Devotions of a High Heeled Warrior

  As Christmas approaches, we hear the Natvity story often. When I saw this scripture posted on a friend's news feed, a word really stood out to me, "overshadowed." In this passage, an angel has appeared to Mary to tell her she had been chosen by God to carry the Son of God. Though she was a virgin, the power of God would move and overshadow her. In the Greek, this word is episkzo. It means a divine, supernatural enveloping of God's glory and power. It was the same word used when the bright cloud covered Jesus at the Transfiguration in Matthew 17:5 and when God's glory filled the Tabernacle in Exedus 40:34-38. Imagine a very young girl, already engaged to someone. She is approached by God through an angel and told she would become with child and carry the Savior of the world. She had to face not only fear of facing the supernatural, but also fear of what would happen if what God said actually happened. Joseph could divorce her, leaving her shunned in a society ...

  As I prepared for holiday parties and numerous potlucks, I realized something . My family suffers from shopping ADHD. You may ask what shopping ADHD is. Let me explain. As I tried to squeeze two turkeys and two gallons of tea in my refrigerator, I noticed they wouldn't fit because it was already packed with condiments. That may not seem strange until you inventory the condiments. Three half-full bottles of barbecue sauces, three partial bottles of sesame oil, jars of jalapeños, and multiple jars of every kind of pickle. The list could go on and on. This is where the ADHD kicks in. I start to make a recipe and realize I need a certain condiment. The problem is I forget to check the refrigerator first. As I make the recipe, I find an already open bottle of whatever sauce I needed after I've already opened the new one. This process continues until my refrigerator is packed with multiple bottles of the same condiments. It's shopping ADHD! I allow chaos and busyness to distra...

  This weekend, I had the privilege of attending a women's Christmas party at Rockhaven Bible Camp with some dear friends. We had a great time playing games, which I'm probably a little too competitive, and listening to the story of Christ's birth.  As a sweet woman read Luke 1 from the Bible, something stood out to me. Luke is giving an account of Christ's birth. The chapter begins with a priest named Zechariah who one day was given the task of burning incense in the temple to worship God. As he did, an angel came and told him that God heard his prayers and would give him a son. The challenge? Elizabeth was old and had not been able to have any children before this, so a child seemed impossible. Zechariah expressed this to the angel who then told him because of his doubt, Zechariah would be unable to speak until the birth of the child. He was unable to speak until the birth of their child. When the time came to name their child, Elizabeth chose the name God had chosen...