Tears of Sadness Turned to Tears of Joy

Just around the corner, in a one month time span,
we will have celebrated
3 birthdays and remembered 
one very special birthday. 
Four birthdays in one month.
All wrapped up in beautiful
big blue and green eyes.
BIG  BIG hugs.
Rosy bashful cheeks.
Anticipation as high as Mount Everest.
A grand  total of 13 candles ALL blown out. 
Yeah! No boyfriends or girlfriends to speak of.
Colorful packages all in a row
and some wrapped in Festival bags.


 I had plenty of joyful tears fall this past month.


--Sadness--Why Me?--I'm different--
--Maybe--Why not them?--Someday--
--I wonder what it's like to celebrate?--
--Alone--What's wrong with me?--Tears--
--Regret--Why Me?--Rejected--
--Can we celebrate just one time?--

**Happy!**Really?**I'm the same!**
**Yes!**Is this really happening?**Today!**
**Is this for real, are we really celebrating**
                   **My Birthday!**
**Friends!**I'm going to be o.k.!**Tears**
**No Regrets**Yes Me!**Accepted**
**We get to celebrate every year from now on!**

+He Redeems+He Cries+ He Knows+
+He Restores+He Cares+ He Loves+


      
                +   Psalms 103:4   +
+ He redeemed my life from the pit +
                           and 
+ crowns me with love and compassion. +
           
               +  Psalms 103:5   +
+He satisfied my desires with good things +
                            so 
+that my youth was renewed like the eagle's.  +




+ I Praise my LORD, of heaven and earth! +

+ I Give thanks to the LORD, for what He has done in my life! +




Happy 7th Birthday Anaka!
Happy 4th Birthday Isaac!
Happy 2nd Birthday Landen!
Happy Birthday Dad I miss you!

Birthdays x 2

My dad was born on Feb. 29 in a leap year.
However on his birth certificate,
his date of birth is indicated as Feb. 28, 1936.
Next year 2012 will be a leap year.
My dad would only be 19 years old.
In "regular" years,
he would be 75  years old, this coming up week.
We weren't a family who celebrated birthdays each year.
However, I do celebrate them now!
I would like this blog to be a tribute to my dad, for all the years we missed celebrating!

So in tribute to him, I want to look at the most important birthday on the calendar.
December 25th.

Which is it?
Immanuel,
or Emmanuel,
or Jesus?  >All are correct

Immanuel-Hebrew  (Isaiah 7:14)
KJV- King James Version

-Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 

Old Testament *

Immanuel = "God with us" or "with us is God"

1) symbolic and prophetic name of the Messiah, the Christ, prophesying that He would be born of a virgin and would be 'God with us.'

Emmanuel-Greek (Matthew 1:23)
KJV- King James Version

-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. 

New Testament*

Emmanuel = "God with us"

1) the title applied to the Messiah, born of the virgin.

The actual day of Jesus' birth has been a topic of debate for many years.
This controversy can make us lose our focus.

Some people all together deny Jesus came.
Some because of not knowing the actual day, because it's not,
"in the box" they've created, say;
"We don't celebrate because we don't know the actual day, we don't celebrate, because of the "bad" birthday situations in the bible.  (Take a peek at the previous Birthday posting.)

I, however believe He was born.
He was birthed on a day by the virgin Mary.
I consider it an honor and privilege
to celebrate His day
each year on December 25th.

Why?

When I sit and consider His birthday I rejoice and celebrate.
There are so many things that blow my mind!

God came to me, to us, took on this, my, our sinful flesh, walked with us, dwelled with us, all so that I, you would be saved.

The foundation of the faith I proclaim and the core, the Rock I stand on.

He never stopped being God, and also became man.  God-Man with US.

Why? For me. For you.

How?  I don't know, it's beyond my comprehension.  By faith I believe.

It's a topic I revel in!

Every December, Christian or Non, some way or another recognize that December is 'THE MONTH" and there is a day, (the 25th) that  IS
"The Reason for The Season."
It's a miracle! One to ponder! One to Celebrate!

Look at his names again...

ImMANuel !
EmMANuel !
JesUS !


GOD WITH US!
WITH US IS GOD!
AS A MAN!

Happy Birthday Dad!
I miss you!
I love you!
I don't know what happens in those last seconds from, here on earth, and our time before You.
But I will always think of
the one man on the cross next to
JesUS,< = > GOD knew his heart.
"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth , today you will be with me in paradise."

Luke 23: 42,43 NIV-New International Version- (emphasis added-) mine

My cry, my prayer:
Just call on His Name!





*References taken from www.blueletterbible.org

Birthdays!

As I enter into this week I can't help but get excited!

Anaka will be turning 7, and Isaac 4!

When I was in kindergarten, I knew I was different.

I knew I was set apart from everyone else in the class.

I didn't wear the birthday crown, or get to pass out cupcakes.

My birthday is in August.

Which would be o.k., a good chance to get out of it.

But those precious teachers like to acknowledge

summer birthdays during the school year.

So as the excitement was going on...

I either took my place in the library, or in the SSR corner of the room.

I wanted to wear the crown!  I wanted to give treats! 

Why cant I? Why?       BECAUSE

"Pharaoh, the King, hung the chief baker on his Birthday!" 

and because

"King Herod on his Birthday had John the Baptist beheaded and his head was served on a platter!"

EWE! " I was 6."

I lied, and told my mom our class was having a treat day.

And, anyone who wanted, could bring a treat!

I BROUGHT CUPCAKES!

I brought the treats and said to my teacher,

"Can today be the day we do my birthday?"

"She Knew." 

She was the one, who had to send me out the room,

or put me in the SSR corner.

I was the kid with the "No Blood" on her yellow emergency card.

I was the one who didn't salute the flag.

But she let me!  I got to wear the crown for the day!

I gave out cupcakes!

Joy, sadness, excitement, me dying, big smile, and regret.

All in one! 

For a moment in time, I was able to be apart of them, and not set apart.

But the neighbor boy was in my classroom, and "He Knows."

So he told his mom.  His mom told my mom,  and then......... You don't want to know.

Missa (my nickname) "Jehovah's Witnesses know that Jehovah's word reports badly about birthday celebrations and so we shun them! Pagans celebrate birthdays!.

There are only "2" birthday celebrations in the bible and they are both bad, and... and..." 

O.k.. O.k., got it, got it already!

Genesis 40 (NIV New International Version)

So the cup-bearer and the chief baker were put in prison by Pharaoh, for some offense. There for, awaiting their punishment for something they did wrong, and they would eventually come face to face with Pharaoh, to see what there punishment, and future outcome would be.

vs.8 "We both had dreams," they answered, "but there is no one to interpret them." Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams." 

vs. 12"This is what it means," Joseph said to him. "The three branches are three days. 

vs. 18 "This is what it means," Joseph said. "The three baskets are three days. 

God gave the cup-bearer, and the chief baker these dreams.

God through Joesph gave the interpretation.

Three days which would then bring us to the day

of King Pharaoh's birthday.

In my opinion. Thinking about Pharaoh, and by just the way he ways.

I'm sure he had, people from the town gather to celebrate his big day!

Which is neither good nor bad.  Good people, and not so nice people, celebrate birthdays everyday.

The fact that Pharaoh was not a "nice" king is irrelevant to the fact, of a trial needing attention in the city. 

They were in there for some time according to verse 4.

Trials, whether the outcome was, good or bad were done throughout the year with birthdays not being an exception to the rule, as we see. 

Possibly more people would be coming out on the day of the King's birthday, and they would then see the outcome of the crime.  The people would then be reminded of what the King would and would not tolerate.

So.... after the trial, the cup-bearer would return to his position, obviously his crime fit punishment of prison time he had already served.

The chief baker's punishment would call for the punishment of death.

My conclusion. A birthday was being celebrated, and a trial took place that day!

Why? Because that was God's plan, for this to take place in 3 days.  

Hmm! "3 days later Jesus rose from the dead"-Similarities?.  That's another blog

We will all have our judgment day before Him.

Yours doesn't have to end in death like the chief baker.

There is by,
BUT ONE NAME WE ARE SAVED,  JESUS!

I celebrated my first birthday when I was 18! 

I get the joy of celebrating 7 birthdays alone,

each year just in my little family!

I get to celebrate Jesus birthday every December! 

A Happy Birthday in deed!

I'll expound on that next time, in tribute to my dad's birthday!

HaPpY bIrThDaY AnAkA & IsAac! Mommy loves you!