~
There's JOY in the Kitchen ~
~When we realize that ~
Christ is the author of our Happy memories of
Christmas.
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A weekly newsletter from Sarah's Tent, an
online ministry tailored towards Pastor's Wives.
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Isa 51:1-2 / Isa 54:2-3 / Heb 10:24, 25
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COME AND SEE!
By JoyfulArt
The giant package of goodies arrives at the
office in a plain brown box. Upon opening it, one
finds layers and layers of the most delectable
goodies one can imagine. Cookies, candies, cheese
spreads, chocolate pretzels, jelly beans,
crackers, apples, tangerines, dried fruit, and
nuts, not to mention the bright and festive
napkins, plates and wrapping paper.
What a glorious gift wrapped in such a plain
brown box! With glee, the first to open the box
runs from cubicle to cubicle, saying, "Come
see the goodies! You don't want to miss this!
It's too wonderful to imagine! Come and
taste...see that the............." The
analogy of our office surprise package struck me
this morning. Watching the crowds around that
plain brown box, pulling out the many gifts and
surprises, tasting of each and everything they
could touch. More than enough for everyone.
Something for everyone with every taste and
flavor to fit all. The cries of "Come and
see!"
This Christmas, as you open your packages of
loving gifts, I know you will think also of the
Christ Child. Come to Earth, wrapped in a plain
brown package of swaddling clothes, containing
more than any person could imagine. Something for
everyone! Rediscover His goodness, His benefits,
His abundance. Then go out among the people and
cry out...
"Come! Taste and see that the LORD is
good!"
----------
Greetings in the Name of Our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ!
I pray your holiday is going well! I want to
thank each and every one of you for your support
and encouragement on behalf of Apron Strings
Devotionals and myself. It has been one year
since God has blessed me with the desire to
"pour out," via devotionals on the
Internet, and He has certainly poured His Holy
Spirit out on me more than once since then! I
give Him all the praise, honor and glory!
As we celebrate this Christmas, I would like
to impart something that I pray will cause us to
"Selah!" ( pause calmly and think of
that ) My son Noah will be 2 on December 25th. He
was the first baby born on Christmas Day in 1996,
in the Dothan, Alabama area. It was a big
"to do." The newspapers came, and they
did an interview, and we were greatly blessed
with showers of gifts and love.
I find myself reflecting on a portion of that
newspaper interview. It was when the reporter
asked me about my labor, and how hard it was.
Now, I won't lie, I didn't "breeze"
right through it or anything. In fact, I think,
out of my four boys, Noah was the hardest. But I
do remember something I shared with this
reporter, and it was a scripture. I noted that
this scripture literally carried me through my
labor, and I quoted it continually throughout the
labor process. It was Isaiah 26:3. "Thou
wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is
stayed on thee, because he trusteth in
thee."
God even blessed me with a little tune that
goes with it...and I sing it often in the
shower...lol. As a gift from me to you...I wish
to impart those words of life upon your life...as
you "labor" through the hustle and
bustle of this holiday season. I pray that our
precious Father will keep you in perfect peace,
as your mind is stayed on Him. Let us follow the
words that Jesus shared with Martha, when she
noticed with exasperation, the peaceful way Mary
chose to handle her "time with Jesus."
Luke 10:38-42
Now it came to pass, as they went, that he
entered into a certain village: and a certain
woman named Martha received him into her house.
And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat
at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and
came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care
that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid
her therefore that she help me.
And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha,
Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many
things:
But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen
that good part, which shall not be taken away
from her.
Let us not forget what is "needful"
as we celebrate His birthday, or forget the Guest
of Honor as we "give" of ourselves this
year. Remember we cannot give fruitfully unless
we are receiving from the Giver. Only then can we
pour out out of the abundance that He puts within
our hearts. Let us remember the importance of
sitting at the feet of the Man who gave His very
life for us. May He keep you in perfect
peace...as your mind is stayed on Him.
God Bless!!
Carol Skipper Justaservn@aol.com
Apron
Strings Devotionals ( http://ionanet.com/apron/
)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The memories of Christmas Through the
eyes of Pastors' wives
A Christmas Memory in the Parsonage
--Dot Miller
Of all the glitter and delight of Christmas, I
shall never forget the Christmas we were having a
series of open house celebrations, at our house,
for our church family. The last one was on Sunday
night after the evening service.
I hurried home to get the little children into
bed, light the candles and greet the people as
they arrived. Shawn, our little four-year-old
daughter asked if Daddy could come up and see her
when he got home. I assured her that I would have
him come up as soon as he could (thinking she
would fall asleep and forget about it).
When our last guest left much later that
evening, I remembered her request. He was quite
surprised to find Shawn wide awake and waiting
for him. She wanted him to help her ask Jesus to
be her Saviour!!! This was very important to
her--so important that our precious little
daughter had waited patiently all that time!
Shawn has a beautiful family of her own now
and expecting their second child in a couple
months. They are passing on this Christian
heritage to their children.
From: DwlNScrtPl (Lisa)
I have been a PW for nearly 28 years. Each
year Christmas is special. So when Christina
asked for us to write about a fond memory the
Lord brought to mind something I had almost
forgotten about.
It was the mid-70's. We were living in Lenoir
City, Tennessee. We were serving in a newly
formed church and our congregation was small. God
had sent us a precious prayer warrior who spend
Sunday afternoons with us. She did this rather
than having someone make the long drive back out
in the country to pick her up for the evening
service. She always brought us some item (a loaf
of bread, a head of cabbage, a box of cereal) to
say thank you for her stay. At the time it was
only the hubby and me. We had an extra bedroom
where she would retire after lunch for a nap. Our
home was small, the walls were thin and our guest
was hard of hearing. We weren't eavesdropping in
on her prayers. But, she did have a tendency to
talk a little loud! Her favorite saying as she
prayed was, "Glory to God in Heaven
above". So, we spent many Sunday afternoons
blessed with the sweet sounds of this old saint
of God praying for her pastor, her church and the
evening worship service.
Now things were tight and Christmas was on us.
The hubby and I had decided that we would just be
thankful that we had food on the table and a
warm, cozy home. The in-laws lived an hour away
and they knew we were struggling. Of course they
would see to it that there was something under
their tree for us and our tummies would be filled
with a delicious Christmas feast. But, our Sunday
guest would be with us again and how would we
explain the absences of a tree and gifts! So we
thought rather then let a member know how rough
things were we would just explain about our plans
to be with family.
Our guest came to the house as usual. We had
our simple lunch and she retired as usual. That
day as we sat in the livingroom we received a
Christmas gift like we had never gotten before.
This sweet little lady was telling the Lord how
she could not give her pastor an expensive gift.
So, she asked the Lord who owns the cattle on a
thousand hills to bless her pastor. That he and
his family would never go hungry and that His
Hand would be on all we do in the service of the
Master. I thank God for such a wonderful present
from a dear saint of God. This saint has gone on
the be at home with the Lord. She was ran over by
a train as she was crossing some railroad tracks
to catch her ride to church. One of our members
held her in her arms as she passed on to the
other side. As she lay on the tracks with her
hands raised toward heaven her last words were,
" Glory to God in Heaven above!" When I
get to heaven, one of the first things I want to
do, after I see Jesus who gave His life's blood
for me is to look up Miss Effie Isbell and thank
her for her gift!
"Memories of a Youth Minister's
wife"
From: teriunderwood@mindspring.com
(Teri Underwood)
These days it seems the media is filled with
story after story of students who are controlled
by rage and act in violence. As Youth Pastors we
are taught at seminars and conferences how to
identify kids who use drugs and are potentially
dangerous. We give parents information about
gangs and adolescent depression. And we wonder
what we can give these children.
And then, in a divinely-planned instant, we
are reminded that God is still in control. We had
one of those moments last night during our Sunday
evening service. . .
We were celebrating the Sunday before
Christmas with a candlelight ceremony. While the
birth of Christ was read from Luke and Matthew,
our youth lit candles representing each of the
persons involved. At the end of the beautiful
service, our pastor asked if anyone had anything
to share. One by one these kids, who wear
"saggin" clothes and pass notes during
the service when they think we aren't looking,
spoke. Their words were not eloquent nor
especially thought-provoking but they were from
their hearts. . .
"Thank you, God, for my mom and
dad."
"Thanks, Lord, for our church."
"Jesus, thank you for my friends."
"Father, thank you for your Son."
In that moment, with tears in my eyes, I
whispered, "Thank you, Lord, for hope!"
Be Still and know that I am God Psalm 46:10
A Christmas Memory
From: Tcmah96
The memory I would like to share is from last
Christmas. A church had just voted to call David
as interim pastor, officially effective in
January. The congregation was still in shock from
a church split involving the walk out of all of
the leadership. We barely knew these people, but
we could sense their pain and confusion. It
seemed that they were desperately trying to
"go through the motions" of the
Christmas program traditions. We tried to fall in
to step even though we really didn't feel a part
of the circle. The painful expressions on their
faces were gradually giving way to Christmas joy.
On the night of the Christmas program, we were
showered with gifts, cards and money. Our son
Michael received several gifts and the church
gave us a check for $50.00. We were overwhelmed.
These people didn't know us. We had only been
there a few Sundays. The outpouring of their
generosity was for one reason and one reason
only. We were the preacher's family. They seemed
to find such joy in doing special things for us.
I came to realize that night that because we are
"the preacher's family" we are included
in the circle and invited to be a part of the
family. Merry Christmas!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
For the past four years on Christmas, our
family has taken the fourteen hour drive to
Juarez, Mexico. There we share clothes, food,
stuffed animals and love to the fourteen hundred
homeless people who live in the garbage dump.
Some have to walk 12 miles in to reach us at
the cinder block church built right on top of the
landfill. They come and wait for hours while we
play with the children, prepare the food and
serve them. It is amazing to me how several
hundred children will wait in two lines, side by
side, without pushing or whining, just to have 3
swings at a pinata. It's a most incredible
experience. When we hand them bags of fruit and
stuffed animals to carry home, their faces are
filled with light!
We have church, inside and out, as there are
speakers which broadcast the services outside
where most of the men and boys are hanging
around. At the end of the day, when we are
leaving in our warm vehicles...I am crying as I
look out, for way off in the distance I see
specks of people as they're returning home. Sacks
of fruit in their hands, some with stuffed
animals, and most without winter coats walk in
the falling snow or sleet to their cardboard or
plywood houses (about the size of a large dog
house). These dear ones have no electricity or
running water. Every 1 to 2 years the government
bulldozes down their little dwellings so they
have to move out further to a different spot.
You must know by now why we've made this a
yearly Christmas trip. Once you are there, you
seem to get things into a different and better
perspective. How can I show these precious people
the love of God? By being the face of Jesus to
them as much as I know how. And, dear God, please
let my children see You in me and desire to carry
on in the future. So for now, we will do what we
can to be a light to our generation.
God bless you and please remember the homeless
and poor in your prayers. Also pray for those who
are poor in spirit, without the Savior's love.
Love to each of you,
Jan (HISsong777)
~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
Gift Idea....
From: JUJUBEES4 (Jennifer)
Just wanted to pass this on. I don't know if
you have anyone that you need to give a clever
gift to or if this might work for the newsletter,
but our Moms in Touch coordinator gave this to
each one of us and I thought it was really nice.
Basically, it is a bag of goodies-each with a
Bible verse attached. She printed the verse on
her computer, very small, and then attached it to
each gift in the bag. She included:
1. A packet of post-it notes-the verse was
"write my commands on the tablet of your
heart." Prov. 7:3b
2. Russell Stover chocolate candy -
"taste and see that the Lord is good."
Psalm 34:8a
3. A travel-size band-aid container- "by
His wounds you have been healed." I Peter
2:24
4. Travel size body wash-"wash me and I
shall be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7
5. Packet of hot chocolate-"If anyone is
thirsty, let him come to me and drink." John
7;37b
Just thought it was really neat. I don't know
who exactly this would ever apply to, but it was
a good idea. Maybe you can file it for future
reference!
Let Christmas in its deepest magic possess
your mind. It will alter and stimulate everything
about your observance of the special season we
now share. The Lord of Glory, "endless,
eternal and unchangeable in His being, wisdom,
power, and holiness," became man. Became a
baby.
Jack Hayford, Moments With Majesty
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Recipe.. Why not make a birthday cake and
celebrate Christ's Birthday in a special way
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas is a time of the heart, not
just a date. Its meaning transcends time. Jesus
was born to love us and fill our lives with
himself.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
CHUCKLES
By TentDwellr
I was singing Rudolph the Red nose reindeer
with my son... you know how kids add all the
extra parts to it...such as... had a very shiny
nose... LIKE A LIGHTBULB... We continued doing
this through the song... I kept on singing...
"Then one foggy Christmas Eve.. Santa came
to say...." to which my son yells out ON THE
INTERNET I have warped my child.... AOL and the
computer have warped his thinking and it is all
my fault ....hahahahah
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Lambiee's Links
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Lipton
Recipe Secrets
http://www.recipesecrets.com/liptonw/owa/show?hr=FrameSets/home.search.html
This site looks like fun; you choose your recipe
category and what's available in your kitchen,
and all matching recipes are displayed. There is
a place where you can create your own
"recipe box" of favorites from this
site for quick future reference. Try it!
The
Grand Ole Gospel House
http://members.aol.com/RevGOSPEL/TodaysProgram.html
Here is a site that was suggested by one of our
ladies; it is the site of the Grand Ole Gospel
House, "Your World Wide Gospel Radio Station
Broadcasting 24 Hours A Day 7 Days A Week".
You will need to download the Real Player to hear
the radio broadcast online, if you don't already
have it.
If you have any web sites you would like to
recommend, please send them to Lambiee (Tina)
We'll be happy to write reviews for the
newsletter! Merry Christmas to you and your
family Love, Sarah's Tent
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Joy In The Kitchen is an extension of Sarah's
Tent An online ministry devoted to gathering
together God's silent warriors, the wives of
pastors and ministers of all denominations and
cultural backgrounds, as well as their families,
for fellowship, support, laughter and prayer. Isa
51:1-2 / Isa 54:2-3 / Heb 10:24-25
Joy in The Kitchen Volume 2
Issue 44
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