THE BEST GIFTS OF ALL COME FROM THE HEART!


Our church gave us an awesome gift this year. We have served in many churches in our lifetime and received many different types of gifts for Pastor's appreciation, birthdays and Christmas but our Christmas gift from the Newton Falls Church of the Nazarene this year was the BEST because it is something no money amount can be placed upon ... It is truly a gift of the heart.

Okay, Okay, I know you are dying to know what it was ... is. They gave us a calendar!!!!! Yes, that's right, a calendar. But not just any 0rdinary calendar but one on which the individual families of the church have signed their names on different Sundays throughout the year to provide us with a time of fellowship and eating with them! Is that creative or what?!? And it continues to give all year long! Wow!!!

Every Sunday we pack up our car and drive the 26 miles to Newton Falls to minister. To be honest, as we have gotten older, the drive has become more and more difficult to make. It has been so discouraging at times to not be able to be an active part of our church family's community ... to have little opportunity to get into each of their homes and truly fellowship and get to know them. When Mom passed away in June, and then Jim got his "day position" in the factory, we began to see hope in possibly reaching our goal of more fellowship with our church family but we had still not figured out the particulars. Then ... they did it for us!

We realize that this gift truly involves everyone on a more personal level than when a church pulls from its budget (composed of tithes and offerings) to provide us with a gift. And that makes us appreciate it all the more! We hope they will get to know us in a way they have not been able to truly know us before ... nothing special ... just plain country folk that love to have fun, especially with God's family!

I don't know exactly what it is but Jim and I both sense an atmosphere of joy and excitement in our church that seemed to be lacking for awhile. Perhaps it is because they have all had to agree to get personally involved in this joint effort to make this special gift become a reality? Perhaps it is some New Year's Resolutions some have made? Perhaps it is the excitement of working together to make some long needed repairs and remodeling of the church facilities? Perhaps it is the moving of the Holy Spirit in our midst? Perhaps it is all of these and much more ... only God knows. But it is exciting! As the song says, "I just feel like something good is about to happen"!

Jim often tells us "With every promise in God's Word, there is a premise - something we each must inidividually do before we can receive God's Promises. He has been preaching on "Can We Really Trust God?" I believe many in our church are trying, with all their hearts, to trust God as never before. I believe they are determined this year to daily read God's Word and talk to Him, to be more faithful in their church attendance and in the paying of their full tithes and offerings. If they do these things alone, they cannot help but to mature and grow in His Love and Grace. And, as a result, something "Good" is sure to happen in our church as God moves through His people! Thank you, God, for what You have already done and for what You are about to do! WHOOPIE!!!

CAN A FUNERAL SERVICE BE "BEAUTIFUL"???

Jim had the privilege of performing the graveside/funeral service for his old friend/fishing buddy, "Whitey" Shortz, this past week. I am still hearing feedback from so many people that I run into, both Whitey's relatives and his friends, who have described it as the most beautiful funeral service they have ever attended and they wish they had videotaped it. I wasn't able to be there but I feel I was because I have heard so much about it. Jim felt so honored to be asked to do it and it pleased him to know it was something that truly helped so many. He found such joy in being able to minister to people in our own local community ... many that he grew up with.

There are so many "needy" people right where we live ... family and friends alike. How I wish there was a way we could minister to them and help them in their search for happiness and inner peace. I pray that our lives will reflect Jesus in such a way that perhaps they can all come to realize where our hope, our comfort, our help, our strength, our joy, our inner peace, and our love all comes from ... from the great "I AM". Where would we be without Jesus?

TRASH OR TREASURE????

I am using today as the day to put away the Christmas decorations and some other holiday accumulations in an effort to keep my home as organized as my son left it. (smile) Well, as I looked at some New Year's celebration memorabilia, I asked myself if they were "trash" or "treasure". When I was younger I would have quickly said "Treasure! Of course!" There are so many things I have collected through the years from special vacations, events, etc. that I never thought twice about keeping. Yet, over the past few years, I have discarded many of those things, realizing that I have never even looked at them through all these years until that day I discarded them. They would mean absolutely nothing to anyone else and, truthfully, did not meant that much to me when I looked at them years later. Therefore, I can only assume they are actually "trash" that I have sought to "treasure" through the years. I guess I am realizing I am getting older, and hopefully wiser. I realize that anything that was truly important to me,exciting enough to me, or made a big enough impact on my life, is so imprinted in my memory that I do not need Memorabilia to help me remember them. And should my memory one day fade from dementia (I hope not), those items are not going to help me remember those things any better. Therefore, they are trash.

Matthew 6:19-22 says, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (consume), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth not rust doth corrupt (consume), and where thieves do not break through to steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Wow! I finally have storage space and closets (which I have never had for 11 years) to store all my "treasures" in, and I am realizing a lot of it is "trash"! Hmmmm! Why does it take so long for us to realize that? I wish it was summer. I'd have time to do a real "overhaul" in our "collections". Sounds like garage sale items to me. One person's trash is another person's treasure!!! (smile)

THE BEST GIFTS ARE GIFTS FROM THE HEART!

Our family has been trying combat the "routine" of gift giving and become more creative but, alas, lack of time (and for some, such as myself, lack of creativity period!) we once again returned to the yearly exchange of Christmas lists! I believe we all still were thrilled with the gifts we received but, I must admit, by very best gift came AFTER Christmas day. First of all, the one thing Jim and I live for is a visit from our children and grandchildren. When they come into our home, it feels so much more full of life and joy. They are faithful to visit us every Christmas season, and in this past year even much more throughout the year ... It was AWESOME!

This year James and his family had to postpone their arrival a day because of the flu bug, not wanting to spread it to the rest of the family (although all of his and Sunshine's family had already had it during the holidays). I believe he probably still had a few germs hanging on but I will always risk getting such critters rather than stay away from my children or grandchildren! Well, Jim and I both came down with the within an hour of each other in the middle of the night. We were miserable, playing tag team in trying to keep the toilet company. The kids and their families remained on one side of the living room while we crashed on the other. Sunshine and her family HAD to leave that day and I could not even get up to pray with them and wave goodbye at the door ... now that is really sick for me to break such a great family tradition! I told James and Kelly that we would understand if they left that day instead of waiting until the next day as they had planned but they "hung in there"! That is when I received my BEST Christmas gift.

Yes, it was a gift just to have them stay another day so I could feel well enough to make some special things for them to eat (Why do we mothers love feeding our kids?) But that was not the gift I am speaking of at this time. The gift was given to me that day as I laid so sick on the couch. My son went out in the kitchen and cleaned up the mess and clutter. Then he proceeded to work his way, it seems, through my entire house! I thanked him and thanked him and he said, "I don't want you to feel all stressed out or depressed when you get well and have a mess to deal with." He knew what I needed most, even though I did not! He came up with the most precious gift he could give me ... a gift of love and compassion straight from his heart ... and it wasn't even on my list! WOW!! I wish I could be so creative!

When I started feeling better .... and especially after they left and our house was once again empty so all I had to focus on was our house .... I was so relieved to not feel the pressure to set things in order prior to going back to school. I felt such a peace deep within of knowing I could take my time recuperating. Sure there were things still left to do ... take down the tree and decorations and put them away and clean out my fridge by freezing or using up leftovers, etc. ... but I felt no pressure in doing any of that because my house looked so good! So this is to my son ... THANK YOU, JAMES! May God bless you as you have blessed your father and I. Thanks to you and Kelly for taking care of us as we recuperated ... for hanging around instead of leaving early. We love you both (Halle too!) SOOOOO MUCH!

All my love,
Mom