ADVENT ~ Week 4

UNWRAPPING JESUS'

PRESENCE - PRESENTS

in ISAIAH 9:6


Although there are still other names left for this 4th week in the "Unwrapping the Names of Jesus" devotional it's already Christmas Eve and tomorrow is  Christmas Day so we'll just ponder on this One Name JESUS
PRINCE
of
PEACE the last One in this verse in Isaiah 6:9
and for me
this
CHRISTmas and year of 2017 I'll seek my Healer in this
Prince of Prince

[famous painting by Akiane]
knowing
that this Peace that passes all understanding
the Peace that Jesus took special time to
impart on His disciples and us in
John 14:27
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
"What does it mean that Jesus is the Prince of Peace?"

I'm pretty sure in years past, here and in actual Christmas cards, I had one that looks exactly like that blue image above and also partly why every year, I have chosen "The Cutest Blog on the Block' background with the 'magi', but my header also use to have that silhouetted manger scene because that is where the Star leads us to search and find our precious Savior that we celebrate each Christmas Day, His Birth into this world and into our hearts and lives as our Lord, our Messiah 
- the One who takes all our "messes" and turns them into a message of His Redeeming Love; the rich blessing of His salvation born in us, the true "miracle" possible in everyone's life that He makes a way for us through the many "mazes" in our journey to arrive at that place where the Prince of Peace bestows His aMazing Grace; His Love, Joy, Hope and Peace. 
This is my Christmas wish for you and your families as you spend time together; that JESUS be the center of this season and indeed the very reason we live and breathe to bring Him front and center, all the glory, honor and praise, He so deserves, as we surrender to His way all of our ways and await the glorious reign with Him in eternity, where we shall rest in final Peace ... Shalom and a very Merry and Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year! ~ Peggy

the
PRESENCE
of
Jesus
is found in
His
Peace
May you be found and delight
in His Presence
every day
and
may
the Peace that
passes all understanding
be yours when it isn't
so easy
that
we cling to
His promises and power
given us in 
His Word
His Peace
His Presence

* if you need more names of Jesus for the rest of this week, you may want to check out this devotional/blog or Love God Greatly  or this wonderful, resourceful blog and prayer journal or Bible Resources; actually there is an abundance of resources on Jesus' Names ... even the Name of God Bible available at Bible Gateway as one of the versions... 

ADVENT ~ Week 3

UNWRAPPING JESUS'

PRESENCE - PRESENTS

in ISAIAH 9:6

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder,     and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,  Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (ESV)

If you've been following along with me since Advent began 3 weeks ago, you'll realize that I am not doing them in the traditional order of Hope, Peace, Joy, Love (or whatever order you are familiar with as tradition), but I am doing these to coincide with the above verse in Isaiah 9:6, so this week I am presenting:

LOVE

with

EVERLASTING FATHER

{the preposition in between those two words could be many different ones} such as:

Love of the Everlasting Father

Love from the Everlasting Father

Love to the Everlasting Father

or just

LOVE (and no word) Everlasting Father

because

He defines LOVE

HE IS LOVE

God, our everlasting Father

is

LOVE

and

LOVE

is our

Everlasting Father*

... for some of us, this is contrary, or a conflict with our earthly father, who may not have represented our Everlasting Father, at all as love or loving or even fatherly and perhaps not even there, so we have no earthly comparison ... and/or he fails in comparison; then there are some of us, who have been blessed by loving, earthly fathers and it helps to understand better the love of our Everlasting Father. Truthfully, there is no reason to compare but not having that love might impair or (a)skew our perspective of Father ... and Love. 

When I look at the words in Isaiah, of our Father ... I focus mostly on the 'Ever' and the 'lasting' part as the best compound adjective to precede our Heavenly Father, who loves us all beyond inexplicable measures. 'Ever' means "at any time, at all times, always, increasingly and constantly" - now that most definitely describes our Heavenly Father, who is available to us ALWAYS ... and 'lasting' (without even looking this one up) means forever ... enduring or able to endure over a long period of time - that's our God! We put those two words together and see a Father that lasts forever, which is eternity ... HE is eternal!

So we can look forward to an eternity with an enduring love and a Father that is able to love forever. Now, this is our God! and the most beautiful part of this Christmas season from this Child born to us ... Immanuel, God with us ... truly aMazing! Isn't this why this following song, we can sing and sing over and over, or it comes to us, right when we need Him or this reminder the most? 

Casting Crowns {they were just in Mpls., MN for their Christmas tour}
For the previous weeks, we have been 
"UNWRAPPING
the Names of Jesus"
according to the Advent devotional book with that title
however, what I hope you really are doing is 
focusing on
JESUS
unwrapping
more of His Presence and
all HE truly is as we receive Him
as we prepare our hearts and lives for
MORE
LOVE
found in

... Good Shepherd (John 10:11) ... Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14) ... Son of Man (Mark 10:45); Son of God (Matthew 2:15); Son of David (Matthew 1:1); Son of the Highest (Luke 1:32) ... Man of Sorrows (Isaiah 53:3) ... Lamb of God (John 1:29) Lamb (Revelation 13:8)

the
Great
I AM (John 8:58)
ABBA to Jesus and us
our
EVERLASTING
FATHER
of
LOVE
email 12/18/17 from Word Ministries - Prayers that Avail Much Everlasting Father, I thank You for giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You for the marvelous changes in our lives – for transforming us into the image of Your dear Son. Almighty God, You have made us more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. I thank You that Your love abounds more and more in each of us as we fellowship this season with family and friends, in the name of Jesus. Amen. I Corinthians 15:57; Romans 8:37 for Family and Friends



*this is a link to a great article by Spurgeon on "His Name -- the Everlasting Father"

ADVENT ~ Week 2

UNWRAPPING JESUS'

PRESENCE - PRESENTS

in ISAIAH 9:6

"For a child has been born—for us!     the gift of a son—for us! He’ll take over     the running of the world. His names will be: Amazing Counselor,     Strong God, Eternal Father,     Prince of Wholeness. His ruling authority will grow,    and there’ll be no limits to the wholeness He brings."... (MSG)

JOY
{not the traditional 2nd week but I have changed the order to somewhat correspond with the Names and Attributes of Jesus as found in Isaiah 9:6}
MIGHTY GOD
Perhaps you (as I) are wondering how does Joy line up with Mighty God. Truthfully, I just ended up putting these two together because the other ones did fit and this was left ... but as I reflect on Joy (or not really finding much Joy as I should at this time of year) I realize that if I reflect on God (in Jesus) and Him being Mighty ... it really does stir up some Joy in the assurance that no matter what we face, our God is Mighty and Jesus certainly showed us this along with the humility of coming to us as a man, a babe in a manger ... Jesus, in all His power and might.
Last week, I looked at Jesus as the “Wonderful Counselor”... "the one who would show us the Father and lead us to the truth about ourselves and about life" {and I certainly do understand looking at that name as "Wonderful" and "Counselor" separately as well} and bring us Hope, as we look forward with expectation to what is to come (somewhat hard to do as we see so much devastation going on around us and our own personal trials). This week I am focusing on the title, “Mighty God”.  "The Hebrew for God in this title is the simple word “el”.  It denotes a mighty power that can be found only in deity.  When we understand that the word for God means “Mighty Power” then we can see that this title really means the “Mighty Mighty Deity”.  In other words, Jesus is set apart from all other powers, deities and spirit beings.  His power is seen as far superior to anyone else." The "Miracles" of Jesus definitely show His power and His authority, the way He endured temptation and most definitively the events of His death followed by His Resurrection (and my, oh, my ... the benefits of His Power and claiming and proclaiming them with His promises - and the completion of them, especially the promise of salvation). So there are two reasons why this title of Jesus (Mighty God) should bring Joy:

• "He is Able to do what He promise(d)"(s)
• "He is Able to help where we need it"

..."The promises of Jesus are wonderful and they provide us hope.  But those promises often seem distant.  They seem sometimes unrelated to what we are going through in the present. The fact that Jesus is the Mighty God also means that He is able to help us where we need that help right now.  If you don’t know where to turn . . . turn to Him.  He can . . . and He will, help."... ©December 9, 2001 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche (and other parts in quotes)

Alleluia Singers
{and of course there is the upbeat worship song of  Don Moen "What a Mighty God we serve" but it was so short and neither are Christmas carols/songs  like this Kid's one}

These are the Names Unwrapped in Week 3 in the book which goes with
JOY
but this is moved up to Week 2 to correspond here with
MIGHTY GOD
Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14) Alpha and Omega (Rev.1:8) True Vine (John 15:1) {skipping the book's 4th one until the 4th week but substituting with} Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5) Bread of Life (John 6:48)
<>
others to consider {not included in the devo book}

Almighty One (Rev. 1:8)
Advocate (1 John 2:1)
Authority (Matt. 28:18)
Captain of Salvation (Heb. 2:10)
Chief Cornerstone (Ps. 118:22)
Deliverer (1 Thes.1:10)
Leader and Commander (Isaiah 55:4)
Mighty One (Isaiah 60:16)
I AM (Ex.3:14 and John 8:58)
Oh, there are many others of 
Jesus 
as
Wonderful
and
Mighty
because
HE IS
GOD
after all
"...the Joy of the Lord is my strength..."
Nehemiah 8:10
so it will be no matter what

Praying for His Joy to surround 
You
and
Yours
this week, this season
until
Jesus
comes
again


May His sweet Presence
complete you
in His Mighty Name
forever
as
we
draw near
and unwrap
the best gift given
ever
J E S U S
O t h e r s
Y o u
JOY
Hillsong {you must have known I had to share some Christmas music - 'tis the season} Christmas must be coming 'cuz I couldn't wait ('til 6pm) for this JOY! EnJOY!

ADVENT ~ UNWRAPPING JESUS' ...

PRESENCE - PRESENTS

the true

GIFT

is

wrapped up in one verse for me this year
ISAIAH 9:6

Isaiah 9:6The Voice (VOICE) Hope of all hopes, dream of our dreams,     a child is born, sweet-breathed; a son is given to us: a living gift. And even now, with tiny features and dewy hair, He is great.     The power of leadership, and the weight of authority, will rest on His shoulders. His name? His name we’ll know in many ways—     He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Dear Father everlasting,ever-present never-failing,     Master of Wholeness,Prince of Peace.

JESUS
the Child, a Son
Wonderful Counselor
our *(Hope)
Mighty God our *(Joy)
Everlasting Father our *(Love)
Prince of Peace our *(Peace)
attributes and names
of
JESUS
<>

*the traditional focus of each candle, each week - not necessarily in this order -  corresponds with the liturgical year and virtues of Jesus
I have put them in this order to correspond  with the scripture verse only
<><
I have "hemmed and hawed"; browsed and searched; considered and contemplated my plan to prepare my heart for JESUS, with JESUS, for the celebration of JESUS - His first coming and His second coming, this Advent until Christmas; I've looked at books and Advent reading plans, purchased some new ones and perused through some old ones, then started reading, but I keep coming back to this scripture verse and focusing on:
... JESUS ... 
these particular names and attributes found in Isaiah 9:6

Love God Greatly (LGG) is doing "His Name is ..." and one of the books that I acquired because of the wonderful You Version plan "All is Calm: Receiving Jesus Rest this Christmas" - 5 days just baited me more and more to get the author's book, so I did {btw, I thought of "unwrapping" long before I knew of this book} ... ever since I began this blog, I have looked and listed the names of Jesus and God (from studies and reading of Ann Spangler's books and Names of God Bible) with a deep desire to know Jesus more personally through His names and attributes. 
This past fall, I began my mornings and ended my evenings with the Holy Spirit (through 2 beautiful devotional books) and time with Him after completing Bonnie Gray's "Whispers of Rest", and I really enjoyed His presence and finding "rest" in Him. This is why that You Version plan caught my attention with that "rest" once again which leads to the "peace" I long to fully experience, not just this season, but daily living with the Prince of Peace, that I have had the Joy of knowing, the Hope of believing, and the immense Love of my Lord and Savior, for most of this life journey with Jesus. 
So, as I walk through this season and ending my year with the One Word - Healing, I've decided to really focus on the presence (presents) of JESUS by unwrapping the gift of Jesus, one name and attribute at a time, using the resources to guide me, but mainly the names in Isaiah, as I've outlined for each week on SONday and daily specific names that go with the theme focus and that Name ... also praying the names of Jesus. Worshiping Jesus ... with carols and contemporary songs or just being still. 
Advent starts the 4th Sunday before Christmas, which is Dec. 3rd this year but I actually began reading on Dec. 1st my devos
This week on:
HOPE
with our
WONDERFUL
COUNSELOR
Jesus  
Pondering how Jesus is truly a "wonderful counselor" who brings and is Hope to many of us, who need healing ... who need Godly wisdom ... who have beheld His wonderful - in awe of His wonder and being filled with gratitude as we try to take in the immeasurable amount of His love shown to us. The wonder we sense in His magnificent presence. The wonder of coming to know Him better, more intimately and letting Him change us from the inside out as He continually gives us one more ounce of "hope" as we hang on and anchor our faith in Christ Jesus. 
My words are inadequate to express how "wonderful" He is and how much of a "wonderful counselor" His Spirit becomes in us through His Word, so it is through His Word we find this Hope and hold on to the Hope we have, in believing in Him and believing Him. Allowing Him to be my "wonderful counselor" in my everyday situations and living, listening for His prompting, leaning in to hear His advice, staying close in and through His Word, checking whatever as it lines up with what He says in God's Word - the Bible, His love letter and basic instruction to us


I can't help but keep singing this Hillsong worship song
which goes from
what a beautiful name to wonderful  name to powerful name the sweet name of Jesus Come along with me as we unwrap Jesus and rest in His presence as we find our Hope Joy Love and Peace in Him this season of Advent - Christmas born to us which can be born in us anew

"Ponder on how you might need to see Jesus  revealed as Counselor in your life, situation, or circumstances and which names of Jesus bring you Hope or  comes to mind as you think of Him as Wonderful Counselor? "

[Let's see if any are the ones I choose to focus on each day this week] Light the first candle of Hope
as you ponder with me about Jesus (Matthew 1:21) Christ (Luke 9:20) Messiah (Daniel 9:25) King of kings, Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15) the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25, John 14:6) the Light of the world (John 8:12)
Yes, LGG and Billy Graham, I agree a beacon of  HOPE
and of course Wonderful Counselor with our verse Isaiah 9:6
You could take each one of those names of Jesus like I'm doing one for each day this week then truly worship Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor, our anchor or beacon of Hope ...  "HOPE of all hopes"  May these names bring you more
HOPE
this week! (and every day hereafter)

"IN THE MIDDLE of the MESS ...

"IN THE MIDDLE of the MESS ...

... STRENGTH FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL, BROKEN LIFE"
by
Sheila Walsh
{release date 11/7/17}

is not just Sheila Walsh's story

but it's ours!

Sheila concludes her book

with this truth:

"No matter your circumstances ... You have a story, and that story has its own peculiar mess. You can confess that story to Christ and let go. You can let Him start a work of healing, even now, right in the middle of your mess. ... Together, we find strength for this beautiful, broken life." ... "I believe one of the greatest miracles of all is ..." Sheila Walsh, "In the Middle..." {you'll have to read her book to find out}

... however, Sheila weaves her story unwaveringly once again  (for some of us who are familiar with Sheila, or to capsulize it for those new to her life story) with complete vulnerability  throughout each of the 12 chapters with added recent updates in her life as well, that has brought her through a deep journey of (with) 'brokenness' that we can relate to in our own lives and 'messes'. Sheila has a personal style of writing and speaking that gently and compassionately touches our soul with hers while teaching us spiritual (biblical) ways that we too can apply and use to equip ourselves to connect with God and overcome our own struggles in life better through confession, community to share with closely, Scripture meditation (contemplation) and daily connection with Jesus in honest prayer (communication with Our Father). 

Midway through her book "In the Middle of the Mess", I discovered her first session of the DVDs that accompany her Study guide and this book, so I just had to order the Study Guide also. Although each chapter in the book ends with "Reflection", the Study Guide does so much more, breaking down the 12 chapters into 6 sessions of Brokenness (that was most helpful to me and well worth getting, but this is not a review of the Study Guide). Yet for me, it's a total package! The videos are so well done! 

I couldn't agree more with so many points that Sheila brings forth, chapter after chapter becoming my new favorite, until I was stopped dead-on with the following truth I read right before the middle of this book ... and then every line kept pouring into my own brokenness with more and more freeing, healing truth and deliverance.

"So many coping mechanisms, avoidance techniques, and lies. They kept me blind to where Christ was in the middle of my mess ... But this is the beauty:sometimes even when we try to avoid the truth, God uses the smallest hands to invite us into the safety of deliverance."

There were moments of tears and moments of sheer delight as I continued reading through Sheila's words, Sheila's story and saw mine (though we hardly share the same past or story), each of us have gone through struggles that help us get the point being made, in such a relatable way. This is Sheila's gift to us. This is her lifeline to us (as Ann Voskamp wrote)! And it may be ours to someone else. 

This book is meant for everyone, not just those who have struggled with depression or deep hurts and messy lives ... it's meant for the weak and the strong to come alongside another human being waiting in the shadows, feeling isolated and alone, in need of a listening ear, a helping hand, an understanding, brave heart, willing to meet one another "in the middle" and find strength to overcome and go forward, changing lives for the better. Highly recommended read, church study, and for personal individual growth. I have much more to say but you'd be better off just getting a copy for yourself. Reading this book has given me a new found strength with God to deal with my brokenness and spiritual practices to put into use in my messes, and I know I will be rereading and turning back to this as a study again.

*{my actual book review is still coming}

I'm right in the Middle of the book - OK, just past that in

"Beautifully Broken"

which might be

the reason

for my

delay

but

my review 

is on its way

[After viewing Session One at Faith Gateway of the Study Guide for this book, I had to take a longer pause and view all 6 sessions available at Study Gateway because I couldn't wait. The DVDs that accompany this book and study are exceptional and so beautifully done! Sheila Walsh adds such compassion and understanding to her beautiful vulnerability of her own story used as a lifeline to help others facing overwhelming struggles with a new hope in allowing God into our dark places and hurts honestly.]

Book Description

"How do you turn your struggles into strengths?  Beloved Bible teacher Sheila Walsh teaches readers how the daily spiritual practices of confession, meditation on God’s Word, and prayer result in fresh freedom in Christ.  In her long-awaited new book, Sheila Walsh equips women with a practical method for connecting with God’s strength in the midst of struggle. From daily frustrations that can feel like overwhelming obstacles to hard challenges that turn into rock-bottom crises, women will find the means to equip themselves for standing strong with God. Using the spiritual applications of confession, prayer, and meditation on Scripture to form a daily connection to Jesus, women will learn how to experience new joy as a child of God who is fully known, fully loved, and fully accepted.  In the Middle of the Mess, Walsh reveals the hardened defenses that kept her from allowing God into her deepest hurts and shares how entering into a safe place with God and practicing this daily connection with Him have saved her from the devil’s prowling attacks. Though we will never be completely “fixed” on earth, we are continually held by Jesus, whatever our circumstances." Thomas Nelson

*Posting before release in case you want to
PRE-ORDER to receive bonus gifts {just click on link and pre-order at the top} * written on 11/6/17 prior to my review

Disclosure: I received this book free from Handlebar in return for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the  FTCommission’s  16 CFR, Part 255