Random Acts of Kindness (Operation Candy Cane)

During this Christmas season people are hurrying and scurrying about. The people you encounter at the check-out line are barely acknowledged. I have watched as I stand in line how rudely some of them are treated. So I decided to let the love of Christ show in little ways.

So....

Operation candy cane.

Random acts of kindness.

Last weekend I did some Christmas shopping and I decided that I would give a candy cane to every cashier that helped me with my purchases. It was such a surprise to them when I would give them a candy cane and a smile and say, "Merry Christmas!"

I love the way their faces would light up, and they would smile back. They would tell me, "Merry Christmas!", in return. At Starbucks I was getting myself a treat. I gave the young man his candy cane, and he got so excited he turned to all of his coworkers and said, "Hey everybody, look what I got!"

So, I am challenging you to participate with me in operation candy cane. Let's lift the spirits of the people we come in contact with during the remaining Christmas season. Whatever random acts of kindness you can think of will be great.

Pay for the person's coffee in line behind you at Starbucks. Hide a dollar bill inside the toys at the Dollar Store. People have really shown their worst side during this holiday time. (Just think back of the stories on black Friday). Why don't we as Christians show the world something different? Wouldn't it be great if so many people did this that they reported this on the news instead of the fighting?

Let the joy of Christ that we have in our hearts splash over on others. In some of the stores I go in frequently, the girls know me. Stop and ask their names. Befriend them.

I'm not quite done with my Christmas shopping yet. Instead of dreading it, I'm looking forward to giving out my candy canes!

So, next time you go shopping, give it a try. Give out some candy canes. You may find that you lift two spirits at once. Theirs, and yours!

It's Christmas... where can I go to rest?!

Title of picture: "Come To Me"

Peace... that seems to be what everyone wishes for. You even see the sentiment expressed on Christmas cards this time of year. "Peace on earth, good will toward men." We are all looking for peace in a world where we can find very little of it.

Now close your eyes and picture the Christmas holiday time in America, or in your home. Do you think of peace? Are you thinking, I can't wait for Christmas this year because it is so peaceful? I know, it's just a dream right?

Well what if it doesn't have to be?

Recently I was sick and so I was forced to stay home. At least for this brief time, I wasn't running to and fro like a chicken with his head cut off! You know what I discovered (other than the fact I hate being sick)? I discovered "peace".

I discovered that I don't have to do all of the things that I think I have to do during the holidays! That's right, it was slower and it was sooooo nice.

I went online and downloaded some free Christmas books. I sat by the fire and read them. I read through the Bible looking for prophetical Scripture about Jesus birth. I made do with what I had without running to the store every five minutes. I became more relaxed, at peace. I was forced to rest.

In looking through the scriptures I found this verse yesterday, " Thus says the LORD, "Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls..."

I was meditating on what the meaning of this is. The Lord Himself was telling Judah to Stop, and think, as if they were at a crossroads. These paths crossed, or converged. Stop, and see, and then ask. Ask someone wiser which is the best path. There is a path that you can choose that is "the good way". It is a path that is ancient. God prepared it from long ago. He tells you if you choose this path, you will find rest for your souls.

Rest, peace, isn't that what everyone wants? This peace is an eternal rest. When you find it you will have a peace that passes all understanding.

What is this ancient path? This path leads to Jesus. The other leads to chaos and death.

Augustine said, " Our souls can find no rest until they rest in Thee."

Jesus said, " Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS." Matthew 11:28-29 My Bible has these words capitalized because Jesus is quoting Scripture and many believe He is quoting this text in Jeremiah.

Many people are uneasy because they are not at peace with God. They know and sense that something is wrong inside, but they don't know what the cause is. So what do they do, especially this time of year? They run for the "stuff"! They think maybe if I buy this new gadget, or the new wide-screened T.V. or anything you can imagine, fill in the blank, I will find peace. Then when they have it, they find out it didn't bring them any peace or happiness.

What is the answer? We find peace in Jesus. Jesus said, "Come to Me... and He would be the giver of rest. He would give you peace.

Go to the manger, take time out of your busy, hectic schedule and just draw near to the Lord. Spend time with Him in quiet reflection of what He did when He came to earth to be born as a little baby. He didn't come empty handed, He came bearing gifts. The greatest gift was salvation and the other was peace. Peace... why would anyone not want that?

Ahhh... peace and rest, now doesn't that sound wonderful?

Hallelujah Light Has Come!

I was reading my Bible this morning and came across this verse," The LORD is God, and He has given us light..." Psalm 118: 27. The Psalmist is thanking the Lord for His light and all of His goodness in this Psalm.

I was thinking about this verse in "light" of this Christmas season. David spoke of a "light", but there was one to come whom Himself would be this light and bring this light. I wanted to list a few of these verses about this great "light".

Isaiah 9:2 (NASB) "The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them."

Isaiah 60: 1 ( NASB) “Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you."

John 1:4-5 (NASB)" In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."

John 8:12 (NASB)"Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

John 12:46 (NASB)" I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness."

2 Corinthians 4:6 (NASB)" For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."

1 John 1:5 (NASB)" This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all."

This God who spoke the words, "Let there be light" and light was. He Himself IS light. He had an only begotten Son who was also THE light. He wanted to bring light for us to see with our eyes, but He also cared and loved us so much that He sent His Son, the "light of the world", to illumine our hearts and show us the way. We live in a dark world, but we don't need to stumble around in darkness. God has provided that light for us in His Son.

In John 8 Jesus was speaking during the Feasts of Booths or better know as the Feasts of Tabernacles. One of the features of this feast is light. They would light up the temple, and people would also ascend the temple steps with lights. Can you imagine the scene when all of these lights are all around? Then Jesus says, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life. (Light of the living)

We have so much to celebrate as Christians this time of year! We have been given the greatest gift we could have ever received and that is the gift of Jesus Himself. He came to give us eternal life. This One comes with a light that never dies! It never needs batteries!

Hallelujah, Light Has come! We never have to live in the darkness ever again!

Don't forget to remember

Psalm 103:2 says, " Bless the LORD, Oh my soul, and forget none of His benefits;"

We can get so busy during this holiday time that we "forget to remember". This Psalm helps us to remember everything the Lord has done for us.

I want to take some time today on this Thanksgiving day to remember some of these benefits, or blessings.

In this passage of Psalms it lists for us some of God's great blessings to us.

1. Forgiveness, vs 3 says, " Who pardons all your iniquities." We can be thankful today that we have been forgiven by God. Not just some of our sins, but all of them.

I John 1: 9 says "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

2. Healing, vs 3 continues by saying, " Who heals all your diseases." Have you stopped to thank God for your healing of even the smallest of sicknesses? He designed our bodies to have "anti-bodies" to be able to fight off sickness. There are so many things that we take for granted that our bodies can do without us even thinking about it! We truly are "wonderfully made!"

3. Redemption, vs 4 says, " Who redeems your life from the pit,"

We have been redeemed by the Lord, He alone has saved us from the pit of hell! Thanks be to God for this! He purchased us by His own blood. Let's take the time to thank Him for this today.

4. Love and compassion vs 4 continues by saying, " Who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion;" As if being redeemed and being saved from the pit of hell weren't enough, He caps it all off by "crowning" us with love, kindness and compassion!

Our you aware of these wonderful gifts He has given you today?!

Salvation wasn't enough. He wants you to know His love.

1 John 3:1" How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"

God's love is lavish! Extravagant! He gave His only Son because of His lavish love! Thank you God for your great love you lavish on us today!

5. Provision vs 5 says, " Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle."

Well if forgiveness,healing, redemption, love and compassion weren't enough, He also provides for us. The verse says that he gives us satisfaction in our years with "good things". This is very broad. There are so many "good things" to list, I'm not trying to sound like Martha Stewart, with her quote, "and that's a good thing.". I just want us to stop and think today of all of the good things that he has given to us.

It makes us feel so satisfied that it refreshes us so that our youth is renewed! I am not getting any younger, so this is a great encouragement to me. He is not saying that we will be young again. Believe it or not, I wouldn't want to be. He is saying we can still carry on with our life and be renewed in our spirit by "forgetting not all these benefits."

Lord, I want to take the time today to remember all your benefits toward me. This is just a small list. If I took the time to list them all this paper could not hold it all. But Lord, I do thank you for all of these things and more that you have so lavishly satisfied me with.

Thank you... thank you.... thank you... I will remember Lord, I will remember....

Thanksgiving Graces

Thanksgiving Graces

You only are the maker Of all things near and far; You paint the wayside flower, You light the evening star. The winds and waves obey you, By you the birds are fed; Much more to us your children, You give our daily bread. We thank you then, Creator, For all things bright and good, The seed time and the harvest, Our life, our health, our food. Amen. —Matthias Claudius, 1740–1815

Oh my God, for providing senses to enjoy delights, for thy royal bounty providing my daily support, for a full table and overflowing cup, for appetite, taste, sweetness, for social joys of relatives and friends for opportunities of spreading happiness around, for loved ones in the joys of heaven, I love thee above the powers of language to express, For what thou art to thy creatures. Amen. —17th–century Puritan meditation

Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest, and may our meal by you be blest. —Martin Luther, 1483–1546

For health and food For love and friends; For everything Thy goodness sends We thank Thee.—Ralph Waldo Emerson,, 1803–1882

Blessed Lord, we pray thee to be present at our table hallowing thy gifts to our use; that eating to satisfy our needs we may remember those who lack. —St. Francis of Assisi, c. 1181–1226

For when we gladly eat our daily bread, We bless The Hand that feeds us; And when we trod the road of life in cheerfulness Our very heart-beats praise the Lord that leads us. —Henry Van Dyke, 1852–1933

(Borrowed from Women of Faith)

Thou Shalt Laugh...

Knock knock... Who's There?

Doris

Doris Who?

Doris locked that's why I'm knocking!

You may like knock knock jokes, you may not, but I bet if you are a human you love to laugh!

Something I am thankful for today is LAUGHTER! Ha ha hee hee ho ho, or as I see on facebook Bwahhaaaha! Nothing is as good for you as a good, gut busting, belly laugh. It's like a tonic!

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:22 " A merry heart is good medicine..." (KJV) in the (NASB), it says "a joyful heart." Ecclesiastes 3:4 says, " There's a time to laugh."

I am so thankful that God created us to be able to laugh. When God created man he said that "it was good." That means that everything that He created us to be able to do was good! To put it into a Biblical vernacular, it's like God said, "Thou shalt laugh."

I am a happy person by nature. I love to laugh and I love to make other people laugh. My family is the same way. My grandmother, Sadie Hawkins( yes, that was her real name), was quite a cut-up and she loved to make people laugh. My husband Steve, daughter Ashley, and my son Daniel also make me laugh. Whenever we all get together, we crack each other up!

When I get together with the ladies in my Sunday school class we are always laughing. Don't get me wrong. During our Sunday school time we are studying Scripture. But when we have our Sunday School Socials we are laughing and talking.

When I have the great opportunity of going to a Chamber Choir reunion with the group that I sang in at LU, the sounds that prevail are laughter.

Some great quotes that I found about laughter are:

"Laughter is an instant vacation." Milton Berle

"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people." Victor Borge

" A good time to laugh is anytime you can." Linda Elerbee

"A laugh is a smile that bursts." Mary H. Waldrip

" What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul." Yiddish Proverb

So if you want to feel better today, don't reach for the Valium, or other things that promise that you will feel good. Maybe instead you should watch a clean comedy, or go out with your girlfriends. Call an old friend that makes you laugh..

I bet you will start to feel better in no time!

Jesus... Indescribable!

November is here already! I want to take some time this month to share some thoughts of gratitude.

Thankful for Jesus my Saviour.

Jesus,

Word

Son

Holy

Saviour

Sustainer

Lord

Way

Truth

Life

Prince

King

Wonderful

Counselor

Perfection

Redeemer

The Door

The Bridge

Mighty God

Peace speaker

Grace giver

Burden bearer

Spotless lamb

My Shepherd

King of Kings

Lord of Lords

Healer of hurts

Lifter of my head

Lover of my soul

Justified the unjust

Glorifier and the Glorified

Magnifier and the Magnified

Name above all Names

Jesus... Indescribable!