John 1:14

There was once a man who didn't believe in the incarnation of Christ or the spiritual meaning of Christmas, and was skeptical about God.

He and his family lived in a farm community. His wife was a devout believer and diligently raised her children in her faith. He sometimes gave her a hard time about her faith and mocked her observance of Christmas. "It's all nonsense - why would God lower himself and become a human like us?! It's such a  ridiculous story!" he said.

One snowy day, she and the children left for church while he stayed home.  After they had left, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blinding snowstorm.  He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening.

Then he heard a loud thump, something hitting against the window. And another thump. He looked outside but couldn't see.  So he ventured outside to see. In the field near his house he saw, of all the strangest things, a flock of geese! They were apparently flying to look for a warmer area down south, but had been caught in the snow storm.

The storm had become too blinding and violent for the geese to fly or see their way. They were stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter, unable to do more than flutter their wings and fly in aimless circles.

He had compassion for them and wanted to help them. He thought to himself, "The barn would be a great place for them to stay! It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm."

So he opened the barn doors for them. He waited, watching them, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside. But they didn't notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them.  He moved closer toward them to get their attention, but they just moved away from him out of fear. He went into the house and came back out with some bread, broke it up, and made a bread trail to the barn.  They still didn't catch on. 

Starting to get frustrated, he went over and tried to shoo them toward the barn. They panicked and scattered into every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where there was warmth, safety and shelter.

Feeling totally frustrated, he exclaimed, "Why don't they follow me?  Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?  How can I possibly get them into the one place to save them?"   He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human. He said to himself, "How can I possibly save them? The only way would be for me to become like those geese. If only I could become like one of them!  Then I could save them!  I could speak to them in their own language and they could understand me.  They would follow me and I would lead them to safety."

At that moment, he stopped and considered what he had said. The words reverberated in his mind: "If only I could become like one of them - then I could save them."  And then, at last, he understood God's heart towards mankind, and he fell on his knees in the snow and worshipped Him.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  We beheld His Glory, the Glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of Grace and Truth!" John 1:14

"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

-dave langerfeld

...brighter

 Herman and I locked our general store and dragged ourselves home. It was 11:00 p.m., Christmas Eve of 1949. We were dog tired. We had sold almost all of our toys; and all of the layaways, except one package, had been picked up. Usually we kept the store open until everything had been claimed. We wouldn't have been happy on Christmas knowing that some child's gift was still on the layaway shelf. But the person who had put a dollar down on the package never returned.

Early Christmas morning we and our twelve-year-old son, Tom, opened gifts. But I'll tell you, there was something humdrum about this Christmas. Tom was growing up; I missed his childish exuberance of past years. As soon as breakfast was over Tom left to visit his friend next door. Herman mumbled, "I'm going back to sleep. There's nothing left to stay up for." So there I was alone, feeling let down.

And then it began. A strange, persistent urge. It seemed to be telling me to go to the store. I looked at the sleet and icy sidewalk outside. That's crazy, I said to myself. I tried dismissing the urge, but it wouldn't leave me alone. In fact, it was getting stronger. Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer, and I got dressed. Outside, the wind cut right through me and the sleet stung my cheeks. I groped my way to the store, slipping and sliding.

In front stood two boys, one about nine, and the other six. What in the world? "See, I told you she would come!" the older boy said jubilantly. The younger one's face was wet with tears, but when he saw me, his sobbing stopped. "What are you two doing out here?" I scolded, hurrying them into the store. "You should be at home on a day like this!" They were poorly dressed. They had no hats or gloves, and their shoes barely held together. I rubbed their icy hands, and got them up close to the heater.

"We've been waiting for you," replied the older boy. "My little brother Jimmy didn't get any Christmas." He touched Jimmy's shoulder. "We want to buy some skates. That's what he wants. We have these three dollars," he said, pulling the bills from his pocket. I looked at the money. I looked at their expectant faces. And then I looked around the store. "I'm sorry," I said, "but we have no --"  Then my eye caught sight of the lay-away shelf with its lone package. "Wait a minute," I told the boys. I walked over, picked up the package, unwrapped it and, miracle of miracles, there was a pair of skates! Jimmy reached for them. Lord, let them be his size. And miracle added upon miracle, they were his size.

The older boy presented the dollars to me. "No," I told him, "I want you to have these skates, and I want you to use your money to get some gloves." The boys just blinked at first. Then their eyes became like saucers, and their grins stretched wide when they understood I was giving them the skates. What I saw in Jimmy's eyes was a blessing. It was pure joy, and it was beautiful. My spirits rose.

We walked out together, and as I locked the door, I turned to the older brother and said, "How did you know I would come?" I wasn't prepared for his reply. His gaze was steady, and he answered me softly.  "I asked Jesus to send you."

The tingles in my spine weren't from the cold. God had planned this. As we waved good-bye, I turned home for a brighter Christmas.

-david langerfeld

....ochs

Nola Ochs was born November 22, 1911, and is an American college graduate. Nothing seems amazing about this—until you learn that she graduated from Fort Hays State University in Kansas on May 14, 2007. When you put the math together, you will discover that she received her degree at the age of 95, making her a Guinness World Record holder as the world’s oldest college graduate! She graduated alongside her granddaughter, Alexandra Ochs, who was 21 years old at the time. Nola earned a general studies degree with an emphasis in history. Governor Kathleen Sebelius presented her diploma.

Nola somehow got sidetracked in life from completing studies she began in 1930. Seventy-seven years later she went back to school and completed her bachelor’s degree. But wait! After taking time to help with the family’s wheat harvest, Nola started pursuing her master’s degree in liberal studies in August 2007. She received her master’s on May 15, 2010, making her the oldest recipient of a master’s degree at age 98! 

Nola once told a news reporter, while she was back in school, that when she graduated she wanted to be a storyteller on a cruise ship. After graduation, Princess Cruises hired her to be a guest lecturer on a nine-day Caribbean cruise. She took her granddaughter along. Nola commented, “I’ve led a long, interesting life. We went through the dust storms. We had some difficult times in our marriage, financially. But it’s been the Lord’s will that I’ve lived this long life, and I thank Him kindly for it.” She is especially proud to be the matriarch of a family that has included four sons, 13 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren. 

David’s famous Psalm 91, which describes the safety of abiding in the presence of God, teaches us to honor God. “Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place,no evil shall befall you” (Psalm 91:9, 10). Though difficulties have come into the life of Nola, she has honored the Lord for her long life. That is the best graduation present anyone could wish for! 

"With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation."Psalms 91:16

-doug batchelor

...wonderful

You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations Psalm 77:14

Bertrand Russell claimed that the fear of boredom causes at least half the sins of mankind. We’ve never been more advanced technologically. We’re constantly flooded with new developments, trends, and discoveries in science and technology.

Yet amazingly, we still get bored. For instance, you might get the latest and greatest gadget and be thrilled with it. But after a couple of weeks (or maybe even less), you become bored with it. Or a new model hits the market that suddenly makes your version outdated.

We need to realize this world doesn’t have what we’re searching for. God created us to know Him.

The Bible says of Jesus, the Messiah, “And His name will be called Wonderful” Isaiah 9:6.

In contrast to the passing things of this world, Jesus is wonderful. There’s nothing this world has to offer that will satisfy our desire for wonder, our desire to know more than what we’re experiencing. In fact, a lot of our technology can dull our senses to the extent that we fail to enjoy how wonderful life is.

The psalmist David wrote, “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?” Psalm 8:3–4

As I contemplate this wonderful God and the sacrifice He made for us, it gives me a sense of awe, wonder, bewilderment, and yes, worship. The fact that God would love us in spite of our shortcomings and sinfulness should cause us to bow in worship.

When you know this wonderful God, He will satisfy the deepest needs of your life.

-greg laurie 

...lost

 

Have you ever been driving down the freeway on a beautiful day and enjoying yourself when suddenly you notice flashing red and blue lights behind you? Your first thought might be, “Oh no! Was I speeding?” You glance down and, sure enough, you’re going 15 miles-an-hour over the speed limit. What would the highway patrol officer say to you if you told him, “But I didn’t mean to speed!” or “I thought I was going the speed limit!”

 

The fact is—you still broke the law. 

Likewise, Jesus warns us that some people might think they are going down the road to heaven, enjoying themselves, and minding their own business. But what they think does not change God’s expectations. Christ said you can know that you are on the path to eternal life if you are seeking to do “the will of My Father in heaven.” Truth is not shaped by our feelings or hopes. It stands solid, regardless of what we might think. So how do we know we are doing God’s will? 

We know we are going in the right direction when there is an intimate connection between ourselves and the Lord. It’s more than just doing the “right” things. “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ” Matthew 7:22. These are all good things, but there is something more that goes deeper than outward actions. 

Jesus explains to outward doers of the law, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”v. 23. When we try to carry out God’s law without a changed heart, the actions are worthless. It shows that we are not really doing God’s will because our motives have not changed. People who have the assurance of salvation live lives of service motivated by unselfish love. This is the will of the Father in heaven. 

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 7:21

-doug batchelor

...missing

About a week before Christmas, the family bought a new nativity set. When they unpacked it, they found two figures of the Baby Jesus.

"Someone must have packed this wrong," the mother said, counting out the figures. "We have one Joseph, one Mary, three wise men, three shepherds, two lambs, a donkey, a cow, an angel and two babies. Oh, dear! I suppose some set down at the store is missing a Baby Jesus because we have two."

"You two run back down to the store and tell the manager that we have an extra Jesus. Tell him to put a sign on the remaining boxes, saying that if a set is missing a Baby Jesus, call 7126. Put on your warm coats. It is freezing out there."

The manager of the store copied down mother's message and the next time they were in the store they saw the cardboard sign that read, "If you are missing Baby Jesus, call 7126." All week long they waited for someone to call. Surely, they thought someone was missing that important figurine. Each time the phone rang, mother would say, "I'll bet that's about Jesus.", but it never was.

Father tried to explain there are thousands of these scattered over the country, and the figurine could be missing from a set in Florida or Texas or California. Those packing mistakes happen all the time. He suggested to just put the extra Jesus back in the box and forget about it.

"Put Baby Jesus back in the box! What a terrible thing to do!" said the children. "Surely someone will call," mother said. "We'll just keep the two of them together in the manger until someone calls."

When no call had come by 5:00 PM on Christmas Eve, mother insisted that father just run down to the store to see if there were any sets left. "You can see them right through the window, over on the counter," she said. "If they are all gone, I'll know someone is bound to call tonight."

"Run down to the store?" father thundered. "It's 15 below zero out there!"  "Oh, Daddy, we'll go with you," Tommy and Mary began to put on their coats.  Father gave a long sigh and headed for the front closet. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered.

Tommy and Mary ran ahead as father reluctantly walked out in the cold. Mary got to the store first and pressed her nose up to the store window. "They're all gone, Daddy," she shouted. "Every set must be sold."

"Hooray" Tommy said. "The mystery will now be solved tonight!"

Father heard the news still a half block away and immediately turned on his heel and headed back home. When they got back into the house, they noticed that mother was gone and so was the extra Baby Jesus figurine. "Someone must have called and she went out to deliver the figurine," my father reasoned, pulling off his boots. "You kids get ready for bed while I wrap mother's present."

Then the phone rang. Father yelled "answer the phone and tell 'em we found a home for Jesus." But it was mother calling with instructions for us to come to 205 Chestnut Street immediately, and bring three blankets, a box of cookies and some milk..

"Now what has she gotten us into?" my father groaned as we bundled up again.  "205 Chestnut. Why that's across town. Wrap that milk up good in the blankets or it will turn to ice before we get there. Why can't we all just get on with Christmas? It's probably 20 below out there now. And the wind is picking up. Of all the crazy things to do on a night like this!"

When they got to the house at 205 Chestnut Street, it was the darkest one on the block. Only one tiny light burned in the living room and, the moment we set foot on the porch steps, my mother opened the door and shouted, "They're here, Oh thank God, you got here, Ray! You kids take those blankets into the living room and wrap up the little ones on the couch. I'll take the milk and cookies."

"Would you mind telling me what is going on, Ethel?" my father asked. "We have just walked through below zero weather with the wind in our faces all the way."

"Never mind all that now," my mother interrupted. "There is no heat in this house and this young mother is so upset she doesn't know what to do. Her husband walked out on her and those poor little children will have a very bleak Christmas, so don't you complain. I told her you could fix that oil furnace in a jiffy."

My mother strode off to the kitchen to warm the milk while my brother and I wrapped up the five little children who were huddled together on the couch.  The children's mother explained to my father that her husband had run off, taking bedding, clothing, and almost every piece of furniture, but she had been doing all right until the furnace broke down.

"I been din washin' and ironin' for people and cleanin' the five and dime," she said. "I saw your number every day there, on those boxes on the counter. When the furnace went out, that number kept going' through my mind... 7162... 7162."

"Said on the box that if a person was missin' Jesus, they should call you.  That's how I knew you were good Christian people, willin' to help folks. I figured that maybe you would help me, too. So I stopped at the grocery store tonight and I called your missus. I'm not missin' Jesus, mister, because I sure love the Lord. But I am missin' heat. I have no money to fix that furnace."

"Okay, Okay" said father. "You've come to the right place. Now lets see. You've got a little oil burner over there in the dining room. Shouldn't be too hard to fix. Probably just a clogged flue. I'll look it over, see what it needs."

Mother came into the living room carrying a plate of cookies and warm milk.  As she set the cups down on the coffee table, I noticed the figure of Baby Jesus lying in the center of the table. It was the only sign of Christmas in the house. The children stared with wide eyed with wonder at the plate of cookies my mother sat before them.

Father finally got the oil burner working but said, "you need more oil."  "I'll make a few calls tonight and get some oil." "Yes sir, you came to the right place," said the woman...

On the way home, father did not complain about the cold weather and had barely set foot inside the door when he was on the phone. "Ed, hey, how are ya, Ed? Yes, Merry Christmas to you, too. Say, Ed, we have kind of an unusual situation here. I know you've got that pick-up truck. Do you still have some oil in that barrel on your truck?"

"You do?"

By this time the rest of the family were pulling clothes out of their closets and toys off of their shelves. It was long after their bedtime when they were wrapping gifts. The pickup came. On it were chairs, three lamps, blankets and gifts. Even though it was 30 below, Father let them ride along in the back of the truck.

No one ever did call about the missing figure in the nativity set, but as I grow older I realize that it wasn't a packing mistake at all. Jesus saves, that's what He does.

-jean gietzen

---influenza

 Most people think the deadliest plague in history was the bubonic plague that killed two million victims a year. Actually, the deadliest plague occurred in the 20th century! And it started right here in the USA. It was the influenza of 1918 that hit right after World War I.

The war killed nine million men in four years, but this killer flu took at least 25 million lives in one year. In the first year, nearly 20 million cases were reported in the United States alone, accounting for almost one million deaths. That’s more than were killed during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War combined. 

It all started on March 11, 1918, at Camp Funston, Kansas, when a company cook reported to the infirmary with typical flu symptoms. By noon, 107 soldiers were sick. Within two days, 522 people were sick, many gravely ill with severe pneumonia, the deadliest part of the sickness. Reports started coming in from other military bases. Within a week, every state in the Union had been infected by this airborne killer. In two months it spread to South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. 

The United States had the lowest death toll. But a large percentage of the Eskimo population was wiped out in Nome, Alaska. Eighty to 90 percent of the Samoan population was infected, many survivors dying from starvation, too weak to feed themselves. The disease seemed to peak within three weeks of entering a given city, then subsided. In the end, it’s estimated 25 to 35 million people died worldwide. 

Eighteen months after the disease appeared, the flu bug vanished, leaving a mystery as to its source, until March 1997, when Armed Forces Institute of Pathology researchers found specimens that 1918 Army doctors had preserved. It appears the virus started from birds, passed to pigs, and then to humans. These are the deadliest of all viruses because when the hearty pig immune system kicks into action the virus is forced to mutate. Both the deadly Asian flu (1957) and the Hong Kong flu (1968) came from mutated pig viruses. 

The scary part is that hog farms continue to breed pigs for food near populated areas. It could happen again! Perhaps this is one of the reasons God said people should not eat pigs. His laws are always intended to bless us. 

"And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you." Leviticus 11:7

-doug batchelor

...sign

There are some examples in the Bible in which people have asked the Lord for a sign and God responded to their request. Gideon was an Old Testament soldier called by God to lead an army and save Israel from the Midianites. He humbly asked for more than one sign, to which the Angel of the Lord obliged Judges 6:11–40. 

But in the New Testament, we find a sobering statement by Christ to the scribes and Pharisees who said, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You” Matthew 12:38. You might think this is an innocent request, but if you look at the whole chapter, you see constant opposition against Jesus. They accuse Him of breaking the Sabbath, they plot to destroy Him, and claim He uses the power of Satan. 

It is to these wicked leaders to whom Christ said, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign.” Jesus had plainly spoken to them. Evidence of His divine mission had already been shown, yet they continued to resist Him. Unlike Gideon, their motives were not genuine. They were not seeking to believe, but to destroy. A sign would not change their hearts. They were not interested in God’s truth. 

Christ once said of these stubborn religious leaders, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead” Luke 16:31. Notice their response to Lazarus being raised from the dead. “Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, ‘What shall we do? For this Man works many signs.’ … Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death” John 11:47, 53 

When the Word of God has been plainly spoken, we do not need a sign to determine whether we should obey the Lord. If our motive is to follow God, He will make the truth plain to us. 

"But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:"Matthew 12:39

-doug batchelor

....rock

In the spring of 1921, a small group of British soldiers patrolling the Sinai Peninsula became completely lost in a terrible sandstorm. Wandering in the blistering desert, they soon ran out of water. Facing death from thirst, they decided to dig in the sand, hoping to create a well. 

As this effort proved fruitless, one of the men suddenly remembered the passage in the Bible where Moses struck the desert rock, and God brought forth water for the children of Israel. He reminded his companions they were in the same Sinai Desert and pointed to a rock outcropping nearby. Why not, he asked, try to find water just as Moses had done?

The men were desperate enough to try anything, so they went to the rock and started to swing at the ledge with a small pick. Then, as they frantically struck out, a miracle occurred—a dribble of clear, sweet water came out of the face of the rock. The rock was actually soft limestone, and part of it covered a hidden spring. This steady trickle of water kept the men alive until they were rescued. 

Have you ever wondered if God still answers prayer today like He did in the Bible? Countless times, modern men and women of faith have testified that He does! But the best part is that we don’t need to rely on the testimonies of others. God is delighted when we try it out for ourselves. Like a good parent, God loves giving “good things to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:11. 

The first step is learning to abide in Christ: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” John 15:7. As we abide in Christ, our hearts are changed, and often, our prayers are changed too. When we’re in Christ, “all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us” 2 Corinthians 1:20. 

"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

"If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it."John 14:13-14

-doug batchelor

...need

 If our greatest need had been information,

     ...God would have sent us an educator;

If our greatest need had been technology,

     ...God would have sent us a scientist;

If our greatest need had been money,

     ...God would have sent us an economist;

If our greatest need had been pleasure,

     ...God would have sent us an entertainer;

But our greatest need was forgiveness,

     ...So God sent us a Savior.

"One Solitary Life"

He was born in an obscure village

The child of a peasant woman

He grew up in another obscure village

Where he worked in a carpenter shop

Until he was thirty

He never wrote a book

He never held an office

He never went to college

He never visited a big city

He never traveled more than two hundred miles

From the place where he was born

He did none of the things

Usually associated with greatness

He had no credentials but himself

He was only thirty three

His friends ran away

One of them denied him

He was turned over to his enemies

And went through the mockery of a trial

He was nailed to a cross between two thieves

While dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing

The only property he had on earth

When he was dead

He was laid in a borrowed grave

Through the pity of a friend

Twenty centuries have come and gone

And today Jesus is the central figure of the human race

And the leader of mankind's progress

All the armies that have ever marched

All the navies that have ever sailed

All the parliaments that have ever sat

All the kings that ever reigned put together

Have not affected the life of mankind on earth

As powerfully as that one solitary life

One Solitary Life james allan francis from a 1926 sermon 

...sharp

Phoebe Ann Moses was born August 13, 1860, in a log cabin on the Ohio frontier. Because of poverty and hardship, eight-year-old Phoebe began helping support her widowed mother and seven siblings by hunting. She soon discovered that she was a marvelous shot. 

By age 15 she had sold enough game to pay off the mortgage on her mother’s farm and was enough of a local celebrity that she was invited to Cincinnati to enter a shooting contest with a traveling show marksman. Not only did she win the match with Frank Butler by one point, but she also won his heart and they married a year later.

For several years the Butlers performed together—and Phoebe adopted the stage name “Annie Oakley.” In 1885 the couple joined the legendary Buffalo Bill in his Wild West Show. For the next 17 years, Annie Oakley was the show’s star attraction with her marvelous shooting feats. Barely 5 feet tall, she was billed as “Little Sure Shot.” In a single day, she used a .22 caliber rifle to shoot 4,472 of 5,000 small glass balls tossed in midair. 

With the razor thin edge of a playing card facing her at 90 feet, Annie could cut the card with one bullet and then puncture it with five or six more shots before it hit the ground. Her sharp shooting won her many awards and captivated audiences worldwide, including several heads of state in Europe. She even knocked the ashes off a cigarette held by the German Kaiser Wilhelm II! 

Annie Oakley was the first American female superstar, and she remained a remarkable shot into her sixties. Even after a train accident that caused temporary paralysis and five spinal operations, and a car accident that left her wearing a steel leg brace for over a year, Annie was still setting records. Today, her name remains synonymous with precision marksmanship. 

Friends, the Bible teaches that true prophets will also have consistent accuracy in their predictions. John warns us that we must test those claiming to be God’s prophets—and one important test is whether or not their predictions come true! “As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent” Jeremiah 28:9 

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."1 John 4:1

-doug batchelor

....grass

David Douglas was only 26 years old in 1825 when he sailed along the west coast of the United States and up the Columbia River. The young botanist from London was on a quest. Since a boy he had been obsessed with plants, and by the age of 21 he was appointed to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Scotland. Now, five years later, he was to examine the plant life of the New World.

As the ship approached land, one particular tree captivated David. As he reported later, “So pleased was I that I could scarcely see anything but it.” He couldn’t wait to see the tree up close, and when he did, he pronounced it “one of the most striking and truly graceful objects in nature.” It was only fitting that this famous tree would later bear his name, as it does to this day—the Douglas fir. 

David spent the next two years exploring the Northwest, finding new plants and shipping over 200 species back to England. His collecting adventures took him 12,000 miles on foot, horseback, and canoe. William Hooker, one of the world’s leading botanists, described him as a man of “great activity, undaunted courage … and energetic zeal.” The Native Americans were immensely impressed with David’s endurance, but they questioned his sanity. They called him “Man of Grass” because he would hike from first dawn to dusk collecting plants that he couldn’t even eat. 

On his 1829 trip to North America, David Douglas made a discovery that eventually changed the history of the New World. While collecting plants in California, he pulled a plant from the ground that contained many flecks of gold in the soil clinging to the roots. But as David packed the plant for shipment he saw only the plant. That’s how gold was first discovered in California in 1831—not by loggers in Sutter Creek, but by the botanists in London who unpacked the shipment of plants from Douglas and saw the gold on the roots. 

David Douglas had only one purpose in life. Nothing—not even gold—could distract him from his mission. That is the sort of focused and energetic zeal that God wants from us today! 

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Ecclesiastes 9:10

-doug batchelor

 

...script

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." Luke 2:15

If man were to script the Son of God's birth, Jesus would have been born in a palace or a mansion. The news of His birth would have first been sent to one of the power brokers of the day - King Herod or Caesar Augustus.

But, God's script was different:

     no palace, but a manger surrounded by animals...

     no power brokers, but the social outcasts of the day, a band of shepherds...

            They were considered untrustworthy and their work made them ceremonially unclean.

            As a result they could not participate in worship.

After being surprised (and terrified) by a visit from the angel of the Lord, and then a large group of angels, the shepherds were confronted with what to do with the message they heard: "Today is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord" Luke 2:11. What did the shepherds do with the first announcement of the Gospel? They believed! Their immediate response was: "Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about" Luke 2:15.

They don't stop to discuss whether it's exactly according to what was written in Daniel.  They don't question if they really saw angels or if they're just imagining things because they're overworked. They don't get a religious leader to accompany them. They don't even get cleaned up! They hurry off to Bethlehem to find Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. They believed all that God had told them!

What are you doing with what God has told you? 

     Are you acting and reacting with faith?

     Or are you discussing logistics?

     Bargaining with God?

     Nit-picking the assignment?

     Getting another interpretation?

What is God asking you to do today in faith? Just believe!

And you will be amazed at how God works in your life...

     how He works through you to reach a hurting world...

     how He spreads His message to expand His Kingdom!

-marji kruger

....willing

One blustery winter day a few years ago Lois and I were purring along in our car. We were listening to Christmas music on our way to do some shopping. It was a few days before Christmas. We were thinking about how good God had been to us. We were in good health. We had eight children who love us. We had fulfilling ministry. So many blessings. Our hearts were full and happy. Things were close but we had all we need and much of what we want.

Passing an area where there were some poor children playing, Lois said, "Turn around and go back. Let's find a little child who could use some money."

After some mild objections I turned around and we went back and drove into the dirt road between the modest houses. I rolled the window down and drove slowly looking toward the little groups of children.  Most of them stood back and looked at our slow-moving car suspiciously. Finally one little boy ran out to the car and said, "Hi, can I help you?"

"Yes," I said. "I'm looking for a young man that could use an extra twenty dollars for Christmas. Do you know anybody like that?"

"Sure," he said, "I can." Grinning, he reached out and took the money.   "Wow, thanks!" He ran toward the house shouting, "Hey mom, dad..."

We drove away.

We weren't looking for a boy who was talented or gifted or handsome or impressive in any way. We were just looking for a boy who was willing to admit that he could use an extra twenty dollars at Christmastime.

When Jesus came to this sin-poor world He was not looking for sharp people for his team.

   He was not looking for funding for His cause.

   He was not looking for moral support.

   He was looking for some good honest sinners...

   He was looking for sinners who knew they were sinners...

The heart of the Christmas story came out once when one of Jesus' disciples was irritated that Jesus had been rejected by Samaritans. He said, "shall we call down fire out of heaven and consume them?"  Jesus' answer revealed His heart for the world. He said, "The Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." Luke 9:56

Later in the book of Luke Jesus said to Zacchaeus, "The son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."  Luke 19:10. Jesus came looking for people who were sinners. According to the gospels sinners are sick, lost, wounded, dead, weak and ungodly. That is the kind of people Jesus came looking for at Christmas time.

The God of Eternity is looking to pour out the riches of his salvation to anyone willing to admit his spiritual poverty. He is willing to heal anyone who is willing to admit that he is spiritually wounded. He is seeking to find anyone who is willing to admit he is lost. He is eager to heal those who are broken and sick. He came looking for people who were needy and willing to admit it. These are his favorite kind of people.

Christmas is for good, honest sinners. The people who have not been deceived into believing that they don't need Jesus. Christmas is for good honest sinners who live in a deep and continual awareness of their need. Christmas is for when Jesus came to show people whose idols have failed them that Jesus is all their hearts ever craved.

It's Christmas, when Jesus came looking for some good honest sinners. Anyone interested? Who wants to be first to say, "I need you, Jesus." Jesus is looking for broken people to bless. He is looking for hurting people to help. 

He is looking for sinners to save. 

Let him know you qualify.

-kenneth l. pierpont

...shopping

I am flat broke from overspending at Christmas time.  But I need to go shopping again soon because I am completely out of self-respect.  I've said things I wish I could take back and I am not feeling too good about myself.

I also want to exchange a carton of self righteousness for an equal amount of humility. I hear that it is less expensive and wears well, and while I'm at it I'm going to check on tolerance and see if there is any available in my size.

I must remember to try to match my patience with the little I have left.  My neighbor is loaded with it and it looks awfully good on her.  I was told the same department has a repair shop for mending integrity.  Mine has become frayed around the edges from too much compromising.  If I don't get it refurbished soon, there won't be any left.

I almost forgot the most important thing of all - compassion. If I see some - no matter what the color, size or shape - I'm going to stock up heavily regardless of the price.  I have run out of it so many times and I always feel ashamed when it happens.

I don't know why it has taken me so long to get around to shopping for these items. They don't cost nearly as much as some of the frivolous things I bought at Christmas time.  And I'll get a lot more satisfaction from them.

Yes, I'm going shopping today and I can leave my checkbook and credit cards at home!  The things I'm looking for have no price-tags.  What a joy! "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23

-david langerfeld 

...room

It was the biggest night of the year in a little town called Cornwall. It was the night of the annual Christmas pageant. It's an especially big deal for the children in town -- they get to try out for the roles in the Christmas story. Everybody wants a part.

Which leads us to the problem of Harold. Harold really wanted to be in the play, too, but he was - well, he was kind of a slow and simple kid. The directors were ambivalent - I mean, they knew Harold would be crushed if he didn't have a part, but they were afraid he might mess up the town's magic moment. Finally, they decided to cast Harold as the innkeeper - the one who turns Mary and Joseph away the night Jesus is to be born. He had only one line - "I'm sorry, we have no room." Well, no one could imagine what that one line was going to do to everyone's Christmas.

The night of the pageant the church was packed, as usual. The Christmas story unfolded according to plan - angels singing, Joseph's dream, and the trip to Bethlehem. Finally, Joseph and Mary arrived at the door of the Bethlehem inn, looking appropriately tired. Joseph knocked on the inn door and Harold was there to open the door.

Joseph asked his question on cue - "Do you have a room for the night?"  Harold froze. After a long pause, Harold mumbled his line, "I'm sorry - we have no room." And, with a little coaching, he shut the door. The directors heaved a sigh of relief - prematurely. As Mary and Joseph disappeared into the night, the set suddenly started shaking again - and the door opened.  Harold was back! And then, in an unrehearsed moment that folks would not soon forget, Harold went running after the young couple, shouting as loud as he could -- "Wait! Don't go Joseph. Bring Mary back! You can have MY room!"

I think little Harold may have understood the real issue of Christmas better than anyone else there that night. How can you leave Jesus outside? You have to make room for Jesus. And that may be the issue for you this Christmas.  What will you do with this Son of God who came to earth to find you?

Jesus is the One who trades a throne room for a stable, and the praise of angels for human mockery. This is the Creator who gives Himself on a cross!  The Bible gives us the only appropriate response: "The life I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20 You look at what Jesus did to pay for your sin on that cross, and you say those life-changing words - "For me."

Jesus is at YOUR door this Christmas. Maybe He's been knocking for a long time. Maybe He won't keep knocking much longer. All your life - even the events of the last few months - have been to prepare you for this crossroads moment with Jesus your Savior. Don't leave Him outside any longer. Open the door this Christmas Day. "Jesus, I cannot keep You out any longer. Come on in. You can have my room... my life."

-ron hutchcraft

....Bible

Sam Houston was a colorful and bold 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. The seventh governor of Texas, he is known best for helping bring Texas into the United States. Though married three times, his third wife, Margaret Moffette Lea of Alabama, gave birth to eight children, the first of whom was Sam Houston Jr.

Sam Houston Jr. was born in 1843. He began service in the confederacy in 1861. On April 7, 1862, at the famous Civil War battle of Shiloh, Sam Houston Jr., son of the famous Texan, was struck in the back by a bullet. He was knocked to the ground and would likely have died had it not been for his mother’s Bible, which he carried in his knapsack. Ripping through the pages, the lead ball stopped directly over the 70th Psalm, which reads, “You are my help and my deliverer” verse 5. 

After the war Sam studied in Independence and then went to medical school in Pennsylvania and became a doctor. But he later gave up his practice for writing. He married Lucy Anderson, and the couple had three children. Years later, after his wife died, Sam became discouraged and went to live with his sister Margaret. After eight years he passed away at the age of 51. 

Sam Houston Jr. was literally saved by the Word of God. The Bible he carried actually stopped a bullet. Did you know we are being attacked by an enemy who wants to cut us down? The weapons he uses are not your typical guns and knives. The spiritual warfare of Satan is subtle and meant to destroy us forever. But the Lord has provided armor that we may put on and stand safe. 

“Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” Ephesians 6:10-13. When the “fiery darts” of the devil come shooting your way, hold up the “shield of faith” (verse 16) and extinguish them for good! 

"Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word." Psalms 119:114

-doug batchelor

...envelope

It's just a small white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so. It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas -- oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it -- the overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma -- the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties, and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way. Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended. Shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church.

These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light  helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford.

Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.

Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them." Mike loved kids -- all kids -- and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball, and lacrosse.

That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years.

For each Christmas, I followed the tradition -- one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on. The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning, and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.

As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn't end there. You see, we lost Mike last year due to cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning it was joined by three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope.

Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us. 

May we all remember Christ, who is the reason for the season, and the true Christmas spirit this year and always. 

-author unknown

...hell

There are many mythologies and folklores in the world that describe hell. Some picture it as a place of eternal burning located somewhere inside the earth, a place where sinful people go immediately after death and are continually tortured. The Bible does not support this view. 

According to the Scriptures, not one person is being punished in hell at this moment. “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment” 2 Peter 2:9. Jesus explains when sinners will be cast into hellfire. “Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth” Matthew 13:40–42.

 

The fires of hell that destroy the wicked do not originate from inside the earth, but from heaven itself Revelation 20:9. God is a consuming fire to all that is sinful Hebrews 12:29. The wicked will be totally consumed by the fires of hell Malachi 4:1, 3. 

The evil angels spoken of in 2 Peter were cast down to hell and delivered into chains of darkness. When we read how Satan and his evil angels were removed from heaven, the Bible says they were “cast to the earth” Revelation 12:9. It also says, “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you” v. 12. 

There currently is no place where dead people have been cast to be burned up. All are asleep in their graves awaiting the resurrection of life or the resurrection of condemnation John 5:29. Not until the final judgment will the wicked be cast into a lake of fire Revelation 20:14. 

"For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;" 2 Peter 2:4

...rainforests

The most densely concentrated area of life on the planet is the tropical rainforest. In fact, researchers found that just a 4-mile-square patch of rainforest contains as many as:

• 1,500 species of flowering plants, 
• 750 species of trees, 
• 125 mammal species, 
• 400 species of birds, 
• 100 species of reptiles, 
• 60 species of amphibians, 
• 150 different species of butterflies. 

A single pond in Brazil is home to more fish species than can be found in all of Europe’s rivers, while the fish species in the Amazon River outnumber those in the Atlantic Ocean! But of the estimated 5 million species in the rainforest, only a small percentage has been named, much less studied.

The rainforest is also a cornucopia of produce, with over 3,000 varieties of fruit. Fruits like avocados, coconuts, figs, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, bananas, guavas, pineapples, mangoes, and tomatoes all originated in tropical rainforests. Even so, the rainforest’s bounty is largely undiscovered by the Western world: of the 3,000 varieties, Westerners only use around 200. 

In addition, the rainforest contains a pharmaceutical gold mine. Nearly half of our medicinal compounds come from the plant life in the tropical rainforest, including drugs for childhood leukemia and heart disease. Yet these riches are largely unmined, as less than 1 percent of tropical plants and trees have been tested by scientists. 

Rainforests are a living dynamo of animals, plants, and medicines, but instead of discovering and enjoying its bounty, man is destroying it at the rate of 1 acre every minute. While rainforests used to cover fifteen percent of the Earth’s land area, today they cover less than seven percent. 

In the book of Jeremiah, God expresses His displeasure over how Israel treated the Promised Land: “I brought you into a bountiful country, to eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled My land And made My heritage an abomination” Jeremiah 2:7. 

The book of Revelation makes it plain that God will eventually “destroy those who destroy the earth”  As the Earth’s caretakers, shouldn’t we do our best to preserve His bountiful country? 

"And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."

Revelation 11:18

-doug batchelor

? bethlehem

I've been to Bethlehem. It's fairly indistinguishable from many other Judean towns, except for the Church of the Nativity built over the traditional site of Jesus' birth. Bethlehem is located on a ridge some 2500 feet above sea level, and five or six miles southwest of Jerusalem. 

Why, with all the grand locations in the world to choose from, did God choose for His Son to be born in Bethlehem? I can think of three good reasons.

1 TO FULFILL PROPHECY

Seven hundred years earlier, the prophet Micah quoted God: "As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah... from you One will go forth from Me to be ruler in Israel, His goings forth are from long ago, from days of eternity."

Now, some Messianic prophecies are cryptic - they are identified and understood only after the event has occurred. Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 must have perplexed readers for hundreds of years as to their meaning. Only after the Savior went to the cross did the followers of Jesus realize how the first seems to be the thoughts of the Lord on the cross, and the second an eyewitness description of that event. God placed such prophecies in the Bible so that when they happened, His people would be comforted to know He had planned it from the beginning.

However, Micah 5:2 stands out there in the open. God wanted everyone to know the Savior would be arriving in Bethlehem. And everyone did know, at least those familiar with the Scriptures. When the magi arrived in Jerusalem asking at every street corner where the newborn King could be found, word filtered up to King Herod in the palace and he called in his advisors. "In Bethlehem," they all agreed, quoting Micah 5:2.

God keeps His word; Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

2 TO IDENTIFY WITH DAVID

The Messiah would be a Son of David and sit on the throne of David. Old Testament prophecies emphasized both points again and again. Since both Mary and Joseph were of the lineage of David, Jesus was doubly covered. When the census of Luke 2:1 called everyone to his ancestral home, they made the journey of a hundred miles south to Bethlehem.

Bethlehem was where Ruth lived and where she gleaned the fields behind Boaz' harvesters. Boaz spotted the lovely young widow and the rest, as they say, is history. Their son Obed became the father of Jesse, who raised a large family of sons and daughters, the youngest son being David. Thereafter, Bethlehem would forever be known as the city of David. Even the angels called it that. "Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior," they said to the shepherds. Doubtless many of the psalms of David which God's people have loved and sung for thirty centuries were inspired by time spent in the same fields and meadows where the shepherds met the angels that wondrous night.

One day as the Lord and His entourage were approaching Jericho, a blind beggar sitting beside the gate began to call out to Him. "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Again and again, he repeated that refrain. When our Lord came within earshot, He had the man brought to Him and restored his sight.

The Son of God is the Son of David! Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

3 TO MAKE A CONNECTION

Bethlehem in the Hebrew means "House of Bread" (Today, the Jews call it "Beit Lahm", meaning "house of meat.") What more fitting place for One to be born who would be known as the Bread of Life.

One day, Jesus fed thousands of people with the lunch of a child. Soon afterward, He taught the people the meaning of the miracle. "There is a bread that endures to eternal life," He said. He Himself was the living and true Bread from Heaven, "which a man may eat and live forever." John 6

Isaiah asked the people of God in his day:

"Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread?" Isa. 55:2 

That is to say, why are you working and worrying and spending your life for things that do not nourish you, do not strengthen you, and do not satisfy you? A good question for our day, also.

Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecies given hundreds of years earlier. Jesus Christ is the Son of David, born in the City of David. Jesus is the Bread of Life, born in the House of Bread.

How much plainer can God make it? Jesus is Lord.

...miracle

Bethlehem, 2000 - The excitement was building. We were standing in the Shepherd's Fields just outside of Bethlehem. We were ready to go into the Shepherd's Caves and sing Christmas Carols.  Some members of the tour group had done it with me on previous trips. For others, it was their first time - but everyone was excited. Bethlehem... Christmas Carols... Shepherd's Caves... Who wouldn't be excited?

 

We had always done it. We had always sung carols in these Shepherd's caves - Because once you did, you were never the same. So, I planned it so that everyone could experience it. My plans were about to be fulfilled. We would sing Christmas carols inside the Shepherd's Caves in the hills of Bethlehem.

 

There was a problem. It was crowded. The year 2000 had bought more groups than ever to Israel.  The Shepherd's Caves were full!  We waited... and waited... No groups were leaving the caves. Our time was growing short. We were about to miss out on our chance.

 

I was disappointed. I knew what a blessing our group was about to miss. I expressed my disappointment to God. "God, we've always sung in the caves. No one is ever the same after they do! We have to do it, Lord. We've always done it that way. If we don't, our group will miss out on the blessing of Bethlehem. Can't you work it out to open one of the caves for us?"

 

None of the other groups left the caves. We didn't get to sing carols in the Shepherd's Caves.  Disappointed, I led the group to the top of the hill - to a small chapel called "The Chapel of the Angels". We would sing there - but I knew it wouldn't been the same. It couldn't be, because we had always done it only one way.

 

Once inside the "Chapel of the Angels", we started singing carols. Most of the group had tears in their eyes as we sang "Silent Night". For them, Christmas already had a new meaning.

 

A MIRACLE - Then, it happened. A group from Germany entered the chapel.  While we were singing "Silent Night" in English, they started singing it in German. Two other groups entered as well. There were now four groups singing Christmas Carols. Every time I started our group in a song, we were joined by an "International Choir" singing in German, French and Spanish!!!  There was not a dry eye in the chapel. Everyone called it their own "Christmas" miracle.

 

I almost missed out on that "Christmas Miracle"  Me, the "spiritual leader" of the group. Why?  Because I was so intent on doing it the way we'd always done it. If we didn't follow the same traditions of Bethlehem that we'd always followed, I just knew that we wouldn't be blessed.

 

What about you? Does God have a special blessing or a miracle for you this Christmas? If you're so intent on making sure that you follow the same traditions, that you do exactly the same things that you always do each Christmas, you may miss out on a special blessing or a Christmas miracle.

 

Two thousand years ago, the people of Bethlehem were doing things the way they'd always done them. People were working, shopping, visiting and worshipping. Due to the census, extended families from far-away places had returned home and were visiting with their friends and families - swapping gifts and memories. In the midst of their traditional way of doing things, God performed the greatest miracle of all - the birth of his Son, Jesus Christ.

 

With the exception of some shepherds, the introduction of God's Son almost went unnoticed. Don't miss out on a miracle this Christmas just because "We've never done it that way before".

-david langerfeld