All hail Emmanuel!

King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Bright Morning Star.

And throughout eternity I’ll sing His praises,

And I’ll reign with Him throughout eternity!”

Nazareth, the place where Mary the mother of Jesus was from, is a city of 50,000 people today. In the time of Mary it was a village the size of a football field with only about 200 people living there. It was a nowhere, no place, little insignificant village. It had the reputation of “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” But where does God go when He chooses to use someone or to reveal Himself? Once again He chose the humble, the seemingly insignificant. In Nazareth God found Mary, who lived in a cave-like house over which a church is now built to preserve her home, the Church of the Annunciation.

When I saw those monstrosities built over the places of significance in the life of Jesus, I couldn’t help but feel Jesus would have been much happier if men would just give Him their hearts instead of building monuments to Him. The monuments will one day be destroyed, but the heart lives on forever. Today He still desires our hearts. It isn’t so much our action as it is our attitudes. Are we humble, are we submissive, do we have a servant heart? Can His love flow through us so that HE might be seen and not we ourselves?

Journey to Israel - Chapter 9

Chapter 9 - Thursday, 3/23/89

This morning started out with a time of conversational prayer in Shepherd’s Field, outside of Bethlehem. This is the area where the lowly shepherds watched their flocks. How touching that God chose to reveal the birth of His Son through angels to the humblest class of society. Today the Church of the Nativity is built over the place where Jesus was born. Not too far from there is the Herodian, a huge mountain that King Herod had constructed with palace like living at the top. It was to be his tombstone, for he wanted a shrine built for everyone all around to see and remember him.

King Herod had wealth beyond imagination....Jesus was born in poverty. Herod ordered men to serve him....Jesus came to serve men. Herod was cruel, killed maliciously, was hated by everyone, and people rejoiced when he died. His season of reign was finally over. Jesus came in love, came to die for us, and now He lives forever and will one day reign as King throughout eternity. He who is last shall be first...he who is least shall be greatest. I can truly worship such a God as that!

We journeyed to Bethany, a two mile distance from Jerusalem, located at the foot of the Mount of Olives. We went there to walk the walk that Jesus took on Palm Sunday. First we stopped at the tomb of Lazarus, where Jesus had wept over the death of His friend...or did He weep over the lack of faith and understanding of those He had spent so much time with? Does it break His heart today when we show that same lack of faith in Him?

We continued our walk up the hill to Bethpage where Jesus cursed the barren fig tree that represented the Saducees. Outwardly they were spiritual, but they bore no fruit. This disciples were not to worry about them, for the Saducees would perish even as the fig tree did. It was at Bethpage that Jesus mounted a donkey to ride into Jerusalem in fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah (9:9)...”Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

It was also on the Mount of Olives that Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. I believe He looked down through the ages and saw all that God’s chosen people, the Jews, and holy city of Jerusalem would go through. It was knowing they could have chosen Him and avoided their destruction that broke His heart. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” In their rejection of Him they marched on toward the Holocaust.

The Mount of Olives represented other events in the life of Jesus also. It was here that He gave His Olivet discourse. Here on this Mount he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, surrendering Himself to His Father’s will. And it was on the Mount of Olives that He ascended into heaven. Jesus had spent much time in this area, and as we sat in the church at the Garden of Gethsemane and sang “Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine”, tears flooded my eyes. I thought of Jesus on that day of His trial, with the crowd jeering at Him, and all of the humiliation He went through. In quiet submission He faced His death to give me blessed assurance.

Thursday night we were served a Passover Supper in a very natural setting with low tables and oil lamps as our source of light. We were served unleavened bread, wine (grape juice), stew (beef in place of lamb), and bitter herbs (onions, radishes, peppers, garlic). This meal was symbolic of the last of the plagues in Egypt when the death angel passed over those homes with blood on their door posts. They were saved from the sorrow of their first born being killed, and were then let go from Egypt...freed from bondage. In like manner we are freed from bondage to sin by the blood of the Lamb. Thank you, Jesus.

Journey to Israel - Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The final week of the fall semester Mr. Boone informed me that there had been a cancellation and that I was officially in the study tour group. I knew instantly that God had created that opening for me. He truly had called me, and I was going. I was so humbled, for who was I that God should choose me. It was as though I heard Him say to me, “I told you so!”

By the time the money was due for the trip, somehow the funds were available. I do not understand how, for we did not borrow, and nothing unexpected came in. Not only did I have the money for the trip, but I was able to sign up for three additional classes for the spring semester at Lee College. This was verification to me that God did want me to continue to prepare myself intellectually for His service. I have learned that God is an amazing accountant, and whatever He calls us to, He equips us for and provides the means.

Several friends and relatives were hesitant about me going to Israel because of the strife and tension in that country. However, I never had one ounce of fear in me over the trip. God gives peace when you walk in His will. He gave me complete serenity about this trip.

I began to feel Jesus more real in my life. When I would think about places that we might visit, I would sense emotions that perhaps He felt...the tears He shed at the tomb of Lazarus, and on the Mount of Olives as He wept over Jerusalem, and in the Garden of Gethsemane as He surrendered Himself completely to His Father’s will. I became all the more conscious of God’s call upon my life, and I wanted to be submissive to my Father’s will also. I wanted to live a holier life, become more disciplined, walk a deeper walk, and have the mind of Christ.

Journey to Israel - Chapter 3

Chapter Three

There were two reasons I felt called to Israel. I had answered God’s call on my life to get prepared for His full-time service. I do not know what I am preparing for, but I walk on in faith, one step at a time. I felt that Israel was to be a foundation for my ministry, whatever it is.

The second purpose for me going was simply to be with Jesus in a very intimate way. I went through a lot of agony in my depression. I felt everyone else was having all of the fun while I was trying to survive in life and find hope again through Jesus. It was as though He was giving me this trip as a gift, a reward for that faithfulness in the desert of brokenness. My God is a God so very unpredictable, but always faithful and full of adventure and surprises, “in His time”.

The excitement of Israel began to grow in me, even though I was only on the waiting list. I thought about it being such a small country, but THE most historical one on earth. I recalled the verse in Matthew 2:6, “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.” 

One man, born in a small country on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, changed the course of history as He stepped on this earth He had helped His Father create. Creation, Destruction, Resurrection.....what a difference Jesus has made in MY life!!!

Journey to Israel - Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I went to the Conn Center one night for a concert, and being early, I sat in my car listening to a Gaither tape. They were singing “Peace Be Still”. I closed my eyes and transported myself to that peaceful shore in my mind where I often went to be alone in the presence of Jesus.

I was standing on the white sandy beach watching the soft waves rolling into the shore, when Jesus came along and took my hand. We started walking along the shore. He waved His other hand toward the sea and said, “Carol, this is the Sea of Galilee. I walked on these waters. This is the sea where I calmed the storm. Carol, I love you, and I am going to calm the storms in your life also. I will always be with you.

We stopped walking, and as I stood there with my head bowed in adoration, He faded away. Then the tape started playing “Gentle Shepherd”. I looked up and realized that I now stood on a Judean hillside. I saw Jesus standing under a tree with a lamb in His arm, stroking its wool. All around Him were sheep, and I was in the midst of them. He looked at me as if to say, “Carol, I’m watching over you....I care for you.” I was so touched that Jesus would come in such an intimate way. I realized then He truly does meet ALL of our needs...even our need for intimacy.

Those visions were a reinforcement to me that God was calling me to Israel. Soon after that my friend Brenda felt that she too was being called to go on the trip. With only two slots left available, she felt we should sign up. Well, that meant one of my fleeces was answered...I had a female friend to go with on the study tour. However, the money had not come in. That left me somewhat confused, but my husband Paul felt we would be able to manage the funds somehow.

By the time I went to sign up for the trip, it was full. I was the first one on the waiting list. There was no disappointment. I did not want to go on this trip if God had not called me. I knew there was unrest in Israel, and perhaps I did not need to be there in the middle of trouble. Besides, the fleece of money had not come in. If God wanted me on the trip, He could still open the doors.

It's All About Me!

The world is a mess. Our nation is in crisis. Our homes are being shattered daily. The reason is because of that attitude that "it's all about me!" What I want, what I must have to make me happy, is more important than living responsibly.

I need more things...a larger house...a newer car...nicer clothes...all the latest electronics. I have to be in style and I have to be envied in order to maintain my self worth. I started out with one charge card, one mortgage. But my need to have more demanded that I spend with reckless abandon. It is so easy to do...I am inundated with offers to buy without paying...like that roomful of new furniture. I don't have to start payments on that until two years from now. So why not have a new look? Every day it seems I get credit companies wanting me to get their charge card with new introductory rates that I can't pass up. My kids need stuff to compete with their classmates.

Spending is so easy...until it's time to pay. I can't even afford the minimum due, so I get a home equity loan and catch everything up...and then I can't afford to make my payments to the lending institution. But don't blame me!! After all, isn't that what my government does...keeps spending money it doesn't have, and going further and further into debt....trillions of dollars into debt? If Uncle Sam can do it, then so can I!

I'm not happy at home. My friends all live a much more exciting life than I do. I'm too important to waste my time with the children every day. They have stuff to play with...they don't need me too. I need to find someone who sees me for who I really am...someone very smart, very beautiful, and very engaging to be with. I'm going to leave my husband. He's made me absolutely miserable. I'll get even with him. I will find a lover and I will move out of the home, or kick him out, and I will use my children to make him pay my way. Courts always favor the mothers...I can sue for alimony and child support, and if I work it right, I won't have to get a job. My "ex" may have to work two or three jobs to support me and the kids, but I deserve to be happy with a significant other in my life. The kids don't matter. They'll know it was important for me to be happy. They won't miss Dad so much after a while. After all, they're just kids.

My working friends...they all bring home "goodies" from work. They can build their own home office from the stuff they've managed to sneak out of the company office. And you should hear them talk about their co-workers. It seems that the work place is an absolute Peyton Place no matter where you work these days...including the post office!! Nobody has morals any more....it's good to get what you can before someone beats you to it. Nobody tells the truth in this era...that's for religious wimps. The clever ones know how to lie and cheat and steal. Everything is just a big cover up anyway...so why does it matter? Integrity? What's that??

Pay my taxes? What Uncle Sam doesn't know won't hurt him. Pay my tithe? You've got to be kidding!! God knows I can't hardly squeak by on what I make. I can't even afford to eat out every day or take nice vacations more than twice a year. And besides, what's God got to do with it? He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the old song says, so what does he need my measly little offering for? So what if the churches can't pay their bills, maybe they need to just shut down anyway. What good are they doing? It's just a little group of people who are out of touch with the real world. In the real world you have to scheme, push, shove, and manipulate to prove you are somebody worth taking note of. And believe me...it IS all about me! I can make it on my own, thank you! Now, just give me everything you have and shut up and get out of my way and if you don't...I'll see you in court! I know how to work the system.

...And we wonder why the world is a mess, our nation is in crisis, and our homes are falling apart? The "me" generation of the 70's has come into full bloom...the big "I" is all that matters. So we sit in our homes and watch the news and see the big black hole we are all swirling toward, yet we think somehow we'll get past this...this too will pass.

Somehow, I don't think so.

Meet Peter, the rock. Now there was one big tough he-man that always did things impulsively and impetuously. He was the one who was in the middle of everything, and didn't know when to be quiet and take his seat. Life was all about him. Why in heaven's name would Jesus choose such a person as Peter to follow Him?

You see, here's the secret. When God looks at us, He sees us as we are, but He sees so much more. He sees what we can become through His grace. In Peter He saw a man who had the personality to set the world on fire. Why would God want satan to possess that potential? So, even when Peter failed Jesus and denied Him three times, He knew that Peter would come to the end of himself and realize that he needed something more in his life to overcome defeat. Peter knew he needed a Power to pulsate through him to proclaim the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Jesus told Peter, along with others, to wait in the Upper Room until he received that Power. For once Peter listened, he obeyed, he waited...for ten days he waited. And then the day of Pentecost came, and everyone in that upper room received the promise of the Holy Spirit. His very Presence filled the whole room, and every person in that room was baptized with a Power so bold that they took to the streets and started proclaiming who Jesus really was. Peter finally realized life wasn't about his own self, and his own desires. Life was about Jesus, his own personal Savior. Only through the Power of Jesus could lives be changed...not by force, but by love.

The only way we are going to make it in this world today is through the Power of the Holy Spirit...Jesus in us...expressing His love to a world dying to know something, Someone is real and there is HOPE. There IS a better way to live. Life isn't all about me. Life is allowing Christ to live in us and through us, and allowing Him to reach others with a genuine love that the world is starved for, and doesn't even know it.

So, what am I going to do with this Power, this Person, this responsibility?

My destiny depends on how I answer that question, how I live my life.

Lord Jesus, I need you...now, more than ever. Amen!

Journal Thoughts

Thoughts from my journal April 13-26, 2009:

1. When we take our eyes off Jesus, life starts looking hopeless. But if we will focus on Jesus we will find that our fears turn to courage, our pain turns to joy, and our despair turns to hope. In times like these we need a Saviour, and His name is Jesus. He is our hope!

2. Filthiness and holiness cannot reside in the same heart. The Holy Spirit will only reside in a clean heart. We need to say with the Psalmist, "Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit with me." (Psalm 51:10)

3. The church becomes like dry bones when it compromises with the world. It loses its purifying influence. We need to rededicate our lives and the church to Him and become a light in the darkness. The world is counting on us!

4. There are four requirements to enter into God's presence:

• clean hands - our actions must be moral
• pure heart - we must be forgiven and cleansed by the Holy Spirit
• absence of idolatry - loyal to God alone
• sincerity and truth - God sees our hearts, we must be honest with Him for He cannot be fooled

5. How to handle anger:

• keep anger honest...don't stifle it, ignore it, over-exaggerate, or blame; speak in love as you resolve anger
• keep anger non-lethal...make it your goal to solve the problem, not sound-off about it
• keep anger current...deal with it quickly as storing it up leads to bitterness and will affect your health; don't drag up the past, deal with today's problems today
• keep anger solution-focused
• keep anger in the laundry room...don't spread dirty laundry out for everyone to see/hear
• be part of the clean-up crew...forgive before being asked for forgiveness; forgive even if the other party chooses to be a life time enemy

6. More points on how to deal with anger:

• try to understand the needs of the other person
• don't drag up the past
• don't drag in other people
• don't raise the volume
• anger handled correctly brings about the change that is needed
• seek a solution, not a victory
• admit your own faults and ask for forgiveness
• offer positive reinforcements while dealing with negative aspects
• thank the person for being willing to talk and work out the differences

7. Holiness requires that the things which are against God's nature be removed from our lives. That is the only way we can be in harmony with God. He wants our nature to become holy like His, and He provides the Holy Spirit to do the cleansing of anything that is not holy, removing it from our lives until only the holy remains.

8. Wouldn't it be neat to have a public ceremony to confirm the commitment a person makes when he or she surrenders his/her life to God. I mean, that is the most exciting thing that ever happens in one's life...more so than graduation or marriage. Entering into a personal relationship with God Almighty...our Creator...that is an awesome privilege for us. So, perhaps in a public ceremony the words of Moses could be read:

You are standing here today to enter into a covenant with the Lord your God. The Lord is making this covenant with you today, and he has sealed it with an oath. He wants to confirm you today as his people, and to confirm that he is your God, just as he promised you. (Deuteronomy 29:12-13)

I am just thinking that perhaps taking a public commitment like that would help reinforce the new relationship, and help confirm to the person his new life. He has been released from captivity! It's a time to celebrate! Don't you know the angels in heaven are rejoicing!! We should too!!

9. To be filled with God's Spirit is to be elevated to the highest level possible in humanity in our intimacy with God. Once you have tasted His Presence within you, there is nothing else that will satisfy!

GOOD THINGS HAPPENING AT ILNC:

1. We had 25 people at our recent work day, and so much was accomplished in sprucing up the grounds.

2.The campfires have started up again...a good place to relax with friends at the end of the day and speak of the goodness of God.

3. We have purchased linoleum remnants to update our Conference Center bathrooms. In the last two years the Conference Center has received a major face-lift. It's a cozy place to gather with family and friends...12 private rooms w/baths surround a two story lounge/gathering place.

4. Our 40 foot climbing tower has arrived and is up!! And tomorrow the pole and 400 foot zip line will arrive. This is terrific!! Just in time for our 2009 camping season. Everyone is going to be so excited when they see the tower and zip line. I get giddy just thinking about how tickled the kids will be. This was made possible by a very large donation from a private family, and a donation from the owner of the company who built the tower. We as a camp are deeply grateful for him, and ask that God bless his life in a special way. And we are very grateful to the private family who wanted to invest in the future of youth camping. May they also be blessed beyond what man can do!

5. We like to to celebrate around the campgrounds. Whether it's a birthday, and we gather at the campfire for cake and ice cream, or it's a tower going up and we gather to assist and share brownies and soft drinks. We are community, and we love to care and share. May we become more and more like Jesus and reach out to those around us with His love!!

GOOD THINGS HAPPENING IN MY PERSONAL LIFE:

1. 1. We had a three day get-away in Middlebury, Indiana, last week...the annual Pastors and Mates Spring Retreat at the Essenhaus Inn. That is such a lovely place to go, and it's fun to meet with our friends from across the Michigan District.


2. Paul and I both played in the Michigan District Rook Tournament, and in the first ever Michigan District Euchre Tournament. In fact, yours truly came out with the highest score and was named the first ever Eucharist! We laughed...had a great time playing games together, as well as fellowshipping and sharing meals and worship.


3. I was able to unload two full boxes of books that I had read this past year and put in the give-away pile. I suggested we have an annual book exchange at our retreat, as pastors love to read, and this is a good way for them to pick up books without putting out any money. Meanwhile, I like watching my bookshelves lightening up a bit.


4. We heard the testimony of a young man from ONU who shared his life story with us. He was raised in the ghetto of Chicago, never knowing who his father was, and his mother was shot and killed before he was a year old. His only way to get the things he needed was to sell drugs when he was a teenager. Miraculously his cousin led him to Christ, and doors opened for him to attend Olivet Nazarene University, where he graduated and now works for ONU. He has an amazing story, and I believe we will be hearing more from him. He is an anointed speaker.


5. On the way home from the retreat we were able to stop in White Pigeon and tour our newest church plant and rejoice with the pastor over the work that is being accomplished in that area. We then had lunch with Pastor Bob and Marilyn in Three Rivers.


6. I received a very heart-touching birthday card from my son. It moved me to tears because of its' beautiful message, which was perfect from him to me. I knew he had taken time to find a card that truly expressed his feelings, and until I received the card, I wasn't real sure what his feelings were. It was a love touch from him and God.
   
7. My whole week was a love touch from God. He kept blessing me in various ways and through a variety of means. My allegiance is to Him, forever!!


8. Yesterday I picked up my first ever Angel Food Ministries food boxes. It's a very well organized ministry, and it was fun to open the boxes and sort the food between my pantry and what I was giving away. This is a monthly ministry, and I wanted to test the quality of the food before getting too involved. I think I am going to be quite supportive of this ministry. Our local United Methodist Church and South County Community Center co-sponsor this ministry. It's great for senior citizens, which is what I want to promote on the campground.

Closing Scripture Verse - I Corinthians 15:58:

"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord's work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless."

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Good Morning, Jesus!! It's your birthday! All over the world this morning people are celebrating this day...a day set aside to commemorate your birth into our world over 2,000 years ago. I just want to stop and say THANK YOU!! for coming as a babe in a manger, knowing you would be exiting our world on a cruel old rugged cross. But you came anyway. You loved us anyway. You forgave us anyway. And today I want you to know that I LOVE YOU!!

I have thought about what to give you for your birthday. I don't have the riches of the three kings that came at your birth, so I have nothing elaborate or expensive to wrap and hand to you. I don't have the power of politicians who reign and rule our world today, so I can't you give any valuable property. I'm not even a leader in the church...so I cannot even install you in a position of authority.


Therefore I have been contemplating what would make you happy, Jesus. After all, you created this world, so you already own everything anyway...and you have all Power, so you do not need a mere "position". You have the final say, for you are Sovereign, you are the ultimate Ruler...King of kings, Lord of lords. So what can one person give you that would make a difference? It was then that I was reminded of what Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians : Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

I thought to myself, "Yes! That's it! I will give you my mind for Christmas! But then I had to ask what that really meant...to give you my "mind". Well, it's something you have been talking to me about most of 2008...ever since I started preparing my message for the retreat last spring, "Hope Springs Eternal". So, I went back to the words of Paul in the New Living Translation of the Holy Bible, and this is what I read in Philippians 2:5-11:

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.

When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

When I was a child at the age of 11 I knelt before you, Dear Jesus, and gave you my heart. When I was a young mother at the age of 30 I knelt at your holy altar, Lord Jesus, and surrendered my complete life to your service. Today, a grandmother who is still learning how to please you, I want to give you my mind...I want my thoughts, my ambitions, and most of all my attitude to be the same as yours, King Jesus, so that you might be exalted in my life and honored above all others. Happy Birthday, Jesus!