What's Christmas All About?

This time last December Byron and I were winding up our trips to the interior and all the various home Bible studies to get ready to head to America for Christmas with our family. This year seems a little too quiet and somber without that rushed feeling of packing and prepping. I wasn't even sure if I should bother to get out any of my old stash of Christmas decorations or hunt for our artificial tree.

I finally decided against the tree but did search for my trunk of ornaments, nativity scenes and Christmas houses. In a quick flurry of decorating I removed all the miscellaneous things from the top of our big buffet cabinet in the living room and turned it into a Christmas village. And I started pumping out Christmas tunes on my little Internet radio to make the moment bright.

But my mind has been wandering back to Christmases past when our boys were small. William here was demonstrating his leadership skills at a young age telling the other brothers which tree should be the one to take home. Dalton looks doubtful about William's assessment. Greyson seems happy to take the best one we could.

There were gifts and meals and cookies and lots of fun.

And my mind wonders about Christmases of the future when all the little grandchildren who won't be so small the next time I'm with them for such a grand holiday.

Sometimes too much wandering in Christmas past and wondering about Christmas future can mess up our Christmas now. I'm working on my smiling and cheerfulness. I'm counting the blessings of this Christmas of 2022. This week I hope to deliver some gift boxes of basic food stuffs to a family or two. We are getting ready to help a little fellow have a pre-Christmas surgery that social medicine won't provide. These things have quite a bit to do with what the holiday is all about.

On Christmas Day Byron and I will most likely be in Lage dos Negros. I'm thinking of buying some bright red shirts and throwing out candy in all the communities we pass through!

I'll definitely need some photos of that! We'll see!

Merry Christmas!

Comments

My Promise Verse

Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. This verse has been a favorite of mine since I was a teenager. When I was a high school senior at a Christian school in Virginia, Job 23:10 was chosen as our class theme verse. At our graduation commencement, the valedictorian and saludatorian in their addresses that day divided the verse in its two natural parts as a basis for the core of each one's address. I was the salutatorian of my senior class that year. I chose to speak of how God would one day reward our faithfulness and thus, we should always strive to remain true. For many years though, the first part of the verse haunted me in a way. As a missionary especially when times were lonely or difficult, I assumed it was my "trial" or "test," and as such must be accepted in all humility. As I have grown older, I have begun to look more toward the pearly gates and have reconsidered the thr...

Old Film, Same Message

A missionary colleague recently uploaded some old films made about the work in Brazil by Baptist Mid-Missions many years ago in the 1950's. Yesterday I was able to watch the first of the series. All I can say is "Wow! Things haven't changed much in Brazil. And things haven't changed too much with the work of missions in Brazil either!" There are still donkey carts in the street. They have better wheels nowadays! There are still people who live in grass huts and high apartment buildings, too. Bicycles are still many people's only means of transportation, if they are that lucky! Many roads in the interior towns are still paved with cobblestones, if they are paved at all. And yes, chickens are everywhere, even in big cities. Brazil still needs missionaries! That's right, Brazil is not evangelized and in no need of foreign missionaries today. It still needs workers to spread the Good News of the Gospel and the Risen Saviour! Sadly that part of t...

Core Memories: Furlough 2018

I happened upon an archive of old home video from our furlough in 2018 while transferring items to a new laptop. Oh, what fun to watch! Decided to put them in a little video collage. Making important memories while in the USA with our grands is important! It takes a little effort and a little intent. Enjoy! In memory of Papa Potter

Cactus Flower

Search This Blog