A couple of weeks ago, I shared some ideas on how to keep Christ in our busy Christmas celebrations.  This past week, I was making the gift bags up for our Wednesday night kids’ program, and I wanted to find a way to give them a gift that was Christ-centered.

I only needed to do 24 gifts, but since I was making the gifts personally, I had to do relatively inexpensive gifts. I gave each child some chocolate covered pretzels, a hot cocoa mix in a Styrofoam cup as well as some marshmallows, Hershey kisses, a mint, and a Rolo candy in a plastic bag.

I wanted to attach a hot cocoa poem that had some religious significance, but I couldn’t find any. Instead, I stumbled across several candy cane poems. I was pressed for time, so I was going to buy a printable on Etsy, but Etsy was saying my account was going to have to be confirmed. I didn’t have time to mess with that, so I just typed up a poem I found on Pinterest. I looked first to see if the pin led to a printable, but the pins I saw just led to a picture or to a website sharing the pin but no real link.

Here is the printable I made.

I quickly typed and printed out this printable, attached a candy cane with tape on the right hand side where there is some white space (I didn’t get all fancy with ribbon), and stuck it in the goody bags along with the hot cocoa mixes. There are two poems on each 8″ x 11 1/2″ piece of paper.

Here were my goody bags ready to go to church!

I just love this poem.  I could not find the original source, but the message is simple enough for children to understand:

The Candy Cane

It’s just a little Christmas treat, but also (did you know?)
It represents our Savior born so long ago.
The shape is like a “J” to symbolize His name.
The white is for His life, holy, without blame.
And the stripe of red is for His blood so pure and freely given
That we may spend eternity with our Lord in heaven!

Praying that you have a great Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior!

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Christmas can be a hard season for many.

As I went through my Facebook feed tonight, I saw a news article about 5 Marines who have been declared dead after a midair crash near Japan last week.  There families are going to have a sad Christmas.

Every Christmas, I think of my friend whose husband died after a ATV accident on Christmas day a couple of years ago.

An older lady pulled me aside at church on Sunday and asked me to pray for her as Christmas was very hard for her as she had no family with which to celebrate.

Not only are many sick or remembering family members who are no longer with us, there are many other life circumstances which can make Christmas a difficult season. Financial difficulties can make some traditions impossible. Some people may find them separated from family at Christmas time. Most certainly, Christmas is a hard holiday for many people who live around us.

So how do we help those who are grieving, discouraged, sick, or helpless? Here are three simple ways that we can comfort  and help others this Christmas (and all year long!):

• We can help by being patient or offering a kind word and a ready smile.

I have been a little stressed and running around like crazy the past couple of weeks. In my hurry to get done what needs to get done, I forget that I am passing those who are hurting. People are more important that my to-do list. Maybe that cashier or store clerk is having a terrible time in her life, and she needs my patience and kindness. I know I need to think of this more as I go about my day and life responsibilities.

• See if we can help support those who are grieving or alone.

Maybe all they need is someone to pray with them. Maybe sending them a card or giving them a call so that they know they are not forgotten is all they need. If you can, invite them to your house for Christmas dinner. Take them with you to a ladies event. Think of how you would want to be included if you did not have a family.

• Take time to come apart and get alone with the Lord.

I have been so busy that I have not been as committed as I should be to my daily time with the Lord. So do you know what happens? I get testy and short. I say things I should not say. I have a bad attitude that spills over onto others.

My husband just preached a sermon from Luke 4 where Jesus did some amazing things: He stood against Satan’s temptations, He teaches at his local synagogue where his own villagers try to kill Him, He casts out a demon, He heals Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, and He heals many people. After all of these wonderful miracles and events, it says in verse 42,

And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place:

He got away from everyone to take time to rest and to commune with His Father. We need to get rest. And we need to take time to commune with our Heavenly Father. If we do not rest and get time alone with God, we will not be able to help others.

There are many other ways we can help others who are hurting at Christmas. Let’s keep our eyes open and our hearts tender towards those who need our help this Christmas season.

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December . . .  one of the busiest months of the year.

Life is crazy busy sometimes, yet it seems like December can be the craziest. Two of our kids do winter sports. One of our kids is working 5 days a week. I had registration for one child in our local college that does dual enrollment classes. There are the normal activities like school, doctor appointments, church, laundry. Then we add in the baking, shopping, wrapping of presents, Christmas cards, cantatas, caroling, and more. It can be overwhelming!

So how do we remember to keep Christ in the Christmas season?

I don’t claim to be the best at keeping the Reason for the season always in the forefront of my thoughts as I go about my busy days; yet I want to. I want my priorities to be right. So here are some things we are doing this year to keep the true meaning of Christmas in front of us.

• We go caroling to our shut-ins at our church and to a couple of local nursing homes. If we can give to others who are lonely and need some joy at this time of the year, it will help us to remember why Jesus came. I take along some our baked goodies to give to them.
• We try to give to someone in need. Sometimes we do Operation Christmas Child. This year we provided for a couple of children’s Christmas gifts using the Angel Tree organization. I sometimes will include a book like THIS in the package.
• We give to special offerings at our church to help out our missionaries to also remember that Christmas should be about giving.
• We read the Christmas story plus some fun story books such as The Candymaker’s Gift and The Crippled Lamb.

• We are in our church’s Christmas cantata.
• There are many advent readings available that we sometimes read. Here is a post about some advent readings that are available and John Piper has one available for a free download HERE. We sometimes have done What God Wants for Christmas the week of Christmas and Adorenaments the couple of weeks leading up to Christmas. (This is similar to my Adorenament set.)
• I sometimes study the Christmas stories in Matthew and Luke in my personal devotions.
• We play Christmas music that shares the real meaning of Christmas.

We also have fun doing the secular aspects of Christmas such as looking at lights and singing fun secular Christmas songs, but we try to keep the focus on Christ.

What do you do to keep the focus on Christ at Christmas time?

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On Saturday, I am giving a challenge at our ladies Christmas party. The challenge will be a little different as it is a little bit of a heavier subject that normal for ladies Christmas parties.

I’m going to talk about the five ladies mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy. Three of the five ladies had messy pasts. Four of the five ladies were Gentiles. Yet God mentions these ladies intentionally.

As I started to think about the ladies God mentioned in the Matthew genealogy of Jesus, I wondered, “Why does He include those ladies and not other ladies?”

The first four ladies mentioned are worthy of special note as examples of God’s grace. They show how God can take unlikely people and use them in great ways. As we look at a brief summary of these ladies lives, maybe you can relate to one of the ladies; and as you see how God cared for them, you can see how God also cares for you.

The first lady that is mentioned in the ancestry of Jesus is Tamar. I am calling her The Forsaken One.

We find the story of Tamar in Genesis 38, where Judah acquires her to be the son of his oldest son.Here is a very brief summary of what we know about her. She was probably a Canaanite woman. Her husband was killed by God because of his wickedness. The second son was then given to her in marriage, and he was killed after he refused to get her pregnant. She was then supposed to wait for the third son, which she probably would never been given to in marriage. She was trapped in a Jewish house where she would remain for the rest of her life with no children, the only way to have meaning in her life as a woman in her day and age. So she takes matters into her own hands and pretends to be a prostitute, and she gets pregnant with her father-in-law. Messy, right? Yet somehow, God includes her in the line of Jesus’s ancestry.

When I hear this story, many thoughts go through my head. What a disfunctional family! What a miserable life Tamar must have had! Her first husband was so wicked, God killed him. Her second husband probably hated her for being forced into marriage with her. Then everyone probably hated her when the two oldest sons of Judah died. Some commentaries speculate that Judah may have even suspected her of killing his two sons. She may have been living in a very solitary condition with no friends or family. She left her family to be married to this Jewish family. She must have felt so forsaken, so isolated, so unloved. Spurgeon said of these four ladies, “He (God) is akin to the fallen and to the lowly, and he will show his love even to the poorest and most obscure.” We see that with the inclusion of these four ladies. He saw her in her forsaken and lonely condition and He chose to use her. For anyone that feels forsaken at this time of life or you just are incredibly lonely, God sees you and He cares about you! He knows your name and He has a plan for you!

The second lady we see is Rahab. I am calling her The Courageous One.

Again, Rahab was not a Jewish lady. She is a Canaanite woman who is a “bad” women. She is an actual prostitute. Here is a terrific story of a woman of incredible faith. She hides the two Israelite men who are spying out the land of Jericho. Then she lies about knowing where they are. If she had been caught, she could have been killed!

She goes against her culture; she is considered a traitor to her people; yet she had faith that was worth dying for. That faith gave her life, here on this earth and eternal life. She believed in her heart, and when she believed, she was willing to forsake all she knew to follow the true God. We know this because of what she says in Joshua 2:11, “And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.” Not only did she have faith in her heart, she acted upon her faith! She showed her faith by her works. James says in James 2:25, “Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?” Not only does God include her in the genealogy of Christ, but he included her in Hebrews 11 as one of the heroes of faith. She married Salmon, a Jew whom tradition says was one of the spies she hid. They had a son, Boaz, who grows up to become a righteous and godly man (Ruth 2:1).

Not everyone comes from Christian homes. Rahab believed when no one around her did. Many of us have done things in our past of which we are not proud. Be courageous. Have faith to do what’s right now, even if you go against the cultural norms. Even if it means you lose friends and family. We don’t have to continue to live the way we always have. With God’s help, we can change. We can live in a way that will glorify God from here on out. Be like Rahab – trust in God alone and then start living in faith, depending on Him to help you to daily do what is right. In the end, we see how a former prostitute raises a godly son and becomes part of the lineage of Christ.

The third lady mentioned is Ruth, whom I am calling The Loyal One.

Ruth is also a Canaanite. She married a Jewish man who came to her country with his family due to famine. He dies, and her mother-in-law, Naomi decides to return to her homeland in Israel. She tells her daughter-in-laws to remain with their families, but Ruth replies with the now famous verses, “Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. widow. (Ruth 1:16-17)

Ruth’s response is extraordinary, for she is under no obligation to care for Naomi.  “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” is a radical thought because it signals that Ruth is changing her identity in a world where that was almost inconceivable. The ancient world had no mechanism for religious conversion or change of citizenship; the very notion was unthinkable. Religion and peoplehood defined one’s ethnic identity, and this could no more be changed than the color of one’s skin. A Moabite was always a Moabite, wherever he or she lived. And indeed, Ruth is referred to throughout the story as “the Moabitess.” But from Ruth’s point of view, she is becoming an Israelite. She is joining herself to Naomi not only on the private family level, but also on the national peoplehood level. She went against all cultural norms to do what she knew God wanted her to do.

Maybe you can identify with Ruth. Maybe you too have chosen to leave all to follow God. He will bless you when you follow Him! Maybe you can see yourself in Ruth because you have been loyal, staying true and obedient to what God has asked you to do. We see through the life of Ruth that obedience in everyday life pleases God. When we reflect His character through our interactions with others, we bring glory to Him. Continue to be faithful and loyal!

The fourth lady that is mentioned is Bathsheba. I call her either The Misunderstood One or The Forgiven One.

Bathsheba – Why did God choose to put her in the genealogy as “David the king begat Solomon of her of Urias”? I read different notes and there are different takes on the story of David and Bathsheba. Some say she was totally innocent of the adultery that happened between her and David – that it was basically rape by a powerful man. Some say that she knew that she could be seen by others (David) when she was washing. I don’t know. We do know that she was once again probably a Gentile woman as she was married to Uriah a Hittite who was one of David’s 30 most loyal and best warriors. So because we know so little about Bathsheba, it is debated as whether she was innocent or guilty. She has probably been one misunderstood woman throughout history. Maybe you can relate to her. You feel like no one has really seen you for you. That people misread your intentions and your actions. That people have judged you for your past or for what your family has done. Well, take hope! God took this Gentile woman and used her! He included her in the lineage of Jesus!

Not only did God use  her, but He forgave her! 2 Samuel 12:24 says, “And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.” Whether she seduced David or she was taken advantage of, God forgave her and David after David repented. He loved her son Solomon, and she and David brought him up to love the Lord more than any of David’s other sons.

We see from her life that we can rise above our past mistakes and still let God use us. We just have to allow Him to forgive us and to remember that we are forgiven. We have to be willing to accept His forgiveness and to leave our past behind. We can’t let our past define us; we have to let God’s grace and forgiveness define us!

The last lady we see mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus is Mary, his mother. I’m calling her The Trusting One or The Positive One.

What do we know about Mary? Again, we do not know much. We do know that she is a young teenager Jewess who is engaged to be married to a man named Joseph. I’ve always wondered why God picked her out of all the other Jewish young ladies. What made her “highly favored” of God?

Again, only a little bit is known about Mary, but what we do see is her willingness to trust and obey God. In Luke 1, she asks one question of the angel, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” That’s a reasonable question! The angel tells her that the Holy Spirit will impregnate her. She had to know the Scriptures and many knew that the Messiah should come around this time because of prophecy. She did not question what the angel said. Her only response was, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”

Wow! What is my response when God puts hard things into my life. Do I say, “Here I am. I will do whatever you want me to do?” She trusted God to do what was right, and she was willing to be used. Do I trust that God is good even when bad things happen? Do I trust God that He will make all things good in the end when I can’t see the end from the beginning? Mary trusted.

Mary kept her focus on the big picture, on the end result. She stayed positive. Instead of looking at the immediate rejection that would come and how she might be mocked and scorned for becoming pregnant outside of wedlock, she concentrates on how she is doing the will of God and how God will bless the world through her baby.

Listen to her testimony:

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. Luke 1:46-49

What can we learn from Mary? Magnify God even during the hard times. Remember the big picture. One day we will be with God for eternity. He is mighty. He has done great things. He is our Savior. Holy is His name.

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This month, I am studying Psalm 118 for my devotions. I use a yearly subscription to Mama’s Refill, where the author, Pam Forster, walks us through inductive Bible studies. In Day 3, she had us go read some online commentaries about Psalm 118. I didn’t get very far as I only had about 15 minutes to do my devotions before I went to work, and I was so thrilled in the first commentary I read.

Here are some of the highlights from C. H. Spurgeon’s notes on Psalm 118 found in the Treasury of David:

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 118:1

The author wants us to praise God with him. I love this quote, “Grateful hearts are greedy of men’s tongues, and would monopolize them all for God’s glory. ”

Here is another wonderful thought:

Have we been of a forgetful or murmuring spirit? Let us hear the lively language of the text, and allow it to speak to our hearts: “Cease your complaining, cease from all self glorification, and give thanks unto the Lord.” “For he is good.” This is reason enough for giving him thanks; goodness is his essence and nature, and therefore he is always to be praised whether we are receiving anything from him or not.

Wow! I know I can have a forgetful or murmuring spirit at times. What a great reminder to thank God when I feel like complaining, because He is always good.

Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
 Let them now that fear the Lord say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
Psalm 118:2-4

Here is a wonderful thought about praising God now:

In the three exhortations, to Israel, to the house of Aaron, and to them that fear the Lord, there is a repetition of the exhortation to say, “that his mercy endureth for ever.” We are not only to believe, but to declare the goodness of God; truth is not to be hushed up, but proclaimed. God would have his people act as witnesses, and not stand silent in the day when his honour is impugned. Specially is it our joy to speak out to the honour and glory of God when we think up, in the exaltation of his dear Son. We should shout “Hosannah,” and sing loud “Hallelujahs” when we behold the stone which the builders rejected lifted into its proper place.
In each of the three exhortations notice carefully the word “now.” There is no time like time present for telling out the praises of God.

Are you telling others about the goodness of God. This should be such an exciting truth, that we cannot stay quiet! Every day, when we wake up, that day is the “now”. Every day, God is good and merciful, so every day, we should praise Him!

The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.
Psalm 118:15

Tabernacles means tents — or dwellings. We who are saved should have homes full of rejoicing. Thankful, joyful homes.

The families of believers are happy, and they should take pains to give their happiness a voice by their family devotion. . . . Let none of us be silent in our households: if we have salvation let us have joy, and if we have joy let us give it a tongue wherewith it may magnify the Lord.

I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.
Psalm 118:21

Here we can see God is a personal God to the psalmist. The psalmist address God and praises Him.

How well it is in all our songs of praise to let the heart have direct and distinct communion with God himself!

We should also be specific in our praise.

He praises God by mentioning his favours, weaving his song out of the divine goodness which he had experienced. In these words he gives the reason for his praise,—his answered prayer, and the deliverance which he had received in consequence. 

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 118:29

Let’s start and end our day with praising God for He is good! His mercy endureth forever!

There are many other Thanksgiving printables I have shared over the years. Here is the link to most of them. Last week’s printable can be found HERE, and the four printables from the week before can be found HERE.

Here were a couple of my favorite posts from last week:

• Thanksgiving Unity Study from Jennifer Lambert
• Three Steps for Appreciating the Effort not the Outcome from A Hippy and a Redneck

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Every Thanksgiving season, I like to spend extra time contemplating how much I have for which I can give thanks.

Last week, I wrote a post on being thankful for God’s goodness. I shared four printables that you or your kids could use to journal what you are thankful for this season. Today, I prepared a printable that includes 6 ways that God is good to us. You can print it out and meditate on these truths. I know I am starting to feel stressed already. If we take just a few minutes each day reflecting on how good God is to us, it will remind us to keep our priorities in check and be thankful for what we already have.

To get in a true gratitude frame of mind, not only can we focus on the goodness of God, but we can also spend time considering God’s amazing attributes.

Here are ten of God’s attributes. Maybe take time to praise God for a different attribute daily.

1. God is immutable – He never changes.

   The same God that worked miracles in the Bible can work miracles today! The promises of God that are for all people are for us today.
   Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Hebrews 13:8

2. God is omnipotent – He is all powerful.

   He is mighty to save and He is greater than anyone or anything else.
   Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: Jeremiah 32:17

3. God is omnipresent – He is everywhere.

   He is here for us in the good and the bad times.
   Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. Psalm 139:7-10

4. God is faithful.

   Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; Deuteronomy 7:9

5. God is good.

   O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good. Psalm 136:1

6. God is just — He is right and perfect in all He does.

   Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. Isaiah 30:18 ESV

7. God is merciful.

   For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Psalm 86:5

8. God is gracious.

   But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. Psalm 86:15

9. God is loving.

   He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. I John 4:8-10

10. God is holy.

     There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. I Samuel 2:2

Next week, I’ll share more attributes of God. Praise God for Who He is!

I’ll also try to make more printables for these attributes of God. If I keep these truths before me during the day, I find it much easier to remember to give thanks.

There are many other Thanksgiving printables I have shared over the years. Here is the link to most of them.

Here were a couple of my favorite posts from last week:

• Thankful Thursdays from Finding Green in the Desert
• 4 Ways to Make a Difference in Someone’s Life from Soul Survival

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

* homemaking * homeschooling * devotional or Biblical posts * Christian in nature * family/marriage * inspirational *

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I love November and the emphasis on being thankful.

I can get focused on my earthly worries and finances and children — and forget to keep my focus on God and how is so good. Over my years of blogging, I have done many posts on being thankful and on the goodness of God; however, I don’t think anyone can ever be too thankful. It’s always good to stop and consider what God has done for you.

As I was thinking of the verse Psalm 136:1 where it says, “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good,” I thought, “How can I thank God for being good to me?”

There are many materialistic things for which I can give thanks to God such as shelter, food, and clothing. There are many personal things that I can be thankful for such as my family and friends. Thanking God for the blessings He has given us is important as we acknowledge God’s goodness to us.

But more importantly, I should praise God for who He is. For His being good. He is good all the time — whether or not it seems like I have received materialistic blessings or personal blessings.

How is God good? Here are just a few ways He is good:

• He loves us.

  Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 107:1 ESV

• His love gave a gift of eternal life to anyone who will accept that gift.

  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

• His goodness leads us to repentance.

  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? Romans 2:4

• He is compassionate and merciful to us — even though we don’t deserve it.

  The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. Psalm 145:9 ESV

• God can work good out of even bad circumstances.

  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

• We can experience the goodness of God when we trust in Him!

  O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Psalm 34:8

• He is the One who has given us all our good gifts.

  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17

To help you focus on being thankful this month and to remember the goodness of God, here are some printables!

Click on the pictures to print out the sheets below!

 

 

 

There are many other Thanksgiving printables I have shared over the years. Here is the link to most of them.

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

* homemaking * homeschooling * devotional or Biblical posts * Christian in nature * family/marriage * inspirational *

1. 1. Do NOT link up recipes, reviews, giveaways, diy, or crafts.
   2. Link up to three posts that have not been linked up to this linky previously!
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