"Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht"

Silent Night, Holy Night is one of the most popular Christmas carols of all time. It has been translated in over 300 languages and is sung by millions of people every December, in churches, department stores and radio stations. It is performed by many famous singers, all around the world, and yet many people may not know who wrote the carol and where and when.

Well, here is the story behind the carol. According to history, it was composed by Josef Mohr, in 1818. Josef Mohr was pastor of the church of St. Nicholas at Oberndorf, near Salzburg, Austria. After the evening program in 1818, Mohr chose the longer way home (3 miles), that took him up over a hill overlooking the village. Reveling in the silence of the wintry night, he remembered a poem he had written. He decided those words might make a good carol for his congregation for the midnight mass. The 26 year old young priest went to see the church organist, Franz Gruber, and asked him to compose a melody. Gruber only had a few hours to come up with a melody, but he was able to do it. That night the congregation heard Mohr and Gruber play the new carol. It spread across northern Europe. In 1834, singers performed Silent Night for King Frederick William IV of Prussia, who then ordered his cathedral choir to sing it every Christmas Eve.

Twenty years after it was written, the song was brought to the United States and was performed, for the first time, at the Alexander Hamilton monument, outside  Trinity Church in New York City.

Who would have imagined that their composition would have made such an impact on the world, and we get to enjoy it 200 years later! Sometimes we over analyze things and find excuses not to do something. We may rationalize that we don't have enough time, or talent or even courage. However, most of the time all it takes is to just do it, or at least give something a try. What if these two individuals had decided they did not have enough time and given up? We would have never had the chance to enjoy this beautiful music!

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!  

An extended gift of ourselves to others............

Is it too early to give some things away this Christmas?

How about not just on Christmas Day, but during all the days leading to December 25?

How about one a day from now until then?

1. Mend a quarrel
2. Seek out a forgotten friend
3. Express appreciation
4. Bake something for someone else
5. Release a grudge
6. Be patient
7. Forgive an enemy
8. Hug someone
9. Write a love note
10. Make a child happy
11. Smile and laugh
12. Listen
13. Speak kindly to a stranger
14. Pet a dog or a cat
15. Apologize
16. Lessen your demands on others
17. Turn off the TV and talk
18. Do the dishes 
19. Treat someone to an ice cream cone
20. Encourage an older person
21. Pray for someone who helped you when you hurt
22. Fix breakfast on Saturday morning
23. Offer to baby-sit for a mother
24. Compliment someone
25. Give a soft answer even though you feel strongly

Now that doesn't seem to hard to do, does it? Let's make this Christmas one long, extended gift of ourselves to others. Unselfishly, without announcement or obligation. Have a Merry Christmas.

Partial list from: The Finishing Touch, by Charles R. Swindoll

Potato Pealing Party?

That's what I asked: What is a potato pealing party? Well, a lovely lady friend of ours, (in her early 80's)  whom we met two years ago while we were on our Panama Cruise, gets together with a few friends and they sit around the table, pealing and chopping potatoes. They did that last night. WHY?
To make mash potatoes for some 2400 dinners they deliver to shut-ins..

That is such a wonderful thing to do and I am sure very fulfilling. Giving back to those who are less fortunate than us. This is what Thanksgiving is all about!

Always give Thanks to God the Father for everything (Ephesians 5:20).

Everybody has challenges and disappointments in life. However, we can become so focused on our particular disappointment, that we don't see the many blessings we receive everyday. Being grateful in ALL circumstances (which is not easy to do) invites peace and joy into our lives and opens our hearts to many more blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving and many Blessings to you and your families!

  

Holiday Hospitality.......can we become someone's Reason for Giving Thanks?

"Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay" 1Peter 4:9 (NLT)

As far back as I can remember, my mother always made it a point to invite friends to our home for dinner for holidays. Many times it was neighbors or friends who were widowed or didn't have family close by. If they didn't have a means of transportation she would ask other friends or family to stop by and pick them up (my parents did not drive). Many times she would ask me to go pick them up. Sometimes I would do it cheerfully and other times grudgingly. Many times I felt that she was imposing on people, but they didn't mind. They probably felt they were doing a good deed and most of the time it was not out of their way...she would make sure she connected the right people together. I do remember that at the end everybody had a good time. They didn't spend the day at home alone, and we were blessed with their company. Looking back, I think it was a good thing, and it motivates me to consider who might appreciate an invitation.

As the holidays are fast approaching you'd be surprised how many people we assume have plans actually don't, for one reason or another, so all we have to do is ASK! I am always thankful when others invite us to their homes.

I think opening our home blesses in two directions. Yes, Thanksgiving and Christmas may be considered a family day, but it doesn't have to be exclusively for relatives. Everyone present will be blessed, even those suffering hardship. Not only will visitors enjoy sharing your celebration; family members will also be enriched to learn about where guests grew up, how they celebrated holidays, and what their work or interests are now. This is especially true if they come from a different country or from different cultures. Everyone can participate and feel comfortable with each other...and by all means, if they want to help out, let them.

Making the day special makes the participants feel special too.  Plan special touches that distinguish the day as out-of-the-ordinary. That might mean using a linen tablecloth and good china, a pretty centerpiece, or it could mean turning off the TV and putting away all cell phones. Let everyone know this is a dress-up occasion, so they can dress accordingly, because so many people in our society today, dress casual all the time, and may not realize this is a special day.

You may want to end the meal with an activity that focuses on gratitude or praise. It can be a memorable highlight of the day. If you don't want to put your guests on the spot, you can prepare short messages of blessings that each can read out loud. I did that a few times and it was fun. One time I asked each person to pull out a 'message' from a bag of blessings, and read it out loud. Another time each one had a message by their plate...whatever works for you. Some guests may feel comfortable sharing their own message of gratitude and that is great too. I just don't like it when I am put in a position to participate or share, and I am not prepared. This is a time to get together and feel at ease with each other and have fun, not to feel uncomfortable.

There are many opportunities where we can invite people to our holiday celebrations...your new neighbors across the street,  the foreign student from your kids school, the elderly widow or widower from church or the parent whose kids are with the-in-laws....

Enjoy the upcoming holidays!

"Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling" 1Peter4:9 (NIV)

36 ways to reduce stress...in a chaotic world.....

I was going through some notes the other day and found an email a friend sent us April 7th, 2007...We had met Joe C. one year prior, in a Bible class we were attending. Unfortunately,  he passed away from cancer a year or so after he sent us this note, which I am about to share.

Christian ways to reduce stress:

"Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't  happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice."

1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time
3. Get up on time so you can start the day un-rushed
4. Say NO to projects that won't fit into your time schedule or  that will compromise your mental health
5. Delegate tasks to capable others
6. Simplify and unclutter your life
7. Less is more (although one is often not enough, two are often too many)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together
10. Take one day at a time
11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about the situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases
13. Have backups; extra car key in your wallet, extra house key hidden somewhere, extra stamps etc..
14. K. M. S. (Keep mouth shut) This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble 
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday
16. Carry a Bible or a good book with you to read while waiting in line 
17. Get enough rest
18. Eat right
19. Get organized so everything has its place
20. Listen to a CD while driving that can help improve your quality of life
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations
22. Every day, find time to be alone
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. 
24. Make friends with Godly people
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus"
27. Laugh
28. Laugh some more
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can)
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most)
32. Sit on your ego
33. Talk less, listen more (we have 2 ears and 1 mouth)
34. Slow down
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general  manager of the universe
36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you are grateful for that you have never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU . "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

Although you may have heard some of these before, it doesn't hurt to get a refresher course. Even if we apply just a few, it will make our life a little bit less stressful.

God Bless

The window from which we look.....

A young couple moved into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they were eating breakfast,
the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the wash outside.

"That laundry is not very clean", she said...."she doesn't know how to wash correctly.
Maybe she needs better laundry soap".

Her husband looked on but remained silent (smart man)..

This went on for a while. Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry,
the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month or so later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: "Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this".

To which her husband replied: "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows".

And so it is with life...What we see when watching others, depends on the purity of the window through which we look! I am sure we have all been there at some time or another. Hopefully, this makes us stop and think before we want to judge or criticize somebody else.

Philippians 4:8 

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true..noble..right..pure...lovely...admirable-
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things"

What is the condition of your heart? Spiritual Heart Disease?

Welcome to 2018!

We are only two months into the new year and so many things have happened. Where does the time really go? So many tragedies for some, and many happy moments for others. The bad weather with floods and snow storms in many parts of our country, the school shootings in Florida, demonstrations in Iran and persecutions in many parts of the world, predators accused of sexual harassment and other tragedies on the daily news.....We also enjoyed watching the Winter Olympics, where many athletes had triumphant moments but others left disappointed. Regardless if they won medals or not, these Olympians, are exceptional role models and very inspirational. Their dedication to their sport, their perseverance, sacrifice and the amount of time they spend on practicing is AMAZING! So, as we can see that many people experienced tears of mourning and despair, while others had tears of joy!

Well, life has many ups and downs. Three weeks ago I fell and fractured my right foot, so for 8 weeks I am confined walking with a Boot, which means I cannot do things I was planning on doing, but I am thankful because it could have been a lot worse; nothing compared to some of the above mentioned tragedies. On a positive note, what this accident forced me to do is to slow down and do things that I had postponed for a while or things I had procrastinated with. I caught up on some of my reading. In the February issue of Decision Magazine I was reading an article about Billy Graham, who had celebrated his 99th birthday few months prior. I wondered to myself how long might he still  be with us. Would he live to be 100 or 110?
Well, the answer to my question came the following day! When we got up the next morning, Galen asked me: Guess who died today? I gave him a few names of  'famous' people, none of them correct. He said: Billy Graham! He was 99 years old. WOW! I was shocked. He was known around the world for his ministry. He had shared the Gospel for more than 200 Million people. He had advised Presidents and celebrities. From early on in his ministry he had worked for racial harmony and equality. He worked with Civil Right leaders around the world to end discrimination. Over the years, I had enjoyed many of his books and have been inspired by his knowledge, and comforted by his wisdom. No matter what your faith, some things are universal and he appealed to many people. He will be missed.

Anyway, in the February Issue, of the "Decision Magazine", is an article titled: "Spiritual Heart Disease", by Billy Graham. It was from a sermon he had preached on May 23, 1957, during his historic New York Crusade. I will share with you some excerpts from it (it is quite long..so I will do my best to shorten it). Anytime he would share a point and share a scripture (from the Old and New testament), he would start with: "The Bible says":...On May 23rd, 1957, he started out by asking the crowd if their hearts were right with God. There are times, I think, when our hearts are not right with God. He told them that he wanted them to see the meaning of the word heart from the Biblical point of view. Our hearts are hard and rebellious. "But this people have a revolting and rebellious heart (Jeremiah 5:23). "Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).

In (Proverbs 6:18), the Bible speaks of a "heart that devises wicked imaginations" and in (Jeremiah 17:9), "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?" In (Matthew 15:8), Jesus said that our hearts are far from God. He said: "These people draw near me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me". It is true. Our real self, our heart, is mostly taken up with the things of the world. We have very little time in private with God, and reading the Bible. We spend far more time with TV. Our hearts are dark, because of pride, and because our spiritual eyes have been blinded by the god of this age.. "the people were not thankful, but became vain in their imaginations" (Romans 1:21). I find it interesting that this was 1957 and today we have even more distractions to pull us away from God..Facebook, twitter, video games, cell phones, computers, countless books, you name it.. Mr. Graham continued to say "your heart can be hardened". The same sun that shines on the clay hardens the clay, but it melts the butter.The same Gospel that is preached here tonight will soften some hearts until they yield to Christ, but will harden others. Your heart can be so hardened that when God speaks, you no longer hear Him.

Psalm (44:21) "for he knows the secrets of your heart" ....you cannot hide from God
(Jeremiah 17:10) "I the Lord search the heart" ....he searches your heart
Proverbs 21:2) "every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord ponders the hearts" evaluating it....you may think your way of living is all right, but God doesn't take your evaluation and your judgment..
(Proverbs (16:1) "The preparations of the heart in man...is from the Lord"..

The Bible says that God weighs the heart ..do you weigh enough? He weighs your spiritual life in comparison to the Ten Commandments. And the Bible says that every one of us have broken those Ten
Commandments. He weighs you by the law of conscience-the times your conscience spoke to you and the times you rejected the voice of your conscience. He also weighs you by the life of Christ, and none of us weigh enough. We all come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

But the heart of Christ; his perfect, glorious, loving, tender and compassionate heart, bled on the cross for our sinful heart, so that we would be forgiven. He died in our place....while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). 

The death of Christ is a mystery, of course. None of us can understand it. But we know that he bled and his heart was broken for us, and he gives us a new heart.  If you will come to Christ and surrender your heart, God says: "I'll take out the old heart and I'll put in a new one". The Bible says: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me".  (Ezekiel 36), "A new heart also will I give you , and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh"

Would you like to have a new heart? Change the whole direction of your living? Change your whole moral life? Would you like to have new thoughts and new ambitions and new energies? Would you be willing to surrender your life to Christ..are you willing to do that?

Well, there are thousands upon thousands of testimonies of people changing their hearts and their lives after attending these crusades of Billy Graham. A humble man that God used in extraordinary ways to reach hurting people around the world. Galen and I had the privilege of attending the Billy Graham Training Center, The Cove, in Ashville, North Carolina 2 years ago. We attended a retreat with The American Leprocy Mission. It was the most peaceful retreat that I had ever been to. You could feel the peace and the presence of God  everywhere you went. From the peaceful forest setting to all the staff and the amenities, it was an amazing experience, and we came out of it renewed and refreshed. Also we visited the Billy Graham Library, in Charlotte, North Carolina where they had Mr. Graham's funeral. We watched it on line the other day and it was very inspirational and moving. So many pastors and dignitaries, from around the world came to pay their respects, among them also were our President and Vice President with their spouses.

If you are interested in viewing the funeral, and other information, you can go to the web address: 
BillyGraham.org

(Revelation 14:13) "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord..that they may rest from their labors and their works follow them"....

May he rest in Peace