And the angel

Luke 1:30,31

30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

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When you find yourself in the position to help someone, be happy and feel blessed because God is answering that person's prayer through you. Remember: Our purpose on earth is not to get lost in the dark, but to be a light to others so that they may find God's way through us.

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Today's song is an interesting. Here is an excerpt about the song from crosswalk.com

"Christmas is a terrific and joyous time of year, which is intended to be spent with friends and family. However, all those gifts, food and annual gatherings would be rendered meaningless if not for the birth of the Savior. That baby boy born to a virgin in a stable surrounded by animals changed the entire world. The child’s birth and His eventual excruciating death on the cross provided hope to all mankind.

Anne Wilson, joined by Josh Turner, highlights the surprising and humble way Jesus Christ entered the world with her song “The Manger.” Anne sets the stage, describing the nativity scene in the opening verse, complete with Mary, Joseph, and the wise men.

In the second verse, Anne recalls the basic and primitive nature of the piece of wood that holds the infant sent to Earth to save man from his sins. It was more than likely full of hay and held together by nothing more than a few nails, certainly not something fit for a king.

However, in the tune’s chorus, Anne and Josh use the manger and the stable in a unique way. The stable, according to the two musicians, is symbolic of just how far God was willing to go to save sinners. He was willing to humble himself for our sake."

Anne Wilson, Josh Turner - The Manger (Official Music Video)

…

For the lonely and the lost

That manger tells the story of the Distance you will go

For the lonely and the Lost

There’s no sinner too far gone to find the Savior

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Pineapple Upside down Cake

3/4 cup butter, divided

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 jar (6 ounces) maraschino cherries, drained

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 can (20 ounces) unsweetened pineapple tidbits or crushed pineapple, undrained

1 package yellow cake mix (regular size)

in a microwave, melt 1/2 cup butter; stir in brown sugar. Spread evenly onto bottom of a greased 5-qt. slow cooker. Sprinkle with cherries and pecans; top with pineapple. Sprinkle evenly with dry cake mix. Melt remaining butter; drizzle over top. Cover slow cooker with 3 paper towels, then place lid on.

Cook, covered, on high 2 hours, or until fruit mixture is bubbly. (To avoid scorching, rotate slow-cooker insert a half turn midway through cooking, lifting carefully with oven mitts.) Turn off slow cooker; let stand, uncovered, 30 minutes before serving. If desired, serve with ice cream.

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If there is any word in the English language that captures the Spirit of Christmas, it is joy. The "J" stands for Jesus, looking towards Him, trusting in Him, believing in Him. The "O" stands for seeing and reaching out to others, feeding the hungry, giving water to the thristy, providing shelter to the homeless, clothing the naked, caring for the sick. (see Matthew 25:35-40)

Be careful as you look for opportunities to serve. There are so many scams around. I got a phone call not long after the Hurricanes on the east coast wanting me to donate to the children who were now homeless. I must they said! Those children didn't have food or clothes or even STUFFED animals! I was NOT the kind of person who would deny comfort to a child in need, was I? The call became more forceful, demanding my credit card info, accusingme of being cold and heartless. No reputable organization will ever do anything like that. Ask them if they have a website that you can check out. If they say yes, you can check them out. Reputable organizations will always give you that info. So make sure that you check out the organization BEFORE you donate. charitynavigator.org is an excellent source of information. charitywatch.org is also an excellent site to check charities out with. You are very safe with donations to organizations such as Catholic Relief Fund, Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation, Friends of Animals, and Light the world Giving Machines, and Marine corps Toys For Tots to name just a few. ~~ Marilee

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The Following story is from 8 Christmas Stories That Show the True Meaning of Christmas . These are great stories which talk about the actions of others at Christmas time who gave/found joy.

The Christmas Tree Angel From Michigan

When Michigan resident Chad Rose just happened to have an extra Christmas tree that was used on his business’s parade float, he did what any decent person would do: he posted on Craigslist to give it away for free. For some, a tree is an annual necessity and integral part of the holidays, but for many it’s an expense that needs to be saved for daily essentials. After posting the ad, his inbox was immediately flooded with touching stories of why various families deserved to have the tree.

With each e-mail he read, it became clear how significant a simple treecan be in contributing to the holiday aura. One email, which he shared with MLive.com, read, “Having a real Christmas tree would be such a great blessing this year [because] usually we draw a Christmas tree on a large poster and hang it in the corner.” Realizing that $25 towards a tree was too much for some families to spare, Chad went out and bought 40 more to give away for free. He spent most of the next day going over his list of emails, checking it twice, and not paying much attention to who’s been naughty or nice – just deserving.

But the good holiday spirit in this story doesn’t stop there — Ann Posont of East Grand Rapids read Rose’s Ad and contacted him, not to get, but to give. She offered to donate ornaments and other trimming for the 40 trees he had picked up.

Going out to gather up more trees after realizing the impact it would have on those in need is just so generous," she said.  "It tells a lot about his character, and makes you want to help."