INTENTIONALITY OR PRAYER?

For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Romans 7:18

 

I have heard the word “intentionality” a lot lately, usually uttered by people who seem to believe they can “cause” events to happen (or not happen) according to their will. A while back, I found myself on a road trip with a woman I had just met. We were driving at night on back roads, and I expressed my concern that deer might be lurking in the shadows, waiting to cross the highway. “Don’t worry,” my companion said, “I’m using my intentionality to keep the deer off the road.” I chuckled to myself, and said to her, “And I am praying that no deer cross the road.” “It’s the same thing,” she replied. No, it’s not, I said to myself. To keep the peace, I said no more on the topic. Thankfully, the deer stayed in the forest.

 

The difference between “intentionality” and communing with God is clear to me: the former is expecting our human faculties to effect change in our environment; the latter is asking the Creator of that environment to keep us safe within it. It seems to me that New Year’s “resolutions” fall squarely in that “intentionality” camp of believing that we alone can cause change in our lives. But God wants to be our partner in all areas of our life, and it is He Who can move the mountains and still the ocean waves. As Paul says in Romans, “what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (7:15). His own intentions are not enough to keep him from missing the mark and making all-too-human mistakes. But he continues in verses 24 and 25, “Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” A conscious, consistent relationship with Christ allows us to grow in grace and turn away from our own sin nature.

 

This year, my New Year’s “resolutions” will be more about daily turning my life and will over to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ than promising myself that I’ll be good.

 

Jesus, thank You for rescuing me from my sin nature! Amen

 

Meg Blaine Corrigan is the author of three books: Then I Am Strong: Moving From My Mother’s Daughter to God’s Child; Perils of a Polynesian Percussionist; and Saints With Slingshots: Daily Devotions for the Slightly Tarnished But Perpetually Forgiven Christian. She holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling from the University of New Mexico and has over thirty years’ experience working with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, war veterans, and other trauma survivors.  Her books may be purchased through her website, www.MegCorrigan.com or from www.amazon.com .

HOW MUCH IS A BIRTH WORTH?

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Luke 2:1

 

Parents Magazine recently reported on a few of the more luxurious birthing options in the US. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center delivery suites are designed to look and feel like the out of doors. Tiny VIP’s born at Rose Medical Center in Denver may join their parents in one of six luxury suites, which include the services of a private chef. The “deluxe maternity package” at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles (a mere $3784 per day) includes a personal doula. In-suite manicure, pedicure, massage or haircut are extra. When Beyonce and hubby Jay-Z planned the birth of daughter Blue Ivy, they commissioned the custom remodeling of several birthing suites at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Amenities included four flat-screen TV’s, a kitchenette, both a couch and a bed for Jay-Z, marble floors, Italian linens and elaborate meals prepared by five-star chefs. Silver spoons for the babies’ mouths were extra.

 

Author Walter Wangerin Jr., in The Book of God: The Bible As A Novel, details how frightened a young man named Joseph was when his young wife Mary was about to give birth on the straw of a forgotten stable. “I am not a midwife!” Wangerin imagines Joseph saying. And yet, with his vivid memory of an angel’s visit and with the strength of his faith in God, Joseph tended to Mary in her labor. He held her, let her push against him, offered his hands for her to grip. He heard her cry and watched in terrified wonder as the Child was released from her body. Then he cleansed the Child and watched as Mary tied the cord and severed it. And the stable animals watched in silence.

 

Would the Jewish leaders have believed that Jesus was a King if he had not had such a lowly birth? Why did God choose to send His only Son into our world without one shred of comfort or luxury as the Christ Child so richly deserved? The answer lies in the humility that Christ Himself portrayed.

 

Star of Wonder, come to us this night, as the humble King of our earthly lives. Amen

 

Meg Blaine Corrigan is the author of three books: Then I Am Strong: Moving From My Mother’s Daughter to God’s Child; Perils of a Polynesian Percussionist; and Saints With Slingshots: Daily Devotions for the Slightly Tarnished But Perpetually Forgiven Christian. She holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling from the University of New Mexico and has over thirty years’ experience working with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, war veterans, and other trauma survivors.  Her books may be purchased through her website, www.MegCorrigan.com or from www.amazon.com .

SCIENCE VERSUS FAITH

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a Son, and you are to call Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. Luke 1:30-32

 

Luke’s name is mentioned three times in the Bible (Colossians 4:14, Philemon 24, and 2 Timothy 4:11).  Church historians say he was a gentile physician from Antioch. He had known the Jewish man Saul (Paul) for a long time. Saul was a firebrand, out to capture Christ’s followers and have them imprisoned or put to death. Dr. Luke pledged to preserve life for anyone, regardless of their religion or ethnic persuasion. Scripture is silent about how Luke came to believe in the living Christ, yet Luke tells of Saul’s conversion in graphic detail (Acts 9). Jesus gave Saul the name Paul; he remained passionate and wholly devoted to Christ for the rest of his life. Luke remained Paul’s friend and companion, writing the third Gospel account of Christ’s life as well as the Book of Acts.

 

I find it compelling that Luke, whose life was devoted to caring for people with very human ills was also the man who wrote so eloquently about a young Jewish girl who became pregnant by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Luke obviously knew how human reproduction had been occurring for generations, and he had undoubtedly helped many women usher their newborns into this world. And yet, he clearly describes this miracle conception and birth with a certainty that would have astounded most every doctor then and now. What led Luke to the conclusion that this story was “gospel”—truth—when all his education and training pointed to a completely different understanding? Did Luke experience a first-hand encounter with God’s Spirit, just as Mary had?

 

We may never know how Dr. Luke came to believe the stories he relayed in his Gospel and the Book of Acts. But one thing is for certain: The Book of Luke remains the longest and most detailed of all four gospels, and the longest book in the New Testament. However Luke “found his voice,” we are grateful for his exceptional account of Christ’s life, death, resurrection and ascension.

 

Living Spirit, thank You for giving Dr. Luke the words to tell Your miraculous story! Amen

 

Meg Blaine Corrigan is the author of three books: Then I Am Strong: Moving From My Mother’s Daughter to God’s Child; Perils of a Polynesian Percussionist; and Saints With Slingshots: Daily Devotions for the Slightly Tarnished But Perpetually Forgiven Christian. She holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling from the University of New Mexico and has over thirty years’ experience working with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, war veterans, and other trauma survivors.  Her books may be purchased through her website, www.MegCorrigan.com or from www.amazon.com .

JESUS ISN’T COMING. HE’S HERE.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Revelation 22:13

 

If you were to meet Jesus on the street in your home town, it would be incorrect to call Him “Mr. Christ.” Jesus of Nazareth would forgive you for your faux pas, but it is important to note the distinction between the two “names” attributed to Him. “The Christ” is a title which means “the Anointed One of God,” part of the Triune God, at once Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At a certain time in history, this “Christ” miraculously inserted Himself into our world, to become flesh and blood, like us, so that we could observe Him in a familiar form. People have often called Jesus “God with skin on.” The first three Gospels—Matthew, Mark and Luke—describe what Jesus was like in this world, what He did and where He went and how the people reacted to Him. John’s Gospel presents Jesus as the timeless “I Am,” the Holiest of Holies, Creator of the Universe. (See Exodus 3:14.)

 

We call this season “Advent,” which means “the coming of Christ in the incarnation,” or “in person.” We “wait” during Advent for the Christ child to appear, but He really has been with us all along. John 1:2 says, “The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.” We who were not alive when this Christ came in the form of Jesus know only the Risen Christ, the eternal Christ. During Advent, we celebrate Christ’s human birth—the birth of Jesus—and we rejoice that He is with us always, whenever we respond to His omnipresence in our lives and the lives of every living thing. This Advent, while we “wait” for Christ to be born in human form, let us reflect on the ways He is with us always, in our finest moments and our deepest despair. Christmas is a sacred time to remember all that Jesus’ earthly life revealed to mankind. Let us rejoice also for the everlasting love of God throughout eternity.

 

Jesus, our Christ, You know our goings and our comings; You number each hair on our heads and collect our tears. We love You for all You are. Amen

 

From Istanbul to Edinburg, Rwanda to New Zealand, followers of Meg Blaine Corrigan’s 2015 blog have been in for a treat. Part devotional, part memoir, part commentary on life, Corrigan’s daily devotion topics range from gut-wrenchingly serious to laugh-out-loud funny. The blog, entitled “Brilliant Resilience,” was read in over forty countries by more than nine thousand people. A few weeks into the year, Corrigan’s followers began asking her to put the blogs into print. Thus a book was born: Saints With Slingshots: Daily Devotions for the Slightly Tarnished But Perpetually Forgiven Christian, available from Amazon.com. New readers will be intrigued by her amusing titles and devotions that are grounded in reality. A great read for those in need of a spiritual lift, and a wonderful Christmas gift for anyone we hold dear.

 

PINK METALLIC CHRISTMAS TREE

 

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights. James 1:17

 

Growing up, my sister and I were well aware that our family was not “normal.” My mother’s addiction to alcohol infiltrated her body and brain, her personality, her moral compass, her approach to raising her children, and her ever-deteriorating feelings for my father. My father approached my mother’s “problem” full-on, like the military training he had received in his lifetime of service to our nation. Mother pushed, Daddy pushed back, and sometimes my sister and I literally had to pull the two of them off one another for fear they would do each other serious bodily damage.

 

One December, one or both parents decided our family should take a car trip to Disneyland. We embarked on an anxious drive from Colorado to Anaheim, California, arriving on Christmas Eve. On a whim, my father decided we needed a tree to decorate our little motel kitchenette unit. He left for about an hour, returning with a four-foot hot pink, metallic tree, which he had picked up for free as the lot was closing. He set it up in the middle of our unit. Gifts for us girls materialized as we waited for the inevitable argument—which never came. It was many years later, after I became a parent myself, that it occurred to me we experienced a Christmas blessing that night. My father was determined to make our Christmas festive, and he succeeded. My mother was more mellow than we had seen her in ages. Disneyland was fun, but the best part of our trip was gathering around that little pink tree and celebrating the birth of Christ quietly with each other.

 

Today’s Scripture from the book of James says “every good gift comes down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” How often do we take for granted all the presents we give and receive each Christmas, when each of them is really a special gift from God? This year, and every year, we can thank the Lord for all of our blessings: for families whole or fractured; for good health and God’s care in illness; for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals and for free blessings bestowed by God.

 

Father of Lights, open our eyes to the richness of Your grace this Christmas. Amen

 

Meg Blaine Corrigan is the author of three books: Then I Am Strong: Moving From My Mother’s Daughter to God’s Child; Perils of a Polynesian Percussionist; and Saints With Slingshots: Daily Devotions for the Slightly Tarnished But Perpetually Forgiven Christian. She holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling from the University of New Mexico and has over thirty years’ experience working with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, war veterans, and other trauma survivors.  Her books may be purchased through her website, www.MegCorrigan.com or from www.amazon.com .