Leaning on the Everlasting Arms: Angels!

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Angels!

The Angels on TV do miraculous things and try to set people on the right path. They look like people until they speak God's words. At that point they glow. Then they walk off into the distance and disappear.

The angels in the Christmas story are a little different. Angel Gabriel is a messenger from God. He comes. He glows (with the glory of God, we imagine). And he tells a message from God. Then he leaves. A whole slew of angels appear to the shepherds. Only one tells a message from God while the others sing praises to God. In our imaginations and paintings...they also seem to glow. The thing that is different is these Christmas angels always look like angels...not like people who transform into angels at some opportune moment. For Girl's Night we talked about angels, our perceptions and the angels we encounter in the Christmas story. The we made these cute (simple) angels from coffee filters. *(see note)

*Just a little more info...There are also angels in the Bible who look like men and women. Abraham and Sarah were visited by three men (who didn't glow..smile). Abraham recognized them as angels. Hebrews 13:2 says, "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so you may be entertaining angels unaware."
Hmmm Angels... I think they come to share a message from God...something important...to grab our attention. Their purpose seems to be to make us know definitively something God wants us to know in a way that is much louder than the still, small voice in our heads.

Thank you Father for being a God who wants so much to communicate with us, to guide us, and redeem us that you send angel messengers and even your "son", your incarnate self.

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Things I Love About Belize

EVERY meeting begins with prayer, whether it is a Town Council Meeting, a school function, or the National Spelling Bee.
No matter where you go, there is always someone you know who is greeting you with a smile and a wave.
The zillion stars in the sky.
When my car fell into an uncovered drain and I could not go forward or back... within 3 minutes 6 men came running to help and lifted the car up and out! Not that I would pull the stunt to have six men come running (smile)... but I have been saved more than once!
When something breaks, like the rubber gasket on the bottom of the tank behind my toilet and water was flowing everywhere, or when the dog chewed through my garden hose while I was at school and water sprayed over the fence and into the street, there is always a neighbor who is ready to come to the rescue and fix the problem.

About this Ministry

How did I end up in Belize?
In 2004 a Belizean family asked me to come to Belize to teach their deaf son and possibly other deaf children for the summer. We expected about six children but were surprised by fifty-two adults and children who came to our three week ASL workshop. God walked with me and led me each day. In so many ways God empowered me and encouraged me. When it was time to return to the US and my full time teaching job there, I felt God calling me to plan to return to Belize to start a Deaf Church. I returned the following August (2005) to start a church and teach the Deaf children at St. Peter's Anglican School here in Orange Walk. Since then God's hand on this ministry has been beyond my wildest dreams. This blog is a dialogue on the journey. I hope it shows God's power and presence in the lives of those who commit to following in Jesus' footsteps to build the Kingdom. I pray over each entry hoping it encourages others to "step out of the boat" and take risks to answer God's call in their lives.