Merry Christmas & Happy Birthday Jesus

Mary Did You Know?

For those who may be grieving we stop to say a Christmas prayer:

We celebrate this time of year because our Lord was born;
But let us not forget that there are others who may mourn.

In times of sorrow, times of strife, it's sometimes hard to smile,
So, Holy Spirit, please come in and tarry for awhile.

Touch those who may be suffering; touch every wounded heart,
Touch all those burdened souls when they feel distant, set apart.

Remove the pain, and fill their hearts with happiness and mirth,
And let them all rejoice now in The Savior's holy birth.  Amen and amen

Mary Did You Know?

Somewhere in my forties the Christmas carols that I had been singing all my life sunk deeper into my soul.  It was as if the lyrics suddenly had profound meaning that I had never experienced before.  My heart and mind seemed to unite on the wonder of Christmas, the inexplicable joy of my Saviors birth.  “Mary Did You Know?” is a Christmas song written in the 90’s that causes me to meditate on the circumstance of Jesus birth every time I hear it.

The times were most difficult back then.  The people of Nazareth had a strong Jewish faith. Mary and many ordinary people of the land, were increasingly aware that they were powerless themselves, but God, the all powerful, could raise up the lowly. Their faith was of the deepest kind:

"The Lord hears the cry of the poor.  Blessed be the Lord.  The Lord our God, the Lord alone!  Therefore you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength."

(Deut. 6:4-5)

Mary's faith was strong. Yet, in fervently religious Nazareth with its high moral standards, she hardly stood out at all, even in the eyes of those who knew her best. Besides, as a young woman living in a society where men counted most, she would be little noticed except as a mother and a wife.

When she was 14 or so, Mary's parents made plans for her to be married, as was customary in those days. They chose Joseph of Nazareth, a carpenter, for her husband. The engagement took place and Mary returned home to wait about a year before she would go to live with her husband as his wife. But then, something happened.............

Mary was chosen by God to bring forth the Savior of the world.  An astounding series of events and responses took place for the miracle of all miracles.  What grips my heart as a mother is imagining Mary holding her baby – what went through her mind?  Next time you hold a baby imagine you are Mary, you have just gone through extraordinary unexplainable events but now your baby is in your arms.  This is finally a normal experience looking at her baby something Mary shared with millions of moms. Mary lovingly and tenderly kisses her precious baby boy – she kissed the face of God.  Doesn’t that just take your breath away?  Focus in on that – she kissed the face of God.  Mary held her child in her arms, the child she delivered would deliver her.  Awe-inspiring reality – did she know? Could she sense it? Did Mary feel it?  She kissed the face of God.  Moses couldn’t even look at the face of God but Mary kissed the face of God.  Oh Mary, that sleeping child you held so long ago is the Great, I am and you kissed the face of God. In my mind I want to go to the manger, I want to sit beside Mary, I want to hold her baby, I want to kiss the face of God.

A pearl to string: Present day wise men worship the Child of Bethlehem who was born to be the Man of Calvary.

Following that Christmas star -

May His presence light your way.

                               Lyndi

It’s Christmas Time

Let’s Sing with Michael Bublé:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t_forzHXzE

I'm dreamin' tonight of a place I love
Even more then I usually do
And although I know it's a long road back
I promise you

I'll be home for Christmas
You can count on me
Please have snow and mistletoe
And presents under the tree
Christmas Eve will find me    
Where the love light beams
I'll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams

(I'll Be Home For Christmas - Kim Gannon, Walter Kent (c) 1943)

As a young teen girl celebrating my Christmas’ in the California sunshine each year I had to use my gift of imagination to turn my world into a winter wonderland.  I just had to touch and gaze upon the red & green decorations throughout our home over and over again. I loved our Christmas tree and all the lights twinkling – so beautiful, so happy.  The aroma of fresh baked cookies, cakes and the Christmas roast just made my senses dance with joy. I loved going to church, singing Christmas carols and listening to the story of the birth of Jesus.  But every time I would hear the song:  I’ll Be Home for Christmas, on the radio my eyes would fill with tears. My heart would feel like someone was standing on it and I’d break into these big sobs. A deep sadness would come over me. I was home so I can’t recall what troubled me so – perhaps just the thought of loved ones being separated from one another. The saddest separation of all has been living in a society that has created

a secular holiday. The stark change has literally sucked the joy out of Christmas and booted Jesus out.  How did giving turn into getting? And how did get to’s turn into have to’s? How did deck the halls with boughs of holly turn into the best, biggest most outrageously expensive decorations? It has all created stress beyond measure. People are angry and frustrated and tired. STOP! Dial the activity down and the spirituality up and find that celebration of Jesus birth again.

A pearl to string: Love brought Jesus to us and love is what peoples all over the world are lonely for. Let’s bring love back to Christmas. Let’s decide to slow down, give warm smiles and a helping hand or hold a door for someone.  Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. (James 3:5) Can you imagine what a small amount of love from your heart would do when you reach out and bless someone else?

Let’s bring Jesus home for Christmas as He tells us "Make your home in me, as I make mine in you" (John 15:4). Home is where the heart is.

Merry Christmas

Happy HolyDay Season

Pass the love on,

                          Lyndi

Destination Bethlehem - the journey to Christmas

Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened . . .
(Luke 2:15)

Traveling back in time and finding it’s not as pretty as it is in the movies or on Christmas cards.

Did you know that caves where shepherds kept their flock in winter are not clean? Whew, one whiff of that stench is enough to gag a rhinoceros. I’m a city girl, I like clean animals.

Mary, how did you do it?

The trip from the village of Nazareth in Galilee to the town of Bethlehem in Judea is about 65 miles. On a donkey? While you are in labor? Have mercy! The town of Bethlehem was bulging with people in for the big census taking. It was dreary, noisy – really rowdy – and sold out. “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." (Luke 9:58) I can’t even imagine the feelings inside Joseph as every effort to find comfort for his wife and his any minute child failed. People were ugly and unsympathetic. At this point Mary was obviously in the latter stages of labor. Joseph was directed to the caves behind the Inn as a last resort. It was a long enough trek for the donkey – he headed straight for the manger for a drink of water right where our Savior would first lay His head.

(A manger in Bethlehem)

Of course Joseph would do everything possible to make Mary comfortable but what did he know about birthing babies – he was a carpenter. He distributed the hay and snatched a blanket from the donkey to create a somewhat clean place for Mary. She probably had a small bag of salt to rub on her new baby’s skin preventing infection, some yarn to tie off the umbilical cord, a piece of sharp slate to cut it, and strips of cloth to swaddle her baby in. She was only fourteen but God was her guide. Jesus probably looked quite ordinary to Mary & Joseph in that first extraordinary parent vision. Ten fingers, ten toes, a thatch of black hair, skinny little legs and arms and the wizened face of a newborn who had dwelt in water for nine long months. To them He was the most beautiful baby on earth. God gave them the ordinary human experience but the Shekinah glory came upon them as angels and shepherds appeared and wise men gathered bearing gifts.

A pearl to string: "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 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 2:11-14)

A birth like no other – let your hearts be swaddled in His love for eternity.
Merry Christmas
Lyndi

Acts of Martha - Christmas Christmas

Oh it’s that time of year where the Martha work crescendo is about to culminate at the feet of Jesus. Move over Mary. Christmas is a beautiful Holy-day and it is jointly celebrated with a holiday for families by the same name but we don’t call it Christmas Christmas. Even Christians can get a little confused. The hustle bustle of the holiday part of Christmas is a love story gone askew. We get all bunched up trying to create a beautiful place to celebrate making sure there are gifts for all, and scrumptious food prepared for family and friends. There are parties to attend and cards to send to wish far away loved ones well. There are cookies to bake, lights to string, trees to trim, popcorn to pop, mistletoe to hang, and shop, shop, shop, wrap, wrap, wrap and smile, smile, smile. . Our hearts want to reach out to others with food, clothing, prayer, acts of kindness, love and we want to sing, sing, sing. The list of “to do’s” can sometimes seems endless.






Years ago when fresh 6’ Christmas trees were still $14.99 at Frank’s nursery in Ann Arbor, Michigan, we set out to choose the perfect tree. Young, though the family was, we had six very strong oppositional opinions eagerly expressing there views simultaneously. To the outside ear it may have appeared this family was argumentative. Ok, they were right. The lively dialog continued all the way home and until the tree was completely decorated. We all sat back to admire the work of art. I think God must have kicked the tree over. We watched in horror as the Christmas tree crashed to the ground and the pretty blue and gold ornaments smashed to smithereens while the strings of cranberries and pop-corn and glittery tinsel flew all over the room. The silence expressed our disgrace. Where did we loose Christmas? Coach Wonderful began to read Luke chapter 2. Listening to the Christmas story my heart grew heavy with sorrow for how I steered our family astray. God sent His Son into this world as a baby, dependent on human kind. To believe in Jesus is to take His love every where we go – for others to see His love in everything thing we do – Sometimes I get a busy momentum going and I go sideways from the Lord. Whenever that takes place Lord – PLEASE – kick over my tree. And Mary – move over I want to sit at Jesus feet and listen too.

A pearl to string: And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!" (Luke 2:8-14)

The tiny Baby in the manger is the mighty Creator of the universeHappy Birthday Jesus and Merry Christmas
Lyndi

Pretty Blue Sky

CONFABULATE. It’s a real word! It came in my email this morning for my word of the day. It means to chat, confer or fill in gaps in memory by fabrication. Hummm, I seem to do a lot of confabulating these days. It’s not done to be intentionally deceptive. It’s more like when I was a kid I had to do something with the holes in the picture I was drawing. I loved to fill those holes with pretty blue sky. So when I confabulate it’s just a little pretty blue sky for the holes in my memory.

It’s that time of year when my memory goes dancing. Christmas time is such a lovely, fun time of the year. The memories of yesteryear hold joy and plenty of blue sky. These days controversy swirls everywhere. Instead of singing we’re arguing, instead of giving we’re complaining, instead of honoring we’re dismantling - all in the name of diversity? Yikes, makes a body want to just go home, close the doors, keep the TV off, turn the phone off and pull out the boxes of stored Christmas decorations. I love to decorate our home when it’s cold outside – snowing is the best time. I light the logs in the fireplace, turn on the Christmas music and brew some cinnamon tea. Sipping and humming I ponder the wonder of how God trimmed our world with the sun and the moon and all the twinkling stars to light our way and bring us warmth and joy. All the shimmering lights that are strung around the houses, in the trees, on the boughs and intertwined in wreaths reflect His handiwork to me. God colored our world with four uniquely different seasons and all His creation reaches up to Him in praise with every branch and leaf turned towards the sun. How beautifully He ornamented our lives with animals to love and care for and people to figure out and be in relationships that reflect His character. It is in giving that we receive. Love is not a “feeling” – love is an action.

The Scriptures say, "God commanded light to shine in the dark." Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

A pearl to string: Love is our Father’s character and He gave each one of us a heart to hold Him and seek Him then sent us the Christ child to believe upon to keep us united with Him for all eternity. Now that is an action that I can celebrate. That’s no holiday – that’s Christ’s Mass – A celebration of God’s love, His communion with His people.

We are His, we came to sup with Him and be in His everlasting love,
Merry Christmas and pretty blue sky,
Lyndi

Christmas Date Note

Isn’t it interesting that there is a growing number of Christians coming to grips with history. December 25th is probably not the actual day Jesus Christ was born – could have been the day Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. So the Seed of God was placed in the womb of Mary during the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah that year.
Wow! The Light of the World is conceived during the Festival of Lights.
Learned peoples point to the Holy Scripture to explain the inaccuracy of the present celebrated dates. Blame is placed on the Catholic Church for arbitrarily choosing a day to celebrate the birth of Christ. The voices are growing in numbers, “this isn’t the date, this isn’t the date”!
Makes you want to ask, “And the point is?”

If I learned at this juncture in my life (I’m really old) that my actual birth date was about 6 months off would it change my life? Would it change who I am or how I celebrate life? I rather doubt it. Leaning into Scripture you can always find your answers. Paul rejoiced in the fact that Jesus was being preached. Some out of rivalry, but others out of goodwill. (Philippians 2:15-18)

We do celebrate Christmas all over this world - even if people are not Christians or don't believe in anything. Who get's talked about? Why I believe that is my Jesus they are dissing but they are talking about Him. He's not going away!

May you be blessed knowing that in fact our King was born and is alive for ever more and may we purpose to worship Him all year long.

Rest on His Word:
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

Merry Christmas
Lyndi

Mary Did You Know?

Christmas Prayer
For those who may be grieving we stop to say a Christmas prayer:
We celebrate this time of year because our Lord was born;
But let us not forget that there are others who may mourn.

In times of sorrow, times of strife, it's sometimes hard to smile,
So, Holy Spirit, please come in and tarry for awhile.

Touch those who may be suffering; touch every wounded heart,
Touch all those burdened souls when they feel distant, set apart.

Remove the pain, and fill their hearts with happiness and mirth,
And let them all rejoice now in The Savior's holy birth. Amen and amen
Mary Did You Know?

Somewhere in my forties the Christmas carols that I had been singing all my life sunk deeper into my soul. It was as if the lyrics suddenly had profound meaning that I had never experienced before. My heart and mind seemed to unite on the wonder of Christmas, the inexplicable joy of my Saviors birth. “Mary Did You Know?” is a Christmas song written in the 90’s that causes me to meditate on the circumstance of Jesus birth every time I hear it.

The times were most difficult back then. The people of Nazareth had a strong Jewish faith. Mary and many ordinary people of the land, were increasingly aware that they were powerless themselves, but God, the all powerful, could raise up the lowly. Their faith was of the deepest kind: "The Lord hears the cry of the poor. Blessed be the Lord. The Lord our God, the Lord alone! Therefore you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deut. 6:4-5)

Mary's faith was strong. Yet, in fervently religious Nazareth with its high moral standards, she hardly stood out at all, even in the eyes of those who knew her best. Besides, as a young woman living in a society where men counted most, she would be little noticed except as a mother and a wife.

When she was 14 or so, Mary's parents made plans for her to be married, as was customary in those days. They chose Joseph of Nazareth, a carpenter, for her husband. The engagement took place and Mary returned home to wait about a year before she would go to live with her husband as his wife. But then, something happened.............

Mary was chosen by God to bring forth the Savior of the world. An astounding series of events and responses took place for the miracle of all miracles. What grips my heart as a mother is imagining Mary holding her baby – what went through her mind? Next time you hold a baby imagine you are Mary, you have just gone through extraordinary unexplainable events but now your baby is in your arms. This is finally a normal experience looking at her baby something Mary shared with millions of moms. Mary lovingly and tenderly kisses her precious baby boy – she kissed the face of God. Doesn’t that just take your breath away? Focus in on that – she kissed the face of God. Mary held her child in her arms, the child she delivered would deliver her. Awe-inspiring reality – did she know? Could she sense it? Did Mary feel it? She kissed the face of God. Moses couldn’t even look at the face of God but Mary kissed the face of God. Oh Mary, that sleeping child you held so long ago is the Great, I am and you kissed the face of God. In my mind I want to go to the manger, I want to sit beside Mary, I want to hold her baby, I want to kiss the face of God.
A pearl to string: Present day wise men worship the Child of Bethlehem who was born to be the Man of Calvary.

Following that Christmas star -
May His presence light your way.
Lyndi

Pretty Blue Sky

CONFABULATE. It’s a real word! It came in my email this morning for my word of the day. It means to chat, confer or fill in gaps in memory by fabrication. Hummm, I seem to do a lot of confabulating these days. It’s not done to be intentionally deceptive. It’s more like when I was a kid I had to do something with the holes in the picture I was drawing. I loved to fill those holes with pretty blue sky. So when I confabulate it’s just a little pretty blue sky for the holes in my memory.
It’s that time of year when my memory goes dancing. Christmas time is such a lovely, fun time of the year. The memories of yesteryear hold joy and plenty of blue sky. These days controversy swirls everywhere. Instead of singing we’re arguing, instead of giving we’re complaining, instead of honoring we’re dismantling - all in the name of diversity? Yikes, makes a body want to just go home, close the doors, keep the TV off, turn the phone off and pull out the boxes of stored Christmas decorations. I love to decorate our home when it’s cold outside – snowing is the best time. I light the logs in the fireplace, turn on the Christmas music and brew some cinnamon tea. Sipping and humming I ponder the wonder of how God trimmed our world with the sun and the moon and all the twinkling stars to light our way and bring us warmth and joy. All the shimmering lights that are strung around the houses, in the trees, on the boughs and intertwined in wreaths reflect His handiwork to me. God colored our world with four uniquely different seasons and all His creation reaches up to Him in praise with every branch and leaf turned towards the sun. How beautifully He ornamented our lives with animals to love and care for and people to figure out and be in relationships that reflect His character. It is in giving that we receive. Love is not a “feeling” – love is an action.

The Scriptures say, "God commanded light to shine in the dark. Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ". 2 Corinthians 4:6


A pearl to string: Love is our Father’s character and He gave each one of us a heart to hold Him and seek Him then sent us the Christ child to believe upon to keep us united with Him for all eternity. Now that is an action that I can celebrate. That’s no holiday – that’s Christ’s Mass – A celebration of God’s love, His communion with His people.

We are His, we came to sup with Him and be in His everlasting love,
Merry Christmas and pretty blue sky,
Lyndi