ChristianMilitaryWives

In the beginning, there was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God. This is really where the Christmas story begins, before the beginning of time.

In the beginning, there was God, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, dwelling together. God decided to make man in His own image, to fellowship and commune with Him. We betrayed God, and not understanding the gift of being with Him, we wanted to be better than Him. We traded eternal communion and relationship for sin, sickness and death.

There was only one way for humanity to be redeemed. Only one way for our tainted blood to be purified, and that was with the blood of One who was perfect. He had to go of His own volition, and His Father had to send Him.

There is no way for our minds to comprehend this. There is no allegory, no metaphor, nothing to compare it to. There was a God, pure and perfect, dwelling as One with his Father and Spirit, omniscient and omnipotent. He lived forever in the spiritual realm, a kingdom of light and beauty. He made a people He loved but did not love Him back, and even though they did not love Him, He decided to give His blood for them.

He came to earth. He came from the best possible circumstances to the worst. The surrounding conditions, from heaven to a barn, were not the worst of it. He was physically cut off from his Father, from His Spirit. He came, not as even a great man, but as a helpless baby; as far as the world knew, an illegitimate son born like a barn animal. He was born to manual labor and snide remarks, ridicule. Because of His birth, evil men plotted His death and murdered innocent babies. He traded in His royal mantle for one of shame.

This is the story of Christmas. There is a God who became man. We skip the God part and go straight to the becoming man part, but really, it’s the understanding of the deity that is the True Meaning of Christmas. But it’s so much more than that; it is the True Meaning of Life.

If Christmas is the one day of the year we meditate on Jesus’ divinity and His descent into the world, then we are sorely lacking. If we have to battle through the commercialism of this day to teach our children a lesson we can’t bother with the rest of the year, we are ineffective Christians at best.

The Bible tells us to be either hot or cold, not to be lukewarm Christians. What is more lukewarm than setting aside only one day of the year to dwell on the basic tenets of our Christianity?

We should not be afraid to feast on Christmas. We should not be afraid to give our children gifts, good and plenty. We should not be afraid to give ourselves over to celebration this one day, because we should be in the habit of dwelling on the Christmas story every day of the year. The gifts, the food, the festivity should not be a distraction from our mediation on True Meaning of Christmas; it should be the culmination of it.

“Dear Jesus, we do not understand what You gave up to come to earth to be one of us, the best of us. Even though we do not understand, we thank You. We love how You love us, we love how You first loved us, before we even existed. Please give us revelation and understanding of who You are and what You did for us.

“Thank You Father, for giving your Son to us, for His life as a man and death on a cross. Thank You for His resurrection and His imminent return. We unite with the Spirit and ask for His quick arrival. We say, ‘come.’

“Forgive us our lethargy and apathy, and change our hearts. Thank you. Amen.”

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, in our newlywed group we had a contest called "A Thankful Wife." The purpose was to foster thankful spirit's toward the men in our lives, and to God for what He has done for us through our husbands.

We had thirty participants and the posts that they made were so encouraging I though I would share just a few highlights with all of you. I pray that they will encourage you to look at your husband in a new light and a thankful spirit.

I am thankful for my husband because he is a godly man who loves the Lord and always puts Him first in our family. He is the spiritual leader in our house.

When I was praying for a husband, I had so many things that the Lord seemed to put in my heart to desire in him, and he is every one and so much more!

He makes the flowers bloom in the garden of my heart.

Despite my flaws, he reminds me everyday how much he loves me and is always praising me and lifting me to believe in myself---even when neither one of us is having our best of days...that is very humbling...

I am thankful for my husband because he has brought me closer to Christ and taught me what unconditional love is.

God truly sent me my other half when he sent me my husband. Words will never be able to fully express how thankful I am for him and how grateful I am that he is in my life.

He is so dedicated to our family and works so hard and sacrifices so much for us. He gives our family so much, I wish that I could give back to him what he has done for us.

I am thankful for my husband because he has always been there as my friend, best friend and then husband. I am thankful to be married to a man who respects my strength but is there when I am feeling weak.

He is a great example of 2 Corinthians 3:18 "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." I see that transformation into the likeness of Jesus in his life, that journey from glory to glory. It is exciting and breath-taking and wonderful.

He is my soul mate, and my second half.

He treats me like his queen, like a dove he loves and protects. He is a God fearing man who loves the Lord with all of his heart, and wants his children to see a good example of what a man after God's own heart is.

I find a new reason to love him everyday.

I am so thankful for my husband for his quiet strength, his tenacious spirit to get through any and everything even though it may not be a pretty process.

I am thankful that I get to feel his love every day and I can love him in return.

We are true partners in life and love.

He has the kindest heart, the warmest smile, the most love anyone has ever shown me.

You know, it is one thing to marry the one you love - but it is entirely different to love the one you marry. This year we will be celebrating our first Christmas together and two days later, our first anniversary. I'm thankful for my husband because this year, together we've learned the difference.

We would like to give a big congratulations to our winner ~EM~! and here is her post:

I am thankful for my husband because he loves me and accepts me for who I am. Finding out I have Fibromyalgia has been a journey for both of us especially because I used to be physically strong and athletic, but he took the high road and just accepted it for what it is, accepted my new found limitations, and he constantly makes me feel good about myself even if I'm having a bad day and wasn't able to do as much housework as I would like. He never sets unreachable standards for me and constantly tells me how much he appreciates me and loves me. He's also the best dad to our kids and is wonderful about giving me a break when needed and letting me sleep in on Saturdays! It's the things that may seem so trivial that mean SO much to me! He is such an amazing man, and I am absolutely blessed that he is my husband and my best friend!

1 cup of sugar to 1 bag of cranberrries
and 1 apple

boil the above ingredients til the cranberries split. then strain using a foley food mill. It's soooo yummy! And the apple is the trick because it counters the tartness of the cranberries.

Decorating for Thanksgiving does not have to come with a hefty price tag. The material for the curtain was $2. The fabric for the table runner was also $2. I keep the centerpiece (basket with pine cones, dried orange slices with my dehydrator, cinnamon sticks from a gift) year round, I just add a few things for the holidays. The basket was $5. Pine cones: Free, collected during an afternoon walk. I keep them scented with a few drops of cinnamon oil every few weeks. I added some leaves: Free and a garland I bought 90% off last year for 75 cents. The gourds cost $1.50. Centerpiece Total: $ 7.25

 Making a Difference this Holiday Season

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

1 John 3:17-18

Charitable giving fell last year by the largest percentage in five decades, according to a new study by the Giving USA Foundation.

Now I am aware that most of us can’t spare hundreds of dollars, but there are “cheap” or free ways to make a difference. I think it is very important for us as parents to teach our children to show kindness and grow a charitable heart. Also, we need to teach our children that charity and kindness should be done privately without the want to be recognized or praised, that contradicts the act of charity.

 

“Do all the good  you can and make as little as fuss about it as possible.”  Charles Dickens

 

 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:1-4

 

 I think it is wrong to force children to do charitable work, instead find something that the whole family can enjoy and feel proud of.

 

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  

2 Corinthians 9:7

 

Sit together with your family and discuss ways to make a difference this Holiday Season, make a list, print and put on the fridge,

I will post several tips over the next few weeks.

Many Blessings,

Melanie