Who Are You? What Are You Doing Here?

Kolleen Lucariello is one of my favorite writers because she is funny and factual (biblically), practical and passionate (about God's Word). In this special UPLIFT, she writes about her dad, and a precious lesson she learned about herself while observing his life.

"'I don’t mean to be blunt, but who are you and what are you doing here?' my father repeated to the unfamiliar face joining my mother and I at the kitchen table.

"I’d given him the information," Kolleen said, "but with Alzheimer’s holding him hostage, he asked again, 'Who are you and what are you doing here?'"

It's not hard for me (Dawn) to understand that scenario. I remember how brokenhearted I felt one evening when I spoke to my mom and sister on FaceTime. My mom peered at the image on her screen and asked my sister, "Who IS that?" I wiped away a tear.

I'm glad Kolleen goes on to share a sweet lesson she learned after her dad asked those questions.

Kolleen continues . . . 

I reintroduced the new home health aide to my dad. 

“A home health aide? Well, what do we need one of those for?” Dad continued.

 “Help. Sometimes, we just need someone to help care for us.” I replied.

His rebuttal held little doubt of his confidence that they needed no help, when he turned to the aide and again asked, “Who are you and what are you here for?”

When I’ve replayed that moment countless times over the months since, inevitably two thoughts enter my mind.

First, sorrow floods me with my front row seat of this awful disease that is stealing my dad from us.

My second thought is to pause and reflect on his question: Who are you and what are you doing here?

The answers to these questions evaded me for many years of my life, causing such inner turmoil and conflict that I often found myself wrestling with dis-ease.

If you had asked me to answer my dad’s simple questions a few years ago, you might have heard something like,

I am Kolleen, and I am here to make other people happy.

I have since discovered that a heavy weight of dis-ease was created when I conditioned myself to believe my sense of identity and purpose could only be found when I felt others’ approval and acceptance.

A near emotional breakdown led me to the realization that we were only meant to live for the approval of the One who created us. 

I am so grateful John took notes the day Jesus spoke these words to the crowd:

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me” (John 15:4 NLT).

It is through my remaining, or abiding, in Christ that I become the most authentic version of myself. However, whenever the familiar nudge to win approval sneaks in desiring to hold me hostage, I am the only one who can decide if I’m willing to participate.

It still catches me from time-to-time when I shift my focus and allow my heart to wander from that place Jesus invites each of us into—the place of abiding. 

It doesn’t take too long before those who know me best recognize that shift of focus and help me find my focus again. We need to be in relationship with others who help us live in the identity and purpose God has for us. They help bring an upgrade in our life. 

So, who am I?

• I am the most authentic representation of my true self when I remain in Jesus, for it is in Christ that I am blessed, chosen, and alive.
• I am even a masterpiece in the Father’s eyes (identity) created to do the good work He prepared for me to do (purpose) (Ephesians 1:3, 2:1,10).

And if this is who I am in Christ, it’s who you are too. After all,

“God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us” (1 Corinthians 12:6 NLT). 

What are we here for?

We are here to reveal the character of Christ to everyone through every encounter so good fruit is produced and brings glory to the Father (Matthew 5:16).

What might happen if we no longer lived according to our own plan and purpose and instead asked God to show us His?

Imagine if whatever we do or say, we “do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17a NLT). 

In Christ, we no longer live life just “to please ourselves” (Romans 15:1). Instead, we “patiently embrace others” with our goal being “to empower others to do what is right and good for them, and to bring them into spiritual maturity” (Romans 15:2 TPT).

Paul empowers every New Testament believer to know who they are so they can live a life of purpose and identity. He gives us detailed descriptions of who we are in Christ in the book of Ephesians.

I think it’s time for you to be released from the effects of dis-ease by living in the identity Jesus died to give you.   

Now, I don’t mean to be blunt, but I must ask: Who are you and what are you here for?

Kolleen Lucariello, #TheABCGirl, is the author of #beYOU: Change Your Identity One Letter at a Time and is the Co-Director of Activ8Her, Inc. She is passionate to every woman realize her identity in Christ and live accordingly. Kolleen and her hubby, Pat, make their home in Central New York. She’s the mom of three grown children and Mimi to six incredible grands. For more information about Kolleen, visit www.speakkolleen.com.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of ar130405 at Pixabay.

I Love Christmas!

Kathi Macias gets us in the Christmas spirit today with this special UPLIFT story—encouragement that God still works miracles today!

"Before I launch into an elaborate explanation and lengthy list of why I absolutely adore Christmas," Kathi says, "let me preface it by saying—before someone else calls me on it—that I am fully aware of the fact that Jesus was most likely not born on December 25."

I (Dawn) think the important truth is that Jesus was born! The Bible and historical records testify to that fact.

Kathi continues . . .

Many of the trappings of our modern-day Christmas celebrations are rooted in pagan worship, just plain materialism and even greed.

But I still love Christmas. And something tells me I’m not alone.

Though I wasn’t raised in a Christian home, I was blessed to grow up in a time when most Americans—Christian or not—somehow included the celebration of the birth of Christ during that special season.

Many people who never set in foot in church the rest of the year found themselves drawn to the reverent hush of a candlelight service or a midnight mass. And nearly all Christmas trees and house/yard decorations included an acknowledgment to that aspect of the holiday.

We even put on Christmas plays at school, complete with the reading of the Christmas story from Luke 2.

When I was chosen in third grade to play the part of Mary, I was not only excited but somewhat awestruck. Each day during practice, I heard the “angel” reading the verses from Luke that told of the events of that magnificent night—whatever night on the calendar it may have been.

In fact, that was the first passage of scripture I memorized as a child, simply by hearing it over and over again.

Of course, we also celebrated the secular side of Christmas in our home.

When my brothers and I were very young, our German grandparents lived in the little one-bedroom house just behind ours. Because my dad worked rotating shifts, my parents and grandparents came up with a story to work around his schedule.

It seemed that Santa was quite accommodating and knew ahead of time what hours my dad would be working and when he would be home.

As a result, he would come to bring our gifts whenever it worked out for Dad to be there when we opened them.

If it was during the day of Christmas Eve (rather than during the night as it was for most families) we would go back to our grandparents’ home that day and wait—quietly and anxiously—until my mom came to tell us Santa had indeed arrived and made his delivery. Then, grandparents in tow, we would all hurry back to our place and gather around the tree.

Now my dad and his parents were German, born and raised there, so needless to say they were disciplined and expected us to be the same.

No mass tearing into packages, ripping off paper, squealing with delight, and then moving on to the next gift.

Nope, we did it all “decently and in order.”

Dad would choose one gift and hand it to the person whose name was on the tag. Then we would all wait and watch as that person opened the gift (saving the paper, of course) and showed it to everyone.

Not until we had all oohed and aahed sufficiently could we move on to the next one.

When it was all over, regardless of what time of day (or night) it might be, Dad and Omi (our German grandmother) would sing “O Tanenbaum” (“Oh, Christmas Tree”) and “Stille Nacht” (“Silent Night”).

I still can’t hear those songs without tearing up over the bittersweet memories.

I love Christmas too because of what it does to hearts everywhere.

We’ve all seen those Word War II movies where the American soldiers and the Nazis are firing at each other, and then someone begins to sing “Silent Night” and the shooting stops. For just a few hallowed moments, hostilities cease as the Prince of Peace is acknowledged and honored.

Sadly the truce is short-lived, but at least it happens long enough to acknowledge the true meaning of Christmas.

I must say, though, that one of the things I love most about Christmas is Christmas stories, whether books, TV shows, or movies. And there are so many good ones!

It scarcely seems like Christmas if we don’t gather in front of the fireplace and watch “A Christmas Story” (who doesn’t love Ralphie?) or “Miracle on 34^th Street,” does it?

In the past few years I’ve also seen a wonderful increase in publishers putting out Christmas stories—short stories, novellas, full-length novels—in almost any and all genres. We have so many to choose from, and I have yet to find one I didn’t like, have you?

A Heartwarming Christmas Miracle

I had an especially heartwarming experience when the publishing of my annual Christmas novel, Unexpected Christmas Hero*, resulted in what I consider a true Christmas miracle.

The story is about a little homeless family that is befriended by a homeless Vietnam vet, who happens to be quite ill. The publisher wanted to put a face on the book cover that would depict this vet, so they sent their photographer out to find someone who resembled him and would allow himself to be photographed for the cover.

He found someone who looked as if he’d been dropped out of heaven for just such a purpose—a dead-ringer for the Vietnam vet in the story.

When the photographer told the man what he was doing and asked if he would be willing to pose for the cover photo, he got tears in his eyes and said he actually was homeless and hadn’t seen his family in years. He hoped that by being on the cover he might somehow be reunited with his family.

When the photographer alerted me to this, I began an Internet campaign to find the man’s family. It took less than two weeks.

Then we launched a fundraiser and, thanks to generous readers, raised $3000 to enable this man to get together with his grown daughter and her children—the first time he’d met his grandchildren.

Definitely a Christmas miracle, wouldn’t you say?

And I strongly suspect it’s only one of many.

Regardless of what day Christ was actually born, we do know that the Prince of Peace did indeed come to earth in human form to make a once-for-all sacrifice so that we could all experience THE GREATEST MIRACLE EVER n our own lives—restoration to relationship with the Father.

And that, dear friends, is why I love Christmas so very much.

May yours be the most blessed ever!

Kathi Macias is an award-winning author of more than 50 books, including The Doctor’s Christmas Quilt. She lives in Southern California with her husband, Al, where they’re already loading up on firewood so they can sit in front of the fireplace and enjoy some of those wonderful Christmas stories that never grow old. Discover more about Kathi at www.kathimacias.com.

* Kathi has a number of Christmas-themed books:  Return to Christmas: A Novel, The Doctor's Christmas Quilt, Unexpected Christmas Hero, A Husband's Christmas Prayer, A Christmas Gift: A Novel, and A Christmas Journey Home: Miracle in the Manger.

Graphic Adapted, courtesy of Jonathan Borba at Unsplash.

God Chose You, Sins and All!

Janet Thompson is an accomplished author of many books on many topics that point us to the goodness and faithfulness of God. In this Easter-is-coming UPLIFT post, Janet reminds us of the reason for the cross, and the joy of being chosen by the Lord for redemption from our past.

"Imagine an opportunity," Janet says, "to write your past sins on a slip of paper and nail it to a wooden cross. A symbolic visual that the purpose of the brutal crucifixion and glorious resurrection was to afford you and m, the opportunity for repentance and forgiveness!

"Yet still, we can’t imagine that anyone, even Jesus, could forgive our past."

I (Dawn) once attended a women's conference where the women did exactly that. On a file card, we each wrote some sins the Lord was speaking to us about, and then we nailed them to a tall, rough, wooden cross.

I was a spiritual mess at that point, and I remember thinking, "How many cards can I have?"

Janet continues . . .

Mary Magdalene was a woman with a tortured past. People, especially in her own town of Magdala, knew this Mary as the woman possessed by seven demonic spirits.

We don’t know what kind of life she led before we meet her in Scripture or how she became demon possessed.

Was she part of the occult or witchcraft?

Was she addicted to mind-altering drugs like opium or alcohol?

Somehow, some way, evil spirits overtook her mind, body, and soul. Evil oppressed and possessed her.

And then . . . Jesus came to town.

He saw her wretched life and took pity and compassion on her as He called her to Him, surprising everyone trying their best to avoid her. But He wanted to do something miraculous for them to see.

At the sound of His voice, all seven demons that had made their home in her body vanished. What a transformation! How could anyone deny He was who He said he was with such a dramatic example of His healing and restoring powers!

Set free from spiritual bondage and oppression, her eyes sparkled and a joyous smile lit up her face as she felt the surge of good replace evil in her spirit.

How could she ever repay this teacher and healer who cared enough about her to give her a renewed life?

She would devote herself to serving and following Jesus wherever He went, sharing her story with others living a miserable life, as hers was before Jesus. They too could overcome their past and become a new person with the help of Jesus Christ.

As she stood in the crowds that surrounded Jesus while He was teaching, she frequently told her story to whoever would listen. There’s no more compelling testimony than that of someone attesting to the bondage of living a sinful, burdened, afflicted, hellish life before meeting Jesus and then joyfully celebrating the peaceful person they’ve become.

“Look at me now!”

Mary Magdalene never wavered in her trust and belief in Jesus during his ministry, and so it was that she woefully suffered and grieved, watching her cherished teacher and healer tortured and crucified.

How could this happen to the man who gave her life back to her, who healed and helped so many?

Sunday morning after the crucifixion, Mary Magdalene knew she must go with the other women followers to the tomb where they buried Jesus to see him one more time and anoint His body with perfumes and oils after He was so brutally tortured and murdered.

But wait? He isn’t there? The stone is rolled back and the tomb is empty? Where did they take Him?

The other women ran back to tell the disciples.

Mary Magdalene, all alone and sinking to her knees outside the tomb, crying bitter tears, hears a man—probably a gardener—ask her, “Why are you crying? Who are you looking for?”

Thinking the gardener had taken him somewhere, she asks where he took Jesus so she can go get Him.

Then the “gardener” said to her, “Mary.” He called her only by her first name.

This once outcast-of-society, demon-possessed woman, who overcame her past afflictions and never wavered in her commitment to Jesus Christ, was the first person to see and hear Jesus’s resurrected body.

Then she realizes, “I have seen the Lord!”

He chose her.

Like Mary Magdalene, do you remember how it was when you first asked Jesus into your heart?

• When Jesus freed you from your past sins and spiritual bondage?
• How happy and grateful you were?

Your life radically changed. The old life exchanged for a new life in Christ.

If you suffered from effects of addictions or trappings of the past, people now saw joy on your face and a kick in your step. Your countenance was radiant and confident. You were a new creation and excited to tell everyone what knowing Jesus Christ did for you.

You’re still that new creation, so never lose your joy in Christ or tire of telling others about him.

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14).

He chose you!

How does knowing God chose you and redeemed you encourage you today? Does His great love and mercy inspire you to tell others about Him?

Janet Thompson is a speaker and author of 20 books. Janet’s new release is Everyday Brave: Living Courageously As a Woman of Faith. She’s also the author of Mentoring for All Seasons: Sharing Life Experiences and God’s Faithfulness; Forsaken God? Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten; Dear God, Why Can’t I Have a Baby?; Dear God They Say It’s Cancer; Dear God, He’s Home!; Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter; Face-to-Face Bible study Series; and Woman to Woman Mentoring Ministry Resources. Sign up for her weekly blog and online newsletter at womantowomanmentoring.com. 

*Article includes excerpts from Everyday Brave.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of CongerDesign at Pixabay.

"So Let the Son Shine In"

Doreen Hanna's strength is, she sees a need and she steps in to fill it. She encourages young teens and women, but also widows and others who have experienced loss. In this encouraging UPLIFT story, she encourages readers to shine with light from the Lord.

"'So let the sun shine in, face it with a grin, open up your heart and let the sunshine in.' Humming that today, still prompts a grin," Doreen says, "knowing “who the son shine is." That leads me to then begin singing 'You are my sun shine, my only sonshine….' 

"How about you? Does the Creator of the sun—who gave His Son—brighten your day?"

Those have long been my (Dawn's) favorite childhood songs, given my name is Dawn. But Doreen is giving us a grown-up way to experience that old truth.

Doreen continues . . .

By the young age of five, I knew I was unloved by my father. He, at 18 years of age, had told my mother prior to their getting married that he was not wanting children for five years, seeking to have her to himself for a while. 

However, when Mom found out she was pregnant, days after the honeymoon, she was thrilled and embraced me and my sister—who came 2 ½ years later—with great joy.

As a typical little girl, playing outside often seemed to salve my feelings of rejection, for a little while, as I swung on the swing, often singing while enjoying the warmth of the sunshine.      

During my teen years, I found every opportunity to leave home whenever possible, as my father’s criticism seemed to grow during this season of my life. 

I loved the escape of home by going to the beach and soaking up the sunshine for that perfect summer tan.

I had accepted Jesus into my heart about that time and found myself singing quietly my childhood song. The lyrics soothed the critical words of my father that wounded my heart.  

Within a few years, I was married and giving birth to two little girls. I was soon singing that song to them—for they were the sunshine of my life, given to me by God the Father and His Son. 

The years passed, and I became "Leila" (my grandma name). What a delight it was for me on the days I would babysit and sing my favorite song to them.

Soon, when they would come to visit, they would sing with and to me: "You are my sunshine." As time passed, they too learned who truly was the “real" sunshine in that song. 

Now at this season of my life, living as a widow, I am still singing that song with joy and delight—often pondering new insights about the Sun and the Son!

When I think of the sun and its power upon the earth, I consider the amazing gifts it gives us—life, as well as light, and it even sets our time! Psalm 104:19 proclaims, "You created the moon to mark the months, the sun to mark our days." 

While the Son enlightens us, we are also warmed by the His Word with encouragement like Ephesians 1:6 "Now all praise to God for his wonderful kindness to us and his favor that has poured out upon us because we belong to his dearly loved Son."

If you haven’t already, I encourage you today, to “Let the Son shine in, face life with a grin, open up your heart and let the Son shine in.”  

Start your day enjoying the sun and then embrace the Son in your morning by being enlightened by His Word!

Do you have a childhood Christian song that still warms your heart?

Doreen Hanna empowers girls, women and men from every walk and stage of life to live life adventurously and discover their royal status and hidden treasures! She is the Founder & President of Treasured Celebrations, and her creation of the Modern-Day-Princess (MDP) programs has equipped her team to impact the lives of thousands of young people. She also empowers men to embrace the high value they possess in the lives of the girls and women in their sphere of influence. She is a Focus on the Family published author, and her speaking has expanded over 35 years to church and local community events. She is a certified women’s counselor and the first West Coast Representative for Women of Faith. As of 2018, she established It’s a New Day, a ministry to women who have suffered loss—i.e,. widows, divorcees, and other family-member losses. Visit Doreen's website, Modern Day Princess.

Uplift the Military Child and Family

Morgan Farr is a remarkably strong woman, because she knows where her strength lies—in the Lord. In this special UPLIFT, she calls our attention to the special needs of military families, and how we might reach out to help them.

"Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis said,  'If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much.' And You know what?, says Morgan Farr, "I agree with her."

I (Dawn) remember that comment by Mrs. Onassis. It helped me firm up my family priorities, so I'm glad to see Morgan use that quote in such a positive way in this special pro-military-family post.

(Note: April 2019 is the Month of the Military Child.)

Morgan continues . . .

This quote by Mrs. Onassis was on the wall in the military hospital’s obstetrics office where I found out I was expecting our first child.

The quote sat directly above a sign that said, “We chose this. We live this. We can do this."—which is a popular saying among military families.

I remember reading that quote and thinking to myself, how hard could it be?

Well, three children later I can tell you—raising kids in a military family is both incredibly rewarding and incredibly difficult at the same time.

We have been married almost six years and we are about to complete our fourth move. This move will be quite an adventure with a four-year-old boy, a three-year-old boy, a one-year-old girl and an ever-patient pup.

Thinking about that sign and my response makes me chuckle as I wrangle the kids and the dog as my husband is currently TAD—gone for a training event, for all you non Army folks.

The combination of those signs in the doctor’s office has stuck with me throughout our parenting journey for a couple of reasons.

I don’t want to mess up my kids, especially since they didn’t choose this.

My husband was in the military before I met him. I don’t want to say I fully knew what I was getting into as a military spouse, because you cannot know the reality of it until you live it; but I at least had the choice.

My kids didn’t get a choice in this life and yet they take all the challenges in stride. So today, I want to share with you:

How to UpLift Military Children and Families

1. Look at the Reality.

Military life often means that parenting is a solo job. When the servicemember is on staff duty, TDY, or deployed, the other parent has to carry all of the weight, alone.

So when the military wife comes into Sunday School pushing an infant in a stroller, trying to wrestle in a wayward toddler, and get the preschooler to the potty—don’t sigh that she brought her kids. Welcome them.

Mark 9:37 says,  

“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

Offer to go reserve seats for them. Get her a cup of coffee. Distract the toddler. Hold the baby. Smile at them. They need it. 

2. Look for Needs.

When you move to a new place, your household goods almost never arrive at the same time. This means your family often end up sleeping on the floor and eating out until their stuff arrives.

Romans 12:13 says,

“Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

Offer the new military family your crockpot, your air mattress, or the use of your washing machine.

Tell them which grocery stores have the best produce and which coffee shops are the cleanest. If the husband is TAD or deployed, offer to mow the yard or shovel snow.

Help to meet the tangible needs that military life so often creates.

3. Look for ways to pray.

PRAY, PRAY, PRAY! I cannot stress this one enough.

Shroud this family in prayer constantly.

• Pray for the servicemember as they are TDY or deployed.
• Pray for the parent at home keeping the homefires burning.
• Pray for the children to lean on Jesus when they are lonely, scared or missing their service member. 

Ephesians 6:18 says,

“In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.”

With the constant movement, the separations and the unsure future, it is easy for military children and families for fall out of the church and to get left behind.

Pursue them, encourage them, support them, pray for them.

The official flower of the military child is the dandelion. It is carried away by the wind and can bloom in the most unlikely of places.

Military children watch their parent leave for TDYs that can last days, weeks, or months. They endure months long deployments, last minute cancellations, and not being able to hear their parents wish them a happy birthday.

We as a community need to care for these families that sacrifice so much for our nation every single day especially because they didn’t chose this.

God chose them for this life. 

How can you reach out to a military child this week?

Morgan Farr is a Texas-loving, succulent-cultivating, book nerd. Currently stationed in San Diego, California, this Army wife is working to better love her husband, develop her three small children, and learning more about homseschooling. Morgan is a homemaker who dedicates her time to ministering to other Army wives through Bible studies, one-on-one mentoring, and physical training. Morgan writes about her transition out of feminism and into biblical womanhood on her blog, The Forgiven Former Feminist. You can find her training programs, nutritional information and meal plans on her blog, Farr Functional Fitness

Graphic of military family adapted, courtesy of Stockpholio.net—image/id/6174782835#!Reunited.

Graphic of dandelion adapted, courtesy of domeckopol at Pixabay.