Lost and Found

I thought I lost my wallet. I looked everywhere, the bedroom, bathroom, throughout the house, and the car. I retraced my steps that day since I had taken it out to get gas. I called Wal-Mart and Marvin’s grocery store. I called Joyce and she put my credit card and debit card on hold. Fortunately I do not carry a lot of plastic. Before heading to Wal-Mart to check the parking lot I swung by the house for one more look. I walked into the bedroom and pulled up the bedspread. It was under the bed. Now, how did it get there?

One day later I reached for my cell phone and it was not there. I had been in the house and in the car. It was in the car. I muttered to myself, “Next it will be my head.”

The day after that we watched the weather get worse and the snow begin to fall. I thought about the generator in the shed and thought it would be a good idea to fill the big gas can, just in case the power went out. I unlocked the shed, opened the door, and leaned it to pick up the gas can. Wham, I hit the top of my head. It was a good thing I was wearing a hat. It still left a mark, though.

I was three for three doing something dumb each of the three days leading up to Christmas. It had to get better. I remembered a bumper sticker that read, “Of all the things I’ve lost I miss my mind the most.” I know the feeling.

Christmas day arrived complete with a blanket of white snow. It was a White Christmas! We woke up to happy sounds of grandchildren playing in the living room. We spent the morning cooking together as a family. The ham and all the trimmings were perfect. We read the Christmas story from the Bible, opened presents, and finished out the day playing games.

Heaven is just a breath away. The things we lose are nothing in comparison to the things we gain. Christmas reminds us of this. All the stress and pain we experience leading up to that day are quickly forgotten in faces that surround us as we remember Christ’s birth and share our love with each other.

I am glad Christmas comes at the end of the year. It is the perfect opportunity to remember what is truly important as we begin a new year. God bless you and have a Happy New Year.

Bro. Robin

Being A Gracious Receiver

Christmas is a time for giving and receiving. We all like to recieve eventhough we say it is better to give. We say there is a gift of giving. I think there is also a gift of being a gracious reciever.

When I was growing up I enjoyed gift giving times. I was the youngest in the family and always got presents from everyone. I piled all the presents on a chair in the living room so everone could see. I was not a very gracious reciever. In time I out grew the need to show off my presents.

I have spent most of my adult life in ministry. Over the years I have recieved gifts for a lot of reasons. I have learned to accept them graciously because of the lessons I have learned through these gifts.

First I have learned that people give gifts because they want to bless someone as they have been blessed. This understanding has helped my recieving and giving. When I see a gift as a blessing I stop looking at the practical use and accept the personal value it was given to express. A gift is a part of the giver they want you to have.

A gift is also an expression of love. Love is more than a part of the giver. A gift of love is an expression of what they wish they could give. There are times when we would give the world if we could. So, we give a symbol of our wishes and dreams.

I like gifts that are creatve and fun. Gifts are about the relatinship between the giver and reciever. We give of ourselves when we give and we accept the person when we accept the gift .

Christmas reminds us that we cannot separate God's gift from His person, and His desire to have a relationship with us. "For God so loved... He gave ..."

Merry Christmas
Bro. Robin