Christmas Joy

    Christmas time... I remember as a child being so excited for Christmas, it was such a magical time of the year. And when I was twelve, we moved to a state where it snowed, and I had my first ever white Christmas. I was in love. 

        Over time, though, I grew up... and life got hard... and Christmas didn't seem quite as magical as it once did... Especially the past few years... 

    Then this year, my son spent today with his father. It isn't the first time that my son and I have not spent Christmas day together, but it was harder this year than other years. I was really sad about it leading up to today, and have spent a fair amount of time in prayer about it, trying to wrestle through all the different emotions I was having.

    While I was struggling through the midst of all of this, the Lord gifts me with the word for next year - HOPE. And while I'm still sad, I have started to have this peace settle into my soul.

   

And I have started to think about what exactly is Christmas Joy? And why do people struggle more with sadness and depression at Christmas time? I know I have had my own struggles... life gets hard and the magic seems to disappear, and it is so easy to get caught up in the daily grind that wears at the soul. And the heart yearns to be at peace, and the world seems filled with strife and chaos. I feel like I try, but often my efforts are not the best, and my life looks like my Christmas tree, not finished, not done correctly, but it's there and shining as best it can.

    But then, I look to the manger, where a King stepped down from heaven because of love. Knowing He would die, He chose to be born into the mess. He came to bring us joy and hope. And my soul is overwhelmed with the love that God showed us. Again. Over and over again throughout Scriptures God shows His everlasting, enduring love for His children. Then, in the darkest hour, during the complete silence from Heaven, Jesus was born in a manger. And the angels filled the countryside proclaim the Good News, of Great Joy, for all people. What amazing hope was born that night. And He reminds me I don't have to walk alone. I am never alone. Because Jesus was born to bring ME HOPE.

    And my soul sings back a hallelujah. Because there is no other response that I can give. Even in the midst of all my sorrow and grief, I can still have hope. 

    This song is one of my favorite Christmas songs this year... it has been one of my favorite songs for years. I pray it brings you the same hope and joy it has brought me this year. Because in the midst of your sorrow and mess, Jesus can come and sit with you, and bring you peace and hope. May the God of joy give you Christmas Joy this day.

In His Enduring, Overflowing Love,

Christy

Hope for a Hurting Heart

     I don't know about you, but this year has been a hard year for me. I swear, if it's not one thing, it is another. This year has been full of big things, hard things, good things, unexpected things. And as this year is drawing to a close, I've started thinking about next year - what do I want from this new year, what are some goals, plans, or projects I want to see completed? It's something I've done almost every new year - beginning the new year with a fresh start, if you will. Granted, there isn't much difference between December 31 and January 1, but I like to take the opportunity to take stock, evaluate my life, and pray about what needs to change. 

    One of my favorite parts of a new year is praying about a new "word for the year". If you've never done that before, I encourage you to look into and ask the Lord if He has a word for you. Today I saw someone post about it on social media, and I started praying, "Lord, what word-" and before I could even finish the thought the word was there. 

Hope

    It was like He was waiting with baited breath for me to ask Him. "It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear." (Isaiah 65:24 NKJV) This verse came alive in a very real way in my life today, and brought a whisper of hope across my soul. Hope is such a small word, only four letters, but it has such a deep and broad meaning. Oftentimes, we say it so glibly, "Oh, I hope this happens," or "I really hope today goes well" etc. etc. but there is so much more to it than that. A promise of something better, a feeling of trust.

    There's something about Christmas that brings a new sense of hope. Jesus was born to bring us hope. He was, is, the hoped for Messiah. The angels announced it outside Bethlehem - "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be for all people." (Luke 2:10 NKJV) That "all people" includes you and me. We can have hope in this messed up, crazy world we find ourselves living in today. 

    Does this mean that I think I won't be sad anymore? Not hardly. I think I cried twice today. Not hard, not long, but definitely was sad. But I can have hope in the midst of it all. Because I trust in the Giver of Hope. And He is ready and waiting for me to call on Him. Always. And that gives me hope. So, my dear friend, if you are struggling today, may the hope of our Lord Jesus bring peace to your soul. 

In His Love,

Christy

Music Mix Up Mondays #36

Happy Easter everyone! Yes, I know it was yesterday. :) When I was younger, we used to be involved in the play that our church did for Easter. We called it a Passion Play. And this was one of the songs that they used to sing during the crucifixion scene. It is still one of my favorites. "Down the Via Dolorosa" by Sandy Patti.




In His Love,
 Christy

Music Mix-up Post 20 (UBC #19)

After browsing around for quite a while, trying to find the perfect song, and I have finally just given up.  I have to go with the first song I liked (and quit crying over all the touching songs!)  So, the song for this week is, "Brothers," by Dean Brody.




This song always makes me cry.... Especially now that my own brother is gone overseas to defend our freedom.  I miss him.... He might not be my older brother, but he still looks after me just the same.
   I was only going to do one music video, but I just found this one and thought it was so cute that I had to share it.  "Daddy, Where You Going?" by Joe Myers & Jim Flynn.



This song sorta says it all.....
   In His Love,
     Christy

Music Mix-up Post 19 (UBC #13)

Since last week was the fourth of July, I thought I'd continue doing patriot music for this month. :)  One of my most absolute favorite patriot songs is, "God Bless the U.S.A.," by Lee Greenwood.




This song inspires me.  It makes my heart swell with gratitude and pride for all of the service men and women who are and have served our country.  And for their families too.
    I debated on whether or not to do two songs or not, but I decided to go ahead and do two.  This song is in honor of my brother, who is leaving for Afghanistan this week.  In honor of him and everyone else who left today, may I present "American Soldier," by Toby Keith.



I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! My prayers are with all of you who are serving.
   In His Love,

Music Mix-up Post 18 (UBC #7)

With Monday being the fourth of July, I thought I'd put the National Anthem as my music song for this week.... Couldn't find a music video I liked.  What kind of country have we become were I can find all sorts of music videos on all sorts of things, but the National Anthem?  Couldn't find a decent one.  Most were either instrumental, or sung bizarrely, or badly taped NFL videos.  And just when I was about to give up all hope of ever finding one that I actually liked, and wondering if I should just simply pick a different song, I found this music video.  I hadn't really liked most of the acapella versions that I'd found, but this one I actually liked.




I hope you all had a lovely 4th, and please remember all who have died for your freedom, and those who continue to serve and protect us.
    In His Love,
      Christy

Transformers 3 (UBC #5)

Okay, I'm just going to come out and admit it.... I'm a bit of a nerd/geek.  I am a huge fan of the Transformer movies (second one not so much but it was still cool) and so I just had to share this info with y'all.  My church had a float in the local parade for the 4th, and I signed up to walk in it.  Boy, was it fun! One of the really cool things was seeing this vehicle at the line-up for the float.

You can't really tell, but if you look at the door, you can see the Transformer symbol on it.  This fire truck was built locally and used in the film Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon.  And to think that I got to stand next to this truck!! :)  I wish I had a picture of that, but I didn't bring anything with me to walk in the parade - didn't want to worry about losing it or carrying it for the whole time. :(  But just to give y'all an idea about how big it was, I wasn't much taller than the tire!  If you want to read more about it, you can go to this page where there is an article and a news video interview. 

     In His Love,
         Christy

Happy Fourth of July!! (UBC #3)

I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July!  Stay cool and dry, and hug those who are close to you!
     In His Love,
       Christy