THE PASTOR'S WIFE SPEAKS - BECOMING A GRANDMOTHER-IN-TRAINING

Wow, I’m a grandmother in training! 

We are in baby shower mode at our house right now.  

Things have surely changed since I was a young girl.  Not only that; I have noticed that my own experiences at this “motherhood” thing came about in a quite different way than that of my gorgeously attired and perfectly put together daughter’s experiences will be.  We both have experienced, or will be experiencing, a lot of the same feelings and emotions regarding making a home and raising children; but in quite different ways.  I think about this a lot as I watch the progression of her young life unfold and as I see her step into motherhood.  I am amazed at the studies of contrast that I see, and I am reminded that it is often these contrasts that make life more interesting and less boring.  Wisdom reveals itself in a whole new light when you are not following the typical patterns.  

When I married her Dad both he and I were recovering from very destructive divorces.  It was a miracle that either of us could be brave enough to venture into the land of the married again.  We had both enjoyed perfectly planned weddings with all the teas and celebrations; then came the unhappy ever after part of going on to live what turned out to be hellish nightmares in both of our former marriages.  Finally the reality checks came crashing down and two people who did not believe in divorce found themselves walking down that long lonely road.  I was walking it alone, but he had four children all under nine years of age.   The two youngest were twins.  One of those twins is now expecting our first grandchild.   I’m still not sure how we even had time to meet, much less date. 

In contrast to our story, my daughter (from our marriage) finishes school and meets her prince; love at first sight.  They plan their dream wedding, neither of them ever having the blemish of a mistake in their past.  My heart is overwhelmed with gratitude toward God for guiding them so safely and surely.  What a contrast, and I'm glad for her that it turned out this way!

My husband was a very good father and it was quite a job raising four very young and active kids.  Also, for me when it came to dealing with the children, an ex-wife was automatically a part of the package.  It has not been easy for me always having to deal with another woman in making important choices and decisions for them, especially since the two of us have never agreed on anything.   I was raising them daily in our home and dealing with the day-to-day of life, yet she could step right in and cause total chaos whenever she chose to do so.  That part of life required lots of prayer and patience.  It required putting the peace of the children first every time.   I'm sure it felt as stressful on their birth mother's end.   I’m most grateful that my daughter will never have to encounter this type of stressful situation.  I thank God for bringing us all through it without too many injuries and wounds, and I thank God that my grandchild will never have to chose between spending time with her mommy or her daddy.  A broken bridge has now been repaired through the marriage of our daughter to a good man and with the birth of their first child begins a healing direction for the whole family.  We are truly blessed in ways that only we would be able to see, and only we could truly appreciate.      

Getting back to the contrasts between our experiences and the next generation's experiences in our family; I have to also remember how hard the road had been for me after the time from my divorce until I met the right man and married for the last time. Being the hard working career woman that I was, I should have known to stand up for my financial rights in the divorce, but like a million other women who always wanted to believe the best of their mate, I let someone who didn’t care a bit about me walk away with every earthly possession that I had worked very hard to attain.  I should have put up a fight, but I was emotionally unable to do so.  I felt quite wasted after the process was over.  Even worse were the things that money could not buy.  Time and love are the two most precious possessions we have.  They should never be taken for granted or wasted.   After that sad experience, I found myself starting life over with a lot of debts which I had nothing to show for.   My point in bringing up this painful statement from very long ago is that I felt robbed and also felt I had nothing material to offer back in the way of remarriage.  All I had to offer was me and my problems, that was it!  Somehow God took all that brokenness and used it to help form four wonderful lives.  I may have wasted some of  the first of my days and it was true I had nothing to show for them, but I learned quickly.  I had everything to show for the last part of my life; and they were walking and talking and moving in amazing ways.  It was a concept of motherhood that my daughter will not realize, but she will also know something that I cannot know in the process of actually giving birth and creating new life.  Even our blessings stand in contrast, yet they flow together to create God's masterpiece He painted and called our family.  Not one brush-stroke could be changed and give us the same wonderful results that have developed.   The contrasts have only made us more beautiful.

Somehow my husband of the last 21 years found me and loved me in spite of my sad circumstances.  We knew it was meant to be, but this was truly a marriage, not a show for the world to watch.   Neither of us were about playing, entertaining or putting up a front.  Life was brutally honest.  We were in the trenches together night and day doing that survival dance that people always have to do eventually.   It wasn't easy to put it together while he was paying almost everything he had in child support and I was trying to pay down a mountain of debt with nothing to show for it.  

We got married by the Justice of The Peace in a small-town county courthouse with four small children as the witnesses.  We had to save for three months just to have enough extra money to buy the marriage license.  Things were that tight financially.   We would have liked a nice little wedding with all our family and friends, and we used to say we were going to have a ceremony one day to repeat our vows in a church full of friends when we got a little extra money.  Little did we know there would always be mortgages, doctor bills, school fees, braces, huge grocery bills, constant car pool expenses, taxes, cars for us as well as four children starting out their working lives, insurance for six for a long period of time, then college, teas, showers and weddings for all.  Now we are in baby shower mode.  It all suddenly seems like a blink and all the things that I thought would be very hard to pull off don't seem so hard any more.  God keeps His clock and we all keep making the circle and it all works out.  We only move forward, we never move back.

Don’t misunderstand this, we’ve enjoyed every moment!  Not one second even of the hard times would I ever think of giving back.

Yet, it is just SUCH a study in contrast to look at  how we started out and how my daughter who is now expecting started out that I am sometimes held in awe of the whole picture that is being painted.  

I remember my parents looking at us in amazement as we sat down in their living room and gave them the news that we were going to marry.  No one expected much of either of us after our past problems, and everyone around us could only see how hard it was going to be.  I doubt any one thought we would survive the odds.  Instead of a shower or tea, we got lots of free advice from well meaning friends.  We started in the minus zero mode and had nothing between us but determination.  Our honeymoon happened in the little cottage we rented  to live in for $425 a month, and the days off only lasted through the weekend.  My husband had to go right back to work and so did I.  There was one highlight in it all that I will ever be grateful for.  The little group of office workers I worked with were very kind to us.  They gave me a surprise luncheon/shower at work one day.  They treated me to a meal in one of the nicest restaurants in town and everyone came.  They had all gone in together to buy many pieces of dinnerware from a china pattern that I loved and had already started collecting.  I took my elegant new china home to our tiny little rental and we had a candlelight dinner in our cozy little cottage.  It was great!  We always felt blessed.  I will never forget that generosity from those sweet people.  It meant more to me than all the extravagant teas and showers of my first marriage.  It was a sweet moment in time that will always be a good memory.

Somehow we never got around to that simple elegant little party for ourselves where we would repeat our vows in front of everyone; but we have not spared a dime on making sure our children had those things and those special moments.  I’ve been amazed at how we have been provided by God just what we needed whenever we really needed it to do the important things that we wanted to do.   

Our simple little courthouse wedding with a flat tire to change on the way in a broken down car so greatly contrasts with the four hundred person wedding and the renting of a chapel and a museum for the reception for one of our daughter’s weddings.  She had every little detail she wanted, right down to the last little exotic flower color, then she moved into a perfect first house, with a perfect diamond ring on her finger and of course, her groom stepped right up into a management position with his company right after the wedding.  They went on a trip to Europe for their honeymoon and have been back again over the first three and one-half years of their marriage.  They sold the perfect little house and bought a perfect larger house in a sweet little community to raise a family.  They quickly hired an interior designer and furnished the house with perfect furnishings that went right along with all the designer things they received as wedding presents.  They now enjoy living in a perfect little community that will offer all the advantages that a neighborhood should offer to a growing family, and of course, they are doing this in the style they enjoy.  There have been no compromises.  They are both driving good cars to their management positions at work every day and planning how to schedule enough off-time around the multitude of friends who are gathering to give them several baby parties where they will receive lovely and extravagantly luxurious gifts.  They will delight in putting all of the new things into the newly and perfectly decorated nursery once the precious little one arrives.      

Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand the facts here.  I realize all of this perfection took a lot of planning and hard work on their part.  I know it wasn't always that easy and magical as it seems.  They live in real life in a real world just like the rest of us.   They work hard long hours at real jobs.  Keeping the world perfect at all times requires a great deal of thought, energy and time.  They have also been very creative and thoughtful about certain things.  I’m very proud of all their hard work and planning; yet  I still find myself simply amazed at how different it was for us in starting out our own marriage.   I keep thinking about the contrasts of our life styles, yet how both of us have turned out to be happy couples.  It is a great mystery that only God could explain!  There seems to be no magical five step program to happiness.   No rhyme, no rhythm, no pattern or design.  There is only one common denominator that always comes up.  Love equals happiness and joy.

After our courthouse marriage we rented a tiny little cottage in a small college town and my husband struggled to move ahead in his career.  We furnished the house by shopping yard sales and second hand stores.  It was cozy and clean and we have fond memories of being there.  When we gained full custody of the children, not long after we were married, we needed a bigger place to live.  We bought a small three bedroom house in the country and planned to build two bedrooms ourselves in the unfinished basement to save money and yet still have the space we needed.  We worked very hard to attain our standard of living with almost everything being supplied with a lot of  labor, patience and hard work.  Nothing ever came easy and starting out with a full house in the beginning, we were never able to get ahead.  We grew our own garden back then, and all our clothes came from second hand stores and the goodwill.  We picked them out carefully, so nobody ever knew  or even noticed this.  Our whole house was furnished from used furniture that other people were getting ready to discard; still it was cozy and clean and it always felt like home.  No one ever gave a thought to how the furniture was attained.  No one ever worried that every thing didn't appear to be the next shot for a magazine cover.  Thank God there was no Pinterest in those days!  It would not have mattered though because a computer was a great luxury and it was a long time before we bought one of those.

Now, I am looking at the whole different world, my daughter is starting her family in.  She will have those magic moments after the birth of her baby where they take those lovely black and white photos of Mom and Dad looking in wonder at their first child.  I'm sure they will give us one on some special occasion and we will cherish it.   I'm very happy for her to have this!  I'm amazed and happy to know that her life just keeps unfolding like the pages from a fairy tale, and again, I see the contrasting way that we both have walked into the profession of motherhood.

 Suddenly, overnight, I had eight large eyes looking up at me every morning.  They were already realizing that I would now be the person to furnish their every need.  They had the ability to talk; but had not yet developed the ability to reason.  It was a bit overwhelming.  I barely knew them; but I loved them.  I closed my eyes, lifted up a prayer and dove into the busiest life any woman could ever imagine.  It all worked out simply because we all had that magic ability to love.  That factor is the one thing, the beautiful common thread that I share in the motherhood experience with my daughter so far.  I know she will love her children with all her heart.  If I had to pick the one common ground for both of us to share in the world, I would have chosen this same one all over again.  It is love that makes every situation work out in the end, no matter how rich or poor, ignorant or intelligent, young or old, perfect or imperfect  you are.  It is the love of God that He deposits in the heart of every human being that walks the earth who is willing to reach down deep and express it to others.  It is only love that really counts, and in that one thing we have no contrasts.  

My daughter lives in a very indulgent world.  It would be easy to become self-centered and plastic in that world; but she has remained true to the values that we instilled in her as a child, and she has not forgotten how to be thoughtful, thankful and to show love to others all along the way.  She is still generous and kind and giving, only now she has more to be generous with.  That tells me that even though we did not always have the picture perfect “Better Homes and Gardens” life as she was growing up, something more valuable went on with her growing up time in our home that “took” and some of it will spill over from her, her husband, and us to our soon coming grandchild.  It melts my heart and gives me hope.   My joy is full as I stand in a place where all walls of contrast have slowly dissolved and disappeared by the love and care around them.    

So it is with that thought that I planned her baby party.   Baby parties are something foreign to me.  I never had one, and I’ve never given one before.   I received all four of my children overnight with nothing but a garbage sack full of crumpled and ratty clothes to go with them.    

I enter the world of baby parties a complete novice.   I actually did not originally think it would be proper for me to even do this thing, but I am told and was assured by all concerned  that the rules have changed drastically and mothers, step-mothers, grandmothers, and mother-in-laws are often the ones handling the parties these days for their expectant daughters.  So be it - on with the fun.  

I also learned that It is not fashionable these days to say “shower” or “tea” , did you know that?  It must be “party” and every activity must be gender neutral, meaning that both sexes should be invited to attend the party and participate.  

I have, as I've addressed and  issued almost 75 invitations to sweet, thoughtful and caring people, kept the “love” factor in mind.  I have followed the fashion and trends of this generation’s demands, and I have been amazed at how much people have spent on items that will only be used less than a year in a baby’s lifetime.  No second hand items for this little girl!  I promise you she will only have the best.  

But I have a few grandmother tricks up my sleeve that money can’t buy and time can’t steal away.  

It will be a good “party!”  I'm so very proud of our daughter and son-in-law, and I simply can't wait to meet our new granddaughter!

God is so good.  Especially to grandmothers!

THREE GIRLS OUT ON THE TOWN - NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER 2013

Just in case you might have forgotten the story of how we got our name:  

When I first started writing about Three Girls Out On The Town, I came up with our group name from a statement that a little girl I used to baby sit always made when we would get in the car to take a ride.  She would smile real big and say “Here we are!  Just two girls out on the town!”  

I loved it and just thought it was really cute coming from a four year old.  I had no idea where she heard that statement, but I decided to use it to describe my once a month get-togethers with TC and Bucket, my BFF's of 40 something years.  

Later on – I heard of the 1940’s movie called “Three Girls On The Town.”  Over the holidays this year I discovered a copy of that old movie on You-Tube.  It is off the market these days and you can't buy it anymore.   So here is another little Christmas gift for my two friends – the story of three more ladies who were always “out on the town.”  Enjoy!     It is great when my readers get to enjoy our little gifts to one another too!  

Go to link:
  www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCLXIFqStdQ

So, with that said:  Three girls were out on the town again in November and December!

We kept our usual tradition of having BBQ in November because by the time we meet after Thanksgiving  we are so tired of turkey and dressing that we don’t want any more for a long, long time.  The BBQ at Jim N’ Nicks was just right again!  

We had a great time sharing our stories about our family events over Thanksgiving and swapping recipes and cooking ideas for Christmas.  We all felt very thankful and blessed and spent a little time remembering this as we chatted about everything under the sun.

 

We didn’t want to do anything traditional in December either…..so we opted for a seafood restaurant.  The Dixie Fish Company seemed like a good choice, and indeed it was.  We loved the place. 

The menu was very interesting.  When the waiter told us how they fried their chicken (soaked in ice tea and served with their own brand of pepper jelly) TC and Bucket had to try it!  They had a very special looking mac and cheese dish too.  Everything lived up to their expectations.  I got something different, just because there were so many excellent choices and I wanted to see more of them.  I chose the Gulf Shrimp platter and a wedge salad.  It was awesome.  I can vouch for the fact that there is not one bit of grease in their fried foods.  Not a common trait to find in an Alabama restaurant and truly a great attribute to their cooking skills.    


We saw several interesting salads, soups and appetizers on the menu along with some great oyster selections if you like oysters.   There is a wide variety of  main dish choices from steaks, to chicken to seafood and the recipes are all very creative and tasty.  It was fun watching the plates go by – they all looked interesting.  

I’m sure that means we have to come back to this great restaurant again.  It is one of those places you might want to hit just for coffee and dessert too – and try the white chocolate bread pudding, the Mississippi Mud Pie, the Krispy Kreme Cream Brule, the Lemon Ice Box Pie or the Southern Pecan Pie.  They also had some interesting mixed drinks and wine.   

We definitely need to go back to sample more, but just didn’t have the room for it when we were there.  If the desserts are as good as the main courses, they will be totally wonderful!

Our visit and the conversation were excellent as usual.  We saw some more cute photos of TC’s grandbabies.  They are growing like weeds and so cute!  She was looking forward to seeing them at Christmas time.  

Bucket told us her daughter was going to be baptized the following Sunday.  We all were excited about that good news!

I brought each of the girls a copy of Ann Voskamp's Christmas book:  "The Greatest Gift."  I hope they enjoy reading about her Jesse Tree as much as I did.  Truly heartwarming!

We left each other with Merry Christmas wishes and agreed to meet as soon as possible in the new year.

SEASONS - PONDERING THE GLORIOUS IMPOSSIBLE FOR CHRISTMAS 2013

So have you find the wonder of Christmas this year?   Have you found your "glorious impossible"?  God always does that you know.  He has a way of putting His glory into your impossible and making miracles.

  They seem to happen most often at Christmas time, so every year I look for the glorious impossibles!  

I've never been disappointed.  He always shows me something.  One year it was a yard full of red birds.  One year it was a family I gained overnight.  Last year it was the secret of how to make Christmas out of nothing at all.  God is always making something out of nothing and if you believe in the power of His love, you can too.  It is wonderful.

So look for the glorious impossible until you find it.



The glorious impossibles will teach you things you will never forget.  Christmas is such a teachable time.  There is always something new that God is teaching us at Christmas time.  

 What is God showing you this year?  The lessons seem to come when you least expect them, and they always show up in the most unusual places.

  This year has been the learning of a more  quiet kind of joy for me.  It is as if I’m soaking up some kind of wonder that I may never find again.   I sense that Christmas as we have always known it in our country is fleeing away and that it may not be so much a focus in our world as it has been in the past.  This makes me sad; and I hope to be a small part of the world that keeps this from happening.  Yet even this fact has not been able to rob me of my joy in this present year; it has only given me a deeper appreciation for the precious things that I’ve often taken for granted.  

I’ve always been glad to be living in a country where you could express your religious beliefs openly without persecution.  I sense that may not last much longer in America; so this year I’m proclaiming Christmas as loud and long as I can make a joyful noise!  I do not take the gift of freedom and free speech for granted.  I am grateful to still have these blessings as I ponder the glorious impossibles of this year.  There are many other things I am grateful for.

Last year I found myself in quite opposite circumstances than the situation I’m living in this year.  I can remember as Christmas approached in 2012 that I was feeling very

apprehensive.  Financially we had been through a very hard year.  It was the second Christmas in a row that my husband had been without a job.  God taught me a lot during that time about how happiness and joy can’t be bought and about how our greatest treasures are absolutely free for the taking.  The Great Creator showed me how to be so creative myself that no one ever suspected how much money I didn’t have in my pockets.  I make the cutest little gifts just from things I found around the house and they were a great hit!  This year all my children are showing me the photos of how they have used them and I’m always smiling.  They think the smiles are because I’m pleased they are still finding joy from gifts from last year, but the smile is actually from the peace and joy of knowing a God who looks after me and cares for me no matter where I find myself in life.  That is the wonder I’m pondering the most this year.  That is the gift God keeps showing me over and over. 

   Though I didn’t make my gifts this year from the things around the house – I did catch myself being more selective in the meaning of my gifts and less concerned about the dollar amount spent.  Less money wasted meant more money that could be useful in helping others.  That message rang out from my heart this year like never before.  

Perhaps because of this God seemed to be putting just the right thing for just the right price for just the right person before my eyes as I shopped. It was the first year I didn’t even have to worry about having the right present ideas.  It all just happened like magic. It actually felt like I had angels monitoring my shopping.  God gave me that joy this year – like a beautiful gift among many other gifts. 

My eyes had been opened enough to see this and recognize it and reflect on how awesome it really was.   I wasn't buying gifts just because you give gifts.  I was actually thinking of the person I was buying the gift for and knowing that this gift was meant for them.   I was so thankful and felt so blessed to be able to purchase these things freely without worry this time.  

I caught myself remembering so many answered prayers as I went through my shopping.  My husband had found a great new job.  My hours had been restored to full time.  The debts we had accumulated in the struggle had been paid now.  I was not pressured to make any new debts and had learned to enjoy Christmas from where I was with what  I had to offer.  It was wonderful and freeing.  

Last year we had considered selling the home that we loved and felt fortunate to have it to

give up if needed.  This year I find myself decorating the place that I have called home for many years with the old familiar ornaments handed down through the family  and loving every minute of it.  It is as if everything has suddenly become new and magical to me – I’ve learned this year how wonderful it can be to count your blessings in every circumstance, and my joy is now overflowing.



I find my priorities have completely changed.  In the midst of all this abundance that I am feeling – I have a strong growing concern and compassion for all those who are still finding themselves going through troubled times.   I sense that this will continue for many for much longer than we can imagine. Not everyone can sing a song of joy today and I know their pain.  There are those who have lost people that they love this year.  I know that pain too. There are those who have been pulled into circumstances beyond their control that have wrecked their lives.  I've been there.  There are those looking for work and those who need money to feed their children.   I understand.  There are those who have given all they have to receive nothing back but more worry and pain.  God has graciously walked me down these same roads.  I did not understand it then, but I know now that He was teaching me to believe in the glorious impossibles of life.  

 I have learned enough to know my own circumstances could change again at any given second.  So what is bringing me such joy this year in the midst of troubled times?

  I have learned like Paul to be content in all circumstances.

 

All through this season as I decorated the tree, prepared the food and bought the presents I kept remembering a verse from the Apostle Paul which I learned years ago:

Philippians 4:11-13

New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

This to me is the glorious impossible. 

Every year I look for God’s glory in the impossible and I call it the “glorious impossible” when I see it.  

This year – this is it:  I have learned to be content through all things because I have learned that  Christ is always with me.  It is the greatest gift of all. 

May you find it too – to know Christ and to know His love throughout all eternity.

Merry Christmas!

PRAYER FOR THE LAST CANDLE OF ADVENT

Lord, our God, we praise You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, for He is Emmanuel, the Hope of all people.

He is the Wisdom that teaches and guides us.

He is the Savior of us all.

O Lord, let your blessing come upon us as we light all candles of this wreath.

May the wreath and its light be a sign of Christ's promise of salvation.

May He come quickly and not delay.

We ask this in His holy name. Amen

REFLECTIONS:

Have you found and visited Jesus yet?  Have you let the world catch you up in its false things or have you been seeking to visit with Jesus this Christmas season?   We all seem to make time for what is most important to us at Christmas.  What is most important to you this year?

The fourth candle represents Christ, Emmanuel, God with us!  

This is what the world has been waiting on and hoping for and seeking since the beginning of time – Christ Our Lord!  He has come!  

He has come in the form of a baby. He has come in the form of a man.  He has come in the form of a suffering servant on a cross; and he will come again to us – in the form of the King of all kings.  He has come to us now in the form of the gift of The Holy Spirit.  

Have you found Him?  

Have you seen the signs of His presence?  

You must be alert, watching and waiting on His arrival into your heart and the hearts of others.  Like an excited child looking for Christmas Day, we too must anticipate that He is coming.  Look for the signs.  

And what do we do when he is finally here?  

When He came as a child he had visitors.  Have you visited with Jesus this season?  He longs for a visit from you.  The Angels told the shepherds and they came to see Jesus.  The star appeared in the sky and the wise men knew to visit Jesus.  Simeon and Anna waited at the Temple because they knew Jesus was coming.  They wanted to visit with Him.  

Everyone was telling everyone everywhere that God has come to dwell with us.  It can be that way again.  It can be the same today as the people from every nation, tongue and tribe come to bow before our Heavenly King and visit with Jesus.  

He is Emmanuel – God with us. 

Let the whole earth rejoice!

SEASONS - THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Second Prayer For Advent:

O shepherd of Israel, hearken, 
O guide of the flock of Joseph!
Rouse your power, and come to save us.
O Lord of hosts, restore us, 
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be safe.
O Lord of hosts, how long will you burn with anger 
while your people pray?
You have fed them with the bread of tears
and given them tears to drink in ample measure.
You have left us to be fought over by our neighbors, 
and our enemies mock us.
O Lord of hosts, restore us,
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be safe.

The Second Sunday is about preparation, getting ready to meet Jesus.  Are you prepared?  Are you ready?  John The Baptist proclaimed the message loud and clear.  He was preparing the way for Christ.  We all must have repentant hearts and faithful spirits.  Come Lord Jesus!

SEASONS - PRAYER AND READING FOR THE EIGHTH DAY OF HANUKKAH

(Prayer and reading taken from "A Family Guide To Biblical Holidays" by Robin Sampson and Linda Pierce.  I use these for lighting the Menorah every year.)

PRAYER:

Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe who wrought miracles for our fathers in days of old, for this season.

READING:

We need to shine.

Do all things without murmurings and disputing:  That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;  Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain. (Phil. 2:14-16)

J E S U S  I S  T H E  L I G H T   OF  THE  WORLD

May we always reflect Him!

HAPPY HANUKKAH EVERYONE

SEASONS: PRAYER AND READING FOR THE SEVENTH DAY OF HANUKKAH

(Prayer and reading taken from "A Family Guide To Biblical Holidays" by Robin Sampson and Linda Pierce.  I use these for lighting the Menorah every year.)

PRAYER:

Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe who wrought miracles for our fathers in days of old, for this season.

READING:

If Christ Is Your Light You Are No Longer In The Darkness of This World

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:  (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Providing what is acceptable unto The Lord.  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.  (Eph. 5:8-11)

But ye brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness.  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.  (I Thess. 5:4-6)

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.  For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.  But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light; for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.  Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise (Eph. 5:11-15).

This then is the message that we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.  If we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth; but if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.  If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  

  

SEASONS - PRAYER AND READING FOR THE SIXTH DAY OF HANUKKAH

(Prayer and reading taken from "A Family Guide To Biblical Holidays" by Robin Sampson and Linda Pierce.  I use these for lighting the Menorah every year.)

PRAYER:
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe who wrought miracles for our fathers in days of old, for this season.

READING:

Paul Saw The Light:

Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at Midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shinning round about me and those who journeyed with me.  And when we were all fallen to the earth I heard a voice speaking unto me and saying in the Hebrew tongue:  "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?  It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks."  And I said:  "Who art thou Lord?"  And He said "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.  But rise and stand upon thy feet, for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people,and from the Gentiles unto whom now I send thee.  To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me.  (Acts 26:12-18)

SEASONS - PRAYER AND READING FOR THE FIFTH DAY OF HANUKKAH

(This prayer and reading are taken from "A Family Guide To Biblical Holidays" by Robin Sampson and Linda Pierce, and are the prayers I use in my home each Hanukkah as we light the candles of the menorah.)

PRAYER:

Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who

has sanctified us by His commandments and has commanded us to kindle the lights of Chanukah.

READING FOR NIGHT FIVE:

The Messiah is the light of the world.

In him was life; and the life was the light of man.  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.  (John 1:4-5)

Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)

Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you.  Walk while ye have the light, least darkness come upon you,  for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whether he goeth.  While ye have light, believe in the light that ye may be the children of light.  These things spoke Jesus and departed, and did hide himself from them.  (John 12:35-36)    

SEASONS - A PRAYER FOR HANUKKAH ON THE FOURTH DAY AND A PRAYER FOR ADVENT ON THE FIRST WEEK

PRAYER FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT:



(Taken from Catholic Collect for The Mass on The First Week of Advent)

Bestir, O Lord, Thy might, we pray thee and come; that, defended by Thee, we may deserve rescue from approaching dangers brought on by our sins, and being set free by Thee, obtain our salvation. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

READING FOR 
THE FOURTH DAY OF HANUKKAH:
(Shared from "Biblical Holidays" by Robin Sampson and Linda Pierce)

The Light of The Body is The Eye:

The light of the body is the eye; therefore when thine eye is single, they whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.  (Luke 11:34),

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.  (Acts 26:18)

From Matthew Henry's Commentary:  

Having the light, their concern was to have the sight, or else to what purpose had they the light?  Be the object ever so clear, if the organ be not right, we are never the better.  The light of the body is the eye which received the light of the candle when it is brought into the room.  So the light of the soul is the understanding and judgement, and its power of discerning between good and evil, truth and falsehood.  Now according as this is, so the light of divine revelation is to us, and our benefit by it; it is a savour of life unto life, or of death unto death. 

If this eye of the soul is single, if it see clear, see things as they are, and judge impartially concerning them, if it aim at truth only, and seek it for its own sake, and have not any sinister by-looks and intentions, the whole body, that is, the whole soul, is full of light, it receives and entertains the gospel, which will bring along with it into the soul both knowledge and joy.  This denotes the same thing with that of the good ground, receiving the word and understanding it.  If our understanding admits the gospel in the full light, it fills the soul, and it has enough to fill it.  And if the soul be thus filled with the light of the gospel, having no part dark, - if all its powers and faculties be subject to the government and influence of the gospel and none left unsainctified, - then the whole soul shall be full of light, full of holiness and comfort.  It was darkness itself, but now light in The Lord, as when the bright shinning of a candle does give thee light.  

Note:  The gospel will come into those souls whose doors and windows are thrown open to receive it, and where ever it comes it will bring light with it.  But if the eyes of the soul be evil - if the judgement be bribed and biased by the corrupt and vicious dispositions of the mind, by pride and envy, by the love of the world and sensual pleasures - if the understanding be prejudiced against divine truths, and resolved not to admit them, though brought with ever so convincing an evidence, - it is no wonder that the whole body, the whole soul, should be full of darkness.  How can they have instruction, information, direction and comfort from the gospel, that wilfully shut their eyes against it?  And what hope is there of such?  And what remedy for them?  The inference hence therefore is:  Take heed that the light that is within thee be not darkness.  Take heed that the eye of the mind be not blinded by partiality and prejudice, and sinful aims.  Be sincere in your inquiries after truth, and ready to receive it in the light, and love, and power of it; and not as the men of this generation to whom Christ preached, who never sincerely desired to know God's will, nor designed to do it, and therefore no wonder that they walked on in darkness, wondered endlessly and perished eternally.