My life experiences in the good times and in very difficult times will hopefully inspire, encourage, and motivate others to take time to laugh, reflect, and seek God when difficulties in life arise.
The act of giving comes from the love of God. All humans have a portion of God within. Many don’t know it. When we give, whether we know God or not, we’re imitating Him. At the start of 1994, our NY-based church, Metro, added a second-story to their storage room to fit their Christmas stockings. They had had 39,000 stockings for boys and girls, and were expecting to double that number by the next year, which they did. We were allowed to take some for kids we knew or to distribute. I calculated enough for my students, all the kindergarteners ,and first and second graders. Each group picked a day and time to visit our room, receive a stocking (red for girls, green for boys), and to have their class picture taken in front of our tree. A few teachers also joined in! My students, in addition to having their pics taken also received gifts from me. And all Paraprofessionals would yearly receive a huge Rome apple-the largest I could find. I’d shine it up and pass them out. Additionally, each student was allowed to bring to class their favorite stuffed animal to have by their side each day during the Christmas season-regardless of their grade (first -fourth). Because God has deposited His goodness in us, in general, we’ve inherited inklings from Him to give to others. God’s the most generous being in/out of this universe. We give to be like Him. Givers love to give-every chance we can! This new year, be a giver (or give more)! You’ll get unbeatable satisfaction! God loves giving and loves a cheerful giver (original rendering: God loves a hilarious giver- 2Corinthians 9:7)! Merry Christmas! Sam
After gifts were added, students and groups posed in front of tree
It was on the evening of January 14, 1978 that the guys on the block were headed to a small party at Edgar’s house. Edgar grew up with us, along with his two brothers. The day was frigid cold at 32 degrees and the roads were all iced-up. Light snow was falling. Sidewalks had fresh-fallen snow, actually, 13.7” of it and the air was sharp and frigid. As we walked, the winds bit our faces. As silence filled the air, Gil and I headed to Edgar’s apartment. The rest of the guys would arrive later. There, in a crib, we saw Edgar’s new baby boy. Wow, he had the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen!
We chatted a while, drank and ate, as music played in the background. Later, we headed out. The weather kept us from getting gifts, but our presence did due-diligence. Whether small or big, parties are good for mingling, and, if it’s Christmastime, for exchanging gifts.
Though no one knows the exact time of Jesus’ birth, we do know of the events that transpired. Probably a year after the first Christmas, Wise Men from the East journeyed in search of the Messiah, Jesus, and after being guided by a star, found Him nearly two years after His birth. I know this may seem odd because it’s not what ‘tradition’ teaches, but it’s what the Bible says.
It is also possible there were up to a hundred Wisemen in the group. Scripture never mentions three wisemen; tradition does. Check it out:
“Now when Jesus (Yeshua) was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wisemen from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him” (Matthew 2:1-3).
Verse 11 reads: “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold and frankincense, and myrrh.”
Notice a few things:
1. Jesus was already born.
2. He was found in a house, not the manger
3. He wasn’t a baby but a child.
4. They worshipped Him, not Mary
Scripture says:
“Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wisemen, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wisemen” (Matthew 2:16).
The reason King Herod had children ages two and under killed is because Jesus would have been in that age range when found by the wise men and the lapsing time. Herod wanted to kill Jesus, which isn’t too different from what man wants to do today. In the spirit of the holiday, Christ has been killed off by Santa. Santa gets all the glory. Afterall, “Magical things happen at Christmas through Santa,” they say. Man tries everything possible to silence Jesus’ followers and His message of salvation. Think of it. Commercialized Christmas is prettier and more festive than a poor and humble couple with a small child in unappealing quarters. The manger had no colorful lights, no background music, drinks or food, and no Christmas tree. Not much of a party…
But the Wise men found the savior! And the first thing they did? No, they didn’t give Him gifts! Instead, they knelt and worshipped Him! They acknowledged His Kingship. They didn’t even worship Joseph, just the child; the Son of the Most-High God.
This Christmas season whether you party or not, gift or not, whether it’s freezing, snowing, or you’re in the Caribbean, remember the true meaning of Christmas is giving. God gave us His most beloved treasure-His Son to save us. He gave us not a hundred kings not even three; but One; The King of Kings (Revelation 19:6)! If you too have been traveling long and far, and have seen His star (signs in your life that you need to find Him), He’s here! Worship Him! Then lay your treasures (your life, hopes, dreams, and your family) at His feet.
I remember the many years going Christmas shopping with my parents. In the early years it was for toys for cousins, brothers, and nephews. As we grew older, we shopped for clothing. I remember the cold and the winds beating upon us as my brother and I waited for our parents in front of a building stoop on Moore Street. My parents would return loaded with gifts, drop them off into a large box we had, and then return for more. One time, we probably waited two hours all bundled up. We then had to walk home lugging the loaded box.
At home, the coats, scarves, boots, and gloves came off. The nice heat from the radiator warmed us up. We’d have hot chocolate while our parents had coffee. The gifts were then wrapped, labeled, and placed under our tree.
Thousands of years ago, God went shopping. In fact, He’s been trying to get us back to Him since Adam and Eve sinned, but we have rejected Him ever since. He’s sent prophets, kings, and judges, but we’ve rejected them all. Two thousand years ago He sent His Perfect Son to look for us poor lost souls. In spite of the cold, the snow, the ice, the frost, the wind, and the sin that thwarted man from making his way to God, Jesus searched for just the right gift to take home to the Father. The Godhead concluded All of humanity deserved being taken back to the Father.
And so, Jesus paid our ransomed price! The cost was not cash, credit cards, bars of gold, silver, or even crypto! The cost called for perfect, untainted blood- an impossible price for man to pay, but God in His infinite wisdom was able to pull it off through Jesus’s life and perfect blood; untainted by sin. The Perfect Lamb of God, Jesus, through the virgin birth, entered humanity but without sin.
Thirty-three years later, He laid His life on the cross after saying, “I’ll take them all” (John 3:16). And so, He died for us all taking our souls to the tree and nailing us and our sinful nature to the cross. He then presented us to the Father.
However, not everyone wants to be wrapped in the blood of Christ! Not everyone wants to be presented as a gift to God! Some people think they’re too good-they think they can make it on their own-but they CAN’T DO IT! And others think they’re not good enough. They think He doesn’t want them. But you’re the perfect gift for the Father! He loves you unconditionally! That means YOU are precious to Him No Matter What you’ve done or where you’ve been! Give yourself to Him, He’s made you righteous through Christ.
“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).
This Christmas, will you place yourself under the tree? Will you lay down your life as a sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1)? God has a new name for you (Revelation 2:17)-might even be scripted on a stocking hanging on His fireplace…
I love Christmas colors of red, green, and gold Against a backdrop of white; I’m sold! Love the bells and Christmas balls,
The crisp fresh air as snow lightly falls! I love the trinkets and items of old, They calm my nerves, let it be told!
Sparkling lights glimmer signs of hope, Lifting my spirits, helping me cope. My tree they infuse with serenity and calm It’s truly therapeutic; what a balm!
I love the cold outside And the warmth from the fireside Sweet smells of apple and cinnamon Beckon people to stop by and come in!
Christmastime is unequalled in beauty! With blizzards and snowstorms in all their fury. Warmth, coziness, family and friends, Timeless memories that’ll never end.
Antique décor of years gone by Pull my heart and cause me to cry Tears of joy and satisfaction; Of Christmastime gatherings Amidst all the distraction.
Wonderful colors reminiscent of Christ’s birth, Who left heaven’s glory for this fallen earth. Red for His blood, green for renewed life, Gold for His crown of victory over death! White for the purity of all that it’s worth!
I love the silence that envelopes me As snow-swirls dance forever free! Christmastime is here! With Christ, there’s nothing to fear!
Our apartment on Flushing Avenue in Brooklyn was very small. Our bedroom was adjacent to the living room. It had no door, only a heavy curtain. On this particular Christmas eve, somewhere around 10:30 at night, I kept hearing banging and metal pieces clanging. I called Mom to see what the fuss was. I told her I heard what sounded like my brother Ruben, a cousin…“Shh, Santa needs some help,” she said. WOW! Could you believe that? After much more clanging and voices of my dad and a cousin or two, my brother and I were allowed to see what was going on. “Santa” had delivered my all-metal blue jeep pedal-car with a bright yellow star in the middle of the hood! I was allowed to try it out back and forth in the tiny living room. Soon afterwards, we were snoring again anxiously awaiting Christmas morning. When it arrived, it wasn’t a dream! Everything that had happened was real. Along with many other gifts, my jeep was parked there under our tree!
Many Christmases ago, in a manger, laid baby Jesus. No gifts were there other than One for the whole world: The King of the universe! Other than His parents, His only visitors were shepherds that, while out in the fields keeping watch over their lambs, like me, heard fussing and noises that night. Suddenly, they beheld the glorious angelic announcement of His birth from an angelic chorus worshipping the new King in song and praise! With excitement, the shepherds headed to the manger near the inn to behold the tiny king who was born to save the world. It wasn’t a dream! He was there as real as the angels said! They headed out to tell everyone what they had witnessed (Luke 2:8-20)! It was a marvelous first Christmas! Merry Christmas! Sam
We’ve all heard stories of people winning lotteries, or striking gold, striking it rich, or discovering treasures. Excitement and triumph lie at the door of their hearts. Plans and dreams begin to formulate. People sweat, faint, and get jittery upon their instant-change of life. Sometime last year, Spanx founder, Sara Blakely, sold a majority stake in her shapewear company for a cool 1.2 billion. She gifted each of her 750 workers two round trip tickets to anywhere in the world plus $10,000 each in spending money! Now that’s a boss! For now, imagine this scene: You’ve been contacted with news of treasures or funds you’ll be receiving. You go on public TV and a gigantic check is being held for you. It’s temporarily covered. The host begins unveiling it right-to-left. You see zeroes, commas, more zeroes. You begin sweating as you see more commas and zeroes. As the unveiling continues at snail pace, you’re beside yourself now praising God for those Depends you’re wearing! After six commas, your friends are holding you up. Finally, the host says, “Are you R-E-A-D-Y??!!!” You howl and grunt and beat your chest as you cry, “G-I-V-E- I-T T-O- M-E!!!” Ever-so-slowly the blanket is completely withdrawn and as your jaw drops, your pants want to join it too. You stand in shock and disbelief! The reality of your riches sends you to your knees! Numbers come to mind-your lawyer’s, as reality sets in…the final-revealed digits are more zeroes. That’s right, you won nothing, zilch, nada! That’s life. Yet, many biblical characters actually opted for blank checks. They were offered houses, positions, more money than they could count; opportunities beyond the dreams of many, yet they gave them all up for a blank check-directly from God. What does a blank check from God even look like? It’s the type of check that says, “I prefer to pass on these goodies including worldly recognition and be paid directly by God.” When we do things like give to charities or to benefits and receive, or demand recognition, Jesus says we have earned our rewards before men. However, when we get zilch for our works on earth, God shall reward us and exalt us in His presence. Abraham was such a man. He obeyed God, left his home and walked to a city to do God’s will knowing the city was in heaven and that his reward for obedience would come in heaven by God’s own hands. Granted, it’s not easy to walk this type of road. Were it, everyone would be on it. No, it’s a walk of faith. It’s taking steps without seeing where you’re going but knowing that when you reach the end or desired spot, God will be there to greet you and to reward you. In heaven, God, the Ultimate Boss will reward His faithful followers far beyond what we can imagine; far beyond the zeroes printed on that check. And when He does, those Depends might come in handy-were it not for the fact we won’t need them in heaven! So, where are your riches? Have you dreamt and designed your blank check should you win? Have you prepared a speech? Save it. Because before God we’ll be at a loss for words. Tears of joy will say it all. God Bless! Sam
The Year was 1966 and Nels and I used to soak up every TV episode of Batman & Robin. We emulated them in our playtime. We now had villains, plots, and strategies to work with. But on September 28, of that year, during a two-part episode called, “The Spell of Tut,” The Green Hornet & Kato were featured, and they changed our Batman & Robin ways forever! Kato was a young Bruce Lee, and in that episode, Nels and I felt that the Cape Crusaders and the Dynamic Duo were whooped! They had met their match! We were so disappointed, but at the same time, thrilled at who did it!! We couldn’t wait for the following Thursday to see what would happen! Shortly thereafter, The Green Hornet’s show went on the air. Suddenly, there was a craze. Everyone was fighting Kung-Fu or Karate. My older brother, Vincent practiced with us as did my sister-in-law, Winnie. Outside, kicks were flying high as the fever was all over us! Everyone caught it! But, like other fads, in a few years, we outgrew it all, until…
Five years later, Bruce Lee was everywhere in the US with his movie, Fist of Fury. Now, there were Karate chuck sticks along with the sounds of WAH…and YAO, and HA-CHAO, HI-JAH! To top that off, Jamaican singer, Carl Douglas, brought us in 1974, the Disco song, Kung Fu Fighting! We now had: Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh (followed by the whistling flute in Asian music). Great song! Great fighting techniques which renewed interests in ancient cultures and traditions. Soon, Samurai Ninjas were on the scenes with their full-body armors and fighting tactics that would take the world by storm. All are great for fighting and defending oneself against attacks, but fall short of the armor needed if you’re in God’s army. To fight darkness and principalities, and demons of the underworld, and to fight the Prince of the Powers of the Air (Ephesians 2:2), who works in the children of disobedience, your attire will be different. Ephesians 6:10 tells us: “Stand firm then with [the] belt of truth, buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Of course, each item holds profound meanings, thus taking time to write about. But in a nutshell, we need to wear truth around our waist where lots of our strength comes from. We need righteousness right over our heart, and we need to stand firm, for starters. Our weapons to combat evil and the demons roaming this earth must be based on truth, soaked in the blood of Christ with which He defeated the enemy. We cannot chop spiritual beings with regular swords or with Karate chops. We need the helmet of salvation, the helmet that protects our minds-where many of our battles actually take place. Our minds need to be saturated with God’s peace and presence, and the salvation He secured for us at the cross. Taking the Sword of the Spirit (of God) which is His Word, will greatly help us battle opposing forces. And there are millions of forces opposing God’s truth. Satan himself knows God’s word and loves to twist it around to those who don’t actually know it and thereby deceiving them. Here’s the thing: When you wear God’s armor, to others, you will not look like you’re out looking for a fight; you’ll look normal. However, demons detect God’s presence, and know what you’re capable of in the spiritual realm. They sense God’s presence. Think of the dark and blackish horse, Nazgul’s chase scene on the road in Lord of the Rings as it senses the ring is nearby. No, you won’t need special sound effects or unusual attire, or even a stance; you won’t even have to sing, “Everybody was Kung fu fighting-Hu,” but you will need to brush up on reading the Word of God and dedicate time to prayer to get direction from God for your life. Now that you’re dressed, (daily), the battles begin. God Bless! Sam
