Missing Branches from the Family Tree

A few years ago a friend and I stopped at the local hospital to visit some patients. We checked in at the volunteer desk to check the patient list and see if there were any of our church members that had requested a visit.  We were on the church staff together at that time and both had our name tags on.  The auxiliary volunteer that was working that day commented on our names, saying "oh, two nice Irish girls".  I replied that I actually was very German and that my father was first generation born in the states, and that my mother also had German ancestry.  The kind lady asked where my Dad was from and I gave a very odd reply - I told her the actual town!  You see, when I would usually tell people about my Dad I would mention the larger city near where he grew up because the tiny village where he lived in Nebraska was really no larger than a 'blink'.  But that day, for some reason, I mentioned the little town of Winside, NE.  Her eyes got a little larger and she asked my Dad's name.   (by this time my friend had gone on to do the patient visits, I was so involved in this conversation with the stranger!)

When I told my new friend, Pat, my Dad's name I even pronounced it the way I grew up pronouncing Koplin (coplin) and she said "we knew it as "co-pleen".  I knew that too.. but after the Navy in WWII Dad always went by Koplin. Many wanted him to change his name to Copeland or some other spelling,  but he refused.  Anyway...... back to the story!  As Pat and I visited more it turns out that her mother and my Dad's father were related.  The reason we didn't know about them is my grandfather died when my father was a young boy. When his mother remarried, my Grandma Sydow, they really lost any touch with the Koplin side of the family.  Pat and I have since visited several times, and she brought me a family history book. I was able to see on paper the family connection.  One of her sons is even named after my grandfather, Paul Koplin, and our family never knew.

Remember earlier in the week when I wrote about Tamar and Rahab? Their names are written in the family tree of Jesus for all to see.  I wonder how many people, when they look at the long list of "begats" in the first chapter of Matthew look beyond the hard to pronounce names and wonder about the people and their stories?  You learned just a snippet of these women's stories, and there are so many more people listed in Matthew 1:1-17.  Their stories are also recorded in the Bible and sometimes it takes some digging, and there may only be a passing mention of some of them, but they were all in the family tree of our Savior.  What parts of your story are you missing?  I have visited with my new relative, Pat, several times. Who would have ever thought that a girl from the mountains in California would meet a much older lady from a tiny town in Nebraska in a hospital in Fredericksburg TX!?  Yet because we had a brief conversation we learned that we are family.  

In our world of electronics and instant communication it is so sad that we rarely talk anymore - but I am so glad I did that day several years ago.  Though many are no longer living, I did learn a little bit more about some members of my family.  What are you feelings about  being able (or not) to trace your family ancestry?  Do you consider it important to know things about those in your lineage? How about your faith family, which people have been important in teaching you about God?  Why do you think Jesus' lineage is included in the Bible, is it beneficial to you in any way to read about those people?

This is Paul Koplin and Anna Kant Koplin  (later Grandma Sydow as I knew her).  They were very young, she was only 16 when she came from Germany to settle in Nebraska.  He died when my Dad was only 4.  I never knew him or much about him - but I can see how my Dad looks like him.   I don't imagine that young Anna expected to lose her husband, leaving her with 2 children, so very young.  But her story continued. Whether we know about all the 'branches' or not, our tree tells a story.  Ponder yours today, bring to mind 2 or 3 people that have nurtured you and give thanks for them.  Maybe even reach out and tell them!   My "why Jesus" today is because I am aware of the odd branches in his life, I'm more interested in finding out about mine!

Why wait?

We all have to wait at times.  This time of year can be particularly troublesome as we wait in grocery lines, doctor's offices, pharmacies (this one can be particularly hard when sick!). I'm kind of all over the place when it comes to waiting.  Usually I am not particularly patient, I want things to happen quickly, I want to know what is coming and I want to prepare. On the other hand, for some things I LOVE to wait!  Advent is a season I want to just drag along..... I want there to be twice as many days as there are in the advent season, the leading up to Christmas, to have more hours in the morning to ponder Jesus and his coming. 

How do you respond to waiting? It really depends on what I am waiting for that determines my response.  When waiting for a trip of a lifetime to New England two years ago I started 'waiting' months in advance.  I planned meals, I researched things to see and places to visit. The waiting and anticipating just added to the excitement of the actual trip. The waiting prepared me, and it didn't detract from the excitement when the trip actually happened. Some things were not as expected, but most were even better than I imagined in my waiting.  It is kind of like the expectant waiting for a child to arrive, or a long awaited visit from old friends.  

But waiting for hard things can be sheer agony - time seems to stand still.  Waiting for a diagnosis from a doctor, or for test results.  Waiting for that call after applying for countless jobs. Waiting for the call or visit from an estranged family member - wondering if they are even still alive.  Or how about waiting for that "love of your life" that seems to come along for everyone else but you? Waiting......  

Reading my Bible gives me comfort and encouragement in times of waiting.  It isn't always easy to read, as a large portion of God's story is about waiting on Him!  The world is a difficult place, full of strife and anger.  That is nothing new, but God's promise is also not new nor does it change.  The waiting on Him is probably the hardest of all.

This passage from one of the minor prophets, Habakkuk, encourages me to keep waiting and watching.  After another day of shootings in our country  (for many in the world this is an every day occurrence and has been for centuries) it is hard to wait for God. It is hard to wait for the grace and love that is promised in Jesus.  But like waiting for that special trip waiting for Jesus to return is a joyful anticipation.  In the waiting we can hold on to the fact that God sees it all and He has something for us to discover in the waiting.

Habakkuk 2:1-3 I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

Then the Lord replied: 

"Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

This is a frivolous thing, but goes along with my 'waiting' and how sometimes hopes are dashed.  Another trip I have wanted to take is to see Hawaii.  It has been on my bucket list for over 40 years.  As I saw some of my childhood friends take honeymoons or 'after college' trips to Hawaii I just kept dreaming and hoping that I would visit there someday too. Last January the direct sales company that I work for announced that the incentive trip was to Hawaii, and the date for the trip is when my 59th birthday will happen (March 2016)!!  I literally screamed out loud, I was that excited! I printed out this tracker, and I set out to earn that trip.  I didn't just expect it to magically happen, I WORKED! You can see that mid way through the year I got a note card from one of my managers that I was on track to earn that Hawaii trip.  Then late summer happened.  The sales slowed down, the parties didn't happen and I saw my little tracker stall- but I kept believing, working and hoping.  A couple of weeks ago I knew in my heart the trip isn't going to happen for me.  I almost threw that piece of paper away, but it symbolizes my waiting.  I didn't just look at that paper each day and expect to be handed an all expense paid trip just because I wanted it so badly. Even though I worked  really hard, it isn't going to happen.  Life circumstances and business turns all came in to play.  Even though this is a 'fun' thing there is a lesson to be learned: when you wait for something and it doesn't happen it can crush dreams, it can push you down where you don't even want to try. 

The daily news is going to continue to be hard to listen to.  There will still be painful diagnosis' to hear and decisions to be made. Family strife will continue and someone will always have more, and do more, than you. But there is ALWAYS something new to hope for and always a lesson from God in the waiting.  Habakkuk urges us to wait and to believe that God will act. What are you waiting and hoping for? What are you doing to make your hope a reality? How can you draw closer to God in the waiting? How will you respond when the reality is not all that you hoped? The diagnosis may not be what you expected, the job may not come through, the family member may choose to stay gone........ask God for a revelation, ask Him to help you wait. Keep this simple prayer in your heart today "God of my heart, I give you my hopes".    Then keep waiting in joyful anticipation.

Expectations vs Reality

The packages are all perfectly wrapped in matching paper under the tree. The children are dressed in cute holiday outfits ready for the 'snap shot moment' as we gather to read the Christmas story from Luke and act it out perfectly, with everyone having a part to play. The "most wanted" gifts are  about to be opened amid the oohs and ahhs. The table is set with Grandma's china and everyone is dressed for dinner - we all share our fondest memories  of Christmas' past. There is a light snow falling outside the window and - oh a group of carolers shows up at the door and we invite them in to have hot chocolate by the fire!

Every day we see sentimental commercials depicting the perfect holiday settings.  The ads show loved ones arriving home just in time for coffee together as the last ornaments are hung, a young woman decorating the lonely man next door's home as he misses his wife, or one of my favorites - the adorable puppy that pops out of the box with the overjoyed child in cute pjs and perfectly combed hair squealing with delight. Interesting that there are no follow up pictures of the parent yelling because the puppy chewed up all of the other gifts and is promptly thrown outside and the child is crying because she wants Cheerios not the family fruitcake.  Or the parents that are disappointed with the college student because he failed his semester and is 'not going anywhere'.  We also don't see commercials of the entire household sick with a stomach bug, just trying to get to work and still 'have Christmas' in the midst of it all. And the best one of all, the "no interest for 60 months"  commercials are replaced by debt relief and bankruptcy ads. Welcome to the world of holiday expectations vs reality.

So I ask you today "why Jesus"?   What can you do this season to make it different? I'm definitely not saying that the perfect holiday isn't out there.  But what is it that makes it perfect? This year has been a hard one for many of us, and these last few weeks before Christmas won't be any easier.  What is it that you turn to when the 'stuff' piles up so high that you would just rather walk away from it all rather than dig through it?  It can be hard to let go of our expectations and face reality.  To make the decision that there will be no gifts given this year because the money just isn't there.  To tell a child that 'no, we can't go to the special event because mommy and daddy have to work'.  To face the special family gatherings without your loved one for the first time....... what keeps us going? 

I have to intentionally remind myself of the fact that God cares for me.  That is something that no one, or no circumstance can take away.  It is often much easier to give in to the despair and sadness.  The last couple of days I wrote about women in the line of Jesus that took chances.  They stepped out and took bold risks in the face of despair.  I know that Jesus is my answer, but I still give in to the human emotions of doubt, grief, worry and fear. I came across a passage in my Bible this morning, and I had made a notation in the margin from 10 years ago. A friend had recommended this verse for me as I was facing some really hard decisions - it speaks to me now just as powerfully as I ponder this season:

Isaiah 54:10 "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken, nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Today as you continue to explore "why Jesus", bring to mind people that you know (or maybe you yourself) that have been abandoned, are experiencing grief, or are so alone that facing Christmas is just too overwhelming.  If it is you in that place, take comfort in knowing that God feels your despair, you are not invisible to Him.  Imagine that you are writing a letter to someone that is struggling, how would you encourage them?  Then take the time to write that encouraging letter to yourself.  

We all have expectations, but sometimes the reality can be even sweeter......... God loves you.  Here is a reality you can hold on to and hide in your heart:

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and FOREVER.

Hiding Treasure or Hoarding Secrets

A few months ago I started on a quest to simplify and declutter our home.  (You can read about some of those 'adventures' in earlier blog posts from last spring). I have made pretty good progress on that project, yet one room has become a complete disaster area!  It has turned into the dumping ground of things I don't quite want to handle in the decluttering process.  It is also our guest room, so I told my husband a few days ago "we need to have some company come visit, I think that is the only way I will finish cleaning up this room!" You see, nearly every area of that room has been covered in boxes, overflowing baskets of pictures, childhood school papers, clothing, unfinished craft projects and more.  There are so many items that hold sentimental value, I just don't quite know how to move forward in the decluttering process, so it is easier to close the door and ignore.

The rest of our home is beautifully adorned right now with my large collection of Christmas decorations.  Though I have eliminated many things from cabinets (including dishes, many clothes, cookbooks and so much more) my Christmas things are too valuable to me to let go, for many reasons.  Most of the items have been passed down from loved ones or hold great memories. They may not be the latest trend in the decor magazines, or the most perfectly arranged vignette for a photo shoot, but they help me surround myself with a blanket of love.  Some people do spring cleaning - not me, I do Christmas cleaning! A thorough dusting, vacuuming, 'move the furniture' kind of cleaning in order to display my mom's tiny Noel candle holders, my collection of nutcrackers from over a 30 year period (and I remember fondly each person that gave me one), or the ceramic Santa mugs that Judy and I drank from each Christmas as children, (they are so crazed now that I wouldn't dare put any liquid in them for fear they will fall apart). We have a nativity creche that was given to my husband by a dear friend when his wife died suddenly and he knew that this special Christmas piece needed to be passed along. I have school ornaments from our daughter and now new ones starting to appear from our grand daughters. Each one tells a story and as I bring them out of the boxes I get to tell those stories.  I guess you could say that Christmas is about the "stuff" for me, but not in the way you might think.

Today I want you to think of another person mentioned in the lineage of Jesus (you can find that family tree in the first chapter of the book of Matthew). Rahab was a prostitute.  While yesterday we visited Tamar, who pretended to be one, Rahab actually was.  Yes, a prostitute in the line of Jesus!  Rahab also sheltered spies, hiding them at great risk to herself and her loved ones.  Her story reads like an exciting drama and I hope you will read it sometime today - Joshua 2:1-21.  

When I read these stories again, of Tamar and Rahab, they remind me of the fact that God can use each of us.  Not just the best dressed, the wealthiest, the most eloquent or the prettiest - but He has a purpose for each of us.  What people in your life would you not expect God to use or speak through? When have you witnessed God using an unlikely person to accomplish His work? When talking and dealing with the spies Rahab states that she knows of God's great works, she recognizes who God is and then aligns herself on His side, at great risk and possibly even death.  When we judge people by what we see we may not know the whole story.  It may be easy to discount someone because we don't approve of who or what they are...... Rahab stated what she believed about God even though she could have thought "who would believe a prostitute"? Do we have that boldness inside of us?  What are YOUR core beliefs about God, and are you willing to state them and stand up for them even at risk of your own existence or ridicule from others? God used Rahab.  

I don't want to just hoard the secret of Christ deep in my heart and let it gather dust and be hidden from the world.  I do, however, hide that treasure just like my Christmas items.  I treasure my relationship with God and I care for it, guard it and share it.  I may only bring my Christmas treasures out once a year, but the treasure of Christ is hidden in my heart and it comes out daily in my words, my actions, and my thoughts.  Now the challenge: are others seeing Christ in me as the treasure that he is, or are they seeing my hoarded secrets of anger, bitterness, envy, worry........ that is what I will be pondering today.  The treasure of Christ.  At times I have let those hoarded things overflow and spew out of me, this advent I'm focusing on the treasures. How about you? When you open the door to your heart what do others see?

Black Sheep? Still Produces Wool.

Read Genesis 38 - the story of Tamar.   {see below}

I believe every family has someone that doesn't fit the mold, a black sheep.  Perhaps it is even the one reading (or writing) this message.  Normally we don't think much of the "black sheep" in the lineage of Jesus, but there are a few!  There is so much written about the Son of God,  just like our own families we focus on the achievers, the high profile successful members and those that society considers 'normal'.  How many people really know the story of Tamar, the woman that we learn about in this passage, living in a patriarchal land and facing the shame of having no children? Most of us can't even identify with what that might have been like.  Are her actions and decisions, particularly since they include her sexual behavior, accepted as one who is in the family tree of God's chosen son?  Evidently God had a message for all of us. Though we may not agree with Tamar's method of securing her future, the real lesson I learn from her is that God can still move in powerful, life changing ways even when we feel desperate or without hope.  

Have you ever felt so powerless that you have made seemingly foolish decisions?  Or perhaps a loved one has gone down a path that you really don't understand, do you just give up hope?  I know my heart has been stretched in different directions many times - battling between the right thing to do and the desire to try just one more thing to make a situation go my way. Because I take time to learn and study I am constantly reminded that God will give me direction if I will turn to Him first.  Today I challenge you to think of the people in your life that don't fit the mold. Then remember that God loves each of them just as much as He loves you.  Perhaps look below the surface of their behavior and dig a little deeper to see what may be their driving force, or even their desperation.   Or perhaps it is a behavior or path of your own...... take some time today for totally quiet reflection, to consider the direction you are taking and if God may have another solution.  Ask and then listen.

I would say we are all black sheep in one way or another.  We each have things deep inside that drive us to make decisions and sometimes it will seem totally off track when others are looking at our behavior.  So today when considering "why Jesus"?  ponder possible reasons that God had the story of Tamar recorded for us.  What can you learn from this determined woman in the lineage of Jesus?  

Tamar's story is all about hope.  What we see is never all that there is; God is here, in what we see and feel,  and God is so much more than what we see.  

This version of Genesis 38 is from The Message, a paraphrase.

1-5About that time, Judah separated from his brothers and hooked up with a man in Adullam named Hirah. While there, Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite named Shua. He married her, they went to bed, she became pregnant and had a son named Er. She got pregnant again and had a son named Onan. She had still another son; she named this one Shelah. They were living at Kezib when she had him.

6-7Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn. Her name was Tamar. But Judah’s firstborn, Er, grievously offended Godand God took his life.

8-10So Judah told Onan, “Go and sleep with your brother’s widow; it’s the duty of a brother-in-law to keep your brother’s line alive.” But Onan knew that the child wouldn’t be his, so whenever he slept with his brother’s widow he spilled his semen on the ground so he wouldn’t produce a child for his brother. God was much offended by what he did and also took his life.

11So Judah stepped in and told his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow at home with your father until my son Shelah grows up.” He was worried that Shelah would also end up dead, just like his brothers. So Tamar went to live with her father.

12Time passed. Judah’s wife, Shua’s daughter, died. When the time of mourning was over, Judah with his friend Hirah of Adullam went to Timnah for the sheep shearing.

13-14Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law has gone to Timnah to shear his sheep.” She took off her widow’s clothes, put on a veil to disguise herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim which is on the road to Timnah. She realized by now that even though Shelah was grown up, she wasn’t going to be married to him.

15Judah saw her and assumed she was a prostitute since she had veiled her face. He left the road and went over to her. He said, “Let me sleep with you.” He had no idea that she was his daughter-in-law.

16She said, “What will you pay me?”

17“I’ll send you,” he said, “a kid goat from the flock.”

She said, “Not unless you give me a pledge until you send it.”

18“So what would you want in the way of a pledge?”

She said, “Your personal seal-and-cord and the staff you carry.”

He handed them over to her and slept with her. And she got pregnant.

19She then left and went home. She removed her veil and put her widow’s clothes back on.

20-21Judah sent the kid goat by his friend from Adullam to recover the pledge from the woman. But he couldn’t find her. He asked the men of that place, “Where’s the prostitute that used to sit by the road here near Enaim?”

They said, “There’s never been a prostitute here.”

22He went back to Judah and said, “I couldn’t find her. The men there said there never has been a prostitute there.”

23Judah said, “Let her have it then. If we keep looking, everyone will be poking fun at us. I kept my part of the bargain—I sent the kid goat but you couldn’t find her.”

24Three months or so later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law has been playing the whore—and now she’s a pregnant whore.”

Judah yelled, “Get her out here. Burn her up!”

25As they brought her out, she sent a message to her father-in-law, “I’m pregnant by the man who owns these things. Identify them, please. Who’s the owner of the seal-and-cord and the staff?”

26Judah saw they were his. He said, “She’s in the right; I’m in the wrong—I wouldn’t let her marry my son Shelah.” He never slept with her again.

27-30When her time came to give birth, it turned out that there were twins in her womb. As she was giving birth, one put his hand out; the midwife tied a red thread on his hand, saying, “This one came first.” But then he pulled it back and his brother came out. She said, “Oh! A breakout!” So she named him Perez (Breakout). Then his brother came out with the red thread on his hand. They named him Zerah (Bright).

"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year".... not always!

Today is the first Sunday in Advent, a time of waiting.  For Christians, this is our time of expectantly anticipating the arrival of Christ- the celebration of hope and all that God promises in the birth of our Savior.  In the past I have written daily musings and devotional emails during Advent and Lent, this year I plan to write here in my blog, and then I will have them all in one place rather than having to jog back and forth from email to files.

So why Jesus? I truly look forward to this "most wonderful time of the year" like none other. I have a countdown on my phone, I think about how I will place my decorations out this year, I wait for that magical moment when Thanksgiving is over and I can start adorning my home with treasured decor. I have traditions that drive my family a little crazy, but someday they will miss those things when I am gone. (I think!) As many songs express, it can be a wonderful time of year. More often than not it is a time of sadness, anguish, debt and loneliness.  This year, as I begin my own Advent study, I chose an old book from 2002 titled While We Wait by Mary Lou Redding.  I like to have a personal study to keep myself focused on the season, and this one seems fitting for me this year.  The subtitle is "Living the Questions of Advent". I wanted a study this year to stretch me, to help me ponder the thoughts swirling around in my head and heart. We've heard the story countless time in 'feel good, warm fuzzy' fashion, but I wanted something deeper this year.

Some of what I am pondering as I wait: a dear friend diagnosed Thanksgiving week with aggressive cancer, and already in treatment (a far cry from turkey left overs).

Our only daughter navigating the waters of divorce and our first holiday season 'sharing' our granddaughters as visitation schedules are worked out. A world so seemingly out of control that I wonder when the terror and killing will move closer to home and how I will handle it. The endless rhetoric from flashy politicians, when all I want is someone that will really hear the people, and do what is best for us. My list could go on and on, as I'm sure yours could as well.  So why Jesus?  Why revisit this ancient story and all of the promise of a better life? For me, because that is exactly what I need!  A sense of hope that there is something way bigger than cancer, divorce and horrid terror killings.  A realization that the God I put my trust in, and decided to follow back in 1971 at a revival on my knees, is the same God that gave hope to a world in despair. 

I pray my writings this year will spark a little bit of wonder in your life too.  That you will look deeper than the sparkle and hype of the Christmas season and look at the real reason, and maybe we all can have an answer come December 24 of "why Jesus" is the real solution we are seeking.

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 "How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father, when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones."  NIV

Stuck in a time warp

Lately I've been feeling stuck in a time warp..... I log on to this blog and find that I haven't written since summer (though I have composed great entries in my head - where did they go?!) Then I got in my car yesterday and the temp read 101!  On October 12, really?  Isn't this supposed to be fall, with beautiful colors, sweaters to wear and hot tea or chocolate, or maybe a great pumpkin latte?  Oh, I forgot "global warming" (which I DO NOT think is our most pressing world issue.)

I live in Texas, and our weather is often not what the calendar says it should be- in a few days it could be 50!  But what about the other things in our lives?  It is interesting to ponder what causes me to go into a funk.  Weather certainly, but also life circumstances, money issues, relationships and expectations.  The "why me" mentality takes over.  I ask myself why questions all of the time....but rarely do I get answers.  What helps me the most is to read and look at how people in really difficult situations handle them with joy and acceptance.  When I focus on all that is good, the not so good fades.  It takes effort to do that!  So today, facing another unseasonably hot day, and now a severe alert of fire danger, I will make a joy list:

*I have a home, car and workplace that are air conditioned.

*I have family to love and care for, and they are close by to me

*I have a job I love 

*I am healthy when so many battle devastating illness

*I have my faith and when all else fails God never leaves me

*I have good friends that I can call on when I need something, and know that they can call on me for help too

My life seems stuck in a time warp - but as this verse promises:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. Ecc. 3:1

So rather than feel 'stuck' today - I will watch. I will look for what the "everything" that is coming and embrace it.  

Today I choose to inspire myself.