God-Made Family

God, give me the humility to be able to…

~speak in ways that are genuinely grateful for all that God has given me. There are always those with way less and I never want to have a a heart that can’t see past what I “don’t have”. God is always faithful to provide more than enough, even when it doesn’t necessarily meet society’s standards.

~cherish every day that God gives me with my children. They are His and He has entrusted me with them, each for an allotted number of days. May my words not grumble over trivial things when I have friends who continue to grieve over a child that God brought home to Heaven.

~love in a way that pours grace over someone so much that they feel Jesus. We are living in dark, difficult times. I’ll venture out to say unconditional love is the number one thing people need and are severely lacking. Not a love that sees past sin, but one that loves so purely in spite of it that people walk away from it! I’ll admit, I don’t see this often, even inside of “the church”. If we did, we would see more people walking away from their past radically changed because that’s what happened when people encountered Jesus. We are to be His hands and feet. I know I can do better.

~forgive even though it isn’t deserved. Jesus died for my sins before I even existed. His forgiveness was given on the cross. None of us deserve it, but God gives it to us in complete fullness. I can only imagine the impact my life could have if I learn to embrace that.

~live in a way that points others to Jesus. There are no areas of my life exempt from my faith. The Holy Spirit living in me should cause people who are searching for truth and love to stop and pause. I want my story to scream Jesus. Not just “oh, she’s such a good and moral person”. That’s not going to help anyone. I want to be bold enough to not only live out the gospel but to share it. I’ve got lots of room to grow.

God please help me to be gentle and kind. Help my heart to not be jealous or my lips to boast. Help me to honor and serve others, hold my temper and forgive more often, be joyful about truth, protect those in need. Give me the courage to always trust and hope in You while never giving up. For Your love never fails!! (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a)

This starts in my home. The Word cannot be neglected. I can think of no greater legacy than my children, grandchildren, and generations to come living this out!

1 John 4:20-2
“If anyone boasts, ‘I love God,’ and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.”

In honor of National Adoption Day (yesterday) I wanted to address one of the most common things I’ve had said to me over the years when talking to people about adoption. I’m sure you’ve heard it to, maybe even said it, or at least wondered in your heart…if I’m honest, I’m sure there was a piece of me, prior to meeting Kambree, that secretly wondered this as well.

“Could I ever love an adopted child the same as one of my own?”

I get it, adoption isn’t a perfect plan, free from loss or heartache, but when it comes down to it, that question comes from a fear that does not come from God. So how do we answer it?

First, we have to get to the point where we realize ALL of our children, regardless of how they entered our family, ARE our own because God is the one that gave each one of them to us.

Tell me, did you get to choose any of your biological children? Maybe you decided to try and have children but no, you did not specifically choose them. God knew, from the beginning of time, which children He was going to give each one of us and how. God chose each one and placed them in their family. So while it can be difficult to understand why some stories play out the way they do, we MUST trust that God is sovereign and that EVERY one of our kids IS our own.

Next, we need to realize that we aren’t designed to love each child “the same” as they are all different! Hear me out. If I sat and made a list of all the things I love about each one of my children, every one of their lists would look different. They are each unique and special in their own ways, created in the image of God with different passions, talents and spiritual gifts. This causes me to love them differently.

But, while I don’t move them ”the same”, I do love them EQUALLY!! God did that. Just like He chose them for our family, He gave us such a deep, rich and specific love for them. It’s really truly incredible!!

So next time you wonder if you could love an adopted child as much as a biological child (see how that question is corrected?!), remember that it’s not up to you anyway. God is the one giving us the ability to love in the first place and the well of His love is DEEP, deep, deep!! It never lets you down, never disappoints and never runs dry.

“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”(Ephesians 3:18-19)

D.I.F.F.E.R.E.N.T.

A word that describes our family well. Also something that many often struggle with being. But the reason behind that, I think, can be summed up as a misunderstanding of how God feels about differences.

We hear “that’s not normal” often, don’t we? But what really IS normal?

Sit for a minute and think about your family. What all of you look like and prefer. What your talents and spiritual gifts are. What your struggles and strengths are. What your life experiences are.

We all know deep down that not one family is alike. In fact, I’m confident that what IS absolutely normal, is being DIFFERENT!!

Look at the birds of the air and the flowers of the field. There are thousands of varieties. Could it be that we often overlook God’s love for variety?

So this month, as we think about adoption and all that God shows us through it, let’s embrace the differences in our families. Truly love, cherish and support your differences. Those differences should be celebrated, as they are God’s creativeness woven into our lives!!

Yesterday evening, in the midst of exhaustion, frustration and a bit of disappointment (Kambree had gotten in trouble cause she deliberately disobeyed me), these 2 found comfort in each other and ended up like this for well over an hour.

It was the perfect earthly reminder of the comfort God has available for us as His children. He’s not irritated by our shortcomings or standoffish when we aren’t at our best. He’s not too busy to be fully present in our time of need. In fact, He’s quite the opposite! He’s longing for us to turn to Him in repentance or in need of rest.

Best part, it’s the most incredible kind of comfort and rest available. It’s complete. His forgiveness is whole and His love is pure.

It’s exactly what we need in the moment…just like this beautiful cuddle session was that turned into the sweetest father/daughter nap!

“A mother’s love is always whole no matter how many times it’s divided!” - Unknown

There are no truer words…the moment I heard the words “there’s a baby” I instantly felt a love well up that I knew could only come from God.

God is love.

Love makes a family.

1 John 4:16
“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”

“Whatever you do for the least of these…”

I’ve never shared this picture as it holds a host of emotions but I feel it’s time. I remember the moment we received it like it was yesterday. It’s the only picture of our daughter we got just hours before going to the hospital to meet her.

We weren’t in the system. She was born unexpectedly. She had no name and had been in the NICU alone for 3 days. We had 4 boys ages 10-15 and got a call out of nowhere asking us if we would adopt an infant girl.

But God was at work. He wasn’t thrown off. He had a plan of healing and redemption. He was asking us to say yes. And while I’ll not pretend that’s an easy ask, words won’t suffice to explain what God has done.

Followers of Christ, while yesterday may have felt like a win, the battle is no where near over.

The real battle…is within the heart of every one of us.

First, we’ve got to “step into other peoples’ shoes”. There are millions who are genuinely upset, angry and afraid. Do we really believe for half a second that us celebrating over life is going to be received well at this point?

Heartbreaking reality is, over the last 50 years, we, as a society, have been doing more arguing over laws than actually serving those in need. And they know it.

Don’t get me wrong, I personally know there are many people doing a lot. But I also personally know many who aren’t. And most likely, if we are honest, we have all fallen into that category at one time or another unfortunately. And trying to act like we haven’t just makes their anger grow.

It’s PAST time for each one of us to decide where we stand. And if we are going to be pro-life with our votes/words/posts/beliefs, then we had better be pro-life with our actions as well, or not a soul on this planet is going to buy into the nonsense when something this historical goes down.

God made each of us for such a time as this.

It’s not time to yell, condemn, or unfriend.

It’s time to sit in the deep, hard conversations and listen. It’s time to love in spite of not necessarily seeing eye to eye. It’s time to pour the grace God poured out on us onto a very broken world that is in desperate need.

And it’s past time we ask ourselves this really simple question that we’ve made quite difficult for some reason.

Will we say YES to being a part of the solution?

First, we’ve got to do better at teaching these young generations the value of life. If there is no value in the womb, there will be none outside of it either and we are definitely reaping those consequences. We also must teach our daughters that their value is not found in their body. Society is telling them they are good for s*x. The safe, Biblical way is mocked. Sin is applauded. And abortion is the way out. How does society shift? It starts with each one of us. We MUST have the conversations that are viewed as “hard” with our kids, over and over. Let them be beautiful and help them find their value and identity in Christ alone!

Next, what about all the “unwanted” babies people are asking about? Not everyone is called to foster or adopt, I get that. Many of us are though. Have you genuinely asked yourself what you would do if God called you? Are you truly asking Him to lead? Are you willing to say yes? Trust me, even I still ask myself the question of “would I say yes again?”.

Thing is though, we need EVERYONE to grab a corner and find a way to support someone in need. Find a single woman who doesn’t feel like she can support a baby on her own. Be her family. Maybe volunteer to do things a husband would do. Accompany someone on appointments. Throw a baby shower. Babysit. Decorate a baby room. Find a foster/adoptive family to support and do life with. Buy birthday/Christmas gifts for foster kids. The list goes on and on and on. And we ALL must say yes in the way God specifically calls!

Is life the right choice every time? Absolutely! But that doesn’t mean it will be an easy road. There’s work for everyone. And honestly, the church MUST do better!

Matthew 25:40-45
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’”

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

God be near to the brokenhearted. The earth groans today. Society is groaning. Our hearts are groaning. Romans 8:26

Heartbreak. Anger. Confusion. Sympathy. Fear. Questions. Prayers.

We ALL want change. No one is ok with this happening over and over. Especially to our children. But how can we expect change to come when as a society we’ve boldly shut God out of our lives? Tragically, it’s just not going to happen.

We. Need. Jesus.

We are a desperately sick society. People are lost. Hopelessly lost. The deceiver is roaming about the earth wreaking havoc in the most painful of ways but instead of recognizing our true enemy we have turned on each other. Revelation 12:9, 1 Peter 5:8

I mean really, how are we to diffuse hate without God? Relieve pain? Calm fears? Give hope? Settle doubts? Repair division? Love unconditionally? Break the chains of depression?

We can’t. People are trying, but clearly it’s not working. God has been pushed out and replaced with idols. Selfishness rules. And our hearts and minds cannot handle the depravity.

We are each created with an identity that can only be found whole in Him. Value is found when grace is accepted. What we are experiencing is an extreme sickness that is a direct result of thinking we can do life on our own.

Don’t be defeated though. We CAN make a difference! It starts with us. In our hearts and minds.

Focus on your family. Pour Jesus into them. Be the hands and feet of Jesus to them. Love them with the unconditional love of Jesus. A deep, grace filled, love.

Society is groaning for Jesus and doesn’t even know it. Our kids need Jesus. We can’t assume they know who He is. Teach them. Make community with other believers a top priority. Make studying the Word together a daily habit. Make serving our families and others a lifestyle.

There will always be evil in the world on this side of heaven. Us fighting over it won’t help. Our families need Jesus. Let’s speak Jesus, forgiveness, grace, hope, life, value, peace, respect, victory and love over them daily.

Jesus gives hope in the midst of tragedy. Jesus loves the unlovable. Jesus draws near to the brokenhearted. Jesus forgives us and saves us from depravity.

Jesus be near. Break every stronghold. Come quickly.

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IBVEZeCP3KI

Confessions of a loving MaMa…my heart can’t take it as my hands let go.

Here we are, rounding the corner of a perfectly imperfect Senior year to one of the most bittersweet milestones in life that I’ve come to thus far.

Graduation.

I mean listen, it’s coming like a freight train whether I’m ready for it or not. And I’m pretty sure my heart still feels like it’s not.

But my son on the other hand, is better than ready and it’s so humbling to witness.

He’s grown from my baby who loved rocking in his MaMa’s arms for hours on end every day into a courageous young man who confidently handles his entire schedule on his own, and well. That shy toddler now boldly communicates with his family, teachers, pastor’s, coaches, bosses and friends with utmost respect. That timid little boy has pressed in to the whisper of the Holy Spirit and is now resolute in his faith and convictions. He will not be easily led astray. And that strong teenage boy who was content sitting and talking to his MaMa for hours on end is now using that God given relational strength to impact the Kingdom. God give me the strength to fully send him out.

But oh. my. heart.

While it may not fully know how to let go yet it’s also ready to watch him soar. There’s a mutual aching for more time and longing to see him follow God’s call on his life no matter where that might take him.

Honestly, some days I just blow it and have to apologize for holding on a bit too tightly. And many days there are tears. All. The. Tears. It’s HARD for a MaMa to let go!!

I’m constantly asking myself if I’m allowing him to truly grow in his God-given bent. Or am I pressing him to check off the massive society driven senior checklist? Not that any of those things are bad in and of themselves but if God isn’t leading him to do one of them, my ego needs to let it go.

But can it? Whew, that’s a loaded question that’s been harder to swallow than I prepared myself for. There is a TON of unnecessary pressure put on parents and seniors to do and be certain things. And y’all, bottom line is, it isn’t a Biblical list. It’s man-made. And it’s been SO freeing to realize that God has a plan and a purpose for him and it’s SO much bigger and better than I could have hoped or planned for.

And a checklist, simply put, won’t get him there.

Faith, wisdom, determination, trust, character, respect, courage, humility, drive, perseverance, passion and love…these things will. And these are the things I’ve been seeing take flight, one by one, as he’s grown into a Godly young man.

I’m beyond proud of him for choosing wisdom, time and time again. For proving that he’s already got what it takes to not only be successful in life but to make a Kingdom impact.

We know God doesn’t give us our children to physically hold onto long term but rather to help them rise in courage under the wings of ours. This is why the years we have with them aren’t to be taken lightly.

And if we’ve followed God’s lead through the years and given them all the tools needed to build a solid foundation of faith, God promises us that He’s got them as they venture out from underneath our wings!
Proverbs 22:6

It overwhelms my heart. All of it. So I’ll continue to pray for the strength to let go in God’s timing, encouraging him each step of the way. And I’ll soak in every last second and hug that I’m given!

Not sure where the time has gone but we got this handsome guy’s Senior pics taken a few days ago and it had me quite emotional in all the best of ways!

MaMa’s, remember when your rocking and cuddling all through the deep hours of the night, babies don’t keep.

They grow up. Right in front of you. Little by little. One moment of each stage at a time. Don’t wish a single second of it away. Cherish the sweet moments. Pray through the hard ones. Revel in each victory and trust God’s sovereignty in the times where you feel like you failed.

You didn’t.

And before you know it, you’ll be standing there, staring at that baby of yours, all grown up, making wise choices and doing grown up things.

Pour into their faith now, no matter what stage you are in. It’s never too late! And bask in God’s faithfulness to do abundantly more than we ask when we are willing to follow His plan for us as parents.

Is my heart ready to let go yet? Nope! But am I beyond excited to see what God is going to continue to do in and through my son? More than words can express.

These…are the ponderings of my heart as I watched his pics being taken.

It's now easier to send God-Made Family a message.

“I’ll still bless You, in the middle of my storm!”

Goodness, this song is on repeat for me today as I lay in bed all day, yet again, due to severe back pain. Ugh, to say it’s been frustrating is putting it lightly and my emotions, well, let’s just say they have been quite the mixed bag of a hot mess!

Thing is, the fusion in my back caused a flair up starting back on Dec 26 and it just hasn’t let go. None of us have time to be down for the count too long so when it not only didn’t let up but got worse, I started going to PT a couple weeks ago. Things seemed to start getting better slowly and I was very encouraged.

Until yesterday…

When I woke up with pain in my upper spine. What in the actual world?? As the day progressed, so did the pain. Then I barely slept last night due to the pain radiating down my left arm. And muscle twitching set in this morning.

Pinched nerve. Ugh. Back to PT tomorrow again, for the second time this week. Praying for help. Relief from the pain. Forward progress.

Thing is though, you know where I find God the most? See Him the most clearly? Hear Him more loud and clear?

In the middle of the storm.

Yep, I know y’all are out there who know what I’m saying. God goes into the storm BEFORE us! He’s not waiting on us to ask Him to come, He’s already fighting the battle before we get there.

Now, that doesn’t mean He will necessarily take the thorn away or answer our prayers in the ways we wish He would but He’s going to be there, and He’s going to answer them.

In HIS way. HIS timing. And the way that will bring us out the strongest on the other side. Great is His faithfulness!!

Lamentations 3:22-23 “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness”

Question is do I trust Him? Fully. Will I keep praising Him in the middle of the storm? Will the eyes and ears of my heart and mind be open enough to glean what He has for me in this? Or will I be too selfish and closed off and miss it?

Lord, may that never be!

Unexpected side note, had my PT ask me a raw and very deep faith question yesterday during my appointment and was able to share my heart on who Jesus is and how He is about relationship vs religion. The church, made up of flawed people, has deeply hurt him. But God sees him and loves him. I could feel it and I was so humbled that God put me there to have that 40+ minute conversation and pray it left him encouraged.

And you know what, God used that to remind me that this pain isn’t about me. Our storms never are. We never know how God is going to use them.

Praying for the grace to accept each day, no matter what it looks like and for the strength to accept God’s answers to my prayers, even if they don’t line up with what I really want or hope for.

Now back to listening to this incredible song. If you haven’t heard it, stop what you are doing and listen. If it’s not your style, listen. You won’t be sorry!

Promises (feat. Joe L Barnes & Naomi Raine) | Maverick City Music | TRIBL Official Music Video for "Promises" featuring Joe L Barnes and Naomi Raine by Maverick City Music. "Promises" was written by Joe L Barnes, Carrington Gaines,...

G.R.A.T.I.T.U.D.E.

Something that has weighed more and more heavy on my heart as we get closer and closer to our oldest son’s graduation. Prayers for all you MaMa’s and Daddy’s who are walking into this season of life for the first time like we are…you are seen.

Holy smokes I’ve heard people all my life say how emotional of a time it is but I had NO idea.

NO CLUE!

Really. It’s the most bittersweet thing I’ve ever experienced in my life to date. And as I was finishing up semester grades back in January my mind began to ponder as my heart relished over all that God was doing.

Key word…GOD.

You see, I’ve doubted my ability to properly and adequately educate my children way too many times along this journey. I’m human. We all feel like we fall short somewhere. For me, this is my biggest task. My most important job. And I’m not a person to just be ok with an ok outcome.

But here’s the deal. God called me to this daunting road. I didn’t choose it. I’ve actually fought it along the way more than once. But when I sat there last month thinking, I was reminded that this is about so much more than me. My feeble mind can’t begin to comprehend God’s big picture and plan.

Then God gave me a new analogy that instantly brought tears (did I say I’ve been emotional?😎🤷🏼‍♀️).

At any given time, I can only see the current needs our children have. These needs vary from physical, educational, emotional and spiritual. And they change as they grow. We can’t see what their future needs are (although sometimes as parents we would like to think we know). All we can do is do our best to meet those needs, ask for forgiveness when we fail, and keep moving forward as we press into Christ.

It’s like being given a single piece of a puzzle at a time. God doesn’t give us all the pieces at once. We aren’t asked to put the puzzle together either, but rather to steward that piece while it’s in our care and trust that it has a perfect spot in the puzzle.

God though, is the one putting the puzzle together that is our child’s life. While we may be terrified of the results and feel like we are ruining them at some point, He isn’t phased but rather asking us to rely on His sovereignty. He can see it all put together because He created it. And He’s not thrown off if a piece happens to get tattered or torn along the way because He makes all things beautiful again in time. He’s just asking that we follow His call as He gives us each piece, even if for a short while before we have to give it back to Him.

And when we do, year after year…Y’ALL!

I look at my oldest son and think about who he has become and I’m absolutely taken back. God didn’t need me!! I didn’t do this. I’m absolutely blow away that He gave me the gift of being his mother and teacher IN SPITE OF all my shortcomings.

He never asked for more than my “five loaves and 2 fishes”. Oh but even if I was a bit reluctant to hand them over, He has used them to create abundantly more than I could have ever asked or imagined! It’s the most humbling experience of my life to receive such an overwhelming result. It’s hard to comprehend how much greater the reward is than the sacrifice.

I don’t deserve to have been given the gift that is motherhood. And I can’t think of anything I’m more grateful for.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1em6MJp0zUc

Here we are, January 10, and all day I’ve been overwhelmed by the fact that I really never can “land” on a word for the year. Just never has been my thing I guess. Not really sure why that doesn’t seem to work for me.

A couple days into this year though, something hit me as I was once again, trying to see if God would impress a word on my heart and mind. There are a lot of incredible words to claim for the year…enough (HE IS enough), yes (the heart posture we should have when God calls!), bloom (cause God has planted each of us in unique places where He has a purpose for us in store), and we could go on and on with love, power, renewal, etc.

Each word that came to mind led me to one word. Every time. Over and over.

DEPENDENT

It hit me that this is why a word never seems to stick for me. Dependent is my forever word. The word that needs to be the root of all other words for me.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in 43 years of life, It starts there.

I’m not in control. Ever.

I don’t know what I need. Ever.

God is the source. For everything.

The only way for me to successfully grow IN Christ, willingly follow His callings, bask in contentment in every circumstance and find true joy even in the midst of hardship, is to be completely and totally dependent on Him.

That’s it.

I think about this picture often. Sweet Kambree at just 2 weeks old, sleeping soundly in my wrap. She had already experienced great loss, medical trauma, loneliness, deep love, fear, confusion, peace, comfort, and great joy. Yet, this pic perfectly depicts how dependent on me she was. She fully trusted me to give her EVERYTHING she needed. I had proved to her that I would be there, no matter what.

However, on my end, no matter what she wants, I’m going to give her what she really needs. I’m going to do what is absolute best for her. I’m going to protect her no matter the cost. And I’m going to hold nothing back when showing her my unconditional love for her.

How could she fully benefit from all of that though, without being fully dependent? If she fought me, she was going to miss out on something.

Thing is, I don’t want to miss out on anything. I want to experience all that God has for me to the fullest. I pray I say yes to every calling. I can’t wait to fully bloom in the season God has me in, exactly in His timing. And my ultimate desire is to be joyfully content in every circumstance God allows in my life.

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

I love this song so much. To be dependent is to rely on someone else as your primary source. Jehovah Jireh means “the Lord will provide”. I want to live in complete confidence that not only is God my source for literally everything but that He is and always will
be enough!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mC-zw0zCCtg

Christmas is…JOY

Joy is something we easily get confused with happiness. But while happiness is dependent on circumstances, joy can be found in the midst of even the worst of storms in life. But how?

The problem is, too many times we simply let our emotions take control and we miss what God is trying to do in our lives. When the angels showed up to the shepherds I’m confident fear instantly set in. Just look at the first words out of the angels mouth. But that greeting wasn’t just for the shepherds, that’s still for us today.

God still comes to us in ways that have the potential to spark fear. He also comes to us in the midst of the storms of life that absolutely induce fear. Yet, if we are willing, when we focus our eyes on Him and what He has for us, deep joy can be found no matter what is going on around us. Joy that comes from a complete trust in Him. Joy that is a heart position, not necessarily a feeling.

How is this joy possible though? Well, imagine receiving the best tangible gift you can imagine or wish for. That would spark some happiness, at least temporarily right? Now imagine your in so much debt you will not only never be able to repay it you are in bo***ge to it. And someone not only erases it, they give you 10+ fold on top of it to keep. THAT, is what God did for us when He sent us Jesus and when we receive Him, with zero stings attached!! JOY is what that sparks. It really is about the state of our hearts.

So today, on Christmas Eve, I pray God finds you ready to receive His joy. Ready to experience His love, forgiveness, peace and hope in new and fresh ways. Ready to wake up tomorrow with your heart more grateful for the best gift anyone could ever give you. It’s free, won’t be under the tree, and brings a lasting joy with it that can carry you through even the darkest of days.

Merry Christmas everyone! Christ has come!!

Luke 2:9-10 “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.’”