"What is the true meaning of Christmas?"

The true meaning of Christmas is love.John 3:16-17says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." The true meaning of Christmas is the celebration of this incredible act of love.

The real Christmas story is the story of God's becoming a human being in the Person of Jesus Christ. Why did God do such a thing? Because He loves us! Why was Christmas necessary? Because we needed a Savior! Why does God love us so much? Because He is love itself (1 John 4:8). Why do we celebrate Christmas each year? Out of gratitude for what God did for us, we remember His birth by giving each other gifts, worshipping Him, and being especially conscious of the poor and less fortunate.

The true meaning of Christmas is love. God loved His own and provided a way—the only Way—for us to spend eternity with Him. He gave His only Son to take our punishment for our sins. He paid the price in full, and we are free from condemnation when we accept that free gift of love. "But God demonstrated His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

Shared by
Corinne Mustafa

"Living God"

The Fall season that we are in is showing signs that the earth has gone dormant.  The leaves on the trees have changed color, some trees have even lost their leaves and grasses have now turned brown. We have flowers like tulips and daffodils which appear dead but are lying dormant under ground waiting for the springtime. 

The earth has been harvested, the ground has been turned and the nutrients replaced in preparation for new life. This is a time of resting for the earth. 

I have good news for us who have said yes to Christ. The Spirit of God never lies dormant, He is never resting.  When we say yes to Jesus our dormant dead spirit comes alive.   The fruit of the Spirit moves in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness.  

How blessed we are that we serve a living God not a dormant.

                    The name of this                                                                              graphic is     And God Said.....It's Time to Awaken                  

T’was the Night of Thanksgiving

T’was the night of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn’t sleep

... I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.

The leftovers beckoned, the dark and white
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.

Tossing and turning with anticipation
The thought of a snack became infatuation.

So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.

I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.

I felt myself swelling so plumb and so round,
‘Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.

I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.

But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees-
“HAPPY EATING TO ALL, PASS THE CRANBERRIES, PLEASE”

                       May your stuffing be tasty, 
    may your turkey be plump
May your potatoes ‘n gravy 
    have nary a lump
May your yams be delicious, 

    may your pies take the prize
May your Thanksgiving dinner 

                            STAY OFF OF YOUR THIGHS!

Shared by 

Corinne Mustafa

You could make a thankful list...

Thanksgiving means "thanks-living!"

Psalm 100:4

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise;
give thanks to Him and praise His name.

When I worked at Del Webb Hospital for 10 years in the medical psych. unit.  One of the things a counselor had the patients do during his sessions was to go around the room and to ask each person to name one thing they were thankful for.  

When you are in there for a mental illness of some kind it was often difficult for them to get their focus off themselves and focus on thanksgiving.  He also had them "count their blessings."  

In the midst of whatever trials, losses, or griefs we are going through, we have way more to be thankful to God for than we can ever realize. So during this season, thank God. Thank Him mostly for the fact that we have a sure salvation in Jesus Christ 
and that He will never leave or forsake us. 

Thanks be to God!

Written by 

Carol Steficek

What I'm Thankful For

     All through the year we should be careful to count our blessings.  But at Thanksgiving, most of us ask ourselves this question. What is it we are most thankful for today?

Like many others, through the years, I have been hurt, used, broken and torn.  But today I am thankful for my marred heart.  As I take the time to look deep inside, I see a heart filled with imperfection.  There are scars and holes left by my past.  The scars are painful gouges caused by others that God has so delicately pieced back together through the years.  The holes are from times I have gladly given pieces of my heart to someone else.  The scars have taught me how to forgive and have given me the strength to move on.  The holes remind me of those I love so much.  I am thankful to God for my heart, for teaching me what love is and what it is not.  For showing me how to use it and for always being willing to repair it when it is broken.  Most of all, I am grateful to Him for loving me.    

Written by

Terri Baker

THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving is certainly one of my favorite holidays. The autumn weather is usually pleasant with its crisp temperatures and sunny skies. Thanksgiving tends to be a fairly simple, yet heartwarming celebration. It doesn't seem to carry with it the stress and pressure of the Christmas festivities. Even if I'm hosting the dinner, I can enlist the help of guests by asking them each to bring a side dish to share. A walk around the neighborhood or a front yard family football game are refreshing alternatives to sitting indoors all day.

Like many families, we usually declare what we are each thankful for before the feast. The theme of gratefulness is truly what I love about this holiday. As Christians, of course, we are eternally grateful for our salvation. Jesus laid down His life for us and rose from the dead so that we could be reconciled to the Father and share everlasting life in heaven. In addition to this we can recount are all the blessings which God graces us with on this earth. It seems that the more we concentrate on and express our gratitude to the Lord, the happier and healthier we become. Thankfulness is a habit we can practice, cultivate, and teach to our children. It is contagious and as we express our love and praise the joy spills over to others.

One of the ways we can let the Lord know how appreciative we are to Him is to reach out to others during this season. Inviting a lonely friend or neighbor to dinner, volunteering for an afternoon at a church food pantry, or visiting a shut in are simple ways to brighten someone else's holiday and to provide them with a reason to give thanks.

By Cathy Friberg

THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving is certainly one of my favorite holidays. The autumn weather is usually pleasant with its crisp temperatures and sunny skies. Thanksgiving tends to be a fairly simple, yet heartwarming celebration. It doesn't seem to carry with it the stress and pressure of the Christmas festivities. Even if I'm hosting the dinner, I can enlist the help of guests by asking them each to bring a side dish to share. A walk around the neighborhood or a front yard family football game are refreshing alternatives to sitting indoors all day.

Like many families, we usually declare what we are each thankful for before the feast. The theme of gratefulness is truly what I love about this holiday. As Christians, of course, we are eternally grateful for our salvation. Jesus laid down His life for us and rose from the dead so that we could be reconciled to the Father and share everlasting life in heaven. In addition to this we can recount are all the blessings which God graces us with on this earth. It seems that the more we concentrate on and express our gratitude to the Lord, the happier and healthier we become. Thankfulness is a habit we can practice, cultivate, and teach to our children. It is contagious and as we express our love and praise the joy spills over to others.

One of the ways we can let the Lord know how appreciative we are to Him is to reach out to others during this season. Inviting a lonely friend or neighbor to dinner, volunteering for an afternoon at a church food pantry, or visiting a shut in are simple ways to brighten someone else's holiday and to provide them with a reason to give thanks.

By cathy Friberg

How we are like the jack o lanterns

Hello, Pumpkins!    
From one pumpkin to others!!!!!!!

A woman was asked by a co-worker
“What is it like to be a Christian?” 

The coworker replied, “It is like being a pumpkin. 

God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed. 

Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.' 

Shared by Corinne Mustafa

AUTUMN LEAVES

Father Frost did this

Brought his gift of color here

Silver sparkled breath.

All the land reflects

The coolness of his grasp

Leaves to color turn.

Orange, red, gold, rust

Dancing in the sun and wind

Delighted we gaze.

Then drop to the ground

Making tinted. soft carpets
Children jumping in.

Sad to see leaves go

But tired trees need to rest

Hibernation time.

They will bloom again

When seasons have journeyed round

Our Creator's gifts.

Corinne H. Mustafa

Feeling Fall

Today, as I walked from my car to the bank, I felt the first hint of fall.  There is one moment each year, when the temperature settles, yet the sun still warms the pavement.  A bare perception of moistness in the air refreshes the soft afternoon stillness and signals the end of summer.  There is a promise of cooler evenings and unhurried mornings; of a steaming cup of coffee, enjoyed with the morning paper. A leisurely walk with the dog as the sun spills soft color over  the eastern hills.  This moment isn't a time that can be pinpointed, or circled on a calendar.  It is when God, ever so subtly begins to stir time.  It always takes me by surprise, but for as long as I can remember, I always notice the change.  It’s as if it’s a special little gift that God surprises me with each year and it can happen anytime between July and October.  I've grown to expect this event, but I can never predict its arrival.  I always feel as though God is reminding me that He is in charge and I can’t rush the change of the seasons.  It is such a special moment, and was even more meaningful today, when a dried Sycamore leaf swirled down in front of me, brushing gently against my cheek; like a kiss from heaven.

Written by

Paula Glauber

Thoughts of Other Writers About Autumn

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.
George Eliot

Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower.
Albert Camus




Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.
John Muir

No Spring nor Summer Beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one Autumnal face.
John Donne
Elegy IX--The Autumnal.

Autumn arrives in early morning, but spring at the close of a winter day.
Elizabeth Bowen

Every season hath its pleasures;
Spring may boast her flowery prime,
Yet the vineyard's ruby treasures
Brighten Autumn's sob'rer time.
Thomas Moore
Spring and Autumn.

There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!
Percy Bysshe Shelley

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold,

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

Robert Frost

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Shared by 

Corinne Mustafa.

Foliage

In California where we don’t see much foliage

Dimmer colors mark the leaves’ autumn adieus
Still I find some really lovely hues
Outside my bedroom window in gilded leafage.

My front yard birches yield golden plumage
The  morning sun and brightness will diffuse
In California where we don’t see much foliage
Dimmer colors mark the leaves’ autumn adieus

Season following season in its yearly passage

Temperate cold of California which the freeze subdues
Warmer days of winter our climate construes 
We need not endure wintertime cold, windy pillage
In California where we don’t see much foliage.

Written by

Corinne Mustafa