Is Marsha MIA?

Here's a short little greeting from my heart to yours. Just sharin' life.


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Is Marsha MIA?

Jesus in a Box

When do you take down your Christmas tree and decorations?  For many, it all comes down this week. We pack them all up and put Christmas back in the box until next year. The warm fuzzies fade, and the reality of the present glares at us come January 2nd when everything goes back to the "normal" routine -- back to work and school, appointments and paying the bills.

I don’t like packing Christmas away for another year. But I also don’t like keeping Jesus as a baby or in a box.

Yes, there is something simple about the birth of Jesus. We think of the story of a sweet baby laying peacefully in a manger and it somehow feels safe and warm. Visualizing Him as helpless and small makes Him seem.....

To read the rest of my thoughts on Jesus in a Box, head over to Laced With Grace. 

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Jesus in a Box

Decluttering Christmas ~ Day 2

Have you ever noticed how when there's a lull in the conversation some people tend to get uncomfortable and fidgety? They start babbling trying to take up the silence. Sad to say, I'm guilty of that, but I'm learning. I have a husband who enjoys silence and a very dear girlfriend.

Over the years, the sounds of silence have begun to resonate well with me.

Part of the beauty of Christmas is the sounds of children laughing, choirs singing, instrumental music playing our favorite songs of the season. I love the song, "Silent Night."   

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born.

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

Part of Decluttering Christmas is taking some time to sit in silence before the Lord. I realize that most of us work, have children, etc. Total silence all the time isn't possible unless you live in a monastery. But we can all etch out 5 minutes each day to be silent before Him and focus totally on Him. 

A Declutter Challange for today: Make sure all distractions are turned off. No sounds that you can control, TV, radio, MP3, computer, etc. Just you and the Lord. You will be listening for the voice of the Lord in the stillness and silence.

I've paraphrased some scripture  for you. ( Psalm 46:10; Zechariah 2:13; Zephaniah 1:7 & 3:17; Psalm 131:1,2 & 113:7)  You can read it silently before you enter into your time of silence, or you can read and meditate on the words to "Silent Night."  

The Gift of Silence

"But the Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth hush and keep silence before Him. (Habakkuk 2:20)

Are you afraid of stillness?

Does quietness alarm you - remind you of your aloneness?

Perhaps that is why your life tends to be so noisy,

and you think yourself brash, boorish,

like a thrashing mule at times, or a prating ox.

I want you to be silent before Me.

I want you to listen diligently to the quiet.

Be still.

Hush.

Know that I am God.

Can you pierce the heavens with your noise?

Can you trample your way into My eyes with your pleas and promises?

I have seen you.

I have known you without a sound.

My silence is perfect communication issuing from My holiness.

It is My sigh of love,

My bond with you through My written Word and My Spirit.

You were formed as the final work of My creation,

an act I performed in silence

with a breath.

You are My sigh,

My heart,

My breath.

Will you not hush, still your pride, and stop your racing thoughts?

Will you cease from involving yourself

in matters that do not pertain to you

and problems too great for you?

Hush! Compose and quiet your mind.

Let your soul rest as a weaned baby rests

against the quiet circumference of a mother's body.

I am your God, and I am with you.

I will save you, don't fret.

I rejoice over you with great gladness,

Let my love silence you

and listen as I sing over you a song of My love.

Listen to the stillness,

where no calamity can reach,

where human plans cannot rule,

where the needy personality is lifted from the ash heap

as if on wings of a dove to a holy place

away from the stormy winds of daily cares

and the continual flux of human motion.

Enter into yourself and listen to the stillness of

My life deep, deep, deep....in you.

Do you want to join me in Decluttering Christmas? Here's how,  replace everything else that gets in the way with these 5 things:

1. Simple joy.
2. Authentic peace.
3. Unending hope.
4. Unfathomable love.
5. Wonderful grace.

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Decluttering Christmas ~ Day 2

Decluttering Christmas ~ Day 1

We've cleaned up from the Thanksgiving dinner, taken down the fall decorations, and begun the process of "getting ready for Christmas." Out come the green plastic containers filled with festive Christmas lights and decorations. Soon every nook and cranny will be made over, replicating pictures we've seen in  magazines or store displays.


But not me. Not this Christmas.


I've got a confession to make. I've had an affair and my husband's known about it all along. He's stayed with me, tried to ignore it, but this year he reached the breaking point. He couldn't take it anymore and he confronted me and my love of -- and then he named it -- STUFF.


Yes, I've had a love affair with STUFF for years. Closets - STUFFED. Drawers - STUFFED. Tabletops and countertops - STUFFED. Floors and wall space - STUFFED.


Hubby's a minimalist. For him, less is more. For me, more is cozy an addiction. I love collections. Hubby loves one thing at a time.


And so over the last several months the deluttering has begun. I can't even begin to tell you how many bags of STUFF and car loads of STUFF I'll taken to the dumpsters or given away.


We even got knew living room furniture. I know, that sounds like more STUFF, but in keeping with my husband's minimalist style, we traded my love of big and bulky rustic country for his love of clean lines. And you know what, I LOVE IT!


I love the new space that was created.  Our small spaces have suddenly grown bigger, airy and full of light. By decluttering, I'm now able to focus and enjoy the select treasures we choose to put out. It's like I'm seeing each item for the very first time.


And now Christmas is approaching and I've realized that I need to declutter Christmas, become a minimalist so I can see His glory, not all the tinsel and lights.


I'm surprising hubby when he comes home this evening. I've put up our Christmas tree all by myself. Devoid of tinsel and lights. It's simplicity stands as a reminder of why we're celebrating Christmas. Yes, the picture above is our little 2 ft. "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree. If we go the route of a larger, decorated tree, it will be at his suggestion. But for now, I'm enjoying process of decluttering Christmas.

 "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."  ~ John 1:14


Join me the next 24 days as I Decluttering Christmas. It's my prayer that all that will remain is the "star" attraction, Jesus. Just like a star has five points, the decluttering process has five goals:

1. Simple joy
2. Authentic peace
3. Unending hope
4. Unfathomable love
5. Wonderful grace

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Decluttering Christmas ~ Day 1

URGENT Prayers Needed for Shortybear!!!!

For those of you that know  Denise Oldham, a.k.a. Shortybear please pray! Her husband Eddie just called me. She is VERY sick. She hasn't been able to hold food or water down for so long, she's about 100 lbs. They took her by ambulance this evening, so was so weak. They did a Cat Scan and they found a small tumor on the back of her brain - either cancer or a stroke, not sure which. Biopsy is tomorrow (Tuesday). She is in Erlanger Surgical Intensive Care unit in Chattanooga. He will keep me posted and I will keep you posted as well.


I'm traveling to Colorado tomorrow so I'm not sure when I'll get to post or even hear from him. When I do, I'll try to do a quick update through my phone. I'll also update on her FB wall and mine.


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URGENT Prayers Needed for Shortybear!!!!

Sanctuary Sunday ~ Doxology

To Him be the glory forever! Amen!

"Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

For who has known the mind of the LORD, or who became His counselor?

Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again?

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.

To Him be the glory forever. Amen."

Romans 11:33-36

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Sanctuary Sunday ~ Doxology

Grace Café Moving From Fear to Freedom Author Grace Fox 08/22 by CWA Radio | Blog Talk Radio

Grab your coffee and join Julie, Grace Fox and me around the table this morning as we talk about fear. Fear can hinder us from living life as fully as God intends.

Grace Café Moving From Fear to Freedom Author Grace Fox 08/22 by CWA Radio | Blog Talk Radio

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Grace Café Moving From Fear to Freedom Author Grace Fox 08/22 by CWA Radio | Blog Talk Radio

Monday Morning Mediation ~ Seeking Him

My Prayer:

Lord, I want Your Word alive in me, so much so that I am no longer ruled by the cares that surround me. I want Your Word to sink into my spirit. I want to be filled with You and all that You give of Yourself to your children. I want to be dominated by Your personality. I want Your thoughts to permeate mine. I hunger for You and for Your peace that passes my meager understanding. I know You reward those who diligently seek after You, and I earnestly seek, long, ache to know and be one with You.

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”   Hebrews 11:6

His Response to Me:

Hold fast to the faith and hope you cherish and possess.

I, who have promised, am reliable and faithful to My Word.

I will be faithful to you. The secret of the sweet, satisfying companionship of the Lord is yours.

If you live by the Holy Spirit, walk also by the Spirit; and when you call upon Me,  I will hear and answer you.

To be one with Me, to walk one single path, is to fulfill your calling and the highest aspiration of a human being.

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”  Jeremiah 29:13

 

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Monday Morning Mediation ~ Seeking Him

Grace Café ~ Life With Chronic Invisible Illness-Lisa Copen 08/15 by CWA Radio | Blog Talk Radio

Grace Café~Life With Chronic Invisible Illness-Lisa Copen 08/15 by CWA Radio | Blog Talk Radio

I hope you will join me at Grace Café!

Join Marsha Harwood & Julie Hunsucker at Grace Café ~ Sharing Life, Hope and a Cup of Coffee; a place for women to grow in grace together, every Monday @ 11:00 Eastern Time on CWA Radio.

Lisa Copen is the founder and executive director of Rest Ministries, Inc., an organiztion for people who live with chronic illness or pain Lisa Copen is the founder and executive director of Rest Ministries, Inc., an organization for people who live with chronic illness or pain. Rest Ministries is the sponsor of National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week.

Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 1993, at the age of 24, she's never let it hold her back. In face, rather than getting depressed about her diagnosis, she eagerly anticipated how God was going to use it! Her illness has continued to be active and degenerative and joint replacements are in her near future. But she feels blessed to have discovered God's purpose in the pain by reaching out to others who are hurting, as well as providing tools for churches who want to increase their awareness of chronic illness.

Rest Ministries website: http://www.restministries.com

Invisible Illness Week: http://invisibleillnessweek.com

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Grace Café ~ Life With Chronic Invisible Illness-Lisa Copen 08/15 by CWA Radio | Blog Talk Radio

Healing Your Marriage When Trust Is Broken

Are you or someone you know in a crisis marriage?  Cindy Beall's new book, Healing Your Marriage When Trust Is Broken, chronicles her compelling story. What seemed to be unredeemable, God miraculously redeemed. Porn, multiple affairs and a "love child" spell divorce, right? Cindy's story is one of finding forgiveness and restoration.

I've written a book review at Internet Cafe Devotions. You can read it here.  Compliments of Harvest House Publishers, we're also offering a book giveaway at the same link.

Also, today on Grace Café~Sharing Life, Hope and a Cup of Coffee, Julie and I are interviewing Cindy at 11:00 a.m. EASTERN. If you miss the LIVE show, the same link will take you to the archive. We're also giving away a copy of the book. Listen in for details.

I've also included the book trailer for Healing Your Marriage When Trust Is Broken.

Trust me, you want to read this book! I've already given away 2 copies.

 

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Healing Your Marriage When Trust Is Broken