Musings and Nuggets

  This space of time between Christmas and the New Year is an opportune time to take inventory & reflect on 2021.  Being honest and transparent with ourselves and the Lord in asking ourselves some pointed questions such as, did we grow in our faith and learn the lessons from our challenges, as well as,  our mistakes. We've all been impacted to various degrees by events in 2021 including circumstances related to COVID along with other things beyond our control.  Some of us have "lost" loved ones and our lives have been forever changed because we face going into a new year without them.   I have a saying that applies to those hard lessons we all experience at some point.  "Eat the meat and spit out the bones."  The "meat" represents the positive lessons learned and embraced which bring about growth.  The "bones" are the negativity, hurt, anger, dissappointment, etc, that may come with those hard lessons/experiences.  Those bones can be dang

  T‘is the Season.. No one knows for certain the actual date that Christ was born because the Bible does not reveal that information, but many Biblical and historical scholars believe that it was between 6 and 4 BC, and it probably wasn't even in December. Some even believe that by the time the Wise Men were finally led to Him that Jesus was probably already a toddler. It may not be common knowledge to some of us but it is interesting to note that there are parts within the body of Christ who observe January 7th as Christmas. (That's another story). In just 3 days, many across the world will be celebrating December 25th as the birth of our Savior. Many homes will be filled with family, laughter (hopefully, no arguments), and all kinds of tasty dishes, gifts under the tree, etc. Hopefully, in the midst of all that, our minds and hearts will pause to honor and savor HIM. May we be grateful for the ultimate gift of HIM! It sounds cliché, but "He really IS the reason f

  1   Corinthians 13:4  AMP Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. Its that time of the year and season (which starts with Thanksgiving) when many will either greet you with "Happy Holidays!" or say that as they leave.  There are some Believers, however,  who become upset because they see that as an intentional effort to take "Christ out of Christmas".   Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I would like to offer a different perspective. 🎄   Perhaps we can give people the benefit of the doubt and accept that there are other important events which coincide with the Christmas season including Hanakkuk, Advent,  and Kwanzaa.  It's just possible that these individuals are being considerate of the fact that they don't know which of these special days each person they meet may persoally observe.  "Happy Holidays!" covers them all.  Sometim

  ADVENT----------------->CHRISTMAS The word Advent is from the Latin word, “Adventus” which means ”coming” .  This season precedes Christmas and is observed by many in the body of Christ.  The season this year is from Sunday, November 28th through Friday, December 24th.  As I researched Advent, I learned that it is not just about preparation for the anticipated birth of Christ but also for the Second Coming of Christ. The second part I did not know. Amid all of the “hoopla”  that seems to dominate the commercialization of this season, we would do well to refocus our attention on the true meaning of Christ mas .  It’s all about celebrating Christ and why He came to earth.  The suffix “ m as ”comes from the old English word, mass (church service).  May we not support nor contribute to taking Christ out of Christmas (Xmas).  Perhaps during this time, it would please the Lord if we were to refocus our attention on Him, reflect on His reason for coming to earth as the long awaited

  With "Thanksgiving" in the rearview mirror, we can already see the busyness of the coming Christmas season gaining speed.  The commercialization of this season which is so special to Christians has not been negatively affected by Covid.   Some stores had Christmas trees and decorations on full display between Labor Day & Halloween.  The day after Thanksgiving, we were bombarded with "Black Friday" then  "Cyber Monday" with no slowdown in sight. Recently someone shared a reading (author unknown) called "Satan's Meeting" that had to do with being B.U.S.Y.  Hold on!  Stick with me because I am going somewhere with this!  B.U.S.Y was an acronym for  B usy  U nder  S atan's  Y oke.  One of the many poignant statements  was "Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas." For those of us who are Christian, celebrating the Savior's birth is or should always be our primary fo