25 Days of Christmas - Day 25: John 1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

MERRY CHRISTMAS - I LOVE YOU AND JESUS LOVES YOU MOST!~

Christmas in 50 Words

25 Days of christmas - Day 24: "With Us"

A Youth Ministry friend wrote this and I had to pass it along...

WITH US
By Dave Veerman

Months, weeks, hours, minutes, seconds
Years ticking away
Christmas suddenly upon us
"Seems like yesterday!"

Baking,wrapping,entertaining
Parties, pageants, tinsel, lights
Evergreens, tree, ornaments
Pressured days and shortened nights.

Relatives and friends, cards, cookies,
Pressed year-end deadlines, more
Traffic snarls, sales, mall Santas
Frantic rushing store to store.

Immersed in season's tasks and trappings
Pushing on but losing joy
Good and busy but forgetting
Immanuel was that baby boy.

Help me, Lord, to slow and wonder
At miracle unfolded here
Truthfully, in finite chaos
My Savior, Lord, and God came near

And may I sense the Spirit's urgings
Through my dwindling life on earth
Living out my faith professions
Sharing hope of Jesus' birth.

25 Days of Christmas - Day 23

Got this from my friends at Simply Youth Ministry and it reflects my sentiments as well...

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6


we celebrate Jesus.

not because it’s a holiday.

we celebrate him because he is God.

and because his love for us is immeasurable

and unfathomable.

redemption is the ultimate picture of that love—

Jesus chose to die so that we might live with him forever.

and not in this forever.

but a forever in a world without pain, loneliness, hunger, sickness, or tears.

this Christmas, our hope and prayer is that we all might fall on our knees

and experience Jesus as our redeemer

as our Immanuel

and know his goodness

and perfect love.

Worshipping Him together with you,

The Simply Youth Ministry Team

Sharing Hope Today at the Mall!

It's easy to talk about Jesus on Sunday, in our churches or at student ministry! It's also easy to talk about Jesus at Christmas - really - it is! So.... today I'm taking students to our local mall to share the hope of Christmas with people and pray with them - yes - at the mall! Now, this is not my most comfortable way of sharing Jesus, but IS A way! And you know what's cool? If our students have not left town yet, most of them WILL come today AND eternity WILL be impacted!
One day DL Moody was approached by a lady who said, "I don't like the way you share Jesus with people. You're blunt and come over as opinionated." To which he replied, "I don't like the way I share Jesus either, what do you do?" She was silent, and sheepishly said, "I don't." To which DL Moody said, "Well, I like the way I do it better than the way you don't!"
Now, lets be sure as we share Jesus to be gracious, loving and caring - but let's DO share Him, especially at this time of year!
I've created the following survey for us to use today. Maybe you too could make time this year to share Jesus, even with strangers. You'll be blessed and eternity will be impacted! Go for it!~

➢ To you, what is Christmas about?

Family Gifts Friends

Jesus Traditions Other:

➢ Have you heard the story of Jesus?

No? Explain it to them
Yes……

➢ Do you know WHY Jesus was born?

➢ Go thru G.O.S.P.E.L.

God created us to be with Him

Our sins separate us from God

Sins can never be removed by good deeds

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again

Everyone who trusts in Him ALONE has eternal life

Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever

Are you 100% sure if you died tonite you’d go to heaven? If I could explain how you could be sure, would that be good news?

Name ______________________

Prayer Request(s) ______________________________________________________

25 Days of Christmas - Day 17: Strange Way To Save The World

I was reminded again yesterday of the words to this song...

Strange Way To Save The World
4 Him

Sure he must have been surprised
At where this road had taken him
'Cause never in a million lives
Would he had dreamed of Bethlehem
And standing at the manger
He saw with his own eyes
The message from the angel come to life
And Joseph said...

Why me, I'm just a simple man of trade
Why Him, with all the rulers in the world
Why here inside this stable filled with hay
Why her, she's just an ordinary girl
Now I'm not one to second guess what angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world

To think of how it could have been
If Jesus had come as He deserved
There would have been no Bethlehem
No lowly shepherds at His birth
But Joseph knew the reason
Love had to reach so far
And as he held the Savior in his arms
He must have thought...

Why me, I'm just a simple man of trade
Why Him, with all the rulers in the world
Why here inside this stable filled with hay
Why her, she's just an ordinary girl
Now I'm not one to second guess what angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world

Now I'm not one to second guess what angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world

Thank You God for sending Jesus!~

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21

The "W" in Christmas

A friend of mine passed this on and I thought I'd pass it on to y'all...

The "W" in Christmas:

Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience.

I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card writing,
endless baking, decorating, and even overspending.

Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the
precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of
Christmas.

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting
season for a six year old.

For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant."

I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production.
Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his
teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of
the presentation.

All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then.

Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.

So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early,
found a spot on the cafeteria floor
and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly
scampering to their seats.

As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class,
accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legon the floor. Then, each
group, one by one, rose to perform their song.

Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the
holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun,
commercial entertainment
songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer.

So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly
taken aback by its bold title.

Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy
mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads.

Those in the front row- center stage - held up large letters, one by
one, to spell out the title of the song.

As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up
the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and
on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the
complete message, "Christmas Love."

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly,
we noticed her; a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the
letter "M" upside down - totally unaware
her letter "M" appeared as a "W".

The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered
at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they
were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W".

Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter
continued until the last letter was raised,
and we all saw it together.

A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen.

In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we
celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos,
there was a purpose for our festivities.

For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear:

"C H R I S T W A S L O V E"

And, I believe, He still is.

Weirdest Birthday Party Ever...

Ok - I have a son and a daughter, so I have been to my fair share of birthday parties! Pump It Up- mega inflatables in a gym, sleepovers, indoor rock climbing, X-box nights, Chuck-E-Cheese (thank you Lord we're past this age), swim parties, theater parties, a cottage "tea" (Jessica, not Drew), dive-in movies, yadda, yadda, yadda... But once a year I attend one of the weirdest birthday parties ever.
Imagine with me for a moment that you're going to a birthday party for a friend. You arrive for the party, maybe you acknowledge the guest of honor, maybe you don't, then YOU rip into THEIR gifts and then, for the rest of the party, you pretty much ignore them. Pretty weird huh? Actually, it's beyond weird, that would just be plain rude! Fast forward - It's Christmas. Who's birthday is it? Jesus. Sure, we may begin with a short prayer, or reading of the Christmas story, but then it's gifts time.....and whose gifts? Jesus'! And who opens them? WE do! And then the rest of the day is spent...... well, you get the point!
A few years back I began to become frustrated with how Jesus' birthday party was going. Now, before you write me off as a humbug guy, please note that I married into a family that LOVES Jesus, Loves Christmas, Loves Santa, etc... and so do I! I just felt like the over abundance of blessing was pulling our focus away from the reason for the season. And so, because I'm a guy, and by nature a "fixer", something had to give. So.....here are the top 3 things we have done as a family to help keep Jesus in focus at Christmastime:
1 - After Thanksgiving, we ask our son & our daughter to go thru their rooms and pick out games, toys, etc.... that they don't use much. If they're in good shape, we donate them to our local Christian Ministry. If they're in bad shape, the dumpster gets them. They're gonna be getting more things at Christmas and this allows them to learn to be givers....and it cuts down on accumulation! (By the way, dad & mom do the same)
2 - On Christmas we DO take time to read the Christmas Story together and to pray & thank God for Jesus and for all God's blessings.
3 - Then, because we we're getting so much stuff, a few years back we made a "$1 for $1" commitment. For every dollar we spend on Christmas gifts, we give a dollar to Jesus - after all it IS His birthday. So if I buy a $20 gift, another $20 gets put away for Jesus. This has done two great things for us. First, it has cut down on how much we spend, because it's always double. Second, it has allowed us to bless so many others with so much! On Christmas Eve, all that $ for Jesus is put in his stocking (yes, we hang a stocking for JESUS on our fireplace) and we open His up first - and it's usually between $500-$700!~ Then our family decides who Jesus wants us to bless with these funds: missionaries, financially hurting families, ministries, etc... It's always AWESOME and it's a favorite part of our Christmas!~
I hope these ideas will spur you and your family on as well in helping turn the Weirdest Birthday Party into a Par-Tay that's less weirder AND has eternal implications!~

Fractured Christmas Carols

FRACTURED CHRISTMAS CAROLS

No one can fracture a Christmas carol better than a kid. Sing along with
these new takes on old favorites:

* Deck the Halls with Buddy Holly
* We three kings of porridge and tar
* On the first day of Christmas my tulip gave to me
* Later on we'll perspire, as we dream by the fire.
* He's makin' a list, chicken and rice.
* Noel. Noel, Barney's the king of Israel.
* With the jelly toast proclaim
* Olive, the other reindeer.
* Frosty the Snowman is a ferret elf, I say
* Sleep in heavenly peas
* In the meadow we can build a snowman, Then pretend that he is
sparse and brown
* You'll go down in listerine
* Oh, what fun it is to ride with one horse, soap and hay
* Come, froggy faithful
* You'll tell Carol, "Be a skunk, I require"
* Good tidings we bring to you and your kid

A Soldier's Christmas Poem

In honor of those who serve in our military, and yesterday being the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor...
A Soldier's Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
my daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree, I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep
in perfect contentment, or so it would seem.
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eye when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
and I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts,
to the window that danced with a warm fire's light
then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night"

"Its my duty to stand at the front of the line,
that separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"
then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red white and blue... an American flag.

"I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home,
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat,
I can carry the weight of killing another
or lay down my life with my sisters and brothers
who stand at the front against any and all,
to insure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone.
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,
to know you remember we fought and we bled
is payment enough, and with that we will trust.
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.

By Michael Marks

Birthday Present Ideas for Jesus!

Here are some birthday present ideas to keep Jesus the focus this season.....it is HIS birthday!~
Christmas Present Ideas for Jesus!
• Visit hospital patients who can’t go home for the holidays. Bring gifts, cookies, etc…and share the Gospel.
• Give a days wages, $ you saved, etc… to Star of Hope, Salvation Army, a missionary, etc…
• Volunteer time/service at your church – cleaning, repairing, etc…
• Buy socks & blankets and take them to the homeless with some food.
• Visit those unable to get out & about, in nursing homes, jail, etc…
• When eating at restaurants, ask the waiter/waitress how you can pray for them.
• Invite friends over for a Christmas party – have games, snacks & a
speaker who will share the Christmas story about Jesus.
• Write letters of encouragement to those who need a “written hug.”
• Wrap gifts up for Jesus (commitments, $ for needy, goals, etc…) – open them first!
• Include Gospel tracts when you pay your bills, when you drive thru fast food places, when you give gifts, etc…
• Sing Christmas Carols at stores, in your neighborhoods, etc…
• Don’t let people be “home alone” on Christmas. Invite them to part of your celebration.
• Help the elderly/widows with a meal, yard work, etc…
• Ask local stores if you can wrap gifts, help carry out packages, etc…. all All for FREE!!!
• Create a birthday card for Jesus. Write in it what you would tell Him if you could hand it to Him in person.
• Have a Birthday Party for Jesus or a pinata’ for kids in the neighborhood.
• Take your family to a stinky old barn on Christmas morning and read thru the Christmas story.
• Get some families together and buy a bunch of NEW cloths, toys, etc.. and have a FREE garage sale in a poorer neighborhood.
• Not much $ - Make a “kind deeds” Christmas book & give it to your
Parents. Coupons for “I’ll cook dinner”, “I’ll do the laundry”, “free kid-sitting”, etc…
• Take a homeless person to lunch.
• Have a Christmas cookie exchange – and a speaker to share the Gospel.
• Go to the mall, Look for lonely people sitting on a bench and talk to them about Christmas.
• Invite a neighbor, friend or family member to Christmas Eve service.
• Pay for the persons food behind you in the drive thru.
• REMEMBER JESUS EACH & EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR!!!
• GIVE & LIVE YOUR LIFE FOR HIM!!!

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of
the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me.”
Matthew 25:40