New names...

I've decided temporarily to change the name of my blog...Beloved...is the new name. This has been a most powerful word for me for about four years now. February 7, 2003 one of my closest friends from childhood was killed by a drunk driver. She was an amazing woman of faith, someone who radiated God's love like no one I've ever met. She challenged me, and loved me...so well.. She was a woman after the heart of the blessed mother...with a gentle and quiet spirit. As you can see she is still impacting my life. Not long before her death, she wrote to some of her friends

" I have learned that the Christian life is not meant to be a life of rules and discouragement, a life of giving up things we hope for but tell ourselves we cannot have because they are "bad¨ or 'wrong'. Jesus died so that we would not be burdened! He took all of our burdens and all that he asks for is our love! If we seek Him and seek Him purely and truly, we will see that Christianity is about freedom. It is about embracing life, living each day to the full. Life is not about being good and bad; it's about loving God and feeling that passion and living out our dreams and being made whole."- Laura Treppendahl

At her funeral her mentor gave a eulogy. She talked about how during their Bible study the year before they were studying the names of the Bible. For their last class she had asked each of the girls to pray about what name God had given them. My friend Laura went up to her after class and said "Beloved...that's the name He has given me. I'm His beloved." There was rejoicing the day she entered into heaven...she was ready...she was His beloved. I realized that I am His beloved as well...no matter what happens...I am His beloved.

Christ YEARNS for us...that is why He came in the flesh...because we are His beloved. May the Lord, the God of creation, who loves us so extravagantly, this advent season, give us the grace to embrace and accept that we are His beloved! Come quickly Lord Jesus, enter our Hearts!!!