Don’t look down on anyone unless you are helping them up.
Draw close to God and He will draw close to you.
We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of
silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass – grows in silence; se the stars, the moon and
the sun, how they move in silence.. We need silence to be able to touch souls. – Mother
Tersa
If God sends us on stony paths, He provides strong shoes. –Corrie ten Boom
Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more,
so that we may fear less. –Marie Curie
BE BRAVE… Even if you are not. Pretend to Be. No one can tell the Difference . –Jackson Brown
Trust in His timing. Rely on His promise. Wait for His answers. Believe His words. Rejoice in His
goodness. Relax in His Presence. Come Near to God and He will come near to you.
We are only given TODAY and never promised TOMORROW. So make sure you tell the PEOPLE
who are special in your life, that you LOVE them.
TO PRAY is to let go and let GOD take over. (Philippians 4:6-7)
Do not expect to become perfect at once. If you do, you will be disappointed. Be BETTER today
than you were yesterday, and be BETTER tomorrow than you are TODAY. – Lorenzo Snoue
In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. (Pr. 3:6)
Dear Lord, as I begin my journey toward spiritual growth, help me to look deep within myself
and let go of the old and embrace the new life that comes from you.
As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to to the same. –
Marriane Williamson
Everything that you need will come to you at a perfect time.
Remember when the Jesus was born. No Media, no world fanfare, not even a bed. But heaven
knew and sang!
Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle and the life of a candle will not be
shortened. Happiness never decreases from being shared.
THINK AND THANK. Think of all we have to be grateful for, and thank God for all our boond
and bounties.
1 Thessalonians 5:14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the
fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I
have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
1 John 4:9-11 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son
into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God
but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so
loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has
been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because
God is love.
God’s unfailing love for us is an objective fact affirmed over and over in the Scriptures. It is
true whether we believe it or not. Our doubts do not destroy God’s love, nor does our faith
create it. It originates in the very nature of God, who is love, and it flows to us through our
union with His beloved Son. ~ Jerry Bridges
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our
inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an
eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but
to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are
unseen are eternal.
John 4:13-14 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but
whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will
give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
C.S. Lewis Quotes on Hoping For Something More
“Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do
want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of
things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise.
“At present we are on the outside… the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and
purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the
pleasures we see. But all the pages of the New Testament are rustling with the rumor that it
will not always be so. Someday, God willing, we shall get “in”… We will put on glory… that
greater glory of which Nature is only the first sketch.
We do not want to merely “see” beauty–though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We
want something else which can hardly be put into words–to be united with the beauty we see,
to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.
Ephesians 4:29-32 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for
building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve
the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness
and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be
kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Colossians 3:12-14 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate
hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a
complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must
forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Ask, Seek, Find
Matthew 7:7,8 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened.
Mark 8:34-37 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto
them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow
me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake
and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the
whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matthew 5:43-44 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and
hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to
them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the
second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets.
The Christmas Tree
The true origin of the Christmas Tree is a mystery, judging from the many, many theories, ranging from the
Druids to one of England's 19th century kings. This much is certain: the evergreen is an ancient symbol of
eternal life, which we have through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. God created the evergreens,
and we don't mind reclaiming this symbol from pagans if need be. Tradtionally, the Christmas tree has a star
on top. When we look at a Christmas Tree, we are reminded of the eternal life we will enjoy in the presence of
Christ.
Lights
Christmas lights are another symbol that come from pagan origins, but were created by God. Lights signify
hope, happiness and safety. They represent the fact that Jesus is the Light of the World in the midst of
profound darkness. When we see Christmas lights on buildings and Christmas trees, and lit candles, we're
reminded of Jesus, the Light of the World.
Nativity Scenes
Nativity Scenes obviously come from the accounts in the Bible of the birth of Christ. Often 'the three wise men'
are included, however, they didn't appear on the scene until Jesus was somewhat older. We still enjoy their
inclusion in Nativity scenes. Also, the Bible doesn't mention how many wise men there were, but most likely
they were accompanied by a sizeable entourage. In France, it's customary to add figures that denote various
occupations, because Jesus is worshipped by, and sacrificed Himself for, people from all walks of life. Animals
are included because the place where Mary gave birth to Jesus was a shelter for animals. They laid the
newborn baby in the feeding trough or manger. It's not far fetched to think that several different kinds of
animals were present. Seeing the different creche figures reminds us that there were household animals and
ordinary people like us present where Jesus was born.
Christmas Red and Green
Red traditionally represents the sacrifice of blood that Jesus shed while hanging on the cross. Green
represents the evergreen, ie. eternal life. Holly is included with the evergreens, and even had special
significance because of the red berries it has. At one time holly was considered a holy plant: green for eternal
life, and red for the blood of Christ. We believe in the meaning of these symbols.
Candy Canes
There's a story that candy canes were invented by a Christian candy maker to represent the life of Christ.
White represents His purity, the red stripe His blood, 3 stripes to represent the Trinity, etc. Recently, there
have been claims that there was no such intended meaning-- the story is false. We don't know if it's true or
not, but it's too late: when we see candy canes, we think of the life of Christ!
Bells
In the days before people had phones, wall calendars, wrist watches, etc, the church, which was the center of
the community, would ring its bell(s) to call people to church services, toll someone's death, etc. The bells
were (and still are, in some places) rung to announce the anniversary of Christ's birth. When we see
Christmas bells, we are reminded of the joyful announcement of Jesus' birth.
Stars
Stars are one of the most well known symbols of Christmas. Stars at Christmas time represent the biblical
Star of Bethlehem which was a beacon of reckoning for the wise men to follow, in order to come worship the
child Jesus, the little King of the Jews. It is said that they travelled so far that by the time they found Jesus, He
was a couple years old. When we see stars at Christmas time, they remind us of that special star that showed
foreign dignitaries where Jesus was.
Gifts
One of the best things about Christmas for most people, is getting and receiving gifts. Giving one another
presents is a ritual straight from the Bible. Salvation is called in the New Testament 'A free gift'. Jesus is God's
gift to human beings. We give each other gifts because God set the precedent by giving so much to us, in the
form of His creation, His Son, and Himself. When we see Christmas presents they remind us of the most
precious gift God gave us-- the way to Heaven through Jesus.
Angels
Angels come to us via the Bible. According to Scripture they are real creatures, agents of God (and created
separately from people... angels aren't really people who died and went to heaven). The word 'angel' just
means messenger. It's interesting that the only angels mentioned in the Bible have masculine names, yet in
today's western culture they're almost always portrayed as females. The Bible also records angels doing
battle, aiding people and worshipping God. It says that God dispatches angels to relay messages to humans.
An angel told Mary she would have a baby and call him Jesus. Some angels were seen by shepherds singing
in Heaven. They told the shepherds that Jesus was born, and where to find Him. It's very cool that every time
an angel contacted a human, the first thing they had to tell the person was, "Don't be afraid"...they must be
very, very awesome. Throughtout history and to this day, all over the world, in every culture and every religion,
reports of angel-sightings abound. When we see angel decorations during the Christmas season, we think of
the ones who told the shepherds where to find and worship Jesus.
Saint Nicholas
You won't find any jolly, fat, red-suited Santas in our home at Christmas time, but we do acknowledge the
original St. Nicklaus who lived in what is now modern-day Turkey back in the 3rd or 4th century. He was a
devout Christian who served and helped poor people, living out the dictates of Jesus Christ. We honor him
because he set us an excellent example. The Christmas stocking has many supposed origins. One is that
children left their stockings on the fireplace mantle to dry, and St. Nick tiptoed in the door and dropped treats
into them.
Poinsettia
The Poinsettia, a plant native to Mexico, became a Christmas symbol because it was said to represent the
blood Jesus shed on the cross, as well as the star of Bethlehem. Mexican legend tells of a poor girl who could
only offer the Baby Jesus a handful of weeds, but when she gave them to Him they blossomed into lush red
plants.
