Blog Archives

A YEAR OF DELIGHT

12/28/2012

Today we take one last look at our word for the year…DELIGHT.

“The Lord your God is with you…He will take great delight in you…He will calm you with His love…He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17 The Message

Ironically, this past year brought to our nation's doorstep some startling events that are certainly less than delightful...hurricane Sanday, Sandy Hook school, Aurora Cinema, Clackamas Mall, lack of expected economic recovery - just to name a few.  As challenging as these are, it is the first line of our "delight" scripture for the year that offers us both comfort and hope...

                                               The Lord your God is with you...

What a reassuring word for us during the changing times of 2012!  The second line of our scripture tells us that God not only stays near us but delights in being with us - preferring us - finding joy in our presence!

.                                      He will take great delight in you...

The next line carries with it the calm we all long for bringing it to us on the wings of His forever love...

                                       He will calm you with His love...

Finally, He reminds us that He is not only always with us, enjoying our presence and surrounding us with His calming love but He tells the whole world about it by singing our praises.

                                       He will rejoice over you with singing.

Our response to these great promises from our Creator is then, to delight in Him by...
                                      TRUSTING in His presence
                                      BASKING in His delight
                                      LIVING in His calming love
                                      SINGING His praises wherever we go

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 NIV

This completes the circle...He delights in us and we delight in Him! No matter what life brings, we can rest assured of our Lord's delight in us...

As for the saints the earth, “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” Psalm 16:3 NKJV

Blessings...excellent one, as you delight in our Lord and He delights in you!

NOTE: Watch for 2013"s WORD FOR THE YEAR to be announced next Friday!

©2012 SPORTMOMS & MORE 2012 | 11964 Elemar - Portland, OR 97224

HOW SILENTLY

12/18/2012

The warm lights of Christmas silently find their way through the winter snow. HOW SILENTLY a lone porch light welcomes the way to a friend’s door. Silence…the absence of sound that speaks volumes.

DEAFENING  SILENCE carries deep meaning without words. The Psalmist, David, speaks of the silent lessons of day and night…
Their words aren’t heard, their voices aren’t recorded, but their silence fills the earth
- unspoken truth is spoken everywhere. Psalm 19:3-4 The Message

DELIBERATE SILENCE blocks unwanted distractions.
(There is) a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak… Ecclesiastes 3:7 KJV

“Silence can be valuable - don’t break it unless you can improve on it.” (unknown)

DEDICATED SILENCE honors God.
But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.
Habakkuk 2:20 KJV

The silence of a manager is the porch light welcoming us to the heart of God…

                                 How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given!
                                                    So God imparts to human hearts
                                                       the blessings of His heaven.

Blessings…as your heart is touched with the silent blessings of God’s heaven.

©2012 SPORTMOMS & MORE | 11964 Elemar -Portland, OR 97224

ULTIMATE ROAD TRIP

12/14/2012

Road trips are a part of sport life. The going away together as a team creates collective cohesiveness, solidarity of purpose and uninterrupted interaction time. These are necessary components in establishing a viable team spirit both on and off the court or field. Without a road trip experience the team effort can be compromised.

The Christmas story tells of another road trip that took unparalleled team effort and could not be compromised. It is the one that Joseph and Mary took from Nazareth to Bethlehem…

He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. Luke 2:4-5 NLT

Mary and Joseph’s road trip was 80 miles long…not an easy one for a soon- to-be mommy! No Garden Inns along the way, no air-conditioned automobile – a donkey would have to do, and no available lodging when they arrived except, of course, a barnyard (aka: stable). Since the trip took about a week, it was no small feat…but it had to be done … Uncle Sam said so!

Then there was the ULTIMATE ROAD TRIP. It was itaken by the baby boy born to Mary in the stable that night and it had to be done … God himself was sending him. Leaving His home at the right hand of God his Father, Jesus traveled to this earth from his heavenly home to be born as a human.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

So the Son of God entered this world...the ULTIMATE ROAD TRIP that marked God’s love reaching down to touch you and to me.

The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem… Luke 2:11

“Still today, after two thousand years, patiently, lovingly, Christ is reaching out to us…right through the chaos of our world, through the confusion of our minds, He is reaching…” Gloria Gaither

The ULTIMATE ROAD TRIP brought God himself to walk among us, to die in our place, and return “home” again to prepare a place for us in our forever home with him.

“...I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:2&3 KJV

Are your bags packed? Because Christ came, we can finish our journey here by joining Him in in our eternal home … our ULTIMATE ROAD TRIP.

Blessings…as you journey "home".

Click below to view th view a kid's view of this road trip.

©2012 SPORTMOMS & MORE | 11964 Elemar - Portland, OR

THEN AND NOW...

12/11/2012

How things look to us today looked very different "back then". Clothes are an obvious illustration of then and now marking the trends of the time...long to short, bright colors to neutrals, prints to plain...all with the same intent - to be worn.

Communication then carried the same intent as it does now but expressed in very different ways using unusual words, expressions and delivery styles that baffle us. Back then my grandfather could be heard saying, "Let's get this shindig over!" while the now-generation of the 70's said, " Let's blow this joint!"...both with the same intent - it was time to leave.

The THEN AND NOW applies to sports as well. For instance…baseball uniforms have gone from long to short while basketball’s have gone from short to long. Original football helmets were very small but now they cover and protect all parts of the head. Then...a football coach ran the plays from the sideline with loud and penetrating voice and wig wagging hand signs. Now... they don headphones, microphones, and other communication devices to interact with coaches including speakers in the player's helmets. Even though they may look different, both the "then" and the "now" carry the same purpose - to play the game.

The Christmas Story is no exception to the THEN AND NOW experience. Then it was told from generation to generation by word of mouth and recorded on original pen and ink manuscripts... this would become our Holy Bible. Now we now see the Luke 1 account come to life on the pages of many versions of the Bible and in endless Bible story books. We still read it to our children, passing the basic story on from our favorite version of the Bible.

Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. Joel 1:3 NIV

We also tell the awesome story of our Savior's birth using media...DVD's, film clips, and the
computer. Below you can enjoy The Digital Story of the Nativity - the "now" version.

Blessings... as you experience the same message of glad tidings and great joy as they did back then!

CHRISTMAS BLING

12/7/2012

Christmas bling is everywhere! It lights up our houses, our trees, our street lights and our shopping malls including projected and moving snowflakes reflected on the walls!  All of these announce that Christmas is here and signify that we are in the Christmas spirit…or are we?

This season can bring on thick clouds of gloom and disappointment. Whether it is something we experienced and didn’t want to happen or something we didn’t experience but wanted to happen, it can put us into the wintery mode that Mr. Tunmnus complains about in The Chronicles of Narnia…

(It is) “always winter and never Christmas.” C.S. Lewis

As sportmoms, we know that after a tough loss players can become enveloped in lightless gloom.  Each has their own way of responding which may include turning up the iPod or turning it down, talking incessantly or not talking at all, eating triple portions of whatever or not eating anything. Coaches also have their preferred ways of handling the disappointing results.  My husband has gone from a simple “I don’t want to talk about it…ever” to a “I think I’ll take a very long walk on a very short pier” attitude. Neither extreme really happens…nevertheless the lights of hope remain off for awhile.

“Rejected light is the parent of the densest darkness, and the man who, having the light,
does not trust it, piles around himself thick clouds of obscurity and gloom.”   Alexander MacLaren, Scottish pastor

“Why are you cast down, O my soul?” The remedy was clear: “Hope in God, for I shall yet
praise Him for the help of His countenance.” Psalm 42:5

Is it merely Christmas bling or does it promise more? There is more…much more!

“While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. .
. . I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should
not abide in darkness.” Jesus (as recorded in John 12:36,46)

Let's choose to brighten the corner where we are with the light of Christ that is within us. Each light, shining brightly, brings hope out of darkness…and altogether they make a great light – the bling that changes the world!

May the bling of Christmas lights be a forever reminder to keep our hearts open to the Light of the World - our Savior - who came as a babe in a manger to end our darkness.

Blessings…as you light your world with hope-filled Christmas Bling.

©2012 SPORTMOMS & MORE | 11964 Elemar -Portland, OR 97224

THE SHEER DELIGHT OF CHRISTMAS!

12/4/2012

Squeals of delight echo throughout houses on every street in every town across our nation as we prepare for Christmas. Lists are being made with wide-eyed expectancy of the SHEER DELIGHT they will bring on Christmas morning. Those that are hoped for often carry more excitement when the gift is opened than the unexpected ones not on any list.

Preparing for a new sport season offers that same expectation.  After days and weeks of intense practice time for the games comes bringing SHEER DELIGHT to both coaches and players as their team fulfills the hopes that have been set before them.

The Christmas Story is filled with early-on expressions of SHEER DELIGHT. Here are some highlights:

ISAIAH'S SHEER DELIGHT as he proclaimed that one would announce in the wilderness....
"Prepare the way for the Lord. Make the road straight for him." Isaiah 40:3 NCV

ZACHARIAH’S SHEER DELIGHT when an “Angel of God” came to him with the news that his wife, Elizabeth, who had been unable to conceive a much-wanted child, would give him a son…
But the angel reassured him, “Don’t fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John. You’re going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you but many will delight in his birth. He’ll achieve great stature with God. Luke 1:12 The Message

ELIZABETH’S SHEER DELIGHT at Mary’s greeting...
...the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out       exuberantly…and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 1: 41 NLT

THE UNBORN BABY’S SHEER DELIGHT at the sound of Mary’s voice as reported by Elizabeth...
The moment the sound of your greeting entered my ears, the babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy. Luke 1:41 The Message

HEAVEN’S SHEER DELIGHT as this baby grew to be known as John the Baptist who not only announced from the wilderness that Jesus was the Christ but also baptized God's long-awaited Son...and the world heard from heaven!
“This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”   Matthew 3:17 NLT

May SHEER DELIGHT be yours from the portals of heaven as we adore Jesus Christ our Savior!

©2012 SPORTMOMS & MORE | 11964 Elemar - Portland, OR 97224

About the Author...
JANET BROWN

As a veteran coach's wife, Janet invites you to join her in "Changing the world for Christ...one athlete at a time".Through the language of sports and life experiences, Janet uniquely exposes the character of God and His desire for "sportmoms" to WIN BIG in life. Her behind-the-bench view invites us into a world of triumphant wins and tragic personal loss.

LIFE EXPERIENCE

From being a mother of 2 to a spiritual mom to many, the road of life for Janet includes these hallmarks:

- Gave her "heart to Jesus" at 6 years old
.
- Studied Education/ Psychology at a Christian College

- Enjoyed earning her wings and flying as a Flight Attendant

- Is the wife of Coach Dave Brown since 1967.

- Involved in ministry to women for 30+ years including: Retreat Facilitator and speaker, Bible Study leader, National Women's Ministry Leader

- Held an executive position in the corporate world for 35 years.

- Developed and taught Pre-married and Marriage classes with her husband for 12 years.

Currently is a writer, grandmother to 4 and a coach's wife.