WHITE AS SNOW

“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;”

Isaiah 1:18

 After days of dire weather predictions, it has finally begun to snow here in South Carolina.  This Texas girl is more excited than the neighborhood kids.  Snow, there is just nothing like it.  Our grass had already turned brown thanks to some earlier frosty mornings.  But now, it is covered in a thin layer of snow.  It looks beautiful, pristine and perfect.  Not an unsightly mark in sight.  Tomorrow morning, this same yard will be covered in grandchildren’s foot prints and paw prints of the neighborhood dogs and cats.  But for now, it is perfection.  It will only last a couple of days, but we have stocked the pantry and are ready to enjoy being snowed in.

The LORD does that with our sins, just as soon as we confess them.  Though they are scarlet, they are white as snow.  Pure perfection.  It won’t last.  We will surely mess up again, but there is no better feeling than being washed white as snow. 

WHO IS LEADING YOU?

 “When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!”

Matthew 2:1

“Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet.”

Psalm 119:105

I love stars!  When we lived in Texas we decorated everywhere with stars, because after all, it IS the Lone Star State!  At Christmas, the star takes a far deeper meaning than my Texas roots.  The Wise Men followed a star to find Jesus.  I often think it would be a great idea if God still sent stars to lead people to Jesus.  It would also be amazing if we could just follow a bright star to find exactly where God’s will was for our life.  God does give us a light to follow.  We just need to pick up His Word and study it daily.  His Word is a lamp to guide us where we stand and where we are about to step. 

Scripture tell us that Jesus is the Light of the World.  Look for Him today, He will surely guide you.  And if you are looking for our house, just look for the star!

A LITTLE LEVITY FOR THE SOUL

Always be full of joy in the Lord.  I will say it again-Rejoice!

Phil. 4:4 

I thought today I would share with you a funny Christmas memory from our family.  I absolutely love to laugh, and my boys have inherited that same love.  They just love to laugh at me! 

I have many Nativities in my house.  So many have been gifts from people I have loved through the years.  My family has given me some and I have also bought a few.  This year they are all over my house even in the bathrooms.  Some are beautiful and traditional others are a little quirky.  I have one that my baby boy has never loved.  When I bought it in a gift shop in Tennessee and brought it home, Jordan was appalled.  Every time I put it out when he was still living at home, he threatened to call for an intervention from the church where I worked.  He called it “sacrilegious” and “ridiculous.”  It just made me love it more.  It sets right beside my coffee pot in the kitchen and is one of the first things I see every single morning.  It makes me smile and think of my boy, who is now a fine man with boys of his own (who might have inherited their Nonnie’s sense of humor!)

What brings a smile to your face these days?  In spite of the news and media telling me that we are all doomed, I still find a great deal of joy in my day.    I pray you find some joy as well.  We are having Christmas at Jordan’s house this year.  I’m thinking this little Nativity might look really good sitting beside his coffee machine! I want to share the joy.

OUR LAST WORDS

OUR LAST WORDS

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

I Peter 4:8

Like many of you, I have watched the television as it covered the death and funeral services of President George H.W. Bush.  Of all the wonderful tributes, one has touched me more than the others.  I am so moved by the President’s last words being “I love you, too.” I told David that I’m praying now that I will be able to utter those words as my last message to my family. 

When my time on earth is finished, there will not be television coverage or newspapers to issue accolades about my limited life.  Tributes will not pour in from around the world on my behalf.  I must tell you that my lack of renown does not bother me a single bit.  What would bother me above all else, is if my little circle didn’t know that they were loved greatly by me.

During this Christmas Season as we recall the greatest gift God has ever given, let you and I strive to love each other deeply.  Let each of us use words of love generously as we navigate this life.  When all is said and done, this will be the greatest message we can give those we truly love.  Let it be said of all of us that we loved well.

GO AGAINST THE FLOW

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Romans 12:2 

Notice anything “different” about my Christmas stockings?  Let me tell you the story.  Jeremy was the first grandchild on my side of the family.  My Mother went all out.  She was so excited about being a Nana.  Actually, she wanted to be “Granny” but Jeremy decided on Nana.  Long before he was born, she used her cross-stitching skills and made this beautiful stocking for him.  As far as I know, he was the only grandchild to get a hand made one.  It wasn’t until later that we realized that the stocking had been crafted backwards.  Some might consider it a mistake, but as Jeremy grew up into the man that he is today, it fit him perfectly.  In fact, he is quite proud of his stocking that faces differently from all the others.  As a little boy, he seemed to march to the beat of a different drummer.  I can’t count the times I told my husband I wish I could find that little drummer and take his drum sticks away!  As a man today, he continues to go against the flow of how the rest of the world thinks and acts.  He is the first to forgive and the last to hold a grudge.  You will not hear him slander anyone no matter what they do to him.  He is a man of faith and actions that back up that faith. 

He encourages me to go against the flow, too.  This Christmas season, let’s all look for ways to reach out to others in a new and different way.  It's okay that we don't all look just alike!

CHECKING MY LIST

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart

Luke 2:19  

Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a young teen-ager. She had just made an arduous journey on the back of a donkey!  Right after giving birth in a barn, there were shepherds and visitors speaking about stars and a man she hardly knew at all in her limited personal space!  Scripture gives us a sweet picture of Mary as she made notes in her heart and mind about all God had done for her.  Many of you reading this might be young and darling and you can still probably remember things.  I on the other hand, can sometimes forget my name.  Most times that I go to the bank, I must call my husband for my PIN number on my debit card.  I've had the same PIN for several years and sometimes, it just leaves me.  When David tells me what it is, I argue with him because it doesn't even sound familiar.  I write everything down and sometimes even then, I lose my list.  The most used tool on my cell phone is my list maker.  If I can remember my phone, then I will have my to-do list!

I don't want to be guilty of forgetting a blessing God has given me.  I want to remember the gifts, both big and small that fall from His hand to me.  I encourage you to take some time in the next week and make a list of all the gifts and blessings in your life.  You can even ask God to help you focus on the everyday miracles your life contains.  Write them down.  Thank him daily. It will make a difference in Christmas this year for you and your family.  

WHAT ARE YOU CARRYING AROUND?

WHAT ARE YOU CARRYING AROUND?

He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment.

Psalm 7:14

Occasionally I will be in the midst of my Bible Study and I will see a verse that I have never seen before.  It happened this week when I hit on this verse in the Psalms.   I’ve thought on it all week.  Now, it’s been a really long time since I was pregnant.  In fact, our baby boy was 36 this year.  However, I still remember how consumed I was with the health and well being of our 2 babies as I carried them around for over 9 months each.  I worried over what I should eat, how much I was throwing up and I dreamed about what these little Haines would be.  We made room in our tiny homes for them.  Their rooms were planned and decorated perfectly even on a budget!  We obsessed over their every movement inside of me.  We were so blessed by the birth of our long-awaited little boys.  We’ve been challenged, but never disillusioned by these two Haines’ men.

As I studied this week, I thought about all the things I carry around today.  I have doubts that I dwell on daily.  I focus on other’s faults rather than their fortes. At times, I am even guilty of evaluating ways to even the score with those who have hurt me.  In my many decades of life, I have conceived lots of trouble, but I want to make a change.  Life is too short to live with disillusionment. 

Today, we begin the month of December.  As the month draws to a close, we will all celebrate the birth of our Savior who changed our past and our futures.  Beginning today, I want to focus on carrying the things within my heart and mind that please the Savior.  I want to give birth to things that bring light to those around me.  What about you?