What Christmas Means to Me

 

Growing up in a simple home on a country farm, my family and I had little to brag about as far as material things go. Our life was filled with hard work yet we always found joy in the love of family and the peace we found in our relationship with the Lord.

Our home was a five room white clapboard house that originally started from two large rooms my grandfather had build when he and my grandmother had married and started their family many years earlier. Over the years the house had been added on to, first a dining room and small kitchen to the back of the house then later a larger kitchen and wash room. We had no inside water or bathroom but we didn’t know the difference because it was all we had ever known. It was a simple life yet one filled with love and laughter.

Our Christmases were a time when all the family gathered together to celebrate the birth of the Savior and the closeness of our family. Mama would cook for days preparing all the special foods we enjoyed like country ham, homemade mashed potatoes, green beans, all of which had come from our garden and the hog we had butchered earlier in the fall. Then there was those wonderful homemade chocolate pies and mama’s banana pudding made from scratch. No boxes for mama and only she knew the recipe, which was written in her mind. Those wonderful inviting smells of her home cooked meal filled the house as she worked her magic in the kitchen. The smell of country ham cooking along with the sweet smell of pies baking meant we would soon enjoy our special treats.

About a week before Christmas dad would take mama and us kids, mostly me and occasionally the grand kids since I was so much younger than my older brother and sister, out into edge of the fields somewhere on our farm and there we would find the perfect tree. Dad would cut it down and we would haul it back to the house in the old truck or on the wagon behind the tractor. When we got it home mama and I would string the lights and place all the ornaments, many of which were homemade, onto the tree. If I close my eyes today and sniff it seems I can still smell the fresh smell of cedar that filled our home on Christmas. To this day I never smell that scent without being carried back into my childhood to those special memories of Christmases as a child.

When it came to gifts we didn’t have much but it wasn’t about fine gifts but about the gift of family and friends and the love we shared with each other. When mama and daddy could afford it I might get a new baby doll or Barbie doll but lots of Christmases we were glad to just get our stocking filled with fresh fruit and some candy. Our greatest gifts were each other and the days spent with each other whether it was working or spending special time as family singing all those wonderful old gospel hymns around our Christmas tree.

Sometimes I wish I could take my grandchildren back to those simple times I lived where things weren’t so commercialized, a place where it wasn’t about the gift but the person who cared enough to sacrifice to give us the gift, to a slower time when things weren’t so rushed and family took the time to spend those special times with each other without hurrying to be somewhere else.

As I watch the world today I can’t help but feel they have lost the true meaning of Christmas, for isn’t Christmas about giving, the giving of love and a helping hand and especially about the greatest gift we ever received, the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who came to bring us the gift of Grace and Salvation? What more could we really ask for than to have family to love and share our lives with and to feel the love and peace our heavenly Father showers down on us.

So what does Christmas mean to me. It means loving and sharing special times with family and friends but mostly it means taking this special time to remember the sacrifice my Lord and Savior made for me, for all of us. It means remembering how much He loves me every day of the year and it means me giving him my gift in return, which is accepting Him as my Savior and the Lord of my life then living my life for him each and every day throughout the year.

My dear friends I pray each of you has a truly blessed Christmas with family and friends gathered around you and I pray you receive the blessing of the love of Christ into your lives each and every day of the coming New Year.

~Jeanette

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Let Us Not Be a Prisoner to Our Past

“Never be a prisoner to your past, it is just a lesson not a life sentence.”

I recently read this sentence and it seemed to speak volumes to me. So often we become prisoners to our past mistakes or hurts and we never really become what God created us to be because we will not accept and forgive our past failures or the past failures of those who have hurt us.

Recently when I was in prayer for a situation my husband and I are going through the Lord impressed upon my heart that we all are a product of our past either for the good or for the bad depending on whether or not we have dealt with the things in our past that has hurt or offended us. Whether we want to admit it or not we all have done or had things done to us that have hurt us and still affect us today. We build walls around our heart and our emotions, walls that we put there because we feel we need to protect ourselves from being hurt again. We live in fear, fear of being hurt again. Yet fear is not from the Lord. It actually is from Satan who uses it to control us and keep us from becoming who we were made to be according God’s plan for our lives.

As I prayed many people came to my mind. Myself first, then those family members and friends who I have seen go through destructive behavior because they felt they could not deal with the pain from past hurts. I saw the drug addict who wants to bury their pain beneath the drugs they feel helps them deal with all the pain buried deep within their soul. I saw the insecure, sometimes angry, hateful person who buries their pain beneath a facade of aggression. I saw the depressed who feel they have nothing to live for, who give up on life to the point they want to take their own life. I saw the broken hearts and broken relationships of so many hurting who don’t know how to get past the hurt and pain that grips their hearts and minds.

As I continued to pray the Lord began to impress more and more upon my heart that I needed to be praying not just for the bondage of pain we are in to be broken but for the person affected by the bondage of hurt and pain to come to a place where they can face their past with the hurt and pain they have endured. So often we just put a band aid on our pain and never really deal it. God spoke to my heart that the healing cannot take place until our past is faced and dealt with through the help of our Lord.

I can honestly say I, as so many others, walk through that same pain and hurt. I build walls to guard my heart. One of the hardest things in life is opening up to a person who has wounded your heart, soul, and spirit. Sometimes we don’t have the opportunity to open up to them, maybe they are not around anymore or maybe it is just not safe to be near them. So many times it is the fear being hurt that holds us back from opening up our hearts again. Either way we have to be willing to open up and expose our pain for our healing to take place.

So how do we face all the hurt and pain that has brought us to where we are now? I don’t have an easy simple answer but one thing I do know whatever we face we will never face it alone. The Lord has promised to be with us if we will just invite Him into whatever we are facing. He is our healer and I believe the first thing we need to do is be willing to give our hurt to the Lord. Easier said than done I know and I realize it is a process, one we have to work through little by little. Sometimes we need to take baby steps, one day at a time. One faith step after another until without realizing it we have walked through that dark tunnel of pain and hurt until one day we step out on the other side into the glorious light of peace and forgiveness, forgiveness for ourselves first and forgiveness for those who have caused us so much pain and hurt.

Am I there yet? I can honestly say no. I am a work in progress. Yet I have found that if I stay grounded in the Lord through prayer and the study of His word which washes me and allows me to see myself and others more clearly each step gets a little easier. It is by the grace of God that I am here today. Through Him I can find peace. I don’t walk this road alone and neither do any of you. We and others are not perfect but we have a perfect Savior, one who was willing to sacrifice everything, including His life for all of us. His love is a love like no other. He loves us no matter what we do or say therefore we can always trust Him. His love is a love we can depend upon no matter what we are facing in our lives. He will never leave or forsake us. He will bring us healing if we will trust Him and follow His lead. We have to believe this deep within our hearts, minds and spirits. We have to cling to it in the darkness of hurts and pain.

So I encourage you today with this, trust the Lord and lean on Him. I also encourage you to pray for each other and for all those who are hurting. Let us pray for the healing of past hurts and pain to take place, then the bondage of fear and despair we find ourselves in will be broken in our own lives and in the lives of all those we love.

Jeanette

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Psalm 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Revelation 21:5 And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

The Voice Of God

The Voice Of God When we hear the voice of God Speaking to our hearts, Do we obey and follow Him Or are we slow to start? For when the Lord speaks to us, We need to heed the call And do the things He wants us to, Giving to Him our all I know…

Eternal Life

I wanted to share this article written by Pastor Jack Wellman. Hope it inspires you as much as it did me. For me I don’t worry over my age in heaven because I know I will be with the Lord and He promised me a new body made whole and perfect. God Bless to all.~Jeanette

When someone asks what my age will be in heaven, my only answer is that I know life will never end because Jesus promised, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this” (John 11:25-26). The first and most important question for them is if they have trusted in Christ. Has God brought you to repentance, and have you placed your trust in Him? The question of what age we will be in heaven is irrelevant for those who haven’t been born again. They will never know the answer to that question, and that’s the most important question of all! How you answer that determines your eternal destiny. So I would ask them if they believe in Jesus Christ and if they have trusted in Him. All other questions are insignificant compared to this one. But if you’ve been born again, then you might have wondered how old you will be in heaven. What does the Bible say about this, if anything?

The Optimum Age

Most agree that the age of 30-33 is the optimum time when we reach our mental and physical peak. At age 30 Jesus entered into His earthly ministry. Men could not even enter the Levitical priesthood until they were the age of 30. But does this mean this is the age we’ll be when we enter into glory? And what about babies who die before they’re old enough to understand what repentance and faith are (Mark 1:15)? How old will a baby who dies here on earth be in the kingdom? Besides, how can a young child know enough to be saved if they can’t even talk or read. All I know for certain is the Bible is silent on this subject. We just cannot say for certain, but many believe we’ll revert to the age of 30-33 after we die and enter the kingdom of heaven, or if Jesus returns before we die. It would seem logical because that’s the average age of a human’s greatest mental and physical potential; however, older people are still growing and can increase their spiritual or biblical knowledge. The truth is, it takes a lifetime of sanctification to grow in holiness. So old age doesn’t mean a person’s less spiritual; in fact, they may be more so as they age.

Be Like Him

Every Christian should have the desire to be more like Christ day after day. Interestingly, the Bible teaches that we will be like Him in ways, certainly not in His resplendent glory, but we will have glorified bodies. The Apostle John wrote, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). John clearly says that we’ll be like Jesus after we’ve entered the kingdom of heaven. But what age would we be, and what age would Jesus be? Of course, in Jesus’ humanity He only lived until about 33 years of age; so we would expect that Jesus, in His physical appearance, will be like that of a 33-year-old male. But, of course, He is God too; so we can only draw our conclusion so far before we’re walking on air, having no scriptural support for what our age will be. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:49). So as the Apostle John wrote, and the Apostle Paul agrees, we will be like Him (Jesus) but not in all of His magnificent glory. We will be like Him in many other ways, like having a body that can’t die or have disease anymore. We’ll never run the risk of death again; and, the best part of all, we’ll be saved to sin no more! St. Thomas Aquinas wrote many years ago that “all will rise in the condition of perfect age, which is of thirty-two or thirty-three years. This is because all who were not yet arrived at this age, did not possess this perfect age, and the old had already lost it. Hence, youths and children will be given what they lack, and what the aged once had will be restored to them.” But he did not, nor could he provide specific Bible verses to prove his point. Right now we can only guess. Since the Bible is silent on this subject, then I must be too.

Conclusion

Again, we return to the most important question of your life: Have you ever repented and placed your faith in Christ? Remember, Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:51). So “whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). Either it’s life or it’s God’s wrath–both are eternal. Your future depends on whether you’ve believed in the Son of God or not. No other question even comes close in importance. What do you say? Have you believed? If so, you have eternal life. And what that age will be, who cares because we will be in the presence of the Lord for time without end (Revelation 21:3, 22:4). That’s satisfying enough for me, so I don’t have to worry about what age I will be in heaven. I’ll just be glad to be there.

May God richly bless you,

Pastor Jack Wellman

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There shall be showers of blessing this is a promise of love
There shall be seasons refreshing sent from the Saviour above

Showers of blessing showers of blessing we need
Mercy drops round us are falling but for the showers we plead

There shall be showers of blessing precious reviving again
Over the hills and the valleys sound of abandons of rain

Showers of blessing showers of blessing we need…

There shall be showers of blessing oh but today they might fall
Now as to God reconfesing now as on Jesus we call

Showers of blessing showers of blessing we need…

Jim Cantelon wrote of meeting a widow who lived in a small hut in the slums of South Africa. The bone-thin woman cared for eighteen orphans, and another had arrived that day. The child’s family had died of AIDS. As Jim watched, the woman began weeping. “I just can’t take it anymore,” she cried. “I have nothing, no one, no hope.” Then she paused, and in a moment she lifted her hands to heaven, saying, “Ah, but I do have hope. I put my trust in my heavenly Father.” God gave her the strength to continue caring for those in unspeakable need.

Our world is filled with hidden heroes—Christians serving despite extreme poverty, constant persecution, and ravaging conditions. Many of us are more fortunate in our surroundings. But sometimes we’re less compassionate in our hearts. As children of God, we need to love those we meet regardless of our role in life. Our kindness may be the only way some people will ever see Christ. Our testimony can shine through our actions to bring light to a dreary life. We do have hope as we trust our heavenly Father. Perhaps we can pass that hope to someone else today. Let us be careful how we live. We may be the only Word of God some people ever read.

Matthew 5:16 KJV
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Luke 11:33
No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.

1 Peter 3:8
Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

1 John 4:7
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God;

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“Peace, Be Still”

Often our lives seem burdened by the weight of the troubles and heartaches we face in our lives. We feel alone with no one to reach out to. We don’t know which way to go, which direction to take. We seek answers and it seems none can be found. Yet in the mist of all we face we are not alone, for the Lord looks down on us in love and compassion, longing to comfort us and give us a peace that can only be found in Him. Just as he brought peace to the storm they faced when the ship was tossed about on the sea he will also bring peace to the storms our lives.

Mark 4:39 KJV
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Psalms 30 4-5 KJV
Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Isaiah 54: 16-17 KJV
Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Psalms 65: 5-7 ISV
With awesome deeds of justice you will answer us, God our Deliverer; you are the confidence for everyone at the ends of the earth, even for those far away overseas. The One who established the mountains by his strength is clothed with omnipotence. He calmed the roar of seas the roaring of the waves, and the turmoil of the peoples.

We are never alone for our Savior is always with us.
May you always be blessed with peace and joy. ~Jeanette

The Path

Each morning I rise to the dawn of a new day
To walk my earthly path along life’s way
This path is sometimes rocky leading in directions unknown
But when I put my trust in the One above I know I am never alone

He whispers follow the Old Paths where there is rest for your weary soul
There you will always find glorious riches untold
Mediate always on the right, eyes straight ahead to clearly see
Always ponder your path in sight, so you may established be

The path of the just is as a shining Light
His Word is a lamp unto our feet, shining always bright
That shines more and more unto His perfect day
The light unto my path guiding me along the way

So follow the Old paths, the ways of our Lord
Where peace and joy is found and His Grace is outpoured                     

For His path is filled with light and peace for our soul 

Leading always upward to our heavenly home

 

Written By Jeanette

Copyrighted by Jeanette Kelley

Painting by Jeanette

Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

What is Love?

The world’s view of love is an emotional attachment for someone else. It is based solely on one persons feeling for another. It is romance, affection, and longing, a desire to find that one certain person who can fulfill all our needs and desires.

When we express love, we develop a strong emotional attachment, anticipating our love to be returned. We ask, “What do I receive out of this relationship? What’s makes me content in this relationship?” Our feelings focus upon discovering that one individual who satisfies all our heart’s desires. Sadly, what nourished and warmed our heart for someone for a short time often withers and grows cold. Yet, the course of true love never runs totally smooth, nor does it give up when things get tough.

Real love demands sacrifices that can’t be found in self-centeredness. You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving. Sacrificial love requires that we give of the things we value most: our hearts, minds, souls, our strength and time. Real love does not always follow our fleshly nature.  It is not just a feel good feeling.

Love can only be understood from the actions of giving to one another. When we are willing to bear with the failings and weaknesses of others, divine love reveals itself (Ephesians 4:2 “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love”). At all costs, true love compels us to give so that we relieve the suffering of others. Instead of seeking to fulfill our own emotional and physical needs (receiving), we humbly give of ourselves (1 Peter 3:8–9 “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.”).

We should always desire to have the love nature of God, for Godly love is perfect love. God’s nature is love and true love is of God.” God created love. He deliberately chose to express His love to us thereby revealing the very nature of God Himself.

God’s Love Is Sacrificial – God initiated an eternal love relationship with us before we loved Him (1 John 4:10 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”).

God’s Love Is Merciful – God extended the wealth of His kindness even when we were undeserving of His love (Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved);”).

God’s Love Is Faithful – Even in the most extreme circumstances, God’s love for us remains secure (Romans 8:35, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Romans 38-39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”).

God is love and He created love in us. God created us a certain way to experience all that perfect love was meant to be (1 John 4:7-12 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 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. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”).

Dear friends, the greatest gift we can give is the true love of God to others, so let us love one another as Christ has loved us being willing to sacrifice ourselves, having mercy, and being faithful, first to Christ, who first love us, and then to others from our closest family to all those around us just as Christ did when He gave His life for us.

Happy Valentine’s Day and May God Richly Bless Each of You With His Love and Peace! ~Jeanette

Finally At Home

Oh precious loved one my soul does run free

Across the meadows of emerald green

Over the highland my eyes see afar

Finally at home its beauty I enjoy.

 

The worries and trial of the world no longer I feel

Only peace and joy are mine up here

I walk and talk with my Savior through endless days

While sweet music on harps forever play

 

I hear their sound so sweet and clear

Their notes so peaceful to my ear

They ring out across the green valley low

Whispering sweet peace to my soul

 

For the peace of this Heaven I now call home

Is beyond anything I have ever known

Here with my sweet Lord I rest each day

Knowing I will forever in His presence stay

 

So don’t weep for me that my days on earth are gone

For the beauty of Heaven I now have been shown

Just look each day into the Heavenly blue

There you will find me where I have been made new

Written by Jeanette

2/6/2017

Copyrighted by Jeanette Kelley

Music by  Reta Ceol Celtic Hymns