Everyone wants to put so much in the holiday schedule. What time do we eat at Mom’s? What time is church? Where do the kids have to be? Are you picking up the family at the airport? Who’s cooking? Are we visiting uncle Joe?

When we think of the first Christmas it wasn’t really much different. We got to travel to pay our taxes? Where are we going to stay? Oh great no room in the Inn. A stable are you crazy? I’m going to put my baby in a food trough? A place where food for the sheep is put is where the word made flesh will lay.

Then all of the sudden it makes perfect sense. He is the word made flesh and He is the word the sheep of the world must eat.  The symbolism is everywhere. No room in the Inn.  Most people won’t let Him in either.  Too many people say they don’t have room for Jesus. Everyone was busy doing their own things. They were all busy doing business. Business was all around money. The economy of the world outweighed the creator of the world.

So what’s on your schedule? Is it stable time? Star time? Giving gifts to Him time? Or are you caught up as well in the ways of the world? Or are you willing to find a place to meet Jesus regardless of what it looks like and how others treat you?

I remember when my children were little watching the children’s movie, The Grinch That Stole Christmas. I remember little Cindy Lou Who who lived down in Who Ville and how she caught the Grinch stealing her family Christmas tree.  She was so trusting and believed the ole Grinch was really Santa and he was just going to take the tree and fix a light and bring it back.  Isn’t that just like the devil to steal from the children of God and make us to believe a lie?

The devil will do anything to steal our joy. I have an acrostic here for you, for fun from the word GRINCH. When you find yourself driven by these types of behaviors ask yourself what spirit is driving you?



G-Grouchy

R-Resentful

I-Indifferent

N-Negative

C-Complaining

H-Haughty

The thing that caused the Grinch to change was seeing the love and generosity and the true Spirit of Christmas displayed by the very people he had committed wrong against. He heard all the little Who's singing in Who Ville without any gifts, tinsel or trees.  They knew the true meaning of Christmas.

This Christmas show the love of God to all, not just to those who are easy to love but to those who are not so easy to love. The true story of Christmas is so much more than comes from a store.  I encourage you to read the story to your family or aloud to yourself and watch and see if your heart grows too.

Luke 2:1-20 (NKJV)” 2 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife,[a] who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold,[b] an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”[c]

15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely[d] known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”

This original ornament of Christmas…
The Christmas star…
It was one that reflected GODS LIGHT and GODS GLORY. It led the three wise men and it is still leading wise men. As it's been said many times, "Wise men still seek Him." 

When you ask people to name a star they go directly to the entertainment industry. I get names like Taylor Swift, Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp, Kim Kardashian but never a word about Jesus Christ.

From what I could research this is what I found. People started putting lights – candles to be more specific – on Christmas trees in the middle of the 17th century. These were attached to the end of tree branches with wax or pins and were adhered to the tree to represent shining stars. This tradition started in Germany and spread to Eastern Europe over the next two centuries. Because this was a serious fire hazard, most people didn’t put their trees up until December 24, ensuring that they would only be up for a brief period of time while the tree was still fresh – and much less flammable.

The custom of putting strings of lights on trees began in 1882 when Edward Johnson – an associate of Thomas Edison – wired red, white and blue bulbs together and placed them on an evergreen tree. In 1895, President Grover Cleveland followed suit and decorated a Christmas tree in the White House with stringed lights. The public took notice, and the tradition started to catch on.

Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states including Hawaii and Alaska. Most Americans put a start on top of their tree.  The star led wise men to see the Christ. When you see the star let it remind you of The
 Star.

Matthew 2:1 (NIV) "1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his STAR in the east and have come to worship him." 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6" ’But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel."  7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the STAR had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."  9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the STAR they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the STAR, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route."

We see in the midst of these verses a STAR. From yesterday’s Blog we saw the reason for the tree and today we see the star. Don’t let the world cause you to loose heart over the lack of Christmas spirit because the Spirit of Christmas is still alive and well. As we approach Christmas, approach the throne of grace with great boldness and ask God to fill you with His spirit and you will have a Merry Christmas regardless of your circumstances.

When I look at the Christmas tree I think of everlasting life. Those beautiful ever greens stay green and lush all through the cold weary days of winter. How they manage to stand sometimes with all that heavy snow and freezing rain has always amazed me. One year I planted a little sapling only about 4 inches tall. I nursed it till it was about 3-4 feet tall and then one day shoveling the driveway I forgot about it and threw the snow from the driveway on top of it. I thought for sure I’d killed it. But come summer it was as strong and beautiful as ever. Today it stands about 10 feet tall.

In the bible we find the story of 3 trees:

The trees in the garden. (Gen. 2:8-9) Eve & Adam ate from

The trees on a hillside. (Luke 23:33-34,38-43) Jesus & 2 Thieves

The tree in heaven. (Rev. 22:1-5) The Tree of Life

So here is the story about these three trees and what they mean to you and me and all mankind. The one act committed at the first tree brought sin into the world. And with sin came death. The Bible says that we have all sinned, and because of that, that we are all going to die. “It is appointed unto men once to die and after this, the judgment.” But one act committed on the second tree, the tree on a hillside, opened the way for us to receive forgiveness of our sins. Jesus, God Himself, died on a tree to pay the debt that you owed. (John 1:11-12 NIV) He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God-- We are all present at the foot of the first tree. The second tree is available to all who will choose to do so. But the third tree – the tree of life in heaven – is only available to those who come to Jesus, admit their sinfulness before Him, believe that He died on the cross to pay for their sins and rose again, and then commit their whole lives into His care.

Maybe God’s Spirit is speaking to your heart right now telling you that you’ve been celebrating the wrong thing at Christmas. You’ve been celebrating greed rather than celebrating the life that you have in Jesus. Christmas is not about what we get or what we give it is about what Jesus has already done and the gift He offers to everyone—everywhere.

Romans 6:23 (NIV) “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This year we decided the Monday before Thanksgiving was the famiglia cookie bake off. (The Perozich version of the Iron Chef)  Joe was the supply sergeant and I made sure we had all the utensils, baking dishes, ingredients and recipes on hand.  The day began with me making the batter and Michele making the Pizelles and Jodi making Taralucci Bisquits. I prepared for the Biscotti. Did I mention we had our two year old grandson among us to keep things interesting?  Well as my daughter put it as the day wore on, “Mom I don’t think it’s healthy for our family to do things together.” We all broke into laughter but agreed it was a challenge. One wanted to joke and laugh, one wanted to listen to audible books with her head phones in, one wanted to play Christmas music and talk to everyone at the same time and the other one wanted a nap.  It’s hard to get everyone on the same page and be family with all the different personalities and preferences.  I began to think of how it must have been even 50 years ago to bake cookies. Nuts had to be harvested in the fall, shelled and kept for the occasion. Resources were slim and valuable. It was a cherished and valuable gift of love to bake and give cookies.  Today it isn’t the monetary value of the gift it was the value of family and the treasured tradition of doing it together.  

Will my children carry on the tradition? It doesn’t matter. What matters is we are family and invest time in one another regardless of our different temperaments and personalities.

Proverbs 27:17 (NKJV)”17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” 

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV) “6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. This holiday season allow yourself to be stretched and challenged.  If you cannot get along with those who mean the most to you, you will not be of great use to the Kingdom of God. We are called to love the unlovable and sometime that begins at home.

Matthew 5:46 (NLT) “46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.”

It’s that time of year again when I can hardly wait to get to open my mail box and see who sent us a Christmas card.  I can only imagine years ago when they were handmade and delivered by horse. Of course I know we have e-cards and emails, text and singing messaging but I like the good ole fashioned cards (that are not delivered by horse but jeep). My favorite ones are those with pictures of the family made into a collage. I like the ones that fold into a 3D image. I like the ones that you can hang on the tree. I like cards. They tell me a lot about the people who sent them.  Then I thought about our family of God. It came to mind that God our father gave us a card for everyday of our lives if you will. He gave us His Word. Open up the Bible any day of the week and you will find an, “I love you” message on the inside. A message that says, “You are not alone.”  A message that tells us, “I’m coming back for you.” 

Christmas can be hard on those who have lost loved ones or live alone. But Christmas can also be hard on those who live in houses with other people yet find themselves still alone. God’s word brings comfort and joy to all who will call upon His name. He is Peace that can comfort the most uncomfortable.  Jesus is the reason for the season and He wants us to go to the mailbox every day with anticipation because He has something He wants to tell us not just at Christmas but every day of our life.

Hebrews 1:1 (NIV) “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,”

2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV) “16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”

Merry Christmas from His house to yours!

Yea, I know I’ve heard it too and yes it gets old; until something new happens.  You think you’ve got it really bad when your leg hurts and your complaining and then you see someone without a leg and then you realize how small your problems really are.  Your nose is running and you feel terrible and then you see someone and they share with you they lost their loved one. Oh, sure everyone thinks that if they tell you a story worse than your own then you’ll straighten up and be happy, but we both know it doesn’t work like that. So what works?

Romans 12:15 (NLT) “Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.”

When we go through stuff we want others to stop what they are doing and go through it with us.  It just doesn't seem fair the world goes on. Committing to following Jesus is not guarantee that life will be problem free either. The bible says it rains on the just and the unjust. It tells us to be of good cheer when things are less than pleasant.

John 16:33 (KJV) “33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” 

God is a good God. I don’t know how He does it but I know He goes through everything we have to go through with us. He understands how we feel. And He promises to never leave us alone. 

Hebrews 4:15 (NIV) “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin.” 

It’s hard not to feel sorry for oneself and to begin to question God and doubt His love for us when things go bad. The only way we can remain in the right spirit is to truly know God. When you know that you know that you know--God is good and only wants good for us, it becomes impossible to doubt God’s love for us.  Get to know God. When you know Him it changes your life.

Romans 2:4 (KJV) “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” 

Begin to read the word of God with the knowledge that God is good and only wants good for you. It will change the way you think.  If you change the way you think everything and everyone changes including yourself. Things will go wrong or bad sometimes but God never intends to hurt us or do you wrong. He gave His only Son for us that we might have life so assure yourself, if it has to do with death, dying and sickness it did not come from Him.

Years are like snowflakes in that they accumulate slowly at first and in fact you rarely notice them accumulating until all of the sudden you look out and can’t see the ground anymore. Sure you knew it was coming down but it really didn’t look like it was anything to concern yourself with. One snowflake at a time and then suddenly you’re snowed in.  Prayerfully you’ve prepared for this. You have extra groceries, and good supply of water and an alternative source of heat.

As I think about my life it’s like the snow. One year really didn’t seem to go by too quickly. When my children were little I thought I’d be changing diapers and wiping up spills forever. I couldn’t imagine the empty nest I now experience. One snowflake at a time then everything looked different. The blanket of white covered all that I once thought was so very important now seems insignificant.

2 Peter 3:8 (ESV) “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

Psalm 90:12 (ESV) “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

I wish someone would have shared with me how very fast time goes. I wish someone would have shared with me to make more memories and worry less about messes and the small stuff.  I wish I would have taken more photos with me in them instead of me behind the camera. I wish I would have known how to number my days. Allow me the honor to share with you to enjoy the journey. Ask Father God about what’s important rather than the world telling you what’s important. Things go out of style. Most of the stuff you buy you will end up throwing away. People remain forever in our hearts and live for eternity. Be eternity minded. One day you will look out the window and realize that the individual snowflakes have accumulated and you are in the winter of your life.  The spring and summer and falls have passed and you will wonder how it happened. It happened one day—one snowflake at a time.

Have you ever had a memory that keeps coming up and you push it down time after time?  You ask yourself why I keep remembering that. Why can’t I just forget it and go on with my life?  Then again you see something, someone says something or we feel something and up comes that memory again.  There are experiences we have had that Jesus wants to heal. It takes effort on our part to resist pushing things down and just allow ourselves time to actually think about that memory and take it to Jesus and ask Him what He wants to say to us about that event.

See I recently had a wonderful opportunity to sit through and even be a participant in a training seminar that addressed this very topic.  It last three full days and each night I came home exhausted. Why? Because it was work to learn, see and do what was being shared.  When you say work to most people now days they tell you how busy they are.  Emotional health takes work. In order to have healthy relationships we have to be healthy individuals.  Yet in the world in which we live we find ourselves the wounded warriors walking. 

Christ is returning to find a bride without spot or wrinkle. As the bride of Christ it is our job to do the necessary work of soul searching and spending time with the Father allowing Him to heal out deepest hurts and bring His healing as only He can do.

I once heard a woman say, “We all need porch time.”  You are worth the work it takes to become emotionally healthy. Jesus is waiting for a well bride. Sink people make other people sick. When we are emotionally unhealthy we become critical and judgmental. We need God to heal us.

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Years ago I wrote a song called, “Watch Your Mouth”.  A line from the lyrics says, “When you’re feeling mean you want to scream and shout, watch your mouth; and when nothing good is gonna come out, watch your mouth—cause the power of life and death is in the tongue…”  Today was one of “Those days.”  Did you ever have one of “Those days?” I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. It is as though the devil has a hold on your arm and he is twisting it trying to get you to say, “Uncle.”  We know beyond a shadow of a doubt we are not supposed to say, “Uncle.”  The pressure however is so great we just want to give in and say it. 

Well most folks don’t even wrestle with it. They just say it, no matter where they are without a thought to who may be within ear shot. Words carry weight. Just like you wouldn’t go throwing your weight around, we shouldn’t throw our words around either. Whether we mean to be hurtful or unkind or whatever the words of our mouth are laced with we can still inflict pain, fear and doubt. Words spoken are like steam from a Tea Kettle, once released though seemingly invisible can make a terrible burn and cannot be taken back.

Psalm 19:14 (NIV) “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Proverbs 12:18 (GNT) “Thoughtless words can wound as deeply as any sword, but wisely spoken words can heal.”

Proverbs 18:21 (NIV) " The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."

The words you speak though not intended for everyone’s ears are arrows that can hit an unexpected target and wound and even kill and unsuspecting innocent victim. 

Matthew 12:36 (NIV) “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.”

In the verse above some translations say “every idle word”.  The Lord once told me an idling car isn't going anywhere. Use your words to help direct people, encourage people, help and instruct but not to paralyze them and keep them from pressing toward the mark of the high calling.

Proverbs 25:11 (KJV) “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”