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ONE SOLITARY LIFE
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He was born in a stable the child of a peasnat woman; grew up in an obscure village; worked as a carpenter until He was 30; and then became an intinerant preacher for 3 years. He never went to college; He neve wrote a book; He never held an office; He never owned a home; He never had a family; He never had a lot of money; He never traveled more than 200 miles from His birthplace; He never accomplished anything that usually mark greatness; He had no credentials, but Himself.
Although He spoke with great authority, taught with unusual wisdom and was widely accepted by the people, the religious leaders of His day opposed Him. While He was still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned on Him. He was betrayed by a friend; abandoned by His associates; and turned over to His enemies. He was falsely accused; endured the mockery of a trial and was unjustly condemned to die.
He was crucified between two thieves; while He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth, and that was His clothing. When He was dead, He was buried in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today He is the central figure of the human race, and the cornerstone of world progress. And all the armies that ever marched; and all the navies that ever sailed; and all the parliaments that ever sat; and all the kings that ever reigned, all put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as has the ONE SOLITARY LIFE.
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GOD'S GIFTS |
By Garnett Ann Schultz |
Nobody owns a mountain, nobody owns the sea, none can possess the sunshine, a bright reaching sumertime tree. Nature is all around us lending her special charms, touching God's world with her magic and holding it fast in her arms.
No one can hold to a snowflake so quickly it melts fast away, we can't bid the twilight to linger when we come to the end of the day. Rainbows are but for a moment there in the blue of the sky, bright colored leaves of the Autumn are gone in the blink of an eye.
Winter soon changes to Springtime then quickly a soft Summer day fades to the magic of Autumn, then white Winter snowflakes at play. A world filled with wonder and magic, miracles loaned from above, yet no one ever can own them, they're God's gifts of heavenly love.
THE "W" IN CHRISTMAS - Author Unknown
Each Christmas, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on the nonessential obligations, extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments and, of course, the true meaning of Christmas. My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six-year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's Winter Pageant. I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher and she assured me there would be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Nicholas was happy with the compromise. So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, several other parents quietly scampered to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my son's class rose to sing, "CHRISTMAS LOVE," I was slightly taken aback by its bold title. Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmantes, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright toboggans upon their heads. Those in the front row - center stage - held up large letters, one by one to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up the letter "C." Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "CHRISTMAS LOVE."
The performance was going smoothly until suddenly we noticed her; a small, quiet girl in the front row holding her letter"M" upside down - totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W". The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake, but she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood proud and tall, proudly holding her "W".
Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrate the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities. For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear:
"CHRIST WAS LOVE."
And I believe He still is. Amazed in His presence, humbled by His love.