All I Want for Christmas by Susan Barclay

Weeks ago my young adult children started asking what I wanted for Christmas. Of course they wanted ideas of things that are tangible, things their money can buy, whereas the older I get, the less I need or want material objects. I know not everyone is like this - those whose love language is gifts, for example - but as we age, many of us feel the urge to purge and get rid of stuff, rather than accumulate more. The majority of us can buy our own clothing, jewelry, scented items, small appliances, entertainment, etc., and would rather do so than receive something that isn't quite to our style or tastes.

The fact is, the things I really want (for Christmas or sooner!) aren't things at all. 

I was reminded recently of a question Jesus asked in Mark 10. When Bartimaeus cried out for the Son of David to have mercy on him, Jesus said, "What do you want me to do for you?" (v 51). The blind man replied, "Rabbi, I want to see."

I think God asks us the same question when He tells us to "present [our] requests to [Him] (Philippians 4:6b), so lately I've been phrasing my prayers a little differently, albeit with thanksgiving as Philippians 4:6 also instructs.

This is what I want:

I want God to turn the hearts of unsaved family members and friends toward Himself. I want Him to keep pursuing them like the good shepherd He is, rescuing every lost sheep.

I want the Holy Spirit to open eyes, ears, hearts and minds, that unbelievers (especially "mine") might know and receive the Truth about who God is and what God has done for them. I want the Holy Spirit to convict and bring people to repentance that they might experience the fullness of His love, grace, mercy and peace.

I want God to heal people of their hurts, to redeem and restore them, to redeem lost years, to do something new in them. I want Him to protect them from the schemes and plans of the evil one and help them to put on the full armour of God that they might be able to stand against the devil and his darts.

I want Him to heal people physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually so they are free to trust Him completely and live abundant lives, free from fear, anxiety, depression and discouragement. I want Him to give them a hunger and thirst for His Word so they might be nourished, remain in the vine and bear the best, sweetest, juiciest fruit.

I want God's will to be done, in my life and in the lives of those I love, that He might be glorified in us and through us, and that His kingdom might be built on earth as it is in heaven.

1 John 5:14 says, " This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." I believe that my "wants" are within the scope of God's will and so I know He hears me and the answer is already on the way (v. 15). Praise God!

Jesus healed the blind Bartimaeus and gave him the gift of sight. God has read my Christmas list. It lifts from my heart to His like balloons in the sky. All I want for Christmas may be a lot, but nothing is impossible for Him! 

Susan Barclay maintains a website at www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com. She is also the new writing groups coordinator for Inscribe.

Sharing the Spirit of Christmas by Nina Faye Morey

The best Christmas gifts don’t come in boxes or bags. They’re not wrapped in shiny foil with ribbons and bows. They’re neither too big nor too small, neither disposable nor recyclable, but they are infinite and eternal. They don’t cost us one penny – or maybe that should be revised to a nickel – and that’s not because they come from Santa. No, the most cherished gifts we can give or receive this Christmas are love, caring, and sharing. These are spiritual gifts that come from God, and He intends for us to share these special gifts, for “the fruit of the Spirit is love” (Gal. 5:22, NIV).

As Christians, we know that Christmas is to be observed as a holy festival commemorating Jesus’ birth. Despite this, those Christmas commercials successfully lure us into purchasing numerous products and services with the false message that happiness comes from the material rather than the spiritual. Merchants love the Christmas shopping season when people purchase gifts, cards, decorations, Christmas trees and lights, and stock their pantries, because it’s their most profitable time of year. They instruct their clerks to greet us with the secular “Happy Holidays” for fear of offending a customer with the traditional “Merry Christmas.” Shoppers wear their wallets, soles, and patience thin searching the crowded stores for the perfect gifts for their friends and family.

These “Happy Holidays” frazzle our nerves and leave us fatigued. It’s difficult to maintain that holiday spirit when you’re tired, your feet hurt, and you don’t know where you’re going to find the money to pay for your Christmas spending spree. So what can you do this Christmas season to fill it with more of the holy and less of the holly?

Let me offer you a few tips to help you escape some of the usual seasonal hustle and bustle. The Lord commands us to “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10), so try to take a fifteen minute time-out from your frantic day. Read some Bible verses or the biblical story of Jesus’ birth. If you have little ones, sit down with them and read a picture book about the Nativity. This is not only a way to share your love for them, but God’s, too. Light up your Christmas tree, snuggle up with a blanket and hot beverage in a comfy chair, and read some seasonal poems, short stories, or a book that will kindle your Christmas spirit. Perhaps you have some special ones that you like to reread every year.

After a busy day of shopping, decorating, or housecleaning, sit down with your family to watch some of your favourite Christmas movies. You might even find a few new favourites this year. You could also look for a local Christmas play, concert, or choir that fits into your busy holiday schedule. Be sure to make room on your calendar for some special family activities like ice-skating or sledding, too.

Even on those days when you just can’t seem to find enough time to relax, you can still relieve some of your stress by listening to your favourite Christmas carols while you’re baking, signing cards, or wrapping your presents. Then unwind from your hectic day by turning on some cheerful Christmas music, lighting some colourful, scented candles, and taking a nice long soak in a tub full of soothing bath oil or bubble bath.

Most importantly, spend some quiet time each day with God in prayer, and remember that the most precious gift you can share with others this Christmas is God’s spiritual gift of eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Photo Credit: Morey, Nina F. © 2016. Sharing Spiritual Gifts.

Nina Faye Morey is a Saskatoon writer, poet, artist, and editor. Her work has been published in Christian, secular, and literary journals. She won two FellowScript Writing Contests, third place in the Fiction and Nonfiction Categories of InScribe’s Fall Contest, and the Barnabas Fellowship in 2015. She also contributed to the 2015 ICWF anthology, 7 Essential Habits of Christian Writers. Nina’s an ICWF Executive member and editor-in-chief for FellowScript. As well, she’s a member of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild and Saskatoon’s Innovative Toastmasters Club.

Just the Right Gift by Marcia Lee Laycock

The Right Gift

My family starts thinking about Christmas at Thanksgiving because that's when we are usually all together and can "pick names," selecting the person we will buy for that year. We started using the wish list method a few years ago, to make the buying easier. Everyone sends their lists to me and I send them out to the rest of the family.

I always enjoy reading the lists - it's quite interesting how everyone's personality comes out in the things they ask for. For instance, one of my sons-in-law is usually quite specific about his requests - it's not just a pair of socks, it's a pair of black socks made of a certain blend of material and patterned in a certain way. This year item number one was a series of baseball trading cards - very specific cards of certain players from certain years. I shook my head when I read it. Where on earth would we ever find such a thing?

About two weeks after receiving his list I participated in a fund-raiser for a local group. They had a silent auction as well as a number of booths set up with all kinds of Christmas gift ideas. I sighed as I wandered among them, wishing I could get some of my shopping done, but not too hopeful about finding what was on those lists. Then I saw it - a small sign - "Baseball Trading Cards." I blinked and stepped closer.

There were a few packs of cards along with a book. Not knowing anything about baseball, I hesitated. What if these weren't the cards he wanted? What if I had to make a high bid and it was a disappointment to him? Then I felt that little nudge in my spirit. "This is a gift. Just accept it." I took a step closer. I wrote down my name and put a dollar amount beside it. When I won the item, I smiled. Even if the dates on the cards were wrong, at least my son-in-law would know I tried to get him what he wanted.

When I got home later that day I immediately went to my computer and looked at the Christmas lists. I sat back in stunned wonder when I read that number one item from my son-in-law. Not only were the cards of the players he wanted, the dates on the cards I had won were exactly the dates he specified! Then I smiled again. I couldn't stop thinking about the look on his face when he opened that present. I knew he would be "over-the-moon" happy.

Then I thought about that nudge when I hesitated to put a bid on the auction sheet. "This is a gift. Just accept it."

That's what God the Father says to the world every year at Christmas time. He presents His Son, the one who died for the sins of this sad weary world, and says, this is my gift to you, accept Him. All we have to do is admit we need the sacrifice that happened over 2000 years ago, because we all have sinned and continue to "fall short" as Romans 3:23 says. 

Because Jesus gives us the wondrous gift of His righteousness we are able to sign our names into the book of life and accept what He offers - eternal life with Him. It's why we celebrate His birth - the birth of Jesus who was sent to die for us all.

This is a gift. Just accept it. 
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6).
****

Marcia Lee Laycock writes from central Alberta Canada where she is a pastor's wife and mother of three adult daughters. She was the winner of The Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel, One Smooth Stone. The sequel, A Tumbled Stone was short listed in The Word Awards. Marcia also has four devotional books in print and has contributed to several anthologies. Her work has been endorsed by Sigmund Brouwer, Janette Oke, Phil Callaway and Mark Buchanan. 

Marcia's latest release is Christmas, a small book of short stories that will take you from the outer reaches of the galaxy to the streets of an inner city and the cold landscape of the far north. In each unusual setting the Christmas Spirit is alive and well. Available now on Amazon

Visit Marcia's website

Gifts of Christmas by Sandi Somers

Our theme this month centres around gifts at Christmas. We shop for family and friends. We donate to charities in lieu of gifts to friends and family. We give to the needy and homeless. We give and receive gifts of Christmas music, warm hospitality, family times.

Going back to the beginning, we think of the gifts of the Magi to the Christ Child. And we are awed by the mystery of God’s greatest gift—Jesus who came to earth to bring us salvation.

The Gift of Bible Translation

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart. Nelson Mandela

A few days ago I received a Christmas card from Wycliffe Bible Translators. It tells the story of the Bambalang people of Cameroon receiving the newly-translated book of Luke. When the people read it together in church, they burst out laughing.

The translator was shocked. “Oh, man,” he thought. “We’ve messed up…something’s wrong.”

He asked the pastor what happened. The pastor assured him that the laughter wasn’t from incorrect translation. Rather, in the verse where Joseph and Mary put baby Jesus in a manger, the translators now used the Bambalang word to describe a feeding trough for sheep.

“They laughed because they understood it,” said the translator. For years they had been hearing the equivalent of the word manger and didn’t know what it was.

“For the first time, really, the Scripture was theirs.”

They now own the words that give them life.

The Bible is the life-changing Word of God and is a cause for celebration as this language group and many others are now receiving it in their heart language.

Sometimes the heart language is a specific dialect of a major language and needs its own translation.

Take the First Nations Version (FNV). It is for the 90% of native peoples on Turtle Island (their word for North America) whose first language is now English, but who retain much of their vocabulary and unique world view. An English translation is being drafted for them.

Here is part of their Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke. (The traditional First Nations names for Biblical characters and places are adapted from the original Hebrew and Greek.)[i]

1-2 When the time drew close for Bitter Tears (Mary) to have her child the government of the People of Iron ordered that the people be numbered and put on government rolls. 3 All the tribal members were required to travel to their ancestral homeland to register. 4-5 He Gives Sons (Joseph) and Bitter Tears (Mary) set out on a long journey to House of Bread (Bethlehem), the village of their ancestor the great chief Much Loved One (David)… 6 The time for Bitter Tears (Mary) to have her child was upon her! 7 But no place could be found in the lodging house, so He Gives Sons (Joseph) found a sheep cave where it was warm and dry. There she gave birth to her son. They wrapped him in a warm soft blanket and laid him on a baby board. Then they placed him on a bed of straw in a feeding trough.      The translation goes on to tell how spirit-messenger from the Creator came to the shepherds and told them about the baby, the Chosen One, who would set his people free. 13 Suddenly, next to the messenger, a great number of spirit warriors from the world above appeared giving thanks to Creator saying, 14 “All honor to the One Above Us All, and let peace and good will follow all who walk upon the earth.”

Jesus said, “The Spirit gives life…The words I have spoken to you--they are full of the Spirit and life” (John 6:63 NIV).

Bibles in major languages, dialects, Braille Bibles, even Bibles in sign languages are now available to many of the world’s peoples.

And still more peoples are waiting for their own Bibles. So desirous of God’s Word that years ago Chinese Christians created a prayer song.

Lord, send a Bible for that’s your gracious light.

True love and teaching and the bread of life.

I know for sure that your Word will lead me on,

Brighten the way all through my journey home.[ii]

Pray this Christmas that through this gift—this present of translation—God’s presence would become present to all the world’s people.

---

[i]Adapted from Larry and Sharon Fjeldstrom  http://b5d29352f4cbb4f36764-64716aaac85f98c90d1d9176c94b76d6.r70.cf2.rackcdn.com/uploaded/g/0e2203317_1456949710_gm-newsletter-fjeldstrom.pdf

[ii] Paul Estabrooks and Jim Cunningham, Compilers. Standing Strong through the Storm. Santa Ana, CA: Open Doors International. 2004. P.127.

Just the Right Gift by Marcia Lee Laycock

My family starts thinking about Christmas at Thanksgiving because that's when we are usually all together and can "pick names," selecting the person we will buy for that year. We started using the wish list method a few years ago, to make the buying easier. Everyone sends their lists to me and I send them out to the rest of the family.

I always enjoy reading the lists - it's quite interesting how everyone's personality comes out in the things they ask for. For instance, one of my sons-in-law is usually quite specific about his requests - it's not just a pair of socks, it's a pair of black socks made of a certain blend of material and patterned in a certain way. This year item number one was a series of baseball trading cards. I shook my head when I read it. Where on earth would we ever find such a thing?

About two weeks after receiving his list I participated in a fund-raiser for a local group. They had a silent auction as well as a number of booths set up with all kinds of Christmas gift ideas. I sighed as I wandered among them, wishing I could get some of my shopping done, but not too hopeful about finding what was on those lists. Then I saw it - a small sign - "Baseball Trading Cards." I blinked and stepped closer.

There were a few packs of cards along with a book. Not knowing anything about baseball, I hesitated. What if these weren't the cards he wanted? What if I had to make a high bid and it was a disappointment to him? Then I felt that little nudge in my spirit. "This is a gift. Just accept it." I took a step closer. I wrote down my name and put a dollar amount beside it. When I won the item, I sighed again. Even if the dates on the cards were wrong, at least my son-in-law would know I tried to get him what he wanted.

When I got home later that day I immediately went to my computer and looked at the Christmas lists. I sat back in stunned wonder when I read that number one item my son-in-law had listed. The dates on the cards I had won were exactly the dates he wanted! Then I smiled. I couldn't stop thinking about the look on his face when he opens that present. I knew he would be "over-the-moon" happy.

Then I thought about that nudge when I hesitated to put a bid on the auction sheet. "This is a gift. Just accept it."

That's what God the Father says to the world every year at Christmas time. He presents His Son, the one who died for the sins of this sad weary world, and says, this is my gift to you, accept Him. All we have to do is admit we need the sacrifice that happened over 2000 years ago, because we all have sinned and continue to "fall short" as Romans 3:23 says. Because Jesus gives us the wondrous gift of His righteousness we are able to sign our names into the book of life and accept what He offers - eternal life with Him. It's why we celebrate His birth - the birth of Jesus who was sent to die for us all.

This is a gift. Just accept it.

****

Visit Marcia's website to learn more about her writing and speaking ministry.

The Working Writer's Daily Planner - Susan Barclay

I imagine December will be a blur as our family prepares for the Christmas holidays. It will be challenging to find time to write, but I still hope to get some writing done. A tool that will hopefully help is one that I discovered last year around this time: The Working Writer's Daily Planner published by Small Beer Press.

Self-described as a "calendar made by writers for writers", this is a potentially "powerful motivational tool and concrete proof of [one's] commitment to write." I add the word "potentially", since it definitely helps if your planner doesn't get lost in a pile of papers! (ahem)

For several months of this year, this planner was indeed helpful. It would have been helpful the whole year, but for its disappearance from July through October. (I know, I have a clutter problem). Each week has a "double-page spread with  a handy list of upcoming deadlines. Every month has a planning page." There's also a simple but effective Submission Tracker; lots of information about upcoming contests, opportunities to apply for grants and residencies; writing prompts; reading lists; etc.

Last year this was on my Christmas wish list and purchased for me by my ever-loving husband. He doesn't like to buy me clothes (anyone out there relate?), I'm not big on jewellery or perfume, and my lips might like chocolate, but my hips won't. This is one gift my husband could be sure met both my needs and wants. I just learned that the Trade edition of this was cancelled this year and scheduled to be released as a Lulu.com black-and-white print and ebook only, so I guess I'll be getting it for myself instead of asking for it as a gift. My husband will have to come up with another idea. Or maybe I'll ask him for Pick Four, the updated version of Zig Ziglar's Performance Planner, or The Writer's Digest Weekly Planner. Anyone tried either of those?

What's on your writer's wish list, and/or what tool have you found most helpful in the process of writing?

[For more of my writing, check out my website at www.susan-barclay.ca