Blogs – Page 6 – In His Steps

“Good News” by Tammy Maseberg, December 11, 2012

“but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!’” (Luke 2:10-11, NLT)

Christmas is drawing near. There’s lights to see, shopping to do, mountains of sweets to conquer. Then, there are greetings to send and the office party to go to and cookies to bake—oh, my. It’s the best time of the year, right? Not for everyone.

Growing up, I loved the feeling of the holiday and the excitement of it all. My parents always made sure that Christmas was special with the presents, decorations, and all the yummy goodies to eat. I loved the anticipation of wondering what was in the wrapped gifts under the tree.

So, I was always dumbfounded when people said how they dreaded Christmas coming again—even hated it. How could anyone be downhearted during this holiday with so much fun tradition surrounding it?

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December 12, 2012

A Word From Tammy Maseberg

“Adapting, Adjusting, Living Well” by Tammy Maseberg, December 4, 2012

GTracy

Me & Grandma Tracy, 12/2006

Yesterday would’ve been my Grandma Tracy’s birthday. She died in May 2011 at 94½ years young, still living independently in her own place. In His mercy, God called her home before she went through a lengthy illness or significant decline of her cognitive abilities. What a way to go!

Think of all the changes she saw in the world through nine decades of living: the Great Depression, World War II, the assassination of a President, man walking on the moon, etc. Color television, computers, and organ transplants all came into existence during her lifetime. On a personal level, she experienced blessings and tragedies just like anyone else. She was a widow for almost 50 years. As a single mom she had to send two of her sons off to serve in the Vietnam War. By the time she was in her 90s, most of her friends had either died or were living in nursing homes. She had to deal with many losses, including a daughter and all but one of her siblings.

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December 4, 2012

A Word From Tammy Maseberg

“No Whining, Please!” by Tammy Maseberg, Nov. 27, 2012

During Thanksgiving this year, my habit of complaining was exposed for what it is—ugly. Believe me, I didn’t like what I saw when I started looking at this issue in myself. This skill has been way too so easy for me to master, and I think it’s time to deal with it. Here are some of the ridiculous things I’ve grumbled about, some of them recently:

1) A driver pulls out in front of me and then drives—how dare he—five miles per hour below the speed limit.

2) A day turns cloudy and windy when I planned to take a walk.

3) A new recipe fails for—how embarrassing—Thanksgiving dinner.

4) For the 5^th time in a day, the radio station plays that song I’m sick of. I know it talks about God, but I just don’t like it.

When I see my “whines” in print, I feel silly. Really? Are any them that important in the scheme of eternity? And believe me, the above list isn’t conclusive. How dare I complain about such trivial stuff when I have so much to be thankful for!

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November 27, 2012

A Word From Tammy Maseberg

“THE ASSURANCE OF GOD’S PRESENCE” by Tammy Maseberg, November 20, 2012

“There is a God who loves me, who wraps me in His arms.

And, that is the place where I’m changed. And, that’s where I belong.

Take me to the place, Lord, to that secret place where I can be with You,

You can make me like You.

Wrap me in Your arms…”~~ lyrics to “Wrap in Me Your Arms” by Michael Gungor

Don’t you sometimes long for God to take you into His arms? To hold you and make you feel safe? I know I do. When things get tough in the world around me, my heart aches to feel the Lord’s closeness. What a comfort it is to know that no matter what happens, God will never, ever leave us—ever! “. . . God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5b, NIV) And, He promises to never turn us away when we go to Him. “. . . .those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.” (Matthew 6:37, NLT)

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November 20, 2012

A Word From Tammy Maseberg

SHOWING CHRIST’S LOVE IN THE CHURCH by Tammy Maseberg, November 13, 2012

“And they’ll know we are Christians by our love…” ~~Hymn lyrics by Peter Scholtes

Peter Scholtes wrote the above words to a hymn of the same name in 1968. At the time, he was a Catholic priest in St. Brendan’s Parish on the South Side of Chicago. Although it only took him a day to write, the song has become widely known and sung by countless people. Jars of Clay and Rebecca St. James are just two of the Christian artists who have recorded it. You can read more about Mr. Sholtes’ life and how he came to write this song at: http://www.pscholtes.com/obituary.cfm

But, does the world really see the love of God in us? What kind of attitude do people sense in me? When Jesus walked on this earth, He was very clear in His instructions of how we should act as His followers. He said in John 13:35, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (NIV) In Matthew 22:34-40, the Pharisees tested Jesus by asking Him what the most important commandment of the Law was. He told them that the greatest and foremost commandment was to love God and that the second greatest was to “. . . love your neighbor as yourself.” (NIV) In Galatians 5:14, Paul repeats Jesus’ words and then adds in verse 15, “But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.” (NAS)

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November 13, 2012

A Word From Tammy Maseberg

“Free to Love” by Tammy Maseberg–February 24, 2012

“Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”~~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King spoke those words in his “I Have a Dream Speech” on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., just 4½ years before his untimely death. It is one of the most widely recognized quotes in all of history.

Today, I was looking at the pictures in my office–of my three boys and my husband and others. I became very aware of how I am free in Christ to love them and everyone in my life. In my head I have known that for many years. But, I didn’t completely get it in my heart. I haven’t always let myself love like that because of old and wrong recordings in my head that I listened to.

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February 25, 2012

Fictional Stories

“BEAM ME UP, LORD” by Tammy Maseberg (Accompanying fiction to November 2011 Newsletter)

Kara Scott’s heart had never pounded like this, not even during a competition. This would be her last year of high school gymnastics and was her first time in the gym in five months. She had been in the sport since she was five years old, but never had that skinny bar in front of her looked so ominous. She thrust her sweaty palms into the chalk basin one more time before stepping onto the mat. “Lord Jesus, please help me to not be scared.” She brought her left leg up and touched her foot to her right knee. Yep—her balance seemed good. She took a deep breath and looked at her dad, who was also her coach. “You can do it, Kara, nice and easy.”

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November 4, 2011