Showing posts with label Christmas decorations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas decorations. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Life's Interruptions

Good Morning Friends!  Wonderfully wrapped in His loving arms, Wednesday!  How many times a day do our conversations get interrupted….whether it be conversations with family, friends, co-workers or customers, seems like so often a conversation does not come to a mutual end!  What’s so frustrating about that is that of course, everything we have to say is so very important……well, you know what I mean!!  We think what we have to say, or what we are listening too is important, we want the conversation to be finished, we want all the details….then right in the middle…..something interrupts and so often what was being discussed is gone forever….we simply forget….get busy….get on with other things….and what seemed important at the time and very well could have been, is gone!  Very frustrating.  This morning a conversation I was having with a friend about a week ago here at work came to mind…..on New Year’s Eve while taking down the Christmas decorations in our front office we discussed the fact that we both needed to do that at home too!  Both of us had the desire, but weren’t sure if we would be able to get to it!  On New Year’s Day she was coming into Walmart as Kim and I were leaving, from her car she hollered “did you get your Christmas decorations down?”  I laughed and said, “Yep they are down.”  I walked to the car smiling that she had remembered to ask that.  The next day at work she again brought up the subject wondering if I had finished.  I explained that I had them down, but not put back in storage yet….at that point I remember wanting to ask her if she had gotten hers down and we were interrupted!!!!!  I never thought about it again until, for some crazy reason, this morning on my way to work.  What I felt was shame…..shame on me for being so selfish….blab on and on about myself, but never got around to asking how she did….shame on me….darned interruptions!  That’s when it hit me…..not only do our earthly conversations get interrupted, but also, more importantly our conversations with our Heavenly Father!!!!!  Oh my goodness, how many times a day I start to pray for someone, about a situation, for a need, forgiveness, giving thanks, praise…..you name it…..my intentions are good….but…..interruptions…..Thinking about so many good intentioned prayers that ended abruptly, I just had to smile…..Oh wow…..gosh….How blessed we are!!!!  Our Father knows our prayers before we pray them……He hears and knows all….right through the interruptions!  OH FATHER…..THANK YOU…..for hearing our prayers even when we don’t finish……We are so blessed to be YOURS!  All honor, glory and praise to YOU!
 
“Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear, “ says the Lord.  Isaiah 65:24.  Dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.  Jude 20.  This is the confidence we have in approaching God:  that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us (even if we get interrupted).  And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.  1 John 5:14-15.  The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.  Psalm 145:18.  The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer.  1 Peter 3:12. 
Love you all!

Thursday, December 12, 2013

The Perfect Gift

Good Morning Friends!  Thankfully His, Thursday!  A good friend is in the process of having their home remodeled; recently they moved completely out into a little house on their property, so that the big work could get done.  She is really excited about her “new” home, but has found some inconveniences in her temporary housing situation.  One, her Christmas decorations, paper, cards are all packed up and stored….somewhere….The other day we were talking and I was telling her about my silly little Christmas tree, she told me she had only a tiny fiber optic one on a little table, this year….that everything is packed and really no room.  She said that the little tree will be about the extent of her decorations.  She mentioned having to dig for paper and cards, so she had slim-lined her gifts.  I pointed out a little nativity scene I had found in someone’s left-over garage sale things and she said,” I can’t find mine…it’s somewhere, but I don’t know where.”  So often our Christmas spirit is focused on decorations, lights, gifts, but we don’t need all the decorations to celebrate Christmas.  My friend’s house may not be all aglow with Christmas decorations, but her heart is.  Her heart is aglow with the true joy of Christmas….the reason for the season…..JESUS!   Christmas decorations are fun, but the real Christmas is in our hearts…..the real Gift….Perfect Gift…JESUS…King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Emanuel, Prince of Peace….our SAVIOR….and our BEST FRIEND! Father thank you for the PERFECT Gift, Your SON…..fill our hearts with the real JOY of Christmas…CHRIST!
 
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.   Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.”  Luke 2:11 & 13-14.
God Grant you:  “The light in Christmas, which is faith.  The warmth of Christmas, which is love.  The radiance of Christmas, wish is purity.  The belief in Christmas, which is truth.  The all of Christmas, which is Christ. “ Wilda English.
 
Love you all!

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Jesus is the Reason for the Season

Good Morning Friends!  Totally taken by His love, Tuesday!  Yesterday a friend brought me a great big piece of homemade chocolate cheesecake to share with my husband.  Oh my goodness!!!!!!!  I have never ever tasted anything so good!!!!  From the thick graham cracker crust to the deep dark chocolate on top!  Absolutely marvelous!  But you know what the sweetest part was…..not the crust or the fillings….nope, the sweetest part was not what tantalized my taste buds…..the sweetest part was the act of giving…..not just the cheesecake, but her time, and knowing that she thought of me and cared enough to take the time in her morning to wrap it up and bring it to me….Yes and delivered with a hug!  Now that is sweet!  Here we are, December 3rd….I have seen lots of homes all decorated with lights and Katy and Cooper have their tree up and decorated….I have been thinking it’s time for me to get to decorating too…..I love Christmas decorations reminders of our Savior’s birth, my favorite are the Christmas lights…..shining, sparkling, filling rooms with a warm glow….Seems to me that we can be Christmas decorations….living decorations…decorating the people we encounter in our lives with unselfish acts of love and kindness…..sharing a tasty treat (recently another friend brought me her venison jerky), giving up a place in line, maybe offer to babysit, or give someone a ride, take a lonely neighbor dinner, stop by a rest home and share a Christmas smile, make your hubby his favorite dinner, getting on line and ordering butterfly wings for someone that is not so good at it, do some crafts with kids…..not necessarily just your own……oh what beautiful decorations……Jesus is the Reason for the Season…..Jesus is LOVE…..Alive in our hearts we can be HIS loving, living decorations shining brightly, warming the world…..Father, prepare our hearts to focus on the LOVE of CHRISTmas…Your gift to us to share!  Thank you Father for the people in my life that share so unselfishly!
 
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”  John 8:12.  This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  1 John 3:16.  Love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  1 Peter 4:8.  We love because God first loved us.  1 John 4:19.  The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.  Galatians 5:22.  Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.  1 Peter 4:10.  I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me faithful, appointing me to His service.  1 Timothy 1:12. 
       “Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first.”  George Matthew Adams
Love you all!