Christmas Music Station For Christmas Music Lovers

For those who like to listen to Christmas music, this one's for you!
3 hours of Christmas music to listen to!

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid3823902700001?bckey=AQ~~,AAADFOok6gk~,sJNVXZ-vjAiaKBJ2xBPKwMXs0th_vfTg&bctid=4671806261001

360 Days Until Christmas! How Can We Prepare?

We have about 360 days until Christmas, or about 11 months before next December. What are some plans you have for this upcoming season?

One thing we are planning, Lord willing, is to be in next year's Christmas parade. I believe this is something God wants us to do in order to make His name known to people in this area. We are bringing back to Christmas the 'true meaning of Christmas'.

Preparing the Float for the parade

Another neat thing to do is to go caroling. Singing Christmas carols can help communicate the Gospel. We also had bags to give to each family we sang to, year ago, when we did this. We had lots of nice goodies in the bags plus a book by John Piper. We also had a good response from that. One family we visited had a woman who answered the door and ended up crying. I heard also from a dear friend who passed away, that a woman who lived in her area was ministered to by when we went caroling. The woman told my friend a while later, and my friend relayed the message to me. 

Too bad I don't have the time, energy, or financial resources to do both activities. We can do many things to celebrate Christmas. May God give us creative ideas to make His name known next Christmas if we are all still here. 

We may never know the fruit of the seeds that we sow. God will show us later, probably on the other side of eternity. He promises that His word will not return void. He will activate His word as it goes out.

Christmas Eve Countdown - 7 Days

There are a lot of ways to look at the Christmas season. We celebrate Christmas on December 25th, not because we know for sure that Jesus was born on that day, but because it is a day that has been selected to celebrate that event.

Of course, we really do not know if He was not born on that day. There are many theories on when Jesus was born, and none of us knows the answer for sure. Nevertheless, we are going to celebrate this day, or, if you are like my family and me, we are going to celebrate this season of Christmas with many different expressions.

We have many family traditions as well as new traditions we have recently made. I guess it will come to the place where we will have to pick and choose our activities as they are beginning to overlap in their scheduled times that they should take place.

What are some of the traditions you or your family have during the Christmas season?

Here are some of the ones we started when we were first married and setting up our household:

* Going to see the lights at Conway (an area in S. Orlando, Florida) on Christmas Eve
* Celebrating Christmas with my family on Christmas Eve
* Celebrating Christmas Day with my husband's family
* Going to see the live Nativity at a local Presbyterian church

Today, we have some added traditions:

* Going to see the lights at Conway, or perhaps another place, on Christmas Eve if it isn't raining
   (we went one year the day before Christmas Eve and saw a boat parade!)
* Going to see the live Nativity (if it is happening)
* Going to Epcot and watching the live processional
* Having some kind of Christmas party with our church friends and family
* Having Christmas Eve breakfast at our house to accommodate our grown children and their families
* Christmas Eve evening at my mom's house (my dad passed away almost 31 years ago)
* Visiting a town called Palatka on Christmas Day to see my husband's sister's family
* Visiting my husband's sister's family on Christmas Eve
* Doing the parade in early December with our church group
* Having a surprise Christmas dinner with my family
* Going to this extravagantly decorated and lit house in the area

We did start caroling, but there was not enough interest for us to have a group.

What are some of your traditions that you have started?

Christmas Is A Time.....

Christmas is a time... for many things. It is a time when families get together. It is a time for giving alms to the Salvation Army. It is a time of celebration. But have you ever thought about the opportunity that Christmas gives us to do evangelism?

In some way, people's hearts tend to soften at Christmas time. There are many ways we can do evangelism that tie in with the true meaning of Christmas.

Years ago, for example, we would go into neighborhoods and go Christmas caroling. We did not go just for the sake of caroling, but we would sing selected Christmas carols that pointed to the true meaning of Christmas. We had one person thank us the next day. We had one lady in tears. Another woman thanked the hostess in the neighborhood we caroled in, many months later. We also gave each home we visited a bag with some goodies in it. The goodies, for the most part, also pointed to the Gospel message.

More recently, we have participated in parades. We have our own group with the church we are part of. Our goal is to promote the true meaning of Christmas to those who are watching us. Each year we do this, I would like to 'up' the number of give-aways we put together. We have at least 6,000. There are probably 25,000 people who attend the parade. Maybe if we do this for more years, people will begin to know who we are. Hopefully, we are making and impact for the cause of Christ.

What are some other ideas out there?

Oh, I forgot the nursing home. The people who live there need ministry. Many of them do not know the Lord and they do not have much longer to live.

Let's take advantage of this opportunity to speak the words of life to those around us and make God's name known in truth to others.

Merry Christmas...

Hark The Herald Angels Sing

Look at the words to this song carefully. This Christmas carol was written by Charles Wesley, who was one of John Wesley's brothers. You can see that this man had some understanding of the Gospel message.




Hark The Herald Angels Sing

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"


Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"


Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Source: http://www.carols.org.uk/hark_the_herald_angels_sing.htm

Traditions and Such

Do you have traditions for the holidays? What does your family do every year at Christmas time or Thanksgiving?

One thing we have done, most of the time since our home was established, was to go to my parent's house on Christmas Eve. Then we go to an area of town called 'Conway' where we go to see the lights. A lot of activity goes on here on Christmas Eve and the night before. They even have a boat parade on their lake.

My dad started this activity when I was 14, I think. My dad was one who loved to drive on back roads and he seemed to know where everything was. It would take him an hour to go get a gallon of milk sometimes, when I lived at home!

He started driving us around Conway to look at the lights. You could see inside many of the people's homes. There were parties going on occasionally and sometimes there are people who are outside sitting there (or standing or walking) just to wave 'hi'.

I know we have to be careful to not come up with too many activities or it could be overwhelming for us and our family members.

We have always tried to go to the Christmas parade, but now we are in the Christmas parade. Maybe this will become a new tradition for us. We are in the parade to help the world to know the true meaning of Christmas. How kind it is of the Lord to allow us to be in a Christmas parade where we can make His name known.

Here is a recipe for hot cocoa that I made up. But, I drink this throughout the year, whether it is in December or August.

Oma's Hot Cocoa
1 cup milk, preferably raw and grass-fed

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon Stevia or a few drops liquid Stevia

Dash each cinnamon, curry powder*, nutmeg, and pink salt*

1 drop peppermint essential oil (optional)


Place all ingredients except peppermint oil in pot. Stir really well (you could even blend the ingredients before putting them into a pot). Let the mixture heat up, but do not boil. Place drop of peppermint essential oil on bottom of a glass cup. Pour heated mixture into cup. Stir.


*Suggestions for adding curry powder and pink salt came from my friend, Patte.

As always, if you are interested in the essential oils, please contact me personally at awestruck@bellsouth.net 

Reason For Rejoicing!

" She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 ESV

This is the true meaning of Christmas. This is why we rejoice at Christmas time.