It’s the day after Christmas! I feel sad just writing that.

The presents that looked so stunning under the tree, perfectly wrapped with each recipient in mind, have been torn to shreds. The paper, meticulously folded and taped into place, has been discarded and awaits the garbage pick-up. The ribbon that once sparkled, has been cut, broken or untied and lays at the bottom of the heap of torn paper. And the LIGHTS! What about the LIGHTS?
If they are still on, do they hold the same glow?
Remember the crazy days leading up to Christmas? The days you thought you simply did not have enough hours in them to accomplish your long list! The days you fretted over having enough time to shop, bake, wrap and decorate! The days when you thought the 25th of December would come too soon, long before you had enough time to prepare for its arrival. And now, it’s actually the day after! You did it! You made it through! You celebrated, you ate, you unwrapped, you shared, you laughed, and then you turned off THE LIGHTS!
Oh, sure, they may remain hung through the New Year, but they have somehow, gone out! They do not seem to hold that same special GLOW. The expectation of family and friends, good times together, giving that perfect gift, watching their faces when they open it, all of the laughter, the singing, the joy, IS OVER. But what about THE LIGHT? Has it faded?
Those LIGHTS that had held such wonder and brightness, such hope and anticipation! Those LIGHTS that pointed us to The reason for celebration. The LIGHT of God in His Son Jesus, IMMANUEL, GOD WITH US! Those LIGHTS that made us feel happy! Those LIGHTS that brought a smile to our faces, and a lightness to our hearts! Those LIGHTS that shone through the dark, cold nights of the season, and sent a warm glow through us.

The Christmas Lights that we, “PUT UP,” “LOOKED AT,” and “WATCHED”, may have been put out and turned off until next season, but the true light of the world is in us all year long if we LIVE IN THE LIGHT!

“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you, GOD IS LIGHT, and there is NO darkness in Him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing The Truth. BUT, if we are living in THE LIGHT as God is in THE LIGHT, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.”
I John 1:5-7

I am truly the WORST at never wanting Christmas to be over! I put up LIGHTS as soon as Thanksgiving is over! I turn on the Christmas Lights in my house every morning even though I know it will dry out my tree! I even get sad, long before I need to, at the thought of Christmas being OVER! But here it is! It’s December 26th, and Christmas is in fact OVER! But THE TRUE LIGHT OF CHRISTMAS STILL BURNS BRIGHT!

It is up to me to LIVE in THE LIGHT, so that others see His LIGHT all year long!

Isn’t that the antidote to the “After Christmas Blues?” Isn’t that the solution to the dark days of Winter? Isn’t that the prescription to true joy and happiness in our lives daily regardless of our circumstances?

When we live The True Light of Jesus all year long, THE LIGHT NEVER FADES!

TRUTH BOMB

LIVE THE TRUE LIGHT OF JESUS AND THE LIGHT NEVER FADES!

A brand New Year is right around the corner Friends! Let’s LIVE The True Light of Jesus this year, and LET HIS LIGHT SHINE!

Speak Truth Love

 

I am dazzled by THE LIGHTS of the week before Christmas!

Yes, you heard me right! There is only ONE WEEK before Christmas! Technically, there are only 6 more shopping days before Christmas!

At this point in the season, experts say, you are either done with your Christmas shopping or you have not even started yet!

But no matter which camp you find yourself in, you are more than likely “dazzled” by the bright lights of Christmas programs and displays, just like I am!

As I watch them, I am in awe! My jaw drops at the brilliance and my heart skips a beat to the music. I love “WATCHING” the LIGHTS! My hands clap to the beat of the Christmas shows, and my face is covered with the biggest smile ever as I watch the LIGHTS flash across the stage and listen as the talented musicians play and sing out the beautiful Christmas songs.

I also love “WATCHING THE LIGHTS” from my car window. I love driving through brilliant displays of Christmas Lights through the richly decorated neighborhoods. I love the variety, the colors and the music that accompanies many of the displays nowadays! I feel happy as my heart laughs, almost out loud, at the amazing decorations and the elaborate decor. I love wrapping my hands around a hot latte and singing out, “FA LA LA LA LATTE”, as my eyes take in the splendor.

However, in the midst of all the “BIG LIGHTS” I am watching, I feel a subtle, quiet come over me as I return home. A peace comes over me as I step into the darkness of my house at night, and see the glow of the tiny, seemingly insignificant LIGHT of my nativity scene.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the Big Shows! I clap my hands loudly along with everyone else. I love driving through the neighborhoods where every house is decorated beyond belief with too many lights and blow up Christmas objects to count! The programs put on by our churches, the loud music and the flickering lights, I love each and every one of them!

But deep in my spirit I hear a still, small voice saying, “Look to the True Light of Christmas!” “Let it be the brightest light in your life!”

As I allow that LIGHT to be the brightest, I see a small, dim, seemingly insignificant LIGHT that points to a little baby born into poverty not wealth, obscurity not fame, and in filthy barn instead of a fancy, comfortable hotel.
That LIGHT reminds me who the TRUE LIGHT OF THE WORLD IS!

In coming into the world, we are no longer just “watching” Jesus from afar. He came that we can now experience, see and feel Him. He is not someone who rejects me, is embarrassed of me, or laughs at me when I make a mistake. He accepts me as I am and loves me unconditionally! He is the King of Kings and The Lord of Lords and He is THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD!

“Jesus spoke to the people and said, I am the LIGHT of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the LIGHT that leads to Life.”  John 8:12

TRUTH BOMB

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD LEADS TO LIFE.

I love watching all of the lights of Christmas. But my hearts prayer is that I will focus on the one true light, Jesus Christ, and not just see Him as a baby in a manger. My prayer is that I’d see him as “THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD!” I pray that I will follow Him each and every day, not just at Christmas time, so that I will never walk in darkness, but will always walk in His LIGHT!

Speak Truth Love

 

 

 

 

 

The Second thing I notice about Christmas Lights is that WE LOOK AT LIGHTS!

We are drawn to them and at times we just stare! It is like a moth drawn to a flame. We cannot stop from watching, gazing and marveling at the Lights of Christmas!

We make an entire activity and outing around “LOOKING AT LIGHTS!”
We pile into our cars, grab hot cocoa, christmas cookies and blankets and drive by gawking at all the LIGHTS!
Complete neighborhoods decorate just to draw us in! Churches have designed displays of LIGHTS so we would be able to drive or walk through and enjoy the beautiful, brilliant LIGHTS!

The first thing I want to do in the Morning when I wake up is sit by the LIGHTS and just LOOK at them!

What is it that draws us to the LIGHT? Why are we captivated by the brilliance that shines no matter what the outside surrounding it looks like?

The answer is truly simple! We were created for The Light! The LIGHT is what gives us LIFE!

“The One who is The True Light, who gives Light to EVERYONE, was coming into the world.” John 1:9

The TRUE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, JESUS CHRIST, came at Christmas time and gives LIFE to all who LOOK AT HIM!

How do we, in reality, “LOOK AT HIM,” The True LIGHT?

We open up His Word!
It is His LOVE LETTER to us! His LIGHT shines through every page and jumps out at us in every word!

Do you have JOY this time of the year?
Go to the Word and be built up…

“The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of JOY!” Psalm 65:8

So sing songs of Joy!

Do you have sorrow or sadness this time of the year?
Go to The Word and be comforted…

“Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief.” Psalm 31:9

God gets it! Go to Him and He will hold you in your grief and sorrow.

Do you have gladness this time of the year? Go to The Word and REJOICE!

“Shout for Joy to The Lord, all the earth. Worship The Lord and rejoice with gladness.; come before Him with joyful songs.” Psalm 100:1-2

Worship God through His Word and BE GLAD!

Do any of you WORRY this time of the year? Seriously, who does not WORRY this time of the year? Shopping, purchasing, wrapping, decorating, baking, attending, dressing etc., etc., etc., The list is endless! Obligations produce anxiety and we WORRY!

GO TO THE WORD…

“Therefore I tell you, DO NOT WORRY about your life, what you will eat, drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not your life more than food, and your body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Matthew 6:25-27

Trust God with your worry! Go to His Word!

God’s Got this! His LIGHT is the true LIGHT of the world and it gives LIFE to us!

TRUTH BOMB

THE TRUE LIGHT THAT GIVES LIFE HAS COME INTO THE WORLD!

Did you catch that AMAZING TRUTH?

“…who gives LIGHT TO EVERYONE!”

Jesus is the TRUE LIGHT OF THE WORLD! His Light is so true and so bright, that He gives LIGHT to EVERYONE! All those that look at Him, See His Light!
Those that already know Him, and those that don’t! We are drawn to THE LIGHT because the TRUE LIGHT of JESUS is what we seek!

May you look to The True Light of Christmas this season, JESUS CHRIST THE SON OF GOD!

We’ll continue to look to the One True Light, and make sure we are Watching the Light as we come back together next week!

Speak Truth Love

“It’s my birthday, I can Blog if I want to, Blog if I want to, Blog if I want to.”
And I Want To!!! I am 57 years young people, and I thank God for every precious day!

Seriously, this was intended to be a VLOG, and it sounded better in my head!
However, due to my age, which increased today, I continue to have “technical difficulties!”
Taping is easy, but getting it up for all of you…NOT SO EASY!
My goal for 2018 is to work out the kinks, and VLOG into the New Year.
But, we still have a month of 2017 and I plan to live it to the fullest!
After all, it is MY FAVORITE TIME of the year!

It’s CHRISTMAS TIME! Which inspired the title for today’s BLOG,

CHRISTMAS LIGHT!

“It’s beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS, everywhere you go!”

Everywhere I go I see LIGHTS!

I love them! The glow warms my heart and makes me feel comforted.

I love gazing at the glow of my Christmas tree lights and see the twinkle of reflection they make in the window. I hate turning them off, but they leave a warm feeling inside me as I head upstairs to go to sleep.

The FIRST thing I notice about lights is that we PUT THEM UP!

We spend countless hours of time, and amounts of money to PUT UP CHRISTMAS LIGHTS! We climb onto ladders that are anything but safe(well actually, in my case, my son-in-law climbs the ladder)!
He truly is the most Perfect “Light Putter Upper” you have ever seen! Our home is aglow with beautiful white lights! I love plugging them in each evening and truth be told, I walk outside and stare at them several times a night!
Then we put up our Christmas Tree! Why do we go to such trouble? I mean seriously, I could write an entire BLOG POST FOR A YEAR on how, Putting Up Our Christmas Tree Each Year Has Driven Us To The Verge of DIVORCE! Actually, my daughter told me to write a book about it and we would be RICH! This is not a joke people! I have serious “TREE ISSUES!” I am embarrassed to tell you about this year’s escapades, but I believe it all points to the point I am trying to make…
I have already put up one tree in our front room, live of course, that I have already taken down! I gave it my best effort to be “frugal” and I failed miserably! I never claimed to be frugal, and I clearly am not!
My sister took pity on me, and she knows my heart for Christmas and Lights, and she bought me a big, beautiful tree as a “house warming” gift, that fills our high ceiling living room with luscious evergreen scent and lots and lots of LIGHTS! We had just put the lights on the “New Tree” when we heard a loud CRASH AND SWOOSH OF WATER!
That’s right, it came falling down, soaking my carpet and flooring! We had to clean up the mess and dry out the carpet and flooring with a fan for 24 hours, but did that stop me? NOT A CHANCE! I LOVE LIGHTS!

Just to be clear, I do not just put up one tree with lights, I have another I put in the family room for my grand babies. I actually love LIGHTS so much, they are all over my house!

PUTTING UP LIGHTS is the FIRST act we perform at Christmas time. It gives us Hope and a warm glow! Does it take work and effort and at times suffering? YES! But, Boy is it worth it when you see the GLOW!

The Word of God foretold the coming of THE LIGHT into the world at Christmas time…

“The people who walk in darkness will see a great LIGHT. For those who live in a land of great darkness a LIGHT will shine.” Isaiah 9:2

TRUTH BOMB

God sent us The Great Light to shine in the darkness!

God knew we needed LIGHT, and He was preparing to bring that LIGHT to the world!

As you and I put up Christmas lights this year, my prayer is that each light will lead me to look up to the True Light of God, His Son Jesus, and allow Him to shine through the darkness!

Next week will continue to focus on The Light, as we look to The Light that gives life to the World!

Speak Truth Love