You will soon not have to take your shoes off to count the remaining shopping days until Christmas.

If the Christmas season was not officially on your 'to do' list, it most likely is now since I bid you a seasonal welcome on this Wednesday, December 1, 2010. That's right. You no longer need one of those countdown clocks to figure out that shopping days until are becoming fewer and farther between. But, how in the world are you doing anyway? This is a stressful time of year. In fact, it tends to be a hugely stressful time for a sizable percentage of folks in our country. They tell us that suicide rates go up during the holiday season and they peak in December. That is so sad because even with a whole sack full of bad memories, we have the Reason for the Season, and that should be sufficient to help us celebrate what His coming to dwell among men is all about. I am well aware that our memories from the past do intrude even more at this time of year. While we as a family have never had an easy row to hoe and I can assure you that I can prove this beyond a reasonable doubt, I can't really conjure up many bad memories that cause me to dread the Christmas season. Sure, there is always sadness when we think about those who have gone on to their reward. We lost our dad immediately after the Christmas of 1953, and that my friend, for a young widow with six children, changed our lives forever. But one thing I can say about my mom is how she did her best to make Christmas special for us kids and we have learned how that doing so was often at a great personal sacrifice to herself. She set the tone for what has become our Christmas celebrations in how we have tried to do the same for our children. All of this causes me to greatly enjoy this time of year. Remembering our Savior and His birth and thinking about the wonderful Christmases from my past which, I must admit, now numbers more than just a handful.

The weak economic situation that continues to hang on certainly has many people uptight as they face a difficult financial time for themselves and their families. Twenty million of our fellow Americans are either unemployed or underemployed and that is a grim statistic that translates into a tough holiday time for those struggling. This is one of the reasons our local fellowship of believers are planning a fun day for some folks in an apartment complex near our Church property. It will provide some enjoyment for families and we will have prayer and spiritual support as well. The problem is vast but we all can do something, even if it is small. My wife reminded me that the adults in our family are not exchanging names this year because we've decided for each family to choose a needy family and use those proceeds to help them at this time. This will be new for us but it does reflect an opportunity to share love with others and that's exactly what Jesus came to do, share His love, His life, and to give it so that men, women, boys, and girls can know God and live with Him forever. No, it won't make a huge dent in that twenty million number but it can make a difference in someone's life. Regarding this just past Thanksgiving Day one of our dear sisters in Christ gave testimony about some folks that had adopted her grandson for the day. He is in the midst of his basic training for the US Air Force and families took these trainees in to share their day with them. They let them use their phones freely and he was able to call all of his folks and it became a praise report in our class last Sunday. How did this happen? Someone had to sign up, follow through, make the necessary preparations and open their homes to these young men and women preparing to wear the uniform of our nation. Those folks who did this most likely enjoyed a great Thanksgiving and is so doing they also were able spread that joy near and far.

I had a lady tell me the other day as I sat in my Santa chair that she could sum it up like this: "I want it all!" I've seen those shirts with that sentiment and to be honest, I have never liked it, even a little bit. I know it is supposed to convey a joke, but folks, I think it might just convey too much of the truth in so many of us. I well remember accompanying my mom in taking food to a lady in our community whose son was confined to a wheelchair. They were very poor and even as a kid I had this sense of how this act of giving is what the season should really be about. I am thankful for those who go out of their way to show kindness and love. I am thankful for those who are willing to open their homes to some young service man and woman. I am thankful for those who essentially find ways to give a cup of water to those who are thirsty. According to our Savior, that kind of generosity that bubbles up from a genuine heart, it will not go unnoticed or unrewarded. (See the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 9, Verse 41) It is personal for each of us. I am aware that much has been given to me in my lifetime. So much. God gave His son to die on my behalf. My parents and grandparents gave much to get me raised up and ready for the world. God has given me a wonderful wife and family. God has brought people into my life at different times and they have, for reasons I really can't fully understand, taken me under their wing or helped me along my journey. So much. It is only fitting that I should become that kind of help to someone else. The Dottie Rambo song comes to mind: "Roll back the curtain of memory now and then. Show me where you brought me from and where I could have been. Remember I'm human and humans forget, So remind me, Remind me Dear Lord." Let's all be reminded of how blessed we are and then share our blessings with someone else. Amen.           ......More later.