Stop Stuffing Christmas

Stuffing Christmas into a Jar

I hear busyness. I see bustling. I recognize that so many folks are in a hurry up mode. They are busy trying to push all the Christmas celebrations into a jar. Push, push, push; get that list for today completed and go to the next list. Somehow, I just don’t think the Advent season is meant to be so “pushy”. How can we slow it down and make it meaningful?

First, does everyone need several gifts? Wouldn’t one needed or wanted gift be more significant? Most children get gifts from grandparents, siblings, and aunts and uncles, so that number climbs naturally. When we decided to limit our gifts to one nice one, or two medium priced items like a book or a favorite CD, my stress decreased immensely. I remember sitting down with hubby and saying, “We just don’t need to buy so many gifts. Our extended family of cousins gets so much." More is not Christmas. More turns into selfishness. That  year was one of the nicest holidays ever. We talked to cousins and sisters and asked them to take us off their gift list. They seemed surprised but relieved. Why? It simplified their Christmas too. We did this about fifteen years ago, and we have never missed those extra gifts. We gained family time, more game playing , and time to drink tea and listen to the powerful words of carols. Most important, we had more money to share with our "adopted" Christmas family.

Second, I incorporated cookie exchanges in my life. This was just an easy fix. I made one kind of cookie and shared. The other ladies did the same. We had a delightful assortment and wonderful fellowship. I still enjoy giving cookies to the neighbors and am not opposed to mixing a few store bought wedding cookies and chocolates to make my plates a little more decorative. Instead of spending hours decorating cut out sugar cookies, I turned it into a family contest. I make the cookies ahead and put them in the freezer. Then, when all the family arrives , we have the master decorator hour. In a little over an hour, those cookies are iced and decorated and a “best decorated cookie” award and a “most creative” award is announced. We have neighbors that help in the judging. Of course, younger participants are given extra points.

Third, I take time early in the morning to read a Christmas story, poem, or reflect on a few Bible verses. I actually read those Christmas gift books. I try to imagine how I would have felt on Christmas morn in war times. I imagine how uncomfortable Mary must have been riding a donkey on a cold night. I ponder how and why the wise men pursued the Christ child. This beginning thought of the day infiltrates my thinking all day. I like that. I am realizing what Christmas is, what happened two thousand years ago, and contemplating what my granddaughters' Christmas will look like in fifteen years. These thoughts create plenty of prayer material.

Just those three adjustments have made the season peaceful. I still have time to visit shut ins, make special cards for loved ones, bake our sons' favorite cookie recipe,or take time for yoga and walking. Slowing down the pace of Christmas actually gives me more time. I sing these words, " Son of God, Love's pure light. Radiant beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth, Jesus, Lord at thy birth." If I take time to seek the King, I too discover the radiant grace.

Creative Memories

Creative Memories 

 During this festive time of year, I become  nostalgic.  I sit and stare at our Christmas tree , and I have flashbacks of  earlier trees.  I have always recreated the tree every year.  When we were first married, I made an elegant gold tree.  When the boys were small, I  trimmed  the tree with safe red and white peppermint ornaments and candy canes with cute red bows.  Then, I began my angel collection and covered the tree with angels....just angels.  The boys loved buying me a new angel for Christmas because I would unwrap it and add it to the tree immediately.  We would declare  it to be the fairest of all angels.

 I remember the tree that caused all the guys in my family as well as my neighbor Tom to gasp.  What had I done?  I covered the tree with peacock feathers and turquoise and green balls.  They just could not  comprehend a peacock tree and still to this day tease me about my creation.

 Of course, no two mantels have ever been the same.  Each year the theme of the Christ child is the same , but I address it differently on the mantel.  Again, my three guys could not understand why I went to such pains and hours to create a new mantel each year.  The fun is in the creating for me.  Creating new slants on the same theme makes my season more meaningful.   
  
The holy season of Christmas has always been about giving in our home.  We have helped over forty  families have a joyful holiday.  The circumstances have been different, but God has led me to them.  I have had to solicit help from friends and neighbors at times because my “joyful” included new floors, furniture, games, toys, bed linens, new outfits for all nine kids, and trees and lights.  We have piled houses full of pantry items and gifts that children put on Santa’s list.  Just like the tree, every year has looked different.  My guys have done little of the shopping but loved being a part of the cookie baking and delivering of the yuletide greetings.  We have shed tears together reminiscing the look on the grandparents’ faces when we explained we had paid ahead for drug refills.  We all cried when the couple called us  on Christmas morn and said they had received so much that they took some of their gifts and gave to the couple who lived under the bridge. 

 I loved including our Young Life groups.  They wrapped and gathered with such fun and frolic.  They wanted to be in on “giving”.  They too would cry after we delivered toys and food to a family that had hard luck and couldn’t have Christmas that year.  I get reports back from those kids who are now forty some.  They report adopting families  of their own because the joy is in the giving.   

Christmas is dancing lights, colorful packages, smiling gingerbread men, and a heart filled with the joy of helping mankind.  The blessing to us has been much greater than any of the blessings we have bestowed.  Our family has wonderful memories of the five little kids that just grabbed a gingerbread man and stared at us as we told the advent story.  They were stuck to those cookies and wondered why all these gifts filled their small living area. 

 We remember fondly of the “overstock” Christmas.   We had so many gifts that we filled our son’s jeep as well as our van.  We delivered them to the family and did our singing and gospel story.  Then, when we left after tears and hugs, we discovered we had a whole seat of food and linens still left.  I told our son ,"Let’s just go driving down Madison and see what God has for us. "  Conservative John has always been aghast at some of his mother’s meanderings and expectations.  He drove  and I prayed and asked God to reveal  to whom these items belonged .   It was cold and windy.  John had on his Annapolis masked  cadet face that showed little emotion.  

Suddenly, I heard God.  “John, stop right here.”  His response, “ Oh, mom.”  At the bus stop was a very large lady with a very thin coat.  I approached her and told her God had sent us with some Christmas surprises.    She began to cry and thank God .  “Lordy, Lordy, Lordy!  You have heard my prayer.  Thank you , Jesus.”  She showed us where she lived , and John and I delivered two baskets of food and a basket of new sheets, blankets, and pillows.  We even had extra money to put in her hand. It was a double blessed Christmas.  I saw water standing in those icey blue eyes of our son.  It was difficult not to react to such thankfulness.

 All these families have taught me that I too should be just as demonstrative in thanking God for His many provisions.  I too cry out, “ Lordy, Lordy, Lordy, thank you , Jesus.”  I am tearful when I think of my abundance of blessings of a faithful and dear husband, sons who are loyal to God and have integrity.  I am humbled to have been given such a wonderful daughter-in-law , who helps me prepare meals and willingly sees that I get to play with the granddaughters to my heart is content.  I am blessed with good health as they are also.  We have enough to share with others.  I cry out to God,  “ Thank you for a season that brings out this giving nature in so many.  "It is because we give , we can live abundantly.

Hand to Hand

After the Retreat
As my readers know, I spent Saturday at a retreat. Monique led us in very worshipful stretches. Some folks are critical because we incorporate these yoga positions into our creative/spiritual retreat. We are very aware that Yoga is an Eastern religious practice. We do not participate in our stretches in that way.

Instead, we use the quiet reposes to focus on Jesus. We say scriptures in our minds. For example, after several cleaning breaths and sighs, she may say to us, “Be still and know that I am Lord. Ask God what He has for you today.” It is very centering. We clear our minds of bills, children’s demands, husband’s job losses,and anxieties of the day. We just “be” and breathe and seek God. It is wonderful. I could physically see the participants begin to relax as we continued these exercises. Some were new to stretching and holding, but all tried at their level.

Next, I shared with them what the Lord had revealed to me in my morning worship. They listened attentively and agreed we were pushed, shaped, and directed by our technology of today. I asked them to take a more ancient path. I said,” Today we are going to follow the cadence of nature. We will be quiet as the falling snow, and at times birth new understanding that comes as a spring blossom through all the ‘yuck’ we have stored within. “

Next we built our journals. I was so touched by the ladies willingness to reach within and find pictures and scriptures that really represented them instead of how society had labeled them. These were strangers coming together sharing intimately. They laughed and played like children with their stamps and colored markers. Monique and I were right in there with them. We felt the freedom to play, to take time to ponder, to just feel something.

As the ladies shared a few of their journal entries, I was so humbled at how transparent and truthful they were. They felt safe. Sharing laughter and tears, we became the body of Christ. We genuinely cared for each other. We were strangers just five hours ago and now were friends sharing hurts and holding invisible hands. It touches my soul to lead these retreats. I love that we stop our busyness and just hold onto the quiet of the day.

Afterwards and even now, I still hear the participant’s voices. God urges me to pray for these individuals. Perhaps that is why He has called me to present the gospel in this way. Through these retreats, I see evidence of how God has worked in so many lives. I hear testimonies of His provisions. I encourage and acknowledge their creative being. Together, we receive direction from the Holy Spirit. It is a magnificent time. I am grateful that He has given Monique and I this opportunity.

Walden's Pond

Walden’s Pond

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." These words by Walden inspire me to live life fully. I, like Walden, do not want to come to the end of my days and discover I missed life.

I embrace this idea of living each day by various means. Sometimes living is sitting and listening to a friend’s hurts and concerns. It is taking a morning out to pray for those ill with cancer. It is walking through the golden leaves and feeling the carpet was laced just for me. Other days, it is reading poetry and pondering the earth’s pangs of destruction. Pondering is an important part of the day. It is taking a “time-in “as opposed to a “time-out”.

In this pondering state, I don’t necessarily meditate, but I do sometimes. I just take a period of time where I am not multi-tasking. I am just intentionally in a space where electronics and technology cannot control me. I don’t answer the ringing phone, look at a clock, listen to music, or check my texts. I just am. I am reaching into the deepest part of my knowing and pulling out a memory, a thought, a sound, a smell, or a dream. I begin to fondle it like a lover. I caress that memory and try to pull from it all the thoughts I can. I recollect how I felt when I sat by my father’s side. I can smell the cherry tobacco from his pipe. I can feel his gentleness, and hear his soft, low voice. I just stay there and reunite with that time in my life. If my mind tries to escape, I push it back into that day. If it is a childhood memory, I try to recreate the innocence in which I looked at life, at the little town where we lived, at the teaching given to me by my father. I embrace the presence of that moment and feel the warmth, or sometimes I discover a hurt with which I have never dealt. If it hurts, I may shed tears. If it is affirming, I may bask in that feeling of acceptance. I try to grasp what this moment in time taught me about life. Perhaps this is a whimsical activity to some. To me, it is becoming aware of those moments that shaped me, that formed me into the person that I have become today.

Oh, how I would like to go to the woods and live for two years as Walden did. He pondered how a pine tree’s odor permeated his pores. He observed woodchucks and made them into visitors in his lonely abode. He realized that morning was the most significant time of day. He said, “Let me have a draught of undiluted morning air. Morning air! If men will not drink of this at the fountainhead of the day, why, then, we must even bottle up some and sell it in the shops, for the benefit of those who have lost their subscription ticket to morning time in this world. But remember, it will not keep quite till noonday even in the coolest cellar.” I am inspired by Walden’s affirmation of the importance of the morning air. Morning is the most blessed time of the day. We awaken clear minded and in an almost pure state. If we listen to the news, read the paper, or enter into any aspect of worldliness, the freshness of that moment is lost. We must breathe in that “undiluted morning air” and practice being in the presence of the Lord.

I begin each day with writing morning pages of my wanderings. I sometimes begin by reading scripture and God highlights a specific word, thought, phrase or parable. I may have read this many times before, but it is in this morning time that I realize new truth and application to me life. I discover new goals for my life. I realize my shortcoming as God’s word shapes me in the mornings. It is in this molding and shaping that my life has taken direction. Just as in my pondering times mentioned earlier, I begin to wonder how I would have felt at the foot of the cross. I try to recreate the shouts and cries in my head. I see with my spiritual eyes Mary weeping, struggling, begging, and seeing her son dying in such an anguished way. I stay there in that vision. I pull myself back into the vision, the message, and the inkling within me. I stay there and ask God to reveal to me what lesson I am to learn. How can this truth make me really live life? I , like Walden, do not want to come to the end of my journey and discover I missed my morning messages. I don’t want to discover I missed my destiny. I don’t want to regret that I have not lived deliberately.

A Play Date With God Registration

In just two weeks, Monique and I will be leading the one day workshop for women on November 13th.  We would love to have some of  our facebook friends join us.  Registrations are coming in , but we need you.  The first five ladies to register this week will get a bonus gift from me.  Early registrations help us plan luncheons and supplies better.  So, you will be rewarded next Saturday for helping us out. 

The day will open with scriptural yoga .  The retreat will teach women how to connect wtih God in more creative and spiritual ways.  The cost of $65.00 will include journals, decorative materials, and lunch. Reservations can be made at http://www.lamplightercounseling.com/ or by calling Sandi at 289-7049 or Monique at 499-1974.  Anyone attending should bring a Bible, a picture of yourself, and a yoga mat if you have one.  The retreat is held at the People of Praise building at 3300 W. Moore Rd.  We will have a relaxing yet productive time together.  We will peel away unwanted labels that we carry and discover how God sees us and made us.  Please join us for the day.  It will be a blessed one. 

Trusting Your Father

                                                               A Picture of Trust

The African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet. Yet, these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3 foot wall. Do you know why? They must be certain where their feet will fall, or they will not jump.  I guess they have not learned trust in their development.

Whenever I look at this picture of my son and granddaughter, I think how Ava’s trust in her father takes away all fear. He throws her into the air (to grandma’s chagrin), and she expects him to catch her. She is assured that her daddy will keep her safe. John has proven himself to Ava time and time again in her five short years on earth. John has a very close relationship with Ava. They look alike and act alike. As I watch her actions and reactions, it is like rearing John again. She loves to do risky things because he has taught her that he will be there to encourage her, help her, and cheer her. She has assurance that her dad is her best friend, best provider, and safety net. She does not let fear entrap her if her dad is near. Ava is secure because of her love for her daddy and  his unconditional love and trust.

John has taught Ava trust. I believe this will carry over in her spiritual life. Since she has learned to trust her earthly father, it will be easier for her to trust in God. Trust has many benefits. According to scripture Psalm 37, one who actively commits himself to the Lord can expect these benefits:

• to enjoy safe pastures,

• to inherit the land,

• to enjoy peace,

• to be upheld by God,

• to gain an enduring inheritance,

• to live securely

• to never be forsaken by God

In verse 31, a benefit of trust is “not to slip”. This photo of a daughter being hurled in the air is an action shot of trust. Ava knows her daddy will not let her slip.

As I look at this photo, I think of how many times I have hurled myself into dangerous situations. I have put myself  in precarious positions. But, God has not let me slip. He has caught me and held on to me and brought me into safe pastures.

Psalm 31:5 in the Message version reads, “I’ve put my life in your hands. You won’t drop me; you’ll never let me down.” Both of these psalms free me of my fears and encourage me daily. These words provide an assurance that I will be caught in the hands of my heavenly father.

Today is one of those days that I needed reminded of how well my Father cares for me. I write this to share scriptures that create a strong base for my trust in Him. These words ignite my spirit. I trust because my Father has caught me and kept me from harm many times. I know His love is unconditional.

Creators create blogs...sort of

We are writers, after all, we write. Period. Generally speaking, we don’t do techie stuff. None of us really knows, no care to know, how the mysterious mechanics of the cyber world work. We only know that it all works and that it is important to the success of our blogging endeavors. nittygritty of writing.blogspot.com

I totally agree that bloggers thrive on writing.  It is our passion, past time, and purpose.  In our blogging group , we all agree on this principle.  What we can't agree on, is how is the best way to utilize all that blogger has to offer.  Those technical tricks are baffling. 

At my home, we had a blogging class taught by my friend, Jason.  He is so intelligent  and has may skills in computer science.  He is  productive and generous with his talents. Jason took time to teach my blogging friends some ideas on increasing traffic to our blogs.  He showed us how to link to other post, work on our page design, and how blogs are effective.  All of us were fifty or over, yet we were so eager to learn how to upgrade our blogs.

Jason's patient instruction made us feel successful.  Today we are attempting to apply those teachings.  So, I hope you visit again to see some improved postings and blog designs.

I need you to do me a favor.  When you visit my blog, will you become a follower?  You just need to look on the right side of my blog and push "follow".  If you arrow down on the kind of account button, you need to  push google account or any of the others on the list to which you belong.  I promise no crazy emails will come into your box.  It really helps me to have followers.  I am trying to get noticed by publishers or other writers.  If they see several people follow, they will stop a few seconds and view my writing.  Thanks so much for helping me in my pursuit to be a published writer.  Blogging is a way of communicating and sharing in our way too busy world.