12/7/05 CHRISTMAS STORIES AND POEMS FOR YOUR FAMILY - Part I
Posted by: jhbreneman <jhbreneman@...>
ENCOURAGEMENT TO WOMEN
Compiled especially for you with love by Lois Breneman
THE ABC's OF CHRISTMAS
THE REASON
WHY CHRISTMAS?
THE CRIPPLED LAMB
THE TRUE DEFINITION OF CHRISTMAS ~ ALL BECAUSE OF JESUS CHRIST!
EVEN BETTER THAN THE BEST GIFT! SIMEON'S SONG
THE GIFT
JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!
12 Voices of Christmas ~ Devotionals
A CHRISTMAS POEM
A PROMISE IS A PROMISE
GRANDMA'S HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!
author unknown
As people rush about him at a hurried sort of pace.
He stared at all the Christmas lights, the tinsel everywhere,
The shopping mall, Santa Claus, with children gathered near.
The mall was packed with shoppers who were going to and fro,
Some with smiles and some with frowns and some too tired to go.
They rested on benches or they hurried on their way,
To fight the crowd for purchases to carry home that day.
The music from a stereo was playing loud and clear,
Of Santa Claus and snowmen and funny nosed reindeer.
He heard the people talk about the good times on the way,
Of parties, fun and good food galore and gifts exchanged that day.
"I'd like to know what's going on." the man was heard to say,
"There seems to be some sort of celebration on the way.
And would you tell me who this is, all dressed in red and white?
And why are children asking him about a special night?"
The answer came in disbelief, "I can't believe my ears.
I can't believe that you don't know that Christmas time is here.
The time when Santa Claus comes around with gifts for girls and boys.
When they're asleep on Christmas Eve, he leaves them books and toys.
The man you see in red and white is Santa Claus, so sly,
The children love his joyful laugh and twinkle in his eye.
His gift packed sleigh is pulled along by very small reindeer,
As he flies quickly through the air, while darting there and here.
The children learn of Santa Claus while they are still quite small,
When Christmas comes he is the most important one of all!"
The Stranger hung his head in shame, he closed a nail pierced hand,
His body shook in disbelief, He did not understand.
A shadow crossed his stricken face, his voice was low but clear:
"After all these years, they still don't know." And Jesus shed a tear.
by Lois Breneman, © 2001, Heart to Heart Newsletter, [email protected]
A is for Animals who adored Jesus in the stable.
B is for Baby Jesus -- a true story -- not a fable.
C is for the Christ child about whom we love to sing.
D is for December when we hear the joyful bells ring.
E is for the Evening when the proclamation came.
F is for the Flocks and shepherds to whom the angels sang.
G is for the Glory to God, deserved for this blessed birthday.
H is for the stolen Hoop-a-la of "Happy Holiday."
I is for the Inn where there was found no room.
J is for Jesus, born beneath the stars and moon.
K is for the newborn King, the greatest among the least.
L is for the bright Light shining on Him in the East.
M is for the Manger where the Baby lies wrapped in white.
N is for the Noels that we sing on December nights.
O is for the Open heart, I pray you have for Him.
P is for the Presents that we give in honor of Him.
Q is for the Quiet peace around this Babe, so wee.
R is for the Redeemer who came for you and me.
S is for Salvation at no cost to us, but free.
T is for where He gave His life -- upon that cruel Tree.
U is for Us, the chosen recipients of His love.
V is for His Virgin birth, conceived by God above.
W is for "God so loved the World that He gave His only Son.
X is for the X-tra special, wonderful gift that Jesus has become.
Y is for You to whom He was especially given.
Z is for the Zeal I have to see you headed for Heaven.
By Jim Smith
It is the worst of times. It is the best of times.
The Christmas you have depends upon you.
May you be blessed to follow the Light and choose the right. A Christmas Poem
C is for Credit Cards that make buying a breeze.
H is for your Headache when your cards are seized.
R is for Remembering everyone on your list.
I is for feeling Insulted when your gifts are dissed.
S is for feeling Stressed when you're on the fly.
T is for the Truckloads of presents that you buy.
M is for your Massive debt that soars into the sky.
A is for the Awful feeling that you've gone astray.
S is for your Sorrow and the tears you'll shed today. The True Christmas Poem
C is for the Christ child lying in a manager.
H is for the Holy One who saved us all from danger.
R is to Remember Him who died that we may live.
I is to Inspire us that we may always give.
S is for joyful Songs and sacred hymns that praise.
T is to Thank the Lord for showing us the way.
M is for the Miracles that bless us each day.
A is for the Almighty who always puts us first.
S is for the Shepherd who guides us on earth.
THE REASON
Author unknown
I was babysitting my four children while my wife had gone shopping. Babysitting to me is reading the paper while the kids mess up the house. Only that day I wasn't reading. I was fuming. On every other page of the paper there were glittering gifts and prancing reindeer. The only thing I was told was there were only six more days to buy presents. What, I asked myself indignantly, did this have to do with the birth of Christ?
There was a knock on the door. Then Nancy's voice, "Daddy, we have a play to put on. Would you like to see it?" I didn't. But I have fatherly responsibilities so I followed her into the living room. Right away I knew it was a Christmas play for at the foot of the piano stool was a lighted flashlight wrapped in swaddling clothes lying an a shoebox.
Rex, age six, came in wearing my bathrobe and carrying a mop handle. He sat on the stool and looked at the flashlight. Nancy, age ten, draped a sheet over her head, stood behind Rex, and began, "I'm Mary and this boy is Joseph. Usually in this play Joseph stands up and Mary sits down, but
Mary sitting down is taller than Joseph standing up so we thought it looked better this way."
Enters Trudy, age four, at a full run. There were pillowcases over her arms. She spread them wide and said only "I'm an angel."
Then came Ann, age eight. I knew she was a wise man because she had on her mother's high heels and walked like she was a wise man riding a camel. On a pillow she carried three items, undoubtedly gold, frankincense, and myrrh. She walked across the room and announced, "I'm all three wisemen. I bring precious gifts: gold, circumstance, and mud."
That was all. The play was over. I didn't laugh, I prayed. How near the truth Ann was. We come at Christmas burdened down with gold, with the showy gifts and the tinselly tree. Under the circumstance we can do no other. And it really does seem a bit like mud when you think about it. But my children saw through the earthly and found the real reason for Christmas -- to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
WERE YOU COLDER THAN THIS?
It was a cold winter's night in Korea. An expectant mother trudged through the freezing snow toward the home of a missionary friend where she knew she would find help. A short way down the road from the mission house was a deep gully spanned by a bridge.
As the young woman stumbled along, birth pains overcame her. She realized that she could go no farther and crawled beneath the bridge. There, alone between the trestles, she gave birth to a baby boy.
She had nothing with her except the heavy padded clothes she was wearing. One by one she removed the pieces of clothing and wrapped them around her infant son, around and around like a cumbersome cocoon. Then, finding a discarded piece of burlap, she pulled it over herself and lay exhausted and shivering beside her baby.
The next morning, the missionary drove her Jeep across the bridge to take a food basket to a Korean family. On the way back as she neared the bridge, the vehicle sputtered and died. She left the Jeep on the side of the road and started walking across the bridge toward the mission but
stopped when she heard a faint cry beneath her. She crawled under the bridge to investigate. There she found the tiny baby, warm but hungry, and the young mother frozen to death by his side. The missionary took the baby home and cared for him. As the boy grew he often asked his adopted mother to tell him the story of how she had found him.
On the 12th anniversary of his mother's death, the lad asked the missionary to take him to her grave. Once there, he asked her to wait a short distance away while he went to pray. The boy stood beside the grave with bowed head, weeping. Then he began to disrobe. As the astonished missionary watched, the boy took off his warm clothing piece by piece and laid them on his mother's grave. Surely he won't take off all his clothing, the missionary thought. He'll freeze. But the boy stripped himself of everything, putting all his warm clothing on the grave. He knelt naked and shivering in the freezing snow. As the missionary went to him to help him dress she heard him cry out to the mother he never knew, "Were you colder than this for me, my mother?" and his shoulders shook as he silently wept.
When Christ came to this earth he stripped himself of every royal garment and entered into a world of hatred and cold indifference. He suffered and sacrificed for us and gave his life that we might live.
At this time of year let us remember all that he gave to us and give to others in return. Let us for one moment forget our needs as we sit in our comfortable, warm homes filled with the luxuries of life. Let us remember the needs of others as we make note of our garbage filled to overflowing with discarded food, toys and clothing that others would drop to their knees in gratitude for.
Lord, grant that we may take off our garments of pride, self-righteousness, and selfish greed and lay them at your feet and ask ourselves, "Were you colder than this for us, Lord?"
And we weep in gratitude because we know you were.
WHY CHRISTMAS?
There was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he didn't hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays, like Christmas. His wife, however, did believe, and she raised their children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments.
One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was taking their children to a Christmas Eve service in the farm community in which they lived. She asked him to come, but he refused. "That story is nonsense!" he said. "Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That's ridiculous!" So she and the children left, and he stayed home.
A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window. Then another thump. He looked out, but couldn't see more than a few feet. When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could have been beating on his window. In the field near his house he saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn't go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed.
The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside. But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn't seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them. The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them and they moved further away. He went into the house and came with some bread, broke it up, and made a breadcrumb trail leading to the barn. They still didn't catch on. Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe. "Why don't they follow me?!" he exclaimed. "Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?" He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human. "If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud.
Then he had an idea. He went into barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese. He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn--and one by one the other geese followed it to safety.
He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them!" Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier. "Why would God want to be like us? That's ridiculous!" Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the geese--blind, lost, perishing. God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way and save us. That was the meaning of Christmas, he realized. As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and pondered this wonderful thought. Suddenly he understood what Christmas was all about, why Christ had come.
Years of doubt and disbelief vanished like the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer: "Thank You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm!"
THE CRIPPLED LAMB
by Max Lucado
Once upon a time in a sunny valley, there lived a little lamb, Joshua. He was white with black spots, black feet, and...sad eyes.
Josh felt sad when he saw the other lambs with snow-white wool and no spots. He felt sad when he saw the other sheep with their moms and dads because he didn't have a mom or a dad.
But he felt saddest when he saw the other lambs running and jumping, because he couldn't. Josh had been born with one leg that didn't work right. He was crippled. He always limped when he walked. That's why he always watched while the other lambs ran and played. Josh felt sad all alone--except when Abigail was around.
Abigail was Josh's best friend. She didn't look like a friend for a lamb. She was an old cow. She was brown with white blotches that looked like rain puddles on a path. Her belly was as round as a barrel, and her voice was always kind and friendly. Some of Josh's favorite hours were spent with Abigail. They loved to pretend they were on adventures in distant lands. Josh liked to listen to Abigail tell stories about the stars. They would spend hours on the hill, looking into the valley. They were good friends.
But even with a friend like Abigail, Josh still got sad. It made him sad to be the only lamb who could not run and jump and play in the grass. That's when Abigail would turn to him and say, " Don't be sad, little Joshua. God has a special place for those who feel left out." Josh wanted to believe her. But it was hard. Some days he just felt alone.
He really felt alone the day the shepherds decided to take the lambs to the next valley where there was more grass. The sheep had been in this valley so long, the ground was nearly bare. All the sheep were excited when the shepherd told them they were going to a new Meadow!!
As they prepared to leave, Josh hobbled over and took his place on the edge of the group. But the others started laughing at him. "You're too slow to go all the way to the next valley." "Go back, Slowpoke. We'll never get there if we have to wait on you!" "Go back, Joshua." That's when Josh looked up and saw the shepherd standing in front of him. "They are right, my little Joshua. You better go back. This trip is too long for you. Go and spend the night in the stable."
Josh looked at the man for a long time. Then he turned slowly and began limping away. When Josh got to the top of the hill, he looked down and saw all the other sheep headed toward the green grass. Never before had he felt so left out. A big tear slipped out of his eye, rolled down his nose, and fell on a rock.
Just then he heard Abigail behind him. And Abigail said what she always said when Josh felt sad. "Don't be sad, little Joshua. God has a special place for those who feel left out."
Slowly the two friends turned and walked to the stable together. By the time they got to the little barn, the sun was setting like a big orange ball. Josh and Abigail went inside and began to eat some hay out of the feed box. They were very hungry, and the hay tasted good. For a little while, Joshua forgot that he had been left behind. "Go to sleep, little friend," Abigail said after they finished eating. "You've had a hard day." Josh was tired. So he lay down in the corner on some straw and closed his eyes. He felt Abigail lie down beside him, and he was glad to have Abigail as a friend.
Soon Josh was asleep. At first, he slept soundly, curled up against Abigail's back. In his sleep he dreamed. He dreamed of running and jumping just like the other sheep. He dreamed of long walks with Abigail through the valley. He dreamed of being in a place where he never felt left out.
Suddenly strange noises woke him up. "Abigail," he whispered, "wake up. I'm Scared." Abigail lifted her big head and looked around. The stable was dark except for a small lamp hanging on the wall. "Somebody is in here." Josh whispered. They looked across the dimly lighted stable. There,
lying on some fresh hay in the feed box was a baby. A young woman was resting on a big pile of hay beside the feed box.
Joshua looked at Abigail, thinking his friend could tell him what was going on. But Abigail was just as surprised as Josh. Josh looked again at the woman and the child, then limped across the stable. He stopped next to the mother and looked into the baby's face. The baby was crying. He was cold. The woman picked up the baby and put him on the hay next to her. Josh looked around the stable for something to keep the baby warm. Usually there were blankets. But not tonight. The shepherds had taken them on their trip across the valley. Then Josh remembered his own soft, warm wool. Timidly, he walked over and curled up close to the baby. "Thank you, little lamb," the baby's mother said softly.
Soon the little child stopped crying and went back to sleep. About that time, a man entered the stable carrying some rags. "I'm sorry, Mary" he explained. "This is all the cover I could find." "It's okay," she answered. "This little lamb has kept the new king warm." A king? Joshua looked at the baby and wondered who he might be.
"His name is Jesus." Mary spoke as if she knew Josh's question. "God's Son. He came from heaven to teach us about God." Just then there was another noise at the door. It was the shepherds--the ones who had left Joshua behind. Their eyes were big and they were excited. "We saw a bright light and heard the angels..." they began. Then they saw Joshua next to the baby. "Joshua! Do you know who this baby is?" "He does now." It was the young mother who was speaking. She looked at Joshua and smiled.
"God has heard your prayers little lamb. This little baby is the answer." Joshua looked down at the baby. Somehow he knew this was a special child, and this was a special moment. He also understood why he had been born with a crippled leg. Had he been like the other sheep, he would have been in the valley. But since he was different, he was in the stable, among the first to welcome Jesus into the world.
He turned and walked back to Abigail and took his place beside his best friend. "You were right," he told her. "God does have a special place for me."
THE TRUE DEFINITION OF CHRISTMAS ~ ALL BECAUSE OF JESUS CHRIST!
H = Holy
R = Redeemer
I= Infinite
T= Truth
M = Master
S = Son Of God
Everlasting Life, and Salvation full and free.
remember the love of the child who had put it there.
Not a person was praying, not one in the house.
For no one thought Jesus would come there.
Not once ever kneeling or bowing their head.
Was watching the Late Show as I took a nap.
I sprang to my feet to see what's the matter.
Tore open the shutters and lifted the sash.
But Angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.
It was Jesus returning just like He'd said.
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.
Was written the name of every saved man.
When He said "it is not here" I hung my head in shame.
He gathered to take to his Father above.
While all the others were left standing around.
I waited too long and thus sealed my fate.
Oh, if only I'd know that this was the night.
Coming of Jesus is now drawing near.
We'll find out that the Bible was true after all...
By Dan Clark ~ from Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul
Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Patty Hansen
A friend of mine named Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking
Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was astounded. "Boy, I wish..." He hesitated.
Of course, Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels.
"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."
Paul was astonished. He asked the boy, "Would you like a ride?"
After a short ride, the boy turned and his eyes aglow, said, "Will you stop where those two steps are?"
He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom
step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.
"There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And someday I'm gonna give you one just like it. Then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been trying to tell you
about."
Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.
That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when He had said:
EVEN BETTER THAN THE BEST GIFT!
SIMEON'S SONG
©By Linda J. Stevenson
Traveling down the dusty road
With haste I went that day
Just to make it to the Temple
Where I would often pray.
For many years I had watched for
The long-awaited One
That God had promised I would see
Before I would pass on.
My own eyes would see His glory
And the wonder He would bring.
I felt real longing for the day
My arms would hold our King.
Then as I passed through temple doors,
My heart inside did leap.
Before me in His mothers arms
The Child lay fast asleep.
Warm tears fell down as I saw Him,
My legs became so weak;
Before me was the Promised One
That I for years did seek.
His mother placed Him in my arms
His breath I did inhale;
Embracing Him so close to me,
I noticed each detail.
My eyes have seen His glory
My ears long past had heard;
His great redemption's been revealed
According to God's Word.
The Light of His salvation came
For all the world to see,
The fulfillment of God's promise
That He once made to me.
THE GIFT
Author Unknown Contributed by Annamarie Kresge, Virginia
A story about an old Bendix washing machine helped one man get through the valley of loss. His parents acquired the washer when John Claypool was a small boy. It happened during World War II. His family owned no washing machine and since gasoline was rationed, they could ill afford trips to the laundry several miles away. Keeping clothes clean became a problem for young John's household.
A family friend was drafted into the service, and his wife prepared to go with him. John's family offered to store their furniture while they were away. To the family's surprise, the friends suggested they use their Bendix while they were gone. "It would be better for it to be running," they said, "than sitting up rusting." So this is how they acquired the washer.
Young John helped with the washing, and across the years he developed an affection for the old, green Bendix. But eventually the war ended. Their friends returned. In the meantime he had forgotten how the machine came to be in their basement in the first place. When the friends came to take it away, John grew terribly upset -- and said so! His mother, wise as she was, sat him down and said, "Wait a minute, Son. You must remember, that machine never belonged to us in the first place. That we ever got to use it at all was a gift. So, instead of being mad at it being
taken away, let's use this occasion to be grateful that we had it at all."
The lesson proved invaluable. Years later, John watched his eight-year-old daughter die a slow and painful death of leukemia. Though he struggled for months with her death, John could not begin healing from the loss until he remembered the old Bendix.
"I am here to testify," he said, "that this is the only way down the mountain of loss ... when I remember that Laura Lou was a gift, pure and simple, something I neither earned nor deserved nor had a right to. And when I remember that the appropriate response to a gift, even when it is taken away, is gratitude, then I am better able to try and thank God that I was ever given her in the first place."
His daughter was a gift. When he realized that simple fact, everything changed. He could now begin healing from the tragedy of her loss by focusing instead on the wonder of her life. He
started to see Laura Lou as a marvelous gift that he was fortunate enough to share for a time. He felt grateful. He found strength and healing. He knew he could get through the valley of loss.
We all experience loss -- loss of people, loss of jobs, loss of relationships, loss of independence, loss of esteem, loss of things. When what you held dear can be viewed as a gift, a wonder that you had it at all, the memory can eventually become one more of gratitude than tragedy. And you will find the healing you need.
by Kathryn Frazier
to use it as an opening to share the gospel with those who don't know. May you have a blessed Christmas season in the Lord!
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