Getting’ Psyched about Service

By Hally Franz –

Operation Christmas Child is one of my faves. I began doing the boxes twelve years ago when my son was 3, and I was participating in a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group. We have continued the tradition every year since, preparing a box for both my son and daughter to send to two other children somewhere around the world. We love it!

There are so many ways to serve during the Christmas season. Please indulge my humble attempt at some holiday verse…
Shovel snow for seniors when the precip piles up, Sing carols in hospitals, voices filling their cups. Ring Salvation Army bells for those needing a hand, There are many ways we can serve in this wonderful land.

Deliver baskets of food to families doing without, Visit brothers and sisters unable to get out. Collect mittens and scarves to protect from the cold, Show kindness to each other, the young and the old.

Share resources we have with families in pain, To give blessings to others is always our gain. Tell folks about Jesus, His birth and His gift, Mend fences, forgive, and seek to heal rifts.

Christmas is time to joyfully give, Show one another how Christ wants us to live. Be merry, be jolly, be full of good cheer, Tell His wondrous birth story to all who will hear.

People get passionate about so many things. In recent months, many have been “fired up” about the election. In my home near St. Louis, Missouri, lots of us were pretty excited about the Cardinals chance at “12 in 12” (the twelfth world series win in 2012), even those of us who really aren’t sports fans. Hobbies, exercise programs, entertainment – we get excited about all manner of things in our culture. Let’s get excited about service during this holiday season!

Chant it, cheer it and share The Good News!

PRAYER: Most Righteous God, help me to have a servant’s heart this Christmas season and beyond, to be energized and enthused by opportunities to show the love of Jesus to others.

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11 KJV).

What’s in a Name?

By Hally Franz –

The name “Sandy” reminds me of a perky, smiling blond from the 1970’s – hardly the image of a devastating and destructive storm that recently ravaged the Eastern U.S. coast. I did a few minutes of research and learned the following about hurricane names.

Hurricane names for both the Atlantic and Pacific are selected several years prior to the current season. Atlantic hurricanes were given names starting in the 1950’s, those on the Pacific starting during the 1960’s. A committee at the World Meteorological Organization decides the names to be used. I found 21 listed for each year, one for each letter of the alphabet with the exceptions of letters Q, U, X, Y and Z. The list is rotated every six years, and names are reused, unless a storm has been especially horrific. In that case, the name is retired and replaced in the rotation.

Naming children, like naming storms, is not random. Parents-to-be often spend months pondering name choices for their children. Questions are asked. “What impression does the name leave?” “Who else shares this name?” “Will there be five of them in his class?” My husband and I tried to choose names that were easy to pronounce and spell, but unique and meaningful by definition or within our family.

We see examples of this in the Bible. Names are often connected with specific meanings. In Genesis, twins Esau and Jacob are named, respectively, based on physical appearance and position at birth.

So, when the Savior is born, certainly His name would not be left to chance.

Matthew tells us that an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. The angel told Joseph to name Mary’s son “Jesus,” meaning “the Lord saves.” Isaiah prophesied in the Old Testament that a virgin would give birth to a son, who would be called “Immanuel,” which means “God with us.”

His name was more than mere months in the making; it was the whole of time prior to His birth. It’s a name meant to send a message for generations to come and one associated with kindness and wisdom, selflessness and teaching, miracles and salvation. And, while others may share the name, none are confused about who we mean when we talk about King of Kings.
As we enter the Christmas season, let’s remember His name and celebrate His birth above all!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, be with those impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Encourage and restore them through their time of loss and despair. May they find comfort at this holiday season, remembering the promises of His name.

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matthew 1:21-23 KJV).

Labels: Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em

By Hally Franz –

A few friends and I gathered this morning to begin a Bible study based on the book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver. The book examines the story of two Biblical sisters, one consumed with household details as Jesus comes to visit, the other who simply sits to enjoy His company. The first question we were asked to consider was whether we relate to or view ourselves more as a Martha-type or Mary-type person. We each weighed-in on the matter, and I immediately felt connected to the other woman who identified with Martha.

There are a thousand ways to identify or label ourselves in this culture. Recently, we were immersed in words like: democrat, republican, libertarian, conservative, pro-life, pro-choice, red states and blue states. And, to a greater or lesser degree, each of us assumes some combination of those as our own.

We all lean either toward introversion or extroversion. Our children attend schools with other kids – kids who all label one another as jocks, band kids, drama queens, farm boys and emos. Our diverse world includes tree-huggers, homeschoolers and social climbers.

Our population includes folks from other cultures and parts of the world. My husband is a first-generation American son of German immigrants. He’s broad-shouldered, blue-eyed and blond, a stereotypical German. We have friends that are equally Irish and Italian.

When it comes to matters of faith, there are Presbyterians, Lutherans, Catholics and Baptists, and that only covers the Christian denominations. It goes on and on….

These labels help us to make associations with others in our community, country and world. They enable us to more easily connect with like-minded individuals. However, if we lack an appreciation and genuine love for all types of people, these same identifiers can become divisive.

Martha learned from Mary. Our elected officials are challenged and made better by opposing opinions. Introverts laugh at the jokes of extroverts, and kids can develop tolerance by sitting in class next to those unlike themselves. We grow and we learn, and, hopefully, we remember the one label that every one of us shares. Each one of us is a CHILD OF GOD!

At a time when our world seems divided, let’s remember our shared connection at Christmas!

PRAYER: Almighty Father, it’s easy to separate ourselves from those who differ from us. But, at this time of Christian joy and peace, help us all to keep in mind the truth that we are all children of God, created by You and benefactors of Your gift of salvation.

“He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one” (John 11:51-52 NIV).

One Good Turn Deserves a Chihuahua Bite

By Hally Franz –

One recent rainy day I headed home after taking my kids to school, and crossed paths with my friend at our subdivision’s entrance. She was on her way out, but had stopped for a wet and ragged canine in the middle of the street. The little guy wasn’t budging, and she was on a schedule, so I agreed to take him and try to return him to his owner.

His build and form were that of a Chihuahua. I scooped up his sopping, shivering body and returned home. Once home, I checked his tags and secured him in a warm kennel. Recognizing the name on the tags (a benefit of life in a small town), I started making calls. It turned out that “Paco” had changed owners, and the tags didn’t reflect the new owner information – a slight complication.

As the morning progressed, I released Paco for a potty break. After a lap or two around the yard, I turned to find the dog morsel nowhere in sight. Panicking, I called for him and discovered Paco at my back door. By now, though, Paco was not as cold and vulnerable, and his saucy nature had surfaced. When I attempted to pick him up, he spun around and bit me squarely on the hand. Paco was now testing my patience!

The rest of the day included veterinarian calls to ensure Paco’s shots were current, another disappearing act on his part, more yelling and searching in the rain, and an eventual safe return home for my feisty friend. While Paco didn’t make my day pleasant, I was glad things turned out okay for him and his owner.

Sometimes helping animals and people isn’t easy. Sometimes, it isn’t appreciated. There are times when those whom we reach out to help, feed or simply give a preverbal lift, return the favor by biting us in the hand. Like a child who ignores parental advice, some individuals make it hard for others to help them. They are unpleasant, ungrateful or unable to recognize what might be good for them.

God doesn’t tell us helping and serving others is easy. In fact, we know it often is not. Further, we often make it difficult for our Father to help us. Perhaps we should show grace to those who don’t readily and thankfully accept our gestures of goodwill. Certainly, the Lord has done the same for us.

PRAYER: Gracious God, instill in me the desire to serve others, and, in doing so, You, even when it is inconvenient and unnoticed, burdensome and without thanks. Inspire me to resist walking away when someone is in need, but be glad to help in the opportunities You provide.

“But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” (Hebrews 13:16 NKJV).

Debates, Digging and Discernment

By Hally Franz –

We are in debate season. While I am not a political activist nor particularly informed regarding current campaign issues, I have tuned in to the debates. And, one of the things I find frustrating is how information presented as facts is so often disputed by the opposing candidate as exaggerated or simply untrue. How can facts be false? I mean, is there nothing in this world that is an undisputable absolute?

Why does it seem there is always some alternative way of arriving at a given statistic, some slight interpretation deviation that renders what should be very clear-cut pieces of truth as questionable or open to dispute? It is maddening!

Given this circumstance, it becomes the burden of us voters to delve deeper into the claims of the candidates, and to investigate the numbers a bit more for ourselves.

Our Christian faith is like that as well.

While we recognize the Bible as God’s holy and eternal truth, are there not various views on what we find written in His word? Some books of the Bible, like Job or Daniel, may be quite straight-forward and viewed similarly by most religious leaders. Others, like Revelation, for example, are seen quite differently by Biblical scholars.

I trust the wisdom of the elders and minister at my church home fully, but I know that other church groups in my community and world do not completely concur with the beliefs held by brethren whom I worship with weekly. Many of us share the most important truths surrounding our Christian faith, but we find differences as we dig deeper into God’s holy word.

So, in that way, growing into an informed believer is like becoming an informed voter. We need to do our own searching of the material that is available, the Bible and works of Biblical scholars. We need to become educated for ourselves and arrive at a place of peace and comfort concerning our own beliefs.

While the stakes of this election may be great, those connected with our faith are even more important. November may come and go without me figuring out truth from fiction. Likewise, I have no doubt that I’ll leave this world with unanswered questions for my Creator. In the meantime, my time may be better spent researching the mysteries of our Heavenly Father rather than the records of our earthly leaders.

PRAYER: Almighty God, help me to continually study Your holy word, so that I may become an ever-more confident Christian, able to thoroughly understand and articulate the Biblical truths that I hold.

“The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” (Proverbs 18:15 NKJV).

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