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.
Christmas décor is great and beautiful. The reds and greens, the twinkling lights and the quaint villages make for beautiful and dreamy nostalgia. Wrapped gifts under a tree beckon us to keep warm and share in gift-giving with loved ones.
A touch of snow, or should I say, a blizzard of it, can be reminiscent of Christmases long-gone. We might get excited over Santa and his reindeer and his elves. As beautiful as that can be, I’ve yet to see people touched emotionally over those characters. Touched, not because they want to sit on his lap for a gift, but touched to where they feel his presence over their lives. Touched, to where there’s conviction in their lives. Santa and his crew can bring me joy, but can’t change my life internally.
Christmas is about God stepping into humanity through His Son, Jesus. We can watch a child sing, paint, or play an instrument for God’s glory, and we are touched because we feel God’s presence in our midst and know He alone can do such wonderful things.
The color red, representing His blood, was shed for our sins and transgressions against God. Green, like Evergreens, remind us His love is forever; our redemption is eternal. Are you waiting for a white Christmas? Today, you can have you your “red-stained,” sinful life made white through His shed blood on Calvary just for you. “Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red as crimson, they shall be as wool,” (Isaiah1:18).
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The lovely quaint little town you might dream of, might just be waiting for you in God’s heavenly place. He does know our likes and desires.
Today, worship Jesus for being the true reason behind Christmas. Thank Him for gifting Himself to you. The baby in the manger came to give His life for us. How precious His desire to come to us in the most lovely and helpless way: a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, dependent upon us to care for Him.
This Christmas, unwrap and accept His gift for you! In turn, give the gift of joy and love to others. Merry Christmas!
Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, one of the signs that Christmas was fast approaching, besides the cold days spent gift-shopping with my parents, and besides the rising aromas of typical foods such as “pasteles” with its rich ingredients like Yautia, green bananas, pumpkin, salt, annatto, smoked ham, pork, raisins, sofrito (stir-fry), and chickpeas, was having nice outfits to wear. If you had cousins, brothers, etc. living nearby, everyone dressed up in presentable fashion. It being a special day, Christmas required feeling good about yourself. “Don’t get dirty” our parents constantly admonished.
Of course, the real good outfits were saved for New Year’s Day. That’s when everyone spiffed up. Christmas outfits paled in comparison because the real, fashionable items were the best we’d get and wear.
If you haven’t anything to wear this Christmas, don’t fret! God has answers for you! “Answers?” you ask. “I need clothing!” you might say. Well, God’s definition of clothing and ours might differ. Read what God tells us:
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12).
Whether you’re clothing is new or not, if you dress the way God wants us to, you’ll not have a problem! Don His attire and you’ll be sparkling, shiny, and more than spiffed up to be welcomed everywhere you go! Whatever store you walk into, compassion and kindness towards others is clearly recognized. Donning humility, gentleness and patience, are outfits desired by many observers! “My, how patient she is!” some will marvel. “I loved the way he was gentle towards the elderly couple as they tried to figure out their bearings” others will say. Yep, dress with God’s outfits, and you’ll have plenty to wear not only this Christmas, but all year long! Not all gifts will be found under a tree; Jesus’ gift of salvation hung on a tree! “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on a tree” (1Peter 2:24).
During our Christmases, I would place about 35-47 gifts under our tree. While almost all were wrapped, and a few were in gift bags, none of them were labeled! Each one, though, was for an intended person. They weren’t generic as suitable for anyone. Why no labels? Well, as I wrote last year (Dec. 26, 2024 The Mouse In The House), we had a mousy of a daughter who’d crawl under the tree (well into her teen years!) to count them and spy out the names.
Everyone was clueless! “Would I be receiving something this year?” “What’s mine?” the kids wondered. I relied on my good memory and wrapping tactics to know exactly what was for whom. Little mousey sniffed her way around the tree but never got the cheese! Once or twice, I did get confuse on a gift or two, but for the most part, I was spot on.
(www.pho.to) PhotoEngine::Collage::1
This Christmas, there might be an unlabeled gift under your tree…Hmmm….A mystery gift. The mysterious gift has a sender: Jesus. Under the cross (or tree), Jesus has a gift intended just for you. His gifts are wrapped with care. They’re gifts of Salvation wrapped in peace and joy. The gift has an intended receiver, you! He wants you to receive it, unwrap it, acknowledge its contents, and accept it. Go ahead, open it! Within, you’ll find forgiveness and acceptance! You’ll find love because He loves you more than you’ll ever know! It’s the most expensive gift you’ll ever get in your life! It cost Christ His life! He sacrificed it for your salvation! It includes a lifetime membership to eternal life! So, go ahead, grab it now before Mousy-girl goes for it!
“And the angel said unto her, Do not be afraid, Mary: for you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:30-33).
One great decoration with any Christmas tree is a trainset underneath it. With all the other decorations and wrapped gifts, a nice train, slowly going in circles underneath the tree makes for a spell-binding moment. Let’s get down close to the ground, lie on our stomachs, and view its route.
It’s passing gift after gift, toy people, a small town, and a faraway village. Through a little tunnel it goes; emerging as entrancing as ever. Making its way on to the final curve, it heads our way again. Isn’t it wonderful as it passes right before us?! We can see the railcars such as the cargo, the tanker, the supply car, hoppers, and the caboose. The twinkling Christmas lights add special effects drawing us in to a calm and peaceful setting.
Does life feel like you’re on a trainset? As you venture round and round, far and near passing small towns and miles of track and upcoming tunnels; do you get stuck in them? Do you need help getting out? As you head into valleys do you emerge in peace and serenity, or does the snow of life derail you?
As trains can transport us from place to place, people can get stuck in faraway places. There are hurting folk out there. Maybe you’ve lost a son/daughter or grandkids and you can’t get off the train. Maybe you’ve got tons of pictures or videos of loved ones you’ve lost, and while they bring you comfort and cheer, they’re also holding you from moving on. Watching them over and over, like a trainset going in circles, hurting hearts can’t heal. You can gently signal to the Conductor that your stop is coming up. If your train ride is a bit more difficult, you may have to pull the emergency break, bringing the train to a halt, and wait for those doors to open so you can run out.
Jesus is the Conductor of our train. He makes sure we stay on the tracks and veers us through beautiful mountainous scenery routes. He also leads us through valleys as well. As our train trudges through snow or near deep ravines, God holds us near His heart as we hold on to our seats. But oftentimes, trials come and we need to hold His hand. Life’s adventures can be scary, even traumatic, but as our train puffs away, Jesus pulls us into the station. There, we get a refresh. Our ride is through until we’re ready to board again. How long will your ride be? Only Jesus knows. Maybe it’s time to get up from the floor and view the entire picture: the Christmas tree above, decorations within, gifts below, and a train slowly billowing smoke puffs as it rounds the Christmas tree of our lives. All aboard!
“I ain’t talking to you!” the husband said to his wife. Maybe, you’ve been there. Maybe, you’re the one having said it! Maybe, you’ve tried to keep silent, but it hasn’t lasted too long. There have been people who’ve gone quiet for very long; maybe decades. John Francis gave up regular transportation for 22 years and went silent for most of 17 years! He even taught a college course without saying a word! Silence can be amazing. It can also be missed. Consider the following that took place over 2000 years ago:
The world marched in tune with everyday chores and everyday routines. Life was difficult. Barren land, fruitless soil; and for the Israelites, harsh treatment from Roman soldiers, and constant turmoil in the lives and hearts of God’s people.
No one had ever heard the term Christmas. Every day was like any other day. People went about their business and duties. But God’s presence was in the works. His ears had heard the people’s cries for a savior. He was about to do the unheard of; the unbelievable! God was about to step down from heaven to live among His creation as a created being! It was a concept people today still struggle with. Deity would take on human flesh and dwell with humanity; yet retain His glorious power.
And so, in a day like any other, the Creator became a creature and entered the world He created to become one of us! To keep away the infection of sin and the virus of imperfection in human blood, the sinless God was born through miraculous inception: the Holy Spirit entered (overshadowed) Mary, bore seed and brought forth the Savior of the world, Jesus.
Through years of darkness and insecurities, and through 400 years of silence from God, God suddenly spoke! He spoke loud and clear to a hurting world. His message of love broke through the darkness to a world that didn’t listen. The Light of The World shone but many rejected it. Darkness wasn’t only from the lack of regular light, or God’s Light; but from a world brimming with sin and oppression. It was a world absent of intimacy with God. Their cold hearts and idolatry had turned His face away. While always present, God stayed away from them. A world in turmoil needed God’s intervention. And so, the first Christmas, happened! Emmanuel came to the world: “God with us.” His love for a hurting world was the message the world needed, and still does! God is here! Read the prophesy!
“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
See the fulfillment! Matthew 1:23: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will all him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’).”
Darkness cannot quench God’s Light! Never will!
Are you walking in His Light? Is your silence towards God like that of John Francis? Even he eventually spoke! But even if you don’t want to speak to God, He hears your heart! He knows you intimately! Share your thoughts with Him. “Tell” Him your heart. Allow His Light to shine on your heart this Christmas!
“The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Matthew 4:16 NIV).
John 1:5 “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Picture this: You’re holding a paintbrush and are painting on a canvas. Nearby are your paints, brushes, and a cup of drinking water. You’re caught up in praise and song as you sing away, *How Great Is Our God. Suddenly, you bump into your stand and the table begins to wobble and shake. You squeeze your eyes shut and wait for the broken and shattered glass. But you hear no sounds and notice nothing breaks. You open your eyes and all is still. A deep-sounding voice reminds you, “Welcome to heaven.” These being your first “days” there, it’ll take getting used to!
Another scene: You suddenly think, “Hmm, let me pay a visit to Uncle Snuffy Smith,” and within five seconds, you’re knocking on his door! Out he comes scrubbing his beard and says, “About time! What took you so long!?! “Umm, traffic?” you claim! Again, it’ll be a different world from what we currently know.
You see an Asian lady and say something like, “Foo-shan wik-do” having no idea what you just said, and you’re answered in returned, “Thanks, greetings to you too! That’s right, others will know your language just as you’ll know theirs!
Heaven will be unlike anything we can imagine! Most importantly, the Godhead will be there (Jehovah, Jesus and the Holy Spirit)! As you may have guessed, fellowship and worship will be vastly unlike anything known here. We’ll succeed at all we do. Nothing will die, not even leaves, plants or critters!
I’m wound up about it! How about you? I think no matter where we live, we’ll be neighbors-always near the Godhead. Doors and windows wide open, no thieves, no murderers, no harm; no evil whatsoever! Don’t speculate, don’t hesitate, don’t underestimate God’s saving grace!!! Make the choice to be saved NOW! Call upon Him!
Sometimes, running at the speed of light might not seem fast enough. We want things so fast, that we expect them, as we say in New York, “Yesterday.” We want it done yesterday, we want it delivered yesterday, and we want answers yesterday. That’s faster than fast.
The world is a hurting world. From senseless murders, to tragic falls; death is everywhere, as are disappointments, a failing justice system and suicidal rates among people of all ages. Unfaithfulness is rampant among leaders of all types, be it world leaders or pastors. Broken hearts, shattered lives, unhealable wounds, and destroyed lives reside all around us pretty much everywhere we look.
Faster than the speed of light, is the LIGHT of the World, Jesus. How fast is that? “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Ever-present means He’s already there. Never left. You want Him yesterday? He was there. Where were you? If you called on Him yesterday, He answered.
He’s present to heal our broken hearts, mend shattered lives, and to uplift mixed emotions. If you’re in pain, He’s your medicine. If some “good-for-nutting” person dumped you, God has the blueprint to rebuild you. He’s nearer than your next breath. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
God is near and here. Be thankful today that He hears you as well!
Recommended Song: Dios Está Aquí (God Is Here)
Check out YouTube for a chorus (Corito) we used to sing about 40 years ago
Dios está aquí /Tan cierto como el aire que respiro/Tan cierto como la mañana se levanta el sol/ Tan cierto que cuando le hablo, Él me puede oir.
God is here/as true as the air I breathe/As surely as the sun rises in the morning/So true that when I talk to Him, He can hear me.
The TV show named above presents some interesting cases. In this life, there are hundreds of thousands of unexplained events. In time, some may be explained away, and some, God might explain later when we’ll be in His presence; but God can never be explained! Check out Paul’s inspiring and worshipful acknowledgment of God’s magnificence in Romans 11:33-36:
“Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”
Words can’t describe the wonders of God! Yet as He is unsearchable, He expects us to love as He loves. Our love should be so remarkable that others can’t comprehend it. My wife and I have learned that that type of love has to be taught by God. While there are hundreds of ways to love, God’s ways go beyond what we as humans understand. People who love us, won’t go an extra mile to love us more. Love entails so much more than saying or using the word itself. We have found that practically no one wants to hear our struggles and frustrations.
The burdens we carry, only God helps us bear. Others aren’t interested in them; even though a form of love is there. This isn’t something set in stone, but something that applies just to the two of us.
Think of God’s command to “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44). It’s one of the most difficult expectations we have from God; another being forgive your enemies. They go hand in hand because we have to love them to forgive them and forgive them and love them. Millions of people will no doubt say, “Nah, that’s taking it too far.” So, WHY should we love our enemies? Because we, ourselves were once enemies of God!!! And He’s forgiven us!!!
Romans 5:10 (NIV) reads: “For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”
Yet, He loved us! Did so before we even knew it! Not only did He love us, His love was so great He went ahead and died for us-just in case we might love Him back! Guess what? We didn’t! We didn’t even look for Him! There is no one seeking him, no, not one (Romans 3:11). It stands to reason that if we, as His enemies didn’t love Him, yet He died for us, we too, should love our enemies so they’ll get saved in time.
Read the lyrics, so true, of this song: “When I was your foe, still Your love fought for me You have been so, so good to me. When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me You have been so, so kind to me. Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God Oh, it chases me down, fights ‘till I’m found, leaves the 99.”
It’s reckless love because He will stop at nothing to find and rescue you. It’s not a tidy seeking way, but an intentional way of making sure you’re found at all cost. He’s willing to leave His 99 sheep to find YOU before the enemy snatches you up. He’ll fight any bear, snake or scorpion bent on destroying you, because ultimately, that’s all Satan wants with you. He’s NOT your friend. He’s miserable and destructive.
In the end, we need to ask Jesus to infuse us with His overwhelming type of love to unconditionally love others as He does. God is unexplained! Can’t fathom Him! Never will! Be thankful!
God Bless! Sam
Lyrics: Reckless Love Sung by Bethel Music & Cory Asbury. 2020 Songwriters: Ran Jackson/Cory Asbury/Caleb Culver; Recommended Song: Teach Me How to Love Debbie Boone; So Good, Vineyard Music
Much as kids and grownups have nicknames, God has other names known as compound names. These names reveal or enhance His character and attributes. They tell us more about how He is as well as what He does. From time to time, I’ll be sharing on God’s Names. I wrote the following piece on November 7, 2005; twenty years ago, for our church.
FAITHFUL PROVIDER
Thanksgiving and testimonies go hand-in-hand. Though our kids are now grown, looking back to 1984 to our native residence of Brooklyn, New York, they were small then. All three were below the age of four. We were living on $2.00 for every two weeks from 1981-84. I had no choice but to ride my bike16 miles to work each day regardless of the weather. We finally moved to a brand new 12-family housing unit. We were on the first floor. Within months, I was without work and my parents had just moved to Puerto Rico.
Our church folk weren’t too generous; only two families helped us with $20.00 each throughout our 6-month ordeal; and neither were my five older brothers; with only the elder giving us $20 at the time. They were “harder” than the hard times we experienced. From each offering, we paid our tithes and proceeded to buy much-needed items such as $2.00 sneakers for each kid and a $3.00 pair for Viv. I remember our power bill being $17, and after our $2 tithes, we paid it. Survived on a buck.
Housing sent us to Welfare & Food Stamps (which we really felt bad about). But soon we received an eviction notice (that’s another story), because the aid didn’t come through on time. Thankfully, God came through at the last minute.
Our experience helped us decide not to be as “hard” as those around us were. Monthly, we began sending $2.00 to several ministries, then increased our giving little by little to $10, $35, $50, etc. For the last decade, we’ve been able to support 18 ministries besides our church on a yearly basis. We’ve also helped in building 2 churches in India, 1 in Mexico, and 1 in Ghana. We also began tithing from Food Stamps by giving 1 item for any 10 we bought, & thus started a food ministry at the church.
Another outcome was getting closer to God through prayer. I built a kneeling prayer altar/stand where I’d pray with each of our kids before bedtime. That led to our family services where our son, Gammy, & daughter, Milcah, sang & preached. Baby Sarai, collected the offering. We still hold our services with the girls. Each day, one of us leads the service and one day a week, I hold a Bible study. (Sidenote; this was 20 years ago).
A few years later, after things got better, the church decided to take away the church van from us (my wife Viv used to pick folks up before church & return them after the service). For a while, a family would drive us to church but then decided not to. They’d pass us by as we walked 26 blocks in all types of weather with 3 little ones, of which one was in a carriage.
Our kids
As years passed, we had been looking forward to 1991as we were going to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary. The kids were going to with walk down the aisle with us and be the ringbearers. We even bought the girls lovely white dresses and Viv bought a violet one with lace and all, but then we had to use the money towards purchasing a station wagon. There was no wedding anniversary celebration; only very disappointed kids with new clothes. Throughout all this and much more, God has always been faithful.
None of us will ever reach a “Safe Place” where we can say, “We’ve made it.” God will always stir the waters. Our attitude towards trials will determine the outcome that God expects or doesn’t expect from us. He wants to bend us; not backwards, but forward. Forward to: 1. Servanthood, 2. Stewardship, 3. Dependence on Him. In our trials, we’re still walking in victory. We need to press on.
God wants us to take our focus off our needs and focus on the needs of others. He’ll stir others to meet ours. Let’s have a THANKSGIVING attitude; contribute to others. As imitators of God, we need to be givers, not takers. Give to missions and give to those in need around you.
SIDENOTE: We finally celebrated our 25th anniversary, at ALF (Abundant Life Fellowship) in Puerto Rico on 6/6/6 with all three kids present; the girls as bridesmaids, and our son walked Viv down the aisle!
Everything around us changes! We used to watch a TV show, Ten Years Younger where a person was “On display” in a box where they couldn’t hear outside comments. Passers-by would comment on the appearance. After an overhaul, they’d stuff the person in the cubical again and listen to the opinions. Sometimes, the crowds believed the person was 15+ years younger!
Every generation undergoes its changes. I recently wrote that there were about 50 kids on our block when I was growing up. Upon re-examining that, I counted close to 100 kids I could name! Over the years, changes in demographics dropped those numbers to under 25. But what a great time we had with so many kids going up/down, through, around, and over our streets, block, sidewalks, stoops, and everywhere!
Strong changes are on the horizon across the globe. The prophet Daniel was told by God that people would travel to and from all over and that knowledge would increase (Daniel 12:4). That’s been seen over the last few decades. Everyone’s on the move. World leaders are on life-control; controlling people and telling us what to do and where to go.
China, has installed over 700 million face-recognition cameras to track people going to church, work, etc. But as usual, God will use what Satan plans as evil, for good. China will one day witness on every camera billions of people vanishing before their very eyes! They’ll check, double-check, and even triple-check their connections only to discover they’ll have witnessed phase one of the biggest, most anticipated event ever- Christ’s worldwide trumpet-call home to believers! Of course, initially, China and all nations controlled by the False prophet, will deny such event; but it’ll leak out!
To those called Home, immediate transformation will occur! Nope, angels will not rewrap you with duct-tape, they will not retouch your eyelids, retrofit you with DEPENDS, glue any missing teeth, or send you “under the knife” in attempts to transform you! No siree! “We will be changed in an instant. We’ll be given brand new bodies! Even if you currently have “a body to die for,” it’s going to die! Or, maybe yours is a drop-dead, gorgeous body; in which case, it’ll decay because “Blood and flesh cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1Corinthians 15:50)! We’ll be spanking new! Everything about us will have undergone change-a God-given transformation unlike anything ever seen.
After Jesus’ resurrection, He received a glorified body: “A week later his disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them, Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you” (John 20:26)!” His renewed body allowed Him to be here and there in no time!
We all need transformation! Having a new glorified body will be great, but changing into looking like Jesus is really something else! “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
God’s already working in us!!! And I’m a firm believer that in heaven you’ll look and feel at least 80 years younger than now! No more creams, no rituals, no canes, no walkers, no glasses or contacts, and no stranger to God’s goodness and holiness!
