Author: Jacquelin Stoner

Jacqui is a writer, teacher, life coach, and an encourager. She walks alongside of individuals who need help navigating to the better place God has envisioned for their lives. She has discovered that God is central to genuine lasting life change.

IS IT A WONDERFUL LIFE?

George’s darkness is totally understandable. It is easy to remember failures.

“It’s A Wonderful Life” is not the most theologically correct movie, but it is one of my favorites. George Pratt, the central character, is so distraught that he contemplates suicide as the only solution. He stands ready to jump off a bridge on Christmas Eve when he hears the voice of a gentle stranger. George tells the man that he wishes he had never been born. George is at the end of his rope.

For years, George had tried to do the right thing. He sacrificed his dreams of college and a future for the sake of taking care of his family. George takes over his father’s credit union and saves it from bankruptcy by donating all his savings to keep the business afloat. You gotta love George, he is steadfast. However, his archenemy gains the upper hand. Everything goes down the drain. The bank auditor makes an appearance on the day that they discover $8,000 is missing from the credit union. George is angry, crushed, and disillusioned. He only sees darkness. George finally cries out to God.

GEORGE’S WISH OF NEVER BEING BORN

The stranger on the bridge tells George his wish has been granted and that George has never been born. The movie then gives George a glimpse of all the lives he has tirelessly helped through the years. George also sees what would have happened if he had not entered their stories: the town would have gone down the drain. George influenced countless lives, but never sees it until he cries out to God.

IT IS EAST TO REMEMBER FAILURES

As I write this, it is almost New Years, one of my favorite holidays of the year. I always think about new beginnings, especially if it has been a difficult year. It is easy to remember the people I tried to help, but to no avail. I visualize all the situations in which I failed and plain messed up. George’s darkness is totally understandable. It is easy to remember failures.

TIME TO TURN THE PAGE

Maybe it is time to turn the page. This is a wonderful time to catch up on anything that needs to be confessed and make right with God and others. A great next step is getting a pen to start writing a list of people whose lives you have impacted for the God during 2024. Maybe you received no fanfare or plaudits for your actions, but you know you obeyed God, even when it was hard. If the list is miniscule, do you need to expand your list of those you serve?

WHAT IS YOUR GIFT?

How about making this your aim and attitude for 2025: God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! (I Peter 4:10-11)

IT CAN BE A WONDERFUL LIFE

Don’t be George, waiting to jump off the bridge. God has a unique purpose for you. It may not be what you had planned, but in God’s eyes it is important. Just make sure that everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. It’s a wonderful life. Get off the bridge!

https://compelledpodcast.com/episodes/steve-richardson

WHEN CHAOS COMES TO TOWN

How is a believer to manage life when one’s mind is racing, and the future appears bleak?

Read: I Peter 5:6-11

I worked in a small office consisting of five employees (counting myself). Four of them were on anti-anxiety meds. They would regularly compare how their meds were working and the dosage required.

I pondered how 80% of my fellow employees were 24/7 on anti-anxiety meds. So, what was up with that? Something in the drinking water or something in the air?

AS AN ADVERSITY MAGNET…

As the only one who was not medicated, please note that I’m not a strong person and make no claims to being so. My life can be a circus. At times I feel like an adversity magnet. The past few months have especially appeared so. Circumstances and people stampede through my living room, heart, and soul. How is a believer to manage life when one’s mind is racing, and the future appears bleak?

DECISION TIME

Those moments are decision time. Who/what am I battling? It is not the people or situations I’m facing; it’s the enemy who would like me to renounce Jesus. That may sound melodramatic to you, but it’s true. Satan’s chief goal is to make believers flake out, run away, forsake the faith. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. Yes, your scariest human adversaries may wish for your demise, but they are not the ones pulling the strings. Satan is.

WHAT TO DO WHEN FACING CONFLICT

What does God tell us to do in such a conflict? Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. In other words, choose to allow the Holy Spirit to reign in your mind. Don’t impulsively blurt out the first words that come to mind. Refuse to send out a nastygram text, zone out on TV, or punch a hole in the wall.  Afterall, you are not alone in this battle. None of our current struggles are new to believers. We have a universal family of fellow combatants. Christians around the globe join us in this battle.

STANDING FIRM WHEN THE LION ROARS

God’s Word tells us to take a stand when the lion roars. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. Exactly how is this to play out? Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].

MY DECISION

When that crazy destructive circus of circumstances and individuals desire to capsize my life, I kneel before the feet of God. I choose to fill my mind with the promises of God and proclaim directly that I’m taking God at His Word. There is a decision involved. I disregard how dire the circumstances appear, run to the Father and completely believe His Word. God is my anti-anxiety medicine, even when chaos comes to town.

Listen to the story of Aimee Huber

LET ALL MORTAL FLESH KEEP SILENT

1,747 years of our repeatedly being told to be quiet, hushed before God

The lyrics to this hymn date back at least to 275 AD. Do the math, that’s 1, 747 years of our repeatedly being told to be quiet, hushed, and to be so in awe that we are left speechless. That is a huge quantity of silence.

WE CAN’T ADD TO GOD’S GIFT

What are we to be in awe about? When we realize that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, we can do to add to God’s gift; nothing that we can do to make it better. In astonishment, we are to fall on our faces in full worship mode, witnessing to all creation that He alone is due full honor and respect.

THE ANGELS UNDERSTOOD THE PRICE TO BE PAID

The angels understood the sacrifice when Christ came to this earth to be born as a man. In horror, they knew in vivid detail what our world was like. Can you imagine the expression on their faces when they looked down at our earth? They understood the price required to finally and totally wipe out the debt for our sin. The price paid by Christ to make us His own.

THE MYSTERY AND THE WONDER IN “GOD WITH US”

Do you think a holy hush went through heaven when the gift was given, when heaven heard that newborn’s cry in the stable? The angels comprehended the undeserved blessing that had been given to mankind.  They could not fathom God’s love for us. There are no words that can adequately describe the mystery, the wonder, and the homage due to the Christ becoming Emmanuel, God with us. Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand. Be quiet, hushed and so in awe that you are left speechless.

Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand; Ponder nothing earthly-minded, for with blessing in His hand, Christ our God to earth descendeth, our full homage to demand.

O COME, O COME EMMANUEL

God said, “I shall be with you tomorrow”. This is not a casual, “See ‘ya later, alligator!”

Who would have thought that the original text for this Latin chant contained a reverse acrostic (called an “ere cras”). Translated: “I shall be with you tomorrow”. This is not a casual, “See ‘ya later, alligator!” This was a promise made by the Eternal God of His presence. That’s why God gave His Son the name Emmanuel which literally means “God with us”.

GROWING IN CONFIDENT HOPE

The lyrics of this chant were written around the 8th century and meant to be sung antiphonally which would entail alternate singing by two choirs, often on opposite sides of the sanctuary. The first choir would sing O come, O come, Emmanuel and while the sound waves still resonated across the expanse, the 2nd choir would begin singing And ransom captive Israel. And so, they would alternately sing line after line, ever growing in confidant hope, as the building reverberated with the glorious sounds.

FROM MOURNING TO REJOICING

Their words commemorated a people who had literally been mourning in lonely exile from God. Then all heaven broke loose singing the Son of God appears! Rejoice! Rejoice! Break out in rapture, exuberant song, cheering jubilation! This is not the half-hearted clapping for someone receiving a participation award. This is the full throttle universal stamping of feet because God has won! The highway leading to eternal separation from God now offered an off-ramp leading to eternal community, companionship, and peace with God.

GOD WITH US

For all of you longing, hungering for God, His promise has been fulfilled. O Lord, make safe the way that leads to Thee and close the path to misery. God is with us!

O come, O come, Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel. That mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appears. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, oh Israel” O come, Thou Key of David, come and open wide our heavenly home. Make safe the way that leads to thee and close the path to misery. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, oh Israel

LIGHT OF THE WORLD

That is the difference between waiting (which everyone does at one point or another) and patiently waiting with excitement.

We stood outside on the platform in the sweltering heat. As we glanced down the tracks, we saw no train bound for Philadelphia. 30, 45, 60 minutes – well past the scheduled arrival time. I saw not only the frustration on faces of the ticket holders, but heard the verbal complaints ratcheting up, the longer the delay. We had no choice but to wait.

WAITING WITH EXCITEMENT

That is the difference between waiting (which everyone does at one point or another) and patiently waiting with excitement. Believers may choose how they wait. We can choose to stay steady and strong even in the face of extreme adversity. The Bible tells us the end game: Jesus is coming, and He has won. Soon will be the arrival of the Light of the Word, with fire in His eyes. He voluntarily paid the price, the ransom, by laying down His own life for us, even when we were far, far away from Him.

CAN YOU HEAR HIM COMING?

Can you hear the thunder in the distance, the roar of the angels? Through the clouds He will lead us, straight into glory. Finally, all the evil and craziness of this world will be terminated because there He shall reign, forevermore, oh, forevermore.

THE POWER TO WAIT

We can endure. Believers are offered the power to wait, by the grace of God. He offers us patience so that not one minute is wasted that God gives us on this earth, regardless of the adversity we face. As I’m writing this, the train has not come yet, but it is very close and I can see it in the distance. He will soon be coming. Amen and amen!

Light of the world, soon will be coming
With fire in His eyes, He will ransom His own
Through clouds He will lead us, straight into glory
And there He shall reign, forevermore, oh, forevermore

WAITING IS HARD

Anger and frustration filled the air.  Time seemed to stand still.

Lots of people waited that night in the ER, hour after hour, after hour, after hour.  As I endured my own wait, I saw a multitude of patients called back only to return a short time later to again take their place and wait some more.  Anger and frustration filled the air.  Time seemed to stand still.

Facial expressions lit up hearing our names called back to the treatment rooms. Such intense relief! Finally, the waiting was over.

The world waits for a miracle.  The heart longs for a little bit of hope.  Waiting is hard. For thousands of years the world waited for an end to its spiritual drought, its spiritual sickness from sin.  A great many years passed from the fall of Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden until the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior. 

Christ, the Final Cure. The birth that makes possible for mankind to be made right with God. Can you hear the Cure’s first cry? The baby’s sobs in the manger are a symphony of love.  This child grew up vilified, misunderstood and hated.  The cross was His destination. However, God sent at exactly the right time His Son, even though God knew the price to be paid for our sin. Christ still chose to come.  

We no longer have to remain stuck in a spiritual waiting room. No more waiting for forgiveness.  Our Gracious Heavenly Father answered our prayers for a Savior. He invites forward the patients languishing in a spiritual waiting room.

The world no longer has to wait for a miracle.  Our hearts don’t need to long for a tiny scrap of hope. The solution for eternity has come in the person of Jesus Christ. The Great Physician beckons you. The wait is done.

The world waits for a miracle. The heart longs for a little bit of hope
The drought breaks with the tears of a mother; a baby’s cry is the sound of love
He is the song for the suffering. He is Messiah, the Prince of Peace has come
For all who wait; for all who hunger
For all who’ve prayed; for all who wonder

I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY

Christmas Day 1862 Henry wrote in his journal “A merry Christmas” say the children, but that is no more for me.”

American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote these lyrics during a dark season. Two years previously his wife had been sealing envelopes with hot wax when the flame caught her clothes on fire.  Henry, burned badly as well, was too sick to attend her funeral.

NO MORE JOY FOR ME

For the remainder of his life, he covered up his facial scars behind a long beard. Christmas Day 1862 Henry wrote in his journal “A merry Christmas” say the children, but that is no more for me.”

GRIEF AT ITS DEEPEST

By 1863 the country was tearing itself apart in the Civil War.  Against Henry’s wishes (and fears) his son, Charles, enlisted in the army. No wonder Henry wrote: And in despair I bowed my head, ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said, for hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men. In November, a bullet pierced Charles from back to shoulder, just nicking his spine. Henry traveled to Washington to retrieve his son from the hospital.  Arriving at home December 8th, Charles began his extended convalescence.  This was grief at its deepest. 

God loved Henry in the midst. His love had not run out. Slowly, Henry’s heart began to heal and turn back to God.  Along with everything else, he experienced a dry season in writing.  But then, sitting at his desk one morning he heard the church bells.  Henry’s heart began to resonate with the return of hope. 

THE RETURN OF HOPE

Hope for his son, hope for his family and hope for a nation torn apart by war.  God began to wake his heart when he wrote: Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: God is not dead; nor doth he sleep! The wrong shall fail, the right prevail. With peace on earth, good-will to men! God had not departed. The sinless One, Jesus Christ, came to bring hope: complete reconciliation between mankind and God. 

THE BELLS PEAL FOR ETERNITY

Because of this, Longfellow journaled: “I thought how as the day had come; the belfries of all Christendom had rolled along the unbroken song of peace on earth, good will to men.   That’s why the bells peal for all eternity.”  Will the bells peal for all eternity signaling that you have made peace with God via Jesus Christ?  Even when grief is at its deepest, God has not departed. The season of darkness can pass.  

In despair, I bowed my head. there is no peace on earth, I said, “For hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men.” Then pealed the bells, more loud and deep God is not dead, nor doth he sleep. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail with peace on earth, good will to men.

ONCE UPON A TIME

The Advent, not an imaginary tale

As a child, I read countless children’s stories beginning with “once upon a time”. I loved tales set in an imaginary world: “Snow White”, “Hansel and Gretel”, and “Cinderella”.  Sadly, most people think any story that begins with “once upon a time” is fiction.

NO IMAGINARY WORLD

What if we agreed to use the phrase to simply designate something which happened a long time ago? It is not fiction. Our Advent story does not take place in an imaginary world, but it is a real event that took place on planet earth.

NO DWARVES NEEDED

However, there is a wondrous element to this historical record. The God of Love decides to redeem mankind to Himself.  No dwarves exist in this story, no children wander through the forest following breadcrumbs, and no carriage is transformed from a pumpkin. The account of the Advent fulfills prophecy foretold at the dawn of history.

THE BEST ONCE UPON A TIME

In this best once upon a time, there is a bed of straw where the Son of God slept as a baby.  The Gospel narrative later describes the splintered cross where the adult Jesus dies to rescue us:  All of our shame and sin was nailed to that tree with Him. Then there is that brilliant third day in which Christ the Conqueror rises from the dead.

God cannot lie and He cannot fail. This once upon a time is based on the truth of God Himself. That is why we can join the multitudes of angels and creation in singing, Praise to the King of kings! Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, our Messiah, Name above every name, gloria in the highest!

This once upon a time is enough for me. Is it enough for you?

Once upon a midnight clear…Born now in Bethlehem. Once upon a bed of straw slept the Sovereign Son of God. Once upon a splintered cross Jesus died to rescue us, all of our shame and sin nailed to the tree with Him. Christ the Conqueror was raised. “Praise to the King of kings!” Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, our Messiah, Name above every name, gloria in the highest

O COME, ALL YOU UNFAITHFUL!

Everything hit her like a tsunami. It filled with her overwhelming guilt.

In an interview, Lisa Clow remembered the circumstances of the unusual titling of this song.  She was coming out of a year of pain comprised of a miscarriage of twins, financial worries and dealing with deep wounds of bitterness.  Christmas was coming. For the first time she told her church that she wouldn’t be participating in the music.  Lisa didn’t give them the reason; she just declined the invitation. 

EVERYTHING HIT LIKE A TSUNAMI!

And then came that ill-fated Sunday morning when they sang the traditional “O Come, All Ye Faithful”.  Everything hit her like a tsunami. Overwhelmed with guilt, she contemplated how her joy had run out and that she felt like a “triumphant failure”.  As she drove home in tears, she asked: “Is that really who is invited to come to Jesus? The faithful? The joyful? The triumphant? If so, then I am hopeless.” 

COME ALL WHO ARE WEARY

The Holy Spirit brought to mind “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).  This is an extremely broad call to the bitter, broken, fearful.  It summons those who struggle with guilt, who would prefer to hide under a rock and never be seen again. Jesus invites us to rest.  To rest in His life, death and resurrection.  We cannot find such a beautiful breathing space and respite with our own resources. 

HIS PROMISE IS PEACE

This call isn’t to those who think they have life all figured out and are self-sufficient.  It is to those of us who have dealt with reality and found we do not have the resources to go forward.  “We have nothing,” Lisa remarked. “His promise is peace for those who believe.”

HE JUST SAYS “COME!”

Maybe you are facing these holidays depleted.  You are running on empty. Your joy departed the scene quite a while ago.  Jesus calls to you in your state of poverty, regardless of whether it is emotional, mental, physical or spiritual.  He just says, “Come!”

Come, weak and unstable, Come, know you are not alone. See what your God has done. Christ is born for you. O come, bitter and broken, come with fears unspoken. Come, taste of His perfect love, guilty and hiding ones, there is no need to run.

WE ARE FAVORED, DO NOT FEAR!

He makes her the most honored woman on earth, but she is to become intimately acquainted with the worst heartbreak known to humanity.

I have struggled with all types of fears, both real and imagined during recent years. I view my friends either expanding in trusting God or floundering in despair. In my own heart, often I wonder about God’s plans as I navigate through a world unrecognizable from ten years ago. What does God say to my heart during these times of turbulence? He points to Mary.

GOD FAVORS HER

She is only a simple teenage girl, brought up in a backwater town. So why Mary? God never provides any extensive explanation. The angel announces to Mary that she is chosen to be the mother of the Messiah. God “favors” this unwed girl to give birth to the Chosen One, the Savior of the world. All she knows is that God has chosen her. God “favors” her.

COMBINING FAVOR WITH HEARTBREAK

I always connect favor with honor: someone given front row seats, the keys to the city and a crown on their head. It is hard to combine the concept of favor with heartbreak.

FEAR AND UNCERTAINTY MIXED WITH JOY

In Luke 1 the angels twice calls Mary “favored by God”, blessed by God. He makes her the most honored woman on earth, but she is to become intimately acquainted with the worst heartbreak known to humanity. At the angel’s initial announcement, she feels fear and uncertainty mixed with joy. This expands and painfully stretches year by year. She sees her beloved Son grow up and do the unexpected, time after time. Her sinless Son lives in a broken world, attacked by the forces of hell.

THE GOD WHO REDEEMS ME AND EVER KEEPS ME

This favored woman daily needs the angel’s words to resonate in her heart: The God who redeems you and ever will keep you is near, do not fear. In these days of darkness, I also need this promise and hope. The God who redeems me and ever keeps me is near. Do not fear.

Humble virgin, arise and take heart you’ve been chosen to carry a son. Give no heed to the trembling inside for the wonder has only begun;

Do not fear, do not fear, the child you will hold is the Savior foretold drawing near. The God who redeems you and ever will keep you is near, do not fear!