Advent Devotional 12-17-25

Just Waiting

On my family room table sits a digital picture frame that rotates family photos from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sometimes I just stop what I am doing and watch my life and the lives of those whom I love most flash before me.

I love those pictures. My husband, Don, and I shot many of them, and I chose the rest from my parents’ albums. Some make me homesick for those who are no longer with us while others remind me that time is flying by too quickly. I would be hard - pressed to pick out a favorite picture, but there is one that always takes my breath away. I call it “Just Waiting.”

This particular snapshot shows my granddaughter, Ruby, when she was about eight months old.  She had crawled to a bedroom door; she could hear her older brother Landon playing on the other side. The door was closed, and since she had not yet learned to knock, she sat there waiting for her playmate/teacher/partner-in-crime to emerge.  She did not cry or give up.  She just waited.

Just waited? Who today sits and waits for anything?  We live in a society that makes fun of people, phones, TVs, or cars that do not do something at the speed of light. I get out of sorts if my hamburger takes too long to emerge from Wendy’s drive-thru window. If the Kroger cashier takes too much time talking to the person in front of me, my blood pressure rises.  And if my phone rings while I am driving, I pull into a parking lot to take an all-important call. Waiting is not my thing.

How glad I am that God is not like me! How thankful I am that he loved us enough to wait. He created us and waited for us to love him. He sent people to tell us about him and waited for us to love him. He loved us unconditionally and waited for us to love him. Finally he loved us so much that he sent his son who would show us how to love his heavenly father and each other.

How about Ruby? Did her waiting pay off or was it a big waste of time?  I don’t know when Landon came out of the bedroom, nor do I know if he played with her as she so desperately wanted. It didn’t matter.  The love she felt for him that day was evident in the picture. And God?  Did his waiting pay off? As we celebrate the loveliest of seasons, we should remember how much we are loved. I just hope we were worth it.

This beautiful hymn, written by Charles Wesley, makes a wonderful prayer. Sing it, say it, or think it. God is waiting to hear from you.

Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;|
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.  |
Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.

Amen

Becky Warren

Advent Devotional 12-3-25

 Am I Good or What?

On November 15, 2025, I stopped in Walgreen’s of Barboursville to pick out a birthday card for my granddaughter, Ruby Lewis. On November 16, she would be SWEET SIXTEEN! I had looked at every card, including the ones especially made for a sixteen-year-old, but nothing was written in my voice. Those of you who know me are wondering if such cards exist. I assure you they do, and I found one! The front of the card read, “On the day that you were born, God looked down from Heaven and said, (open the card) ‘AM I GOOD OR WHAT?’ Happy Birthday!” I laughed, grabbed the matching envelope, and put them both in the shopping cart.

You may not think that the card was that cute, but to me, it was perfect! You see, like any grandparent, I am sure that those were the exact words God said on the day that Ruby was born. And the day that Landon was born. And the day that little Jesse was born. We all think that God was pleased at the birth of our babies and grandbabies. But if that is true, doesn’t He think that about all children? I am pretty sure there was a time when I was not convinced.

One of my first teaching assignments in the 1970s was in a rural school in West Virginia. I was newly married, driving over an hour to get to work, and not making a ton of money. I was upset that some children would come to school in dirty clothes, unbathed, and sometimes with lice or scabies. Like many people, I did not understand why these families lived in poor conditions, ate unhealthy food, and did not take care of their children. Didn’t they get welfare checks? Didn’t they get free medical care? (Are there no workhouses? Are there no prisons?)

It was only after I became responsible for children, bills, a job, a house, and indignities of my own (Please do not turn the water off! I have two babies in diapers!) that I understood just a little bit of what my students and their parents had suffered. It took me over forty years to quit complaining and see how lucky I was to have been raised by Ruby and John Wright, my brothers, Jim and Bert, and my church family at Johnson Memorial United Methodist. I never missed a meal, never missed a bath, never wanted for clean clothes, never went without a birthday cake, never wondered how I would go to college, and never doubted that I was loved. I have never doubted that on the day I was born, God said, Am I good, or or what? I know that God is good all the time!

Prayer: Holy God, John said that he baptized those who had changed their hearts and lives. Please make us worthy to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Let us be trees that produce good fruit. Jesus taught us what that looks like. Amen

Becky Warren

Advent Devotional 12-21-24

The Biltmore Connection

During the Fall of 2018, my partner, Jon Parlier, suggested we go to Ashville, NC, to visit the Biltmore, the eight-thousand-acre estate of George Vanderbilt, son of shipping and railroad magnate, Cornelius Vanderbilt. Jon had gone to school in Ashville but had never visited the estate.  We decided to drive down on Christmas Eve, tour the home on Christmas Day, and drive back the next day.

On Christmas Eve, we left early, arrived at noon, and toured the village. Before going to dinner, we decided to attend the Christmas Eve service at Biltmore United Methodist Church.  The service was beautiful, but by the time it ended, we were famished! The restaurants we had planned on visiting had closed, but there in the distance was a brightly lit McDonald’s sign!  As we pulled into the parking lot, the sign went dark! McDonald’s had closed, and because it was Christmas Eve, almost everything else had closed, too. 

We found one open gas station. There we grabbed two gas station frozen burritos, some chips, and two Cokes. That food, zapped in a microwave, would be our Christmas Eve feast! The next day, we toured the beautiful Biltmore and drove home.  We had enjoyed a wonderful trip! 

Recently I ran across the bulletin from that Christmas Eve service. I wondered if Biltmore UMC had fared well during Tropical Storm Helene.  When I Googled it, a posting informed me that the church was permanently closed.  As I researched further, I found that Helene was not the cause.

A newspaper article from 2021 said that the church was selling its building and moving to a building which housed a mortuary and crematorium.  Their Facebook page said they became a Reconciling Ministry in 2022. Somewhere along the way, they joined forces with Wellspring Congregation and became Biltmore Village Cooperative Parish. Lucy B. Robbins is still their pastor and her on-line sermons continue to be filled with joy.

I am writing about this so that churches in similar circumstances can learn to be less fearful. Biltmore UMC gave up their big building because they decided that the people were the church, not the building. Then they decided God’s grace was for everyone. In addition, they have loved and have been loved by their female pastor who did not forsake her congregation.

I am thankful that Jon and I spent that Christmas Eve with such a loving congregation. I am thankful that we were not there to see the beginning of the end of Biltmore United Methodist Church but the advent of a congregation that continues to evolve. 

Prayer: 
Dear God, your church continues to evolve just as this race of humans does the same.  Ease our fears as we find ourselves in unfamiliar territory. Let us look to congregations such as Biltmore UMC for guidance. Bless them and keep them safe as they traverse a different path. Amen

Becky Wright Warren

Advent Devotional 12-5-24

For the past thirty-five years, it has been my honor to be part of the teaching rotation for the Johnson Memorial Koinonia Sunday School Class.  Recently my lesson fell on All Saints’ Day, a day set aside to remember faithful church members who had passed away in the previous year.

Instead of reaching for the Cokesbury teacher’s manual, I gathered the twenty-five Advent Devotional Project booklets (1999 – 2023) and began my “saint search.” I had an idea for a game called Name That Saint. I read through the booklets and chose five devotionals to be used in the game. 

At the beginning of class, I explained that I would share a devotional written in the past twenty-five years by one of JM’s saints. Class members were to listen carefully and guess the writer’s name. 

When I had finished reading the first devotional from the 1999 booklet, I asked if anyone could Name That Saint. Because my class members are very smart, and some have grown up in this church, guessing was not as hard as one might think. What we enjoyed most were the wonderful comments made about each person. I had known each of the saints, but hearing about their lives from those who knew them better made their stories come alive.

My class and I felt Jan Thornton’s empathy and frustration in her story about coming to the aid of a homeless man found sleeping in the Thornton barn. We shared the joy Jean Dean found in her studies of piano and voice. We will forever think of Joan Gardner as a young Mary dressed in her blue satin robe and singing “Away in the Manger.”  We also admired Dorothy Turner-Lacy even more after reading “Straighten Up and Fly Right.” And we were amazed but not surprised when Jean Modlin, President of the Marshall Faculty Wives Club, let go of her fear and let God work through her and others during the Christmas season after the Marshall Plane Crash on November 14, 1970.

I know that it seems strange to be talking about saints in an Advent devotional. Advent means arrival. Advent signifies the beginning. But what is special is that saints have already had their advents and their departures. They learned by watching others and practicing. They passed on much of that information. They were loved and returned that love. And sometimes they wrote about their lives. During this Advent season, take time to remember those who are no longer with you. Share with others your memories. Pass on a favorite recipe. Share a favorite joke. Do not forget to Name That Saint!

Prayer: 
Dear God, this is the 25th Anniversary of the Johnson Memorial Devotional Project. Thank you for your love and support. Thank you for inspiration. Thank you for each person who has shared and/or read devotionals. And thank you for Kim Matthews. She has been devoted to this project for twenty-five years. In Your name I pray. Amen

Becky Warren

Devotion - December 14, 2023

A Legacy of Hope

It’s hard to believe, but here we are in the first week of Advent, a week signifying Hope, and boy, are we in need of it! If you are waking each morning ready to have that first cup of coffee with your favorite newscast, only to be bombarded with the horrors of war, abuse, disrespect, and desperation, then you and I have much in common. In this season of hope, why does everything seem so hopeless?

When that feeling takes over, this Baby Boomer begins to tell the stories of old – the 1950s – when life was wonderful, every Christmas was snowy, and there was joy throughout the land! Only it wasn’t that way everywhere, and it probably wasn’t really that way in Huntington, WV, where I grew up! I did have a very happy childhood, and I’ve written about it time and again, but I know from friends, family, and history books that such was not the case for everyone.

Many of my best memories include my brothers, Jim and Bert Wright, who also grew up attending Johnson Memorial Methodist Church. Whenever my brothers and I gathered and told stories, the love of family and home was evident, and laughter came easily. But tears also came easily in early September when my brother Jim lost his six-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. His life was celebrated in North Carolina on October 1, 2023.  It would be up to me to carry his candle to Johnson Memorial’s altar in Huntington on All Saints’ Day Sunday. 

I was honored to participate, happy that my partner, Jon Parlier, carried a candle for my dear friend, Charlie Lewis, and proud that my family came to stand in honor of Uncle Jim. As the participants processed down the aisle, pictures of the saints flashed on the screen, and the choir sang softly. Then Pastor Annette gave a moving sermon; it was a beautiful service.

That evening my grandchildren, Landon and Ruby Lewis, spent the night at my house. I brought up the morning’s service, thinking they would talk about it being extra-long or boring! I mean, they are teenagers! I was pleasantly surprised when Ruby said it was very nice – with no sarcasm! Then Landon quietly said that seeing all of the pictures on the screen made him think of those who had passed on and what they meant to everyone. It made him think of his own legacy. What will he leave behind? For a seventeen-year-old to ask that left me speechless.

And what will my legacy be? Today I decided to be more intentional to that end. As the world celebrates the coming of the baby Jesus, I want to project a happier, more hopeful demeanor. If you are struggling with feelings of hopelessness, join me in an attitude reset! I am going to begin with John Wesley’s Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help me to do all the good I can, by all the means I can, in all the ways I can, in all the places I can, at all the times I can, to all the people I can, as long as ever I can.      Amen

Becky Warren

Devotional 12-11-22

 A Blessed Arrival 

advent- the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event ‘

Note* The dates and timeline of this story could be completely wrong, but it is how I remember it six years later.  

On Christmas Day, 2015, a fire broke out in the sanctuary of Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church. Luckily the flames were extinguished quickly, but not before smoke had damaged the sanctuary and its contents, including the massive pipe organ! It would be a year before we would be able to hold a service in the sanctuary. During that time, two events would change my life. First would be the arrival of Terry Deane, JM’s first female senior pastor. The second would be the death of Don Warren, my husband of forty-one years. 

When Don contracted metastasized kidney cancer in the summer of 2016, we knew the prognosis was not good. By late October, the end was near. It was then that I could see that he was filled with anguish and fear. He said that he was sorry for things he had done and was afraid that God would be angry with him. I tried to ease his mind, but he did not believe me, so as he slipped into a coma, I called Pastor Terry. When she arrived, she took his hand in hers and softly whispered to him that everything was going to be all right. “Don’t be afraid, Don. Jesus loves you and forgives you.” Don never regained consciousness, but I felt in my heart that he had heard her and knew that she was his advocate. It was for that reason that my daughters and I were happy to have her to narrate his Celebration of Life five days later. 

 As the years went by, Pastor Terry and the congregation grew to love one another. I was especially happy to have someone to talk to “woman to woman”! Terry shared my joy when I began to date again, she counseled me when I opened up about my survivor’s guilt, and when that boyfriend I talked about had two heart attacks and congestive heart failure in October, she checked on him and me every day! 

During the last few years, our congregation has weathered a pandemic; managed another major renovation and clean out of the church; and begun on-line church services. Terry did not shy away from Zoom meetings and YouTube sermons even though I suspect they made her a little uncomfortable! The result is a church where on-line services, Bible studies, and concerts are the norm! Yes, she had plenty of help to set up the new technology, but she also knew the time had arrived to reach those who could not come to the church building. 

Recently our congregation learned that Pastor Terry Deane will be stepping down to spend time with her family! During this Advent Season when we are celebrating the arrival of the Christ Child and the lessons He would later teach, let us remember to thank all who spend their lives sharing His message and who arrive to help us in our time of need.

Becky Warren

Devotional 11-30-21

 Please read Philippians 1:3-11, Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi.

This is my prayer: that your love might become even more and more rich with knowledge and all kinds of insight.  I pray this so that you will be able to decide what really matters and so you will be sincere and blameless on the day of Christ. I pray that you will then be filled with the fruit of righteousness, which comes from Jesus Christ, in order to give glory and praise to God.

Change isn’t easy. For thirty-nine years, I taught English and social studies to middle school students. As teaching tools changed from blackboards and chalk to computers and smart boards, I was forced to change with them! When my students would tease me with the adage, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” I would counter with the idea that we “old dogs” couldn’t be taught new tricks because we already knew ALL of them! One thing I did know for certain. Keeping up with constant change was going to be rough on this old dog! 

My mother had lost her battle with cancer in 1997; nothing could change that, but someone who helped me navigate changes in my life was my friend, Sunday school classmate, fellow chorister, and mother confessor, Mary Dial!  Mary and I had not always been close, but when she was in a collision and needed a ride to church, I offered to give her a lift! After all, she lived two blocks from my house, and the arrangement would be only until she got her car back! 

Then she decided it would be best if she didn’t drive anymore! That was really hard on her because she was used to coming and going when she wanted. It was extremely hard on me because I was used to coming and going when I wanted! But she needed me. Little did I know that I needed her, too. 

As weeks turned into years, I took the Locust Street, Norway Avenue, Greenoak route to choir practices, church services, Super Bowl parties, Christmas parties, Young at Heart luncheons, and Marshall concerts! But the tradeoff was in the therapy sessions that took place in my car! She would ask how my week was going, and my tirade would begin. She would listen, commiserate, and then quietly talk me off the ledge. 

Eventually I moved from the neighborhood. Mary’s family and the church van drivers took over; there were fewer rides and shorter conversations. Then the isolation of the Covid Pandemic and health concerns kept us apart completely. On November 12, 2021, her daughter, Terrie, was kind enough to message me that Mary had passed away.

I know that this sounds more like a eulogy than a devotional, but Mary was an example of what Advent is all about! She was thankful for all that she had been given! She loved everyone she met from the Walnut Hills bus driver to her great-grandson. I think what impressed me most about Mary was her youthfulness and her ability to keep an open mind. She rarely became “preachy” or judgmental. She loved being with people, learning about them, and listening to them! Just as Paul hoped in the above scripture, she learned that love became richer as she gained knowledge and insight. Then she passed it on to her family and friends. I thank God that I was one.

Dear God, thank you for your son, Jesus Christ. As we enter the season celebrating his birth, help us to remember that we know “the rest of the story,” that the baby will grow into a man whose message is clear: love one another. Thank you also for those who have helped us cope in a changing world and have shared with us love that has become richer through knowledge and insight. We ask this in your name.  Amen

Becky Warren

Devotional 12-21-20

 If Only in My Dreams

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” was written by the Lyricist Kim Gannon and composer Walter Kent and was first recorded in 1943 by Bing Crosby. The song is sung from the point of view of a soldier stationed overseas during World War II, writing a letter to his family. – Wikipedia

Long before I started writing this devotional, that song kept creeping into my thoughts. It’s one of my favorites although it is quite short and somewhat melancholy. The words are simple, to the point, and heart wrenching.

I’ll be home for Christmas.
You can plan on me.
Please have snow and mistletoe
And presents on the tree.

Christmas Eve will find me
Where the lovelight gleams.
I’ll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams.

Like many of you, I grew up in the church and learned so many beautiful Christmas hymns from an early age, but my love of more secular Christmas songs came from listening to the Firestone Christmas Albums of the 1960s. As we trimmed the tree, we sipped hot chocolate and sang along to Bing, Perry Como, and Julie Andrews. That’s probably when I first heard the song and my parents’ explanation about its significance to those who lived through WWII. I think it made my parents sad because it reminded them of those they had lost in the war, but they also remembered the hope it had given them that loved ones would soon be home.

In 2020 we have a different foe. Covid 19 has turned our world upside down. We now wear masks as part of our attire, and some of us have stayed away from family get-togethers and celebrations. By now, most of us know someone who has contracted this terrible disease, and some have even lost friends and family members. You can see why the line “I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams,” might be appropriate for a time when patients who go into the hospital may not come back out right away! 

Why would I write about something so sad during this joyous holiday? I guess I just want us to remember that some of us are not joyous. Some of us don’t have enough to eat. Some of us haven’t had a decent paycheck since March. Some of us have lost everything. And too many will only be home for Christmas in our dreams. 

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for your blessings. Please be with your children who feel so alone and forgotten during this holiday season. I especially ask you to be those who are suffering from illnesses that do not allow a human touch. Let them feel your loving arms around them. And be with those earthly angels we call doctors, nurses, and first responders. They definitely need a heavenly hug. In Your name we pray.

Amen
Becky Warren

Devotional 12-20-19

A Recurring Advent Calendar

Recently my friend and I were walking through Home Goods, one of our favorite places to “window shop,” when we spied some beautiful Advent calendars. We discussed the different shapes and sizes, and the fact that most included some sort of bite-sized candy to be eaten as the countdown to Christmas Day progressed, and little windows were opened to reveal a Christmas picture. We also were a little upset that neither one of us had received an Advent calendar when we were children. I don’t know if we were not worthy or our parents thought that there was already enough sugar being distributed though family gatherings and Christmas parties. As an adult, I did receive a handmade calendar that has been part of my family’s Christmas tradition since 1975.

The many calendars at Home Goods reminded me of a posting that had come across my Facebook page in early October. It came from a website called The Passionate Penny Pincher. The title of the posting was “A Reverse Advent Calendar.” The idea was to place a different food item in a box each day from December first through the twenty-fifth and then take the box to a food pantry or food bank. Instead of taking a piece of candy each day leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ, we would be giving a food item to someone in need.

Right now, some of you are thinking, “That’s a good idea, but it’s the end of December, too late to begin an Advent project. You’re right! But we can do something even better! Let’s make a recurring Advent calendar! Let’s mark the calendar with a checkmark or sticker as we fill the box with one food item each day, and then take the box to a food pantry at the end of every month. We can show our thankfulness for God’s Son by feeding His earthly children. I think He’d like that much better than a Christmas tie.

Below are the lyrics to the song “Thankful,” written by David Foster and Carole Bayer Sager. The words are beautiful by themselves, but take the time to find the song sung by Josh Groban on YouTube or on his CD, Noel. You’ll be thankful that you did.

“Thankful”
Somedays, we forget to look around us.
Somedays, we can’t see the joy that surrounds us.
So caught up inside ourselves,
We take when we should give.
So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be,
And on this day, we hope for
What we still can’t see.
It’s up to us, to be the change,
And even though we all can still do more,
There’s so much to be thankful for.
Amen

Becky Warren

Devotional 12-15-18

Even the Back That Doesn’t Show

Philippians 4:4-7 New International Version (NIV)

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

During World War II, my father, a navy Ensign, was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. As I understand it, he and his men patrolled the eastern seacoast searching for enemy ships. I believe he lived on base, but my mother and brother Bert lived in town with a woman named Josie Matthews. When the war was over, my father, mother, and brother moved back to Huntington, WV, the city where my parents had met. They bought a house at 314 Wilson Court, Jimmy was born in ‘48, and I came along in ‘52.

My parents and Mrs. Matthews stayed in touch. I know this because she sent Christmas presents many times over the years. I thought she was pretty special because she sent them to me even though we had never met. One present in particular, sent in1958, made me so happy that I still have it. It was a spiral bound, pop-up book called The Shiniest Star. It was written by Beth Vardon and illustrated by Charlot Byj.

Three little angels, Crewcut, Pigtails, and Touslehead, were in charge of shining stars. Crewcut and Pigtails were pretty confidant about their abilities and had the stories to prove it. Crewcut’s star had saved some sailors who could not find the shoreline. Pigtails’ star had guided two lost children out of a forest. As far as Touslehead could see, her star hadn’t done anyone any good, but she just kept shining it – “Even the BACK, that doesn’t show!”

Well, you can imagine what happened! There was a great commotion on earth because a special baby was about to be born. Touslehead thought she was in the way, so she took her star to a less populated area. There she saw men on camels.

“It’s the Star that God has promised, Star of Guidance, Star of Love!”

Touslehead thought, “Am I dreaming? It’s MY star they’re speaking of!”

The star led the Magi to the Christ Child, and they all lived happily ever after – in Becky Wright’s five-year-old mind.

Sadly, sixty-five-year-old Becky Wright Warren knows that things are never that simple. We could look at this as a sweet children’s story, but the reading teacher in me is always looking for symbolism to find the author’s deeper meaning. Of course, this author is God. It doesn’t get much deeper than that!

I think the Star of Christmas is Jesus Christ. Like Touslehead and her star, I carry Jesus around with me everywhere. When I’m shining Him, I study, pray, witness, and sing to His glory. When I think I haven’t done enough, when I think I’m “in the desert” by myself, He is still my Star of Guidance, Star of Love.

Philippians 4:4-7 reminds me to rejoice in the Lord, show gentleness to all, and be calm in the knowledge that He is watching out for me. That’s easier said than done. Just in case, my star will be ready when some lost soul (probably me) is looking for the Christ Child. I’ll keep shining it – even the back that doesn’t show!

Please use the following hymn as a prayer of praise. (UMH p.206)

I want to walk as a child of the light.
I want to follow Jesus.
God set the stars to give light to the world.
The star of my life is Jesus.
In him there is no darkness at all.
The night and the day are both alike.
The Lamb is the light of the city of God.
Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.
Amen

Becky Warren

Devotional 12-10-17

advent – noun – the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event

synonyms: arrival, appearance, emergence, materialization, occurrence, dawn, birth, rise, development, coming

I have to level with you. I didn’t think I was going to get this devotional turned in on time. I mean, it was already a week late, but I thought it was going to be – well – not at all. One would think that with sixty-four Christmases under my belt, I could come up with one more story, one more observation, one more something! But as I looked through my previous offerings, I became numb. In other years, I had told you about my family Christmases in the ‘60s, the holidays with my husband and children, stories about my middle school students, the joy of seeing Christmas through grandchildren’s eyes, and then the loneliness of my first Christmas after Don’s death in 2016. I just didn’t want to look back anymore.

Before giving up, I decided to give it one more try. I brainstormed until a theme appeared. Everything I listed had to do with the arrival of someone or the occurrence of an event: my arrival into my family, the occurrence of my marriage, the arrival of my children and grandchildren, and the occurrence of Don’s death. These were all advents of my life that I had already explored.

In addition to those familiar events, I saw that I had listed more recent ones. When friends and family  wouldn’t take no for an answer, I was “forced” to try new activities, join new groups, reconnect with old friends, and make family visits that were long overdue. Later, when someone drove his car through my fence in the middle of the night, an old high school boyfriend came to my rescue, repaired the fence, repaired my truck, repaired my home, and brought joy back into my life.  Those arrivals and occurrences have brought about the advent of my new normal, and while I cherish the memories of my past, I can hardly wait to see what else my heavenly father has in store for me.

If you, too, have been struggling to find the joy of this Advent season, take a few moments to brainstorm the arrivals and occurrences in your life. Then try adding something new. Reconnect with old friends, help out a new charity, take up a new hobby, and smile - a lot - just because you can. The advent of the Christ child was all about trying something new to demonstrate God’s love for us. I can’t wait to see what else your heavenly father has in store for you.

A prayer for today.
“Christ, Be Our Light” by B. Farrell
Many the gifts, many the people,
Many the hearts that yearn to belong.
Let us be servants to one another,
Making your kingdom come.

Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts,
shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light! Shine in your church gathered today.
Amen

Becky Warren

Devotional 12-23-16

When Don and I were twenty-one years old, we decided to marry. I had just received my teaching degree, and he was working for Malcolm Hinshaw, a local builder/contractor. We didn’t have any money saved - I suppose we thought we were going to live on love. I mean wasn’t that what we were told in every movie in the ‘70s?

What’s really funny is that we never STOPPED living on love because he didn’t work as much in the winter, and I didn’t work as much in the summer. But we didn’t do easy. We worked hard, kept to ourselves, and raised a family.

When Don passed away this past November, I realized that we had been living on love and a whole lot more. Our lives were intertwined with hopes, dreams, fear, anticipation, and hard work. We had moved into a house that he had wired, plumbed, and partially dry walled. We were on a two-year plan, and we were right on track when life took a detour.

Today is Friday, December 23, 2016. While the world prepares for the coming of the Christ Child, I am also preparing for a Christmas Day without the love of my life. I do have a constant thought that keeps me from knocking over the Christmas tree and poking holes in beautifully wrapped packages. I know for a fact that God loves me.

How do I know? He has shown me in every wonderful person he put next to Don and me during Don’s battle with cancer. God was in every kind word and gesture that came from the nurses and doctors at St. Mary’s and HIMG. God was in the room when Don and I held each other and cried. God was in every card, message, text, and email that we received from family and friends. He was also the one who convinced my Koinonia Sunday School Class that food was not what we needed. So what did they do? They sent money to be used to pay co-payments and hospital bills. I could also feel God’s hand in the way church family and high school friends would show up in the hospital, at HIMG, at the pharmacy, or in the corner where I had gone to have a meltdown. God was also in the room when we faced the fact that I would be going on alone.

But I’m not alone. God loves me. God loves you. God loves Don, and for that reason, I know that He didn’t take Don’s soul, but was smiling as he received his soul and welcomed him into His Kingdom.

There is a beautiful hymn in the United Methodist Hymnal called “When Love Is Found” (p.643). It says what I’m not able to express. I love that the lyrics were written by Brian Wren in 1978. That was about the time we were thinking about starting a family. I’m pretty sure God was around then, too.

“When Love is Found” ( Sung to the tune of “The River is Wide”)

When love is found and hope comes home,
sing and be glad that two are one.
When love explodes and fills the sky,
praise God and share our Maker’s joy.
When love has flowered in trust and care,
build both each day, that love may dare
to reach beyond home’s warmth and light,
to serve and strive for truth and right.


Praise God for love, praise God for life,
in age or youth, in husband, wife.
Lift up your hearts, let love be fed
through death and life in broken bread.

Amen

Becky Warren

Devotional 12-4-16

“Reach for the Star-Child”

I don’t know about you, but I cannot let the Christmas season go by without watching every version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Yes, I know it was a novel first, and I have read it a few times, but I do occasionally like for Hollywood to do my thinking for me.

Whether my visions are brain or television induced, I have found that one scene has grown in significance to me lately.  When the Ghost of Christmas Present pulls back his robe to reveal the two children hiding there, Ignorance and Want, I feel helpless. What’s more, I think if Dickens were writing his book today, he would have to include a few more children under that robe.

In the hymn “Star Child” by Shirley Murray, we are reminded of all the children who are in need of our help. In 1994, she wrote the lyrics and set it to a beautiful melody by Carlton Young.

C. Michael Hawn wrote an article called “History of Hymns: “Star Child” for the United Methodist website, Discipleship Ministries. He made this observation: “While I do not wish to play Scrooge during this season of wonder and hope, our songs should include those that remind us that there are many among us for whom the joy of Christmas has never been experienced.

All of these children are created in the image of the “Star - Child, earth - Child” of stanza one and the “Hope-for-Peace Child” of stanza five. “This year, let the day arrive,” is a petition for the presence of the “Christ Child” for “everyone alive.”

Let this hymn be a gentle reminder that although we have made great strides by helping Lily’s Place, our Johnson Memorial Backpack Ministry, and the Ebenezer Community Outreach Center, there is more to be done before Christmas comes to everyone alive. Let’s reach for the Star-Child.

 “Star Child” by Shirley Murrays

1)Star-Child, earth-Child,  
Go-between of God,
Love Child, Christ Child,
Heaven’s lightening rod.(Refrain)

2)Street child, beat child,
no place left to go,
hurt child, used child,
no one wants to know (Refrain)

3)Grown child, old child,  
Memory full of years,
Sad child, lost child,
Story told in tears, (Refrain)

4)Spared child, spoiled child,
having, wanting more
wise child, faith child,
knowing joy in store. (Refrain)

5)Hope-for peace Child,                  
God’s stupendous sign,
Down-to-earth Child,  
Star of stars that shine. (Refrain)

Refrain:
This year, this year,
let the day arrive
when Christmas comes for everyone,
everyone alive.

Amen

Becky Warren

Devotional 12-18-15

Be the Change

Hebrews 10:8-10 “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them.” Then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

“That’s not how I’ve always done it,” I catch myself saying often these days. “I don’t think that will work. We’ve already tried that, and it bombed the last time. Why reinvent the wheel?” What are these sentences really saying?  Quit trying to make me______ a different way. The blank may be filled in with read, write, speak, think, learn, behave, or worship. No matter what one puts in the blank, it denotes a resistance to change.

I was never going to be that person. When I listened to oldsters talk like that when I was young, I swore, like many of you, that I would never close my mind to new ideas. I guess that is the catch. Have I convinced myself that there are no new ideas? There is scripture to back up my point of view. Just look at Ecclesiastes 1:9 It says that there is nothing new under the sun. Am I taking that verse out of context? Does it matter? According to many, (not my clergy) whatever is written in the Bible needs no context. I’m not so sure.

You see, that’s what the Jewish priests thought, too. Before Jesus came along, they were the experts, and they knew what God expected His children to do.They knew all about making sacrifices to God - literally. They knew Jewish law and were convinced that God wanted things done a specific way, at a given time, by chosen people. They weren’t evil, but they eventually committed evil acts to keep the status quo. They did not embrace change. Of course, we know the rest of the story; we know that  Jesus was all about change.

Right about now you’re wondering what this has to do with Advent. The word advent means the beginning. Christ’s birth began the Christian religion. Christ’s crucifixion began our salvation. Christ’s resurrection began life everlasting. Christ’s teachings tell me that I need to change my attitude, and I need to begin today.

What about you? Do you need to change your attitude? Offer it up to God. Replace it with love for others. Remember why Jesus was born.

Heavenly Father, our world is in turmoil, and Your people are struggling to hear Your voice. Help us to remember why Your son was born. Now, more than ever, we need to love one another. Surely that will be a change we all can embrace.
Amen

Becky Warren

Devotional 12-3-14

Just Waiting

On my family room table sits a digital picture frame that rotates family photos from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sometimes I just stop what I am doing and watch my life and the lives of those whom I love most flash before me.

I love those pictures. My husband, Don, and I shot many of them, and I chose the rest from my parents’ albums. Some make me homesick for those who are no longer with us while others remind me that time is flying by too quickly. I would be hard - pressed to pick out a favorite picture, but there is one that always takes my breath away. I call it “Just Waiting.”

This particular snapshot shows my granddaughter, Ruby, when she was about eight months old.  She had crawled to a bedroom door; she could hear her older brother Landon playing on the other side. The door was closed, and since she had not yet learned to knock, she sat there waiting for her playmate/teacher/partner-in-crime to emerge.  She did not cry or give up.  She just waited.

Just waited? Who today sits and waits for anything?  We live in a society that makes fun of people, phones, TVs, or cars that do not do something at the speed of light. I get out of sorts if my hamburger takes too long to emerge from Wendy’s drive-thru window. If the Kroger cashier takes too much time talking to the person in front of me, my blood pressure rises.  And if my phone rings while I am driving, I pull into a parking lot to take an all-important call. Waiting is not my thing.

How glad I am that God is not like me! How thankful I am that he loved us enough to wait. He created us and waited for us to love him. He sent people to tell us about him and waited for us to love him. He loved us unconditionally and waited for us to love him. Finally he loved us so much that he sent his son who would show us how to love his heavenly father and each other.

How about Ruby? Did her waiting pay off or was it a big waste of time?  I don’t know when Landon came out of the bedroom, nor do I know if he played with her as she so desperately wanted. It didn’t matter.  The love she felt for him that day was evident in the picture. And God?  Did his waiting pay off? As we celebrate the loveliest of seasons, we should remember how much we are loved. I just hope we were worth it.

This beautiful hymn, written by Charles Wesley, makes a wonderful prayer. Sing it, say it, or think it. God is waiting to hear from you.


Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.  
Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.
Amen

Becky Warren

Devotional 12-16-13

  

Christmas Pictures

When my parents celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary, they had a dinner party and invited friends and family.  My brothers, Jim and Bert Wright, and I decided we would say a few words about how blessed we were to have been born into such a loving household.  

I spoke first; Jimmy added his comments and was followed by my older brother, Bert.  When Bert began his oration, he lamented the fact that he had allowed us to precede him because we had taken all of the good stories. I had suggested earlier that we get our stories straight and was outvoted, so I didn’t feel too sorry for him.

Bert decided to use family photos as the focus of his talk, specifically targeting the Christmas pictures.  We did have quite a few pictures of the family in front of the tree, some with Bert as an only child, some with Bert and Jimmy, and finally the good ones when I joined the clan.  Bert made the observation that in most of the later pictures he looked as if he were about to cry.  His analysis led him to believe that in the earlier pictures he had not been forced to share presents, food, or parents, so he was happy.  Then Jim and I came along, and he became increasingly distressed. The dinner crowd laughed; Jimmy and I failed to see the humor.

While I was not actually bothered by Bert’s comments, I was interested enough to see for myself if his remarks were true.  As I combed through the holiday albums, I realized he was right. But the sorrow had not only affected him.  I realized that as we had aged, sadness had crept into all of our faces. 

What had caused the sadness? Why did we look as if we had lost our last friend?  I have no idea.  I imagine it had something to do with spoiled children and sleep deprivation.  What I do know is that my parents did everything they could to keep Christ in Christmas. We attended church and Sunday school regularly, read the Christmas story from the Bible, sang in the choir, set up the manger scene, and sang Christmas carols to shut-ins.  But I guess that was not enough.   Even in the ‘50s and ‘60s that was hardly enough to combat the mass marketing coming across the air waves. When December 26 came, so did the emptiness.   It would be many years and credit cards later before I would understand that Sears, Hecks, Hills, and Wal-Mart were not to blame.  I was the one who hadn’t put Christ first. 

Take a minute to look at your photographs from Christmases past. Somewhere in the trees, presents, lights, and delicious food, do you see Christ? Do your children and grandchildren see Him? If He came back today, would He know whose birthday you were celebrating?  

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, you sent your son in a form we could understand. We love the idea of a tiny baby being born in a stable with loving parents and neighbors around.  Help us to remember that the baby would grow into a man who would take away the sins of the world.  That is the true Christmas picture.  Amen

Becky Warren

Devotional 12-17-12

For Olivia

In 1975 I was hired to teach sixth grade in an elementary school in a small West Virginia town. I had just finished my first year of teaching, if you could call it that, and was desperate to find out if the problem was with the students – or me. Of course I already knew the answer, but I had to make one more go of it. How could I tell my parents that their college graduate was not cut out to be a teacher? Fortunately it was that year that I met Olivia Oldster (not her real name).

Olivia had begun teaching in the ‘30s and constantly demonstrated to her colleagues that we were not doing enough. When I complained that the furnace in my room was not working, she would remind me that she had taught in a one-room school where she and her students had huddled around a potbellied stove, fueled with logs she had cut prior to their arrival. When I mentioned it took me over an hour to get home each evening, she would reminisce about her days in the mountains and the times when neither she nor her students could get home due to a blocked road or bad weather. She had done it all, and I felt young and inexperienced. Maybe that was because I was young and inexperienced.

During the next four years, I became a better teacher due to Olivia’s influence. Like Mark Twain’s father, Olivia got smarter as I got older. Subsequently I was asked to join the staff of a new middle school and left the elementary school for another area. I never saw Olivia again, but I never forgot her words of wisdom.

Thirty-seven years have passed. It may sound strange, but I can hear her voice coming out of my mouth when I begin to recall where I was when John Kennedy was assassinated, Richard Nixon resigned, disco was cool, the Berlin Wall fell, the Gulf War ended, the Challenger exploded, and the New York Trade Center was attacked. I can hear her when I explain to younger teachers that education is not about getting rid of the old ways, but retrieving whatever is worthy, adding it to the new, and applying it to one’s life to make it better.

The following is a work that I feel sums up Olivia’s philosophy of life. And while I cannot speak for our Lord and Savior, I think He would approve. Read it slowly. Read it more than once. Read it until in your heart you have rung out the unworthy and rung in the love of Jesus Christ.


Christmas and the New Year Bells

Alfred Tennyson

The time draws near the birth of Christ;
The moon is hid; the night is still;
The Christmas bells from hill to hill
Answer each other in the mist.

Four voices of four hamlets round,
From far and near, on mead and moor,
Swell out and fail, as if a door
Were shut between me and the sound:


Each voice four changes on the wind,
That now dilate, and now decrease,
Peace and goodwill, goodwill and peace,
Peace and goodwill, to all mankind.

This year I slept and woke with pain,
I almost wish’d no more to wake,
And that my hold on life would break
Before I heard those bells again:

But they the troubled spirit rule,
For they controll’d me when a boy;
They bring me sorrow touch’d with joy,
The merry, merry bells of Yule.

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners,purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Amen

Becky Warren

Devotional 12-17-11

Landon’s Logic

Recently my grandson, Landon, came to spend the night. Landon and Don wrestled and played Super Hero vs. Villain, but as bedtime neared, I thought I should do something to get Landon ready to settle down. He took a warm bath where he formed words with foam letters which stuck to the side of the tub, he had a snack to get his tummy full, and then I offered to read his favorite book DC Super Friends Flying High. This book is part of the Step into Reading Series that encourages children to read for themselves.

I started the familiar saga of Batman, Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, and Aquaman by reading and pointing out the title, author, and illustrator. ( Once he told me he didn’t want to hear that part, but I told him if he had written a story or had drawn the pictures, he’d want people to know it.) As I read the story, I asked Landon what he thought would happen next and what else he saw in the pictures.

Landon had been extremely patient , but finally I pushed my luck. When I told him that the “c” in city had an “s” sound, he came back with the logical counter point that c was for cookie; therefore, it had the “k” sound. I told him that sometimes it didn’t. It was then that he said in an exasperated but respectful voice, “Grammy, I promise I’ll learn it if you’ll JUST READ THE STORY!”

So I read the story.

In the Bible, Jesus tells stories to make his teachings as simple as possible. His disciples tell stories so we can know the real Jesus Christ. Reverend Lipphardt tells us “the rest of the story” to make it even more relevant to our lives in 2012. We just need to read it. Landon promises we’ll learn it, if we just read the story. So does God.

P.S. My favorite story is found in Luke 1:1-40. Merry Christmas!

Becky Warren

Devotional 11-29-10

A Little Child ...
Read Isaiah 11:1-9.

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.

It was trick-or–treat night in Huntington, and my three-year-old grandson, Landon “Scooby Doo” Lewis, had been looking forward to traveling from house to house with his father Jesse, filling his Halloween bag with delicious candy. What a great holiday!

As six o’clock neared, my daughter Anna helped Landon slip into his costume, kissed him goodbye, and prepared to hand out Skittles and Blow Pops to the neighborhood children. She noticed that the air had suddenly turned much colder and hoped that Landon would not get too chilly inside his fleece dog suit.

A quick half-hour later, Anna spied her husband, Jesse, with Landon on his shoulders. Landon had decided he had enough candy for one night. As Jesse took over handing out the candy to trick-or-treaters, Anna took Landon inside to check out his treasure.

When the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of a new trick-or-treater, Landon reached into his bag of goodies, ran to the door, and deposited a Snickers bar into the outstretched sack. At first Anna thought that Landon was just confused. “You don’t have to give away your candy! I have candy here for the other kids.”

Landon looked at her and then his bag of candy. “Mommy, I have lots of candy. We need to share!” And for the next hour, that’s exactly what he did, until his bag was completely empty.

Heavenly Father, each day we see children who are responding to the needs of others. Help us to be not childish but childlike in our giving, this season and all year long. In Your name we pray. Amen

Becky Warren

Devotional 12-8-09

A Merry Little Christmas
In 1944, Meet Me in St. Louis was released. The musical starred Judy Garland, Tom Drake, Mary Astor, Margaret O’Brien, and June Lockhart. It told the story of four sisters living in St. Louis, Missouri, at the time of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition World’s Fair of 1904. The musical was directed by Vincent Minnelli and included “Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis”; “The Trolley Song”; and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. The Christmas song became a favorite of WWII soldiers who were far away from home and their families who missed them so dearly. It was also to become a favorite of mine.

I was born in the 1950’s. The war was over, but the songs of that era would be a part of my family’s Christmas for as long as I lived at my parents’ home. Some of you may remember the Firestone and Columbia Christmas albums that would feature stars such as Julie Andrews, Judy Garland, Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis, Bing Crosby, and Mel Torme. “Merry Little Christmas” would play on the stereo, and I would sing along with the rest of the family. That was a very special time.

As a teen in the 1960’s, I watched Meet Me in St. Louis on the Saturday Night Movie presentation. I don’t know if I had seen it before, but it was the first time that I noticed that the lyrics that Judy Garland was singing to “Merry Little Christmas” were not the words I had learned. They were somewhat depressing; they made me sad – and as a teen I didn’t need an outside stimulus to make me miserable.

I decided that I liked the newer version better. I later learned that the words were changed in 1957 at Frank Sinatra’s request. He told the writer, Hugh Martin, that he needed jollier words for his new Christmas album. Sinatra’s popularity was so strong that Martin could not refuse him, so the following generations learned the new version.

Recently I watched the movie again; it transported me to a time when my family was all together. What is strange is that the words that so depressed me in my youth were somewhat comforting now. The following are the original lyrics:

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
Next year all our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the yuletide gay
Next year all our troubles will be miles away
Once again as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who were dear to us
Will be near to us once more
Someday soon we all will be together
If the fates allow
Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now

The words we sing today talk about hanging a shining star upon the highest bough. My family did hang a silver star on the treetop as did many families at that time. As a matter of fact, I don’t know what we would have put in its place.

But when Don and I were married in 1975, we didn’t have a star. I don’t remember why. Maybe we couldn’t find one, or maybe we couldn’t afford one, but in its place we put a cardboard angel. She wasn’t particularly pretty; she had that “’70s” folksy look about her, if you know what I mean. But that same angel has adorned our treetops for the last thirty-five years.

From the very beginning, our Christmases, like our lives, were not the pretty post-cards that we thought we were supposed to live. Year after year we “muddled through” less-than-perfect Christmases and less-than-perfect lives. We lived, loved, worked, raised children, and suffered year after year, searching for the perfection we thought we were supposed to attain. It never came.

What did come – love based on respect, trust, and old-fashioned hard work – was so much better. My friends and colleagues have recognized my weaknesses but have decided to accept me anyway. I have come to realize that while I think I know everything, the world continues to turn if I don’t give my opinion. I also know that my family loves me unconditionally, or they would no longer be speaking to me. I am one lucky “muddler”.

God sent his son into the world to teach us to love one another. He didn’t say it would be easy, or that we would always succeed. Each national disaster and personal problem will test that love. As the Christmas season draws near, we must fight the urge to strive for perfection. Even Jesus balked at that description. Just love one another, do what you can to end pain and suffering, and buy the cookies, if cookies you must have. That will boost the economy and give you time to be with your family. With God’s help, you’ll muddle through just fine.

Heavenly Father,
Bring us closer together in order to love one another as you have commanded. In your name we pray. Amen

Becky Warren