Wonderful Christmas Day

Today we celebrated Christmas... It may have been a week late, but it was on time as far as I am concerned and I am sure Jesus was happy that we celebrated His birth and that He was a part of the good times... Jessica and JJ made Jesus' birthday cake and it turned out perfect.

Jessica, Jason and JJ were the first to show up. I don't think Jason was too impressed with driving in the snow. He can chalk it up to experience I guess.
We gave our dogs their Christmas stockings filled with many toys and goodies. My dogs know what a Christmas stocking is, lol and they know it means food and fun.

The Barton Family

Everyone started to arrive shortly after that and we had Jason and Jason doing the handing out of gifts... There was no floor after all was said and done... It was a pretty nice day, but I think the greatest blessing was when Jason Barton and I had a talk in the kitchen and he told me that he is changing his life and that he asked Christ into his life and wants to do what is right... As a mother to his wife and knowing that he has the love for Christ that we all need and should have and with it being a celebration of Christs birth... I can say that it overwhelmed me and I was and am very proud of him for making that decision. And I can tell it wasn't just words to him... There was something different about him and I am so happy to see that peace that can only come from Christ and a real desire to have a relationship with Christ... How many people can say that the greatest gift is to hear someone declare on Christmas day that they turned their life over to Christ?

JJ and Daddy (Jason Ross)

It was also nice to spend this Christmas with my sister. It has been many many years since doing that. It would be so awesome to one day have all my family together without the arguing and enjoying the company, but for this year I had my daughters Jessica and Beckiah, with their families and my grandsons... I had my niece Bridgette, my brother in law Craig who is more like a best friend and I had my husband Chuck. Of course I had my dogs too...

I got some great pictures of the family and will post a few on here... I have too many, so will see what I want to add or not add...

Now to the New Year... I pray that each and everyone of you have a wonderful and blessed New Years... To me it isn't important if you make resolutions or the changing of the date. It's about celebrating each day as if it is and it really is a new day... Make that day and year important and do something for someone else...

I would like to add a prayer and only God knows what that prayer is really about... But I would like to have anyone pray simply that people will learn to appreciate those around them no matter what they do, what they eat, how they don't measure of to their idea of perfection.

The Bartons playing in the snow

The Ross family

Bridgette

Jessica having fun with JJ and sis opening gifts

Chuck finally got his metal detector

JJ's gift to Jessica

Craig and Chuck

My sisters dinner place

What Does Christmas Mean to You?

What does Christmas mean to you? Does it mean time with family and friends. Do you feel that it is all about giving gifts and receiving them? If you can't give, do you have feelings of guilt because you can't afford gifts? I think these are some of the reasons I get upset at Christmas. I hear so many times that someone can't afford to get a gift and that they will have to skip paying this bill or will have to use a charge card in order to get a gift that they really can't afford. But is this what we really should be focusing on when we think of Christmas. I think not!

The very first Christmas, God gave the greatest gift ever. His Son! And His Son gave the gift of His life – which was why He came. Because of this, we can have relationship with God as His children. Because of this gift, we are the children of God.


When I think of Christmas I think of the one and only true gift that can be given or received. Nothing else matters in the scheme of things. That perfect gift is Jesus Christ our/my Lord and Savior. I honestly don't think that He would want us celebrating His birth in the way we do. Don't get me wrong, I love putting up the tree and giving gifts. But if I can't, I don't let that ruin the true meaning of Christmas.


Wouldn't it be great if everyone did something for Christ that would truly make Him happy? It’s supposed to be His day, why not do something for Him and those He came to die for? Every town has something or ways to help out others. Even if it is knocking on your neighbors door and asking them if you can do something for them. Something as simple as bringing in a newspaper, holding a hand, making a batch of cookies or inviting a friend out could make a world of difference to that other person.


There was this little lady that I think of all the time. Her name was Dena Allen. I just adored Dean. She didn't really have anyone and not many understood her. Her husband Frank passed away many years before she did and her son Howard died of a drug overdose. During Christmas she had a hard time decorating and feeling the spirit of Christmas. I would go over to her house and put up a tiny tree and some of those musical lights. To me it was nothing, but to her it made her Christmas special. So we would sit and listen to the music from those lights, play Scrabble and once in a while I would listen to her about her family that has long passed. Things like this can make such a difference in someone’s life. If you have a neighbor or someone that is lonely, you may make their day if you just knocked on the door. I personally feel that these are the kind of things that Christ would want us to do for His day... Around our area there are many opportunities to make a difference in someone’s life.


So this Christmas, bear in mind the ‘True’ Christmas story, which led to the ‘True’ Easter story. Let us give thanks and praise to our heavenly Father for these events, which have changed our lives forever.


God of love, prepare my mind and heart for the coming celebration of Christ’s birth. Amen.


To sum things up... It's ok to give gifts, but wouldn't it be awesome to remember what the true meaning of Christmas is? I know I love to see my grandsons faces lighten up when they get their gifts and I enjoy getting my daughters what they want, but if I don't have the money, it's OK to tell them that you don't have it and it's even OK to not exchange gifts and spend time with one another on Christmas day...


"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Grumbling

Well, ok as some of you all know. I have the ability to grumble a bit. I think that is something that we all do at some point or another. Weather it is when we drive down the road and someone doesn’t turn on their blinker to let us know what way they are going to turn. Or they may be going 25 miles an hour in a 40 mph speed zone. If they could hear what I was thinking, I am sure they would wonder what kind of Christian I am.
There are times I grumble about how God should be doing something this way or another way. For example, I like things done now and I don’t like to wait. I like to have the temperatures at or around 70 degrees or cooler. But then I think others would grumble about that too :). Then all the sudden God gets my attention. Even though that can be difficult to do as well. I don’t listen to well, as some have figured out. I was thinking about some of the stupid things I grumble about though. My list is way too long so I won’t go into that right now.
What got me on this topic are the missionaries this past week. Many of these people endure great hardships. They eat yucky food. They meet in huts or on dirt floors, with no air conditioning or heating. They risk their lives to go to church and worship God and most of the time it is in hiding, or they would loose their lives all together. Many of these people have just what they need to survive and that is very modest at that.
So, I am going to try to stop grumbling so much if the music isn’t fast enough or if someone cuts me off or goes to slow. At least I have a car that is being driven on a real road and not having to dig out of waist high mud.
Thanks to all of those that risk their lives to spread the message to those that wouldn’t get a chance to hear about Gods plan of Salvation.
One other thought came to mind, it isn’t about grumbling. But it is about our responsibility as Christians to let those around us know about Christ. Gene Jordan made a good point when he was talking about his family. Gene was adopted by missionaries stationed in Ecuador when he was an infant and never really knew his real family. Years later he found them and connected with them. He said that they go into these countries to share the good news about Jesus Christ and yet his very own birth family that lives here in the United States is unsaved. They live near churches, but none of them have heard the good news. I feel it is also our responsibility to tell our friends and neighbors about Jesus Christ. We are all missionaries for Christ.