Blog Posts - The Remarkable Blog

From our house to yours Happy Snow Day

12/17/2020

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Enjoy the snow. Get outside and make a snowman/snow woman? It's been a tough year and this is our first big snow of the season, so today I will at the very least watch my grandsons go sled riding for the first time. I will send pictures tomorrow. Stay safe and warm, when you come in from outside get in the word; and let it warm your heart. Share with me what you read and what you're learned. Maybe, I will even ice some sugar cookies.

Desire reveals design and design reveals destiny.

12/16/2020

Psalms 37:4 TPT
"Make God the utmost delight and pleasure of your life, and he will provide for you what you desire the most."

A fish desires to swim. A bird desires to fly. An Eagle desires to soar. We can learn by mistakes, mentors and money . We can have desires but our desires must line up with how we are designed. I am not designed to be a fish. I like to swim but I would get worn out if I tried to do what a fish does. I like to fly but not by flapping my wings. So too, many of us are not designed to do what we desire to do. If that's the case then we either need to re-design ourselves or learn different ways to obtain what we desire. I can fly in an airplane. I can swim like a fish with no effort on a boat.

What we consider a crisis God considers a classroom. When we find out how we are designed then, we can begin to see our destiny. What is destiny? Destiny is the events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future. However, destiny will only occur when design meets determination and information. The only way we can get that is to get the word of God on the inside of us and our heart tuned into the purposes of God.

We were born again to be God’s children. Children of the King. He chose us to live a higher and holier life. That’s the kind of life that honors Him most. And that’s our destiny! Be a possibility thinker!

Traditions

12/15/2020

Good morning. I pray today you are almost done preparing for your Christmas holiday. We are only 10 days away. It's such a different Christmas this year. Well, the entire year since February has been very different. For me when lots of things are changing, I like somethings to remain the same. I like stability, dependability and security. When I get out my ornaments and think about the people they came from, it brings me a feeling that's often times hard to find on this earth. I think one of the reasons Jesus instructed us to do certain things is, He knew what we needed as human beings. God knew. So, God created Seasons, night and day, the ocean that comes in and goes back out. There is a rhythm to life. He told us to take Communion and as often as we do to remember.

I have been to Croatia. My husband's father is Croatian. So, whenever I think of traditions, I remember the main character of “Fiddler on the Roof,” Tevye. I have actually preached in the same town the "Fiddler on the Roof" was filmed. Tevye was a man struggling with traditions. One of the main songs of that musical was entitled, “Tradition.” Several times, during the play, Tevya would reflect on a specific tradition. He would say that people would ask, “Why do we do this?” and he would have to answer, “I don’t know.” So, I want to make it clear that when I am sharing about traditions, we are not talking about “going through the motions,” but rather “meaningful repetition.”

Tradition played an important part in Jesus’ life. One of the central stories of the gospels is Jesus celebrating the Passover with his disciples. The Passover was an ancient tradition that spanned twelve centuries. The Passover meal kept fresh, in the minds of God’s people, how God was present and powerful during the Exodus. In the meal, God’s love and grace were celebrated and the faith of Israel was passed on to the children.

Christians do not remember Jesus’ Thursday night meal with his disciples as the Passover. To us it is called the Last Supper. In this meal Jesus connected what he accomplished on the cross with the angel of death passing over the Israelite homes several centuries before. It is a tradition that celebrates God’s sacrificial love, his overwhelming grace, and the gift of new life that we receive because of what Jesus did. We observe this tradition frequently as “Holy Communion,” The Sacrament of the Altar,” and “The Eucharist.”

The Christmas season is a time that is full of rituals and traditions. In this season are special songs, meals with family and friends, unique foods, worship on Christmas Eve, and presents on Christmas morning. These traditions and rituals have the ability to unite us as families, strengthen our bonds as people of God, as pass on the gospel of Jesus Christ.

ACTION STEP: Not all traditions are good. Not all traditions are bad. Traditions are whatever you want them to be. Make new ones. Keep old ones. You choose, how you want to remember things, people and events. The memory of the righteous is just. I pray whatever brings you joy and happiness in this turbulent time we are living in, you are able to find and create for others. Make a Merry Christmas for yourself and others no matter how challenging it may be. One day you and those you love will look back and say, "Those were the good ole days! Let's do that again in memory of ____________." You fill in the blank and remember.

The Birth of our Savior

12/14/2020

Luke 2:1-20
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

ACTION STEP: Jesus was normal. God's method of saving the world was to enter in to it. He became like us so we could become like Him.

Make it your goal to become like Him!

Happy Hanukkah 2020

12/11/2020

Not many people know that I have some Jewish blood in my family lineage. This is understandable since I am Italian on my Father's side (Pirlo), yes like the famous Italian soccer player Andrea Pirlo #21 (we are actually cousins). During the darkest days of World War II, when much of Europe was under Nazi domination, Jews on the continent were imperiled: rounded up and murdered in concentration camps, under siege elsewhere, or on the run.

In the Italian village of Anghiari, another Catholic feast day approached. It was 1943 and an anxious moment for 7-year-old Adina Sella and her family, German-Jewish refugees living under the remarkable protection of Italian locals. Numerous people had taken significant risks for the family, creating cover stories, watching out for them and avoiding opportunities to report them — either to German authorities or their Italian Fascist partners.

And so Sella, born Peggy Schaufeld in Hamburg, Germany, became Lucia Scapelli of Anghiari, and her family became, under duress, students of Italian culture.

"The priest took it upon himself on the eve of every Italian holiday or day of remembrance to tell us how to behave," Sella, now a 78-year-old Chicago psychologist, told us. "They used to come in the evening, 'Signore, signora, tomorrow is the Feast of St. Anthony, and on this feast you tie your kerchief this way, and give a donation there, hold your rosary like this … It was very, very important to blend in."

The history of World War II consists of many intertwined events — the tragic, the heroic and the overlooked, including the story of the Jews in Italy, most of whom escaped the Holocaust because many Italians shielded them from Hitler's genocidal vision.

A Google search will give you lots of stories and a little history lesson that you may enjoy. I am including one such article below.

Hanukkah 2020: When it is and what to know (no, it's not the 'Jewish Christmas') David Oliver USA TODAY

Ah, yes, Hanukkah. The Festival of Lights. The "Jewish Christmas." The holiday that Adam Sandler wrote a song about.

To Jewish people, however, Hanukkah isn't actually all that religious of a holiday –though because of its proximity to Christmas, it's often assumed the most important Jewish holiday. It's not. Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Passover, for example, are more religiously observed, though Hanukkah certainly holds cultural significance.

As a child, Hanukkah meant I could get presents just like my predominantly-Christian classmates and not feel left out. It also meant nodding politely (and still doing so) when someone said "Merry Christmas" come mid-to-late December, and trying to remember to say it back.

This year my family and I are figuring out how to celebrate it during the coronavirus pandemic. Hint: We're doing a family Zoom.

So, if Hanukkah isn't all that religious, what's all the fuss about?

Disclaimer: Like any minority, I am but one of many members, and my experiences don't reflect that of all Jews.

What exactly is Hanukkah and when is it?Known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the second century B.C. The event occurred when Jews rose up against Greek-Syrian rulers in the Maccabean Revolt and drove them out of Jerusalem, according to the History Channel.

To mark their victory, Jews wanted to reclaim the temple and light its menorah, but only found enough pure olive oil for one day, according to Chabad.org. That one-day supply lasted eight and is considered a miracle in Jewish faith.
Every year, Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of Kislev, a month in the Hebrew calendar. It lasts eight nights (yes, because of the oil), and this year it's from Dec. 10 to 18.

Hold up. Did the oil actually last 8 days?No. Well, maybe. I was sure it was true until my seventh grade Hebrew school class when someone told me it wasn't.

The story of the oil lasting eight days goes back to ancient rabbis, who seemed to have made up the story while chatting about lighting candles during the holiday, reports The Washington Post. Some staunchly believe the oil story, though others are more inclined to focus on the messages/lessons the holiday teaches.

Also, back up. Is it Hanukkah or Chanukah?Both are correct. In fact, there are many variations of how to spell the holiday's name in English, according to the Oxford Dictionaries and Merriam-Webster.

The differences arise because the holiday's name comes from Hebrew, which doesn't use the Latin alphabet. According to Merriam-Webster, some sounds in Hebrew don't have exact matches for Latin letters, creating the multiple spellings.

Today, the most common spelling is Hanukkah, but don't be surprised if you also see Chanukah or Hanukah, according to the two dictionaries.

What happens during Hanukkah?To mark the holiday, Jews light one candle each evening on a nine-branched menorah. The ninth candle – the shamash, ("helper" or "attendant") – is used to light the other eight.

The lit menorahs are displayed prominently, often in windows. Playing with tops called dreidels and exchanging gifts are other Hanukkah traditions to celebrate the holiday. Don't forget about gelt, chocolate coins adults give to children during Hanukkah (a symbol of the money that Jewish parents would give their children in lieu of gifts; "gelt" means money in Yiddish).

Larger family gatherings during the pandemic are likely not happening this year (and are not recommended), meaning it will be up to individual households to figure out in-person gift exchanges and dreidel spinning. I know I'm hoping for gelt in the mail this season.

Wait, Hanukkah isn't as big a deal as Christmas?No, at least not in the traditional religious sense. In fact, if you Google "Hanukkah not big deal," you'll find a plethora of articles that can tell you as much.

That said, it's still meaningful for other reasons. When I asked fellow Jews what makes Hanukkah special on my Twitter feed last year, my followers talked about "latkes," the potato pancakes typically consumed on the holiday. (People eat doughnuts filled with jelly, or sufganiyot, too. Get it? Fried food.)

Like other Jewish holidays, haunting Hebrew hymns are part of the occasion. "Rugrats," the Nickelodeon cartoon, aired a Hanukkah-themed episode in 1996 that holds up as educational, endearing and entertaining.

And who can forget about the presents? Growing up it was fun to look forward to a different gift every night – some less expensive like pajamas and art supplies. The best (and probably worst year, for the adults in my family, anyway) was when my grandparents bought each of the dozen or so grandchildren Razor scooters. As I got older, the tradition shifted into one large gift for the period, though we always still light the candles.

OK, but why do people really make a fuss about Hanukkah?You can thank (or not thank) American Jews for that. It's debatable whether it was a direct response to Christmas or an effort to encourage young people to make time for synagogue, reports Vox. The Atlantic notes that the story of Hanukkah isn't even in the Torah, the Jewish Bible. For comparison's sake: This is the same bible that included my Torah portion, Bamidbar, which was literally just about counting tribes around a sacred tabernacle.

Like most Jewish teachings, "it underscores one of the most significant themes in Jewish history: the struggle to practice Judaism when powerful forces seek to extinguish it," writes Lauren Markoe of the Religion News Service. Also: "It serves a particular purpose: an opportunity to negotiate the twin, competing pressures of ethnic tension and assimilation," writes Emma Green in The Atlantic (i.e. we are Maccabees, hear us roar).

Anti-Semitism has remained more than prevalent, whether it be from celebrity messaging, physical violence and more. The country's only Anne Frank memorial in Idaho was vandalized just this week. Think about the shooting at the kosher supermarket in 2019 in New Jersey to the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh in 2018. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last December designed to cut off aid to colleges that tolerate anti-Semitism, though some critics called it an effort to stifle free speech and criticism of Israel.

I'm not a super religious person, but after re-educating myself about the holiday while researching this article, I will be proud to light the candles to remind myself about the most important part of the holiday to me: fighting for the right to exist.
Hopefully in 2021, that will involve my family and me celebrating (and fighting) together.

Editor's note: This is an updated version of last year's Hanukkah story.
Contributing: Ryan W. Miller and David Jackson, USA TODAY

ACTION STEP: Find out a little about Jewish holidays and what the correlation is with what is going on today. I suggest you read Ezra and Nehemiah. Ark of Grace:Live with special guest Jonah from last night is also a great You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDuGgNbDBao

Focus on the now and relax.

12/10/2020

Phil. 4:8
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
1 Peter 1:3
"Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming."

I don't know about you but right now I am totally overwhelmed in several areas. I was thinking bout this and as clear as day God brought this type of picture to my mind. With everything going so fast, it's hard to see clearly. But, if I stop and focus, I can bring somethings into focus. I decided today I would focus on positives that I get to do and not the negatives around me or the things I have to do. What I focus on becomes clear. With clarity I am more apt to hit my target.

ACTION STEP: If you don't have a target? Start there. What is the one thing you need to get done today? If you can get that one thing done, that one thing in your focus you will be able to target it and hit it. Then, well we will focus on the next thing. Sufficient for the day are the cares there of and yesterday we casts the cares on the One who cares for us. So, here's to 20/20 today! Put on those Holy Ghost glasses and aim for the mark!

When your tasks list is longer than your day.

12/9/2020

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Philippians 4:6-7
"do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

Cast means to throw. Imagine a snowball. You cast it out and it hits a wall, and falls apart. You cast your fishing pole line, and it hits the water and the end disappears. This is a word picture of what God wants us to do. He wants us to just throw, (casts) all our cares upon Him because He cares for us.

ACTION STEP: Today, just throw it all on God. He knows what needs to be done. He knows in what order of importance things are to be accomplished. Our Daddy God knows everything. He loves us. He cares for us. He will take care of today for us too--if we will just let Him. If we do our part, He will do the rest. Who knows He may even send us a little help!

Waking up cold

12/8/2020

Revelation 3:15-17
" I know you're deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked."

I woke up to a cold house this morning. I sleep better cold. So, before I went to bed I cracked my window just a little. The thought was that it wouldn't be so dry, the moisture from outside would come in the room. Well, that wasn't the case it was just as dry, but it was also freezing. A tiny amount of new snow had fallen and the room was frigid. As long as I was asleep I didn't know. It was only upon awakening I realized how cold I had become.

Bingo. The world doesn't know that they've become cold to the things of God, they've all been sleeping. Under the warm blankets of entertainment, laziness, apathy, tiredness, ... whatever it is that lulled them to sleep, they can't tell they've loss their passion and purpose for the Lord; not until they wake up. Click link to listen to You Tube video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-i_alH1EOg

ACTION STEP: Take time to just listen to the above video and just allow the Lord to speak to you as the words of this song awaken your heart to the will of God, and what it is that God wants from you and for you. Awaken church. This is your new year! It's okay if you're cold. You are still alive. There is still time to get up. God has a plan for you.

Fitindex, Pippi and me!

12/7/2020

1 Timothy 4:8
"For bodily exercise is of a little profit, but godliness is profitable for everything, holding the promise of the present life and of the one coming."

So, I have battled weight all my adult life. Hard to believe my name was Pippi Longstockings through third grade. I was always the tallest kid in my class and my pretty blond childlike hair turned red before it turned brown, (I think from a fever I had.) Anyways, long gone are those days. In the summer before sixth grade everyone shot up and I, well-I quit growing. I am the same height I was in sixth grade. My weight however, climbed. College was a challenge I gained the freshman fifteen and then some. By the time I married I was twenty five pounds heavier than my highschool graduation weight. At least no one called me Pippi anymore. See video here if it doesn't show up below and you have no idea who "Pippi is?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l32nN7YztUU

Growing up with four little brothers and living in a neighborhood of boys, I learned early how to hold my own. My Mom and Dad both worked, and we were left alone most of the time; with me to watch my lil brothers. Later when my mother left, it was just me and Dad; and my four little brothers. We must have been a sight--but we all turned out just fine. Kids were allowed to be kids, back in my day and it taught us to be strong and well--just a little bit independent. (Those of you that know me are laughing right now.)

Back to my weight. I never looked at a scale. Never cared. Between basketball and cheerleading, band and work, all I did was eat and sleep, and let nature take her course. You can do that when you're young. Once you start having children, and working a lot, things can shift! Pounds can start piling on. So, I began to run, and run I did. I ran every race I could find to run, with the encouragement of my neighbor and friend. She was always faster than me, but that just fueled my desire. Being the competitive type I trained at 5AM with a cup of Hardees coffee. Oh, youth! It can run on anything. Today, things are a bit different to say the least.

Today, I am healing from a knee injury and the weather is cold, and, and, and... Come on you know what I mean. We put every excuse, above what we know is best for our temple. We also know, if we don't take care of our temple, we will get evicted. I want to live long and live strong. So today, I try out my healing knee. I will not start too fast (which is what caused the knee injury in May after a bout with Anaphylaxis Shock caused by an antibiotic, and then complications from that event, coupled with me starting back running too fast, too soon!) Oh, how I hate learning things the hard way! Keeping the past the past, I will begin again--today. After all if first you don't succeed? Try, try, again!

ACTION STEP: Okay, so there is my story. I know you have one too. So, let's work together to make some changes going into 2021. We are still here, and we have many assignments left unfinished. We need to be strong, to finish our race set before us. Let's get started now for an easy transition into the best years of our life. Oh, and get yourself a Fitindex scale. They are amazing. They tell you everything you want to know and don't want to know, but they are worth the price. I got mine on Amazon for around twenty bucks. We got this!

Rejoice in today

12/4/2020

Psalm 118:24 KJV
"This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it."

I woke up early today.. It so nice to behold a snowy white morning. The deer fill my yard and their footprints do too. They keep multiplying in my neighborhood because no one can kill them here in the city. Things that make you go hummmm. (Looking forward to the city of our God!)

To rejoice is to celebrate! Although 2020 has been a “walk through the wilderness”, yet it was through our wilderness experience that we understood God’s very presence. He walked with us each step of the way and patiently made clear His intentions. He embraced us through the process and taught us that He values the relationship more than our ministry. It is us that He loves and not our services nor our sacrifices!

God also desires that we be intimate with Him though our neurons may not be able to contain Him. But just to “taste and see” His goodness and to understand His heart is a reason to rejoice!

To rejoice is to delight! God desires that we take pleasure in Him for He takes pleasure in us. We have an awesome, magnificent, omnipotent and omniscient God! But this all-powerful God knows each one of us by names, knows the very numbers of our hair and loves us so much! He desires the very best for us and has a wonderful plan for our lives. Just to know and live in this truth is a reason to rejoice!

To rejoice is to be glad! Being glad is being thankful! Year after year, we have experienced God’s faithfulness to His word and His promises. He is an ever constant and never changing God! He is concern not only on the immense issues of our lives but also with the minute things that even concerns us. Do you know how many times God said “Do not be afraid!” in the Bible? 365! One for each day! Just the truth that God has given us His word and His promises to claim for each day creates in us a thankful heart that leads us to rejoice!

To rejoice is to triumph! 2 Peter 1: 3 says “His divine power has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness through our knowledge of him who has called us by his own glory and goodness.” What great words to ponder and to practice! God has given us everything to succeed in this journey called life. God has given us Jesus to save us and the Holy Spirit to guide us. If we walk in stride with God’s intention for our lives, we will be victorious! To exercise this truth is another reason to rejoice!

ACTION STEP: As we journey into 2021, let us not dwell on the fears caused by the end time prophecies but to rejoice for Jesus’ soon coming! Let us continue to walk in God’s ways, stand firm on His promises, dwell in the truth that He is indeed the Owner, the Controller and the Provider of everything, and rest on His promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Therefore, like the little birds, let us wake up each day with singing in our hearts because we have every reason to rejoice for each day!