27

Taken last year at a hotel sleep-over

Twenty seven years ago Mario and I  were married in a small Methodist Church in Tracy.  It was freezing cold, a dark and still Tuesday night, just four days after Christmas and one day after my birthday. 

“I can’t believe you’d choose this day,” my mom teased me as we prepared for the event.  “You’ve spent your whole life complaining how your birthday is swallowed up by Christmas and News Years!”

She was right – As a child (the second born of five) I always mourned the timing of my birthday.  I was never forgotten, but many times I’d get “combination” greeting cards and gifts.  I had done a lot of whining about my special day being swallowed up by the holidays.

The truth was, I didn’t care what day I married him.  I didn’t even care that it would be happening on a Tuesday night in that holiday week.  I was getting married to him – and we were expecting a baby.

It is a miracle that Mario and I survived the first five years of marriage.  We both thought it would be something that it wasn’t.  Neither one of us were equipped for the selfless institution that marriage is.  We had “issues” – both personally and as a couple.  We struggled (with four kids in tow) for that first five years. 

Mario was older than I was and had already been married to Cathy, the mother of David and Joe.  I hadn’t been married, but had a long term relationship with a man who was the father of Vince.  Our relationships with our ex-spouses were amicable, but we both were determined not to repeat that failure again.  I had seen a good marriage modeled for me by my parents, who were romantic and loving and religious.   I knew that God would have to be involved – Mario took some convincing.

It was Arlaine, a family counselor that we had been seeing together, that suggested we go to church together.  It was where I was radically changed and fell in love with God.  The relationship with Mario came to a screeching halt until I found out I was pregnant.  When I told him, he agreed we should have the baby together and “go see Arlaine”.  The next day we met in her office, tearfully making a plan to salvage our relationship – it ended up being the day he asked me to marry him. 

Mario was my ideal man and I was madly in love with him - determined that our marriage would succeed.  He was looking for passion, holiness, a wife that he would be faithful to, but confessed to me that he was scared of failing.  His history proved to him that he was selfish; my own history proved that I would hold on to a sinking ship until it drowned me.  We were unequipped to succeed, as much as we loved each other.

The miracles came in a sequence of events; not all at once, but one after another.  Three years into our marriage, Mario fell in love with God the same way I did.  We were baptized in a river on the same day.  He and I made a decision to work closely with Cathy, never speaking ill of her and praying for her (this was easy to do because she really was a sweetheart).  Mario legally adopted Vince and bonded with him deeply.  We went to marriage conferences, read books on communication, attended retreats, made time for one another.... 

If you ask us separately, we’d probably see one miracle being more powerful than another, depending on the way the wind was blowing that day.  The real truth is, God held us together and sustained us during the storms and the dry seasons; there was many of each.

Today,  we are best friends, private confidantes and romantic partners on a journey that doesn’t end.  Today we decided to be spontaneous and be silly together. 

“Hey, since it’s our anniversary, let’s play a game where we say what we love about each other.  He laughed and balked at first.

“No fair, you can think faster than I can.”

“Look, it’s easy,” I said, determined to be romantic.  “I’ll start.  I LOVE the way you make coffee for me every morning.”

He smiled and thought.  “Okay.  I LOVE the way you trim my toenails.” 

We laughed, and continued through a long list of things we love about each other.  Some of them got very deep, but most were ordinary things that we can take for granted if we’re not careful. 

At one point, Mario looked at me and said, “I love YOU.  I love your personality.”

I smiled, a little embarrassed (he can still make me feel like we just met).  I thanked him...because it’s true.  I know every moment of every day that Mario loves me – and I know that kind of love happens very rarely. 

Of all the gifts I’ve been given in this life (and there are so many) Mario is the most incredible, unexpected gift I’ve been given – and I don’t deserve him!  I thank God for the way HE has shaped, protected, preserved and nurtured both of us as individuals and as a couple. 

A lot of times people ask us how to have a good marriage and I try to think of what to say.  The thing I’ve realized after twenty-seven years is that our own marriage has been one miracle after another.  We’re not perfect people, but God has been the One who is.  I can humbly say that it’s not because I’ve done something a certain way or that I’m the kind of wife that has the perfect amount of respect and love and wisdom.  If I’m an expert on anything, I hope I’m one on how to be humble and turn to God for the answers. 

This world doesn’t need another marriage expert – there’s already enough of those.  This world needs God – the giver of life.  He’s been the One who has power to breathe life into any dead or helpless situation. 

Happy Anniversary, Babe.  You are a miracle!

52

Janet - age 3

When I was a young twenty-one year-old I worked as a home health aid, visiting the homes of people who hired the services of a health care worker two or three times a week.  For some patients, I cooked; for others, I took them for walks or a grocery run.  I loved the job, especially the fact that I got to meet some really interesting people. 

During this time, I worked for a couple who owned a massive almond ranch, surrounded by a row of tall olive trees.  The husband had just survived a massive stroke, and he was becoming ambulatory again with the help of supervised walks through his orchards.  He was eighty-five or so, only months before driving his tractor through his fields.  It was through the fields we took our walks; he taught me a lot about the life of a farmer.  The olive trees, ripe with fruit, were never harvested.  He told me once that they were planted purposefully to keep the birds away from the almond trees. 

One afternoon, he let me gather the olives I could reach (the birds didn’t touch the low-lying olives) and take them home.  I went home with a large paper grocery bag filled to the brim of the largest olives I’ve ever seen. 

Later, I explained to my Auntie Emmy (who cured the olives) that the man probably didn’t want them because he was so old.  Way Old.  Very, very old.

He doesn’t seem so old now.

Today I’m 52. 

Eighty five used to be ancient, now it’s not so old.  At twenty-one I thought I had matured into a very balanced young woman but it was not truth – I was sad.  My life (despite having a good family base and friends) seemed purposeless. 

 Two years later I had my first child, which gave me identity and love, but I was terrified that I wouldn’t lead him anywhere worth following.  A year later I met Mario, the (gorgeous) man who would change my life; only six months after meeting him, we started going to church together.  There, I was given a deep and life-changing understanding of God.  It can’t be explained in a sentence or a paragraph, but I can say that I am thankful that God revealed His plan for me.  He’s been faithful to guide me on the multi-faceted luge race that has been my life.

Today I examine the Psalm that corresponds with my year – Psalm 52.  I give you the last two verses of it, a gift-wrapped blessing from the birthday girl to reader.  I thank you for visiting Brazen Princess – my sanctuary of words.  

I thank God that He has made me an olive tree, and I thank Him for my life.

But I am like an olive tree

    flourishing in the house of God;

I trust in God’s unfailing love

    for ever and ever.

 For what you have done I will always praise you

    in the presence of your faithful people.

And I will hope in your name,

    for your name is good. 

Psalm 52: 8,9

Janet - Age 52

twelfth

The TWELFTH NIGHT of Christmas is on January 6 – the day that is celebrated in some churches as "Epiphany".  The reason I started this twelve day series is because I wanted to address the song, the gifts, and the “hidden meanings” before Christmas - before we all start singing it mindlessly.  Now, hopefully, we can think about it in a different way. 

Since the story about the symbolism largely rests in oral tradition and not documented evidence (a detailed synopsis accompanying Mirth without Mischief circa 1780), it is a theory.  Unlike evolutionists, I have no problem admitting when a theory is a theory and when a fact is a fact. What we do know for sure is that the "true love" mentioned in the song doesn't refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God Himself. Those of us who receive the gifts are the ones who have faith in Jesus Christ.  Thankfully, the foundations of our faith are found in the Bible with a greater substance than the 12 Days of Christmas  – but it is a fun way to remember the gifts that our God gives us, isn't it?

On the TWELFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS my true love gave to me TWELVE DRUMMERS DRUMMING.

Twelve, in Biblical terms, is a number of completion.  TWELVE signifies perfection, balance and government.  Several places in the Bible we see things in multiples of twelve, especially when we see authority or leadership.

TWELVE DRUMMERS DRUMMING is a perfect accompaniment to our ELEVEN PIPERS PIPING – and the only thing that can complete the whole noisy gift package.  Tradition holds that TWELVE DRUMMERS DRUMMING symbolize  the 12  STATEMENTS OF FAITH found in THE APOSTLES CREED: 

1.       Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli et terrae,

2.       et in Iesum Christum, Filium Eius unicum, Dominum nostrum,

3.       qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine,

4.       passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus,

5.       descendit ad inferos, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis,

6.       ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Patris omnipotentis,

7.       inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos.

8.       Credo in Spiritum Sanctum,

9.       sanctam Ecclesiam catholicam, sanctorum communionem,

10.   remissionem peccatorum,

11.   carnis resurrectionem,

12.   vitam aeternam.

Amen.

Oh…maybe I should post them in English, huh?  Oh, alright.

1.       I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth;

2.       And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord;

3.       Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary;

4.       Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell;

5.       The third day he rose again from the dead;

6.       He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

7.       From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead;

8.       I believe in the Holy Ghost;

9.       I believe in the holy catholic* church (God’s children, called Christians), the communion of saints;

10.   The forgiveness of sins;

11.   The resurrection of the body:

12.   And the life everlasting.

Amen.

The Apostle's creed is as true for a Frenchman in the 1700's as it is for a Malawian in 2014.  It is the creed of a Russian Cosmonaut Christian and a Salvadorian farmer.  The statement of faith is what binds us together - it's what makes us all brothers and sisters.

Christians used to declare the APOSTLE’S CREED each time they met.  Now, it is dismissed as religious rote.  I would like to be part of a community of believers that say it over and over.  I do believe in these things – I am humbled by them.  They cause me to remember that I march to a different drummer – against the rhythm of this world…

Charles Spurgeon once said “Nothing teaches us about the preciousness of the Creator as much as when we learn the emptiness of everything else.”   Hopefully the symbolic meanings behind the “Twelve Days of Christmas” can show us how fleeting everything around us is, save Jesus Christ.  There are few things in this world that are worth more than a season of happiness, but  Jesus is a man for all seasons.  He is more than a Man, He is our savior. 

On Christmas, remember that in the middle of your family, the food, the oodles and oodles of gifts (or lack of them) that there is ONE who has something greater for you.  Our Jesus makes this whole life worthwhile.

Merry Christmas.

eleventh

On the eleventh day of Christmas my TRUE LOVE gave to me ELEVEN PIPERS PIPING!

The gifts that my TRUE LOVE sent to me in the final four days are often reordered in the earlier versions of the song (Maybe carolers had too much egg nogg?) For example, the pipers used to be on the ninth day rather than the eleventh and in some versions, there are bells ringing, bulls a-beating, and asses racing on the last four days!  Since I grew up (as most Americans did) singing it in this order, let’s proceed as if there are no discrepancies, shall we?

On the eleventh day of Christmas I always imagined ELEVEN PIPERS as men with shiny flutes – running around with tights and brightly colored shoes, trying not to run into the TEN LORDS A-LEAPING.  Instead, in France (as in all of Europe) the “pipes” were bagpipes – played by strong men who walked purposefully together in formation – drowning out any other sound around them.  In the 1700’s pipers were men of good will, respected and never silenced.

ELEVEN PIPERS PIPING symbolizes the ELEVEN FAITHFUL APOSTLES. 

Jesus chose 12 men to have as his closest followers.  We call them  “the Apostles” (the Greek translation “apostolos” means “one who is sent out”).  He sent them out in pairs to heal the sick, raise the dead and tell the good news to the Jews that there is such a thing as a Messiah and God had not forgotten them.  When he was most popular, the Apostles saw Jesus enter Jerusalem on a colt with people shouting and worshiping and waving palm branches.  A week later, Jesus exited Jerusalem carrying a cross on his back, whipped within an inch of His life – on His way to be executed.  One of his own 12 Apostles (Judas Iscariot) turned Him over to the ones who wanted to kill him – the Sanhedrin. 

After the betrayal and consequent crucifixion of Jesus, the Apostles lay low, hoping to stay out of trouble (this is even after the resurrection –and ascension of Jesus Christ).  One day, the Holy Spirit came in the Upper room where they were staying and entered like a freight train – tongues of fire resting on the heads of the eleven remaining apostles. 

After this day (Pentecost) the Apostles went out boldly, preaching and evangelizing and telling the good news of Jesus Christ in power.  It is said that the early church held true to the Apostles teaching (Acts 2:42) and God added daily to those who were being saved (Acts 2:47).

The Apostles knew Jesus before the Holy Spirit came; they weren't wimps, they were real men.  After The Holy Spirit filled them, they became loud and fearless.  Like soldiers with new life breathed into them, they marched in formation and spread the good news of Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  The threat of being executed like their teacher was still there; they no longer feared it.  All besides John were martyred (even Peter, who had previously denied Christ, was crucified upside down).

The ELEVEN FAITHFUL APOSTLES with their brazen message were like ELEVEN PIPERS PIPING.

It is in the tradition of the Apostles that we trumpet the Gospel of Jesus Christ, especially at Christmas.  PLAY on, church!  Remember our message is real and powerful and when we march in formation, no one can shut us up!

ELEVEN PIPERS PIPING – make way for the Gospel!

tenth

At the end of this post will be a secret that I’ll tell you about this day – the TENTH DAY or Christmas.  My TRUE LOVE gave to me….TEN LORDS A-LEAPING!!

In the 1700’s a Lord was a landowner, or a local governor.  Because of the system in Europe in the 1700’s (the time the song was written), the reference to LORDS A-LEAPING would be easy for people-even children- to understand.

The Lords made the rules.  They controlled the moral universe of all they owned.  In France there certainly was a lot of land suitable for farming, but farming families could only keep a portion of what was grown – the rest belonged to the LORD that owned it. 

With this “leftover feudal system” farming families were used to surrendering the work of their hands – hoping for the Lord to be in a good mood the day the harvest was divided.  A good lord shared the abundance with the laboring masses; a greedy lord would be stingy, even after a bountiful harvest . 

The song- implies that TEN LORDS A-LEAPING were ten lords in a very good mood (!).  TEN LORDS A-LEAPING signifies the TEN COMMANDMENTS.

As European Lords established the law in their own jurisdictions, the TEN COMMANDMENTS (Ex. 20:3-17) establish a firm set of laws to live by:

1. “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.

2. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

3. “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

4. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

5. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

6. “You shall not murder.

7. “You shall not commit adultery.

8. “You shall not steal.

9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

At first glance, these TEN COMMANDMENTS don’t look like TEN LORDS A-LEAPING, do they? After all, they are God’s Holy Law and breaking any one of them (even slightly) makes us guilty in God’s eyes, and therefore worthy of eternal punishment. 

Damn.

The legal standing of law seems harsh, but it is only as harsh as God requires.  One sin is as bad as another?  Yes.  Lying is as bad as murder?  Yes (even though the consequences are not the same).  Breaking even a very small law makes you a law-breaker, and therefore a sinner (Gal. 3:10-12).  Can this law bring life to us?  Absolutely NOT.

Is the law (the TEN COMMANDMENTS) opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not!  But really, the law was never given to God’s people to impart life.  If it were, we would have never needed a savior!  We could have become righteous just by keeping the TEN COMMANDMENTS! 

God’s WORD declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin.  So, from the beginning of time, God promised a better way - Jesus Christ.  Until He came, the Law was in charge of what was right or wrong (and we were all busy breaking it).  So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law!! 

Now THAT is a reason to LEAP!!  We’re free from SIN because of Jesus’ sacrifice.  If you look back over your shoulder, you’ll see that the TEN COMMANDMENTS speak of a coming freedom (TEN LORDS A-LEAPING) in Christ.  As our Messiah, HE fulfilled the Law.

Now I will tell you a secret:  On Christmas Eve, our family sings Christmas Carols and I play the guitar.  Our favorite carol is the Twelve Days of Christmas, mainly because we all sing and act them out.  My Dad (Jack) leads us – and is especially funny when he does “TEN LORDS A-LEAPING”.  He kicks one leg out to the side and jumps in the air about a foot.  The man is eighty and he still does TEN LORDS A-LEAPING better than any other hack in this world.  It makes us all shriek with laughter!!  (If you look at the picture closely, it's my father's face in the Ten Lords A-leaping)

Really, you haven’t lived until you sing the Twelve Days of Christmas with my family.  It is truly wonderful!

Blessings!!

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.

My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.

Psalm 28:7

ninth

In “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, our TRUE LOVE gives us live gifts from days one through four for new life.  On day five, our TRUE LOVE seals it with a sign of covenant – FIVE GOLD RINGS.  From day six until the day twelve, our TRUE LOVE sends a series of action gifts.   

On the NINTH DAY of Christmas, my TRUE LOVE gave to me…NINE LADIES DANCING!

There is nothing – and I mean nothing- that livens up a party more than dancing.  Music, movement, and joy signifies celebration!  Tradition holds that NINE LADIES DANCING symbolizes the nine FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:

 “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”  (Galatians 5:22,23)

Take a look at that!  The fruit of the Holy Spirit is what comes out of us – if God is alive in us!

I used to see the FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT as a list: “This is what I need to have in order for me to be a good Christian girl.”  I strived for years to have love (which was kind of easy, until I came across someone I didn't like at all…), joy (also easy - if I was in a good mood), peace (almost impossible as a mother of 4 children), patience (I’d have more if everyone else would move their ass), kindness (telemarketers didn’t count, I had permission to be horrid to them), goodness (*cricket, cricket*), faithfulness (I was pretty good with that one…until I wasn't), gentleness (I have never been great at “gentle”), and self control (with my compulsive nature, I never had much self-control). 

After years of striving, I decided maybe it was a good idea to stay indoors and keep away from people…  I was severely deficient.

There is a scene in Cinderella (the Disney cartoon I’m supposed to hate as a feminist) when the poor step daughter is stripped of the chance to go to the ball and meet the handsome prince.  Cinderella’s step-sisters tear at her jewelry and clothes until she is standing in rags, unable to be seen in public.  As she has a good, hysterical cry in the garden, her fairy godmother comes along, waves her magic wand and clothes Cinderella in a gown, transforms an ordinary pumpkin and mice into a coach and horses and sends her off to the ball. 

I’ve always loved that part of the story.  After all, Cinderella deserved to go to the ball and her awful step-sisters didn’t.  At the ball, Cinderella dances with the handsome Prince Charming and they fall in love on the dance floor.

BAM!

Of course, it’s a weak comparison – but it reminds me of the power of Holy Spirit transformation.  Once I surrendered to God, I admitted that my own efforts weren’t good enough (Eph. 2:1-5) and only Jesus could make it possible for me to be with Him.  Instead of a magic wand, Jesus held the real power of transformation.  When someone surrenders their life to Jesus, they are given a living gift – God’s Holy Spirit, alive inside of them.  Out of that life comes LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS and SELF-CONTROL ! 

Just like that, any ragamuffin can be outfitted to go to the ball. 

Receiving the life of the Holy Spirit isn’t the result of our lame efforts.  It doesn’t reflect any super-Christian abilities or intelligent choices.  It is the result of an exchanged heart – here is my old, broken one; thank you for Your perfect, beautiful one!  This exchange is made possible by our benevolent lover, who accepts our surrender and gives us His Spirit.  It is the Holy Spirit alive inside of us that bears fruit – the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. 

 God’s One and Only Holy Spirit lives inside of us and comes out – brightening the world as a result.  In truth, our TRUE LOVE wants to bring us joy so much that He includes the party!

Let’s celebrate with those NINE LADIES DANCING!  As somber as some try to make it, the Christian life is alive and there are many opportunities to dance!  The best part is, we don’t have to be home by midnight! 

Thank you, Jesus!

eighth

On the EIGHTH DAY of Christmas, my true love gave to me EIGHT MAIDS-A-MILKING.  It is suggested to us that the eight maids represent the BEATITUDES from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  THE BEATITUDES are named thus because of the Latin noun beatitudo which means "happiness". 

How does a maid ( a young girl) milking a cow remind us of these BEATITUDES? 

 My mother grew up on a farm and as far back as she can remember, machines were being used to milk cows.  A heifer makes so much milk that even when she gives birth to two calves at a time, she would never be relieved of her load.  The milking has to be done early in the morning, and if it’s done by hand it can take a long time.  So, a milk maid (in the 1700’s)was a humble position, a job that few would envy.

Jesus knew all about humility.  Early in His public ministry, He was followed by a multitude of people hoping to hear him teach, be fed, have a miraculous healing.  The Sermon on the Mount took place in a remote wilderness, where Jesus used the time to encourage His apostles.  He taught them to think differently about the people that followed Him – and themselves.  This simple teaching remains to be one of the most powerful (and quoted) sermons to this day:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
 Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
 Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  (Matthew 5:3-12)

Jesus' teaching that day is sobering, considering how all of the apostles would all die.  With the exception of John, they would be martyrs, killed for their faith.  Jesus encouraged them to count it a blessing rather than a failure.

I have never measured strength by humility until I was born again in Jesus Christ.  He reminds me that if I'm in Him, I don’t have to fight for everything – it will all be given to me.  Humility recognizes that there is no such thing as losing when we are in Christ.  He knows our sufferings and He encourages us that no matter how lowly our station is, He will exalt us.

The gift of EIGHT MAIDS-A-MILKING assures us that our TRUE LOVE sees what we think no one can.