Goodthoughts

Merry Christmas, Jesus!

This is the Children's Time I'll being doing during our worship service on Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas, boys and girls!  Today we're celebrating Jesus' birthday.  You know, God sent his son, Jesus, down to earth to be born as a little baby.  Do you know why God sent him?  One reason was to show us what God was like; to let us see a person who could really live his life the way God wanted him to live it.  Jesus was our example...to teach us by his actions just how we should live.  

Just imagine that clear starry night that Jesus was born in the stable with the cows and sheep and donkeys watching.  He looked like any other baby being born that night but he was very special.  He came to earth to show God's love to all of us. Jesus was pure LOVE!

So here at church on Christmas Day, I thought we could give Jesus a special gift.  Let's tell him all the things we can think of that we love about him.  

Jesus loves everybody...good people...bad people...everybody!

Jesus notices people that others ignore.

Jesus cares about sick people and heals them.

Jesus is humble...drawing attention to God and others and not himself.

Jesus is friendly.

Jesus obeys his heavenly father.

Jesus is thankful.

Jesus fed people who were hungry.

Jesus is kind.

Jesus treats children with love and respect and they love him.

Jesus talks to God every day.

Jesus showed love even when he died on the cross.

Jesus forgives people.

Jesus always does what God wants him to do every moment of every day.

Jesus takes time to help people in need.

Jesus listens to people who talk to him.

Jesus is God's son. 

Jesus knows we're not perfect, but he loves us anyway.

 Jesus likes it when we love him back.

Jesus wants us all to be a part of his family.

 

Wow! That's a lot of things to love about Jesus.  But one of the best things is that after he died on the cross and went back to heaven, he didn't leave us here on earth all alone.  God sent his Holy Spirit to live in the hearts of everybody who loves Jesus.  God's spirit sort of changes our "want to" so that we can live with love for others like Jesus showed us.  And showing love for others is the best gift we can give Jesus on Christmas Day and every day!!

Resurrection

 The painting is "Easter Morn" by Chinese artist He Qi.

It's been a lovely spring day!  The dogwood blossoms are opening in Easter greeting to the warm sunshine.  Daffodils are smiling all over town.  The birds are gathering bits of grass and straw...singing their nesting songs.  The warmth of new life has replaced our cold, dead winter.  It seems that all of nature is shouting out the resurrection story! It's a story we long to hear again each year...for it's triumphant and hopeful like spring!

Here's the story as told in the gospel of Matthew. 

After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God's angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn't move.

The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.

"Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, 'He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.' That's the message."

The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. "Good morning!" he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, "You're holding on to me for dear life! Don't be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I'll meet them there." --Matthew 28:1-10, the Message

The best Christmas carol

Image via Wikipedia

Does Jesus have a favorite Christmas carol?  Could it be "Silent Night?'  Maybe "Away in a Manger?"  Or how about "O, Holy Night?"   These are all beautiful, but I don't think they are the best. 

Over 2,000 years ago the angel, Gabriel, appeared to Mary with God's great surprise.  She would have a son and call his name Jesus.

But Mary was scared...she had questions...concerns.  How was such a thing even possible?

Gabriel's answer was "Nothing, you see, is impossible with God."

I believe the best carol ever sung...better than the Magnificat which Mary sang a few days later when she greeted Elizabeth...were Mary's final words to Gabriel :

"Yes, I see it all now:

I'm the Lord's maid, ready to serve.

Let it be with me 

just as you say."

Luke 1:37-38 The Message

I think Mary's loving response is Jesus favorite Christmas carol.  It may be the best carol any of us can sing.  I'm reminded lately that life does not always go the way we planned.  Our journey takes us through shadows as well as sunlight.  We may have questions and concerns about why things happen.

But in the end, we too can joyfully embrace God's travel plans.   And like Mary...we can sing to the Lord our version of the best Christmas carol ever sung...

"I get it, Lord!  I'm all yours.  Whatever you say...I'm in!"

 

Wishing each of you joy, love and peace this Christmas!--Debbie and Chuck

Simply making memories

Amy, our youngest daughter, and grandson, Wesley, came for a visit this week.  We hadn't seen them since Thanksgiving...so we had some lost time to make up for!  

We decided to take the simple approach...playing games, dining at Chathamoocha, painting, moving furniture around, sitting on the porch,  laughing... lots of laughing...and creating some fresh memories to go with all those from years gone by.

Wesley worked on his painting for a few hours for 3 days.  He's always been a good artist...everything he draws is very energetic and happy.  This year he was painting characters from Yugio...very intent on his work! 

We found a vintage croquet set at Goodwill...just the thing to entertain grandkids!  Chuck and Wesley read the instructions on the internet and then went out to the backyard to put the wickets up.  After they practiced playing a few rounds...the guys challenged Amy and me to a game.  I hadn't played since I was a little girl visiting my grandparents!  It took us girls a while to develop our technique but we finally got the hang of it.  Grandaddy beat the rest of us!

 Here we are at Chathamoocha our cute little eatery in town.  We had a tasty lunch and then watched Wesley eat "birthday cake" ice cream.  He gave it 2 thumbs up!    Last night we played Uno and Scrabble till we were ready for bed.   Amy kept score in Scrabble and challenged our words...we had dictionary.com on Chuck's laptop to settle any disputes.  We all had a great time!

Amy and Wesley left this morning and are back in Tennessee.  I'm sure our son-in-law, Randy, was thrilled to see them.  He had been milking Amy's goats for her while she was gone! 

It was a simple week.  Amy called when they got home and said she asked Wesley what his favorite part of the week had been.  His answer was, "Everything!"  I think we all feel the same way.

The Bluebird banjo ukulele

It's funny how when you have a dream...sometimes it seems like the whole universe is working together to give you a helping hand!  Well, as some of you already know...one of my dreams is to start a ukulele band at  our church and invite the whole community to join.   No talent required...only a sense of humor, desire to laugh, learn something new, and create a little joy and friendship along the way.

Last year I decided to see if I could find a good ukulele on Ebay...and wouldn't you know it...the 3rd or 4th entry down from the top read, "Bluebird banjo ukulele!"  It was a baby banjo probably made in the 20's or 30's.  I could see from the picture a small bluebird was on its neck with the words "Bluebird" faintly visible.

I yelled, "Chuck! Chuck!  You're not going to believe this...I've found my ukulele!  Can you believe it, a bluebird banjo ukulele!  I really want this ukulele!"

Chuck looked at the picture on ebay and agreed that, yes...that had to be my ukulele.  A few days were left before the auction ended.  He put a bid on it and we waited.  Not much happened with the bidding... until the final day.

I had promised to help at a friend's antique shop during a big sale that Saturday.  That morning, I reluctantly pulled myself away from my computer to go to the antique shop.  The Ebay auction ended at noon.  When I left,  Chuck just looked at me and said, "I'll get you that ukulele!  Don't worry."  I told him I really, really wanted it but not to go crazy.  

A little before noon, the shop was fairly empty and I told my friend about the bluebird banjo ukulele and the auction deadline.  We pulled it up on Ebay and watched as the bidding started cranking up in the final minutes.   It was pretty tense to watch.  Everybody there was cheering and we were all excited each time we had the top bid and then the other guy would bid and we would all go..."oh, no, oh, no!" and then Chuck would bid again and we would be relieved until the next bid showed up. 

But, as the final seconds ticked away, Chuck...what a sweet guy... slid in there with his final bid and....at the stroke of 12 noon...I became the proud owner of a Bluebird banjo ukulele!!  It was a very happy, thankful day!

 When my Bluebird banjo ukulele arrived a few days later...it was all I had hoped for.  It's very old but in really good shape and sounds great. It has a relaxed, mellow feeling about it...like it has a lot of stories it could tell. 

I hope to create a few stories of my own with my Bluebird banjo ukulele.  Stories about people getting together...acting like kids...laughing...making music and memories...being relaxed and mellow...kind of like my old banjo ukulele!

I've learned a few chords and hope...someday...with a lot of practice...I'll be good enough to be mediocre!  Stay tuned.

Read The Ukulele Band to learn where this crazy idea came from!

A Year of Dreams

I have a new dream book for the new year...a Christmas gift from my friend, Montrue!  Last night as 2008 was ticking away...Chuck and I sat down on the red sofa in my art room and wrote down our dreams for the coming year on the pristine pages of my new red journal.  Our dreams sit in the journal like written prayers...an offering of dreams... with the hope that somehow God's will...and our dreams...will collide and explode into something called joy!  And you know how contagious joy can be!!

Chuck and I will be adding to our dream list as the year moves on.  We'll be checking off and dating each dream that became reality.  But I've noticed that when we take time to dream God's dreams and be intentional with our lives...amazing things happen!  Here are a few of our dreams for 2009...

1.  Chuck writes and publishes his book this year.

2.  Debbie writes and illustrates The Story of the Bluebird book.

3.  We fill our freezer with food from our garden.

4.  We practice acts of kindness that would bring joy to our church and community.

5.  We start a ukulele band.

That's just  a small sample...but you get the idea.  No dream is too small or too corny.  Just write down what's in your heart.  Let God handle the details...we just have to start living our dreams...even if it's in baby steps.  The important thing is to do what we can with what we have and not worry about the outcome. 

I hope 2009 will be filled with many dreams that come true just for YOU!!  And by the way...does anybody around here know how to play the ukulele??!! Happy dreaming!!

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!  Live the life you've imagined.--Henry David Thoreau

The Real Christmas Story

The Birth of Jesus
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

And everyone went to his own town to register.  So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,

and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

 " This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

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.  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2:1-20 NIV

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!--Debbie and Chuck

 

Hong Kong Christmas Story

This story is one of my favorite Christmas memories.  I hope you enjoy the re-run of it this year.

It was December 1963. I had just turned 14.  My parents and I were living on the third floor of the Vanda Hotel near Boundary Street in Hong Kong.  Our two room suite was to be home for five months while my dad set up an electronics factory in Kowloon.

With a little begging from me, my parents let me stay out of school that year.   I think my mom really wanted me around so we could explore Hong Kong together.  We walked, rode the ferry to Hong Kong island, took the cable car up Victoria Peak, visited Buddhist temples, taught conversational English at a girls high school, made stuffed animals for little children, attended an English speaking church at Hong Kong Baptist College, took Chinese painting classes, ate at interesting places, had clothes and shoes made, and met many of the warmest most generous people we had ever met.

Hong Kong was a city of contrasts...wealth and poverty...dinner parties and hungry beggars...high-rise flats and cardboard shanty towns.  I was touched by the dignity and graciousness that I saw every day in the lives of even the poorest Chinese people.  It was humbling to be in their presence...suddenly I realized having a bad hair day was not a world crisis!  I had a lot more to be thankful for than I had ever imagined...and maybe blessings weren't meant to be kept to myself.

The week before Christmas arrived.  We were away from our family and old friends...it was just the three of us in our tiny temporary home with our little artificial "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree in the corner of my bedroom.  We needed a family to share Christmas with but how would we find one?  Then we thought of Mr. Kwan!

Mr. Kwan was a smiling young man in his twenties who worked with my dad in the electronics factory.  Daddy really liked Mr. Kwan...he had a winning personality and loved his job.  They quickly became friends.   Mr. Kwan loved showing us the sights of Hong Kong that most Americans never saw.  We all enjoyed his company.   As we spent more time together, we learned that Mr. Kwan lived in a one room flat with his father and seven brothers and sisters.  He was supporting his entire family with his earning from the factory.

One day Daddy explained to Mr. Kwan that we always gave presents to our family at Christmas.  Since we were away that year, would he mind if we gave presents to his family instead?  He agreed and gave us the names and ages of his entire family.  We were so excited...it would be a real Christmas after all!

We spent several nights shopping for toys, candy and Christmas goodies.  Mama and I wrapped and tagged the gifts and placed them under our little tree.  A couple of nights before Christmas, Daddy and I climbed up the four flights of stairs to Mr. Kwan's flat carrying gifts from Santa.  About half way up we saw several curious little boys peeping at us around the staircase.  They flashed quick smiles in our direction and ran back up the stairs to announce the arrival of the strange American visitors!

Mr. Kwan welcomed us into his home and introduced us to each member of his family.  His mother had died and Mr. Kwan's oldest sister helped their dad with the cooking and childcare duties for the family.  The room was neatly lined with bunk beds.  A little Christmas tree glowed merrily in a corner.  A tiny makeshift kitchen filled another corner.  The home may have been small... but the love there ...it felt big...very big!   

We all smiled and nodded at one another.  It's amazing how much you can say with a smile and a nod...and somehow in the midst of all our cultural and economic differences...Christmas came to all of us.  It was the real kind of Christmas...not a middle class American family giving to a poor Chinese family...simply two  families sharing friendship...and caring...and exchanging the best gifts any of us can give at Christmas time...our welcoming hearts.

 

He's Risen, indeed!

"After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God's angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn't move.

The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.

"Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, 'He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.' That's the message."

Matthew 28:1-7 (The Message)

That message was and still is good news for us all.  The resurrection of Jesus was like springtime for the world.  God wiped the slate clean and gave his creation and all of us in it a second chance...to be all that we were meant to be.  Today, Jesus continues to love us as he gently leads us on our joyful journey with him.  Come, Lord Jesus, draw us to yourself and let us know in our hearts...You are risen, you are risen, indeed!

A Bluebird Christmas Card for You