Life Is a Continual Christmas
A beautiful reminder that all things are possible in this Classic Daily devotion.
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things… Psalm 119:18 (NIV)
It was Christmastime and my office-mate Roger had one request on his gift list that he’d lost all hope of finding: an old-time aluminum Christmas tree like the one his fiancée Paula had adored as a girl growing up in the fifties. Knowing how I haunt flea markets and junk shops, Roger asked for my help. I searched everywhere and called everyone I knew who might know of one for sale. My leads led me nowhere.
Then on Christmas Eve, a friend and fellow nostalgia buff telephoned to wish me a Merry Christmas. “Sorry I couldn’t find you one of those old silver trees,” he remarked. “I’ve put out at least fifty feelers, but they’re scarce as hen’s teeth this year.”
In the background, I heard his sister holler, “Someone wants one of those dreadful silver Christmas trees? I have one in the attic just taking up space.” I was off to her house like a horse charging out of the gate at the Kentucky Derby.
That evening when Paula came through the door, the house was dark except for the glowing wheel of lights. When Paula heard the sound of the grinding motor, she threw down her purse and ran toward the tree like a five-year-old.
Roger and I love to recount that story whenever we need a shot of Christmas spirit at work. It never fails to put us in an “all things are possible” frame of mind, despite the pressures of the workaday world. But even more than that, it’s a wonderful year-round reminder that life is a continual Christmas. For God has placed what we need all around us, though sometimes hidden in the most ordinary places.
Thank You, loving Father, for opening my eyes to Your wonderful gifts.
5 Ways to Welcome Newcomers to Your Church
Arthritis had crept into her joints and the years had caught up with her, but that didn’t stop Macie Bailey each Sunday morning. She’s gone home to be with Jesus for quite a while now, but I can still see her so clearly, her white hair in a bun and a sweet smile as she made her rounds through our church.
She’d greet newcomers with “Welcome, I’m so glad to see you’uns!” as she gave them a hug. It didn’t matter if they were from low-income housing, wealthy or a big-name politician, all were made to feel welcome. I always enjoyed watching the reactions. Some would be taken aback, unused to such exuberant hospitality, but they always walked away with a smile. None of them ever left our church feeling like they hadn’t been warmly welcomed.
So you can understand why it made me so sad to read a friend’s Facebook post recently. She and her husband have moved to a new state and they’ve been trying to find a church home.
Here’s what she posted:
We’ve gone to this church about eight times. It’s like we’re ghosts. I started going to the women’s Bible study. I can’t imagine sitting with a new person and sharing like you do in Bible study, and not trying to connect. Every single week after the study, ladies figure out where to go to lunch. And I’m right there and not one person invites me to join them. The retreat was yesterday. A lady asked if I was going. I explained that we have one car and that Gary needed it for work. Talk about a perfect opportunity to offer to give me a ride. Nope. She walked away.
Folks, that’s so sad to me. That’s not how church should be—yet I’ve experienced it myself when I’ve been out of town and visited churches. What broke my heart was thinking about all those hungry souls—about people who were desperately searching for God’s love—who might have finally worked up their courage to go to church…and then no one spoke to them or made them feel welcome.
How to fix that? Here are 5 ways:
1) Make sure that everyone who walks through the doors will feel welcome and wanted. A simple “I’m glad you’re here, and I hope you’ll come back!” goes a long way.
2) Instead of jetting out the doors as soon as the “Amen” is uttered from the closing prayer, take a few minutes to talk to the newcomers. Invite them to Bible study. Tell them about the activities for their children.
3) Be an extension of God’s loving hands. Take a casserole, send a card or provide help as needed.
4) Ask newcomers how you can pray for them.
5) Introduce them to other church members and your staff. Help them build a community.
It takes so little to make someone feel welcome—and it takes so little for someone to feel so unwelcome that they will never enter the doors of a church again.
Every church needs a Miss Macie to make folks feel welcome. Could you be the Miss Macie for your church?
7 Lessons from ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’
A military mom shares how a favorite family television special brought home some important truths about the season.
The first Christmas our son was deployed proved challenging. Every winking light, glittering ornament or wrapped present reminded me of him. Surprisingly, one of the hardest parts of the holidays was watching television. Our family always loved viewing Christmas specials together.
I did my best to join in the fun with our two youngest sons, but everyone could tell my heart just wasn’t in it. So I sent up a quick prayer one evening, right before we sat down to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas, asking God to help me through. And did He ever! He used that specific show to teach me some lessons about Christmas and having a son deployed:
1) Feeling down during Christmas isn’t unusual
Early on, Lucy reminds Charlie Brown that he’s not the only one who gets down during the holidays. God reminded me that it’s normal for military families too—especially when someone they love won’t be home.
2) Turn to your friends
Charlie Brown did exactly the right thing. He told his friends how he was feeling. And sure enough, one of them came up with a suggestion to help him out. Likewise, when I reached out to my friends while our son was gone, they helped me come up with ways to lift my spirits.
3) Get involved
When we take our focus off ourselves, our problems shrink. By having something to do that benefits others, we find purpose and blessings for ourselves.
4) Avoid the commercial side
I don’t think there’s anyone out there who isn’t aware of the commercial side of Christmas. It’s often too big to fight, but we can learn to avoid it. Find ways to work around the spend-spend-spend of the season and stay connected with friends and family.
5) Look for magic in unexpected places
Charlie Brown found it in a tiny, scruffy tree. I found it that year in an abandoned bird’s nest. Our youngest son brought it inside to me—so proud of his gift. Now, every year it nestles in our Christmas tree beside the blown glass and handmade offerings.
6) Trust your instincts
Yes, Charlie Brown found the tree, but he lost faith in what it could be. It took his friends to remind him that his instincts were spot on. Don’t lose sight of what you feel in your heart.
7) Don’t forget why we celebrate
Ultimately we need to remember why we celebrate Christmas at all. When we honor the love God showed us through a tiny baby, it puts everything in perspective.
Yes, the holidays are tough on military families who are in the midst of a deployment. But there is still hope and a reason to celebrate. So dust off your family traditions and ask God to give you some new ones as you think about what makes Christmas so special.
10 Beautiful Descriptions of Heaven from the Bible
By Jennifer Waddle
I’ve been fortunate to have witnessed some of the most breathtaking views on earth. From the Rocky Mountains outside my back window to the jungles of Belize, God’s creation is marvelous. But there is a future place—an eternal dwelling—that far exceeds anything we could ever behold.
Heaven is not a mythical place. It is the holy dwelling of the Lord Most High. And although we cannot even begin to comprehend its splendor, the Bible gives us beautiful descriptions of the place in which those who have received Jesus will spend eternity.
1. John 14:2-3
Expect a Blessing This Thanksgiving
Start a tradition of thanking God for gifts to come.
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
The turkey is on the table, my favorite green bean supreme casserole is beside it and, best of all, my extended family rounds our dining room table. It’s a little crowded, I have to admit. Sometimes elbows rub and we’ve had to use every chair in the house, but we all fit—and the amazing aroma of Thanksgiving fills the house.
In a few minutes we’ll share what we’re thankful for, but this year, as the host, I’m adding a new twist to our family tradition. I suppose it all started at the beginning of the year when I was trying to think of a word to focus on. The phrase “Expect a Blessing” kept coming to mind.
expect or blessing. I even looked for something else altogether. But again and again it came back to me. Browsing a cute little gift store in town, the same three words greeted me on a hand-painted sign, and I said to myself, Okay, okay, I get it.
I wrote “Expect a Blessing” on the inside flap of my journal and vowed to mean it. I said it whenever a worry came into my thoughts. Instead of going over the worst of any given situation, I countered it with the best. Even if a blessing didn’t follow, I felt at peace.
So, in line with my theme for the year, and in addition to sharing gratitude for what’s already happened, I’m asking everyone to give thanks for a blessing that’s on the way—a goal they want to accomplish, a vacation down the road, maybe a raise at work, their hopes for tomorrow.
Dear God, on this special day of Thanksgiving, thank You for the amazing gifts You give us, most especially the ones to come.
Praying For The Marriages Of Others
When couples under stress don’t have the energy to pray for their marriage, someone needs to fill in the gap.
Posted in , Aug 22, 2017
I have been praying for a friend whose son died this time last year of an overdose. It was a heart-wrenching death, and I think of her often. I pray for her comfort, but I also pray for her marriage.
It’s an under-emphasized ministry, this matter of praying for the marriages of others, but it’s important. The divorce rate of those who have suffered through a child’s death, who have a child with a serious disability, or whose child has a major health (or mental health) problem is often 90% or higher. In times of stress and grief, partners often turn in on themselves, desperately needing the support of their spouse but hurting too bad to reach out. What’s more, each is praying desperately for the survival of the child, and their attention is distracted from the survival of the family. They don’t have the energy to pray for their marriage, and someone needs to cover that gap. Why not me?
So I pray that God who joined this man and woman together may hold them together. I ask that in their suffering He will draw them close to Himself, and thus to each other. I beg that grace be poured out upon them so that even in their darkness they may find solace and companionship in each other, and that they will unite their pain with the suffering of Christ crucified, so that through this terrible cross they may grow more like Him, and reflect light to each other and to the world.
It is a small thing to do, but an important one. Perhaps you, too, can take on this ministry.