Monday, December 19, 2011

The Story in Nestor The Long-Eared Donkey

Last night, I pulled up YouTube for my children to watch one of my favorite Christmas claymations--"Nestor, The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey". I remember watching this special on television as a child and I've noticed over the years it is no longer shown (probably because it talks of the Christ child?).

It's the story of Nestor, a donkey born with extremely long ears. Nestor was constantly made fun of by the other animals in the stable. Through some circumstances, he and his mother found themselves on their own, kicked out of the stable trying to survive a blizzard. Nestor's mother dies in the cold and he's all alone. Tilly, a cherub, falls from a cloud and is sent on a mission to help guide Nestor out of the wilderness. On their journey, Tilly tells Nestor all he has to do is be obedient to the sounds he hears with his long ears because his ears hear sounds other won't. Tilly guides him to another land where Nestor is taken in by an animal trader. The animal trader quickly finds out he has "a dud" of a donkey in Nestor because of his long ears. However, Joseph and Mary happen upon this animal trader's tent needing a donkey to make the long trip to Bethlehem. They pick Nestor because he's short enough for Mary to climb onto; not because of his ears. Through a sand storm, Nestor hears the guidance from above and makes his way to Bethlehem. While there, it's obvious the inns are full. With ease, Nestor remembers how warm and cozy the stable used to be when he was younger and guides Joseph and Mary to a stable where baby Jesus was born.

It was a sweet story and I obviously appreciate it more as an adult than I did when I was a kid.

In your life, there will be various trials and hardships that will come. There will be plenty of nay-sayers and wrong decisions made along the way. Through all of the confusion and frustration of life, we must go back to what we know. For Nestor the long-eared donkey it was the stable. For us, it could be the simplicity of one of my favorite children's songs:

Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus love me
The Bible tells me so!

Merry Christmas!

Friday, December 16, 2011

Stressed Out & No Where To Go

Stress is delivered to our front door every morning. Turn on the television and you'll get a heaping dose of it. Watch people pass you by at the local store and you'll see it written all over their face. Whether it's the rush to get Christmas lists completed, losing a job, keeping up with daily activities or just trying to pack everything you can into the day, it seems we're all stressed up with no where to go!

I Timothy 1:7 says, "For God did not give us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." When you are stressed, you are filled with fear. This drains your emotional power to have peace in your circumstances (a sound mind). In I Peter 1:13, Peter urges us to "Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober...." When a Roman centurion would "gird up the loins", he would pull his robe up to his knees and be ready to run and defend. It made him quick and kept him from tripping on his robe. What Peter is talking about here is the importance of being spiritually mobile or agile in order to protect your weak areas. For many, this is our mind, especially when stress comes in our life. When we wrap our minds around God's truth in knowing He cares for us and will take care of our needs and has plans to "prosper and not harm you" (Jeremiah 29:11), we are able to defend our thoughts from the devil's schemes to bring discouragement and hopelessness.

Through the stressors of the Christmas season, set your mind on being "girded", ready to do battle so when the negativity comes, you know how to bring the One who is victorious into the arena of your mind instead of allowing your thoughts to be controlled by despair.

(Barbie will be signing books Saturday from 11am-1pm at the Indianola Pecan House in Indianola. If your area store has sold out of her books, you can find them at www.barbiebassett.com .)

Monday, December 12, 2011

Going Home Another Way

My 5 year old son Will and I had just left the store ordering his birthday cake for this week. The parking lot was full with cars waiting while their owners shopped and other cars were turning in to find a spot to park. The congestion was thick as smoke just in trying to get out of the parking lot. When I got to the intersection, I saw the traffic and knew what I had to do to get out--I needed to go another direction in order to get home at a decent time.

"I thought you said we were going home?" Will asked from his booster seat. "We are going home," I said. He paused for a few seconds. "But this isn't how we normally go home," Will said. "Sure, we can get home going this way," I said. "Just wait and see." Another minute passed and Will was still confused. "But mom, this is NOT the way home," he said. "Trust me, son. We can get home going this way," I answered. Within minutes, we made it to a place familiar to Will. "Oh, I see where we are now," he said. "You were right, mom. You DO know how to get us where we need to go!"

How many times in your life have you felt like God was leading you down a road that had a posted sign which read "Wrong Way"? Galatians 5:16 says, "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want."

God sees what's ahead and knows the congestion, the slow downs and the delays to achieving His will in your life. He knows which detours and back roads to lead you on. We must fight the urge to jump out of the moving car, even when the scenery doesn't look right. There may be times when you look out the window of your life and think, This doesn't look familiar, God. I think you took a wrong turn in my life because this makes no sense. I thought you said you had a plan for me? A plan to prosper and not harm me?

But God is the driver and leans over to you in the back seat and says, I know exactly where I want to take you. It may be the long way around to you, but it's a direct path to Me. So, trust Me.

The next time you feel like God drove you to a dead end street, trust the One who created the map!

(There are only 1,200 copies remaining of Barbie's new book, "Carry An Umbrella When There's No Rain in the Forecast: 365 Days of Living by Faith". They are available at stores in Jackson, Kosciusko, Brookhaven, Mendenhall, Batesville, McComb & Yazoo City. Barbie will also be signing at the Indianola Pecan House in Indianola this coming Saturday from 11am-1pm. You can also purchase her books at www.barbiebassett.com .)

Friday, December 9, 2011

Difficulties Into Deliverance

No one wants to suffer, whether it's emotionally or physically.

In John 9:1, Jesus' disciples met a man who was blind from birth. They asked Jesus who sinned--the man's parents or the man since he was born blind. Jesus replied in verse 3, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." Jesus basically told them they were asking the wrong question by asking why this adversity was allowed. The Savior then anointed the man's eyes with mud, which he was to wash away in the pool of Siloam. The man came back with his eyesight restored.

Even when Jesus rode a donkey through Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the people were exuberant with excitement waving palm leaves. But Jesus didn't share in their excitement because he knew his physical suffering was close at hand. In John 12:27-28, Jesus said, "Not My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name."

In literally one of the most horrific weeks of His life, Jesus didn't ask, "How can I get out of this?" but "How can God be glorified?"

God doesn't waste your suffering. The Lord knows how to turn our difficulties into deliverance and our problems into praise. He will glorify His name in the lives of His children, whatever their afflictions may be. Be more concerned for God's glory than for your relief.

(Barbie will be signing books in Yazoo City at Essco's today from 11am-1pm. Her newest book continues to sell out at her book signings. Check these stores for available copies:

Jackson: Lifeway Christian Store & Lemuria Books
Mendenhall: Mendenhall Grocery & Grain
Batesville: Promises & Praise
Brookhaven: Expectations
McComb: Edgewood Interiors
Yazoo City: Essco's

Or, they can be ordered at www.barbiebassett.com)

Monday, December 5, 2011

He Wants More

My daughter Gracie shared with us after lunch Sunday some of her class lesson on the Israelites. In listening to what she learned, I realized the Israelites suffered from the same problem many Christians do today. They enjoyed the good preaching and teaching but weren't willing to move from there. Too many of us like to sit on our padded pews in a climate-controlled building where someone else will pre-digest what God has to say and then regurgitate it back to us in a half-digested form (perhaps we're afraid it may set too heavy on our stomachs?).

I've gotten to the point in my own life where I've started praying, "God, I'm tired of everybody else hearing from You! I'm going to lock myself away in a room and stay there until I get a fresh Word from You."

The early Church didn't have access to what we call the New Testament for many years. The Old Testament scriptures were expensive rolls that stayed locked up in synagogues. The only scriptures they had were verses from the law, the Psalms and the prophets that had been passed down orally from their relatives. So what did they have? They walked and talked with Him in such a rich level of intimacy.

God said in Exodus 33:14, "My presence will go with you and I will give you rest." I Chronicles 16:37 says, "Honor and majesty are in His presence; strength and joy are in His sanctuary."

God is tired of having long distance relationships with his people. He was tired of it thousands of years ago in Moses' day, and He is tired of it today. God really wants to have an intimate, close encounter with you today.

(Barbie's book continues to sell faster than anticipated! She will be signing copies in Vicksburg Tuesday, 11:30am-1pm at Crown To Heels. Barbie will be signing at the Raleigh Library this Thursday from 11:30am-1pm. And, she'll be signing in Yazoo City at Essco's this Friday from 11am-1pm.

In Jackson, they can be found at Lemuria and Lifeway Christian Store. In Brandon, Miss Priss boutique has a few copies. The Briar Patch in Carthage, Expecations in Brookhaven, Edgewood Interiors in McComb & the Mendenhall G&G all have a few remaining copies left. Her books can also be ordered at www.barbiebassett.com.)

Friday, December 2, 2011

Barbie is away doing book signings. She will be emceeing the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation's Ag Ambassador Competition Saturday along with signing her books at the Jingle Bell Market in Pearl (Trustmark Park) from 11am-12:30pm. Then she will be traveling to the Briar Patch in Carthage signing books from 2pm-3:30pm.

Her books can also be found in Jackson at Lifeway Christian Store & Lemuria and on www.barbiebassett.com.