Three Wise Men

Three Wise Men, discussed in my Bible reading Sunday, caught my attention in a way I had not noticed.

God "winks" through a star?  God leads three Magi to the Savior Jesus, the promised Messiah through a star in the east.  They would follow the star wherever it led.

I can't imagine the life style they left behind as Magi (priests in ancient Media and Persia) to follow the star.  They were not following any star, but a star they had seen in the East.  A star that would lead them to the promised Messiah they had only read about up to this point.  They knew this was no ordinary star in the sky.

I look forward to reading the birth of Christ in Luke as we do each year on Christmas Eve.  However, this Sunday before Christmas, I am captured by the story of three Magi who followed the star that appeared in the east.  The star led them to Bethlehem, to Jesus! 

Bethlehem is south of Jerusalem and stars naturally travel east to west (Matthew Henry commentary, New Testament, pg. 22).  So, could the star be the glory of God?  Some scholars believe so.  God's glory led them much like it led His people out of Egypt and through the wilderness to the promised land as a pillar of fire and cloud.

What leads you?  Maybe a moment in time where He seems so close you just know it is Him?

What "star" is God using to get your attention to lead you on a new journey this year?

Will you go willingly?

When you arrive, will you worship God and give Him your absolute best, surrendering your plan?

I am asking myself these same questions as the 2014 rings in a New Year in a little over a week.

We each are on a journey led by something....my prayer is that your journey in 2014 is led by the glory of the Lord, by His shining Star!

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

by Joni Ormsbee         

Coincidence at a Christmas Party

God winks at a Christmas dinner with a group of my girlfriends?

Yes, God winks!  I was recently at a Christmas dinner at Brio at "The Greene," an outdoor shopping center.

As my friends and I sat around eating and of course talking, a name came up in conversation for the second time, a local business coach.  Several of my friends are working alongside this person and have begun to see some "ah ha" moments.  These insights are helping them move forward in their goals and building momentum.

Is it a coincidence that I had heard this coach/mentor's name twice in the last week?  I don't think so.

A few days later, I would hear this name a second time from another friend over a text conversation.  I thought, "I should at least meet this this person." 

God winks at a Christmas party through a person's name.  YES!! I met with this person over the lunch hour several days later.  Even getting to the meeting had God winks all over it.  You see my boys had a two hour delay and I had to cancel our appointment at 10 am.  I recieved a text later in the morning that said, if I could make it, there was a cancellation at 12:30.  I, of course, took it, immediately seeing the hand of God at work.

I know God is at work helping me clarify my goals and fulfill His purpose.  Whether I meet with this coach once, several times, or several months, I know it was a divine appointment.

                 Do you believe in coincidences?

                 Do you see the hand of God (God winks!) in relationships, casual or long term? 

Relationships and friendships, I believe are the thread that sews the tapestry of our lives together. God intends to sew for a divine calling and purpose!

I heard it said one time that on one side of a tapestry is a beautiful picture and on the other side an array of threads overlapping and seemingly "chaotic."  In reality, those threads build a beautiful tapestry!

The "threads" of your life: relationships, jobs, joys, sorrows, memorable events, etc... ALL play a part in the tapestry God is weaving.  God sees the finished, beautifully woven tapestry.   Trust God in the "winks" He provides, in the "coincidences" of life.

Let me know of your Christmas party/dinner God winks!  I would love to hear them.

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Tracking a Package .....thankful God Winks

Sit quietly with Me, I hear a small voice.......  I had been praying Monday night that God would help me see the God winks for this week....

Yes, I have much for which to be thankful with the past holiday.   However, I let distractions keep me busy.  Being sick, the worst in the last week, kept me very distracted with getting better, managing a home, and preparing for Thanksgiving.

So, I finally sat quietly with my journal and prayer yesterday morning....no kids...cup of coffee....journal...God...devotional...and prayer.

My friend and assistant came to help me mail and catch up a bit from being down and sick.  We had discovered after my open house from a customer of mine that her package had not arrived.  It had been mailed a week earlier.  I thought, wow, haven't lost a package of product in the mail in some time, so I am fortunate.  The cost to replace the package was not large but still hated too lose it.   I thought, "Oh well...it is a write off.  I will replace it to the customer."

I had asked Tina, my assistant if she mailed it, and of course she had.   When she came in to help Tuesday she had found the receipt.   It HAD a tracking number and Tina informed me that it  was insured!  So excited because we rarely insure a package but the Post office said it was best because it had a perfume.  We didn't  use our regular post office and even that is a God Wink!!

Yeh God...it was covered.  We had a tracking number and the post office is working to find it or reimburse me.  God winks in a tracking number we normally would not have done.  Grateful!!

What have you allowed to distract you....sick children, decorating..., maybe you are sick...worried...just getting through the days...recovering from Thanksgiving, getting ready for Christmas?  

Whatever it is that distracts you, I urge you to get quiet, even if for just a few minutes, and LISTEN to what God wants to say.  Open your eyes to what God wants to show you....He will!

Praying your eyes are open to what God wants to show you over this precious Christmas season!!  Don't let the busyness of the days and the worries of tomorrow steal the joy of seeing God's hand.

How will you get quiet today even if for just a minute or two?

How do you keep your priorities in check when life hits...sickness...busyness of sport schedules...life with kids...work? 

Let me know how you manage to hear God in the midst of life?

By Joni Ormsbee