Advent: He is Our Peace | Memories

When I think about Peace, I think of the times when I was a kid on Christmas vacation. I could sleep in and enjoy the morning, play with the dogs outside in the snow, then do some chores like chopping wood and bringing it inside for the fire. After that, I could warm up, change into some comfy clothes and sip a cup of hot chocolate—freshly made from scratch by my mom. I’d curl up on the couch by the fire and read a good sci-fi novel like something by Isaac Asimov.

It feels significant that these times happened during Christmas vacations. My family would stay home and enjoy each other’s company. I could enjoy being with my family, my loving parents and brother, in our dwelling place, with few burdens and the joy of not worrying about things.

Now that I am older, I realize that I was privileged to have a home where such times of peace could occur. It was a gift that models living in the new Kingdom, with a loving Father who cares for us and the ability to feel His Presence in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Knowing him as a Peace that can dwell inside of us in times of trouble. These special times were a reflection of the promise of the Peace that Jesus brings to us.

John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

If 2020 has given us anything, it has given us trouble. But I take heart that, even though I might be isolated, I can shelter with my wife in our home and with the comfort of the Peace that Jesus has given us. I pray that in these times of trouble and dissent, you may also find the Peace that surpasses understanding, which is a gift from our Father in Heaven, His Son, Jesus and in His Holy Spirit.

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About the Author

Mark lives in Oregon with his lovely wife, Darla and enjoys reading, writing, playing games and working to make the world a better place. He currently serves CitySalt church as a sound engineer and on the church council.

Oneness | Oneness with God

I fall out of alignment often. I get busy and am running all day, crashing at night and getting up to start the marathon again the next day. I fill my mind with the ever changing to-do list to make sure nothing falls apart, that bills get paid, meals get cooked, kids get to activities, that I am caught up at work and that the next family project is on track. Currently we are planning an extended trip to visit family, so there is always a new to-do list, no matter how many tasks I get checked off.

In these seasons, I am sometimes able to stay in tune with the more important things in life. I can take a minute (even if it is literally just one minute) to sit quietly with the Lord and make sure that my heart and my mind are in the right place. I want to be sure that I am aligned with the Lord and He is guiding my choices, my words, my interactions with others and that His light is present in my presence. Other times I fall off track.

The difference is subtle at first. It’s like I’m running on momentum, but the more I wander off on my own, the more lost I get. I start to get flustered and miss things. It’s like “Peace” has left the building.

The wonderful thing is that I can realign and reconnect. God has not left me, I have just been too preoccupied to notice and recognize His presence. So I realign in prayer and in silent acknowledgment of God and total acceptance of His work in my life. I imagine that we are like a pair in a team-building activity where God guides me blindly through an obstacle course.

THIS FEELS SO RIGHT.

I have yet to find the best way to describe how being aligned with God feels to me, but my best attempt is to say it is a feeling that I am in the most comfortable and correct place, extending beyond the concepts of time and space. To-do lists can be left undone, as long as it’s what is meant to be. Chaos can surround me and I don’t let it pull me in. Peace and grace are strong pillars of my being and I am moving along a predestined track at just the right speed, to be at just the right place whenever God wants me there. May God guide and move me, not the worldly chaos.

1 Corinthians 2:9-13
But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

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About the Author

Leona is a wife, mother and traveler who is intrigued by how different people live. Her latest project is exploring ways that different walks of life can simplify, in order to live a fulfilling journey.