The Center of Attention

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.

Of the greatness of his government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne

and over his kingdom.

establishing and upholding it

with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the LORD Almighty

will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

If you had come to our home around the first of December, you would have noticed several nativities, with the people and animals evenly spaced, focusing their attention on baby Jesus.  You would notice the profile or front view of each figure.  After the grandkids arrived, several of the nativities now have a different look.  You mostly see the back side of the animals and characters because all are squeezed in as close as they can get to see baby Jesus.  Jesus is the center of attention. 

 Mary (5), Ryen (4), Della (1), Sawyer (2), David (7), Daniel (2)

What a sweet reminder that Jesus desires to be the focus of our attention every day.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful that if no matter whom we are with or what we are doing, because our heart’s affection and mind’s attention are focused on Jesus, that it makes a difference in what we say, do, think, act, and respond. 

 

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel,” which means “God with us.”

Matthew 1:23

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

I John 4:9-11

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

Luke 2:15-18

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

I Corinthians 15:3-4

Don't Miss the Baby

Last Friday night, Larry and I went to a “South Main Bethlehem” in Pasadena.  This is the second year the church has invited the community to catch a glimpse of what Bethlehem was like at the time Jesus was born.  At the beginning of the trail, our guide welcomed us to Bethlehem and talked what to expect to see and do as we followed along the path.  At the conclusion of the greeting, we were encouraged to not miss seeing and celebrating the baby like so many did at the time Jesus was born.  Upon entering the city, we were given a coin and then guided to a table to register for the census.  Next we went to a station and paid our taxes with the coin.  We then followed the trail to visit shops, participate in hands on activities, watch as baskets were woven, pottery was made, wool prepared, and butter churned.  We also saw live animals, soldiers, priests, angels in the field, and heard the shofar being blown.  Even with all the excitement, things to see and do, and hustle and bustle of Bethlehem, I was acutely aware of the invitation and challenge to not miss the baby.  At the end of the path, away from the crowds and busy town, we came to a stable and found Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus.  

December is full of opportunities to hear, see, smell, taste, and feel the sounds and sights of the holidays.  There are school and church programs, concerts, plays and movies, parties, worship services, time with family and friends, along with homes to decorate, presents to buy and wrap, cards to addressed and send, food to prepare, books to read, kids to play with and listen to, and the list goes on.  With the busyness of the season, I need to be intentional in the ways I prepare for, ponder, celebrate, and worship.  I don’t want these days to come and go and have missed the Christ of CHRISTmas.  And thankfully, our looking and seeking are not confined to Christmas time.  God has promised us that when we seek Him we will find Him, when we seek Him with all our heart.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

   I will be exalted among the nations,

   I will be exalted in the earth.”

Psalm 46:10

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:18

Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9:10

Blessed are those who keep his statutes

   and seek him with all their heart –

they do no wrong

   but follow his ways.

Psalm 119:2-3

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,

   to the one who seeks him;

it is good to wait quietly

   for the salvation of the LORD.

Lamentations 3:25-26

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Matthew 7:7-8

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:6

Rebuilding Homes and Lives

Family and friends continue in the process of restoring their homes after the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey.  While some are beginning to return to their homes, most are still finalizing contractors, waiting for permits, picking out flooring, appliances, paint, and continuing in the process.  Just like homes being made new as they are rebuilt, people are in need of the same.  These past months I have noted similarities in the process.

Some lessons on making new:

* Getting rid of the old can sometimes be painful, leaving one feeling exposed, raw.

* One must willingly release the old in order to make room for the new.

* It’s important to rebuild on a strong foundation.

* When the work is not completed correctly, it must be stripped away and redone.

* It’s important to pay attention to detail.

* Stay the course, keeping the goals constantly in front of you.

* Patience is a virtue.

* It’s worth seeking out people with experience and knowledge to help with questions and decisions.

* There’s no room for shortcuts when you want homes and lives to be right.

* Trials and destruction can result in new and improved.

* When you give your word, make it count.

* Even though it can be difficult, waiting and timing can make a difference in the outcome.

* Growth, change, and rebuilding don’t happen overnight.

* It’s a blessing to have others share, support, encourage, and hold you accountable along the way.

* Persevere.

* Never lose heart or give up.

* Always hope.

* Seek God and make Him your priority.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

2 Corinthians 5:17

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43:19

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Romans 6:4

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

2 Corinthians 4:16

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

I Peter 1:3

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Colossians 3:9-10

Gifts from the Heart

Gifts from the heart require time, effort, love, thoughts, and action put into practice.  Sometimes monetary sacrifices are also part of the present.  Such stories and examples inspire, motivate, challenge, and encourage me to want to do likewise.

Our son Brad and his wife went to Tennessee to visit Melinda’s sister and family for Thanksgiving.  Upon arriving at their home, their 4 year old niece proudly showed them a figurine of a dog that she had painted.  When inquiring about the dog, Lindsley said that she had painted it to give to Melinda.  Being so touched by the gift, Melinda named the dog “Thankful,” since it was given to her during the Thanksgiving holidays.  Now it is displayed in their home as a constant reminder of how thankful she is for her Nashville family and a niece that gave such a thoughtful gift of love from her heart.

Our niece, Sarah, works at the Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina, Hawaii.  Since it is busy all year round, and due to expense, she does not get to come home very often.  Even though she was able to keep up with family by phone, texts, and pictures during Hurricane Harvey, it was still hard for Sarah to be away during the storm, especially since her parents’ home flooded.  Without anyone knowing, Sarah arrived in town in the wee hours of this past Sunday morning, spent the night at a hotel, and called her brother to pick her up on his way to church.  They went to church and waited to greet family in the foyer as they were on their way to worship.  Since 15 of our family go to South Main Baptist Church in Pasadena, there was quite a surprise and joyous reunion.  After Hurricane Harvey, my sister, Micki, and her husband, Mark, had friends and family that helped take out the flooring and sheetrock, throw out things that were ruined, and sanitize their home.  Then they waited for the walls and floor to dry.  Now the rebuilding is starting.  They have replaced the insulation and sheetrock, floated and taped the walls and are still in the process of having floors installed, for the second time, and start painting.  They are patiently waiting for their home to come back together and are still in the process of trying to decide the right colors to paint the walls and cabinets.  God has gifted Sarah with an amazing artistic eye for decorating and color.  While here, she has helped finalize colors, pick the paint, and begun painting walls and cabinets.  On her “vacation” Sarah has painted the living room, dining room, entry way, and the lower cabinets in the kitchen.  She has even wrapped Christmas gifts!  Sarah and Kevin, my nephew, also surprised my sister and brother-in-law by replacing their outside Christmas lights and decorating the front of the house and yard.  They also put up a small tree and Christmas décor upstairs.  Sarah and Kevin’s gifts of the heart have added much joy, hope, encouragement, enthusiasm, and happiness to the process.  Since another sister and brother-in-law are very involved with “A South Main Bethlehem,” a live nativity and scenes of Bethlehem at church, Sarah beautifully decorated the inside of their home with their Christmas decorations.  That was another greatly appreciated and treasured gift of the heart in this already very busy season.  

As we’ve unpacked and put up our Christmas decorations, I’ve been reminded of other sacrificial gifts from the heart.  My mother’s youngest sister, the last of her three siblings, passed away this fall.  Aunt Ann was 12 years old when I was born, so she has always been a significant part of my growing up memories.  Aunt Ann lived in California.  She faithfully called on birthdays, holidays, or any time she heard news about events that might be of concern to us in Houston. As she aged, Aunt Ann developed arthritis in her hands, but she still made and sent homemade Christmas ornaments through the years.  I treasure the ornaments and two nativities she made for me, especially knowing that sore, tired fingers lovingly made every stitch in them.  

 And God has blessed each of us with the ultimate best gift from the heart, His one and only son, Jesus, who gave His life as the sacrifice for our sins.  The acceptance of His gift offers us salvation and a relationship with Him for eternity.  Since we have been so richly blessed, may we, too, be generous givers from the heart during this Christmastime and year round.

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

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

2 Corinthians 9:15

“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Acts 20:35

But since you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you – see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

2 Corinthians 8:7