|
Hypnotically
delighted, I watched the diamond- like bursts of color
and light sparkle and gleam as they traveled across
our living room wall and ceiling. Hour upon
hour, I would sit on the sofa and watch as our silver,
aluminum tree quietly rotated, bathed in color from
the color-wheel set against the far wall.
For some
reason, the Holidays stirred wistful emotions and
dreams as I prayed silently in my heart about what my
future might be. Whether it was dreaming about boys
and promised love, or self worth and identity, the
Christmas tree spoke of promises and future destiny to
the young girl I once was.
A tiny babe
wrapped in the manger a long time ago spoke also of
these heart felt yearnings. Bringing Himself as
a spotless, priceless gift to humanity, His life and
presence on this Earth spoke of the greatest gift
there was. The gift of love, purpose, hope and
destiny.
Many did not
recognize Him for who and what He was. They
passed by and paid no attention to the plainly wrapped
bundle in the poor woman's arms. Who could have
imagined the impact this gift from God to His Beloved
would bring?
During this
Christmas season, we press through crowds and panic
attacks to purchase meaningless gifts with money that
we often do not possess, that will not change lives,
nor heal wounded hearts. Yet we overlook
the greatest gifts of all and regard them carelessly
as insignificant and useless. The gifts I speak
of are those which lie sleeping inside of us,
periodically causing our hearts to beat with passion
and yearning. But, because of our careless
considerations of those gifts within ourselves, we
turn away from the most cherished blessing of all that
the tiny babe brought on that night so long ago.
Jesus promised
us life, and life more abundantly. However, if
you consider your thoughts, actions and attitudes
during this past year, can you say that you have
partaken of that life abundance? Not only have I
said it with my own mouth, I've heard others wail that
life was not fulfilling and their self worth was non existent.
Their identities lay in the works and words of other
people, not in who they were - so their hearts cried
out in anguish for something that they thought they
had lost.
The gifts I
speak of are the talents and abilities that reside in
each one of us. Not a person on this Earth is
without a gift of life from the Father, to the
Beloved. Our gifts are like the proverbial
candle that is not to be hidden under a bushel, but
brought to the lamp stand where all can bathe in it's
glow and warmth.
Ask somebody
what they wish they could do in life, and you will
more often than not get an answer that is colored in
frustration and despair. The person will say,
"I have no gifting, or abilities, and I have no
clue what I'd really like to do." But if
you could read the heart and the mind, I'll wager that
even as they speak, something has come to mind that is
so precious, that they dare not speak of it for fear
of being ridiculed or shamed..
Like the people
in Old Bethlehem who passed by the humble father, his
bride and their tiny baby boy without considering the
value of the gift in their presence, we ignore that
tiny gift of hope inside our own breast. Our
gifts are not for us to hide in secret and grief, but
to be shared with all, as an extravagant expression of
our Heavenly Father's love.
Your gift of
hospitality may have been judged useless by you and
other thoughtless people, but in the eyes of God, it
is His tender touch to His children and little lost
lambs. Your gift of humor and encouragement
brings hope and joy to those who have become
overburdened and filled with despair. Your gift
of organization brings order and purpose, and your
gift of teaching brings vision. Do not despair
or grieve over what you have not lost. Rather,
take a step of faith and do that which you yearn to
do. Expressing your love to your Heavenly Father
through that which makes you, you, is the greatest
gift of all as it brings completion and life abundant
to the Body of Christ - the Hope of the World.
=====================================================
Our
Gift to HIM is His gift to us, returned as an
expression of joy.
______________________________
Matt 25:25
"And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground
....."
Matt 25:29
"... For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance;"
(Do
not hide what has been entrusted to you, just because
it came easily to you. What you have, use, and
more will be given to you.)
Eph 4:7-8
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
Therefore He says:
"When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men."
NKJV
_________________________________
For more information on how to plan
your own retreat, CLICK
HERE.
______________________________________
Click Here
to Play!
Contact Sarahstent@sarahstent.com
for more information.
_____________________
_________________________
Chat!
Regular chats are
scheduled daily during the week.
Special fun chat on Wednesdays with your hostess, Jane
Pierpont.
Click
here to learn more!
It's Christmas time!!! We are snowed in, and the house is smelling wonderful with all kinds of baking. Our kids and grandkids will all be home for Christmas. We have a brand new grandbaby, born the day before Thanksgiving--Ethan Emmett, and I am so excited to see Ethan and all of our children/grandchildren that I can hardly contain myself!
I'd like to share two candy recipes that I make every year and used again last weekend for our open house. I don't know how to impress you that the Best Ever Fudge recipe will become a favorite if you can get past the ingredients and try it! Then I encourage you NOT to let anyone know it has cheese in it until AFTER they have tasted it!!!
BEST EVER FUDGE
1 lb. butter melted with
1 lb. Velveeta
(Note: This burns easily and I prefer to use a double boiler so I do not need to watch it carefully)
1 c. cocoa (use Hershey's or a good brand)
4 lbs. powdered sugar
Mix all of the above (I use my largest Tupperware) and add 3 Tablespoons vanilla, and nuts.
9 x 13 pan. Cool.
This makes a LOT of fudge, but will keep a long time covered and kept in a cool place.
I would enjoy hearing from you if you make this. --Dot
People look for these every year!
GREEN
MERINGUES
2 eggs whites
pinch of salt
Pinch of cream of tartar
2/3 c. sugar
1 pkg. chocolate mint chips
Few drops green food coloring
Beat until frothy. Gradually add sugar, beating continuously. Beat VERY STIFF. Mix in chips/color. Drop on
un-greased cookie sheet. 350* Turn off oven and let stand 6-8 hours.
Dot
loves to hear from you and answer your
questions.
You can reach her by writing to: DOTMI@aol.com
________________________________
www.pastorswives.net
_________________________________
LAST WEEK'S ISSUE:
I read you article, and enjoyed it very much, which we enjoy all of the
news letter. If you ever get a chance to read, Phillip Keller's,
A Shepherd
Looks at Ps.23,boy it will really open your eyes. I was raised around 100
head or so, here in the US, by my Grandmother. She understood so
much, what
a school, of early life. Merry Christmas!!!
JIM W
NEEDING MARRIAGE SEMINAR IDEAS:
Hi,
I occasionally read your articles. I truly have been blessed by them. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on having a marriage seminar/dinner? My husband is the minister of education at a local church and as his wife I am looking for something to boost the moral of the couples. I need ideas. I would like to do something in February, that will be nice but not expensive. Something that will take possibly 4-5 hours (lunch and lecture).
Anna
To reply, send your suggestions
to ideas@sarahstent.com
and they will be forwarded to Anna.
Tell
us about your struggles, the lessons you learned, and
where you saw God in your journey.
Be the Shepherd or Mentor that you wished you had
access to when you were going through your own struggle.
You
say you are not a writer?
Then do the best you can, and we’ll help edit
and support your writing.
What you have to say is important – don’t
withhold a valuable Kingdom lesson!
Visit our LINKS page for a wide variety
of resources.
Trade
permanent links with us
Joy in The Kitchen Volume 4 Issue
40
|
