God used two very different events this past weekend to speak one similar truth to my heart.

The first happening was the High School State Swim Meet. Friday and Saturday I stood on the pool deck as an assistant coach for Ravenwood High School. My favorite events in this Championship meet were the relays. The energy on both the pool deck and in the water was electric. One by one, with the support and encouragement of their teammates, each swimmer took his/her turn and gave 100% effort in their designated part of the race.

The second happening of the weekend was the 3rd grade Sunday School class at Fellowship Bible Church. Mac and I, as well as our kids, help teach this class. Recently, we have been learning about different missionaries that have furthered the spread of God's Word to the "ends of the earth." I will mention three of these people:

John Wycliffe--born 1320. In the face of much opposition from the Roman Catholic Church, Wycliffe successfully translated the Latin Bible into English so that the common man could read it for himself.

William Tyndale--born 1494. Tyndale, too, fought for the common man. He was determined to translate the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into English and make it available to all. In 1536, he was burned at the stake by power-hungry religious leaders. His last words were, "Lord, open the King of England's eyes." God heard and answered his faith-filled prayer; soon after his death, copies of English Bibles were put in all churches.

Gladys Aylward--born 1902. After being told by a mission organization that she was unqualified to be a missionary in China, Gladys went anyway, alone. God directed her to the Chinese orphans, and during World War II, she successfully lead 100 parentless children to safety as they fled from the Japanese soldiers. All the while, she told the children about the love of her Savior, Jesus Christ.

Now, what do these missionaries have to do with the High School State Swim meet? Great question. I believe these men and women of the faith, and many more like them, are on the same "relay team." Each missionary mentioned above, although living centuries apart, ran the same race. Their common bond was their heart's desire of proclaiming the gospel to a lost world. While they were "on", they gave 100% effort, until their last breath. Scripture attests to this idea:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith... (Hebrews 12:1-2).

So what about you and me today? Are we part of this "relay" team that has gone before us? Yes, I do believe it's our turn. As long as we have breath, we're "on". It is our day to proclaim the gospel to a lost world. You may not be the one to translate a Bible into a different language or lead orphans over a mountain, but what God asks you to do is just as "great"... pour out His love, and proclaim His Good News...to your neighbor, to your co-worker, to your family... to your world.

So dive in with me, my friend, it's our turn...not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord (Romans 12:11).

Below, I have written another devotional prayer that begins with "God, You are...". This one focuses on God's intentional concern for each of us as individuals. Praise Him with me:

And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." Luke 19:5

God, You are Intentional. Just as you sent Noah a rainbow in the sky, and just as You sent Elijah bread in the mouths of ravens, You sweetly send Your love to me. Likewise, just as You waited by the well for the woman, and just as You called for the blind man to come, You also presented Yourself to me. Thank You, O God, for Your pursuing love. You guide me like a Shepherd through Your word, allowing me to graze on just what I need for each circumstance. And then, You send me reminders throughout the day letting me know that You are always with me. Yes, Your peaceful presence makes me smile; Your absolute action makes me laugh. I am awed that You are intimately acquainted with all my ways; and I am overwhelmed by Your alluring kindness. So, I will watch expectantly for You, O God. Your intentional love has become my inexpressible joy. Yes, my soul delights that You call me by name, and that I am Yours.

Genesis 9:8-9, 13; I Kings 17:6; John 4:4, 6-7; Mark 10:49; Matthew 28:20; Psalm 139:3; Hosea 2:14;Micah 7:7; Isaiah 43:1

For more prayers in this same format, go to www.respitefortheweary.com and see the side bar labeled "latest devotional prayers."

Recently, I have had the opportunity to research three great women of the past and the present who have inspired my personal walk with the Lord. These women, Ruth of the Bible, Corrie ten Boom, and Joni Eareckson Tada, all share the same Hope even though their life stories are extremely different, in both time periods and circumstances. We can glean something from each of their testimonies.

Ruth of the Bible is known for her faithful statement to her mother-in-law: Where you go I will go; where you stay I will stay; your people will be my people, and your God, my God (Ruth 1:16). This young Moabite women was willing to lay down all that was familiar and walk into a foreign land. Because of God's grace and Naomi's witness, Ruth fully embraced this unseen God of Israel as her own.... He had become her one true living hope.

Corrie ten Boom and her close-knit family chose to risk their own lives in order to hide Jews when Hitler invaded Holland during World War II. Sadly, on February 28, 1944, the whole family was caught and sent to a concentration camp because of their underground work. Corrie Ten Boom miraculously snuck her Bible into the camp, which became her and her sister's only living hope in the vast darkness of torture and despair. During this evil time, Corrie had to lay down all of her family through the death of the Nazi camps; yet, she herself walked out of the camp, with the living Hope.

In 1967, Joni Eareckson Tada dove into the water off of a pier in the Chesapeake Bay; from that point, her life was never the same. When her head hit the shallow ground, she broke her neck between the 4th and 5th cervical vertebrae, leaving her paralyzed to this very day. Over time, Joni learned to lay down her personal future and then "walk" with with the living Hope, trusting the Lord each step.

And the Hope of these women have left their mark on us today. Ruth became the great-grandmother of King David; so this God-worshipping Moabite woman is in the direct lineage of our Savior Jesus Christ. Corrie ten Boom, rather than carrying bitterness and revenge in her heart, has touched millions of lives by pouring out God's love with her story of forgiveness found in Christ alone. And Joni Eareckson Tada is currently an internationally acclaimed artist, author, and advocate, all of which are avenues in which she proclaims Jesus as both the Healer of brokenness and the Lover of souls.

What about you and me? Are we willing to lay down the familiar, possible family or friend relationships, and even our future dreams so that the gospel can be spread in ways that we could never do on our own? Although these women experienced great personal loss, their gain for the Kingdom is immeasurable. From my research, I found their common thread; I am convinced they would say, and even sing, these words in unison (someday they will):

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given to us. Romans 5:3-5

I pray you and I will carry these women's torches onward, as we walk with the Living Hope, Jesus Christ Himself, into 2012.

I wanted to take the opportunity to invite each of you to attend the next "Walking with Hope" gathering that will be held in my home. It will be a time of both refreshment and encouragement as we prepare to walk into the new year with the hope of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Please Come

to

"Walking with Hope into 2012"

Thursday, December 29th

6:30 - 8:00 pm

The Baxter Home

1765 Warren Hollow Road

Nolensville, TN 37135

chrisbax@united.net

Also, for Christmas reflections during this week, please visit www.respitefortheweary.com to find the links Celebrating Christmas and Who is this Jesus and Why did He Come. Thank you so much, readers, for your faithful support; I so appreciate each of you. Merry Christmas.

Isn't it interesting that when we start writing our thankful-list around this time of year, the physical gifts of the flesh seem to make it to the top? "Thank you for my health; thank you for my wealth; thank you for my happiness." These things are indeed reasons to thank our generous Giver; but I think God also waits with hopeful anticipation to hear thankful praises sung to Him of another kind.

I will explain with a picture and a passage. The passage is Psalm 103:1-5, and the picture is of two girls from Haiti 10 days after the earthquake shook their country in 2009. My husband Mac had to amputate their legs in order to save their lives. (When viewing the photo, please avoid "being thankful" that you are physically not these two girls; my point will be just the opposite. These girls have something deeper to teach us...about spiritual wholeness in the midst of physical brokenness.) Now listen to the psalmist sing and the picture speak:

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits. (Notice this passage is about the "soul", not the "body.")

...Who pardons all your iniquities and heals all your diseases. (Just as the earthquake came in and crushed these girls' legs physically, sin came in and poisoned us spiritually. BUT, just as Mac compassionately severed the spread of the deadly gangrene, our Savior also lovingly stopped the flow of sin's crimson stain.)

...Who redeems your life from the pit; who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion. (Just as these two sweet girls were picked up from the rubble and ashes of a natural catastrophe and their wounds were wrapped with bandages of healing, our hearts, too, were gracefully grabbed from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of His beloved Son. Col. 1:13)

...Who satisfies your years with good things; so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. (The girl on the left would have died in the night if Mac had not gotten to her first; this picture was taken the next day--no fever, no sign of infection. We too, are on our spiritual deathbed until the Lord comes and breathes His Spirit, into our spirit, which sets us upright and full of Life!)

So let us praise Him for His lifetime benefits this Thanksgiving. May these benefits--"fits of goodness from above"-- be on the top of our list every morning. The paradox is that these intangible gifts are the only ones we can really hold onto. The single minded focus of tangible blessings have the propensity to become a deep disappoint for those who have them, and a mere mirage for those who don't.

Let His forgiveness, His redemption, and His good Spirit sink deep into your heart, and then...bless the Lord; with all that is within you, bless His holy name.

It seems like for the last few years, our family has undergone some kind of change in its in-home dynamics. Whether its my oldest going to college or my others transitioning from homeschool into high school, there has been... change. And now, for the first time in 20 years, I'm at home alone.

In preparation for this switch and the "jobless" feeling, I found myself praying the familiar prayer that we all have most likely prayed at some point in our lives:

God what is your will for me? Or, another one like it:

God, what are your plans for me?

I don't think these prayers are wrong to pray at all. God Himself even says, I know the plans I have for you... (Jeremiah 29:11). But for some reason, this fall, I had a "catch" in my spirit when I prayed in this way. And the Lord just quietly told me to rephrase the question like this:

Lord, what do you have for others through me?

Hmmm, is there any difference in these prayers? For my heart, yes. God wanted me to put the word "others" before the word "me", in my prayer and in my life. Jesus was others focused; He listened to His Father and walked in obedience...towards people. Then so must I. As Christ followers, that's what we are: vessels of His love to others.

So if He asks me to call somebody, then... call. If He asks me to write and print something, then... write and print. If He asks me to walk and pray, then.... walk and pray. (And this too), if He asks me to respect my husband, then... respect.

To illustrate, the other day, I prayed: Lord, what do you have for others through me... today?

He answered. I knew, without any doubt that the He was asking me to take some lunch to a friend of mine who just had surgery; I was already stretched for time but, I obeyed. While there, we got to talking and she mentioned that there was an exchange student from Italy who needed a host home because the first host situation was just not working out. (I had actually met this sweet young Italian girl 2 weeks prior, and had an instant motherly-love for her; God was already scheming). So, from this conversation at lunch...and a day of praying...and talking it over with my husband and our three kids still at home...we now have Giulia "Jewels" Lizzi living with us for her junior year. And she is more than a delight! Honestly, I never in a million years would have planned this myself; I'm not that adventurous. But how wonderful are His ways. To think, I would have missed it had it not been for that divinely appointed conversation at lunch.

Are you in a transition time right now? Are you waiting for Him to reveal His plans for you? While you wait, pray, Lord, what do you have for others through me... today? Then walk the way Jesus did, with love towards people.

And as you make small steps forward in obedience, have faith that He will unfold His big plans for you...plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).