Preparing for Christmas

December 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment

front door“Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.” Luke 3:4-6

Plumping up the red bow and checking the wreath to make sure it had survived the past year in the attic, I scanned the front door for the nail where we’d always hung the Christmas wreath. Christmas music streamed from the CD player. Garlands, lights, and an assortment of other decorations transfused the house with a sense of expectancy. This for me was when the festivity and anticipation of Christmas began. I loved Christmas. I loved the celebration.

But as I perused the front door, I unfortunately saw more than the nail. I saw dirt! And not only did a film of soil cover the door, but a good-sized cobweb nestled in one corner of the molding. Ugh! My merriment gave way to the practical realization that before I could enjoy the fun of decorating, I needed to take care of the un-fun cleaning.

Setting down the wreath, I trudged back into the house, found the cleaner, grabbed a bunch of paper towels and dutifully returned to the entryway. I sprayed, I wiped; I cleaned. And as I did so, I began to think.  First, I thought how dreadful it would have looked to put our Christmas wreath up on a grimy door. Yes, the wreath is pretty and decorative, but if hung on a dirty door, the gesture would be futile.

I also thought about the coming celebration of Christmas—the decorations, happy music, sparkling lights, shopping trips, and family get-togethers. Again, the celebration is wonderful, but just as it would seem futile to hang a Christmas wreath on a dirty door, how futile it would be to expect to experience the joy of Christmas if our lives and hearts are not right before the Lord.  Preparing for Christmas took on fresh meaning for me. Before I decorated my house, I needed to clean my house, before I began the Christmas celebration, I needed to prepare my heart.

So even as I wiped the grime from my front door that December afternoon, I realized God was speaking to me through my mundane task. As the Christmas season begins, I need to do more than decorate, shop, and bake cookies.  In preparing for Christmas, I need to ask God to show me how He wants me to examine my heart and prepare it so my heart can be clean before him as I worship and celebrate His coming. Then I can more fully experience the celebration of God’s precious Son.

In preparing for Christmas, perhaps you too need to ask God to cleanse your heart so you can focus your eyes on Him. Only with clean hearts can we fully celebrate and enjoy the beauty and wonder of God’s coming to us as a child in the manger and the savior of our souls.

Or perhaps you need to ask God into your life for the very first time.

Dear Lord, thank you for the awesome gift of your love. Thank you for coming to earth as a baby so that you could give your life on the cross as a sacrifice for my sins in order that that I can have a clean heart before you.  Lord, I give myself to you today and ask you to come into my life, cleanse it, and show me how to live a life pleasing to you.  Give me the strength to flee from temptation, and forgive me for the things that do not please you.  Help me not to stray.  Help me to keep my focus on you.  Help me seek your guidance and know your presence day by day.

“Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

If getting into “the Christmas spirit” isn’t even on your radar this year, if you actually find yourself dreading the coming of Christmas, please read “When the Merry Disappears from Christmas” It may help you experience Christmas in a fresh, new way that fills the emptiness of your heart.  https://lindarooks.com/2013/12/18/when-the-merry-disappears-from-christmas/

Share
Filed Under: Christmas, New Directions, Receiving Christ, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

A Star to Guide Us

December 11, 2013 by 8 Comments

Sitting beneath the stars, listening to a Christmas concert in the park, I listened to a choir singing “We Three Kings.”  The music soared sweetly into the air, and as I lifted  my eyes to gaze through the interplay Star ball ornamentof branches above, my mind drifted with the words of the song.  I thought about those three kings and the star they followed.  God had placed that star in the sky to lead them to the Christ Child. God knew where they were going, but the wise men didn’t. Nor did they know what they would actually see when they got to their destination. And yet they went.  I’ve never heard anyone say how long they actually traveled, but I wonder if they ever got weary. I wonder if they ever discussed the uncertainty of what they were doing day after day traveling on and on with no set destination.

As I stared up into the sky, I thought about many of my readers whose emails I receive regularly.  Many are on journeys that have no sure destination. But, still, they are pressing on, trusting God.  Often in these emails I see questions, wondering how long this journey will be and where it will ultimately lead.  Sometimes they express doubts . . . and questions . . . and fears.  Sometimes they want to give up.

Later as I read the story about the magi from Matthew again, I wondered if the three kings ever wanted to give up.

Losing Sight of the Star

At some point did they lose sight of the star?  Is that why they stopped in Jerusalem to ask King Herod, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” If they still saw the star, why did they ask?  They didn’t say, “We see the star.  If you look over at such and such a place, you’ll see it.”  No, they said, “We saw the star in the east and have come to worship him.” And later when Herod talked to them secretly, his purpose was to find out “the exact time the star had appeared.”   (Matt 2: 2, 7 NIV)

Do you notice the past tense?   So what happened here? Did they no longer see the star?

Regardless of whether they did or not, the wise men continued to seek out answers.

There are times on our journey when we don’t see the star of hope we’re looking for either. We’ve lost our sense of spiritual direction and we don’t hear God telling us what to do. At times like this, the trip gets even harder and fear pulls us down.

As evil as Herod was and as bad as his intentions, there was one thing he did right. Herod sought out the chief priests and teachers of the law for counsel on what the scriptures said, and this counsel put the magi back on the right path. For as “they went on their way . . ., the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” (Matt. 2: 9-10)

They were “overjoyed!” They weren’t lost.  Scripture’s prophesy that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the king proved correct . . . for there was the star, pointing toward Bethlehem!  They were overjoyed!

Their journey was not in vain. They would indeed find the king they were looking for.

Finding Answers

When we can’t hear God’s voice and don’t feel him leading us in a particular direction, God quietly calls us back to His Word. Answers to our deepest needs lie in wait within the words of that Book, ready for our discovery. When we immerse our minds and hearts in the truth He wants us to see, it will lead us back to the star He has put before us. Hope will be born in us once more.

So many of us are traveling difficult roads, and the dark ambiguity of circumstances can sometimes overwhelm. When I see these questions from readers and recognize their anguish and pain, I want so much to be able to provide answers. But I can’t. No one but God can answer those specific questions about how long and what to expect at the end. But I can always assure them of one thing. And this goes for any of us who find ourselves on an unexpected journey that is not of our own choosing. Although the destination may be unclear and even a bit scary, if we continue to trust God to lead us and follow the star He puts before us, we are sure to find the Christ Child at the end of our journey.  The Lord is with us even now and will help us stay the course as we continue to lean on him from day to day.

Share
Filed Under: Christmas, Doubt, Fear, God's Word, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

A Pocket Full of Christmas, An Interview with Author Cheryle M. Touchton

December 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Pocket Full of ChristmasAs we begin the Christmas season, I wanted to feature a Christmas book that might help you anticipate  Christmas  more fully.  The book that immediately came to mind is called Pocket Full of Christmas, Having a Purpose Filled Advent by Cheryle M. Touchton.

It is such a pleasure to interview Cheryle today. I met her many years ago at a writer’s conference. She and I were both just starting out on our ministries. I’ve been delighted to follow her adventures through the years and see the wonderful way she continues to impact people’s lives. Affectionately known as “The Pocket Full of Quarter’s Lady” and author of five books, she now reaches 20,000 people a week on her website, Pocket Full of Change Ministries,

Linda: Cheryle, to begin with tell us why you wrote Pocket Full of Christmas.

Cheryle: I wrote it because I suspected many people had become as cynical about Christmas as I had become. I am a musician and have been a Christian since I was eight years old. While I understood the reason for the season, being a musician meant I spent Christmas running from one rehearsal to another while dragging my children to everything else in between. I grumbled my way through malls, parties, worship services, gift wrapping, and putting up decorations. When Christmas was over, I collapsed bemoaning the staggering bills that began to arrive.

I complained that Christmas had lost its meaning only to discover that I was the one who had lost Christ in the middle of the noise, chaos, and abundance. I fell to my knees in confession and began a journey, which lead to having what I like to call, a pocket full of Christmas. Now, I love Christmas and enjoy almost every minute. God led me to write a Bible Study and Christmas planner that would help people follow my journey to having a purpose filled Advent season.

Linda:  That leads me to my next question. I’m curious about what you just said and the name of your book, Pocket Full of Christmas—Having a Purpose Filled Advent.  How did you come up with that as a title?

Cheryle:  I want everyone to have their spiritual pockets filled with the spirit of Christmas. It really is possible no matter how busy the season becomes. The name of my ministry is Pocket Full of Change Ministries. Our primary focus is evangelism. We take evangelism teams into concerts, malls, special events or anywhere there are people and give the Gospel. As we travel, we hand out quarters – which represent the free grace of Christ and being prepared for life and eternity.

Having a pocket full of change is a metaphor for being prepared for life and eternity. We have only a moment with the people we meet and we want to help them make one tiny change towards being prepared for what lies ahead. If they don’t know Jesus, their change begins there.

My first book was Pocket Full of Quarters. This book is Pocket Full of Christmas and focuses on the change of helping people discover and/or enjoy the true reason for Christmas. to know the real story behind pockets, your readers can visit  Why Pockets.

Linda:  How is your book meant to be used?

Cheryle: Pocket Full of Christmas is meant to be enjoyed. It is a daily 25 day fun and inspirational Bible Study, devotional, and planner. Each short chapter has 4 sections:

  • Meditation
  • Prayer
  • Bible Study
  • Application

There are four appendices in the back:

  • Requests of the Christ Child – a prayer list
  • Gifts from the Christ Child – a gratitude list
  • Gifts for the Christ Child – a planner for gift purchases
  • Celebrations for the Christ Child – a planner for your Christmas events

You sit down each morning with your book, pen, and your Bible and simply follow directions. Pocket Full of Christmas takes a Christmas topic each day and guides you through the scriptures. There is space to write about what you learn if you wish but you could also just read. The book guides you into using and updating the appendices in the back.

You leave each session inspired, having your day planned, and with a spiritual thought for the day. There is even a suggestion for how to end your day with God. The devotions take about thirty minutes and people tell me that because of the time saved through planning, the time comes back to them.

Linda:  A lot of people reading my blog are going through difficult times, how would reading your Christmas devotional speak to hurting hearts as they go through this Christmas season?

Cheryle:  At the beginning of October, I had two fun, healthy, and active parents. My daddy moved to heaven on October 4, 2013 and Mamma followed him on November 3, 2013. This will be the first Christmas I have ever celebrated without my parents present so I go into the 2013 season grieving myself. Every year since the book came out in 2005, I go through my devotional again. This season, the book has already helped me because it focuses on the reason for the season. While Christmas brings families together to celebrate, the hope we have in Jesus is why we celebrate. My parents are with Jesus so this Christmas, I celebrate Jesus and the hope He brings more than ever.

Many of the chapters talk about loss at Christmas. December 23 is named Memories of Christmas past and specifically talks about celebrating Christmas while missing people who have left this earth. This chapter talks about the loss of my oldest son in 1995 and offers an idea borrowed from one of my favorite movies, Pollyanna – play The Glad Game.

Linda:  What would you most like for people to get out of reading Pocket Full of Christmas?

Cheryle:  Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus. It is a birthday party for the King of Kings. I want people to soar through the season serving God through worshipping, shopping, wrapping, cleaning, decorating, and cooking. With the right attitude and preparation, each action we take in preparation for this birthday party can be an act of obedience and love as we celebrate Christ’s birth. We each choose the spirit in which we serve. “Full pockets” is a metaphor for being prepared.

My prayer for everyone this Christmas is that they fill their pockets with the spirit of Christmas.

Linda:  How can we get the book?

Cheryle: The quickest and easiest way is on Amazon. Simply click Pocket Full of Christmas. You can also e-mail Cheryle @ Cheryle@pocketfullofchange.org

Share
Filed Under: BOOKS, Christmas, Interviews Tagged With:
« Previous Page
Return to top of page · Copyright © 2024 Linda Rooks All Rights Reserved · Return to Linda Rooks