Devotionals for the Heart: Don't forget

Why I Disappointed My Daughter This Christmas

A devotional by Voni Harris

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” – Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)

I don’t like to decorate for Christmas. My daughter hates that I don’t like it. Sorry.

Wait! Let me defend myself here. These are my reasons why:

· Real life keeps happening, even in December. I don’t have time or energy to move around furniture and hoist up tree and decorations. We didn’t really have space to do so up until the last few years, anyway.

· Besides that, we had the tradition of spending the day at both of hubby’s grandparents and hubby’s parents. Or we traveled to spend time with my mom out-of-state. This is not quite applicable any more since our move to Alaska. Some Decembers, yes, others we stay at home. Still undecorated, most years.

· I do not have the money to make things look beautiful as they are on TV and in the community (see below). Plus, I’m only 4’6” tall, so putting up lights…eh, not so much.

· We do have Christmas money, of course, but it is focused on gifts. I love gift-giving, but I’m bad at it, no matter how much I love the gift recipient. Sorry about that, friends and family.

· In our community, we YoungLife volunteers “babysat” during the Kodiak Area Native Association Christmas party, throwing the kids their own Christmas party. There is always a Dickens Christmas community event with a true-hearted live Nativity. We walk every other day or so with our grandson to where our neighbor has given the gift of Christmas fun via outdoor decorations, tons of them. Caroling. The Harbor light-up with decorated boats. Our church’s Christmas Eve candlelight ceremony. Christmas movies. Party at a friend’s house …

In other words, there are a ton of community events, and they make my heart glad. Family and friends and community. Sharing Jesus. Sharing each other. I love it! Who has time for decorating?

I focus on the new year every December, ready to make my coming trip around the sun glorify God. Little brain space to decorate our house is left.

It means a lot to simply put up the Christmas cards we get. They make me smile whenever I walk by. Secondary true confession: I’m no good at Christmas cards, either. See the previous reasons for that, too.

None of these is a deep reason for my non-decoration tendencies. The truth is that the only truly meaningful Christmas decoration we have is our manger scene. If another breaks we just say “Aww” and throw it away. That’s it.

We currently have two manger scenes. Our plastic one plays songs and lights up, with a narrator telling the Christmas story. Perfect for our toddler grandson. We had a beautiful carved wood Christmas tree hanging; the carvings told the Christmas story. It is no longer with us, because, well, we have a toddler grandson.

Our main Nativity scene is still with us, though. It melts my heart putting it up; the reality of Jesus’ birth is there in front of my eyes when I do.

Christmas glitters with decorations and warms the heart with event and cards and presents. The real magic of Christmas, though, is the rise of your heart when you pause long enough to think of the birth of God’s son. Jesus. That’s what I love about Christmas: the birth of our Savior.

God’s son came in a manger and died on a cross, forging an inextricable link between Christmas and Easter. All prophesied. All completed. God is truth. He makes promises and He keeps them. He can be trusted with your soul.

I don’t want to hurry and scurry to make Christmas happen, and in the process forget.

~*~
Author Bio:

Voni Harris writes from her family’s home on the rain forest island of Kodiak, Alaska.

A legal-eagle husband, a breathtaking daughter, an adventurous grandson, and two enthusiastic dogs all conspire to keep her from spending too much time at the computer.

She holds a Radio-TV degree from Drake University, and her short story “The Wedding” was published in Heart-Stirring Stories of Romance.

Voni's novel Nothing Hidden won the 2013 ACFW’s First Impressions contest and the 2015 Daphne du Maurier unpublished inspy suspense category. It was also a 2018 ACFW Genesis finalist.

Devotionals for the Heart: The Reason for the Christmas season

A Beautiful Tree
A devotional by Tammy Karasek

"But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." ~Luke 2:10-11 (NIV)

I’m sure we all have a memory or two that is special to us around Christmas. I’d like to share with you a particular memory that taught ME a lesson about Christmas from a three-year-old!

I must confess that I’m a recovering perfectionist. I say recovering because until the Christmas of 1989, I really had a problem with being an extreme perfectionist.

It was the beginning of December and I was sick on the couch. Our three-year-old daughter was very excited for the holiday and it was fun to watch. This year was the year she was more aware of what was going on with all of the festivities of the holiday.

My husband had put up the tree for us and we were going to be decorating but . . . I just didn’t have any energy. Each day our daughter would say, “Mommy, is dis da day? Mommy, do we decorate today?”

I’d say, “Maybe later.”

So finally, about the 4th day she informed me that she was going to decorate. Yes, three years old and sassy through and through!

Without the energy to really argue I thought she would probably put on one or two ornaments and we’d be done with it.

Well, she pulled the lid off (I still don’t know how she got it off, it’s a pretty tight lid on those containers). And one by one she pulled out the ornaments. She would say, “I be berry careful, Mommy! I be berry careful wif da ormanents.”

Sure enough, she would gingerly walk to the tree and carefully place the ornaments on the tree. I was impressed for sure.

This went on for 45 minutes or so, as she kept going at it. At one point, I glanced over at the tree and noticed that all the ornaments were about 18 inches up from the bottom branches on the tree and the other three or four feet up the tree was empty.

The perfectionist in me immediately thought, “Oh I’m going to have so much extra work to do. I’m going to have to move all of them because they are all kind of clustered right there in the front.”

As I was thinking about all of this in my mind I heard a gasp from the container. She looked like she was about to fall in but that’s not the reason she gasped.

All of a sudden she said, “I found it Mommy! I found it! And I will be berry berry careful.”

She got out and she cradled an ornament in her hand. She walked very slowly to the couch and as she got close to the couch she bent her little knees down and presented this ornament to me and, “I got the most important ormanent, Mommy! It’s dis one. Dis is why we have a Kismas twee. It’s all about da baby Jesus. Dis is da one, Mommy.”

And like now as I’m typing this, I teared up and said, “You know, little girl. You understand it. You are right. That is the most important ornament and you are right, that is why we have a Christmas tree. It is all about baby Jesus.”

And at that moment I looked at the tree and realized it was the most beautiful tree I’d ever seen. All 18 inches of those ornaments.

And so as we prepare for Christmas this year, wherever someone puts that particular ornament on our tree, that’s perfect to me because it’s their joy and they know why they are putting it on that tree in our family.

I pray that you also have a Christ filled Christmas in your home and that your family, whoever that may be that gathers with you, know why you are decorating that tree and Who we have that Christmas tree for. It is all about Baby Jesus.

By the way, a little P.S. to the story… When my husband came home later that day, he walked into the room and looked at the tree. Then looked at me and looked back at the tree.

I put my finger to my mouth and said, “Someone special wanted to decorate the tree today and I think it looks beautiful, don’t you?”

My daughter looked at him and said, “I decorated it today, Daddy! Because dis tree is all about da Baby Jesus and dis Kismas Tree is pitty. Very pitty.”

And to this day this ornament stays front and center of our Christmas tree because it really is all about the Baby Jesus.

Merry Christmas.

~*~
Author Bio:

You’ll find Tammy seeing humor and causing laughter in every aspect of life.

Her past, filled with bullying and criticism from family, is the driving force of her passion to always encourage others and give them The Reason to smile.

She’s been married to her college sweetheart, Larry, for 37 years, a mom to their grown daughter, Kristen and wrapped around the paw of a little dog named Hattie. Born and raised in Ohio, her family now resides in South Carolina.

She is the President of Word Weavers Upstate SC, member of ACFW and member of My Book Therapy/Novel Academy.

She’s the Blog Coordinator/Editor for Florida Christian Writers Conference, a contributor in the 2018 Divine Moments Compilation Book—Cool-inary Moments, a monthly contributor for HeartWingsblog.com and God is Love (capturingtheidea.blogspot.com).

~*~
Connect with Tammy:
Blog: http://www.tammykarasek.com
Email: tickledpinktammy@gmail.com

Merry Christmas, dear blog readers! :)

The Story of Jesus Christ, a Christmas devotional relevant all year

Christmas Eve is today which means Christmas Day is tomorrow, at least here in the United States of America. But if you live in Australia or Asia, you are already celebrating Christmas Day because where you live the date is Dec. 25, 2014. Isn't it amazing how one side of the world is living in today and the other side is already witnessing tomorrow?

What's even more amazing is the story of Jesus Christ. He came into this world in the form of a baby to give us life. Not only to teach us how to live every day life for God but to show us the way to heaven so that at the end of humankind's story here on Earth, we can have a chance at eternal life.

What better way to celebrate the holiday season than to remember the reason for the season (Jesus Christ)? Today, I invite you to read a devotional written by Katheryn Maddox Haddad, a woman with a heart for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Take it away Katheryn! 

~*~
The Story of Jesus Christ: A Christmas Devotional

Written by Katheryn Maddox Haddad

The adjustments Jesus had to make for us. They were infinite.

He gave up his spirit body that could be everywhere in the cosmos at once, to be confined in a human body that could only touch, see, and hear a few feet in any direction.

He gave up his throne for an animal’s feed trough. He could have at least been born in the holy temple. But that was not enough. He had to give up everything.

He gave up glory for swaddling bands. He could have brought with him a halo; he preferred to become, in every way, one of us.

He gave up the admiration of angels for no one even noticing his birth except for dirty, smelly shepherds. They couldn’t even stay very long to worship him.

He gave up streets of gold for streets sometimes littered with putrid garbage.

He gave up the protective love of his Father to be chased by an evil king until his parents had to flee their own country to protect him.

He gave up the tree of life so he could wander the hills without even a place to lay his head so he could give people his bread of life.

He gave up most of his powers most of the time so he wouldn’t make us feel too inferior. He could have called lightning down on sinners. He held his powers back and only used them to prove who he was ~ the Prince of Peace.

He gave up angel songs for weeping.

He gave up tranquility to be tortured on a cross. How easily he could have willed himself down from it. He knew he had been born to die.

He had never been born before. He had never died before. It was only by doing both that he could overcome death for us, and give us new birth.

All this he did for his enemies, sinners of the world ~ all of us.

It is beyond our comprehension to fathom what he gave up. It is beyond our grasp to understand. God put his words in a human body for awhile so he could walk the earth with us. Such love. We are awed.

All we can do is fall at his feet and whisper, “Thank you.”

~*~
About the author: 

Katheryn Maddox Haddad grew up in the north and now lives in Arizona where there is no snow. She lives with her palm trees, cacti, music, and a computer with most of the letters worn off.

With a bachelor’s degree in English, Bible and social science from Harding University and part of a master’s degree in Bible, including Greek, from the Harding Graduate School of Theology, she also has a master’s degree in management and human relations from Abilene University.

Her newspaper column appeared for several years in newspapers in Texas and North Carolina ~ Little Known Facts About the Bible ~ and she has written for numerous Christian publications. For several years, she has been sending out every morning a daily scripture and short inspirational thought to some 10,000 people around the world.

She spends half her day writing, and the other half teaching English over the internet worldwide using the Bible as text book. She has taught some 5000 Muslims through World English Institute. Students she has converted to Christianity are in hiding in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Uzbekestan, and Palestine. “They are my heroes,” she declares.

Katheryn is a member of Christian Writers of the West and American Christian Fiction Writers, and is also an energetic public speaker who can touch the heart of audiences.

Her books include Applied Christianity, Inside the Hearts of Bible Women, The Holy Spirit in 365 Scriptures, Revelation: A Love Letter From God, Worship Changes Since the First Century, Worship the First-Century Way, The Best of Alexander Campbell’s Millennial Harbinger, and Christianity or Islam: The Contrast. Her Inspirations Under the Thinking Tree is a series of short reads on numerous thoughtful topics. She has also written two books on genealogy.

Connect with Katheryn:

Official website, inspirationsbykatheryn.com

Webpage about Star Song: http://inspirationsbykatheryn.com/historical-novel-about-jesus

Pinterest board for Star Song: http://www.pinterest.com/haddad1940/book-1-star-song

Video about Star Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6-gaxUF-d0

Amazon for adult’s version of book Star Song, http://amzn.to/1sQHrtV

Amazon for child’s version of Star Song: http://amzn.to/1ETiDZP

Barnes and Noble for all books: http://bit.ly/1ql2BVS

Holiday devotional: Mary Pondered

Christmas is coming! Only three days away! Yet over 2,000 years ago, the first Christmas was celebrated on a starry, starry night in Bethlehem where the virgin Mary laid her sweet baby Jesus in a manger filled with hay. Yes, the Savior of the World, Jesus Christ was born through a virgin named Mary who was engaged to a man named Joseph. 

Mary and Joseph were poor in finances but rich in their relationship with God. They had faith more valuable than gold. It was their faith that kept them together when the angel of God told Mary that she would give birth to the Savior of the World and no this was not her fiance Joseph's biological child. However the process was pure and beyond our imagination. The Bible does not go into detail about how God sent His Son to Earth in the form of a baby carried in Mary's womb and delivered on that starry night in a stable filled with hay. But the Bible is clear on this, with God all things are possible (Philippians 4:13) and as the song by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir on their Christmas CD says, it was the "birthday of a King!" 

What better reason to celebrate this Christmas season than to remember when this holiday was first created? And to hold on to the hope that no matter how crazy life in this world gets, God is still in control. If God can send His Son to be born, raised, minister to the sick and lost, then die and be resurrected to encourage His faithful followers and be humankind's High Priest and Mediator before God in Heaven (all of which completed the work of salvation) and then in turn He offers salvation to us as a free gift then of course God can keep you, bless you and deliver you from any trial and tribulation you may be facing!

But back to Mary as the Mother of Jesus. Mary was a very special woman. Despite her elevation of being the most favored woman of God and her willingness to be used by Him in His great plan to save the world, Mary was humble. She did not go around boasting and bragging that she was going to carry the Creator of all humankind in her womb and give birth to the long-awaited Messiah. And I'm sure she didn't try to one-up other mothers that she knew when talking about her child Jesus Christ. I mean seriously there's no greater title than your boy child being the Son of the Eternal King, right? Sure, doctor or lawyer, King of a Middle Eastern country or the President of the United States of America may be impressive titles but clearly God created all of those people who hold those titles yet He chose to collaborate with Mary to create His Son in human form. Yeah, Mary had plenty to boast about but she didn't. Mary did not boast. She stayed humble and faithful to God and she pondered this special mission God had given her in her heart (Luke 2:19).

Tonight, I'd like to share a different take on the Christmas story with you through the eyes of a mother. No, not Mary but Jaime Wright who is a woman with a love for words and Jesus Christ. Take it away Jaime...

~*~
Mary Pondered
A Christmas devotional written by Jaime Wright

There’s a popular Christmas song, “Mary, Did You Know?” I’ve always wondered what she knew, when she held Jesus in her arms, his dark eyes squinting in new birth and his tiny voice straining to make sure the world He had arrived. Did she know? All Scripture tells us is that she pondered it all in her heart.

I never understood that. Until Christmas 2009. My daughter was early. Too early. Although in many experiences, three weeks isn’t that unusual. In my daughter’s, she just wasn’t ready. To be born. To breathe. To cry.

How can a mother forget the croaking whimpers of a newborn with not enough air? The croons of Daddy coaxing, “breathe, Baby Girl, breathe”. Labor. Pains. Vomiting. Exhaustion. And now … impending death.

Mary looked at her boy. Newborn. His velvety hair, olive skin, wrinkled and innocent. A purity he would never lose. And eyes that were sharp, knowing. Mary pondered … impending death.

The room was a bustle of activity. My daughter was whisked away and then brought back to my room to be held on my chest for thirty seconds so she could bond with her mother’s scent. Then they wheeled her away to an ambulance. And I screamed.

The night was filled with the screams of mothers who had their babies stricken by the heinous King Herod. His jealous slaughter heralded the coming of the Messiah, sheltered and whisked away by angel’s warning. The violence. The murder. The blood. Always blood. And Mary pondered …

I limped into the NICU. The incubator was warm, soft light glowed. Her Daddy had been there four hours before I arrived. The nurse told me he had not moved. And in the warm glow, I saw it. My daughter’s finger, squeezing her Daddy’s finger, white-knuckled grip with no intention to let go. Daddy was her salvation.

And Mary squeezed His finger, with no intention of letting go. But she would have to let go. He was her Abba, her daddy, her Father. For He was her Savior. It was a dichotomy.

And Mary pondered … A Savior. A King. Her Son. Her baby would save the world.

Of course she didn’t know. She didn’t want to know. But she had this moment. A mother’s arms, full, in love, and a deep breath that her son, was God’s son. A gift she had been given that she would never regret. Jesus.

~*~

Author bio:

Professional coffee drinker Jaime Wright resides in the hills of Wisconsin writing spirited and gritty turn-of-the-century romance stained with suspense. Her day job finds her a Director of Associate Sales, Development & Relations. She’s wife to a rock climbing, bow-hunting youth pastor, mom to a coffee-drinking little girl and a Sippy cup-drinking baby boy, and completes her persona by being an admitted Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Blogspot junkie.

Jaime is a member of ACFW, enjoys mentorship from a best-selling author, and has the best critique partners EVER! (Yes, that's an exclamation point.) She was a semifinalist in ACFW’s 2013 Genesis contest and that alone encouraged excessive celebration over extra espresso with hazelnut syrup.

In her "down time", Jaime reads voraciously, socializes incessantly, drinks coffee addictively, and overuses "-ly" words excessively.

Social media links: 

http://www.jaimewrightbooks.com

http://coffeecupsandcamisoles.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/jaimewrightbooks

Twitter: @Jaime_wright

Pinterest: jaimewright01

Introducing Guest Blogger Gerdine Dalambert

Gerdine Dalambert is a friend of mine who I met when visiting WGTS Gateway Fellowship which is an interfaith gathering that introduces people to Jesus Christ and reconnects them to the love of God while teaching them to have love for others. Gerdine has written in a journal since she was 8-year-old however it was not until a few years ago that she decided to write for others in the public sphere. So when I asked Gerdine to write a guest post about being single during the holiday season, to my delight, she agreed! 

Without further ado, here is Gerdine’s first guest post for my blog: 

Holiday Singles 
Written by Gerdine Dalambert 

The holiday season is upon us. It is a time of singing Christmas carols, decking the halls, and being around mistletoe while enjoying great food with friends and family. But being single can prevent your mingle if you know what I am saying. 

As a single woman, I have made some assumptions based on my observations during this time of year in my singleness. Singleness is not embraced during the holiday season and it seems that no one is talking about what it is like and how to prevent any side effects if you will, on being a “holiday single”.

Thanksgiving is usually the toughest because if you are away from home, there are many places you can go to enjoy the holiday, but no matter how much fun you try to have, home is missed. There is nothing wrong with taking a moment to remember what things were like at home if they are sweet memories. However, if going to spend Thanksgiving with friends is what will give some gratitude, don’t let it be spoiled by a negative attitude. There is no law that says one cannot be alone to be reflective on Thanksgiving.

If you plan to spend time with family, you have to gear up. We love family but they love us so much that we have to be ready to experience that love. Let me explain: There are family members who love us so much that they think we need to be with a mate in order to be happy on the holidays. The best way to gear up is to be humorous. When Aunt Sally says, “When will you introduce this special person?,” your response can be, “Let’s place an order and see if we can get one by New Year’s.”

Christmas is a great time for singles that go out on dates and have a great time. If you’re looking for a date, it does not have to be Mr. or Mrs. Right. He or she needs to be right for the moment. Go out on your own! Be confident in your singleness! There is nothing more radiant than embracing what you are right now! Exercise is great during this time. You are so bright with goodness, you sparkle from the ornament of your heart. Do something you have never done. The best way to tackle the tantrums of emotions during this time is to stay busy and take time for self. Spend time with Jesus—He is the reason for the season. Can I get an Amen?

The New Year can mean a new you! The status of being single on the holiday means everything is about you. Not in a narcissistic way but indulge, be merry, reflect, and take action! Resolve to be in love with who you are and be open to whatever life has in store for you. Society’s subliminal message that you are not complete in your singleness is false! You are a family, I see it as I am a family all on my own: me, myself, and I. Adding others to my family of me is like adding whip cream to my caramel covered latte of pure sensation. So if you are single during this holiday season, enjoy this time in your life! It is all about love and you deserve to love yourself as you are because you are perfectly you! Happy holidays!

-- 

Author biography: Gerdine Dalambert works at John Hopkins Bayview Medical Center as a chaplain. Prior to that, she was trained at Lesley University and Loyola University Maryland. Writing is a hobby which she sees as a change agent because she wants to inspire others with her work. 

Recently Gerdine published Journeys of Butterfly Chloe, a children’s book, with Xlibris. The book is available for purchase through Amazon.com and promotional items can be bought at www.butterflychloe.com.