Even Teens Can Give

 Nowadays, many of our kids that grow up are raised with an attitude of entitlement. Whereby, they feel that thier parents, and even society "owes them" and they become very selfish even from a young age and demand they get their "due" all through life.

However, they are not all that way and some can amaze us with what they do for those that are in need, even if they themselves are struggling.

Today's story is about such a teen and can be found here: The Greatest Gifts We Can Give Our Children Aren’t Actual Gifts – 8 Inspiring Stories That Show the True Meaning of Christmas - Camille Styles with other stories of those that share with other people even when their own times are tough.  Read on...

The Teen Who Couponed His Way Into Buying $1,000 Worth of Food for the Poor on Christmas Eve 

Sixteen year old Jordan Cox has a knack for extreme couponing, a talent he uses to help he and his struggling mom get by, according to the Telegraph. But this Christmas season, the savvy teen decided to also use his unique skill set to help struggling families in need. Jordan collected hundreds of coupons and purchased about $935 worth of groceries for less than a penny. He then donated it all to Doorstep, a nonprofit that disperses food to disadvantaged families.

“I decided I wanted to help as many people as I can, and to also show that it’s possible to shop very cheaply, if you know how,” Jordan said.

🥫🥫

9 O

I remember when I was in grade school, we were encouraged to take a can of veggies during the Christmas holiday before school let out for break. All of those cans of food the students brought in were then donated to needy families.

I don't know if that tradition still exists in the schools or if in fact any other programs do, to help those that need help. 

But this teen had a vision to give to others and he was able to accomplish that through he and his his mother's own need. 

How awesome is that?

God gave his only begotten Son, to a cruel world that deserved nothing. And yet, because of our need and his love, you and I have the most important need we have, fulfilled. We can ourselves share his love, even if it is all we have to give to a dark and dreary world. Especially during this wonderful season called Christmas. But not only now, but all year long, as well.

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Matthew 1:22-23

Thanks, Friends. God bless you as you go about your day!

A Tale of Two Trees

The beauty of our Christmas trees that adorn our home during the season is well...sometimes almost magical.    

And yet, our focus is sometimes more on those particular trees each each year, then on the one that would be used to hold the body of our slain Savior, once He grew up to die for our sins. 

That tree was not magical. It was cruel, and is horrid to our imaginations as we contemplate it each Easter. 

This next story comes from  O Christmas Tree and the tree that we must not leave out of our holiday, is the one most important. It was not meant to be surrounded by the bright packages that are piled under them, but instead it speaks of a time when the blood of a precious Savior would hang on it, for everyone that could believe in how it came to be. Read on...

O Christmas Tree

My family loved the moment when we sat in darkness before its light.

Each year my children would hound me about when it was going to happen; they would commiserate with one another about how big it would be. We would load them into the car and go to the place we always went to pick out our family Christmas tree.

After weighing everyone’s opinions, we would decide, tie the tree to the roof of our car, and make our way home. That night we would decorate our tree together as a family. After we adorned the tree with splendor, we would turn off all the lights, amazed as it shone brightly in the darkness.

I love these kinds of moments because I think as believers, we should be the most celebratory community on earth. We know all the good things that we enjoy and all the family love we experience are sweet and undeserved gifts from our Heavenly Father.

But I am concerned that we remember—and that we help our family remember—that while this beautiful holiday season is about a tree, it’s not about the decorated tree in your living room that you’ve so carefully adorned.

From the moment of his first breath, the life of that baby in the manger was marching toward a tree. It would not be a tree of beauty or celebration but of sacrifice and death. It would not stand in someone’s home as part of a seasonal tradition but would be outside the city walls on a hill of execution. unity on earth. celebration but of sacrifice and death. It would not stand in someone’s home as part of a seasonal tradition but would be outside the city walls on a hill of execution. 

That baby wouldn’t stand before his tree and smile at its beauty but would be tortured on it, nailed between convicts. That tree on the hill was not a symbol of a season but an instrument of judgment. On that seemingly hopeless hill, that tree of death gave life and hope to humanity.

The Advent season tells a story that will take your breath away. It’s a story about inescapable need, a glorious incarnation, a substitutionary life, an atoning sacrifice, and a victorious resurrection. Only God could write such a story, and only God could complete the plot.

It’s a story meant to amaze us, humble us, capture us, rescue us, transform us, and cause us to live in wonder and worship. This story provides the only way you can make sense out of your identity and your real need. This story reveals where hope is to be found and points you to the meaning and purpose of your existence.

I have no problem with the seasonal stories of sleds, snowmen, gifts, and goodies. Nor do I stand in opposition to singing silly seasonal songs. What I am concerned about is that in the midst of such excitement decorating our Christmas tree, we forget about the Cross.

Make your Advent conversation about a tree, but not the one in your living room. Talk about how that baby in the manger came not to decorate a tree, but to hang on it for your salvation. Remind yourself and your family that in a world darkened by sin, that tree of sacrifice and salvation shines as a light of eternal hope that will never, ever go out.

God bless

Paul David Tripp

The Tale of Two Trees, is not a tale at all. Sadly, we have allowed the truth of the cross be covered over with the beautiful trees that we bring into our homes and take over our season of joy that had been meant to be with the birth of Jesus. We have allowed the government to take out the meaning it was meant for us as Christians. We have allowed for the glitter of it become more important then what it was originally meant to be. 

I agree with Paul David Tripp, that I am not opposed to the celebrations that we enjoy. But, I too believe that those are not the important reasons for real celebrations because those things will one day pass away. However, the reasons for the cross that held our Savior will never pass away and then where will each of us be? 

Will it be too late for you? For me? I pray not. 

So while you can, enjoy the reason for the season, but remember the True Reason for the Season, because He will last forever!

“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him…” – John 1:9-10

Thanks for coming by today, Have a joyful and blessed day!

Unexpected Gifts

Have you ever received an unexpected gift from someone that you did not know who gave it to you? Or maybe one from someone that you didn't know how the person was able to get it for you?

The lady in todays story received one from her husband one year that she had no idea how he was able to do that for her. Follow the link for her story and others at:

Christmas Stories That Will Melt Your Heart | Reader's Digest

A mysterious gift

My husband has had dementia for almost a decade. He has almost no short-term memory. He can no longer read, use a phone, or use a credit card. Six years ago when the Christmas catalogs came, I saw a tablecloth I wanted, but it was sold out. On Christmas morning, there was an unwrapped box under the tree. Somehow my husband had found the right catalog, the right tablecloth, called them, and convinced them to find a tablecloth to send in time for Christmas. I won’t ever know how he did it, but it was the best gift ever.

—Roberta Sampere, Dolgeville, New York

🎄

Sometimes we just do not know the how and whys of certain things that happens in our lives. This lady doesn't attribute the gift her husband had given her, as a miracle of God. But whose to say that it wasn't. Only He knows how it happened that she got that gift that Christmas. 

What her story does for us, is to add to our faith, that God can do anything. He can do what we think of as impossible-possible. For his word tells us that in Mark 9:23. All we have to do is believe.

Thanks for coming today, Friends. I am sorry I have not been here for the last few days. I have had some things come up and just needed to take time away from the blog. Hope to be here tomorrow again, though. 

Have a blessed day!

Good Tidings to All....

My father was a retired postal worker when he went home to be with Jesus in 2005. For a number of years during his working years, my own family lived across the road from he and my mother. His job was not an easy one. He would come home in the evening especially during the winter, tired, cold, and hungry from lugging his heavy mail bag from one home to the next. He wasn't much of a coffee drinker, but mom would fix him a steaming hot cup of his International Brand flavored coffee, to help him relax after a hard day.

Dad was a friendly man, and I have no doubt that many of the people on his route looked forward to seeing him everyday because he would bring home cards at Christmas time, wishing him a Merry Christmas. Sometimes they would be accompanied by some cookies or candy that he enjoyed. Yes, his job was a hard one, but his words were encouragement to many of the customers that he served through out the year.

There are so many people whose services we appreciate the year round and without them, where we be? Delivery people, those that come out to fix the things that go wrong in our homes, people that install something for us. 

We must not forget the firemen, and police that put their lives on the line everyday to keep us safe.

And not only these, but the men and women that have served or are now serving in the armed forces, ar

 Those that are veterans, those that have fought, and those that are serving to keep us free. Those that right now wish that they would be able to be home with their families.

I would encourage you during the next week, to remember some of these people that have been a part of your life, in one way or another. Even if just a card and lots of prayer, to let them know how much you have appreciated them this year. 

Jesus said, "...it is more blessed to give, then to receive." Acts 30:35

Thanks for stopping by today, Friends. God bless you!

0ne Solitary Life

 

I had heard this many years ago, and found it today on Pinterest. Maybe, you have heard it as well. I thought it would be a good post for today during this Christmas Season. To me, it represents a man (Christ Jesus) of mercy and grace.

One Solitary Life

O

Billy Graham Library Live Nativity

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village, where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty, and then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never owned a home. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put his foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself. He had nothing to do with this world except the naked power of His divine manhood. While still a young man, the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth while He was dying—and that was his coat. When he was dead He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone and today He is the centerpiece of the human race and the leader of the column of progress. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that One Solitary Life. 

By James Allan Francis (1864-1928)

“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him…” – John 1:9-10

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Have a blessed day!

When Jesus Comes Again

 

Ahh, Christmas. What a wonderful time of year. The song that we hear  a lot at this time, was sung by the late Andy Williams called: It's the Most Wonderful time of the year. And while that is true, we know that the even though Jesus came to the earth as a baby, he would not grow up and die for any other reason than what he did. He had a specific reason for being here among people. And he would die a horrible death to pay the penalty for our sin.

OK, that is all well and good, some might say. Really? Do we have to think about his death while we celebrate his birth?

For one thing, I have said, you can't have one with out the other. Because Jesus wasn't born to grow up like the rest of us. And though Easter is the story and celebration of his death and ressurection, it makes it a part of Christmas just as his birth did.

However, his birth and death didn't end with those two events. There is a much more wonderful one to come., And as we think on those things, here at this "wonderful time of the year," I wanted to share a poem that I found that makes his life even more wonderful for those that believe and have accepted him. It can be found here with other stories that you may want to read: Christmas Stories & Illustrations | Tony Cooke Ministries

Next Time It Will Be Different

The First Time Jesus Came
He came veiled in the form of a child.
A star marked His arrival.
Wise men brought Him gifts.
There was no room for Him.
Only a few attended His arrival.
The Next Time Jesus Comes
He will be recognized by all.
Heaven will be lit by His glory.
He will bring rewards for His own.
The world won’t be able to contain His glory.
Every eye shall see Him.
He will come as Sovereign King and Lord of all.
– John F. MacArthur Jr.

What a day that will be! Christmas as we know it, will never be the same! We have that promise and it will be exciting for all those that he comes for! Gone will be the sin and shame. All pain will disappear. New life will spring forth and Jesus himself will wipe our tears from our tears.

And that my Friends, will be the most wonderful time of our lives. Not just for a season every year, but forever! That is why the baby Jesus came! To save you and me and to give us new life!

She will give birth to a son and you are to name him Jesus because he will save the people from their sins. Mathew 1:21

Thanks for coming by, Have a blessed day!

The Truth of What Christmas is Sometimes About

 

The Extra Electric Train
A Christmas Memory

by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson

Though money didn't flow as freely as the rain that winter, my parents worked with joyful anticipation to give my brother and me a Christmas present we would never forget. They scrimped for months and then spent more than they could probably afford for a Marx electric train.

Then the day before Christmas, a cousin stationed at a nearby military base pulled into the driveway. Opening the trunk of his car he lifted out a large heavy box. My brother and I could hardly wait to see what it was. On Christmas morning we opened it first. Eagerly we unwrapped an expensive new electric train set. Wow! You had to pull us down off the ceiling. A Lionel train, too! Then we opened the presents from our parents--another electric train. Ho hum. And not nearly as extravagant as the one from our cousin. Guess whose we played with most?

Mom and Dad were hurt. The outlay for an unmarried Air Force lieutenant was nothing compared to the sacrifice my parents had made. But all we saw was the glamour of an expensive train. We counted our parents' gift as merely a nice accessory.

Our heavenly Father spends many a disappointing Christmas. Amidst the glittering ornaments and flashing Christmas lights, the hurry and hustle of shopping and wrapping and family get-togethers, parties and presents, trees and turkeys--who really cares about His gift? What gets more attention from us: our Father's gift of life in Jesus Christ or the quickly-wrapped department store gifts from our cousins?

Thank you, Father, for Jesus. Thank you for the abundant life that we, His disciples, can enjoy now. Thank you for sending us a most expensive gift--your own life. Thank you!

For this an other stories, please visit: The Extra Electric Train: A Christmas Memory - Christian Articles Archive

🎄

As children, we sometimes do not appreciate the sacrifices that our parents make for us. Christmas can be a painful holiday for those families that do not have much to give to their children that day.

This family saved to give their own something that they couldn't afford. And the children had not appreciated the sacrifice, because at the time, they couldn't.

The greatest tragedy though is not that children don't get what they want. Nor even in getting what they want.

The tragedy is this:

It is the fact that we parents and grandparents do not give them what they most need. And that is the gift of helping them learn what the 25th of December is really all about. That God already gave us the greatest gift we could ever have. No wrapped gift under the tree will compare. No matter how expensive. No matter what is sacrificed in giving it, if we leave Jesus out. The truth is:

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. John 1:10

The Christmas Season is a beautiful time of the year. But it is nothing if it does not fully include what it is all about. Because without Jesus, we would not have any celebration at all.

Thank you for coming by today, Friends. May you have a peace filled day.