Friday

. . . . December brings so many special moments! For starters, Bill and I got in the real Christmas spirit the first week! For four days we went to Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child center in Charlotte, along with several from our church. There we worked with the shoeboxes! Thousands and thousands of them! Our jobs ranged from inspecting the contents of individual boxes, to removing contributions, to taping the boxes, to arranging them in large cartons according to boy/girl, age, etc., readying them for shipment to the various countries. They will all go by freight liner trucks, by planes, by boats, and finally by carts, burros, and various other means of transport, ultimately reaching those children who are waiting for what might be their only gift! I believe the center in Charlotte alone expected to ship 1.8 million boxes! The deliveries are coordinated with missions organizations throughout the world.

. . . Today – December 20 – brought a very unexpected but delightful telephone call! Barbara Bearden was on the line! Barbara is one of those rare people who come into our lives, leaves a permanent footprint, and we are never the same. Barbara’s life has touched countless individuals over these many years and this blog could never contain a fraction of her accomplishments nor describe our gratitude for our friendship. Her dear husband, Don, was our minister of music in Kentwood in the 1960s. That’s when our friendship began. Don was a student at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary when First Baptist Kentwood called him as our minister of music. Soon thereafter, Don and Barbara (a Florida girl!) were married, and together they ministered to the hearts of folks everywhere and anywhere they saw a need. Barbara was a registered nurse, and her sphere of influence certainly was not limited to this vocation. Don earned his doctorate at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, and from Louisiana Don and Barbara moved to Mars Hill, NC, where Don was on staff at the college there; later on to Winston Salem where he once again was minister of music in a Baptist church there. Don’s life was cut short in a tragic accident, a result of the actions of a drunken driver. Few deaths have impacted our lives to the extent that Don’s has. Barbara now lives in Savannah, Georgia, where she enjoys living in the historic district, walking to many of her favorite places, and volunteering her time, still ministering to those who are hurting physically and emotionally. Thanks, Barbara, for getting in touch after so many years of our having lost contact with each other! What a wonderful Christmas gift! We are richer because of Don and Barbara Bearden. . . .

2008 Samaritan’s Purse Video Review of 2008

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/2008-Year-in-Pictures/

Holly K. will share at FBC, Kentwood at 6 P.M. Sunday. She will be departing for West Africa after the first of the year to teach MK’s. Be sure to be present to hear about her experiences in Virginia and expectations for West Africa.

I could have posted this before Christmas, but decided to wait so we could use it as a tool to evaluate our Christmas. Read the devotional and rate yourself. I hope you all score well!

TWO VERY DIFFERENT HOLIDAYS

I heard about a teacher who asked the children in her class about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. She thought it might be effective to inch toward its meaning by having them playfully correct some wrong ideas.

“Now let me think,” she began. “Thanksgiving. That’s the day when we think about all the stuff we have. And how we want more things than anybody else has. And how we don’t care about anybody but ourselves. And . . .”

“No!” the preschool kids were starting to chorus! “No-o-o!”

Then one little guy in the middle of the pack looked up and chirped, “That’s not Thanksgiving, Miss Michelle. That’s Christmas!”

As we begin the transition in this country from Thanksgiving to Christmas, there does indeed seem to be a world of difference in the way these two holidays are viewed. Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays left which has not been ruined by commercialism. It is still a relatively “pure” time of giving thanks to God for our bountiful blessings. Christmas, on the other hand…….

What should be a time when we are able to take great joy in giving to others (for “it is more blessed to give than to receive”, Acts 20:35) and a time to remember the great gift that God has given us through Jesus Christ, has (for many) turned instead to a stressful, hectic time when we are focused on ourselves and our wants

Allow me to make a suggestion based on an ancient Jewish practice. The Jews had a day set aside, like our day of Thanksgiving, to remember how God had blessed them as a nation and taken care of them in their darkest hour. Purim was a day of “gladness and feasting…and for sending presents to one another.” (Esther 9:19).

However, there was one major difference in their practice and ours (though there shouldn’t be). Their thanksgiving resulted in gift giving, but not just to friends and family. They had a practice of “sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor.” (Esther 9:22).

This past week, we all had opportunity to give thanks to God for how He has blessed us. We need to remember that with blessings come responsibilities — and we have a responsibility to use our blessings to God’s glory. In the weeks ahead, may you truly know the joy of using your blessings not merely to make your family happy, but to share with others around you who are in need.

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

I trust meeting needs (and wants) of others (not you family) was included in your holiday season. I hope it is a part of your life during the non-holiday times too.

Anna Lee

Anna Lee