The MONDAY after Winter Break

We have today and tomorrow before Stacia and I hop a train to OR. My plan was morning routine, school and Christmas clean-up.

We did it. We are focusing on table school this week....we're hitting it hard after having the month of December off.  Once again I've seen the kids' reading has jumped by leaps and bounds with a month off. I think sometimes a brain just needs to focus on something else until new tricks seep deep.

As the day wore on, it seemed we'd be lucky to get the nativities put away  and maybe I'd get to the tree after school tomorrow, before leaving for Sacramento. Nolan finished school and joined the work party right when our energy was lagging.  We got it all done. It will be nice to have the house in order as I leave.

Michael walked in as we were vacuuming and moving boxes. I commented I hadn't taken a single photo all day, therefore, I couldn't blog. He snapped one. ::wink::

Nolan won! 

We threw together a quick dinner of left overs and mushrooms....talked about the significance of Jesus declaring Himself to be "The Door" (John 10).... Michael and the kids are enjoying a round of Monopoly Empire and I am blogging...and LOOK - I found two more photos to take. ::snort::

I wasn't sure whether I should laugh or cry when the UPS man dropped by with a new package from Vistaprint....YIKES I'm committed to getting "New Year" cards out! I doubt I get them done before train time.....but maybe I can work on the letter during the 13 hour ride to OR. I also need to make some sort of computerized data base so I can print labels. That ought to fill my  midnight hours on the train.

And now Stacia is starting a sewing project....and I've still not finished the elastic on the skirts I was trying to make. I think I'll take it to OR with me and have Krista give me a hand's on demo. I've bent several pins and shed many drops of blood in my attempts. ::snort::

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

WHY do Wisemen Seek Him?

Simplicity.

The wise men sought Jesus to worship Him (Matthew 2:2).

When they entered His presence they fell to the ground and worshiped Him (Matthew 2:11).

They opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts as an act of worship (Matthew 2:11).

Why do I MOST often seek  Jesus? What do I MOST often do when I enter His presence? Often I seek Him to relieve my stress, to meet my needs, to FIX IT.  I enter His presence with desperation to have Him DO SOMETHING.  This is not wrong - but....

Via Google Images

Do I worship?

Worship seems a nebulous, hazy concept.  However, worship is a verb in the New Testament.  It involves concrete action. We learn a lifestyle of obedience is at the heart of worship from Abraham in Genesis 22.  Worship is more than 60 minutes on Sunday morning. It's more than the 15 minutes of songs sung during those 60 minutes.  Yes - worship is all that. But more.

Looking up the word worship in a Bible dictionary provides a beautiful word picture.

Worship is to kiss towards another, to adore, to show respect, to fall prostrate and throw a kiss in a token of respect. 

Worship - to throw a kiss at God. Sounds flippantly casual?

 In the ancient oriental world one would greet equals by kissing them on the lips (stay with me). If one met someone of lesser rank they would kiss on the cheeks.  If, however, one met someone and was much inferior to that person, they would fall to their knees, touch their forehead to the ground, WHILE THROWING KISSES AT THE SUPERIOR.  THIS is the greeting New Testament writers used to express reverence and worship.

The wise men came, humbled themselves and gave of their treasures - all in worship.

via Google Images

Do I open my treasures before God and freely offer all to Him?

 Do I clutch that which is most precious to myself in stubborn imitation of Gollum?

Do I resemble most the Wisemen or Gollum?

Worship involves seeking Jesus, humbling myself before Him and freely offering Him total access to all that I treasure.

My heart desires to seek Him to worship Him.


Note: Worship - Strongs # 4352 - Proskuneo  Sources: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, and The Complete Word Study Dictionary by Dr. Spiros Zodhiates. 


Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...