“For to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior, Who is Christ (the Messiah) the Lord! And this will be a sign for you (by which you may recognize Him): you will find (after searching) a Baby wrapped in a manger. Then suddenly there appeared with the angel an army of the troops of heaven (a heavenly knighthood), praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest (heaven), and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased (men of goodwill, of His favor).” Luke 2:11-14, AMP
What is Christmas anyway? Is it presents and Santa Claus? Is it sending and receiving Christmas cards and cookies? Is it seeing the Nutcracker and Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer? Is it green bean casserole and eggnog? No, Christmas is about the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is a day to remember the greatest gift given to man – Jesus. Jesus is our redemption and it is through His life, death and resurrection that we are saved, healed, forgiven and made the righteousness of God and that is something to be merry about friends!
I recognize that the world is desperately trying to take “Christ” out of Christmas. They want us to be “tolerant” while they remove “In God We Trust” from our money, pull out the Ten Commandments from our Court Houses and they want us to be satisfied with the greeting “Happy Holidays,” but friends let’s remember what this day is about – it’s about the birth of Jesus. I know I may be stepping on a few toes about now, but friends, Christmas is my favorite day of the year and I cannot help but shout from the mountain tops, “MERRY CHRISTMAS” & “HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!” As for me and my house, we will not participate in “Happy Holidays,” nor will you see a big, fat, red-suited man taking over our home…no, as far as me and my house, Christmas is and will forever be about JESUS!!
Let’s not be silent. Let’s not smile and be tolerant. Let’s declare that Christmas is about Jesus!
So from my family to yours:
Merry Christmas!
Happy Birthday Jesus!
O’ Come let us come and adore Him!
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!
Point to ponder: Do we want our children to believe in the temporary “magic” of Santa Claus or grow up believing in the eternal MIRACLES of Jesus Christ?
If you like this post then I know you will enjoy watching 4 year old, Avery Winter, as she sings Happy Birthday Jesus!
“Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.” Proverbs 3:27, NLT
Who are the real heroes of our day anyway?Is it those with money and fame? Is it those with honored titles and positions? I don’t believe so…the real heroes of our day are people like Leigh Ann Tuohy and our American Soldiers. Below is an article I found about Leigh Ann Tuohy and how the movie, “The Blind Side,” was filmed in order to share with the world how she and her family made a difference in the life of one teen boy…and by the way, if you haven’t seen this movie yet – go see it…it’s the best movie of the year in my opinion!!There is also an opportunity below for you and me to make a difference in the life of a soldier this Christmas…today we can make a difference!
Sandra Bullock: A blessing to meet, portray a real Christian
Associated Press – 12/1/2009 9:45:00 AM
LOS ANGELES – Actress Sandra Bullock says meeting Leigh Anne Tuohy, who she portrays in The Blind Side, showed her there really are some Christians who “walk the walk.”
The film, which opened the week before Thanksgiving, presents the true story of the Tuohys — a well-off white family in Tennessee — who welcome a homeless black youth into their home and then adopt him as their son. That young man, Michael Oher, became an All-American selection for Ole Miss and a first-round draft pick. He now plays for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens.
Bullock says thanks to the Tuohys, who attend Grace Evangelical Church in Memphis, she now has “faith in those who say they represent a faith.” Getting to know Leigh Anne Tuohy, says the actress, showed her that religious faith can be authentic. “She was so open and honest and forthright,” Bullock shares, “and I said, wow, I finally met someone who practices but doesn’t preach.”
Tuohy isn’t like some hypocritical church-goers she’s known, adds Bullock. “The beauty of Leigh Anne was one of my biggest questions was how people use their faith and their religion as a banner,” she says. “And then they don’t do the right thing, but they go ‘I’m a good Christian and I go to church and this is the way you should live your life.'”
Bullock admits she was wary of Christians before she met the Tuohys. “Whereas…before I was like, do not give me a lecture on how to live my life when I know I’m a pretty decent human being,” says the actress. “I might not go to church everyday, but I know I do the right thing or try to. You’re going to church and you’re still sleeping around on your wife…how are you better than I am? So I finally met people who walk the walk.”
Leigh Anne Tuohy says she hopes The Blind Side inspires more people to help others. “You don’t have to go out and bring a child into your home — that’s not what’s required,” says Tuohy. “But you can do something — everybody is capable of doing something. So whatever your something is, do it well. Make a difference.”
Oher’s mom says she enforces a behavior code when she watches her adopted son play for the Baltimore Ravens. “I had to have a little ‘come to Jesus’ talk with my section at [the] Ravens’ stadium,” she says. “I had to explain to everyone that, okay, we’re going to have a change of attitude. There is a two-drink limit, there is no cussing in this [section]. You don’t know who you’re sitting next to — I’m a player’s mom.”
Now it’s our turn to make a difference….as Leigh stated above, we don’t have to bring a child into our home to make a difference…there are many ways we can impact lives around us. Below is a way for us to make a difference in the lives of our troops this Christmas season. We can send them a free card wishing them a Merry Christmas and thanking them for their service to this Country…let’s do it…let’s make a difference!!!
Please welcome again our guest writer for “Tuesdays With Tracy,” Carol Abersold. Carol is the best selling author of “The Elf On The Shelf: A Christmas Tradition.” She is currently traveling throughout America signing books and bringing smiles to children everywhere. Please check out her wonderful website at:www.elfontheshelf.com. My daughter goes onto her website daily to create cookies, color, and play games.
I know you will be blessed by Carol’s devotional today and it’s timeless message to let your light shine this Christmas and everyday of the year.
“Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and give praise to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Although I had tried to faithfully serve the Lord for more than fifty years, my light, for all intents and purposes, was out. I found myself in the blackest of pits mentally, physically and spiritually. I had been physically suffering with three herniated discs in my neck, my husband’s business was failing, and my in-laws let me know how much they disliked me after thirty-four years of pretense.I found myself curled up in a ball weeping and crying out to God for help, healing and deliverance. All hope seemed gone.Why was I, a Sunday school teacher, amateur Bible scholar, a word believing, walking, talking Christian suffering from hopelessness?!!My usually strong husband was suffering from his own worries ( I was one of them), and I “turned to God” but He seemed to be on vacation. What was the deal!
My oldest daughter came over to pray for me. She took action and made an appointment for me to get professional Christian counseling, and she encouraged me to start writing. My Eeyore-like reply was, “I have nothing to say.” Determined child (adult) that she is, she looked up on a shelf in my kitchen where my little pixie elf from childhood still remained even though the holidays were past. “Why don’t we write a book about the elf tradition?” she said. My reply was, “Oh, Chanda, nobody would want to read that……Okay.”
And so we began writing what turned out to be The Elf On The Shelf: A Christmas Tradition. While we were in the process of writing the story, I received the professional help I needed from Tracy Hurst.These two women, Chanda and Tracy, let the Lord use them to shine His light upon me. He graciously healed me from my pain, the source of our financial drain was revealed to us, and most importantly… I got my light back.
The point is this: a Christian woman’s light never completely goes out, but it can grow extremely dim. Perhaps, you, like I, need someone to shine their light on you until you can get your “batteries recharged.” Don’t be afraid, just receive it. In turn, when darkness seems present in another’s life do not hesitate to shine your God-given light.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, let me be equally as willing to be set alight, as to shed light. Let the Holy Spirit remind me not to lose heart, because I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Let me not be ashamed to seek proper help when my light seems to dim, and let me be a beacon shedding Your light on everyone I meet today. Amen.
For all you coupon lovers, click on over to my coupon site: www.couponswithtracy.blogspot.com. This week I highlight a $5 off target coupon for any Blu-ray disc, a $2 off coupon on Bertolli Frozen Meals (on sale this week for $6 and a $5 Gift Card when you buy 3) & I share a great price on chicken at Publix this week – just $1.59/LB – a great time to stock up!!
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works!”
Psalm 105, 1-2, NKJ Version
I am thankful:
For the baby that wakes up
In the middle of the night,
Because it means I am
Blessed to be a parent.
For all the unanswered prayers
Which were never fulfilled,
Because it means that God had something better.
For the wife who serves leftover
Spaghetti for the third time this week,
Because it means she is feeding me and
Not someone else.
For the lonely times
When God feels far away,
Because it sharpens my ears
To hear God’s voice.
For the floors that need vacuuming,
The tables that need dusting and the
Bathrooms that need cleaning,
Because it means I have a home.
For the car that continually breaks down
And the rising gas prices,
Because it means I have transportation.
For all the angry and bitter
People in my life,
Because it gives me
A chance to love them unconditionally.
For the sink of dirty dishes,
Because it means I have two hands
And I was able to prepare a meal.
For the husband who constantly
Watches sports in the living room,
Because it means that he is
At home and not out with another woman.
For the list of phone calls to return,
Emails to be read and thank you notes to be mailed,
Because it means I have friends.
For the children who fuss
Over doing their homework,
Because it means they are safe
And at home with me.
For the boss and co-workers
That drive me crazy,
Because it means I have a job.
For the disagreement between
myself and another person,
Because it means we are
Working through an issue.
For the times when my prayers
Seem to go nowhere,
Because the prayer offered by a friend
Was exactly what I needed.
For the clothes that no longer fit,
Because it means I have plenty to eat.
For the wrinkles around my mouth,
Because it means I have had a reason to smile.
To live in America
Because it means that I can
Own a Bible and read it in public.
For the difficult days
Because it makes my good days
Even better!
In all things…Give thanks! Pass it on!
To watch my “Give Thanks” video on YouTube, click the YouTube button below:
“For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you. Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me (as a vital necessity) and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13, AMP
Therewas a time when my husband and I were asking God to bless us with twins…okay…I know what some of you are thinking, but it was our hearts desire at that time. We diligently prayed for a double blessing, but our ultrasound made it clear that there was only one heartbeat within my womb. And although we were thankful for one healthy heartbeat, I will admit that for forty-eight hours, my husband and I moped around our home in disappointment due to what we considered “unanswered prayer.” Another time that comes to mind is with past boyfriends (a.k.a. “potential love interests”). I remember praying that a few of them would fall in love with me and choose me to be their wife – all the while – my prayers were lovingly answered with a “no” because God had good plans for my final outcome.
You see, my husband is the perfect one for me and the same is true concerning my daughter, although twins are a huge blessing, God knew what we could handle and once again we thank God for His way of answering our prayers. God knew the desire of our heart to marry and have a family and He answered us with His plans for welfare and peace, to give us hope in our final outcome.
The scripture above tells us that God always hears our prayers and heeds each one. With some of our prayers requests He answers us with a “yes” (and boy do we love it when this happens!!), there are also times as in my examples above when God lovingly answers us with a “no” in order that our future outcome will be good, and other times He answers us with “wait.” Just recently I thought God answered “no” to a request of mine, only to find out a few months later that I needed to “wait” so that He could make a good situation even better! Bottom, line, we can rest in that fact that God knows about our personal situation and He has good plans for our life.
How many times have we pouted and complained to God for not answering our prayers, when He was simply answering it His way out of His great love for us? God knows all things and He is the One who knows what we can handle. It comes down to knowing God’s will for our life and trusting that He has good plans for us. Our amazing God longs to bless us, heal us, restore us and prosper us. We are promised in Isaiah 5:11 that when we pray God’s Word it will never return back void.
Prayer:
“Lord, thank you for always hearing my prayers. I declare that You have good plans for me. Your plans are full of hope for my final outcome and I align myself up with Your Word today. I give you everything heavy on my heart and I ask that Your perfect will be done. As I seek and inquire of You this day, I will rest in that fact that You gave your life to heal, restore and bless me. I grab onto the Word of God and declare that it will not return back void, but will prosper in the thing for which You sent it (Isaiah 55:11). Amen.”
Tracy became a Christian at the age of 16 and her life was changed forever. She went from being a depressed, suicidal, rebellious teenager to a dynamic leader for Christ. Immediately after accepting Jesus as her Savior, Tracy fought the school board in order to begin a Bible study on school grounds at her high school in Illinois. The dramatic transformation in Tracy's life has inspired many, including her own mother, to give their lives to Christ.
LOS ANGELES – Actress Sandra Bullock says meeting Leigh Anne Tuohy, who she portrays in .jpg "The Blind Side (movie poster)")
The film, which opened the week before Thanksgiving, presents the true story of the Tuohys — a well-off white family in Tennessee — who welcome a homeless black youth into their home and then adopt him as their son. That young man, Michael Oher, became an All-American selection for Ole Miss and a first-round draft pick. He now plays for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens.
Bullock admits she was wary of Christians before she met the Tuohys. “Whereas…before I was like, do not give me a lecture on how to live my life when I know I’m a pretty decent human being,” says the actress. “I might not go to church everyday, but I know I do the right thing or try to. You’re going to church and you’re still sleeping around on your wife…how are you better than I am? So I finally met people who walk the walk.”
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works!” 
