Luke 2:1-20 (The Message)

“About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.

While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, ‘Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.’

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:

As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. ‘Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.’ They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!”

From all of us to each of you… Wishing you a truly blessed holiday season as you worship the Savior!

 

Sometime during junior high I read O. Henry’s short story “The Gift of the Magi” and I fell in love with it. I vividly remember the day in that high-ceilinged, chalk-dusty room when we first started reading it. I assumed it would be about baby Jesus and the wise men. When it wasn’t, I was intrigued. Why that name for the story, I pondered? To this day that tale of the great love of Jim and Della and the sacrifices they made to buy presents for each other is one of my favorite short stories and is foundational in my character. I think of it often and use it as an example or lesson here and there. In fact, it was one of those behavior-changing stories for me. In college, when my newly wed husband and I were totally broke, the memory of that story challenged me so much, that I sold my highschool class ring to buy my husband a present for our first anniversary. If you haven’t already read the tale, now would be a good time. It takes about 5 minutes. Here’s the link. My Christmas gift to you! Knowing the story will give you some background for this blog article. Plus, you’ll love it!

So tonight as I sit alone under the glow of my Christmas tree lights in a silent house, I’m pondering this heart-warming story. The Biblical Magi gave gifts to the baby Jesus and this secular tale is a story about gift-giving; that is the basic reason behind the title (which I did figure out by the end of the story that first day as I read). But so much more is bubbling through my thoughts. Where is my heart this Christmas? What are my motives in gift-giving? Do I love well? Other than with my family, am I really generous at heart? Am I a Magi?  I would like to be.

The scriptural Magi, the wise men, set out to follow a star to find and worship the newborn King of the Jews. They went through lengthy, difficult travels – no SUV with AC and a DVD to occupy the kids, stopping at fast food restaurants and well-manicured rest areas any time they needed a break. NO. Their trek involved days of preparations (if not weeks), taking with them all the food and animals, and animal fodder, and water, and clothing and whatever else they might need for a long journey to an unknown destination. Whoa! What a task. And all that work just to worship!

 

In your life, are you even on the journey? Or would you have been one of the thousands of “un-wise” men who didn’t bother to go search for Him? 

 

Those Magi of old found the Babe, the Christ. The first thing they did was to worship Him. Is this our first reaction to Christ? To bow and worship? And what did they do after they worshipped? That’s the part we hear of the most. Springing out of their worship, they gave Him gifts. That’s why we give gifts today to celebrate Christ’s birth, because gifts were brought to Him at His birth and because the heavenly Father gave us this greatest gift of all – a Savior born in a manger.

 

If you’re on the journey, are you a diligent, whatever-it-takes wise man preparing to worship Him? Or would you have been an “un-wise” man milling around Bethlehem with a complacent “hmm-a star-meh” attitude?

 

I recently noticed something in scripture that I’d never really thought about. They opened their treasures and gave Him gifts out of their treasures. Do we bring gifts to Him out of our treasures? Or do we give him something cheap to us? Do we offer the thrift store present? Or re-gift him with the free one from last year’s Christmas party that we didn’t want? Or wrap up a happy meal toy that’s still in the plastic?

 

 Would you have been a wise man who stood up to King Herod and proceeded undeterred to worship the true King? Or are you more of an “un-wise” man whose faith gets strangled out by the cares of the world or side-tracked by any opposition or fiery trial you face?

 

What do I treasure? My husband. My children. My home. My possessions. My job. My time. My plan for my life…. Have I given Him those things I value the most? Just a reminder in the words of Jim Elliot, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

 

Facing all sorts of difficulties, would you have been one of the few who actually made it to the manger to see the Son of God? Or are you today one of the “un-wise” ones always wishing you could experience Jesus the way “she” does and just a bit jealous that you don’t, yet unwilling to put out the effort to get you past the obstacles and to the Christ? It doesn’t just happen. It takes effort on your part. How many times have you bumped into the President as you rolled your trash can to the street while wearing your robe on a random Thursday morning? Doesn’t happen. Ladies, if we wish to experience the Christ with other wise men, we must gather our goods, load our camels, and travel long journeys. We must diligently prepare to worship Him. Set our hearts on Him. Be willing to pay a high price. Spend time and effort on our own in the Word.

 

In The Gift of the Magi, Jim and Della gave the things they valued most – the treasured watch and her glorious hair. They sacrificed these things because they loved so deeply. Out of their scarcity they found a way to give. Just like the widow at the temple who gave only two mites (1/5 of a cent each) but was praised by Jesus for giving more than all the others because she had given all that she had, her treasure.

Where do we stand ladies? Do we give to the Father out of our abundance (because we should) or out of our treasure (because we love deeply)? It is never foolish to love lavishly and give prodigally. Scripture tells us that we love because He first loved us. The more we live in the Father’s love, the more our love will grow. The more we love the Father, the more we will love people around us. Even the ones that are hard to love. And the more we give to our Heavenly Father, the more we will show generosity to the world around us. Wise “men,” let’s hold our treasure sack loosely and draw out our costly gifts generously. Let us be like the wise men of old. Let’s be like Jim & Della. Let’s be modern-day Magi.

by Debbie Stovall

Raising kids is sometimes a guessing game. You do something one day and it works, but the next day you do the same thing and it doesn’t. As grandparents now, Randy and I are able to look back and evaluate our parenting. Here are a few of the things we did that turned out to have more value than we realized at the time. All three deal with managing our money or possessions, and all have paid off in my children’s attitude toward possessions. So just in time for the holidays, here is my gift to you! Hope it helps in your mommy-journey or spurs you to think of new ideas of your own!

#1 – The “Less is More” Trick

No one in my family is a picker eater. We love food! So from the time they could toddle around, my children all wanted more snack than I thought was best. I found a little trick with my first child one day when I was impatient. I offered him a cookie, only one, because it was almost supper time. He immediately said, “No. Two.” In my impatience, I respond testily, “Ok, you can have zero then.” He promptly decided one was better than none, took his cookie, and was fine.

The light bulb went on for me! From that day on in negotiating with my kids I used that same trick; if they started asking for more, I began to retreat on what I was willing to give. If I offered two marshmallows, they would want three, so I would drop back to 1 which made the original offer of two very satisfying to them. If I told them I would buy them a toy at Wal-Mart, they would see two and want both. When I let them know that if they couldn’t decide on one they wouldn’t get any, they would find a way to choose one. When I told my 16-year-old to be home by 10:00 and he responded that everyone else was staying out until 11:00, I would pull my offer back to 9:00. Then 10:00 suddenly looked pretty good.

The trick is saying it kindly with a tender expression on your face. If you get mad and shout “No you only get one now!” or “Well Bud, just for that you have to be home at 9:00!” you bring yourself down to the child’s level and he keeps arguing. But if you stay calm and unruffled, he realizes he has a choice to make. If he wants anything, he has to play by your rules. He may not always be happy about it, but battles will de-escalate.

#2 – Keep-Give

From the time that sweet baby is born every parent longs to give that child every good gift we can, just like our Father in Heaven does for us. But somewhere between 9 months and 3-years-old the toys begin to take over. As a parent it’s a struggle to know how to get rid of some of this abundance, because after all Grandma gave them this, and that is recommended by Parents magazine, and all the cool moms say every child needs those. So what is a mom to do to get the mess under control and be a good steward of the family’s possessions?

We came up with a solution. We called it “Keep-Give.” I would plan a day to do nothing else. I would take into the children’s room a large garbage can with several extra garbage bags and some boxes labeled “Give.” Then I would sit in the middle of the room and dump out a toy box or bin, one at a time, in front of me. I would hold up one toy at a time and ask, “Keep? Give? Or throw away?” If someone said keep it went back into the toy basket. If they all said, “Give” it went into the cardboard box to be given away. If it was broken or had missing parts or was beyond being used it went into the trash. Each of the children could have his or her say, and if even one of them said, “Keep,” I would honor that. (However, many times the lone person saying “Keep” would later change his mind and pass the treasure on.)

It was a very fun and revealing experience. (And it still has a hearty affirmation from everyone in the family, parent and child alike.) It usually took most of the day, but it was worth it. I was always shocked at what they gave to others that I thought they would be unwilling to part with. I actually heard wisdom coming from them like, “We don’t play with that much anymore, but some other kid might like it.” It gave them a chance to make wise choices about their possessions without me controlling it. And it gave them a chance to be generous. The revelation for me was that some of the things they were willing to get rid of, I was not! I would remember the high cost of the toy or think that a certain toy “should have” sentimental value to them because of who gave it, and therefore would not want them to give it away. So this exercise helped me with my own greed issues. I did make a few exceptions. The one-of-a-kind toy Aunt Joyce had sent them from Bahrain, the American Girls doll they’d outgrown that I wanted to save for my grandchild, those sorts of things I put aside and stored in the attic at the end of the day.

It was a character forming procedure, too. I always explained first what we were doing and how the procedure worked because the little ones had to learn how. We would talk about how blessed we were with all these great toys and how some kids didn’t have as much as we did. We would discuss how it’s good to give things and not to hoard everything. As they got older we incorporated Bible verses on giving and generosity, always including my favorite from the time I was 6 years old, “God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7 “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”)

This task is well worth the time spent. We did it twice a year, usually before Christmas and sometime in late spring. Sometimes we still ended up with too many toys, so I would divide them up into laundry baskets. I would leave one basket down for the kids to play with and put one basket in the top of the closet and swap the baskets out every month or so. This was refreshing to the kids when they got bored with the toys they were used to.

#3 – Three Bowls

As the kids got old enough to do chores we decided we needed to teach them about money. So we gave each child assigned chores and a set allowance each week. It’s never too early to start this. Even 2-year-olds can start to fold wash cloths! And DO make a game of it! By 5 years of age they had to put away their own toys and could wipe down sinks & counters with a cloth and spray bottle containing only water. At 6 they were setting the table, putting their laundry away, and dusting. By 8 they could load the dishwasher, help cook dinner, and make their bed (messily). At 10 they learned to do their own laundry, iron, vacuum, and mow grass. So they earned money every week doing their chores.

Of course we did not want them wasting it all on candy or cheap toys each week. So here’s what we did. We saved 3 of the small-sized empty margarine spread bowls for each child. (If you can find plain colored ones or ones without the brand name written on it, they are cuter.) We wrote with a permanent marker on each bowl either “Spend,” “Save,” or “Give.” Dad cut a neat little coin slit in each lid. We chose to have them put 10% into the “Give” bowl (their tithe), 20% into the “Save” bowl (to teach them to save up for bigger things they wanted to buy/do later) and the other 70% into “Spend.” We always made sure we gave the allowance money to them in a way that was easy to divide. ($1.00 would be given in 10 dimes, or $10.00 given in 10 ones.) Every Saturday evening as we were laying out clothes for church, we’d help the ones who were school age fill out their offering envelopes and put their “Give” money in to take to church the next day.

I highly recommend this “trick.” It teaches kids the value of money as they take their spend money to the store and see what they can afford to purchase. It teaches them delayed gratification as they build up money in the “Save” bowl for something special down the road. And it builds the habit of tithing in them from the time they are little children. You may want to change the ratios, 33-33-33% is the easiest. Or some people add a 4th bowl labeled “Taxes” and the money from all the children is then pooled together down the road and used for a family vacation or outing (promoting the concept of paying taxes to the Government which should use it for our corporate good).

A few other things to consider:

• Do I overdo presents on birthdays and Christmas or do I celebrate within my means?
• Do I give in at the grocery store or Wal-Mart and buy something for the child because they have put up such a fit to get it?
• Am I personally satisfied with what I have, or do my children see and hear me lamenting over what I don’t have or what I wish we could do?
• Is our family tithing (10% to God) and living joyfully within our means?
• Do I view everything we own as belonging to God? Leaving God’s broken down vehicle on the side of the road is much easier than leaving Mine. Live with an open hand toward possessions.
• A favorite children’s book of ours on the subject of greed is an old one, Gimme by Stephen Cosgrove and Charles Reasoner.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the tips. I’m sure other moms would love to hear your special tips and tricks if you’d like to share them in the comments below!

 

 

by Joy Hutzler

Judges chapter 6 tells us an amazing story about a “nobody” named Gideon.  Gideon was the youngest son of a poor man in Israel. In those days, the Midianite army would sweep through Israel each harvest season and utterly destroy all the crops and livestock of the Israelites.  God’s people had resorted to hiding in caves in the mountains during this time of the year for fear of the Midianites.  After some time, the people of the Lord, who had begun worshipping other gods, grew tired of the oppression of the Midianites and cried out to God for help. One day, Gideon was hiding in a winepress, beating out some wheat to hide it from the Midianites, and an angel appeared to him with a message from the Lord.  As a way of greeting, the angel said, “The Lord is with you, man of courage.”  Here was Gideon hiding from the Midianites, and the Lord called him a man of courage. I imagine Gideon looked around to see who the angel must have been referring to. The angel went on to give Gideon instructions about what was to come and how the Lord was going to use him to deliver the Israelites from the Midianite army. But first, God wanted Gideon to tear down the idol of the false god Baal, which was standing in the way of victory for the Israelites.  Every time he was given instructions, Gideon asked for confirmation that it was truly a message from the Lord. Gideon was afraid. He was afraid of the Midianites.  He was afraid of the men of his village.  He doesn’t sound much like a “man of courage.” But each time after he confirmed the Lord’s message, Gideon was obedient and did what the Lord had told him to do.

My husband and I are raising a son amidst his three sisters.  Trying to teach him to be strong and fearless is a task that I don’t always feel equipped for.  I often tell him when he is afraid to have courage.  I remind him that, “It isn’t courage if you aren’t afraid.”

God asked Gideon to trust him and to obey some outlandish and seemingly impossible commands.  He was afraid. I would have been, too! Gideon was given an army of 300 men to stand up against the great Midianite (and Amalekite) armies. There were more of them than could be counted. But God didn’t really need Gideon’s help. He wanted his trust and obedience. God didn’t let him down.

Sometimes in our own lives God asks us to trust him and obey him in situations that seem far above our capabilities. We cannot even fathom at times how God could possibly work a plan to handle an overwhelming situation. We are confused why he even wants to involve us in his plan in the first place. We are afraid of the circumstances or cower at all of the “what ifs.”

God called Gideon a man of courage before he even gave him the first instruction, because God already knew who Gideon was. God already knew Gideon was afraid, but he wanted to give him a title that would help Gideon understand that God saw something about him that he couldn’t see for himself.

Maybe you don’t feel very courageous. Maybe you feel very unworthy or ill-equipped to handle a task the Lord has given you.  But this is where God loves to work!  God loves to work in all of our inadequacies because that is where HE gets the glory. That is where HE gets to shine and show his power.  If you have been given instructions from the Lord, go ahead and get confirmation, then in all of your fears, inadequacies, and uncertainties, OBEY! The Lord is with you, Woman of Courage.

 

by Morgan Ramsey

“Morgan, he doesn’t like me. I guess I wasn’t good enough for him. He just wanted to be friends. I am not worthy of someone like that.” As a girls’ minister, I hear this plenty from the middle school and high school girls at my church. And as hard as it is to hear that, I know it’s even harder to say out loud. Why? Because it gets at a fear that we as girls, and even more so as women have: a fear of rejection. Rejection is hard. It’s a low blow, and demolishes any ounce of self-esteem that we may have had. Why? Because we let it.

But we let it because we believe a lie that could not be further from the truth: You aren’t enough. As young girls we hear it and see it everywhere we go. This lie can be found in magazines, or songs, or in a movie, or in the school hallways where the other girls make fun of how we look. We can find it in people’s comments about what we are wearing, or when every single girl is in a relationship BUT US. And we don’t grow out of this when we graduate high school. As women we can see it every single day if we look in our own lives and in the lives of other women around us.

Yeah, I know. I get it. I struggle with it every day of my life. My surroundings have changed, but the lie remains. Instead of seeing it in high school hallways, I see it in my work place, in my personal life, in my family, and in the way I think about myself. And I’ve realized unless we get to the root of the issue, it will metastasize from middle school to adult life. It’s a silent killer It’s hard to rid yourself of this lie, because well…  it’s so stinkin’ believable!

I’m reading through a book called Lies Young Women Believe, and it goes through all of the different lies that Satan throws at us every single day. There is also an adult version for women as well, and it is equally as powerful. The amount of lies that Satan throws at us daily is scary. But what is even scarier is the thought that women BELIEVE these lies every day. The one that keeps coming back to me is this lie of “you are not enough.” And to a certain extent, that is true. We AREN’T enough. But in Him, we are more than enough.

The Lord calls us something different. He calls us into a different type of living. He calls us worthy. He calls us beloved. He calls us His masterpiece. He calls us His prize and possession. He calls us chosen. And most importantly, He calls us to live in freedom, not in bondage to a lie that has no place in our lives.

Because of Him, we become faultless, holy, blameless, righteous, pure, and enough. Because He has made us these things and even more, we don’t have to be burdened by rejection. When people say we aren’t enough, we can look up and look at the Father and say, “He makes me enough, because He is more than enough”. We don’t have to live burdened by what people think of us. We can live abundantly in the truth of what He calls us.

The lie of rejection always hits you hardest in the place where you feel least satisfied. So for middle school girls and high school girls they face this lie head on in relationships. The desire to be wanted and loved by a guy is strong in this age group. I’m starting to realize you can find this lie anywhere. I told you how I see it in my life, but I’ve seen it in the woman who has worked for years with her company and didn’t get that promotion. I’ve seen it in the woman who watched a lifelong friend walk out of her life. I’ve seen it in the woman whose child wants nothing to do with her. I’ve seen it in the woman who struggles with miscarriage and the woman who can’t get pregnant after years of trying. I’ve seen it in the woman who has prayed for marriage for years and is still single at 33. I’ve seen it in the woman who has a perfect marriage on the outside, but on the inside feels an immovable separation from her husband and is plagued by loneliness.

The lie of rejection always hits you hardest in the place where you feel least satisfied. 

Fill in your blank. WE ALL deal with this. Sometimes we can’t control what comes our way. But we can control how we respond. So. How are you going to fight the lie of rejection this week? I tell my girls that one of the best ways to fight this is to remember who you are. Not who you are as a person, but who you are in Him. Remember sweet girl or woman of God, the God who made you so intimately, cares a ton about you.