Goodbye, 2022!

 Can't believe 2022 will be over in just a few hours!  Seems like just last week I had to keep reminding myself to write 2022, not 2021.

It's been a very good year.    And the not so good parts of the year have pretty much faded into the background.  As it should be.

However, sometimes I had to remind myself of Robert Frost's observation "you just have to go through it to get to the end" when I was facing an unpleasant task. And before I knew it, I HAD reached the end of that arduous assignment.  The rest of the time, life was pretty smooth sailing.  And good....

Probably  the best summation of the year for me is from the signboard of one of the local churches in my small town.

IF YOU NEED SOMETHING, ASK GOD.

IF YOU DON'T,  THANK HIM.

Good advice for all.  You'll never go wrong. 

Happy New Year!

Celebrating Christmas

 MY CHRISTMAS PRAYER FOR ALL!

                                                                                         

        Please give me, Lord,   
                    eyes to see Your star…

ears to hear the angels’ glad hosannas…

hands to lay the meager treasures

of my life at your feet…

and lips to sing, like a modern-day shepherd,

                        praises to my

               Savior and King!  

CHRIST...MAS

 

I was listening to Music and the Spoken Word when I was getting ready for Church this morning.  It was their broadcast for Sunday, November 27, 2022.  The choir was beautiful, the images evocative of familiar Christmas celebrations, and the message was uplifting.

In his text, LLoyd Newell proposed that sometimes in the anticipation of this wonderful holiday, we might lose sight of the one focus we should have in December on our journey to Christmas Day.   That focus should always be the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place--Jesus Christ's birth.  

Brother Newell said that in Spanish, the word "mas" means "more".  He suggested that even though Christmas is NOT a Spanish word, we might translate that thought of "more" into an action, a conscious effort to put more of Christ into our celebration of this glorious season.

I think that is a great idea!  And I decided to ponder that "Christ...mas" counsel in my own personal countdown to December 25th.  There will be no display this year of all those treasured Nativity sets that I have to help me set a Christ-centered tone, but I can make a conscious effort to be sure Christ is still the most important reason for this season.

So, Merry Christ...mas!