God

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

“Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother’s house we go....” It took all of the verses of the song, sung several times through, to get us to Grandma and Grandpa’s house on Thanksgiving Day. Since my family often sang during car trips when I was young, I measured distance by the number of songs it took, not the number of miles. You are My Sunshine, The Bull Frog Song, Froggy Went A Courtin’ were regulars, as was 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall for longer trips. During the holidays, we included our seasonal favorites. “Hurrah for the fun; is the pudding done, Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!” Since timing was everything, we tried to finish the song as we pulled up to the gate. As we stepped onto the front porch, the sounds of laughter and wafts of roasting turkey and cornbread stuffing greeted us. Opening the…

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Christmas has my Name on it!

“But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.” –John 10:2-3   For years I had hung five Christmas stockings along the fireplace mantel. On the large red stocking, that was for my parents, I had carefully knitted “WAYNE” on one side of the cuff, and “AGNES” on the other. Next to it were hanging two small red felt stockings; one said “KAREN” (me) and the other, “JOHN”, my husband. The two large red felt stockings with white cuffs were for our sons. One was marked “BRENT” and the other, “ERIK”. Then came the Christmas that Brent would bring home his new fiancé. She was from Japan and this would be her first Christmas. We were thrilled, but how could we make…

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The Angel Under the Bed

I stubbed my toe on an angel this morning. I had smoothed out the blankets as I made the bed, and was fluffing the pillows when I got careless. There is an angel under my bed. He is about five feet tall, counting his “Glory to God In the Highest” banner. He wears a bright blue robe and his face reflects exaltation and joy. I forgot that he was there. My big toe is now various hues of black, blue and purple. So, I am trying to decide what to do with my heavenly messenger. He resides under my bed, covered with a sheet, for ten months out of the year. I pull him out from under the bed in mid-December to proclaim his “Gloria” to all visitors who come through the front door during the Christmas season. He is so magnificent that I also give him sentry duty for…

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Surprise!

“Surprise, Surprise, God is a Surprise!” This little Sunday school song seems to contradict the scriptures promising that God is an Unchanging God, a steady Rock on which to place our trust. Christmas is a perfect example of this Divine Mystery. I marvel that God, who is Creator of Everything, the Beginning and the End, God the Almighty and Most High, is also The Ultimate Loving Father who so loved His children, that He worked miracles and changed world events just to bless those who would reach out to Him. And when His children still did not respond, He made His own Supreme Sacrifice and sent His only Son to die so that we could live forever surrounded by His Love in our Heavenly Home. God’s love never faltered, God’s Nature never changed; God is an Unchanging God. However, how He enters our lives is often unexpected and full of…

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Light in the Darkness

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” Isaiah 9:2 (KJV) “Come in, come in, I want to show you something!” Edna grabbed at my arm as I walked by her room in the nursing center where I worked. “My daughters put up a tree for me.” It was a couple of days before Christmas and we were busier than usual; I was tempted to hurry on by, to explain that I didn’t have the time. But, the look on Edna’s face told me that medical records could wait. At 93, Edna’s grip on my arm was still firm and steady. Even though virtually blind, she skillfully led me to a small artificial tree sitting on the table next to her bed. It was decorated with homemade ornaments and a…

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Come See the Baby!

“Shhh...Come see the baby!” Finger to her lips, my mother softly called me to the wicker bassinet where my new baby brother slept. On tiptoe, chin resting on the edge of the bassinet, my curiosity rising, I looked at his tiny ears. “Can he really hear me?” I wondered. Stretching over the side, I touched his little head and petted the softness of his hair. “Does he know who I am?”—a four-year-old’s question. “Put your finger in his hand and watch what happens,” my mother prompted me. Putting my finger in his soft little hand, I was amazed when his tiny fist opened up and closed again, around my own finger! He was MY baby brother; I was His big sister. When Christmas came that year, I remember feeling very proud because I had my own Christmas baby. Throughout our childhood, whether we were decorating the Christmas tree, shaking mysterious…

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