THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFT

THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFT

Please stop stressing about buying the most unique (or expensive) Christmas gifts you can locate or imagine.  Fact is, you already have them.  As you check out the following story by Joseph Rebecky, you will consciously embrace the spirit of gratitude and the wonderful fulfillment that is found in the most precious of gifts.

As a young child I remember running down the steps on Christmas morning and looking around the tree for the biggest box.  I always believed that within the biggest box lay the most expensive and best gift.  But as time worked its wonders on my mind and soul, I realized that each and every gift is special, unique and meaningful.

In fact, the presents that I remember most are the gifts that came directly from the heart, such as one of my mother’s handmade sweaters or scarves.  Actually, Christmas is not about the gifts themselves, but rather the expressions of love that lay behind the gifts.

This Christmas I have already been blessed to receive the most beautiful and amazing presents in the world, the love of the special people in and around my life.  Deep down inside, I know the true meaning of Christmas is found in the word “giving.”  So, this Christmas, I pledged to search and search until I find the most incredible gifts for some phenomenal people.

I spent many days in crowded stores and scanned numerous holiday catalogs, but nothing seemed to stand out.  As Christmas approached, I wondered if I would ever find those “perfect” gifts so I decided to try the local mall one last time.  Perhaps I had missed an amazing store or some awesome merchandize that had just hit the racks and shelves.

But as I quietly passed from one store to the next, nothing managed to catch my eye.  Feeling somewhat defeated, I slowly made my way toward the mall exit.  But before I could reach the doors, I suddenly found my “perfect” gift.

No, this gift could not be found in a fancy and expensive department store.  It would not be wrapped in colorful Christmas paper and adorned with bright ribbons and bows.  Actually, this gift doesn’t have a receipt so it cannot be returned or exchanged.  So where did I find this “perfect gift” – and more importantly, what is it?

I found it in the eyes of an elderly couple holding hands.  I heard it in the playful words between a grandfather and his grandson.  I glimpsed it in a proud new mother’s caress of her infant daughter.

Yes, my “perfect gift” is LOVE.  L-O-V-E!  So this Christmas, before anything else, I will offer THE GIFT OF LOVE.  And I believe with all my heart that its recipients will treasure and keep it always.

Well said, Joseph Rebecky, well said.  We shall also make a collective and conscientious effort to truly treasure our loved ones.  And all of us will be supremely grateful for the most precious gift of all: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)  Beyond anything else, CHRISTMAS IS ALL ABOUT JESUS CHRIST!  Indeed, HE is the reason for the season; and HE is our most perfect Christmas gift.  Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!

A HEARTWARMING CHRISMAS STORY

A HEARTWARMING CHRISTMAS STORY

One may never apprehend the real significance of Christmas in the absence of embracing the timeless truth that our “GOD IS LOVE.”  In light of the loving character of God, we are admonished by His Word to “love one another…for everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” (I John 4:7-8, NIV)  In 1982, Nancy W. Gavin penned a touching story which underscores the meaning and message of Christmas: LOVE.  Here it goes…

It’s just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree.  No name, no identification, no inscription.  It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.

It all began because my husband, Mike, hated Christmas.  He did not dishonor the true meaning of Christmas, but he despised the commercial aspects of it – overspending – the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Tommy or dusting powder for Grandma – the gifts given in desperation because you just couldn’t think of anything else.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties, and so forth.  I searched for something special just for Mike.  My inspiration came in a most unusual way.

Our 12-year-old son, Kevin, was on the wrestling team at school.  Shortly before Christmas, there was a match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church, comprised mostly of black children.  These youngsters, who were dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and their sparkling new wrestling shoes.

As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a light helmet designed to protect a wrestler’s ears.  It was a luxury the inner-city team simply could not afford.  Well, we ended up walloping them that day; we took every weight class.  As each one of the opposing team’s boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tattered uniform with false bravado, a kind of street pride that refused to acknowledge defeat.

Seated beside me, Mike shook his head sadly.  “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said.  “They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.”  Mike loved kids and he knew them well – having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse.

That’s when the idea for a unique Christmas present came.  That same afternoon, I went to the local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.

On Christmas Eve, I placed an envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what had been done and the fact that this was his gift from me.  His radiant smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year, and in succeeding years.

Every Christmas thereafter, we followed this giving tradition – one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year mailing a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground right before Christmas, and on and on.

THE GIVING ENVELOPE became the highlight of our Christmas.  It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their Dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.

As the children grew, toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its loving allure.  The story doesn’t end there.  You see, last year we lost Mike due to dreaded cancer.  When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up.  But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more.  Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their Dad.

Our family’s Christmas tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with grandchildren standing around the tree in wide-eyed anticipation, watching as their parents take down the envelopes.  Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be present, and will always be a present, for us.

May we all remember each other this year, and may we never forget THE REAL REASON FOR THE SEASON AND THE LOVING SPIRIT OF THE CHRIST CHILD, now and always.  Merry Christmas!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!

CHRISTMAS IS NOT ABOUT GIFTS...IT'S ALL ABOUT CHRIST!

CHRISTMAS IS NOT ABOUT GIFTS…IT’S ALL ABOUT CHRIST!

Since we are increasingly experiencing a COMMERCIALIZED CHRISTMAS in America, I thought it would be wise to reprint an article I read by Miles Patrick Yohnke.  Here it goes:

Recently, as I was cycling to my destination I passed a park along the way.  As I went by, I heard a male voice.  An old man was training his young dog.  With a clear, strong, yet tender voice, he taught his dog to sit and the dog did just as he was commanded.  With his leash on, they walked a few steps and repeated the process.  He praised his dog and I could see that the dog was very happy.

The man was teaching the dog that it could be more.  He taught the dog focus, discipline, and structure.  What really struck me was that this took time.  AND HE TOOK THE TIME.

As I continued along my journey I reflected on what I had witnessed, thinking how that man in the park took quality time.  He was there.  He was getting the most out of his dog.  How fortunate that dog really was.

How often do we take the time to teach our own children?  We constantly hear echoes of, “I’m so busy, I feel like I’m running on a treadmill, I’m so stressed!”

Our modern world is inundated with marketing and advertising that has one goal, and one goal only.  That is to make products so attractive that the consumer feels an obsession to possess them in order to feel special, fulfilled or popular.  Children and teens need to understand the powerful attraction that marketing can create.  They must learn to differentiate between what one truly needs and what one only wants.

And we must teach the children well.  We need to teach them that advertising exists so that individuals or big corporations can make money.  Because of that, advertisers use powerful methods to convince consumers to buy products.  We must teach our children how media corporations need paid advertising to stay on the air or to continue publishing.  We need to show them how advertising convinces people to want something, even if they don’t really need it.  We must discuss this because our families are confronted by powerful and attractive advertising, whether on television, radio, newspapers, magazines, or billboards.

We should discuss how advertising tries to make you feel better about yourself if you own a certain product or convince you that other people will like you better or think you’re “cool.”

We should explain that shopping should seldom be seen as a fun pastime, but rather something people should do to buy items that they truly need. 

Help your children observe how many times a day your family is exposed to advertising.  For example, there are ads on the sides of buses, in arenas, on radio and television, on billboards, etc.  Teach them to understand when a television or radio station tells you to tweet them or post to their Facebook site, that they are only doing so to create traffic hits to their own website that will increase their revenue.  Show our youth that advertising tries to create an image of what a person should (or should not) look like, even though this image quite often does not reflect reality.

Here is the alarming thing: Do parents really know the difference between needs and wants?  And, if so, do we love enough to speak truth to our children (and to ourselves) even when it is uncomfortable or unpopular.  Parents and grandparents, we must refuse to retreat to that old mindset of “I’m busy, I’m running, I’m stressed.”  And we need to forge genuine connections with our offspring, our real life legacy.

These days, most married couples both work full-time.  Perhaps, as an indirect result, divorce rates have soared to all-time highs and tag-team parenting has become the order of the day.  Parents feel overwhelmed.  And, frankly, much of this is centered on how to pay their rent or mortgage, or for the miscellaneous stuff in their homes, or for their vehicles, their clothes, their vacations, their holidays, and on and on.  For the most part, we no longer understand the core values of life or the real meaning of life.

Ask yourself this question today: Do I actually need to keep up with the Joneses?  Or am I acting as a child and merely wearing an adult face?

WOW…thank you Miles Patrick Yohnke!  You have given us something to think and pray about.  Don’t get me wrong, sisters and brothers, I love Christmas just as much as anyone, and I, too, am thrilled with the opportunity to purchase and distribute gifts.  But as we celebrate this Advent Season, let us make a solemn pledge in 2016, and let’s stay true to it:  WE WILL KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!

THE BRIDGE KEEPER

THE BRIDGE KEEPER

I posted the following story before, however it is so powerful that it bears repetition.  Enjoy and be blessed by the knowledge that God’s grace and mercy is always so powerful and prevalent in our lives.

There was once a bridge which spanned a large river.  During most of the day the bridge sat with its length running up and down the river parallel with the banks, allowing ships to pass through freely on both sides of the bridge.  But at certain times each day, a train would come along and the bridge would be turned sideways across the river, allowing the train to cross it.

A switchman always sat in the small shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place so trains could cross safely.  One evening while the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day to cross, he looked off into the distance through the dimming twilight and caught sight of the train lights.  He stepped to the controls and waited until the train was within the prescribed distance when he would turn the bridge.  As he turned the bridge into position, to his horror he found that the locking mechanism did not work.  If the bridge was not secured in position it would wobble back and forth at the ends when the train crossed over it, causing the train to jump the track and go crashing into the river.  These passenger train always had many people aboard.  

He left his customary position and hurried across the bridge to the other side of the river where there was a lever switch he could use to operate the lock manually.  He would need to hold the lever back firmly in place while the train crossed.  As he heard the rumble of the train, he took hold of the lever and leaned backward to apply his body weight against it, securely locking the bridge.  He kept applying all the pressure he could muster to keep the mechanism locked.  So many lives depended on this one man’s strength.

Just then, coming across the bridge from the direction of his control shack, he heard a sound that made his blood run cold.  “Daddy, where are you?”  His four-year-old son was crossing the bridge to look for him.  His first impulse was to cry out to the child, “Run! Run!”  But the train was much too close and his tiny legs would never make it across the bridge in time. The man almost left his lever to run and snatch up his son and carry him to safety.  But he realized that he could not get back to the lever in time.  Either all the people on the train or his little son must die.  In one agonizing moment, he made his decision.

As the train sped safely and swiftly on its way, no one onboard was aware of the tiny broken body that had been thrown mercilessly into the river by the onrushing train.  Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure of a sobbing switchman, still clinging tightly to the locking lever long after the train had passed.  They did not see him walking home, more slowly than he had ever walked, to tell his wife how their son had died so tragically.

If you can somehow wrap your head around the powerful emotions that overwhelmed that man’s heart, you will begin to understand the feelings of OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN when He sacrificed HIS SON to bridge the gap between us and eternal life.  Can there be any wonder that He caused the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when HIS SON died on Calvary?  And how does He feel when we speed along through life without giving serious thought to what He has done for us through JESUS CHRIST, HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON?

JESUS CHRIST is THE LAMB OF GOD (John 1:29) and THE GOOD SHEPHERD.

John 10:11-16 (New King James Version)

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  ¹² But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  ¹³ The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  ¹⁵ As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  ¹⁶ And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”

HE is both the Bridge Keeper and The Son, and how great is His everlasting love manifested so freely and fully toward us.  Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!

JESUS STOPS BY

JESUS STOPS BY

Ruth looked at the envelope again.  There was no stamp or postmark, only her name and address on the outside.  She read the letter one more time…

Dear Ruth,

I will be in your neighborhood Saturday evening, and I’ll stop by for a visit.

Love Always,

Jesus

Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table.  “Why would the Lord want to visit me?  I’m nobody special.  I don’t have anything at all to offer,” she thought.

Then Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets.  “Oh my goodness, I really don’t have anything to offer.  I’ll have to run to the store and buy something for dinner.”

She reached for her purse and counted its contents.  Seven dollars and forty cents was all she had.  “Well, at least I can get some bread and cold cuts” she thought.  And throwing on her coat, she went scurrying out of the door.

When Ruth bought a loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey and a carton of milk, she was left with a grand total of twelve cents to last her until Monday.  Nonetheless, she felt satisfied as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked carefully under her arm.

“Hey lady, can you help us?”  Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans that she hadn’t noticed two figures huddled in the hallway.  It was a man and a woman, both dressed in little more than rags.

“Look lady, I ain’t got no job and me and my wife been living on the street.  It’s cold and we’re awfully hungry, and well, if you could help us lady, we’d really appreciate it.”

Ruth looked at them both.  They were dirty and unkempt, but she felt that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to.  “Sir, I’d like to help you, but I’m a poor woman myself.  All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread.  I have an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving it to HIM.”

“O.K. lady, we understand.  Thanks anyway.”  The man put his arm around his wife’s shoulders, turned and headed back into the street.

As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart.  She cried, “Wait!”  The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them.  “Look, you can take this food.  I’ll figure out something else to serve my guest.”  She handed her grocery bag to the man.

“Thank you, lady!  Thank you very much!”  Shivering in the cold, the man’s wife chimed in, “Yes, thank you!”

“You know, I’ve got another coat at home.  Here, please take this one.”  Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman’s shoulders.  Smiling she turned toward home – without her coat and with nothing at all to serve for her special guest.  “Thank you, lady!  Thank you very much,” they called after her.

Ruth was chilled to the bone by the time she reached her front door, and really worried too.  The Lord was coming to visit and she still didn’t have anything to offer him.  She fumbled through her purse for the door key.  As she did so, she noticed another envelope in her driveway.  “That’s odd,” she thought.  “The mailman doesn’t come here twice in one day.”  She took the envelope inside and opened it.

Dear Ruth,

It was so good to see you again.  Thank you for the lovely meal and the warm coat.

Love Always,

Jesus

The winter night was bitter cold and Ruth had little to eat, but she hardly noticed it.

Matthew 25:37-40

Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of min, you did it for me.”

Serve…

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!

OUR FOREVER GIFT

OUR FOREVER GIFT

According to the APOSTLE OF LOVE, the gospel writer John, our HEAVENLY FATHER loved us so much that He quite willingly “gave his only begotten SON” that, believing on Him, we would have eternal and abundant life. (John 3:16 – John 10:10)

Centuries before Christ’s advent, the EAGLE-EYE PROPHET, Isaiah, foretold His coming:

Isaiah 9:6 (New King James Version)

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

As the CHILD that was BORN, he was fully MAN.  As the SON that was GIVEN, He was fully GOD.

As the CHILD that was born, He experienced hunger, thirst, pain, loneliness, illness, isolation, indifference, sorrow, and even death.

As the SON that was given, HE IS The Living Bread, The Water of Life, The Great Physician, The Burden Bearer, The Friend of Sinners, The Comforter, The Resurrection and The Life.

During this Advent season, we should celebrate the CHILD and the SON by fully embracing and sharing the good news about THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL…JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD and THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD.   He belongs to us and we belong to Him, henceforth, now and evermore.  Amen!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!

NOEL: THE SIGNFICANCE OF THE SEASON

NOEL: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SEASON

The French word “NOEL” is derived from the Latin root, “natalis,” which means BIRTHDAY.  When capitalized, it is synonymous with the angelic heralding of yuletide or CHRISTMAS.  This term came into popular usage when “The First Noel” was penned during the 18th century by an unknown English composer. Its joyous lyrics are perennially familiar to us.

The first Noel, the Angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel!

Nevertheless, as we reflect upon our contemporary celebrations of Christmas, the central message of the divine incarnation and redemptive birth of Jesus Christ is noticeably absent.

Our focus seems to be on the festivities: food, parties, gatherings with family and friends, or the exchanging of gifts.  The result is a time of tremendous emotional upheaval and widespread depression (even suicide) for many, especially those who lack sufficient resources to fulfill the more mundane and material expectations of this festive season.  The gospel of Jesus Christ becomes virtually sidelined by our cultural and customary traditions.  We believers silently ask ourselves: “Should this be?”

Another question is begged: “Is it logical (or even possible) to remove JESUS CHRIST from Christmas?”  I think not.  After all, HE IS THE ONE who voluntarily disrobed Himself of the eternal splendors of Heaven and entered a fallen and finite world system that is dominated by insidious quests for fortune, fame and power.  Jesus Christ, alone, is the Savior of our world.  The scriptures testify of His matchless and miraculous gift to humankind:

Psalm 40:6-8
6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
7 Then said I, LO, I COME: IN THE VOLUME OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME,
8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

Isaiah 9:6
FOR UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN, UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Matthew 1:21
And she shall bring forth a son, and THOU SHALT CALL HIS NAME JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

John 1:11-12
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, TO THEM GAVE HE POWER TO BECOME THE SONS OF GOD, even to them that believe on HIS NAME:

Because of the victorious life, vicarious suffering and vital atonement of JESUS CHRIST, we are free forever from the power, practice, penalty and guilt of sin.  

HALLELUJAH…WHAT A SAVIOR!

Romans 8:1-4
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in CHRIST JESUS, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 FOR THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS HATH MADE ME FREE FROM THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Bottom-line: JESUS PAID IT ALL!  So, in this season (and always) we thank you, JESUS, for your timely birth, your sinless life, your substitutionary death, your victorious resurrection and your marvelous legacy of spiritual power, life and peace that has been eternally bequeathed to us.  We pledge to remember the real reason for this season and we will collectively celebrate OUR GREATEST GIFT with unbounded joy.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!