Merry Christmas!

It's a beautiful December morning here in the Big Thicket!  The sky is clear, the sun is shining brightly through the trees, and it's 32 degrees outside - perfect!


As we approach Christmas, I find the days getting shorter and my list getting longer.  I wanted to take just a minute to remind us all to remember that this should be a season of great joy.  The very essence of the spirit of Christmas is one of peace, patience, kindness, joy, love, giving, and great hope.  Please don't get so caught up in all the buying and planning and partying that you forget the reason we celebrate this season.  The Christ child brought with Him the hope of glory; let this be foremost in your mind as you spend time with family and friends.  


Make this Christmas special.  Use the story of Christmas to witness to the store clerks, bank tellers, waitresses, fellow shoppers, everyone you might come in contact with as you plan for that special day of celebration.   Purchase gifts that are meaningful to the recipient; perhaps something that reminds them of a special time or event in their lives.  I just read (on Pinterest) about a family that performs random acts of kindness for the first 24 days of December.  This is something Moi and I are considering for next Christmas.


Make memories; reinforce traditions.  Every year, my husband reads the story of Christmas before we open gifts.  Every Christmas I add a new bell with the date written on it to each stocking.  We try to watch one Christmas movie every day; our very favorite is "Christmas in Canaan".  


Start a new tradition.


In short, enjoy your Christmas holiday! 


From my family to yours, may your Christmas be filled with love and laughter, peace and comfort, and may you rest in the truth of this Christmas:   "For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."      
John 3:16


Be blessed!

Happy Birthday!

Saturday, my baby boy turns 15...15!

I have mixed feelings about this milestone.  On the one hand, what a blessing to see him becoming such a fine young man.  On the other hand, I miss those baby days!  Either way, it has been an honor and a blessing to be able to watch him grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord.  

Thank you, Jesus, for blessing us with Moises!

Happy Birthday

Moi,

I love you !!

The Spirit of Thanksgiving

Sometime in August, I noticed stores in our part of the world making room for Halloween decorations (or Hell-oween as I like to call it) and before the Helloween decorations could be removed, room was being made for Christmas ornaments.  I suppose there's nothing wrong with that EXCEPT...squeezed between the two were sparse amounts of Thanksgiving (mostly fall) knick-knacks.  This, to me, is a reminder that to a large population Thanksgiving doesn’t really count for much.  I get that it doesn’t turn as much profit as Helloween, Christmas, or Easter but what really breaks my heart is that we miss the “spirit” of the Thanksgiving season altogether.  Be honest, if I said “Thanksgiving”, you would say “turkey, dressing, and pumpkin pie!”  Am I right?   It’s all about the food! 

Why is Thanksgiving so special to me?  Why not Christmas or Easter?  We celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, on Christmas Day; His death, burial, and resurrection are celebrated on Easter - what holidays could possibly be more important than these?  Clearly none of the other holidays carry as much significance as these for most Christians, however I think Thanksgiving should be reevaluated.    

Imagine a day, just one day, among 365 set aside for one purpose alone…to be still and reflect on all God has given us.  Psalm 40:5 says, “…If I had to recite all Your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.”  It would be awesome if we made an effort to do this daily basis, but let's be honest...we don’t. 

Thanksgiving is a national holiday.  Most people usually have a couple of days off during this time; kids are out of school the entire week; families make plans to share a meal together, etc.  Can we just forget about Christmas this week?  Can we, instead, focus on creating an "atmosphere" of Thanksgiving in our homes?  Instead of fighting the mall traffic or planning for Black Friday can we just be still?  Can we enjoy the peace (and humility) that comes from reflecting on God’s provision, His grace, His mercy, His unconditional love, His blessing? 

Last night I attended a community-wide Thanksgiving service in town.   Ten churches of various faiths came together in one accord, for one express purpose – to worship God with praise offerings and heartfelt expressions of Thanksgiving.  We were challenged to look back, take an inventory of our lives, and thank God for His blessings.  I challenge you to do the same this week.  Be still, look around you, what has God done in your life this past year?  Give thanks.

May your heart and home be filled with the spirit of Thanksgiving today and every day!   

He who dared bravely, bravely died.

Some time ago, I was going through a box of my grandmother's photos and I ran across this piece of paper.  It looks like a poem or the words to a song; it's in her handwriting.  There is no title, no author.  I have tried to find some information about it on the internet, but have been unsuccessful.  Could it be that it was my grandmother who wrote it?  If you have any ideas, please let me know.

Love

While doing some research on the word love, I ran across this anonymous quote:

"The world moves for love; it kneels before it in awe."

I somehow find this quote very intriguing.  I'd like to hear your thoughts...

Which Jesus do you follow?

What Is Faith?

I am soooo not a TRUE blogger!  I was afraid this would happen at some point – not having the time to write.  It’s not like I don’t have anything to say, I have started a total of 39 blogs (that’s 39 different topics) and have not been able to finish even ONE!  Now that’s sad.

So for the sake of putting something out there, I thought we (we as in you and me) would talk about faith.  Faith is something that most people struggle with from time to time.  Just when you think you’ve mastered it WHAM! you find yourself blindsided by yet another faith-shaking situation. 

So, what is faith?

 The most quoted verse regarding faith is Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.”   

Charles Spurgeon said, “Faith goes up the stairs that love built and looks out the window which hope has opened.” 

What a beautiful picture! 

How do we get faith? 

Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” 

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:18,  “We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

“…we fix our eyes…”  What does it mean to fix your eyes on something?  The word fix actually means to concentrate but it also means to attach or place permanently – well there’s the problem right there.  Our eyes are not permanently attached to God.  When we live in a state of communion with God, faith comes naturally.  Imagine communion/fellowship with God as an umbrella of protection shielding us from the elements of anxiety, doubt, and fear; once we step out from under that umbrella, we are vulnerable.  If we’re going to navigate our way through this wicked world, we are going to have to “…walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7), but in order to do that we will have to master the art of fixing our eyes on Jesus and not on our circumstances.

How much faith do we need?

Well, Matthew 17:20 says “…If you had faith, even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move.  Nothing would be impossible.”  Did you know that a mustard seed measures only about 1/20th of an inch in diameter?  If it takes so little to move mountains, then why is it we struggle so with faith?  Surely we can russle up 1/20th of an inch or so...

Henry Ward Beecher may have had the answer to why we struggle with faith...He said, “Every tomorrow has two handles.  We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.”  He understood that faith is a choice.  Even as Christians it’s sometimes easier to give in to those things that challenge our faith than to fight.  We would never say with our lips that we choose to believe that God is not able, but in the end isn’t that exactly what we’re doing when we give in to fear and doubt? 

I will confess to you that my greatest struggles are not with the big, earth-shattering, life-changing things.  My biggest struggle with faith is with the small things.  Is God not on the throne in the world of small things also?  Of course He is!  The challenge for me is to put ALL things into God’s hands, to let Him be Ruler of ALL – my schedule, homeschooling, my thoughts, my tongue, every part of me.

What about you?  Do you struggle with faith?  Do you struggle with big things, small things, all things?  Do you pray as often as I do, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”?  Or perhaps you have a specific story of faith.  I love it when we come together to share our stories; it's such an encouragement.  I hope you'll take the time.

Take a look at some of these great quotes on faith:

“Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want.  It is the belief that God will do what is right.” Max Lucado

“Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, faith looks up.”  Anonymous

“For those who believe, no proof is necessary.  For those who don’t believe, no proof is possible.”  Author Unknown

“Faith is like radar that sees through the fog – the reality of things at a distance that the human eye cannot see.”  Corrie ten Boom

“Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light.”  Helen Keller

“Where faith is there is courage, there is fortitude, there is steadfastness and strength…Faith bestows that sublime courage that rises superior to the troubles and disappointments of life, that acknowledges no defeat except as a step to victory; that is strong to endure, patient to wait, and energetic to struggle…Light up, then, the lamp of faith in your heart…It will lead you safely through the mists of doubt and the black darkness of despair; along the narrow, thorny ways of sickness and sorrow, and over the treacherous places of temptation and uncertainty.”  James Allen

“Now we shall possess a right definition of faith if we call it a firm and certain knowledge of God’s benevolence toward us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Christ, both revealed to our minds and sealed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit.”               John Calvin 

 “Without faith it is impossible to please God…”  Paul