Finding Holiness in the Holidays

Starting November 13th @ 7 p.m.

Are you seeking to foster rest, relationship, and renewal 
in yourself and in your family's holidays?

To capture the sense of unique, special, set aside moments 
when you all are reflecting on timeless events  
instead of racing through the urgent?

It’s November, and I bet you have started your holiday planning!

Or, you haven’t and you might feel a little panicked on the inside!

But, this season can be your best holiday season yet!  Come on in, sit  a while with me at my kitchen island.
I’ll get the coffee {or tea}, you grab a stool.

Sugar?

Creamer?

How about splash of home made vanilla?

The house is quiet {yes, this is a “MNO” – mom’s night out, child free event!}  Because I really want to know what is in your heart, and sometimes with littles bouncing in and out, it is just hard to allow ourselves the luxury of a little vulnerability.  I take a sip of Lively Colombian, and ask you,

“What is your ideal holiday moment?”

Maybe that special evening spent decorating a REAL Christmas tree, with lights and colored paper chains, the fragrance of the forest delicately scenting your home?

Could it be a beautiful home cooked meal, served on china passed through generations, with good coffee brewing and rich desserts lining the kitchen counter, inviting every. last. person. to give up the diet and indulge and languish around the family table?

Is it you, your husband, teens, and littles together with the soft glow of candlelight on their faces, singing “Silent Night” at your church’s Christmas Eve service?

Maybe your dream is more somber, a desperate hope that you can make it through the season because it is the “first” holiday after your life was changed forever?

Perhaps your dream – this year – is that your family will be brave enough to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, and not be pulled into an overwhelming schedule of holiday events?

In unison, we both draw a breath in, then exhale long…

 You and I both know that any one of those “perfect moments” come only as we spend an incredible amount of time and energy planning and preparing plus “perspiration”…

Your family enjoys the fruit of the labor, but we both just got overwhelmed thinking about it!

Well, let’s turn and face this holiday season together!

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this year, instead of becoming overwhelmed during the holidays, you finally get the opportunity to develop a new set of rhythms and routines which allow you and your family to be refreshed and reflective?!  Imagine knowing the principles of sacred rest that will carry you into next year!

In “Finding Holiness in the Holidays” you will “tune into” and learn:

♦ about “Rhythms of Rest”,

♦ about God’s illogical methods of multiplying whatever we give Him – YES!  This includes “time”!

♦ about creating an atmosphere of awe and expectation and spaciousness for ourselves and our families.

♦ about intentionally putting “holiness” {set apart time} in the holidays.

♦ planning for your “nos” as well as  our “yeses” to activities and events.

What you get:

♦ guidance from a seasoned counselor and fellow learner {me}

♦ weekly conference calls in which I lead you through the assigned chapters and reflection questions from“Rhythms of Rest”{the calls will be approximately 1 hour long}

♦ call recordings (with lifetime access) that you can refer to anytime – day or night!

♦ training and immediate application of how to hear God’s voice

♦support from like minded people throughout the entire holiday season who will pray you through this    process and beyond

♦ a private facebook group to share questions, ideas, struggles, and hope.
   (This group will remain open as long as you need it with unlimited access to its content}

♦ a safe place to try out, practice and perhaps even fail and to be loved anyway

♦ no distance or schedule limits to your ability to access the group – available whenever it is convenient for you

♦ the opportunity to create an intentional holiday season that will bless your family and save your sanity!

♦ permanent habits of revitalizing rest that you will take into 2017 (yes, this is the best part!)

♦ BONUS 7th week conference call after Christmas weekend to check in and recap your journey in finding holiness through the holidays

♦ and much more!

What you need for the group:

♦ a copy of “Rhythms of Rest – Finding the Spirit of Sabbath in a Busy World” by Shelley Miller {click hereto go toAmazon}

♦ a Bible

♦ a journal

♦ a quiet place

♦ a heart determined to find what it means to “Sabbath”

♦ an eager expectation of meeting with God!

This class is for anyone who:

1. ♦ is overwhelmed at the thought of the holidays coming
2. ♦ who thinks they don’t have time for an online group!
3. ♦ desires to create beautiful memories by being intentional
4. ♦ struggles with carving out time for herself
5. ♦ is ready to change how they move through their holiday season
6. ♦ wants to find a group of people who will embrace the stumbles
   and failures of the process of “change”
7. ♦ thinks that self-care is selfish
8. ♦ knows that realistic change happens in the context of relationships
9. ♦ wants to build a habit of refreshing herself {as well as others}
10. 
    
11. 
    

If you are ready to let go of perfectionism and are open to finding friendships that will last into eternity, it is time to make the leap and enroll in the “Finding Holiness in the Holidays” group!

All this for less than the price of one group therapy session!  

Sign up now and get ready for a transformational holiday season!

1 EZ payment of  $48
Lifetime access

The classroom is now closed...
However, you can still get access to the recorded conference calls and 
bonus downloadable material for the discounted price of $20.

Just click the "Buy Now" Button to be taken to the purchase link...

The Beauty of Holiness....part 10...final thoughts

 Yes, I believe this series is at its close...but I am sure insights will continue as the Lord teasingly brings His ideas of holiness and beauty across my mind (said with smiles).  But I love where He has brought these final thoughts...1 Thessalonians 5:23:

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete...

Image source

And what does this verse say about the beauty of holiness, the holiness that is full of the beauty of His love and His nature (through the fruit of the Spirit)?  First it is a promise that He will work it in us - by sanctifying us entirely.  You see, to be sanctified is to be made holy...the word in Greek is a form of hagios, meaning to be rendered holy, to be set apart and consecrated to God, and to be purified - both externally and internally be the renewing of the soul!  I love this, just reading the definition transforms me(!) as I - in my past broken thinking - used to think it meant I must be perfect which I knew all too well was an impossibility! 

Secondly, there was a word play going on in my mind (thanks to the playing of the Holy Spirit, I am sure) - of how holy and wholly sound alike...and of how wholeness is the opposite of brokenness...and how that seems to be the message of  "The Beauty of Holiness".  In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, it seems that holiness and wholeness are intrinsically linked.  We will be made whole as we are made holy!  And this action is initiated, powered, and completed by Him and NOT me...my cooperation is a must, but my effort will undoubtedly lead back to brokenness!  And I believe worship is the vehicle of my cooperation; worship is the one activity that keeps my flesh crucified while the work of the Lord in my heart is accomplished.

And since I like word studies, the truth of point 2 is seen in the original language - where the Holy Spirit's word-play is even more clearly seen!

The word translated "entirely" is  holotelḗs (an adjective, derived from hólos, "whole" and télos, "end-purpose") – properly, wholly (holistically), "fully-layered" (all levels present) – describing someone reaching the end-goal of "entire sanctification." 

The word translated "complete" in the next line is  holóklēros (from hólos, "whole" and klḗros, "a lot, cast to better discern God's preferred-will") – properly, "all that is included (apportioned) through divine lot."

Now, plugging those definitions in the appropriate places, the verse says:

"...may the God of peace Himself sanctify you - all the layers that comprise you and bring you totally to your end-purpose, leaving nothing undone or unfinished (holotelḗs); and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved completely - through all that is included or apportioned to you by His divine will (holóklēros), without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ"

Worship...

Where holes in the soul are transformed into wholeness.
Where my twisted effort is replaced by His provision.
Where my failures are brought to the success of His final end-purpose.
Where brokenness is transformed into beauty.  

Where I find my true self.

Worship. Holiness. Wholeness. Beauty.

I know now, the meaning of "Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness...Psalm 29:2"

linking up with emily and other imperfects at Imperfect Prose

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Part 6 
Part 7 
Part 8 
Part 9 

The Beauty of Holiness....part 9...+ a little warfare...

Photo source

Today we will look a little further into the results of the "beautification" process...and to refresh our minds concerning the passage in Esther 2, I have it copied below:

12)...twelve months under the regulations for the women—for the days of their beautification were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and the cosmetics for women...
15)...And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her...
17)The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him...

As I was studying these verses, the Holy Spirit put His spotlight on the numbers of verse 12.  In Biblical signs and types, even the numbers have significant meaning.  Now, I don't go into the numerology direction, trying to predict the future; understanding the symbolism of signs and types simply deepens our understanding of what God is already saying.

With this in mind, the number 12 carries the idea of divine government and apostolic fullness (there were 12 disciples/apostles, 12 stones in the breastplate of the High Priest, 12 loaves of showbread, etc.).  The number 6 has several associations, but for my purpose here, I believe the focus is on 6 as being the number of man; 6 is 1 less than 7, and 7 is the number of God, of perfection, completeness.  I am reminded as I write this of the verse that declares "...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23).  There were two blocks of time, 6 months each...I believe each 6 month period correlates to one of the 3 forces a believer must overcome in their lives...

the first six month period - representing our carnal nature, the flesh, and dying to the flesh;
the second six month period - representing the world culture, and dying to its influence as the character and nature of Jesus is being fashioned and expressed within;

and the third force is Satan.  Esther does symbolically face and resist Satan later - Haman is a type of Satan.  Haman's name comes from a Persian word that means "magnificent"!  It is easy to see the comparison, and if you know the story, Haman has the same type of pride which brought Satan to his down fall!

In verse 15 we read that Esther found favor - or other ways this word chen חֵןhas been translated, she found grace, graciousness, preciousness, and pleasantness - in the eyes of all who saw her.  She allowed the "beautification" process to have its intended purpose, she submitted humbly to the rigors of the rubbing and scraping (the things God puts in our path to challenge and refine us), and soaked in the perfumes and oils (the nature and presence of Jesus) till what was expressed through her was what we would call....holiness.

The type of holiness that is gentle and reverent with all, even one's own self; a holiness that is not self-abasing or legalistic, but a holiness that is rich in love.  A holiness that is patient, kind, not boastful or proud or arrogant, not jealous; a holiness that is upright, respectful, acting in ways that invite people towards it, that puts others before one's own desires, that doesn't get offended, that seeks out and delights in the truth and rejects unrighteousness even in the guise of religion; a holiness that is full of hope, steadfastness in God's ways, embracing all that God allows to come into their lives; a holiness that dwells on that which is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, or worthy of praise...

And such holiness caused her king to find favor with her as well...the kind of favor that caused him to feel faithfulness and zeal towards her!

This is the kind of holiness I want to express...I want my King to be zealous towards me!  (See Zephaniah 3:17 for this zeal!) I want my nature to melt with the nature of Jesus, to the point that we are truly one.  And when this occurs, isn't that the point when I am most able to resist the devil?  And isn't this the point of the most serious warfare - when the enemy would seek to draw me away - when I am pressing closer to Him, living my life in worship to Him...worshiping Him in the beauty of holiness? And the weapon of my warfare?  More worship in the beauty of holiness!

Yes, Lord, let this be so of me!

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Part 6 
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Part 8

Linking with Emily and other imperfects at

The Beauty of Holiness - Part 8

12Now when the turn of each young lady came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the end of her twelve months under the regulations for the women—for the days of their beautification were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and the cosmetics for women...

Today we are continuing the study of  Esther 2:12, the last phrase of "six months with spices and the cosmetics of women" (NASB):

 

Cosmetics - the same word translated as "beautification"

Scraping/rubbing                                                                     

Spices   -  from a word meaning "sweet odors" or "spices"  and the King James adds "with other things for the purifying of women"                                                                                 

In essence, spices are perfume.  There is a perfume defined in the Bible - "All thy garments [smell] of myrrh, and aloes, [and] cassia" - the fragrance of Jesus as written in Psalm 45:8.
                                                              

Myrrh  -  Last week we learned it is a spice associated with Death (in this case, meaning death of the Old Nature, of the flesh), with anointing, with love, and with purification.  The fragrant oil is released when the spice is crushed; myrrh is a picture of the fragrance of Jesus being released when we are crushed...by life, by our own choices or the choices of another, by walking in a fallen world...

Aloes - these spices were from a tree native to India and which was very aromatic.  Aloes are often
             associated with the Fragrance of nature

Cassia - a cinnamon like powdered bark that is often associated with the Fragrance of Christ

Just as Esther was being prepared to be a possible queen, our days of beautification are intended to prepare us to be transformed into a citizen of heaven, infusing us with the nature, anointing, and fragrance of Christ Himself - and leaving behind conformity to this world's system.  During the beautification process we are setting our affections on our new home, instead of this earth home (Colossians 3:2)…

and this is how holiness is worked in us, a continuous scraping and scrubbing and cleansing from that which is old and dead and worthless, and a soaking in all that is found in newness of life with Jesus, being infused with His nature and fragrance...


and just why am I surprised when the pain of releasing that which is old comes?  Can I learn to quickly see His "beautification" process has come to me in that moment, in that way?


Work Your beauty in me, O God!

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Part 6 
Part 7 



Joining Emily at Imperfect Prose and Ann at Walk With Him Wednesdays

The Beauty of Holiness - Part 7

Seven parts! Almost to the finish, but not quite yet...Today's verse/passage contains such an exciting to me revelation...this is what I hinted at in Part 1, the beautification process embedded in the Word. The story begins with the actual physical beauty of a woman judged such by the standards of her time...yet outward beauty wasn't enough...
The passage we will be looking at is Esther 2:12, 15, 17 (NASB):

12Now when the turn of each young lady came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the end of her twelve months under the regulations for the women—for the days of their beautification were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and the cosmetics for women...
15Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the women, advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her...
17The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him...

 Notice that these already beautiful girls had to undergo a very specific process of "beautification"!  You know I love word studies, and it is eye-opening to know what "beautification" means:  in Hebrew, the word is מָרוּק and means "scrapings, a rubbings, bodily rubbings" and is formed from a root word meaning "to scour, to polish" .  Sounds a little painful! Immediately I thought of all the little bath and shower devices we use to rub off dead cells so that fresher, livelier skin is revealed!

The first six months were devoted to these rubbings and oil of myrrh.  It is interesting to really press in to what myrrh is all about: 1) the Hebrew word for myrrh is pronounced like "more" (which will really be ironic as we delve deeper); 2) Myrrh was a common spice used in the anointing oil, connected to love, connected with death and burial; 3) Myrrh has been used throughout time for its antiseptic properties and for its beneficial healing qualities; and finally, 4) Myrrh is associated with the fragrance and presence of Jesus.

Myrrh is the dried resin/sap of various trees and shrubs commonly found in the Mideast; it must be crushed for its fragrance to be released...

Is the Spirit within speaking already, making the connections in your soul and spirit?

In Biblical symbols and types, six is the number of man, of the flesh.  It is one number short of perfection (the number 7).  

Could it be that...
The answer to the problem of "the flesh" - the effects of  after our being in the world before "chosen" through salvation is the "oil of myrrh"...is more of Jesus - His Presence, His anointing - more healing, more death of the flesh, more identification with His death, burial and resurrection, more of His love...


This is how the forming of the "beauty of holiness" is worked in us...



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