Happy New Year!!!

May 2010 be filled with God’s very richest blessings for you & your families.

Brown Bag Christmas Story

I asked our newlywed Sunday School class teacher to share a favorite Christmas story, Carrie Fuller said, "Our family has one we call the 'brown bag Christmas.'"

When she finished, I had to hear more. Two days later, I called a member of her family for more details.

It was the early 1930s during the Dust Bowl days of Kansas, in the heart of the Depression. The Canaday family---Mom, Dad, 7 children---were having a tough time existing, so there would be no luxuries at Christmas that year. Mom told the children to go outside and find a Christmas tree and decorate it. After a lengthy search, they returned with a dead branch, the only thing they had been able to find. They stood it up in a bucket of sand and decorated it with pieces of paper tied with string. Little Judy, almost four, did not know how a Christmas tree was supposed to look, but somehow she knew it was not like that!

As Christmas approached, the Canaday children, like children everywhere, pestered Mom and Dad about what presents they might get under their "tree." Dad pointed out that the pantry was bare, that they did not have enough to live on, and there certainly would be no money for gifts. But Mom was a woman of faith and told her children, "Say your prayers. Ask God to send us what He wants us to have." Dad said, "Now, Mother, don't be getting the children's hopes up. You're just setting them up for a disappointment." Mom said, "Pray, children. Tell Jesus." And pray they did.

On Christmas Eve, the children watched out the window for visitors, but no one came. "Blow out the lamp and go to bed", Dad said. "Nobody is going to come. No one even knows we're out here."

 

The children turned out the lamp and got in bed, but they were too excited to sleep. Was this not Christmas? Had they not asked God to send them the presents He wanted them to have? Did Mom not say God answers prayer?

Late that night, when one of the children spotted headlights coming down the dirt road, everyone jumped out of bed and ran to the window. The commotion woke up Mom and Dad. "Don't get excited, children," Dad said. "They're probably not coming here. It's just someone who got lost." The children kept hoping and the car kept coming. Then, Dad lit a lamp. They all wanted to rush to the door at the same time, but Mr. Canaday said, "Stay back. I'll go." Someone got out of the car and called, "I was wondering if someone here can help me unload these bags." The children dashed out the door to lend a hand. Mom said to her youngest, "Stay here, Judy, and help Mom open the bags and put up the gifts."

 

A deacon from the church in town had gone to bed that Christmas Eve, and lay there tossing and turning, unable to g et the Canaday family off his mind. Later, he said, "I didn't know what kind of shape you folks were in, but I knew you had all those kids." He had gotten up and dressed and went around town, rousing people from their sleep to ask for a contribution for the Canaday family. He filled his car with bags of groceries, canned goods, toys, and clothing. Little Judy got a rag doll which remained her favorite for years.

With so much food, Dad wanted to have a Christmas feast, to spread it all out and eat as they had never eaten before. Mom, ever the caretaker, said, "No, we need to make this last." And it did last, for weeks.

The next Sunday, Mrs. Canaday stood in church and told what the members---and one deacon in particular---had done for her family. There was not a dry eye in the house.

 

Years later, the oldest sister Eva wrote up this story about her family for a school project. Eva said, "We were so thrilled by all the wonderful things in the bags, for a while; we lost sight of the most special gift. The best gift that Christmas was not in brown bags at all. It was Mom's faith, as she taught her children to bring their needs to Jesus and trust Him to meet them. And a Dad's love that wanted only to protect his children from hurt and disappointment."

When Carrie finished telling her story, she added, "Little Judy is my wonderful grandmother." Today, Judy Canaday Dryden lives in Sanger, Texas. As she relived this event from seventy years ago over the phone, one could hear the tear in her voice and feel her pride in being the recipient of such a precious heritage from her mother and father.

 

At Christmas, we celebrate praying mothers and caring fathers and believing children. We give thanks for sensitive deacons and generous friends and sleepless nights. And we praise God for the hard times that teach unforgettable lessons, stories of faithfulness that get told and retold through the years inspiring each new generation to place their faith in a loving Savior.

 

~ Author Unknown ~

For the Christian Prayer is not an option but an opportunity.

"In prayer; expect setbacks, but refuse retreat." Richard Eastman

Don't tell the Lord how big the problem is,

tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

Merry Christmas to You All!

 

Awesome Mom!

Awesome Mom Once you have been hit, you have to hit 5 awesome Moms.. Including the one who thought of YOU today and sent it to YOU... If you get hit again, You will know you are Really awesome! So hit 5 awesome moms on your friends list to let them know they are awesome! Before I was a Mom, I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations. Before I was a Mom, I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept all night. Before I was a Mom, I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests. Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep. Before I was a Mom, I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom. Before I was a Mom, I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy. Before I was a Mom, I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom Send this to someone who you think is an awesome Mom. May you always be overwhelmed by the Grace of God rather than by the cares of life

Woman of Worth

Just because no one has been fortunate enough to realize what a gold mine you are, 
doesn't mean you shine any less.
Just because no one has been smart enough to figure out that you can't be topped,
doesn't stop you from being the best.
Just because no one has made this race worthwhile,
doesn't give you permission to stop running.
Just because no one has realized how much of a woman you are,
doesn't mean they can affect your femininity.
Just because no one has shown up who can love you on your level,
doesn't mean you have to sink to theirs.
Just because you deserve the very best there is,
doesn't mean that life is always fair.
Just because God is still preparing your king,
doesn't mean that you're not already a queen.
Just because your situation doesn't seem to be progressing right now,
doesn't mean you need to change a thing.

Keep shining, Keep running, Keep hoping, Keep praying, Keep being exactly
what you are already:....
Send this on to 5 female friends who need to keep on doing what they do best!

BEING A WOMAN!!!!!

Jesus knows u here

A Burgler broke into a house one night.

He shined his flashlight around, looking for valuables when a voice in the dark said,

”Jesus knows you're here.”

He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight off, and froze.

When he heard nothing more, after a bit, he shook his head and continued.

Just as he pulled the stereo out so he could disconnect the wires, clear as a bell he heard

”Jesus is watching you.”

Freaked out, he shined his light around frantically, looking for the source of the voice.

Finally, in the corner of the room, his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot.

 

“Did you say that?” he hissed at the parrot.

“Yep”, the parrot confessed, then squawked,

“I'm just trying to warn you that he is watching you.”

The burglar relaxed. “Warn me, huh? Who in the world are you?”

“Moses”, replied the bird.

“Moses?” the burglar laughed. “What kind of people would name a bird Moses?”

“The kind of people that would name their Rottweiler Jesus.”

Who’s Your Daddy?

A seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg, TN. One morning, they were eating breakfast at a little restaurant, hoping to enjoy a quiet, family meal. While they were waiting for their food, they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to table, visiting with the guests. The professor leaned over and whispered to his wife, “I hope he doesn't come over here.” But sure enough, the man did come over to their table.

“Where are you folks from?” he asked in a friendly voice.
“Oklahoma,” they answered.
“Great to have you here in Tennessee,’ the stranger said… “What do you do for a living?”
“I teach at a seminary,” he replied.

“Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well, I've got a really great story for you.” And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with the couple.

The professor groaned and thought to himself, “Great ... Just what I need .......another preacher story!”

The man started, “See that mountain over there? (pointing out the restaurant window). Not far from the base of that mountain, there was a boy born to an unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up, because every place he went, he was always asked the same question, “Hey boy, Who's your daddy?” Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would ask the same question, “Who's your daddy?”

He would hide at recess and lunch time from other students. He would avoid going in to stores because that question hurt him so bad. 'When he was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his church. He would always go in late and slip out early to avoid hearing the question, “Who's your daddy?”
But one day, the new preacher said the benediction so fast that he got caught and had to walk out with the crowd.

Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher, not knowing anything about him, put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, “Son, who's your daddy?”

The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church looking at him. Now everyone would finally know the answer to the question, “Who's your daddy?”

“This new preacher, though, sensed the situation around him and using discernment that only the Holy Spirit could give, said the following to that scared little boy... “Wait a minute! I know who you are! I see the family resemblance now, You are a child of God.”
With that he patted the boy on his shoulder and said, “Boy, you've got a great inheritance. Go and claim it.”

“With that, the boy smiled for the first time in a long time and walked out the door a changed person. He was never the same again. Whenever anybody asked him, 'Who's your Daddy?' he'd just tell them, “I'm a Child of God…”

The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said, “Isn't that a great story?”
The professor responded that it really was a great story!

As the man turned to leave, he said, “You know, if that new preacher hadn't told me that I was one of God's children, I probably never would have amounted to anything!” And he walked away...

The seminary professor and his wife were stunned. He called the waitress over & asked her, “Do you know who that man was -- the one who just left that was sitting at our table?”

The waitress grinned and said, “Of course. Everybody here knows him. That's Ben Hooper. He's governor of Tennessee !”

Someone in your life today needs a reminder that they're one of God's children!

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of God stands forever.” ~~Isaiah

YOU'RE ONE OF GOD'S CHILDREN!!!
HAVE A GREAT DAY!

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of God stands forever.” ~~Isaiah

YOU'RE ONE OF GOD'S CHILDREN!!!
HAVE A GREAT DAY!

Keep this going. You have no idea which one of your e-mail buddies could use a little hope today.

The Chalk Guy is Back!!!

Positively astounding!! This guy continues to amaze people with his sidewalk 3D chalk drawings. Totally worthy of forwarding! .