May the 4th Be With You
Happy 4th Sunday of Advent and Happy Christmas Eve! We can join many others who will attend church today to breathe in what all this decorating, baking, shopping, partying, and having family and friend get togethers has been all about. It is unusual for Christmas Eve to fall on a Sunday. We are making the…
Letting our Christmas Joy Be About the Joy-Giver
Here we are on the other side of December’s half-time! It’s December 16th — only 9 more days until the presents are all unwrapped, we’re eating our Christmas breakfast and some of us are singing “Happy Birthday, Jesus”! For me, I’ll be driving home from my East Texas’ family’s Christmas Eve traditions to join my…
I Can Hardly Wait
I know parents of young children are hearing those words repeatedly said today. Santa just can’t get here fast enough. On the other hand, parents of those young and older children still have so much on their to-do lists that they wouldn’t mind at all if Santa held off for several more days! In just…
The World Needs a STABLE Influence
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Since the first store put out their Christmas displays and decorations, we’ve been under the inflSince September and the first store put out their Christmas displays and decorations, we’ve been under the influence of the Christmas season. Game was on for that store to sell, sell, sell and we to buy,…
I Love Santa and I Love Jesus
It doesn’t make sense to say those words effectively in one sentence. Better said in two sentences. One sentence is short and short on promise. “I enjoy the notion of Santa and the joy he brings at this time of the year.” The other sentence is HUGE on promise that lasts from here through eternity.…
Waiting, Anticipating and Preparing
Today is the birthday eve celebration of my baby girl. I always make a big deal about “eves”. “Happy Birthday Eve” I’ll text or say to my children. “Happy Thanksgiving Eve and Happy Christmas Eve” I’ll declare too! The day before and anticipating the “day of”. I well remember the day before my girl was…
“Do Not Fear” Seems to be a Theme Here
Merry Christmas Eve! NO FEAR here! Well, maybe a smidgen of fear was here a couple of days ago. My grandson, Payton and I made a weekend trip to Austin. While there, we heard that the pastor of my children’s church had contracted Covid. We had been to the church the previous weekend. No fear…
I Can Hardly Wait
My son sent a photo of he and Shawntel taking friends with their little two-year-old girl to see Austin’s spectacular Trail of Lights. They’re getting that little one started early. And that’s what my parents did for me. As a child, some of my fondest memories of Christmas included the drive to look at Christmas…
Visions of Sugarplums Danced in My Head
As the famous “Night Before Christmas” poem goes, Christmas Eve is when children are “nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.” I wondered, “What exactly is a sugarplum?” I read that there are three types of sugar plums. One, which is a summertime treat of an actual candied…
Merry Christmas and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!
Merry Christmas and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS! It’s the birthday of our Savior! A day of celebration and joy to the world on this beautiful Christmas Day. Yesterday, I was blessed to be a communion server at my church. It hit home to me that the baby boy sleeping in the manger came to die, so…