Category: Seasons

Christmas Time Is Here Again

December 2024

I Love Christmas time. I actually love Thanksgiving more because I do not feel as overwhelmed. There is cleaning the house and putting together the most scrumptious lunch and goodies. Where with Christmas, it is scheduling a picture taking session, then ordering the cards with all intentions of a clear photo and changing the name on the card to your name. Then after that stressful project, making sure presents are bought for family and friends, getting them wrapped, going to parties and choir cantatas, and then cleaning the house. Sometimes we head to a family member’s home in another state which involves tying up an extreme number of loose ends just to leave, on top of the regular Christmas events.

It is beyond important to take a look at the list of items to do, the list of projects done, and the list of chores and then turn on the Christmas music and dwell on the reason for the season. Have we thought about that part yet? Well, the reason for the hustle and bustle is going to be here shortly and the dwelling on the spirit of Christmas should not be left until then. In fact, it should be in every aspect of our daily lives year round. Why are we shopping endlessly for the right present for the right person? Why are we going to the event? Why celebrate? Because it is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. As Christians, it is the only reason we should do these things. He is who we are celebrating; He is who we are honoring with our gifts to others, the message that is sung, and our connections at the parties. He has given us these opportunities.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Creator of all, was sent to earth as a baby. Christmas is the celebration of His birth. But the story is the most important. Why did He come? God created man in His image and to be ruler of His creation, but man sinned against God by being deceived of the devil. Sin entered into the world, so God sent His Son to take the sin of the world on Him by dying on the cross. Jesus is that bridge from this sinful world to God. Through belief that we are sinners, that Jesus died for those sins, and accepting those things and asking Him to be our Savior and bridge to God, we can spend eternity with God upon our death. The recognition of these truth from the Bible makes Christmas a part of the celebration of Christianity that should be so very meaningful. Let us make it meaningful this year.

One of the ways we can make it meaningful is to see the events in a different light. Did they come around as only a gathering time of food and fellowship? Maybe. But if we look at what the Bible says about when Jesus was born, others gathered together to celebrate His birth. Luke 2:1-19, gives the Christmas story that every choir cantata and musical at Christmastime repeats. Jesus was born and the angels came to the shepherds to tell them.

Luke 2:8-12 say, “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shown round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” The shepherds went looking for Jesus and found Him and His family in a stable. That gathering together to worship and celebrate the Saviour of the world, Extraordinary! Can you imagine that type of concert from the angels and the gathering in the stable? Lowly and meek, God-honoring and worshipful.

Along with the gatherings, I love giving gifts and making it the right gift. If we read in Matthew 2, wise men came from the east looking for the King of the Jews, following the star. They presented him with gifts which were very expensive gifts and an act of their worship. These gifts are an example of our gifts to God. Our lives and dedication to telling others about Jesus should be our main gift to Him. He asks us at the end of the Gospel of Matthew to tell everyone about Him and His gift of Jesus whom He sent to us. Jesus is that ultimate gift we can give to others, and especially this time of year when the emphasis of Christmas is all around us. How are we going to do that this year? Are we willing to share Jesus with those we come in contact within the next week. Grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants; we may be the only Christian someone has ever met or will meet this year. This gift of Jesus to someone without Jesus will change their lives forever.

Each year, we spend time as a family concentrating on giving God a new gift for the new year. I have tried to give Him more of my time, my thoughts, my service. And at the end of the year, I reflect on how that went for me. I have seen some amazing things happen with those gifts. I can honestly say God has taken care of me, will take care of me, and everything that is done in my life is for a reason, and I try, try, try to remember that constantly. The last few months have been evidenced again of how much He has taken care of every need. God has worked in some pretty amazing ways, and there are more to come. I have spent this year in quite a bit of physical pain, and yet, I feel healthy and strong. If the pain, were to go away would I be able to see God in my life less? Maybe so. But of course, I would rather not hurt. That gift of no pain might actually make me complacent in my daily life, sitting back and not focusing on those that are in some real debilitating pain. At least I can get out of bed every day and do my tasks. Many others may not.

Gifts and gatherings and family are Christmas, but Jesus needs to be Christmas. Today, let us look at this day as the one God has made for us and give Him our time, thoughts, and us. Celebrate Jesus as Christmas time is here again.

Dog Days of Summer

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7/5/19

Summer 1995

The end of a school year in May just means the beginning of S – U – M – M – E – R. A whole new season, a whole new schedule, and a whole lot of time for fun. My freshmen year of college was over, and I had made the decision to stick around because the tutoring went into overdrive in the summer. I would have 40 hours a week from the first week and all summer without going home and trying to find a job with the same amount of hours. It was well worth not getting to go home to be able to pay for my semester when I returned in the fall. I had a great summer in LA that year with friends and family that lived a couple of hours away.

At the time of this article, summer is in full swing with another 4th of July in the books. We have spent the week watching fireworks and setting off a good number of small whistling and popping ones ourselves. The summer is around halfway through and the “dog days” are just around the corner. The household suitcases have been in full use twice, with another round coming up shortly. I have decided to not even walk them back to their hideaway in the attic until school starts. They will see three trips between now and then anyway. Why bother? It comes with the season. But for some that is not necessarily true. Summer does not mean trips for everyone depending on their occupation. This time of year can be the busiest time of year for certain people, where they spend other seasons traveling. In our area, landscapers, baseball players, pool companies, etc… use this time to make a living for their families.

Whatever summer means to each of us, it still stands for something; it is a new time in our life as the seasons continually change. Time does not stand still, so what should we do when summer rolls around? Ponder. Here are a few words that came about when I sat and pondered my summer.

S – Salvation. For today, the first letter of summer will stand for the most important aspect of a Christian’s life. When salvation is mentioned, what is the first thought that comes to mind? Mine is Jesus. Because of His death on the cross as payment for my sin, I trusted in Him as my Savior and received salvation. A sigh of relief; for if my summer changes and my life is taken from me, I know where I will go. Do all of us know? Remember the S in summer.

U – Unmovable. Christianity is a hard road to follow because of the different turnoffs that present themselves. There are many side roads with a small sign that can divert a person when things may be hard or weary or if we are not focused on the Lord and task at hand. It can be easy to make a quick turn thinking that we will find the main road again; we just need a quick diversion. We take a road trip each summer and sometimes purposely take a side road to see a famous landmark. A couple of times, it took us a lot longer to return to the main road than we had thought and our arrival time was pushed back. Diversions can set us off course. Determined to stay on the hard road and unmovable no matter the cost is difficult but doable.

M – Mesmerized. “Our God is an awesome God, who reigns from Heaven above, with wisdom, power, and love. Our God is awesome God.” We should stay in awe of our awesome God. I was speaking to someone this week about the prayers they prayed for a quick trip to the store. “Keep the lights green, the lines short, the prescription ready, the rain at bay, until we return home.” They were so grateful He answered those prayers. I have found myself in the same situation hundreds of times, no exaggeration. Do we really expect the answers? I believe we do, and then we stay mesmerized by our God.

M – Moments. Each moment is a gift. Those laughs and giggles, those fights and arguments; they could all go away and then we wish for them back. We need to keep the moments precious down to the very seconds. In a previous blog, I mentioned how important a five seconds should be to each of us. I am amazed at how in a few seconds, our lives are on a different track. A second is how long it takes to change forever.

E – Evaluate. What is our purpose and are we living it out? I believe most people have an understanding of their purpose. They have evaluated their life and know they, as Christians, are here to live a life for God, serving Him with their whole hearts. We should also evaluate our attitudes, our thoughts, our words, our actions. A reminder is good for us.

R – Ready. A Christian should be ready at all times to show others of God’s love for them. The checkout line may not have been the time to give the cashier a gospel tract, but a “have a great day” gives them and those that are in earshot a new thought for a few seconds, and it only takes that second for them to show someone else the same kindness. And the pay it forward continues. Ready to be a Christian? Just answering that question personally is thought provoking. Yes, I am ready, but do I have to be? My flesh asks the other question. Just being honest.

Summer can mean many things. The letters can stand for any number of words. What they mean to us just takes a few moments to ponder and then put into action. Making our summer challenge to be a better person with a purpose will bring the next season of life into focus. We must choose to be a Christian; choose “Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” Galatians 5:22. Why? Because they are the fruit of the Spirit, and we are the fruit of His Spirit.