Christmas 20 Questions

Funny how everyone has such different likes and dislikes at Christmas, which is part of what makes Christmas so delightful!

As I was thinking about that recently, I remembered a situation that I experienced last year, when I was doing some after-Christmas bargain hunting. I was browsing at Hobby Lobby, and saw a tall, sparkly, hot pink artificial tree standing in an isle, all alone, with broken ornaments and miscellaneous Christmas items scattered about.

I chuckled to myself, wondering why any company would even make such a hideous sight, and thinking that nobody in America would ever buy such an ugly tree. Hot pink? But as I headed to the checkout counter, believe it or not, a lady was buying that hot pink tree! I wanted to ask her what she was going to do with it, but I decided against it. I guess that old saying "to each his own", rang true!

Today I am going to share my answers to 20 Christmas questions. If you have anything special or unique to share with us that you do at Christmas, then post it in the comments! Or copy and paste all 20 questions to answer. Merry Christmas, and happy differences!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg nog - ewww. The thought of drinking soggy, cold egg residue actually makes me gag a little. Hot chocolate with whipped cream or marshmallows, definitely.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? My mother used to get so upset when I was little, because my grandmother would wrap our presents and put "from Santa" on the tag - so I never do that! It was a little confusing at the time, and I didnt want to pass down any confusion to my own kids. So Santa sets out the gifts for the kids in each of their assigned areas on Christmas morning, and all the presents under the tree are from Mom and Dad (even though none of my kids believe in Santa anymore, sniff, sniff, we still do this).

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I am most certainly a white-light kind of girl. My kids wish I was a little more exciting with the lights, but white lights seem so elegant, and peaceful, and beautiful, so I always stick with that. I did give in and put colored lights on our little Christmas tree in the kitchen that is decorated with all candy-themed ornaments, so that satisfies everyones color needs.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope - where do you get that stuff anyway? Hmmm.

5. When do you put your decorations away? Usually the first or second day after Christmas. Since we get a live tree every year right after Thanksgiving, I usually have had my fill of millions of pine needles on the floor by the time Christmas is over.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Sweet Potato Casserole, covered in gooey marshmallows and crushed pecans.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Oohh, so many. To name a few....Sitting at the top of the stairs on Christmas morning with my brother and sister, waiting anxiously as my dad started the fire, turned on all the tree lights and the Christmas music, and then called us downstairs to see what Santa had brought. Also going to the Moravian Love Feast every Christmas Eve. And visiting my grandmothers house and being filled with the smells of delicious goodies as soon as we arrived, while being "forced" to sit at the piano with her and sing Christmas carols - an activity I would give anything to be able to do now.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? When I looked out the window one late Christmas Eve, scanning the skies for Santas sleigh lights, and instead noticed my neighbors garage light was on. I then saw them carrying a large swinging chair down the driveway, and the next morning, that same chair was sitting in my living room, from Santa. I think I already knew the truth before that, but that was the kicker.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Actually we celebrate Christmas with my in-laws every Christmas Eve, so we open lots of presents! But that does not spoil the fun on Christmas morning, just makes the fun of Christmas last even longer.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? I have three trees (okay, remember I told you I was a Christmas-aholic, so give me some grace. Smiles) My main tree is decorated with all red balls, Santa ornaments, red poinsettias, and red ribbons. My upstairs tree is decorated with all silver ornaments and crystal ornaments, and silver ribbons. And the third tree is our candy tree in the kitchen, with peppermint ribbons and lots of yummy looking ornaments. (not including the four huge holly trees in the front of the house, that I decorate with white lights each year)

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it when it falls, hate it two hours later. Glad we only get snow every few years in Charlotte, and only two inches at a time. I despise snow make up days at school, because it always interferes with our life. So Im fine with no snow, thank you very much.

12. Can you ice skate? I used to ice skate as a child, even on real frozen ponds. Now I would probably just break my leg, and other essential body parts.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Remember that swinging wicker chair I mentioned? Loved it, for years, even took it to college with me.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Spending it with my family, and making it memorable and special for my children. Remembering the real reason for the season.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Blueberry Crunch Cake (awesome recipe from Paula Deen), Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie (nothing beats my mothers homemade pecan pie!)

16. What tops your tree? All three of my trees have big oversized bows on the top, with the ribbon cascading around or down the tree. When I was growing up, we had a little angel that topped our tree every year, named Angie. She was like a special sweet friend that we pulled out every December. My mother gave her to me several years ago, and now me and my children carefully pull Angie out each year, and prominently display her on our mantle.

17. Which do you prefer - giving or receiving? Although I love presents, (of course, what girl doesnt?!), I do love giving. I love to see people open something that I handpicked just for them, and especially when they like it, it fits, and they dont want to return it. The joy of giving became even more special after we had children - seeing the smiles on their faces on Christmas morning makes receiving gifts seem unimportant!

18. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I share the love of the song that has always been my mothers favorite song - Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas. Considering the fact that I listen to Christmas music for about eight weeks every winter, to the chagrin of my family, it is hard to narrow down anything more than that.

19. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?? Yummy, as long as they are the normal peppermint candy canes, and not all those strange flavors and colors that are on the shelves now.

20. Favorite holiday movie? My all time favorite is Its A Wonderful Life, but now with all the new Christmas movies, that is a hard question for me to answer. I could watch the movies ELF and Christmas With The Kranks, every day of my life and still laugh hysterically. Plus I love all the Santa Clause movies, and Home Alone. Believe it or not, I still love Rudolph and Frosty.

Did I say I really like Christmas? That might be the understatement of the year.

Hope these little questions helped think about some of your fun and special Christmas memories and traditions today!

Have a Christmas spirit-filled day!

.... He Gave His Only Begotten Son.....

Today we are going to unwrap the second gift that we are given from the verse John 3:16.

The first gift was love, "For God so loved the world..., and the next gift is Jesus,... "that He gave His only begotten Son".

For believers, Christmas is all about celebrating this gift of the newborn King. This gift of Gods one and only son, that He so sacrificially gave to us.

Jesus was a gift that we did not deserve.

Have you ever received a gift that you felt guilty accepting? Maybe the person who gave you the gift, was someone that you had talked negatively about just a few days earlier. Maybe the person who gave you the gift was someone who you really didnt like at all, but felt obligated to keep up a good front when around her. Or maybe someone gave you a gift, but you did not get them anything in return.

In any circumstance, it can be hard to enjoy a gift that we know we do not deserve! Sometimes, I think about how I do not deserve the gift of Jesus. In fact, there have been so many times in my life when I have found myself wondering why Jesus even loves me, and why God would send His son to die, for someone like me.

Why would God give a gift to the human race, knowing that so many would not receive it, understand it, accept it or appreciate it? Why did He give us that gift of His son - knowing that we were imperfect, helpless, broken people?

The answer? Love. Infinite, unconditional love. No other reason. Just love.

You know, we usually feel like we need a reason to give someone a gift, such as a birthday, a holiday or a special occasion like a wedding or a new baby. But I bet you will agree, that a gift given just because someone loves you, and not out of obligation because of a special occasion, is so much more treasured and appreciated. Nothing lifts my spirits more than to receive a gift from someone, "just because they love me". Those types of gifts are the ones that truly fill my heart with love.

And that is exactly the type of gift God gave when He gave His Son. He emptied Himself, so that we could be filled - "just because".

He emptied Himself so that we could filled - with life. So many people think the only reason that Jesus died for us was so that we would not go to hell. Carrying out that belief is like only opening the gift halfway and barely peeking into the box. Its like never fully opening the gift and reaping all of its benefits, because Jesus was not given to us to provide fire insurance - he came to provide life insurance!

Insurance is nothing more than a guarantee against loss or harm - is that not exactly what God provided?! He sent His son Jesus, to give us a guarantee of life.

Not a guarantee of a trouble free life, but a guarantee of a joyful earthly life through Him.

In order to be eligible for physical life insurance, one has to sign up for it, accept the terms, and sign on the dotted line. You have to go through a lot of health screenings, medial approvals and legal hula hoops. But in order to be eligible for Gods life insurance, we merely have to unwrap the gift, accept it with open arms, and say thank you.

An undeserved gift, given out of love, just because.

In just a few weeks, the Christmas season will be over. You and I both will probably have received gifts that we dont know what to do with, we didnt really want, or that do not fit us or our lifestyle.

But the gift of Jesus is always a perfect fit. A gift that never breaks, never wears out, and never goes out of style. A gift given for other no reason than love.

Now that is the type of gift that I want to open this Christmas. What about you?

The gift of Jesus definitely gives us a profound reason to celebrate at Christmas.

The Gift That Changes Lives

Just over two years ago, I had the privilege of visiting the city of Quito, Ecuador, on a vision trip with Compassion International with some of my P31 sisters. And just a couple months ago, Compassion took another team of women from Proverbs 31 Ministries on this trip, and hearing of their stories, and seeing the pictures of their journey, brings back a flood of memories from my own trip.

I remember so many hurting children, so much poverty and desperation, such sadness in the eyes of the children, but also in the eyes of the mothers who watched their children suffer every day, because they can barely provide for the most basic of necessities.

I remember meeting my own little sponsored boy named Marlon. I took him some clothes, a spiderman bookbag, and a pile of little matchbox cars to play with. Those seem like small items, but to he and his mother, it was a blessing beyond belief. I will never forget his mother, standing a couple feet shorter than me, holding my hand, praying for me through an interpreter. And as my head was bowed and my eyes were closed, she said the words "Lord, thank you for sending me this angel. Someone to love me and my child through your love." It left me without words.

This month Proverbs 31 is focusing on helping other children become sponsored through Compassion International. Today's devotion by Suzie Eller, talks about her experiences in Ecuador. You can visit her blog by clicking on her name above to hear more and see some of her photos.

Here is the link to see some photos of my trip to Ecuador, from an older post that I shared, but still seems perfectly relevant to encourage people to sponsor a child. You have no idea what blessings sponsorship brings, when you read the handwritten letters from a little girl or boy on the other side of the world who think you are their heaven sent angel. Read that blog post here: Someone to Hold.

My experience changed my heart completely and opened my eyes about the huge need of these sweet people across the world. I even have recently become a Compassion Advocate, and plan to help run booths at Compassion events to help increase the number of children sponsored. If you are interested in doing more for these families, you can also check into becoming an advocate on the Compassion website.

I am also uploading some photos today from my Ecuador trip onto Facebook - I am a picture taking maniac, so there are a lot of them! Check them out and get a better feel for exactly how your gift helps those in need. Click on my Facebook icon to the left to link to my page, or friend request me.

What a great way to share the love of Christmas all year round, by sponsoring a child, and giving them a gift that will change their lives forever.

If you are interested in learning more about Compassion, please click on the Compassion icon at the left, on my sidebar. And if you decide to sponsor a child, please let me know about it!!! I would love to celebrate with you and answer any questions you may have.

Have a blessed day!

Finding Some Christmas Hope

For some, Christmas is a time to remember the joy, peace and hope that this time of year brings. The joy, peace and hope that exudes out of the manger scene when we study the Christmas story. For some, this is the season to be reminded of hope.

But for some, Christmas is a time void of hope. A time of loneliness, sadness or regret. A time where hope seems to be something of Christmases past, not Christmases present or future.

But hope is one of those precious gifts that God has given us, and one that can easily sit unopened, unwrapped, and unappreciated. Hope can sometimes seem like that sparkly gift just beyond our reach - we really want to open it; we dream about how beautiful it might be; we wonder about the peace found within; we yearn for the soothing comfort - but we just cant get our hands on it, no matter how hard we try.

Is it possible for everyone to reach that gift of hope, regardless of circumstances? Regardless of what has or has not happened this year, or in years past? Regardless of what the future seems to offer?

The Bible answers that question with a resounding yes, and we can unwrap that hope that we once felt in our hearts or that we so long for. Lets start pulling at some ribbons, by taking a quick look at our past, present and future in a new perspective.

First, think about your past. I know, I know, that is not something that can be done in a moments notice, because life is huge, packed full of emotions, events and people, and maybe far too many years that we would like to admit to. But I feel so confident that in your past, God has done some amazing things in your life, in your relationships, and in your heart. Do you ever think about those things? Have you forgotten to remember all those special times in life when God did something huge in your life, granted you unexpected blessings, provided for you in special ways that could have only been orchestrated by Him, or gave you the strength to get through a really difficult situation, of which you could have never survived without knowing that He was there for you?

Todays Christmas, is as hopeful as Christmases past, even if life circumstances or dynamics have changed. The same God that was there for you then, is there for you now. When I am facing a difficult situation, or begin to drown in feelings of hopelessness about that situation, I try to remind myself of what God has already done. Spending some time reminiscing about what God has done in the past, helps me to unwrap a little hope in the present.

Secondly, think about the present. Maybe the present is great right now, maybe it is not. But either way, how easy it is to take life for granted, especially if the present seems hard or hopeless. But if you had to choose between your life, and no life at all, would it be a hard choice?

Do you know people that faced difficult situations in the past, but were still able to count their blessings and maintain joy in their heart? Maybe you were someone like that. That type of perseverance comes from hope, and a love of life. Life is not always a bowl of cherries, but its better than having no cherries at all.

Psalm 46:1 says "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Now read that same verse from The Message Bible - "God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him. We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in seastorm and earthquake, Before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift mountains. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, God-of-Angel-Armies protects us."

Wow. How can we not have hope, when God is ready to hold us up the moment we need Him? This verse gives us strength to face the present, and open the present of His hope. He is our refuge in times of trouble, and we can always find hope in the present help that comes from the Lord, if we seek it.... if we choose to unwrap that gift.

Thirdly, think about the future. Maybe it seems dismal. Maybe it seems scary. Maybe it seems confusing. Maybe it seems exciting. But regardless of our human emotions, there is great hope in what the future holds for every child of God.

1 John 3:2 "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."

If there were no hope for the future, no promises for something wonderful despite the curves that life throws us, this world, from a surface perspective, would seem like a pretty terrible place.

The world has so much suffering and pain; so much hatred, anger and violence; so morally deficient; and so much brokenness. But this is not the world God made, He made a perfect world, but man messed it up. Thank God, literally, for the gift of hope that He gave, because better days are always ahead. We may not be able to see them, but they are there.

Things will not always be the same. In the middle of a crisis or difficult time, or a lonely Christmas, we feel like they will be, but one day, by the grace of God, that pain will be nothing but a memory. Lost strength will be restored. Peace will resume. Joy will again make its presence in your heart. Time goes on, and faith grows.

The bible tells us that before God is finished, the dead in Christ will be raised and the living believers will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye. This life is not the end.

That wonderful day has not yet come, but it is coming. We can bet our bottom dollar on it, even if it is the last one we have, and that truth is our hope.

Hope is not a new thing, or just for some. It is for all.

It was birthed into the world 2000 years ago in the little town of Bethlehem. It has existed ever since, but if we want that hope to invade our lives, we must do the same things that those shepherds did so long ago - seek, find, and bow before the newborn King.

Hope is alive and well, and readily available, but only to those who take the time to pull the gift of hope off the shelf, blow off the dust, and joyifully and excitedly unwrap the gift of life and love that is ours for the taking.

If you cannot find any other reason to celebrate this Christmas, remember those two priceless gifts that we are promised through John 3:16 - For God so loved the world -and that love gives us infinite hope.

The Gift of Unconditional, Endless Love

I dont know about you, but I am ready to do some frantic unwrapping! I am so ready to have some virtual bows, ribbons and colorful paper flying through the air as we excitedly unpack the gifts that God has under His tree for us. So lets get started!

John 3:16 is the verse that I eluded to yesterday (so a couple of you guessed correctly!) and it says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

There are four gifts packed into this one verse. Four gifts that are the main thread that run through the entire bible, and all the stories that fill the pages of Gods Holy Word are based on these gifts. I believe this one verse makes it obvious that although the Bible can appear to be so big and overwhelming, God really wrote it in such a simple way that even the least of us can understand. After all, four little things should be pretty easy for anyone to remember!

So, John 3:16 is the verse that holds the gifts that we will be unpacking this month. A short, seemingly simple verse to understand, but filled to the brim with an overflowing abundance of precious and priceless treasures.

The first gift that we derive from this verse is that "For God so loved the world". Not just emotional love, but unconditional love. Endless love. You know, it is sometimes hard to even comprehend that type of love, so to help put this in perspective, lets dig into this word "unconditional", which means "without limits, and absolute".

When I think about this type of love, my children come to mind. Regardless of what my children do, mistakes they make, attitudes they may have, or ungratefulness they may show, I love them unconditionally. They could never do anything or say anything that would ever cause my love for them to wane. On the flip side, I know that they love me unconditionally. I am their mommy, and even when I have to punish them, fuss at them, or cannot give them everything they want right when they want it, they still love me. Even when I lose my patience, regret my words or actions, or dont pay attention to them when I am in the middle of doing something, they still love me, and nothing could change that.

That type of love is hard to find. In fact, outside of blood relatives, there are probably few, if any, people in our lives that we can truly say love us unconditionally. Even our friends, co-workers, and acquaintances, of whom we think offer unconditional love, could surprise us. I have had close friendships in the past that fizzled out, or came to an end when a problem arose. In one particular situation in my life, a friendship came to an abrupt halt, and I still have no idea to this day why this person chose to no longer be my friend - and that betrayal and rejection stings deep. When we think someone loves us, and then we realize that love was conditional, it hurts.

So besides our children and close family, is there anyone who can really offer us that unconditional love? And if there is nobody in your life right now that you feel offers you that unconditional love, where can you find that security, and true, endless acceptance?

What does that word "love" really mean anyway? When God said He loves the "world", does that mean just in a general sense? An overarching purpose of caring for what happens to mother earth? Of course not, it means He loves YOU. He loves ME. He knows YOU by name, and He knows ME by name. He knows what YOU are dealing with, He knows what Tracie is dealing with. He wants to help YOU through life, and He wants to help ME through life. It was not a generic, cold, empty offering. It was personal.

I have received gifts from people in the past, that I know took them about two seconds to pick out. For example, secret Santa gifts given at an office party. Unless the person who pulled your name out of the secret Santa hat is a close, personal friend, the gift will probably be void of real meaning to you. It will be something that they grabbed in a store on their way out the door out of obligation. That is not the type of gift that God is offering here by saying "He loved the world". He meant He loved US, in a personal, heart felt way - and He gave a LOT of thought into the gift that He picked out for us.

So many times I think we take for granted the individualized, personalized depth of the love that He offers in this verse. It is easy to forget that during the year, but even during Christmas, I bet that most of us probably focus on one or two things - either the busyness of the season and all the things we have to get done, or we try to focus on Jesus by remembering the manger scene.

But the manger scene is not the meaning of Christmas, it is merely the memorable event that God orchestrated to help us remember His gifts. The meaning of Christmas is not about Mary and Joseph, wise men, sheep or drummer boys. It is about love.

John 1:14 says "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." That is really the core meaning of Christmas. God sent His son, Jesus, to become flesh, as a helpless and innocent infant, of a virgin, because He loved us.

Christmas is the celebration of this incredible act of love, and this love should be our only driving force for celebrating Christmas. Celebration of not the manger scene, but the love that came out of that scene.

So how does that gift really impact us? How does this gift really help us get through hard times? How can His love really make a difference in our lives? Why should we really get excited about this gift of love?

Hmmm, where do I begin? :) His love is important to us because........

* it is unconditional - He loves us regardless of our sins
* He loves us regardless of the mistakes we have made in our life
* He loves us despite our imperfections, and our constant struggles to follow His lead
* He loves us enough to meet our needs
* He loves us even when we do not love Him
* He loves us and continues to bless us, even when we do not give Him credit or gratitude
* He heals our broken hearts
* He mends our hurts
* He eases our disappointments
* He gives us purpose

He loves us because of His character, not because of our conduct. He loves us because of who He is, not because of who we are or anything we have done. His love is unconditional, and that type of love, is priceless.

I bet you can come up with your own examples of how you have seen God show His love for you. Take some time to think about those things today.

If you have been feeling forgotten by God this year, or wondering if He really does love you as you consider the difficult circumstances He is allowing you to struggle with right now, ask Him to help you feel His love. Ask Him to help you see a glimpse of what good purpose can come out of that situation so that you can see that He is loving you through your circumstances.

Ask Him to show you His presence in your life, and to open your spiritual eyes so that you can see when and how He is pouring His love down upon you.

And be sure to come back for a visit with me on Monday, as we talk about an extra gift that stems out of this unconditional love - a sub-gift you might say. A gift that is so amazing that I dont know how anyone can survive life without it.

What is the extra gift, out of love? The gift of HOPE.

The Gifts Under God's Christmas Tree

Well, well - can it really be December 2nd already? Yes! And we know what that means.....love 'em or hate 'em, the holidays are here!

Regardless of whether you are a lover of the holiday season, someone who dreads the holiday season, or someone who likes the holidays, but tends to get overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the season, we are all in this thing together!

The truth is that everyone has special feelings about the holiday season - good or bad. You see, for most people, the holidays loom larger than life – it is a complex and emotionally powerful time of the year.

The Christmas season could really be lumped into two categories of emotions. It is either a wonderful time of celebration, sparked with love, family togetherness, giving, cheer and joyful times - a season of delight. Or, it is a time of strain, sadness, isolation, loneliness, and feeling overwhelmed and disappointed.....a duty instead of a delight.

But despite our differences in opinions about Christmas, we all get pulled into the holidays in one way or another. In fact, the truth is, that Christmas is the largest celebration around the world every year. Think about it - every other holiday day of the year only gets one day, but Christmas gets an entire month (actually over two months really, thanks to our friendly retailers who try to jump start Christmas before Halloween even takes place).

But billions of people every year put aside their normal daily routines to decorate their homes, attend festive parties, shop for hours, mail Christmas cards, attend special church services, sing holiday music, watch holiday TV specials, travel and visit family that they rarely see.

Christmas sights, sounds and aromas fill the air everywhere you go, and it is practically impossible for any living human being, despite their religious beliefs, to miss the onset of the holidays.

Upon knowing all that, is it not absolutely astounding that the simple birth of a little baby boy in a manger, over 2000 years ago, out in the Middle East, is the root cause of all of this international celebration?

Is it not even more astounding that the entire holiday is a celebration of His birthday, but millions of people do not ever speak the name of the birthday boy at all? Or that millions of people celebrate a date on the calendar, without ever acknowledging the original reason for why the celebration began in the first place?

Is it not even more disturbing, that so many Christians, get caught up in the celebration, and often forget to focus on the birthday boy too?

Regardless of whether your opinion of the Christmas season is one of delight or duty, we can find ourselves easily distracted - if not by seasonal busyness, by life circumstances.

Maybe you are excited about kicking off the holiday season, but maybe you cant find any reason to celebrate at all. In either case, we can easily lose focus on why we are supposed to be celebrating. Lets take a quick look at an excerpt of the Christmas story from Luke:

Luke 2:8-14 (NIV)
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 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."

Did you notice what the angel said in verse 10? The angel said he/she was bringing "good news of great joy for ALL people". It does not say, great joy - for all those people whose lives are perfect; great joy for everyone who had a terrific, trouble-free year; for only those people who have not made mistakes; for only those people whose marriages are intact, whose children are divine, whose financial situation has survived the recession; for only those people who have secure employement; and for only those people who are healthy, and who do not have any loved ones suffering with health problems.

Nope - the angel said GREAT JOY FOR ALL PEOPLE. Seriously? Have you ever found yourself wondering at Christmas, if that type of great joy is even possible?

Christmas is supposed to be a time of great celebration, jubilation and joy - not because life is great, problem-free, or without difficulties, but because God divinely arranged this joyful birthday party.

Great joy, because God promised it, not because we deserve it. Great joy, through His peace, not through peace on earth. Great joy - if we embrace it, instead of considering the dozens of personal reasons why we cannot be joyful.

Usually when we go to a birthday party, we watch the person whose birthday it is, open all the gifts. But at this party, we get to open gifts too! Whoo hoo!

Through the birthday of Jesus Christ, we are given some very special gifts. Gifts that impact our hearts. Gifts that change our lives. Gifts that change our destinies. Gifts that impact our life on earth. Gifts that determine our eternal life.

So how do we get past our own myriad of emotions, our own inclination towards busyness, and our inability to find joy, and focus our hearts on the real reason for celebrating? What can we do to truly remember to celebrate the Reason for the season, and not just celebrate the season?

I think the answer lies in opening gifts. No, not gifts from under our Christmas tree, but the gifts that lie under Gods Christmas tree.

These precious gifts are all laid out for us in one special bible verse.

One verse that justifies and solidifies everything in the bible.

One verse that is the reason for all the anticipation of holiday fever that we get each year.

One verse that summarizes the entire reason that we celebrate Christmas.

Do you know what that verse is? Give it some thought, and let me know your opinion. What better way to prepare our hearts for Christmas than to ponder the verses that offer us the greatest promises?

Come back tomorrow as we begin to delve into the scriptures and start some serious unwrapping of some very special packages, that most definitely give us reason to celebrate.