This time of year brings a lot of nostalgia. The movie White Christmas and Alabama's Christmas CDs are my favorite. But there are also other thoughts that come to mind this time of year. Christmastime makes me think of handmade purses, LifeSaver books, Avon perfume, and brown paper bags filled with fruit and peppermint. You see, I think I was the most blessed preacher's kid on the planet. Every Christmas was made special because of church people that truly cared for my sister and me. They prayed for us, blessed us with gifts, invested in us, and believed in us. We didn't have a lot monetarily or materially throughout the year, but Christmas...Christmas was different. The cabinets couldn't hold the food that the church gave as they "pounded" the pastor. An extra week's pay was the normal, but church members would always give above and beyond the Church's gift.
Because of that church's love for us, the bar was set high for any church family that came into our lives as Heath and I started our own ministry. Each church we've pastored has been different, but at Christmas, they've always come through. Every one of those churches loved our children, and symbolically gave them something they knew my kids would enjoy at Christmas.
It wasn't about the gifts. It's never been about the gifts. Even when thinking about the earliest Christmas memory I have at church, I've always been in amazement that people would take the time and money to give something to someone as "insignificant" as the preacher's kids.
But because of the churches I've been blessed to be a part of, I've always known that should the time ever come, I would give back.
I couldn't wait this year to get involved in a church so that I could give. We didn't have much time this year to get to know them, so I settled on giving the kids gift cards to their favorite stores. I was shocked and amazed when their mom told me that no church member had ever remembered their kids at Christmas. What?!?!
If you haven't already, please remember your pastor's family this year at Christmas. They work hard all year long to take care of your family, most of the time, away from their own. They don't get to go spend time with their families at holidays like Easter and Christmas because they're ministering. It's not just the pastor that works in the ministry. The whole family is involved. The whole family gets to church early, stays late, cleans up during the week, plans events, sits in the car while dad visits at the hospital, and sacrifices financially.
They deserve all the joy in the world that we can offer. Let's show gratitude. Let me tell you....when you do...you'll receive joy in return.
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Thanksgiving
There are a lot of people on Facebook right now giving thanks every day during the day of November for something or someone in their life. It's refreshing really, to read thankful comments as opposed to complaints, grumbles, bickering, and just down-right nastiness.
I have noticed however, that this being the 13th day of the month, a lot of people have dropped off the "thankful wagon." Are we really a people in the United States that is so consumed with having more that we've run out of things for which to be thankful? Have we gotten so used to the luxuries of life that we don't even notice them anymore and we're no longer thankful?
These last few months have been hard, and I'm having more hard days it seems than good ones. I could start a list here of the things that are wrong, and honestly, I have made lists before in all the ways I'm failing. No joke. My list-making tendencies took over that day. But I won't give in to the tricks of the enemy. He wants me to focus on the negative and overlook the sometimes small blessings of everyday life.
Back to the Facebook thankfulness thing...I honestly am running out of big things to be thankful for. But does it really matter if they're grand, big, and impressive? God meets our needs in the smallest of ways sometimes, and really, does He even owe us anything at all?
So here it is. Next week, we will celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving. On that day, my husband, my kids, and I will remember the American holiday, but I am committed more than ever that they will understand what it really means to be thankful. To drive home the concept, I'm going to give a prize to the kid who says, "Thank you," the most during the day. They just don't know it yet.
We will make paper bag Indian vests, Indian headdresses, paper turkeys, paper pilgrim hats, and do as much decorating as my crayon drawer can afford. I will roast a turkey, make southern cornbread dressing, and we'll be miserable all afternoon after eating, but that night, Heath will go to work. Instead of complaining about him having to work on a holiday, we'll be thankful he has a job. The next day, we'll go stand in line at Cabela's to get his gift, and instead of complaining about the crowds, we'll be thankful for the good sale, and we'll be thankful we have the money to purchase a gift of non-necessity.
We have a tendency, even in the Christian tradition, to only request prayer for sickness, negative things, and fear that our nation is turning bad. But what if we asked people to help us thank God for the blessings we've received this year. I think the attitude of gratitude might show just a little more.
I have noticed however, that this being the 13th day of the month, a lot of people have dropped off the "thankful wagon." Are we really a people in the United States that is so consumed with having more that we've run out of things for which to be thankful? Have we gotten so used to the luxuries of life that we don't even notice them anymore and we're no longer thankful?
These last few months have been hard, and I'm having more hard days it seems than good ones. I could start a list here of the things that are wrong, and honestly, I have made lists before in all the ways I'm failing. No joke. My list-making tendencies took over that day. But I won't give in to the tricks of the enemy. He wants me to focus on the negative and overlook the sometimes small blessings of everyday life.
Back to the Facebook thankfulness thing...I honestly am running out of big things to be thankful for. But does it really matter if they're grand, big, and impressive? God meets our needs in the smallest of ways sometimes, and really, does He even owe us anything at all?
So here it is. Next week, we will celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving. On that day, my husband, my kids, and I will remember the American holiday, but I am committed more than ever that they will understand what it really means to be thankful. To drive home the concept, I'm going to give a prize to the kid who says, "Thank you," the most during the day. They just don't know it yet.
We will make paper bag Indian vests, Indian headdresses, paper turkeys, paper pilgrim hats, and do as much decorating as my crayon drawer can afford. I will roast a turkey, make southern cornbread dressing, and we'll be miserable all afternoon after eating, but that night, Heath will go to work. Instead of complaining about him having to work on a holiday, we'll be thankful he has a job. The next day, we'll go stand in line at Cabela's to get his gift, and instead of complaining about the crowds, we'll be thankful for the good sale, and we'll be thankful we have the money to purchase a gift of non-necessity.
We have a tendency, even in the Christian tradition, to only request prayer for sickness, negative things, and fear that our nation is turning bad. But what if we asked people to help us thank God for the blessings we've received this year. I think the attitude of gratitude might show just a little more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)