Presence to presents

Exodus 33:14

¹⁴ The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

This time next week we will all most likely be indulged with the Christmas day experience.  How awesome will yours be this year?  I guess that is kind of how you experience the day!  Will you put your excitement in God's presence around you?  Breathing in all that you are blessed with everyday.  Experiencing the day with all you have to give others throughout the day or year!  Even if you feel that you have nothing, you still have the greatest gift of all as long as you believe.  Share that!!!  Or will you put your day into the gift of presents that you get?  Making your day better by the pile of gifts and paper lying by your side when you are finished with the day.  What will you do? 

I say it is not that we should not enjoy the gifts that we receive.  Yet, it is better for us to do the giving.  We can experience the birth of Christ through both don't get me wrong.  I think though that we truley experience the gift of Christmas through the presence of Christ in our lives, and days.  

Take time to enjoy them all.  We are blessed so much, and never know when life might change.  Have a blessed, safe and great Christmas.

Craig

What stays, what goes?

So it is just a few short days to Christmas... Already!  Then just few more days from that is a new year to begin.  I always tend to start thinking about how I am going to approach the new year.  In order for me to do that though, I need to recap the last year.   How do I begin to do that?  What promises did I make and not keep?  What time did I waste that I won't get back?  When did I leave God out and when did I let God in?  It is indeed time to clean up again for the year and do some housecleaning.  Not talking about the kitchen and bathroom here, either.  Nope, I am talking about the mind and the heart. 

I know as I head into the new year, I need to give more time to God, more time to family, friends and church ministry.  The devil got the better part of my last year, and looking back I can see the holes that I left for Satan to slip in.  So I need to mend those holes this year, and fight harder to keep them closed.  Holes like, ill will that enters my mind, flows to my heart than spews from my mouth.  I need filters to be changed, and replaced for sure.  It has indeed been a hard year.  This past month preparing for Christmas and Advent have been a great treat for me.  Getting to help those that need help and share with many the true blessings that we have at Christmas.  Heck, just sharing with folks the true meaning of Christ-mass. 

Many folks share their thoughts about how the world is taking Christ out of Christmas.  I for one disagree, Christ has never been a bigger part of Christmas...for me.  Maybe, if we are worried about Christ leaving Christmas it is not society taking him out of it.  Maybe it's the person thinking it!  Here is a new year approaching and a great opportunity to start anew with sharing God and Christ with the world, and therefore keeping Christmas going all year long.  Keeping Christ in your Christmas!



Craig 

Daily Bread!

" Give us Lord, Our daily bread."  More than food on our tables.  God supplies for us all that that we need to make it through each and everyday we have.  We tend to focus on the problems instead of the blessings a lot in life.  Stupid job I need to get up and go to! stupid car that is not worth a dime and cost me money to fix it and gas to put in it!  Stinkin' test to take!  Darn traffic!  Doesn't that just about sum up your mornings?  Well, the daily bread is the fact that you have a job, a car, an education, even the air to breathe, to wake up.  Don't say that God does not care.  God most certainly does, look at all that is given to you on a daily basis to survive.  Strength, courage, wisdom, all things to grow on. 

"God everything I have comes from you.  You are my source for all that I am entrusted to steward.  I would not even get to work, get up, go to school, etc. if you did not give me the breathe to wake up this morning.  you are my source for everything.  So, Lord give me today, and all that I need throughout it."

God Bless,
Craig