Author: Debbi Rodgers

“Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:40

I was excited when the church emailed that a Christmas caroling and chili night was planned. It had been a long time since I had gone caroling, and it has always been one of my favorite things to do at Christmas. The best part was always seeing the faces of the recipients as the familiar tunes were sung. There were always smiles of appreciation despite the quality of the concert. I didn’t know many details about the upcoming event but put it on the calendar. Ironically, North Carolina was experiencing an unusual cold snap, so I had to dig out the winter coats, scarves, and gloves. The cold weather only added to my excitement and anticipation.

We headed to the host’s home when the evening arrived, with chili in hand and bundled up for the cold. When we arrived, I could immediately tell something was wrong. My first clue was that there were no other cars at the house, and the second was the somewhat odd look we received as the door was opened. Remember, we are very new to the church, and many folks don’t know us. We saw this as an opportunity to participate in a service event, fellowship, and get to know our new church members. We learned we were one hour early for the chili event and that the caroling began at another home several miles away. Yep, I totally missed those details! After recovering from embarrassment, my first instinct was to leave the chili and go home, but the sweet hosts encouraged us to find the carolers. Driving down the road, I made the battle plan. Once we arrived and found the group, I would scout them out to see if I recognized anyone and evaluate if it would be too embarrassing to join in late. If so, we would drive back very slowly to the chili house and hang out on the street until everyone else showed up after caroling. In light of how the evening unfolded, I can only imagine God looking down on me, shaking His head, saying, you silly, prideful woman. Do you really think you can out-battle plan Me? And, He probably said, I thought this evening was supposed to be about blessing others and fellowship and not strategizing to save face. Not my best moment, for sure.

We found the group standing in a driveway; they hadn’t started yet. As we walked up, they welcomed us in and gave us song sheets. I was excited to knock on the first house’s door and work our way down the street. But I soon learned that was not the plan. We were told that the lady inside the house was a long-time church member and she was dying. The cancer had returned with a vengeance, and her life expectancy was very short. Her husband came outside to greet us and told us that his wife was feeling well enough for us to come inside. She wanted to meet us. She graciously welcomed us as we crossed the threshold and gathered around the kitchen island. The couple stood, arms entwined for strength, and joined us in song. At the finish of each song, she would share a little glimpse of her overwhelming hope in Jesus.  By the time we ended with Silent Night, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. I’ve contemplated how to express the feeling of standing in the presence of someone with one foot in Heaven and witnessing the radiant joy on her face with every sense of my body. But there truly are no words.

I love it when God takes the simplest things, like Christmas caroling, and unexpectedly turns them into one of the most inspiring moments of our lives. And to think I almost missed it because of silly pride! We worship a big God who deeply loves the small, simple things and uses them to change our lives. God used very small stones to change David’s life forever. He used a tiny baby to bring salvation to the world. He can change the course of our biggest trial with a mere gesture.  In this New Year, I pray we can anticipate and expect God to show up monumentally in the “little things of everyday life.” And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.  

Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Psalm 36:5

I learned that “Godwink” carries a definition thanks to a Hallmark movie. Yourdictionary.com and the movie define it as an event or personal experience, often identified as coincidence, so astonishing that it is seen as a sign of divine intervention, especially when perceived as the answer to prayer. SQuire Rushnell coined the term, and it has gained widespread usage. Personal descriptions of when God shows up in our lives can help alert our senses to His presence. Mine is in the name of this blog; a tidbit. But no matter the word you use, it depicts God’s faithfulness in our lives.

Realistically and at the human level, we are deeply needy people. On any given day, we require emotional and spiritually uplifting, financial help and reassurance, physical needs met, or resources related to an emergency or crisis. We rely on Godwicks and tidbits, God and His faithfulness for comfort and peace. The story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 is a profound example of God’s faithfulness. God asks Abraham to kill his only son, and he offers no objections. One can only imagine how agonizing the three-day journey was for Abraham and the feeling he experienced on the third day when he looked up and saw the place in the distance (vs. 4). All the while, as they climbed the mountain, carrying the knife and the fire, Abraham’s heart must have been breaking. At the same time, he believed in God’s faithfulness. Hebrews 11:19 says, “Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again.” So, he trusted that God had a plan and would remain faithful to His promises. When young Isaac asked where the sacrifice was, Abraham reassured his son by replying that God would provide (vs. 8).  And while Abraham may have been calm and collected for the sake of Isaac as he laid him on the altar, I can’t imagine that Isaac was not frantic when he realized he was the burnt offering, which made it all the more difficult as he raised the knife that would slay his son. But God looked upon Abraham’s obedience, and the angel of the Lord called out to him and commanded him to stop (vs. 11-12). Then Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horn. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place “The Lord-Will-Provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided” (Genesis 22:13-14).

In Hebrew, “The Lord-Will-Provide”is Jehovah-Jireh. The Lord always provides. Like Abraham, we may think we know God’s plan. God didn’t have to raise Isaac from the dead because God had another plan. He shows up and demonstrates his faithfulness to us through Godwicks or tidbits. But we must believe He will always show up, and His plan will be perfect for us. This account has a much deeper meaning, for Abraham’s son was a symbol of Christ. But this tidbit is to help us to be thankful for God’s faithfulness and always providing for us. As you celebrate Thanksgiving, bring to the table remembrances of Jehovah-Jireh and His faithfulness in your life. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.      

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem” Matthew 2:1

This weekend was spent taking down and putting away Christmas decorations. Many folks prefer to undecorate as soon as December 26^th. Still, I adopted the tradition of waiting until at least January 6^th, also known as Three Kings Day or Epiphany, many years ago while living in Germany. In Germany, January 6^th is a public holiday signifying the end of the Christmas season and the day set aside to commemorate the Magi’s arrival in Bethlehem. Ironically, the scriptures tell us very little about these men, but the record of the Magi’s visit in the second chapter of Matthew leaves us with a beautiful example of how to walk with our Lord.

They walked in obedience by following the star over five hundred miles. They were committed to the truth of the prophecy and made an enormous journey all the way across the desert to find Him. Psalm 119:160 says, “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.” While we may not be asked to journey across a desert based solely on the truth of God’s Word, we will have many circumstances in our daily lives where we must rely on our commitment to the trustworthiness of God’s word. God’s word refreshes the soul, makes wise the simple, gives joy to the heart, enlightens the eyes, His decrees are firm and righteous, they are more precious than gold, and in keeping them is great reward (Psalm 19:7-11). Honestly, what more do we need to direct our paths? Whether life has us trudging through sinking sand or gliding along city streets, His Word is the only guide we need.

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him” (Matt 2:11). Why did the Magi make that arduous journey? Was it merely to bring gifts? That answer is found at the very beginning of the story. When the Wisemen arrived in Jerusalem, they asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (Matt 2:2). The purpose of their entire quest was one of worship and of a God probably not their own. The Child had come for everyone. The gifts were secondary, a reflection of the givers and the recipient.

The journey’s purpose was to worship, which is our purpose.  “Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:1-3). He doesn’t need anything we have to offer; He desires our worship. We were created to worship; it is our supreme purpose and privilege (Philippians 2:9-11). My house looks and feels empty after all the Christmas décor is gone, just like our lives would be and are empty without Jesus. May your days overflow with worship and reliance on His holy Word, with no emptiness to be found.  And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.

The picture is of King Herod’s palace in Masada, Israel taken during my March 2022 trip.