Christmas has once again come and gone and a New year’s upon us in just a few short days. The month-long gatherings of friends and family have brought many moments of joy, excitement, reflection and anticipation of the season… and has been celebrated in many different ways.

Occasions of freshly popped corn dancing loosely on a single napkin watching much loved repeats of Christmas movies in a quiet room late late at night accompanied only by the illumination of a sparkling, wonderfully decorated Christmas tree in all of its earthly splendor… the fire dancing haphazardly across the room created by the Press of a button… not really real. but I can imagine.

Copious amounts of an array of salty and sweet mouthfuls of traditional feast flavors mark many a day throughout this Christmas season around many a table big and small.

Many moments with family warm my heart right down to the smallest of them… my grandchildren. Oh the squeals of excitement as their wished upon lists emerge from layers of lovingly wrapped festive paper as it’s pulled away furiously to reveal that which was so we waited for.

And then there is the wonder and the experience of the caroling and the Christmas concerts. Making my way to the malls my heart is happy as I round the corner to echoes of Angels We Have Heard On High in perfect harmony resonating through every part of my being.

Caroling with friends through the halls of the old folks home days before Christmas continue the excitement and joy in my heart as echoes of Joy To The World would linger as we pass each door.

Then of course the wonders of Christmas concerts and all their beauty and sound resonate in our hearts for days after celebrating the Reason for the Season.

All of these things melt together in one pot… Celebrating the best of the best here on this side of the everlasting tomorrow’s called the Season of Christmas.

In all of this my mind can’t help but wonder what Christmas in Heaven is like.

The sights, the sounds, the feelings, perhaps even the tastes for those friends and family that have gone on to a new day where the Reason for the Season lives on forevermore.

What do their eyes see??

The streets of gold and the Everlasting Tree of Life decorated with an endless array of delectable heavenly fruit that nothing this side of Heaven can compare??

I can only imagine..

What do they feel?? Peace.. Joy. . Unthinkable.

What do they taste??

In the Word it talks of a banquet table prepared for those who accept his invitation of Eternal Life and having a place at a glorious table set by God himself spread with a feast no earthly one could touch.

I can only imagine…

And then as I close my eyes and feebly try to imagine the sounds of Christmas in the heavenly realm, I ask myself.. Has the Glory shone all around them like the first Christmas night as shepherds watched their flocks by night??

I can only imagine…

And finally.. What do they hear??

The thundering chorus of the multitude of angels singing Glory to God in the highest??

And then I imagine my friends, my family..my baby; around the throne Christmas Eve surrounded by all the angels joining in as their own voices have been transformed in the land of no tomorrow’s.

I can only imagine….

But for now we try on this side of tomorrow to celebrate as we do the best that we know how.

The sights, the sounds, the feelings, the tastes… all in an effort of celebrating the season of Christmas.

But.. I can only imagine it’s but a dim reflection of all that is happening around the throne tonight…

The everlasting Christmas story

I can only imagine…

December 24th..

The most amazing day of the year to my childlike heart.

Christmas Eve could not come soon enough. The weeks leading up to this moment in the year we’re filled with times of “experiencing the magic” as I would call it.

Red, blue, yellow and green sparkling Christmas lights we’re hung by my grandpa dressed in very clean, gray, thin striped coveralls accompanied by black rubber boots balancing with much assurance on a frosty metal, folding, silver ladder, each light placed with perfection on the 1960s farmhouse.

The colors in the crisp white snow surrounded by gently falling snowflakes, danced as though it were a wonderful piece of living art like the lights in the land of the midnight sun.

The perfectly shovel path led to the front door where all the wonders of Christmas continued behind it as I stepped through it smelling all the wonderful goodness of Christmas as I remembered it.

Grandma cookies with marshmallow topping toasted with coconut, cottage cheese fruit salad, colorful broken glass cake, and traditional kringle among many other mouth watering Christmas aromas blanketed the whole house everywhere my young self moved.

Rounding the corner into the living room of the 1960s farmhouse bungalow, I would enter to the sounds of Jack Benny and Doris Day, Anne Murray, Hienche and John Denver and many other Christmas records playing on the large stereo over the course of the holiday season.

The artificial Blue spruce Christmas tree stood majestically, sparkling with strands of evenly placed vintage multicolored lights. Delicate glass shining teardrops and round colorful decorations carefully collected over the years( some from old Russia) wrapped in silver tinsel and garland, painted a postcard picture of Christmas like I had seen in the $0.05 to dollar store in our local hometown over the years.

The tree was perfectly placed in front of the wooden living room door. The gifts placed under the branches were wrapped in golds, reds, silver and blues tied with shiny ribbons. No name tags would grace the perfectly wrapped presents, only strategically-placed initials by Grandma that not even she could find at times.

Family would slowly trickle in the door after the Christmas Eve candlelight service had ended in our local hometown Church. The excitement in my heart would build with anticipation as the time had come I had waited for all year..

The whole family was home for Christmas.

Although the whole family celebrated all together throughout the year for birthdays and various special occasions, this day stood stoically alone.

No other day would we be all focused on the same thing… for so long… and so intentionally crowd into one common space and still not only like each other.. but easily love on each other.

It was an unspoken sacred exception.

Some found spots on the teal blue 1960s couch, draped with a furry blanket with a picture of a family of deer. Others found a place on the moss green sculpted rug. The corner golden rocker was always reserved for Grandpa as grandma didn’t need a chair as she was running around more often than not making sure everything was taken care of down to the finest details.

The tradition for gift giving for young and old was a process that took well into the night and was a thrill to my young heart as I experienced the warmth and love each gift came with along with the contagious smiles and laughter.

This beautiful time with sometimes continue until 4 a.m. dotted with Christmas snack breaks at the 15 feet of family table that had been beautifully decorated with candles, chocolate, ripple chips, French onion dip and Pepsi, along with the traditional halva… my favorite.

The sights, the sounds, the laughter the joy…

The family.

A gift infinitely bigger than all the gifts under the tree, recognized even then in my young child heart.

I cannot imagine having had to have stood outside the living room window in the cold of winter looking in. How sad that would have been not having been able to enjoy this intimate experience in all of its fullness.

It reminds me of my relationship with my God over the years.

For many years I stood on the outside of the” living room” window out in the cold only catching a glimpse of the majestic wonder of the experience I was missing out on.

The Ultimate Gift.

The intimate personal relationship and experience with my God who longed for me to be inside the living room. The beautiful gifts under the tree where my blessings, sitting and waiting for me to come in and open. The abundant Life and all His promises beckoning me from the Christmas family table He so wanted me to have and enjoy. He was longing for this intimate relationship with me. He was always gently inviting me at the front door like the gentleman He is.

How sad as I look back to have some of those gifts left unopened over the years.

Many years later, many Christmases later, having been graced with the title of Grandma many times over, I still look forward with great anticipation to passing on pieces of those early majestic never ending Christmas memories to my children and grandchildren hearts.

But in all of this my heart’s biggest prayer, is that they will find The Ultimate Gift.. the blessings, the Abundant Life.. The Promises.

But most of all..

The gift of Him who came from above so many years ago ina tiny rustic stable, in the town of Bethlehem, and the intimate, personal relationship they are invited to experience inside the “living room” window.. the timeless gift…

The Ultimate Gift.

Taking a hold of the edge of the hoe at a precise angle, I grabbed it firmly and started pushing and pulling and moving the dirt so as to get to the weeds and pluck them completely out of the ground while being careful as to not accidentally chop at the plants I had lovingly planted in late spring.

I had experienced before that one swift accidental swing or chop of the hoe could completely wipe out what I had so lovingly planted or at least damage it and leave it clinging to life hoping to revive again.

If I had not planted a seed, there would be no plant to see.. grow.. or protect.

How ridiculously of a waste of time would it be if I took my hoe to a plot of dirt and pushed around the dirt with nothing in it.

So it can be in life’s Garden.

You can’t protect/harvest/grow what’s not already there… a seed… a plant. If we focus on what we have we won’t be wasting our time pushing around the empty dirt trying to harvest a plant/ crop that has never been planted.

Focus on what is already planted in your life and watch where the sharp edge of the hoe lands as you get rid of the weeds trying to choke out the good.

If we are not careful, we can in advertently hack into the healthy growing plant already there.

Sometimes we might even believe the plant is the problem and be intentional about our hacking with the hoe and set back the process or even do permanent damage if we don’t pay attention to the real problem/ the weeds.

Today be intentional.

Protect the good that’s already there in your life and get rid of the ugly weeds and most of all stop wasting your time.

Life’s Too Short.

Don’t just push around the dirt.

Christmas has always been a beautiful time of year I have look forward to all year long. The carols, the church programs, Christmas at home and my grandma and grandpa’s over the years and the gifts that have been given and received in love.

If only I could experience this every day of the year, I would think as a child, and maybe even into my adult years…I just love it.

It would really seem wonderfully ridiculous wanting to experience Christmas everyday of the year.

The giving and receiving every day of the year.

Every single person on this planet has been given a gift. A gift that is not meant to be kept but to be given away. Keeping it for yourself defeats the purpose God has intended. He gave us each a gift, a unique gift, because the world He knew would need the irreplaceable, unique, custom made, specially designed, priceless…

gift of you.

We have the opportunity to share this gift every single day.

We have the potential to create the wonderfully ridiculous idea of Christmas every day of the year.

Christmas has a beautiful message of the Ultimate Gift of Jesus coming down to save mankind and nothing comes close to that, but the giving of gifts every day of the year given to us from The Ultimate Gift..

Is the gift of you.

It’s not only possible, it’s very important. The world is waiting and needing you to give the gift of you today and every day.

Your smile…

Your hug…

Your shoulder…

Your ears…

Your heart…

Your time…

Your words…

Your talents…

If we step out and give freely the gift of us….

We can truly make Christmas…

everyday of the year🎄🎁♥️

Every season has its crazes and one of the latest crazes in the past couple of years is the Escape Room phenomena.

I’ve had the opportunity to take the challenge of solving the puzzle to open locks, find treasures and finally make it out of the room with a team of friends or family, sometimes in the nick of time limit, sometimes just shy.

The best teams were made up of different personalities and strengths, putting our heads together, each bringing their thoughts and ideas of how to solve the problem. Whether the team solved the problem or not in the alotted time, we encourage each other to do better the next time or simply just saw it as a victory for the team working together.

Our lives are not meant to be lived as islands. We all have something we can contribute to helping solve life’s puzzles together.

The Escape Room phenomena is not meant to be a one-man show and neither is life. Knowing this will leave no one left to be a lone island.

We were created to need each other to escape the room… the room of loneliness, guilt, unforgiveness, sadness, and the list goes on.

Today be one who helps another find the keys to Joy, forgiveness, healing…the sky is the limit,

and be a part of the answer to their “Escape Room”.

Making my way quietly passed my sleeping family in the dark quiet camper, I gently open the door to the blackness of the campground.

I never liked making a bathroom trip at night for these reasons…

the dark.

The possibility of a lost or lonely bear joining me on my treck kept me holding on till the morning most nights, but sometimes, like tonight… I just had to step into the dark, but not completely.

My shiny blue lantern I had picked out at the local hardware store at the start of camping season was my trusty friend. The lantern shone brightly down at my feet and illuminated a clear path within a few feet, but that was all. What lurked behind the outline of the towering evergreens against the summer moon I did not know.

The not knowing was the hardest.

What could come up very unexpected?? Was there danger lurking?

In life we want our path illuminated far and wide to be prepared for anything and everything in life…

control.

Yet would I throw away the experience of camping in the woods with my family and all the memories made because of the experience I dreaded nightly, the not knowing what was ahead?

God tells us his Word is a lamp unto our feet, not miles to the left, not miles to the right..or even up ahead…. It is a lamp unto our feet.

Not knowing what’s ahead of the light shining at our feet is often unnerving and even frightening, but He wants us to have faith in him knowing where we are going even though His light shines only to our feet.

Yearning for that broader light can keep us stuck and keep us from taking another step.

But what will we miss in life if we don’t go “camping” and enjoy the pieces of life that are around each step of our lives if only but illuminated by our feet.

Don’t miss out on life because of the fear of only the lamp unto our feet. Let Faith be your partner as you walk into each lit step as you search His Word..

and look to the One who holds the lamp💞

Staring at the stop sign watching people drive by T-Mac on the radio

Got so much on your mind nothing’s really going right

Looking for a ray of Hope

Whatever it is you may be going through, I know He’s not going to let it get the best of you

YOU’RE AN OVERCOMER!!

Stay in the fight till the final round you’re not going under cuz God is holding you right now

You might be down for a moment feeling like it’s hopeless that’s when He reminds you that you’re an OVERCOMER!!

YOU’RE AN OVERCOMER!!

Everybody’s been down hit the bottom hit the ground, oh you’re not alone

Just take a breath and don’t forget HANG onto his promises..

HE WANTS YOU TO KNOW!

YOU’RE AN OVERCOMER!!

Stay in the fight till the final round you’re NOT going under cuz God is holding you right now

You might be down for a moment feeling like it’s hopeless that’s when He reminds you

THAT YOU’RE AN OVERCOMER!!

YOU’RE AN OVERCOMER!!

The same man, that GREAT I AM, the One who overcame death is living inside of you

So just HOLD tight, FIX your eyes, hold on to the ONE who holds your life

there’s NOTHING HE can’t do

He’s telling you!

YOU’RE AN OVERCOMER!!

Stay in the fight till the final round you’re NOT going under cuz God is holding you right now

You might be down for a moment feeling like it’s hopeless that’s when He reminds you

THAT YOU’RE AN OVERCOMER!!

You’re an OVERCOMER, you’re an OVERCOMER you’re an OVERCOMER! You’re an OVERCOMER!!

Don’t quit, don’t give in, you’re an OVERCOMER!!

Don’t quit, don’t give in, you’re an OVERCOMER!!

Don’t quit, don’t give in, you’re an OVERCOMER!!

YOU’RE AN OVERCOMER!!

– Mandisa-

I came across this song this past year and I’ve put it on repeat some nights.

There were some days and some nights I had to choose to hold tight, fix my eyes on the One who holds my life if I wanted to know any ray of hope.

He Tells us we are already OVERCOMERS in His Word but we need to “wear” it like we truly believe it.

Now being on the other side of some of those moments in my life, I can listen to this song with more than a “Ray of Hope” and know that I AM an OVERCOMER!!

My hope today is that when you listen to this song and read the lyrics you too will know that

YOU’RE AN OVERCOMER!!

Resting my chin on the white washed window sill, my nose pressed firmly against my mother’s perfectly clean windows, my four-year-old eyes strained to see as far down the road into the small sleepy town we lived in. The local General Store was just in sight perched at the end of it.

The General Store was the hub of our small rural town as it provided everything from groceries to hardware to next year’s winter coats and boots to a few select toys from the 60s brought in from a trip to the city bought at the Sears store.

A few vintage swivel bar stools located in the back served as a sandwich bar and served the most delicious Coke out of green glass bottles. My trip to the General store with my grandpa was always much-anticipated as everything I would ever need and want was bought and paid for so I had no want of any kind.

The old wooden feedmill stood tall and stoically right beside the general store owned by three generations. It had everything the locals would ever need.. a One-Stop shop, the center of my sleepy rural town.

My little heart could hardly wait.

Dressed in my green fortrel pants and sweater vest my mother had sewn for me as she did all our clothes, my new little white runners slipped snuggly onto my pudgy little feet..

I was ready to go.

My brown pretend leather overnight bag was strapped snuggly over my shoulder.. I waited.. and I waited some more.

Grandpa’s red Ford 1964 truck was not parked in it’s usual diagonal parking spot yet in front of the store…

How long??

Time in my young mind seem to stand still as the gold spikey clock on the wall could not help me at this time in my four-year-old life.

Finally my eyes caught a glimpse of Grandpa’s freshly washed cherry red truck heading towards its usual parking spot. It slowly rolled to a stop. I watched excited as my grandpa, dressed in his grey and white crisp coveralls and very clean rubber boots climbed the neatly swept store steps.

I knew now the time was near Grandpa was shopping for all that was needed… all the needs & wants for the time that would be spent with me.. they’re little four-year-old granddaughter at their home. Nothing was spared .. or so it seemed in my little mind.

The next time I would see grandpa it would mean he would be making his way down the street towards my tiny home.

Finally my excitement could hardly be contained as he climbed back into his red truck. The red truck became larger and larger as it made its way down the street. I broke free from my vigil at the window and dashed to the large brown wooden front door. I threw open the door with all my strength and excitement just as Grandpa made his way to the top of the porch. My chariot had arrived. My journey to Grandma and Grandpa’s house had begun for another three wonderful days and nights.

As I hopped into the truck my heart was full. What I had hoped for and anticipated for so long it seemed had finally come to pass.

Over the years I have looked forward to many an outcome with much excitement and anticipation. Some of the most important being my wedding day and the birth of my four daughters.

These much-anticipated events were not without a waiting… enveloped with much patience in the process.

A wedding took some planning prep and patience as I waited…waited for the day to arrive. Our babies all took just about 9 months to arrive, there was no getting around that. But all were very much worth the wait.

There will be times in our lives when we will have to be patient and just wait…and seemingly wait some more…and ask..

How long??

How we will wait will be the key to living a life of joy, peace and rest, resting in the Hope (our God) that in time, (how much time we will rarely know).. but there will come a time, through the waiting… we will finally see in the distance…

the red truck.. come into view… and then and only then will the waiting be done and the door to the chapter you’ve been waiting for will swing wide open…

and your ride…

your long-awaited ride in the red truck… you’re own personal red truck…filled with all the supplies for this new chapter you will ever need from your heavenly Father

will have begun…

And it will have been all… worth…the wait.

Strolling through the streets of Hollywood California with my sister a few years back, I was inundated by the magnitude of the stores all begging the masses passing by to be seduced by the latest, most fashionable, most expensive shoes that they would convince you, you must have.

Among the shops was a shoe shop that displayed each pair of shoes on its own pedestal giving each pair it’s own fame and glory it seemed. Some had heels that reached at least 6 inches tall as thin as a single nail, some had enough bling to light up the California evening sky. And then there were everyday comfortable walking running shoes trimmed with the most colorful laces in the latest style and color but most importantly built for comfort and endurance.

Last but not least, the shelves were rounded out by the most fashionable boots with all their belts and buckles, zippers and bling, each targeting a select market of customers.

The store walls seem to go on and on with every style you could imagine, each meant for a specific adventure so to speak in life.

There is a saying which says:

Good shoes can change your life

As simple as that sounds it can be very true. Staring at the vast amount of shoes lining the walls each with their own purpose, I was reminded of how we in life have opportunity to wear many different types of shoes in our journey.

“Walk a mile in someone’s shoes”

they say before judging. A good walking shoe would be the best pick for that occasion.. perhaps a pair to last a marathon.

“Stand on the word of God”

since we are to claim our promises. Firm, solid, heavy steel toed shoes I believe would be appropriate.

“Walking in God’s favor.. step into your blessing”

I can imagine tall beautifully Jewelled, expensive shoes fitting just right.

and when the Word tells us that

“our enemy is under our feet”

I want to imagine the sharpest athlete’s cleats that keeps him put where he belongs.

“We are to walk out our faith”

God says. I imagine this to be a very versatile shoe ready for anything, ready for times of adversity, learning and endurance, made to stand the test of time and put together with soles to weather the rocky paths at times.

Last but not least we are called to

“Walk in love”

I would imagine this shoe would be built for endurance to walk alongside our fellow human beings on many a different path and yet it would have the softest soles like that of a moccasin so as not to step on anyone lest you step on someone’s heart.

Today no matter what shoes you are wearing in your season of life, know that our God has already walked in every kind of shoe we will ever walk in.

Let him pick that pair off the shelf for this season in your life. He knows your exact size, your exact style. They are meant to be picked by the master Shoemaker…

handpicked just for us…the perfect pair of shoes.

Sitting perched at the edge of the almost front row seats at the Stampede this past summer, I held my breath for what seemed like forever as I waited for the eight second buzzer… or the fall of the bull rider… Whatever would came first. Yet that was not the complete reason for my edge of my seat act.

The eight second buzzer sounded as the bull rider held on for dear life with both hands and being the most vulnerable and seemingly unprotected as he jumped off the 2000 pound raging bull. The rodeo clown seem to come out of nowhere, positioning himself right between the bull and the bull rider at every given turned it seemed giving the bull rider time to scramble for his life from certain harm and even possible death.

Now I don’t know what the rodeo clown gets paid, but it’s surely not enough in my eyes… a stranger stands in the gap for another stranger that involves life and death…what a price to pay.

How incredible it is to think that one human would give up his safety and possibly life for a perfect stranger.

The crowd roared in delight as the bull rider scrambled to the nearest gate for safety, the rodeo clown getting a standing ovation from the crowd as his dance with the bull came to an end.

The picture that comes to my mind shows our God standing in the gap for us when we are at our most vulnerable and unprotected as the enemy comes at us from every angle with no mercy, and as incredible as that sounds..

He did it freely..what a price.

That day perched at the end of my seat, I got a glimpse of a picture of what has been done for us and is still being done. He stood in the gap for us from that angry “bull” from hell once and for all and continues to be our defender and protector by standing in the gap between us and the enemy.

What a picture of Him standing in the gap for us..worthy of an everlasting standing ovation…

Incredible love♥️♥️