New Year's Resolution

As I opened up a new calendar for 2012 I found it to be blank.  I quickly filled it with all the birthdays I needed to remember for the year.   Like most people, I start out doing really well remembering to send cards, but, then as the year moves forward, I gradually forget the cards.  It is the same with New Year’s Resolutions.  Yet, we should never stop making them.  We should just strive to do better each year.  Time moves forward, and, like my co-author said in his blog, Humor 4 A Purpose, no matter how old I get I have as much time as I have ever had - the time is now!  As I think on resolutions this year I would like to make mine about God and others and not just about myself.   Only by taking the "I" out can I develop a good recovery program for 2012.  So here goes:

R ead God’s Word daily

E mit a positive attitude every day
S eek to be less self-centered
O ffer support and help to those in need
L isten to what others have to say
U plift those with needs to God
T une in to the good that happens and not dwell on the bad
I ndulge in a special time to talk with God
O ffset problems by having a grateful heart
N ightly count my blessings
S low down, be Still, and Smile

All About Christmas-A King Is Born

I'm late blogging for Christmas.  I was just too busy.  I am so glad Jesus came just in time for Christmas.  He is never late and He is never too busy for me.  What a wonderful gift!

A King Is Born

The baby lay quiet and still,

Wrapped in simple rags to protect Him from the chill.

He silently let out a baby’s coo

As the Mother tenderly uncovered Him to view.

There was great joy upon her face,

Even if she had to deliver in such a place.

The dark of night was lite with light-

A star shining bright.

It scattered its light into the stable door,

Sending rays toward the manager and across the floor.

The baby wrapped its tiny finger

Around His mother’s.

She let her eyes protectively linger.

In that brief moment, time stood still,

And gone was the chill. 

She watched with love as joy filled her heart.

Here was a child that could give everyone a fresh new start.

It didn’t seem right!

This stable-the only thing left for the night;

A wooden trough – the only place for Him to rest;

- not a bed and not the very best.

It was smelly and dusty-

In a stable, cold and musky. 

It was the only thing around, 

And Mary frowned as she laid Him down. 

He was a King - Christ the Lord!

Her first-born whom she adored.

The angels declared it in song.

He was a Savior come to right the wrong!

The mother let her hand glide over His face

As she slowly released her embrace.

There was great joy

Over the birth of this infant boy.

She watched as He lay sound asleep,

Resting among the animals and the sheep.

A King lying in a heap of dusty hay?

Not a picture she wanted to portray.

Yet, not an animal stirred or moved around;

None made a disturbing sound. 

Glory shone round about.

The angels proclaimed it with a shout,

"A King is born!”

                              Mary Crisp Jameson

It's Christmas Time

As I sit beneath the shady pine, my thoughts shout, “It’s Christmas time,” and I am overwhelmed by what Jesus did for me.   

It’s Christmas Time!

There’s wonder so sublime.

My thoughts shout out, “It’s Christmas time!”

A time when a great miracle occurred,

A time when hearts are stirred.

There’s the smell of cinnamon and spice

And everyone makes merry and nice.

There’s the smell of fresh cut cedar and fir

As we remember the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The trees are all lite and glowing bright.

They’re covered with tinsel.  And what a sight!

Just a reminder of that northern star

Which brought the shepherds from afar,

 Guiding the wise men to where Jesus lay

Amidst the stable hay. 

What a star that must have been-

For around the world it could be seen.

Oh! That we would still rejoice so,

Like the shepherds who followed that starry glow. 

A Savior was born so long ago!

A King that all should want to know.

It’s the Christmas season.

Jesus was born for a reason.

He had only a stable to lay His head-

Not a warm or comfortable bed.

He came to die for all-

A King born in a barnyard stall.   

There is wonder in the air –

It’s a time to praise and to share.

The air is filled with a magic all its own

Because of a baby born in a stable instead of a throne.  

There was glad tidings to share

A Saviour was born, the angels did declare.  

There is joyful music and silver bells that chime-

It’s Christmas time!

                                  Mary Crisp Jameson

Creation

     As I was completing a sewing project for a Christmas gift, I thought, with pride, “This is great; it came out better than expected.”  I started the project with no pattern and only a visual aid which I enhanced and added to as the ideas came.  This was to be a work of love and one of artistic ability.  As the project came together, I had to rip out a few seams and start again because I was figuring out the pattern as I went.  All the time I realized that the bear rag quilt would, in time, get dirty and probably have a button or two pulled off which would need to be replaced.  However, I knew the Mom would gladly wash the quilt, as needed, and repair any damage that might occur before, lovingly, returning it to the child.  After finishing the project, I was also ready to take a long-needed rest. 

     As I contemplated all this I thought of how God created the heavens and the earth and then, with great pride and love, created man in His own image.  God, in His perfection, did not have to rip out mistakes and start again.  Man came out, visually, just as He had planned. As He looked at His creation, He said, "It was very good."  Then God took a day of rest.   But the story doesn’t stop there.  Just like my quilt, in time, man would become dirty, full of sin.  It is then that God will lovingly pick man up and wash away the dirt.  There may have to be a few seams ripped away in order for man to be cleansed and started on a new pathway of life.  Man may be left with a few tattered edges from the abuse of self, but with God healing can began anew. 

     As with any project we continue to take pride in and love what we create, and God, for whatever reason, still continues to love His creation too.   We are so blessed that God “loves even us.”

Thanksgiving Blessings

     What better thing to do, while sitting in a friendly shade this Sunday afternoon, than to count my blessings?  Of course, just because it is the Thanksgiving season, this shouldn’t be the only time I  consider all the blessings that have been bestowed up me.

    I was told when I was growing up that if I couldn’t sleep at night to “count sheep.”  Yet, through the years, I have found that I can go back to sleep quicker if I pray for someone that comes to mind or if I count my blessings.  Having a fleshly, selfish nature, it is my desire that I fall back to sleep before I have a chance to pray for too many people or count too many blessings.  For that reason, I sit here now, under my friendly shade, making a list for Thanksgiving praise.  First, I am thankful for my  God, His grace, and my salvation.  I am thankful I was raised in a Christian home with parents that loved me and provided the best for me. 

     I was saved at the age of 10 but never remember a time I was not taken to church.  I wasn’t sent, and it was expected that on Sunday mornings the family would attend Sunday school and preaching services. 

     I am, also, very thankful for my family, my home, my health, my job and the people I have the privilege to work with.  I am thankful for my church family and its leaders.  I am thankful I was born in the U.S.A., and I am thankful for my freedom.  God bless those men and women who fight for our country.   

     While thinking about my blessings I realize they all have come from God.   Everything I have belongs to Him.  

     As Thanksgiving comes and goes, I hope I will be more thankful during the Christmas season.  My prayer is that my Christmas list will not be all about me. 

The Three-Point Rule

     It’s opening day of deer hunting! The season so many have been waiting for is finally here.  Camouflage clothes of all sorts, along with bright orange vests and caps are all laid out.  Excitement is high.  Alarms clocks are tapped off quickly as men are found jumping from their beds in anticipation of bagging the “big one.”  As daybreak comes, there is silence in the crisp morning air before the squirrels start to scamper about, disturbing the stillness, as the hunter stands waiting- watchful for that deer with the large rack of horns - the trophy he can brag about.    

     However, there are rules to follow.  All those best laid plans, with corn feeders and planted patches of rye grass, bring in all kinds of animals that survive in the woods.  There are certain deer which are not to be killed.   It’s a strategy to increase the age of bucks, and the size of the antlers.  Make no mistake.  There is a three-point rule.  The deer must have three or more points on one side of his rack to be legal or antlers shorter than two inches. 

     A good hunter respects the laws of the land. 

     However, there is no opening season with God.  Christian apparel should be laid out all during the year.  Alarms clocks should be tapped off just as quickly as on opening morning of deer season to provide time to talk and visit with God.  There should be excitement in the air! This is the time when the best plans can be laid out for the day.  Seeds of sowing are best planted as daybreak comes, before the movement of activity disturbs the tranquility of the morning.  There is no three-point rule.  God is not selective.  He accepts and loves “all” who will trust and believe.  A good Christian loves and is eager to learn about and respect the laws of God.  His greatest trophy is the one that that has been found “lost” in the woods of life- the one for whom he has planted the seeds of life- a trophy he can cherish.    

It's Not Over Till It's Over

     “It’s not over til it’s over.”  What a profound statement!  God created Adam and Eve in his own image and He blessed them.  He said, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.  Subdue it.”  Since that time generations have come and gone but the world still exists today.  Generations of people have lived, worked, played, and subdued the earth.  Some did it with the “sweat of their brow.”  Many had jobs and were able, at a certain age, to retire from their jobs.  From there, some chose to sit in their recliners and just do for themselves.  Others simply retired from one job to do another.  They continued volunteering, doing service work, and working in other areas to provide for their family.  Those are the ones to be admired.  God did not say, “Work until you are old and then sit idly by until it is over.”  When he send Adam from the Garden of Eden He said, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground.”  Then God sent him forth to till the ground from whence he was taken.   It's not over til it's over.  God also gave us the seventh day to rest from our work.  Once we rest, it is time for another week of work to begin.  The weeks on the calendar will never stop turning until it is over.      

    “It’s not over til it’s over.”  Not only can this statement be applied to old age but to trials and problems, as well.  We all have seasons in our life.  Seasons of distress, sadness, joy and happiness.  One ends as another begins.  Job went though the loss of family, wealth, and health, but he did not give up.  He continued to praise God.  In the end, God blessed him because of his faith.  It is during the trials and sad times that we ask God, “Why?”  However, it is during these times that we draw closer to God.  He is our very source of life.  He is the One  who will get us through our struggles.  It is God who will add the spice to our seasons, and give us hope for the good times to come.  “It is not over til it’s over.”

     It would be well to remember,   “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”  John 15