Happy Birthday Jesus!!!

Even though Jesus was not truly born in the winter (April is more accurate), we still observe His birth on December 25th. What a glorious day and a glorious gift that God gave US! We traditionally call it the season of giving, yet the most perfect and gracious gift ever given was that of eternal life to all who choose to accept it through the blood of Jesus.

As we look around these days it is heartbreaking to see just how far we have strayed from the true meaning of Christmas. It is so commercialized and politically correct it actually makes me sick to my stomach. It is our job as true followers and lovers of our Lord and Savior, to share this truth with others and to stand up for Him. The Christian, in general, is so weak and tolerant of the beliefs that are flooding this nation, the term Christian no longer makes the hair on Satan's neck stand rather he probably just smiles and goes about his business. We are not the strong backbone of this nation any longer. BUT we can be!! Honestly, it is our duty, our responsibility and our privileged to stand for Him. We will be hated and scorned, maybe even arrested or fired but if we let our fear detour us from the work we have ahead of us, we have already handed the victory to the enemy.

OK, enough of my rant. All I can say is Merry Christmas to you all and may He bless you with the peace of eternal life and remember, the "big picture" is not life on this earth but the life to come.

But I can't sign off without prompting you to think about what your goals will be for 2014 in regards to your stand for the Lord and the immorality of this nation. Pray about the work He has lined up for you and for the courage to perform that work.

May the Lord bless and keep you,
May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you,
May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.             Numbers 6:24-26

Sick and Tired

     From time to time it strikes me; just how much I truly take for granted. I feel good and life is going along fairly smooth and even though I DO thank the Lord for these things, I forget just how much He does ALL the time. This thought came to me today because I have been sick the last two weeks. Nothing major, just a cold then a short stomach flue, but I really felt pretty crappy. As I am beginning to feel better today, I realize how much I don't think about my health when I have it!
     I have a couple of friends who suffer from regular debilitating conditions and I try to put myself in their shoes. Boy is that hard! I am a pretty active and type A personalitied person and being down for any length of time is hard for me. I know these women are of a similar personality as me and knowing this, I really feel for them. I think they tend to see the gifts from the Lord a little better than I. Every time I get sick and begin to feel better I have these thoughts and emotions but honestly they wane after awhile. Here I am once again!
     Well, this is a short post I know, but I wanted to share to send a reminder of God's graciousness to us all in ALL things. AND to encourage us to remember in prayer, those we know who suffer from poor health. As far as that goes, to help us remember others who suffer in many ways.
     My goal will be to keep these things closer to the front of my mind on a regular basis. I hope you will too!