Tag Archives: christmas

Even Though You’re Small, You’re Important…

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Most who know me know the blessing I’ve given my children since they were small. I’ve given it to my church family for a dozen years as well. It goes like this:

There are certain things in this world that God has for you to do — and you’re just the right person to do them.

I’d like to think that was original with me, but of course, it’s not.  The concept is proclaimed throughout God’s Word.  Rick Warren expressed it very well in his book, The Purpose Driven Life. I probably first came across it as a teen when my pastor gave everyone a copy of The Four Spiritual Laws, a gospel tract that has been used countless times to help countless numbers of people come to faith in God.

Law number one goes something like this: God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.  I like that.
God loves you.  God has a plan for you.  It is true of us.  It was true of Israel  —  even the little town of Bethlehem.

In this podcast we look at this truth about Bethlehem and apply it to our own lives.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Vulnerable God

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The child born in the night among the beasts. The sweet breath and steaming dung of the beasts. And nothing is ever the same again.

Those who believe in God can never in a way be sure of him again. Once they have seen him in a stable, they can never be sure where he will appear or to what lengths he will go or to what ludicrous depths of self-humiliation he will descend in his wild pursuit of man. . . .

For those who believe in God, it means, this birth, that God himself is never safe from us, and maybe that is the dark side of Christmas, the terror of the silence. He comes in such a way that we can always turn him down, as we could crack the baby’s skull like an eggshell or nail him up when he gets too big for that.

~Frederick Buechner, The Hungering Dark, pp. 13-14.

Holiday Tips…

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A buddy of mine sent this to me in email.  I felt it was meaningful this time of year. It contains but a few edits.

Holiday Eating Tips:

  1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they’re serving cheese balls.
  2. If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy — to use it on food. Gravy does not stand alone. Gravy makes bad leftovers, so pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
  3. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.  Or kissing your sister.
  4. Do not have a snack at home before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it. Go hungry. Return filled.
  5. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s Day. If you do that, what purpose would your New Year’s Resolutions have? This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food.
  6. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Eat them while standing so they digest more easily. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention.
  7. Don’t wait until after you’ve eaten the main course before loading your dessert plate. They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again. Eat pie. Eat cookies. Eat cake — except fruitcake. Leave the fruitcake for next year.
  8. If you’re given a gift in advance of Christmas, open it immediately in case it is food. If it is food, do not refrigerate it. Instead, eat it immediately.
  9. Did I mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, you have to have SOME standards.
  10. One final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention.

Remember, life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather life is a sideways skid, chocolate in one hand and turkey leg in the other, totally worn out and screaming, “WOO HOO what a  ride!”