Some of you had great families growing up. Take a moment to thank the Lord. Some of you did not have a great home life, but somehow you made it. Stop and thank the Lord. Some, like the young girl in this story got adopted and life turned around. You gotta see it to believe it. Watch as Steve Hartman unfolds the story… ENJOY!
By Ann Farabee
Admittedly, I am sometimes a bit Scrooge-like when it comes to Christmas events. But something about having a one- and a two-year-old in the mix mellows me a bit.
Out of nowhere came the idea from someone in the house, “Let’s go to downtown Kannapolis and see the lights!” It was from my son and his family, which includes the one- and two-year-old. Had it not been for them, my response may have been a no, because it was time to watch “Gunsmoke.” The deciding factor was that even at 7 p.m., the temperature was 60 degrees, so I knew I could handle it.
My memories of seeing Christmas lights go way back to when I was a child and my parents, brother, sister and I would ride around in the car looking for decorated houses. When we saw one, we would all roll our windows down, so we could see them a little better. (I assume everyone knows the meaning of “roll” your windows down.)
It seems that the older I get, perhaps I have already seen the Christmas lights annually, but I know the truth. I need to see them every year through the eyes of my children and my grandchildren, as many years as they will allow me to do so.
Here is how it went: One of the babies was in his Christmas pajamas. The other one was dressed in an Elf costume. I was dressed warmly, as a grandma should be.
But the story was about the lights! Our parking spot was not especially close, so as we walked, our little ones saw the lights grow brighter and brighter. So did the rest of the family.
Have you ever noticed the twinkle in the eyes of a child looking at Christmas lights?
The younger one ran toward them with no filter at all in his mind, and tried to grab and feel each light within his reach. That was when I saw the lights sparkling in his eyes. That sure can give a grown up a renewed love for the joy of Christmas.
Yes, children brighten Christmas, but the brightest light of Christmas is the Light of the World, Jesus, who was born in a manger, and visited by wise men, who saw the star.
Matthew 2:1-2 tells us that the wise men saw the star in the east and came to worship Jesus. They saw the lights. What an incredible experience. It is an experience that we can have ourselves — the experience of worshiping our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The wise men had been looking for Jesus. They found Him and worshiped Him. May I never take the opportunity to worship Jesus for granted. May I never fail to worship because I do not feel like it. May I never fail to worship for any reason.
My God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever (that is us) believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus, thank you for coming to Earth as a as a child, so that You could live among us and die for us, so that we could be saved and be in heaven with You one day. We could never understand Your amazing love.
Lord, may we see and experience the Light of the World this Christmas season. Thank You for the gift of Your Son, through which we can receive eternal life! Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker.
Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com.
By Ashlie Miller
“Bah, humbug” may be the most familiar quote from Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, but another quote captures who the man becomes by the end of the book: “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future.”
“Keeping Christmas” is not quite the same as prolonging it. You may already have your Christmas tree on the curb and most of your seasonal decor packed away. Perhaps you wait until the New Year to remove festal decorations. Some of us will wait until the end of the 12 Days of Christmas (Epiphany), while others will have lights or door wreaths that need to be put away well into March. The delay in putting away or prolonging the nostalgia is not what is meant by “keeping Christmas.”
In case you need a refresher, Ebenezer Scrooge begins his journey like many good stories – life as usual with a glimpse into what the character needs or wants. It becomes painfully obvious that the “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner” that is Scrooge needs a softened, generous, merciful heart. Three spirits agree and reveal to Scrooge who he was, who he is, and who he is on course to become.
The hardened man we first meet was once a young boy escaping the tragedies of reality with a terrific imagination absorbed in his books. For the first time, Ebenezer faces the humanity of the poor, pitiful soul he once was. He sees the boy become a man who had much – not just in stacks of coins, but even in love – and loses the more important of the two due to his own fear of the world.
Next, we see his current state and how his lack of interaction and concern with his fellow man affects others. Confronted with who he is, he desires to become involved in the lives of those he knows. Looking into the course he is setting toward his future, denial becomes realization, leading to regret, remorse, and, ultimately, repentance. He is a changed man.
While our Christmas songs, movies, and adornments may get carefully stored for another year, we can and should strive to honor Christmas in our hearts throughout the year. It is good to look momentarily at our past, our failures, and even our hurts and recognize the Savior who came to heal us and make us anew. We must look to our present and see missed opportunities to engage and love those around us. Our future is both very distant and arriving sooner than we anticipate. It can be a future of hope and promise or a devastating one we know we deserve but do not want to face. A right look at the past, present, and future and making peace by knowing the Prince of Peace can ensure being able to “keep Christmas” by keeping Christ at the center of every day, not just one holiday.
How about you? Want to join me in keeping Christmas all year and living in the past, present, and future?
Ashlie Miller extends her seasonal decor until Epiphany, not because she celebrates the day, but because she needs an acceptable excuse for slowly packing it all away.
By Doug Creamer
The Week Between
The packages have been opened. The delicious meal and the leftovers have all been consumed. All the rushing around has finally come to an end. It’s the week between Christmas and New Year’s. I have been thinking about this all day…I think this is best week of the holiday season. The pressures of getting ready for Christmas are finally gone. We can take a deep breath and actually enjoy a peaceful day.
I admit that it is very hard to slow down and enjoy Christmas with all the demands that are put upon our lives. There is the decorating, shopping, wrapping, gatherings, cleaning, cooking, and… By the time Christmas finally arrives, we are wiped out. It’s hard to find a few quiet moments to sit by the Christmas tree and savor the moment. I have worked hard to be present at every gathering this year. I have truly enjoyed time with family and friends. These days between Christmas and New Years are a hidden treasure.
The push, panic, anxiety, and stress are over. There is nothing to do. You can actually sit by the tree and admire the ornaments and savor the memories that go with each one. You can listen to the music and not feel pressure. You can take a nap. You can read and linger guilt free. You can sneak a few treats.
Most of us still have some traveling and visiting with family and friends on our agendas, but somehow it’s different. Yes, I know that all travel contains some degree of stress, but it doesn’t seem as bad if we aren’t feeling the pressure to be there by Christmas day. Because families are pulled in so many directions to be “HERE” for Christmas, I have long advocated for making Christmas be the day you can be together. If you do that, the joy of the season can be spread out and the stress can be reduced.
With the pressure value relieved, the joy of the season can flood our hearts. After Christmas, I am slow about putting Christmas away. I will get the outside all cleaned up and packed away. The knick knacks will return to their boxes. It’s the tree that will sometimes linger. Part of the reason is that it is quite a bit of work to put up and take down. I admit that. But also, it is nice to enjoy the tree, the lights, and the ornaments. It is very peaceful to sit by the tree late at night or early in the morning when I have my quiet time. It’s then that I can soak in the spirit of the season.
Before we set our sights on the New Year, let’s take a breath and release the stress. I talk about it when I teach my Sunday school class and when I write my column, but sometimes I need to take a spoonful of my own medicine. Deep breath…release. Put the list of things to do away and just be… Maybe look at your Christmas cards again… Maybe make some popcorn and watch a movie… Maybe call an old friend and just talk… You pick! Take some YOU time.
There will be time to think about next year later. We’ll talk about resolutions later. For now, for today, let’s just kick back and relax. Some struggle to unplug. Some feel that we must always be working, especially on our spiritual lives. I want to take this opportunity to remind you that Jesus took time away from the crowds. He sought out quiet places. He would climb a mountain to be alone. Why did He do that?
He needed to find time and a quiet place to reconnect with His Father. We can’t be working, even for His kingdom, all the time. We need to re-charge. Be refreshed. Be renewed. Be nurtured in His presence. Be refilled with the Spirit. These things are not done while working or with crowds of people. These things are done in a quiet place. Refreshment comes from being in His Word, in prayer, and in His presence.
It is hard to find that quiet place in the holiday season. Now in this “week between” I encourage you to find your quiet place and allow Him to touch you and prepare you for the new year ahead. You need to feed your spirit and drink from the still waters. His presence can nurture you and restore you after the craziness of the holiday season. Give yourself permission to slow down and reconnect with Him. Let His Spirit infuse you with His power and strength.
Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com
By Roger Barbee
(This is a book review by Roger. This is a topic that needs our prayer.)
The Face of Addiction: Stories of Loss and Recovery
Joshua Lawson
Quoir, $7.95 softcover
A dozen voices from southern Ohio along the Ohio River reveal the humanity behind addiction. These dozen daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, and others speak honestly to Joshua Lawson. In their sharing, they show that they are not to be shunned, but to be loved and valued because what they have is an illness, a disease like any other.
As a culture, we too often agree with a sheriff’s words that the only cure for an addict is “a tall tree and a short rope.” In making the users of the “opioid crisis” invisible faces, we make them enemies and losers and worse. But they are, as shown in these interviews, victims of sexual abuse, parental mistreatment, emotional trauma, and other ills. Being addicted to any drug, we learn over and over from these interviews, is not a choice but a result.
Lawson brief book is a testament to St. Paul’s words in Romans 7:19 and because of those words, we need to love the addict and help each of the many of them in our midst realize that they, too, are a child of God. Blaming is not a cure, but validating is.
Listen to Phil Wickham and Anne Wilson share this beautiful song….
By David Freeze
A Magical Run This Morning
What makes for the best runs, the ones we remember? Have you ever thought about it? On the morning of Tuesday, December 3rd, I had one and here’s why I finished all excited about the effort.
I don’t usually see anyone else out running so early in the morning. Since my effort at recovery, the other runners around here have gone other ways or later in the day.
Late the day before, I heard about the possibility of snow, just like most of you did. I always get excited about snow since we see it so seldom in this area. Predictions were that snow would fall about 2:30am, so I got up and checked outside. Sure enough, we had snow! I went outside and made a few pictures while walking around in it. But already, I was excited for my 5:45am run!
It was 23 degrees when I got up at just before 5am and hit the road thinking that the pavement had very little snow and it wouldn’t be slick. I was wrong on both counts. The pavement in spots had swirled snow with icy spots, and when passing next to or under trees, I felt my feet slip on occasion. As most snow and ice runners figure out quickly, if the first foot slips and the other doesn’t stabilize the stride, then you’re likely going down. Over the years when I was a faster runner, I fell so hard on pavement a few times that my teeth felt the jarring crash. On sloping roads, or as it was this morning when passing under shaded areas, feet can lose traction quickly. Older now, and maybe with a little better wisdom because of it, I took it easy on the slick spots and even walked a few of them.
We only had a half to 3/4ths of an inch of snow on the ground, but running this morning still made for a wonderful memory. I was able to find the blackest spots nearest the edge of the road for better traction to start and then on the return trip with more light in the sky, I looked for the grayest spots. I didn’t fall but just missed my goal pace for the run. If there had been more snow on the road, I would have looked for the whitest snow which always has the best traction.
Speaking of memories, I remember a long-ago big snow when all five kids and a restless wife were in the house and wanted a few things from the store. I admitted to being a little restless myself and took off to the nearest convenience store, about five miles away. I had tied a plastic sled to my waist with a rope. This time, plenty of snow was on the road and almost no cars. It was too early in this storm for the snowplows to hit the back roads.
I ran to the store, got milk to make snow cream, the Sunday Charlotte Observer (the Post would be delivered later), some bread and a few lesser things. I had a blast running back home and the sled came right along. Everybody was happy when I arrived, but no one more than me. After snow cream and some playing in the snow, we had a good time just reading, watching movies and looking at the winter wonderland all around us. I couldn’t have stood all the downtime without that run, but my mind was at ease with the great workout! Funny how that happens just about every time!
On the morning of December 11th, I ran in a steady rain and blowing wind from the southeast. The effort needed was harder than it should have been, and my soaked shoes, shorts, socks and shirt totaled three pounds afterwards. I wouldn’t have missed either of these memories. It is great to be back on the roads!
Our next race ahead is the Bradshaw Rogers Financial Partners Resolution Run 5K at The Forum on January 1st. Look for this and other events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org
By Ed Traut
Psalms 42:2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
Prayer: Lord, my heart and soul does long for You as I do need You. I can not exist without You. You are everything to me. Holy Spirit I pray that You keep that longing growing in me that I will always want Him and long for Him and not just what He can do for me. I bless You Lord today in Jesus name. Amen.
Ed Traut
Prophetic Life