OK. We are now officially in my favorite time of the year in Texas. It's Christmas time. It's not X-Mas, etc. It's Christmas. What do I like so much about Christmas? Is it the tree, the lights, all the parties and food? Is it Santa Claus or decorating the house? Nope. My favorite part of this year is carrying on the first Christmas tradition.
See, because God loved the world so much, he sent his son, Jesus to earth so we could reconnect with him. Jesus came because he wanted to give this gift to God, his Father. What's the common thread? God gave Jesus so that the world would be blessed. Jesus gave himself so that God would be blessed. That's what this season is all about. It's about giving, not getting. I am not sure where but I heard somewhere that it is more blessed to give than receive. At least in my life, that's really true.
Now we have a lot of traditions and I am thankful for them. I used to enjoy decorating the Christmas tree. That stopped when I was a young child though. Apparently we were making a popcorn string to go around the Christmas tree when some part of the light fixture fell from the ceiling and hit me in the head. Now my parents were renting that place and I don't know if we had to pay for the fixture after it broke from hitting my hard head or not. OK - I still enjoy decorating the tree and the story above is true or so my parents tell me.
I love to go looking at the Christmas lights. One of my favorite memories was going with my cousins in the back of my Uncle's suburban when we were kids. We went to a place called Interlocken (sp?) in Arlington. What fun we had that trip. I can also remember the parties and the family fun. My Aunt Pat used to have a platter that was shaped like a Christmas tree. She would fill it with this fancy candy and I loved to get into that platter. That was something I looked forward to every year. But the older I get, the more I focus on the only real tradition that matters - giving.
As a matter of fact, I like to think about who I can bless and how. There have been many times when I did something nice for someone and I could hear God inside me (my Dad) saying how proud he was of me. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting stuff and getting stuff for Christmas. After all, someone will get blessed by what we do and it's OK to let someone bless you - even though I get really uncomfortable when people bless me. I must admit, I would really prefer to be the blessor than the blessee. For me, I am much more concerned with whether people will like what I got them than if I will like what they got me.
So I want to encourage you as you go through this season. It's good to make your Christmas list and while you look for things for parents, family, friends and that special someone, look around for someone outside your ordinary box to bless. Remember that's the first true tradition of Christmas.
That's another Opinion of the Minion
See, because God loved the world so much, he sent his son, Jesus to earth so we could reconnect with him. Jesus came because he wanted to give this gift to God, his Father. What's the common thread? God gave Jesus so that the world would be blessed. Jesus gave himself so that God would be blessed. That's what this season is all about. It's about giving, not getting. I am not sure where but I heard somewhere that it is more blessed to give than receive. At least in my life, that's really true.
Now we have a lot of traditions and I am thankful for them. I used to enjoy decorating the Christmas tree. That stopped when I was a young child though. Apparently we were making a popcorn string to go around the Christmas tree when some part of the light fixture fell from the ceiling and hit me in the head. Now my parents were renting that place and I don't know if we had to pay for the fixture after it broke from hitting my hard head or not. OK - I still enjoy decorating the tree and the story above is true or so my parents tell me.
I love to go looking at the Christmas lights. One of my favorite memories was going with my cousins in the back of my Uncle's suburban when we were kids. We went to a place called Interlocken (sp?) in Arlington. What fun we had that trip. I can also remember the parties and the family fun. My Aunt Pat used to have a platter that was shaped like a Christmas tree. She would fill it with this fancy candy and I loved to get into that platter. That was something I looked forward to every year. But the older I get, the more I focus on the only real tradition that matters - giving.
As a matter of fact, I like to think about who I can bless and how. There have been many times when I did something nice for someone and I could hear God inside me (my Dad) saying how proud he was of me. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting stuff and getting stuff for Christmas. After all, someone will get blessed by what we do and it's OK to let someone bless you - even though I get really uncomfortable when people bless me. I must admit, I would really prefer to be the blessor than the blessee. For me, I am much more concerned with whether people will like what I got them than if I will like what they got me.
So I want to encourage you as you go through this season. It's good to make your Christmas list and while you look for things for parents, family, friends and that special someone, look around for someone outside your ordinary box to bless. Remember that's the first true tradition of Christmas.
That's another Opinion of the Minion
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