Everyday Living

Miracles & Mangers

~ Faith

It started like any other night, as shepherds kept their sheep,
The darkness changed to a guiding light, come see the Prince of Peace.
Call His name Emmanuel, a Savior is born for you
The angels sang, the announcement came, God’s promise has come true.

In a manger in Bethlehem, there lies a stranger in a foreign land,
Heaven’s joy in a manger makes my heart sing,
Holy love in a manger, Christ the King.

It started like any other night, too dark for me to see
But then I found His glorious light, this Child was born in me!
I call His name Jesus, the Son of the Highest is come
Now we all can have his gift of life and worship God the Son!

A gift of love all wrapped in grace, His Spirit is His seal
With ribbons of joy of hope for whosoever will.

In a manger in Bethlehem, there lies a stranger in a foreign land,
Heaven’s joy in a manger makes my heart sing,
Holy love in a manger, Christ the King.
         by: Butch Richardson

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Our largest and most elaborate nativity!  Many nativities like this one show “wise men” at the manger with their gifts.  Not exactly biblical correctness (they showed up a couple of years later) but still a scene that reminds us of the greatest event in human history!

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A gift from South Africa, this nativity is hand carved of ebony wood

My Favorite Memory

It seems to make sense that if asked to pick a favorite Christmas memory that most people would choose a particular Christmas, or certain Christmas memories from their childhood/growing up years.  And I certainly have so many from those days that it would be almost impossible to choose one to top the list.  But, I don’t have to make that hard choice because my “top of the list” Christmas occurred when I was 34 years old.  The year- 1985.

In just over 2 months Pam and I would celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary.  We didn’t have children.  What most people did not know was that for many years we had prayed for a child. You see, over time, and after numerous tests, doctors had concluded that we would not be able to have children.  But, on December 11, 1985, exactly 2 weeks before Christmas, our son Seth was born.

Now it is an understatement to say I was nervous, excited and overwhelmed at that moment.  It was 4:26 in the afternoon when I completed my assistance in this miraculous birth.  (I believe all births are miracles)!  This was one that human reasoning suggested should not be occurring.  All the more reason to celebrate!  But, as I helped the nurse with the weighing and measuring, thoughts and feelings came over me I never anticipated.

I immediately knew in my heart that I was gazing at a little boy that would be our only son.  I sensed in my spirit that this would not happen to Pam and me again.  It was so close to Christmas and such a miraculous event that it almost seemed like a dream.  But when the nurse placed him in my arms, the dream was replaced with a startling sense of realness.  Not only of the present, but I was overtaken by the reality of what took place in Bethlehem long ago.  The birth of Jesus was a truth I had known and believed for many years, but His birth suddenly had a presence in my heart like never before. Emotions beyond words flooded over me.

I carefully and nervously carried Seth back to spend a little time with his mom.  It’s a time when you’re attempting to get a grip on all that is taking place but can’t seem to comprehend it all in the moment.  Then my imagination began it’s workout.  I was thinking, what if I was asked if I would be willing to allow authorities to take Seth away.  He would have to suffer an agonizing death, but, – “what if” by doing so, I would be giving all people everywhere an opportunity to go free and live forever.  Nice, decent, hard working folks as well as the worst and most wicked to ever live.  All lumped together, nobody left out except by their own choosing.  My answer, without hesitation, as a Dad looking upon my only son, – “No”.

When I left mom and baby at the hospital that night to drive home, I passed a church that had a nativity displayed.  It was well lit and had a few people and animals gathered around a baby in a manger.  My imagination subsided and gave way to this truth.  There is a Father who gave an only Son willingly and lovingly.  Not me! I knew I’d refuse.  But this Father did it, He gave, and he wasn’t even asked.  I traveled on toward the house while saying to myself, “this is Christmas, really Christmas.  My favorite.”

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The staff at Holy Name of Jesus Hospital (where Pam and I were also born) decorated the nursery and put Santa caps on their new visitors! Only a few hours old, Seth seems to be enjoying his new outfit!

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Christmas morning at home under the tree.  I don’t recall seeing any “wise men” but there were a few gifts that showed up from somewhere!

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This picture was taken a few days ago.  Seth’s first stocking was given to him by my grandparents, Papa and Nannie Kennedy.  It is on our tree today, just as it has been every year since 1985.

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Baby’s First Christmas music box, also on our tree today, still plays Silent Night.  It was a gift from Uncle Tom and Aunt Pearl!

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Later on Christmas Day, we made our first trip out.   We bundled Seth and took him to Pawpaw and Nanny Davis’s for a wonderful Christmas dinner.  And of course, another picture in front of the tree.

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I surprised Pam with this Hummel nativity!  We’ve probably had it for 8 years and it is always on display.  We enjoy the simple way it tells the greatest love story!

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Another special hand-made nativity crafted from corn shucks came all the way from Uganda.  Our nephew Joel carefully packed it for the trip in a very crowded bag!

In a manger in Bethlehem, there lies a stranger in a foreign land,
Heaven’s joy in a manger makes my heart sing,
Holy love in a manger, Christ the King.

“We love because He first loved us”
1 John 4:19

Butch closerLinking with Pieced Pastimes, It’s Overflowing, Be Different Act Normal, Silver Pennies , By Stephanie Lynn, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Thoughts From Alice, Creatively Living, Rustic-Refined, Three Mango Seeds, Pink When, Mod Vintage Life, Coastal Charm, Knick of Time, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, The Dedicated House, Dwellings-Heart of Your Home, Savvy Southern Style, Ivy and Elephants, French Country Cottage, From My Front Porch To Yours, Stone Gable, Confessions of a Plate Addict,Worthing Court, Between Naps on the Porch, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, The Style Sisters, The Charm of Home, The Winthrop Chronicles, Cornerstone Confessions, A Delightsome Life, Imparting Grace, Craftberry Bush, Posed Perfection, Katherines Corner, The Vintage Farmhouse,  My Romantic Home, Chic On A Shoestring Decorating, Rooted In Thyme, Share Your Cup

Christmas Memories: The True Light

~ Faith, Guest Posts

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Memories.  Christmas always evokes memories for me, as I’m sure it does most of you.  Unwrapping ornaments from our varied travels both far and wide, pulling out my Mother’s tattered  fruitcake recipe to bake for my Daddy, removing the dust from Seth’s first little train and placing it under the tree, and even singing a beloved Christmas carol like “Silent Night, Holy Night”! Today also holds a very special memory.  On this day two years ago, I invited a casual acquaintance for coffee.  From that beginning, God has brought a deep and meaningful friendship and a “chosen daughter” into my life that I never expected. I have asked Katy to share a Christmas memory.  She is no stranger to our blog.  Katy wrote an inspirational post for us in September and you can read here: Don’t Whittle It Away!

Our desire is that you see that the Light has come!

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying,
‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life'”
John 8:12

There is something about lights during the Christmas season that always has and probably always will catch my attention.  As a little girl, my parents would drive us around to see Christmas lights several nights during December!  My paternal grandfather DECKED his house out for as long as I can remember with the big colored lights, reindeer on his rooftop, and plastic carolers in his yard.

All of my life, we have gathered at my Nana’s on Christmas Eve.  I have ten first cousins, so we packed out their small home on a farm in Cedartown, GA.  We would always scarf down our traditional Christmas meal so that we could open our gifts, but that isn’t the main reason we were in a hurry!

About three miles from their house sits the county fairgrounds.  There are tall towers that you can see for miles-and one has a blinking red light on the top.  In my eyes, as a little girl, it was none other than Rudolph himself-and it was magical!  (Keep in mind that every night of the year, you could see this light.  But every year on Christmas Eve, it seemed to shine a bit brighter!) So, we would eat really fast, open our gifts and all run outside to see the light—and make our best guess as to where Santa was.  I have always been a little type A, so I was annoying about getting home and in the bed so that Santa and Rudolph would be sure to stop by my house!  Undoubtedly it was the only night out of 365 that I actually wanted to go to bed! That light made me want to be a good little girl and obey!

There really is just something about lights that truly are magical!  My grandfather passed away in 2009 and he still had those big bulbs stapled to his house.  I have one of those bulbs in a shadow box along with a picture of his house all lit up that I pull out every year around this time.  Precious, precious memories!

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Now, as an adult, my focus has shifted from those kinds of lights and that blinking red light at the county fairgrounds to the True Light that has come into the world.

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I am just now learning my decorating style, and I am a “less is more” kind of girl.  I decided to go all natural for Christmas!

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My first nativity, a gift that will always be so very special to me, given to me a few weeks ago!  I love it because it is simple and has meaning- handcrafted from real olive trees in Bethlehem!  It was the first Christmas that I put out this year and my prayer is that it stays the focal point!

“Rejoice, O world, your Savior has come
Through the love of a virgin’s womb
Son of God, Son of man
You were born that we may have life”
-Chris Tomlin

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Linking with Pieced Pastimes, It’s Overflowing, Be Different Act Normal, Silver Pennies , By Stephanie Lynn, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Thoughts From Alice, Creatively Living, Rustic-Refined, Three Mango Seeds, Pink When, Mod Vintage Life, Coastal Charm, Knick of Time, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, The Dedicated House, Dwellings-Heart of Your Home, Savvy Southern Style, Ivy and Elephants, French Country Cottage, From My Front Porch To Yours, Stone Gable, Confessions of a Plate Addict,Worthing Court, Between Naps on the Porch, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, The Style Sisters, The Charm of Home, The Winthrop Chronicles, Cornerstone Confessions, A Delightsome Life, Imparting Grace, Craftberry Bush, Posed Perfection, Katherines Corner, The Vintage Farmhouse,  My Romantic Home, Chic On A Shoestring Decorating, Rooted In Thyme, Share Your Cup

Trees of Life

~ Faith, Outdoors

“And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is
pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden,
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”
‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭9

The earth has more trees than we have numbers–and that’s if we only consider those alive today!  The total number since creation is beyond mind boggling.  Even so, I want to mention a few particular trees that bring back some simple memories.  Of course, some trees of the past have eternal significance.  And then, there is a water oak in our yard that has a story all its own and I hope you will stick around and let me share it with you.

Many of you have have a green thumb.  Everything you plant thrives.  Most of my plantings don’t do so well,  but here are a few that miraculously made it!

We had moved into our house and had a little dirt for a yard and no shrubbery.  It was 1979.  A guy we knew had planted some trees and shrubs and had a leftover magnolia he didn’t think would make it so he offered it to us if I’d come pick it up.  I went after it.  Honestly, it was like the tree mentioned in the Bobby Goldsboro tune, “Honey”…”The first day that she planted, it was just a twig”.

Many years ago a friend and I did some deer hunting in Coosa County, Alabama.  While walking out one day I spotted a very small tree with green leaves still hanging on, even in the winter.  It was a holly, and I thought our yard needed one.  I have no idea how I dug it up–a shovel is not a normal part of my hunting gear.  I even forgot I had it for several days but finally dug a small hole and threw it in!

 We had always heard about the fall beauty of the maple tree.  We had no maples on our place so when I found a close-out sale, buy two get one free – I couldn’t resist!  Maples grow slow,  so this Sugar Maple has been out front a long time now.

This water oak is not just another tree.  In the summer of ’98, a heartbreaking tragedy hit close to home.  Our neighbor and long time friends lost their son in an accident, on a Sunday afternoon, a few days before his 16th birthday.

A few weeks later, as summer was fading, I was in front of our house pulling weeds and spreading bark, preparing for cold weather.  As I reached down, I noticed a small plant, maybe 3 inches tall, that I knew was a little oak that had sprang to life that summer.  Instead of pulling it up, my thoughts at that moment caused me to just sit down and reflect on that summer.  I was on the ground and looking out across the front toward my neighbors.  After a few minutes, I located a shovel, dug up the new oak, and took it down into the yard and replanted it.  In my mind I gave the tree a name.  But, I told no one for a very long time.  You see, I was afraid it wouldn’t live, or if it did,  maybe a storm would later blow it over, or a disease would claim it.

I named the tree the “Lance Oak”.  As you can see, the tree is alive and well, and is now 16 years old.  Life is so fragile.  I know it’s only a tree.  And yes, wind may blow it away tomorrow.  But, as I’ve mowed our yard a few hundred times over these last 16 years, there’s probably not  been a single time, while mowing near this tree, that I haven’t thought of Lance and been reminded to pray for my neighbor.

Interesting – today I found this little water oak. About 3 inches tall, and growing not far from the “Lance Oak”.

I close with this. The first trees were in the Garden of Eden. God said all were good for fruit–except one. If you eat of it, you will surely die. He wasn’t kidding. He is God. They ate and we all die. But some time later, there was another tree. A cross was made from it.  An innocent man was crucified on it.  The man was Jesus.  God said, believe on Jesus and trust Him, and you will surely live.  He wasn’t kidding.  He is God and this was His Son.  The Tree of Life.

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
By his wounds you have been healed”
‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭24‬

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Linking with Pieced Pastimes, It’s Overflowing, Be Different Act Normal, Silver Pennies , By Stephanie Lynn, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Thoughts From Alice, Creatively Living, Rustic-Refined, Pink When, Mod Vintage Life, The Dedicated House, Dwellings-Heart of Your Home, Savvy Southern Style, French Country Cottage, From My Front Porch To Yours, Stone Gable, Confessions of a Plate Addict, Worthing Court, Between Naps on the Porch, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, The Style Sisters, The Charm of Home, The Winthrop Chronicles, Cornerstone Confessions, A Delightsome Life, Imparting Grace, Craftberry Bush, Posed Perfection, Katherines Corner, The Vintage Farmhouse,  My Romantic Home, Chic On A Shoestring Decorating, Rooted In Thyme, Share Your Cup