Three Gifts God Gave the Wisemen

Most of us who’ve heard the story of Jesus’s birth remember that wise men came from the East to worship Jesus and brought him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Have you ever considered the significance of those gifts or thought about three corresponding spiritual gifts that God also offered the wise men that night—and all of us as we seek Jesus?

Adoration of the Magi by Gentile da Fabriano, 1423
Uffizi, Public Domain

The first gift, gold, is the standard for wealth—historically the most valuable commodity on earth. What is the most valuable commodity spiritually? Strangely enough, it is faith, for “Without faith, it is impossible to please him [God]” (Hebrews 11:6). No offering is as precious to God as faith, and no sacrifice brought to God without faith is accepted. It is the only “work” God desires for us on our spiritual pilgrimage: “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him [Jesus] whom he [God the Father] hath sent” (John 6:29). Faith is the key that unlocks access and acceptance into God’s kingdom: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31-31).

What is the foundation of the gospel? “Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts. 20:21). The gold of faith is an offering God accepts from kings and commoners alike. Indeed, He has given this consolation to the poor: “Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith” (James 2:5)? All of us can be rich in faith. Faith “is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8) which comes by hearing and believing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). This “Word” is Jesus, the Word of God “made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). When God gave us Jesus, He offered us the gift of faith. It’s ours for the taking! Just as Jesus was born into this world as a babe, we too—by embracing faith in Jesus as our Savior— are born anew into God’s kingdom as a child of God. Have you opened your heart and hands to accept the gift of faith in Christ?

The Adoration of the Magi by Salomon Koninck, 1650 Public Domain

The wisemen also brought a second gift, frankincense—a unique perfume used as an ingredient for making temple incense and offerings (Exodus 30:34). Frankincense symbolizes worship and praise. Have you considered what causes us to worship and praise God? I believe it has something to do with hope: “But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more” (Psalm 71:4). It is God who gives us hope from our birth (Psalm 22:9), and when we are sad, it is hope that restores our souls and causes us to praise: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance“ (Psalm 42:5). It is hope in God that makes us happy: “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God” (Psalm 146:5).

Hope makes our hearts rejoice: “The hope of the righteous shall be gladness” (Proverbs 10:28), and even in death we experience hope: “The righteous hath hope in his death” (Proverbs 14 :32). What is our hope? “The Lord will be the hope of his people” (Joel 3:16). Our hope is Christ, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27; 1 Timothy 1:1). The first gift God offers us is faith; the second is hope: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2).

Ultimately, what is our hope? Our hope is eternal life with Christ starting in the present but extending into future’s eternity, where we will worship and praise him forever! “I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16: 8-11). Have you accepted the gift of hope in Christ?

Adoration of the Magi, detail, by Leonardo da Vinci
1481, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Public Domain

The third gift the wisemen brought Jesus was myrrh. When pierced by their own thorns, myrrh resin distilled like tears from Arabian myrrh trees. The taste was bitter but the fragrance divine. Myrrh was used for perfume and medicine, and it was the principle ingredient in the holy anointing oil (Exodus 30:23-25). Myrrh speaks of suffering . . . the way of the cross . . . but also of the transcendent perfume that arises from the crushed life . . . holiness for the purpose of glorifying God and healing others. To accept God’s gift of suffering is to experience Christ as Paul desired to experience him: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death: If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11).

When accepted, suffering with and in Christ refines us and makes us like Jesus, who “learned obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Hebrews 5:8-9). Suffering is the gift that produces in us peace, patience, and ultimately . . . true love (Romans 5:1-5). Have you embraced the gift of suffering—of living out the death and resurrected life of Christ? Have you found hidden in the limy shell of suffering the pearl of divine love?

It has been my experience that we are only willing to suffer if we love greatly. Does that resonate in your heart? God tells us to love God and others, but I am only willing to love others sacrificially when I love God passionately and He passes through me a passionate love for someone else. And so, in some mystery of divinity, love generates self-sacrifice and is the beginning. We will not accept suffering until we have accepted love, so inherent in the gift of suffering is love.

How do we obtain love? God is love (1 John 4:8). God loved us first “while we were yet sinners” and proved that love by sending Jesus, who loved us self-sacrificially and died for us (Romans 5:8; John 3:16). Although faith is the starting point for spiritual life, love is both the beginning and the ending . . . in many ways the ultimate “gold standard” for spiritual wealth. It’s the rich framework upon which all the law and the prophets hang—to love God above all else and our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matthew 22: 36-40). It is the first commandment and the last: “The end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart” (1 Timothy 1:5).

We obtain this love simply by receiving Jesus, the first and last gift God sent down from heaven. How do we receive him? By accepting the first gift—faith. We reach out by faith and trust Jesus to save us. We place our hope in Him, and discover that through suffering, we enter into his life and death and resurrected life in a way that sheds his love abroad to others so that they too can enter into this beautiful circle of love!  Have you accepted your gifts: faith, hope, and love wrapped in swaddling clothes?

“I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich.”
(Revelation 3:18).

Adoration of the Magi by Danielle Crespi (1598-1630) Public Domain

Join Us in Learning about the Historicity of the Nativity Story

Have you ever wondered how much of the Christmas story we can trust as actual fact? The Gospel of Luke provides a detailed account of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, and still questions remain. Dr. Andreas Gerstacker sifts through the current research with a critical eye and shows us why we can rely on the accuracy of Luke’s telling of the Christmas story. This historical lecture will deepen your faith and enrich your celebration of the miracle of the birth of Jesus this Christmas season!

Dr. Andreas Gerstacker is a specialist in classical antiquity who lectures at the Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg, Germany. Dr. Gerstacker is also the author of a book exploring the historicity of the account of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospel of Luke (German title: “Was geschah an Weihnachten,” SMD, 2016).

On a personal note, Alan got to know Andreas when they both went to Israel with Jonathan last spring, and both Alan and I got to spend some wonderful time in his home meeting their family and touring with them while in Germany a couple of weeks ago. Dr. Gerstacker is a devoted husband and father as well as a brilliant scholar who loves God with all his heart.

Alan and I have signed up for this benefit lecture already, and I hope we’ll see you there! If you’re interested, I’ve listed a direct link below where you can register as well as check out other upcoming opportunities for spiritual growth. As with all Aqueduct Project courses, Dr. Gerstacker’s lecture is free.

https://www.aqueductproject.org/upcoming-courses

“I will freely sacrifice unto thee:
I will praise thy name, O Lord; for it is good.”
(Psalm 54:56)

Braided Cinnamon Twist Bread

This rich pastry has become a highly prized addition to our Sunday School class’s annual November potluck, thanks to Pam Hackney’s energy! She used to make it by hand, but she’s found a bread machine recipe (kudos to Kathy Herich) that helps makes her labor of love a little less labor with no compromise in the love or taste! 🙂

Thankfully, Pam was willing to share her recipe with us, so now any enterprising soul can bake one of these luscious loaves to brighten up her (or his) holiday table.

Cherry Pecan Cinnamon Twist
(Makes 12+ ample servings)

In your bread maker, place:
13 oz. ( or 1.5 cups) warm milk
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons softened butter

On top, add, in this order:
4.5 cups sifted white flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 packets (or 4 teaspoons) dry yeast

Set the bread maker on “dough” and let it run through the cycle (approximately 1.5 hours). Remove and place on a lightly floured counter top, using as little flour as possible and keeping it as sticky as you can while still working with it.

Roll the dough into a long rectangle, about 16″ by 11.” Spread 4 oz. softened butter over the dough.

Mix together:
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Sprinkle evenly over the dough, then distribute over the surface:
1 cup crushed pecans
4 oz. candied cherries

Roll into a log shape from the longer side (as if you’re going to slice it up for cinnamon rolls). However, instead, cut the roll in half from one end almost to the other, reserving about 2 inches at one end as the stabilizer for the braid. Twist and intertwine the two halves, keeping the cut sides up so they don’t lose all their filling. Tuck the ends together and let it rise for an hour or more, until it’s doubled in size.

Bake in a preheated oven for 325°F. for 30-35 minutes, until the outer edges are starting to turn a crusty, golden brown.

Remove and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes, then frost with this glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1.5 tablespoons milk or light cream
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

If you want more color, arrange another:
4 oz. candied cherries
4 oz. crushed pecans on top

Serve warm with butter. This is not only a “perfect” contribution to holiday potlucks, it can make a very satisfying breakfast treat for a family on a holiday morning!

“Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation” ( Psalm 111:1).

Chicken and Biscuits—Comfort Food 101

I always learn a lot from my daughter-in-laws, and this past Christmas Carlie introduced me to a great way to use up leftover chicken (or other meat; this day she was using up turkey from the holidays). Carlie made a warm, winter casserole that’s especially appealing because you can bake it in a cast iron skillet so there’s practically no cleanup (although she made it in a casserole dish for us because there were so many chow hounds present). It’s a meal-in-one beloved by everybody, easy to make and easy to clean up. And, if you have some leftover veggies in your fridge, you can use them up too! Here’s what she did:

Chicken and Biscuits
(Serves 8-10)

In a large frying pan, sauté:
1 onion, chopped, in
1 tablespoon butter until onion starts to brown and caramelize.

Then add:
2-3 cups shredded chicken (or turkey, etc.)
2 eight-oz. bags of frozen peas and carrots (or, 2 cups of any leftover veggies in your fridge
1 tablespoon dried sage
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1/4 cup flour sprinkled over the top
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1.5 cups bouillon (can be store bought or made from boiling bones, skin, and even onion skins, and then draining off the liquid)
Cook until the gravy thickens and either keep it in the skillet or pour it into a casserole dish.

(Carlie made chicken broth from scratch, even adding the onion skins for extra flavor. Great way to have the best of health and flavor while saving money . . . and time, since I didn’t have any bouillon at home.)

Preheat oven to 350°

Make 6-8 drop biscuits by adding: just enough water to 2 cups of Bisquick (or even pancake mix) to make a sticky dough that can be dropped by spoonfuls around the top of the dish. Don’t use milk, oil, or eggs . . . just water.

Pop into the oven and bake 25-30 minutes until the biscuits have spread out all over the top and turned a golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

So simple. So yummy! Such a quick way to clean out the leftover meat and veggies in your refrigerator while creating a memorable meal-in-one comfort food! Thank you, Carlie!

“It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;
you made both summer and winter” (Psalm 74:17, NIV).

#8. What’s a Reunion Without Great Food?

Although rumor has it that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and I think the way to a woman’s heart is through her children, it’s possibly as true that one way to have an epic reunion is to include plenty of delicious food.

(The first breakfast customers were always the children!)

However, at the ripe old age of 72, I’ve found it pretty much impossible to meet the needs of our growing family.

Susan’s Dining Room

I have a girl friend whose family Christmases have grown to 50, including kids, grandkids, great grands, and even siblings’ families.

Her home always reminds me of a Norman Rockwell painting, and she is a master organizer.

Barn on Susan’s historic farm in Maine

When Alan and I visited her during our autumn Northeast tour, she gave me some tips on how to survive large crowds, even sharing flow charts with such items as who’s responsible for keeping the coffee pot full and who’s responsible for keeping the trash baskets empty. Although there are now 36 going on 37 of us, Alan and I haven’t quite become the lean, clean, kitchen-patrol machine that Susan is, but we definitely made some adjustments this year to make KP duty more fun and keep us all in great food.

Probably the single most significant change was asking my daughter-in-law Carleen to be the Master Chef the first week, my son Michael the second, and my daughter Kathryn the third. I promised to be sous chef and work beside them, but it was HUGE relief to be second in command rather than trying to be the bottom line for three meals a day for over three weeks. These capable cooks were creative, totally responsible, knew what kids like to eat, and taught me some tricks of their trades. It kept me from exhaustion and made working in the kitchen an almost irresistible team sport!

Our grandchildren are now old enough to care for each other, so we had the “Cousins” table and the “Parents” table. It made serving the kids easier, and they could eat and run, allowing the parents to linger after meals and chat a while.

Many people had ideas for fun. Aaron sponsored building a gingerbread house with the kids, which turned out to be a work of edible art oft nibbled and long remembered!

My eldest sister-in-law used to tease that I’d figure out what I wanted to serve for dessert and then plan a menu to compliment it. I’m afraid my terrible sweet tooth has been passed down to my children and grandchildren, so I had many allies when it came to making desserts!

Here are two of my most devoted bakers, who single-handedly provided wonderful additions to the parties! They’re young, but they’re already excellent cooks!

Cinnamon rolls for breakfast, anyone? We’ve got a young lady who can pump them out, even if it means staying up until 11:00 pm for that last rise of the dough before tucking them away to be ready for the hungry hippos’ breakfast at 8:30 am the next morning!

One of Michael’s daughters, only 13, is already selling her wares professionally! She made these “Hot Chocolate Balls” for our New Year’s Eve party. She’s a true gourmet and often gets specialty cooking gear for her birthdays.

It was clearly beyond me to keep ahead of all the food items we’d need, so I had anybody who was cooking write on our kitchen chalk board any time they used the last of something (or close to the last of something). Pretty much every morning I’d take a trip to Meijer with the Master chef, and we’d pick up whatever we needed or foresaw a coming need for.

We had so many volunteer bakers, with so many great ideas for tea time treats (ya, I guess we actually ate 4-5 times a day), that we had to plan in advance which day we could prepare which Christmas favorite.

Oh, and as any of you know who’ve been over, when we have a crowd, I always use a very informal buffet line. It makes serving (and especially getting seconds or thirds) really simple.

Over the course of the 3.5 weeks, we were able to fit in almost everybody’s wishes for family favorites, but about once a week, we unabashedly ordered takeout to relieve pressure and give the cooks a night off.

Besides, who doesn’t enjoy a pizza party with paper plates every once in a while?

And Alan, who was heading up the dish crew (with a fine staff of willing helpers), needed some breaks too.

(Sharon Willing, Grace’s older sister—who led Grace to the Lord when she was seven—was one of “the best” Willing helpers! Thanks again, Sharon. You’re great!)

Anyway, thanks to all the adults working tirelessly to provide love and care for the kids as well as love and care in the kitchen, everybody flourished without getting too fat, and we all thought it was a great reunion.

“Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him” (Psalm 92:13-15)

#7. Making Memories of Love

Love is probably the world’s best gift. It reveals itself in countless ways, although I want to list a few we experienced over the Christmas holidays:

*Marriages that work

*Cousins who really enjoy being together,

playing games together,

and working together on projects . . . like making movies.

This is the second generation of crazy film-making fun.

It’s been rewarding to see our grandchildren take the lead in writing scripts, preparing costumes and makeup, acting, directing, filming, and producing films (with some coaching from Grace and editing help from Michael and Carl [who’s a graphic designer for Pokémon] but largely on their own steam). I don’t know if any of them will go on to pursue a career in film, but the plans and pressures to produce films bonds the kids together and gives everybody a role (young and old) they’ll always treasure. For our kids, Indiana Jones became Ohio Smith; for our grandchildren, Frozen became Melted and now Cinderella is Cinderfella!

*Continuing traditions that never seem to grow old,
like our expeditions to Meijer Gardens.

*Starting new traditions that delight our hearts.

Our professional pianist son graciously consented to my request for him to give us a mini concert one evening, complete with a few notations on the pieces. I could listen to him play for hours. Probably for ages!

His sibs were so delighted they’ve asked him to teach a music appreciation class for some of their older homeschooling kids. (He still does adjunct teaching for Eastman School of Music in NY.)

*Love that reaches out across the miles and oceans.

We were blessed to have everybody home but Jon’s family (who are in Germany), although at least we got to talk to them on our video phones! We miss them terribly, as I’m sure you know if you have children who didn’t make it home.

*Another joy: Comfortableness between the generations.

*Games! UNO bridges the generations and is simple enough to be fun from 4-104!

“Loaded Questions” takes a little more thought but is also super fun. “Masterpieces” and “Imagine If” are two other favorites.

*Oh, and solving puzzles together! What would Christmas break be without a puzzle to pore over while chatting? Aaron and I started a 1,000-piece puzzle when his family arrived, and before the holiday was over, Michael and his daughter Nycteris put the last pieces into place.

*Those priceless times talking around the table after dinner. Michael and Grace started the tradition with their kids of letting parents talk for a few minutes while lingering over “coffee time.” You can see this is only working because the baby is sleeping and the next youngest is asking a question (which hopefully only requires a short answer). Time for adults to think together is precious . . . and very rare indeed when you have preschoolers.

But, of course, we wouldn’t trade the love and kisses of our children for anything in this world. Love is what makes the world go ’round and the generations have hope to continue. Love keeps us breathing! God is love, and his mercy endures forever!

Even though Mary, the mother of Jesus, was perhaps the most blessed of women, each of us who are part of a family are blessed. If you don’t have a family of your own, God invites you—through faith in Jesus—to become His child and part of His family! For all these reasons, we can all enter into the song of praise Mary exclaimed over the birth of Jesus.

The Magnificat: “And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation” (Luke 1:46-50).

#6. God Let it Snow, Snow, Snow!

I know many of you don’t like snow and love living in warm, sunny climates where plowing your driveway and scraping your sidewalks aren’t issues, but we LOVE snow! It’s one of the things our grandchildren most look forward to when they come home for Christmas! Dashing through the snow, dreamin’ of a white Christmas, Jack frost nipping at your nose, sleigh bells ringing, building a snowman in the meadow . . . our romantic songs about having holidays would all melt away if there were no snow.

This Christmas there was an epic blizzard. It only lasted a few days, but it came at the perfect time to give the kids many opportunities for outdoor play!

Sledding was the favoirte, because all you needed was to walk out the door with a saucer in hand.

We have great neighbors! I could write an entire blog on the blessing of good neighbors, but for today I’ll just mention that one of the super fun days included Doug and June coming over with their utility vehicle and a long toboggan attached. The kids took turns riding until their cheeks were rosy and their boots full of snow, practically flying down the lane, turning circles around the apple tree in our neighbors’ driveway and storming back.

There were attempts at ice fishing, but the fish weren’t biting. Could it be that so many little feet scared them away?

Snowshoeing has been a long-time favorite since the kids were small. We only have the old-fashioned kind, although they now make super light-weight, much more compact snowshoes.

Grace’s sister Sharon (whose husband died this past year) also came for Christmas. It was her first time wearing a snowsuit and snowshoes, but she did great!

She was also brave! Even though she grew up in New Jersey, she said she’d never seen so much snow!

My daughter, now living in Washington State, said she hadn’t seen this many deer since they moved, either.

Alan has ski trails all through the woods, and the skiers kept them in fine form!

Last year (and most years) there’s a good base for skating, although this Christmas there was more snow than ice. All in all, once people had arrived safely, the snow was like frosting on our Christmas cake!

It was hard to watch the snow melt and drip away to nothing just a few days later, but what a joy it was while it lasted! And, isn’t that true of so many of our experiences? Fleeting and unique, given by God not to be grasped but to be savored and remembered. Like this Christmas. Thank you, Lord! Help me keep my eyes open to appreciate your creative love and kind care. Your mercies are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.

“He [God] saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; likewise to the small rain,
and to the great rain of his strength “ (Job 37:6).

Gift #1. Coming Home

When you think of “home,” does a picture come to your mind? We have a family Signal group, and one of my daughter-in-laws posted this photo with the caption, “My picture of ‘coming home’.” It brought tears to my eyes. True, her parents have both graduated to glory and are no longer on earth, but that wouldn’t have to translate into her feeling like our home is her home too, although it is! My home—Alan’s and my home—is our children’s and grandchildren’s home too. We feel it! It motivates us to keep going . . . to keep working . . . to keep improving our property so that it meets the needs of our family. But, what we feel in our hearts doesn’t have to find consonance in the hearts of our children and grandchildren.

Our heavenly Father must feel the same—He must long for all His children to think of His home as our home. Like me, I’ll bet He joyfully anticipates our coming home to be with Him. He doubtless misses our fellowship whenever we’re not in touch. I wish I had a photo of heaven to share. That’s probably why it’s not as easy to picture. But, I know God is there. I know Jesus is there. I know Jesus is preparing a place for me in His Father’s house so I’ll feel at home when I get there. I know He’s more excited and delighted for me to want to be with Him than I am excited to see my kids and grandchildren! Just as I am thrilled to have my daughter-in-law think of home as where we live, so my heavenly Father must find pleasure in my longing to make it safely through the storms of life to be with Him. Earthly homes are so modest, but “be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.” Heaven will be perfect—whatever that is. I can’t even imagine. But, I can imagine being together forever in my Father’s house, and that fills me with peace and contentment!

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:1-6).

Our Epic Christmas: Twelve Gifts And Twenty-four Days of Christmas

Epic sometimes refers to legendary deeds, but for our family, I only mean it in Merriam-Webster’s sense of “extending beyond the usual or ordinary especially in size or scope.” It was the longest time of specifically celebrating the Christmas holidays as a family in our family’s history. We had kids and grandchildren visiting from December 15 to January 7— 24 days—three families home for 11 days each and another for 5 days, as well as enjoying our two local families when they were available. We now have 20 grandchildren, so the rafters were ringing. It was truly a highpoint of our lives and a sort of “capstone Christmas” as we complete 50 years of marriage. I suppose there could be another one as joyous sometime in the future, but there will never be another quite like this one, because every wonderful gift is unique, and this holiday was truly a wonderful gift from God. If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to spend the rest of January sharing twelve of the gifts we received, and then (Lord enabling) I’ll start recounting our adventures throughout the Southwest United States in February.

I’ll share the gifts not in order of importance, but the way we did on Christmas morning, taking turns opening packages as we received them and delighting in their contents. Each was a treasure given by someone who loves us, and because we know they love us, we treasure their gifts! So it is with the gifts God gives, too. He loves us and showers us with blessings.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

An Epic Christmas: ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

December 24th dawned snowy and grey. This was the view that greeted us out our bedroom window. Winter Storm Elliot was so severe some Michigan newspapers dubbed it the blizzard of a generation.

It was with great relief and joy that we received Michael’s family all safe and sound on Christmas Eve Day in time for lunch. Thank you, Lord, for guiding their timing and directing their path through the storm.

Due to the continuing storm, our church (along with many others) cancelled their candlelight Christmas Eve services, so we held our own. We sang lots of Christmas carols with Aaron and Eowyn accompanying us.

Michael led the devotional time with a tradition he and Grace started in their family.

They light candles under chimes with little golden angels floating above them. The heat of the candles make the angels move slowly around in a circle, and as the angels pass by the chimes, they make tiny tinkling sounds.

After the candles were lit, we all waited in complete silence to hear the tinkling bells. It took a while for the heat to make the angels move, and the sounds were so soft that if anyone talked, we couldn’t have heard the tinkling bells.

Michael reminded us that this is what it’s like to listen for the Holy Spirit. We have to quiet our hearts and wait patiently for God to speak to us. If we’re talking, or other people are talking to us, we won’t hear what the Lord is saying.

Listening for the Lord’s quiet voice speaking in our heart is one of the greatest gifts He gives us as his children. If we’ll listen, He’ll direct our steps and guide us through this life and into eternity with Him. Before this month is out, I want to share a surprising and wonderful gift God has given me because I was willing to listen to his voice and obey Him. A year ago I heard His still, small voice give me curious but clear instructions, although I had to wait 12 months to understand why He directed me as He did!

“And he [the LORD] said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-13).