December 2

Best of all, Christmas means a spirit of love, a time when the love of God and the love of our fellow men should prevail over all hatred and bitterness, a time when our thoughts and deeds and the spirit of our lives manifest the presence of God.  George F. McDougall 

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Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

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Be Born in Me
Francesca Battistelli
Francesca Battistelli is an American Christian singer and songwriter from New York City, currently living in Nashville.   She received a grammy in 2016 for best contemporary Christian music performance/song.  Her voice is beautiful, and so is this song.




Everything inside me cries for order
Everything inside me wants to hide
Is this shadow of an angel or a warrior?
If God is pleased with me, why am I so terrified?
Someone tell me I am only dreaming
Somehow help me see with Heaven's eyes
And before my head agrees, my heart is on its knees
Holy is He; blessed am I.

Be born in me, be born in me
Trembling heart, somehow I believe that You chose me
I'll hold You in the beginning, You will hold me in the end
Every moment in the middle, make my heart Your Bethlehem
Be born in me

All this time we've waited for the promise
All this time You've waited for my arms
Did You wrap yourself inside the unexpected
So we might know that Love would go that far?

Be born in me, be born in me
Trembling heart, somehow I believe that You chose me
I'll hold You in the beginning, You will hold me in the endEvery moment in the middle, make my heart Your Bethlehem
Be born in me

I am not brave
I'll never be
The only thing my heart can offer is a vacancy
I'm just a girl
Nothing more
But I am willing, I am Yours

Be born in me, be born in me
I'll hold You in the beginning, You will hold me in the end
Every moment in the middle, make my heart Your Bethlehem
Be born in me

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Edible Ornaments
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/ornament-popcorn-balls

Ornamental Popcorn Balls Recipe
10 c. popped popcorn
1 - 10 oz package large marshmallows
1/4 c. butter, cubed
1/4 t. salt
Optional decorations: candy canes, candy spearmint leaves, and assorted gumdrops
Place popcorn in a large bowl.  In a large saucepan, combine marshmallows, butter and salt.  Cook and stir over medium-low heat until melted.  Pour over popcorn; mix well.  Cool slightly.
With greased hands, shape mixture into 12 popcorn balls.  About 3/4 c. each.  Place on waxed paper.  Decorate as desired.  Let stand until set.

Originally published as Ornament Popcorn Balls in Taste of Home Dec. 2013
extracted from https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/ornament-popcorn-balls

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Over 2000 years ago, a tiny baby was born and laid in a manger of hay.  He grew up, and admonished people to “come follow me” (Matt 4:19).  As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting nets into the sea, for they were fishermen.  He called to them and they left their nets and spent the rest of their lives serving their Savior and their fellow men.  The call to “come follow me” didn’t apply only to those who would become his apostles, it applies to each of us, His disciples today. I am grateful for all the blessings God has given my family and me.  There is no more perfect time than right now to “follow him.”  Reaching out to those around us in love and joy not only helps them, it helps us, too.  We can make a difference in this world, not just at Christmastime, but all year long.  A lot of people say “how can I serve?  Where can I serve?”  Check out justserve.org to find out what service opportunities there are in your community.  Open your eyes to the opportunities around you.  Start now. ~~ Marilee

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Helping Others
extracted from https://www.poemsbycc.com/HelpingOthers.html

Did you ever stop to help someone
stuck beside the road?
Or help a person carry bags
to their car for them to load?
These opportunities lend themselves
to us most every day.
Yet many times we turn our heads
and look the other way...

To read this poem in it’s entirety, go to the above link


A Christmas Prayer
 Robert Louis Stevenson

Loving Father,
Help us to remember the birth of Jesus
that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and the worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate and
open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift and
good desires with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil by the blessing
which Christ brings, and teach us to
be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy
to be Thy children, and the Christmas evening
bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts,
forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake.
Amen.