Quote - Henry Van Dyke

"Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world—stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death—and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love? Then you can keep Christmas."
— Henry Van Dyke

Christmas' Past

As time ticks diligently along to countdown till Christmas Day, my mind goes back to years past and the times with family and friends.

There was a routine my family went by every year. Christmas Eve we would travel through the darkness lit up by the bright Christmas lights for what seemed like years and finally about 2 hours later we were at my mother's parents' house, Grandma & Grandpa Pelzer. Christmas Eve at the Pelzer's was always an adventure, you never knew from one minute to the next what would happen. One thing for sure, Grandma Pelzer would recite "Lil Orphan Annie" and "T'was the Night Before Christmas in Texas" I can hear her telling these from memory and never forgetting a word. Oh, how I long to hear my Grandma retell the stories.

After returning home and getting so much needed rest, Santa would come! This was another wonderful day, not for the gifts but the family and friends we would see that day. Once our immediate family had our personal Christmas we'd travel about an hour and a half to visit Pop & Oma, my dad and his mother. They are from Holland and what a rich heritage they had to share... again I long to hear her speak of all the "Old Country" I can vividly see in my mind.

Then it was off to my another side of the family, my adopted father's family about an hour or two farther in the opposite direction. This was a huge family like my mother's family. There were so many people and so much good country cookin', and oh my, Mamaw's sweet tea was perfect! It had more sugar than water. Once our tummy was more full than could ever imagine, she'd bring out the desserts! And you just couldn't turn down her Banana Pudding or Fresh Blackberry Cobbler topped with Blue Bell's Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.

When all was done we'd be back on our way home through the darkness, this time not as many lights to brighten the wintry night. As many times as this routine was trod year in and year out, it was looked upon with much anticipation. Yes, the miles were many and the day and a half was very long but you knew once you were there it was HOME and you felt wanted. Each family was very different and none of the families celebrated the same. It's amazing how Christmas' Past seem like church of today. This is what church is to me, like Christmas every time.

It's a reunion of many different families and heritages come together to share a special time of worship and devotion to the one who loved us more than all creation. God loved us so much he gave us the most beautiful gift; he gave us through the birth, life and death of his son, Christ... Salvation!

If you'd like to share a special Christmas memory please feel free!

God bless...

A Christmas Prayer

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

— The Book of Common Prayer

Prayer... An Act of Faith?

Many have said, "Why pray, God already knows what is going on and what is needed." We need to pray for many reasons; besides the fact that it is the way we communicate with our Heavenly Father - the New Testament speaks of Christ and his daily accounts which included MUCH prayer.

Do you really think he had to pray to be at one with the Father as they were of each other? To keep the relationship with others working it must be active, an ongoing open relationship with much communication. It does encourage us when we talk and ask for help in any and all situations, great or small.

The Bible doesn't tell of every prayer that Jesus prayed and I do think he prayed more for others than he did for himself and would venture to say he prayed for the people he and his disciples would come in contact with before hand so their hearts were softened and prepped for the news they had for them.

Praying keeps us humble, knowing we don't have all the answers and we must ask someone for help hurts sometimes. Think of Jesus in the Garden as he prayed so intently that his Father change the plan that he knew was coming but most of all that his Father's will be done. That is an example we need to copy daily.

We make decisions with out consulting him and what he wants for us becomes less of what we want. We are born with goals ahead of us that we try to get accomplished some are easier than others. Some of these goals just happen in the course of life like learning to crawl, walk and run. As we get older the goals take on different shape, they are more in tune with what we want for our future.

If we are not careful to go to God and ask him what is best for our lives we try to accomplish goals for us that are not his best. And we take a less than perfect road which is harder than HIS path would've been. Where does prayer become an act of faith?

James 5:13-16 says, "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

When you pray no matter what the prayer it is an act of faith, as it is an act of faith to believe in what is not seen. And as we pray in faith we leave it up to God, our Heavenly Father to use his best judgement on how to respond to our requests as he can see all and knows all. Let us continue o build our faith as we daily humble ourselves to the Creator and our only true resource.

God bless...

Purpose of Life

This is a bit different entry than you are used to seeing here. This goes back to the old days of my writing, something I do love is to take a topic and just think and write. As I was watching a Christmas show on the Hallmark Channel - you know the tear jerker’s for the holidays. My mother-in-law got me started watching these during the time between Thanksgiving till Christmas. Anyway, as I was saying I was watching the program called "The Note", oh my what a great show! A commercial came on and I wasn't remotely interested in the show but a question caught my attention. The question was "what is the purpose of Life?" So many people go through life trying figure this out. They do the craziest of things to make sense of it all, or they try to fill the void they feel with anything they can get their hands on. Think about it... for you, the reader, what is the purpose to life for you? You do things, why? You help others, why? You go through life, what is it you are trying to accomplish at the end? It's nice to go through life and make a living, have money to live comfortable and raise a family. For all time these have been the questions that seem to haunt people where others don't seem to be bothered. Over two thousand years ago God sent his son to be born of a virgin birth because he loved us so much - that he did whatever it took to save us even the death of his only son, John 3:16. Why, to make a difference, a difference in our lives and that of others. And as Christ grew he continued to do just that. All through the Gospels of the Bible time and time again they tell of how Jesus made a difference in the lives of others and he said we were to be like him. We are to do the same exact thing... make a difference in the lives of others. As you think of how you will spend the rest of this year, this CHRISTmas season, think of the lives you will touch. All the people that you will go through life with, all the strangers you will come in contact with and the family that you will share each and every moment with - how do you want to make a difference in their lives? Let's don't stop there, when the new year comes let's continue till the end of our days or our Lord Jesus Christ comes to take us home. That is the purpose of life to make a difference... in the lives of others! Thank you for making such an impact on my life, so many have really touched my heart and helped God make me who I am today! May God continue to enrich your lives!

God bless...

Quote - Charles L. Slattery

"Help us to be unselfish in friendship, thoughtful of those less happy than ourselves, and eager to bear the burdens of others."
— Charles L. Slattery

Prayer by Mary Stewart

"Keep us, O God, from pettiness; let us be large in thought, in word, in deed. Let us be done with faultfinding and leave off self-seeking. May we put away all pretenses and meet each other, face to face, without self-pity and without prejudice. May we never be hasty in judgment and always generous. Teach us to put in action our better impulses—straightforward and unafraid. Oh, Lord, let us not forget to be kind. Amen."
— Mary Stewart

Quote - C.S. Lewis

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully with hobbies and little luxuries, avoid all entanglements, lock it up safe in the casket of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, and irredeemable. The only place outside heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers of love is Hell.
— C.S. Lewis

Serve Wholeheartedly

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.
Ephesians 6:7

The passage this scripture comes from is referring to slaves and how they should serve their master. I don't believe many of us have actual masters we must obey as in the older days of this world, but we all to have someone we take orders from or a boss in some capacity. I like looking at this scripture in a wider range. Someone asked you to do something, you accept the challenge but really don't do your best at the task? Then you didn't serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving Christ. I have done this as well but I tell ya when you do serve with your whole mind, body and soul it makes a difference. You may be totally exhausted but in the end it is so much more worth it knowing you did your absolute best and noone can say you didn't. It doesn't matter the task that was asked of you if you do it with the right heart and all of you it will work out and be a blessing to someone else. Think about this little scripture next time someone asks a favor of you and do your best as if it were Christ asking it of you.

God bless...