Merry Christmas! From John + Pat Godfrey

Wishing everyone a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Remember Christ is Chrismas!

How To Have A Real Merry Christmas! by John Godfrey

Well folks it's almost here...It's Christmas time again already and the older I get the quicker it seems to come around. Honestly I admit it... I am never ever prepared in time and Christmas eve normally is my deadline to finish up! I guess that has always been my story so I'm not sure why it should change now...I've always put things like gift buying etc off until the last minute. I'm a terrible shopper so I put it off. I know that is what the prepared folks of this world "not so lovingly" call procrastination, and I also know that there really is no good excuse for it except...that is just the way I am. 

I know that it's frustrating to many people when they are around procrastinators like me. But hey, we "put-er-offers" are not all bad people, we just move in a different time zone than the so called "movers and shakers"!  While the fast paced folks are out getting things done we procrastinators are dreaming up new ideas and that is not always a bad thing. Remember that most of the things that are used in this world by this highly efficient work force had to begin as a dream in someones mind. Without the dreamers there would be a lot less available for the movers and shakers to use in thier fast pace world. It takes all of us to keep to keep things fresh and new!

I shamefully admit that I take comfort in the fact that sometimes the fast paced people miss some important things along the way; not all have, but definitely many have. For example excessive time spent at work in place of time with family. The job is all consuming and so important that their wives, husbands, and children hardly know them. Then they are home, they seldom communicate because they are so tired. After all we have to make a living...however we never have quite enough do we? We always need more money to keep up with others around us. I honestly can enjoy a looking at a sunset while they are concentrating on the next big deal! Without a doubt I would rather hold and play with one of my grandchildren than drive the big fancy new car and live in the big fancy mansion. Certainly there is nothing wrong with nice things as long as our priorities are straight. And, of course I'm not saying that I am better than anyone, the Lord knows I failed at many of my relationships along the way, but my hearts desire has always been toward relationships more than stuff...for better or worse, it is just where my priorities are.

When Christmas time rolls around is it not true that most of us think we have to buy the most expensive gifts that are part of the latest trend or we won't have a Merry Christmas! When we get caught up in that belief system we are missing out on the important things of life. Here are a few important details that I personally feel we are forgetting as we celebrate Christmas.

If Christmas is really to be a "Merry (heart felt) Christmas" then we need to (I humbly offer my opinion)  focus at least these on four things:

1. Christmas is not about stuff!  Spend time with your family and really focus your attention on the ones you love and not on stuff. I'm not completely there yet, but I'm working on it.
   
2. Christmas Should not be about debt! When we use the credit cards and take out Christmas loans we buy into the lie that we have to have that "stuff" even when we can't afford it. Who has the largest buildings or the most locations in town ?... The banks do for the most part because they tell us we "deserve" the products that they sell us. What do they sell us? They sell us debt and we think we are privileged because our credit is good enough to receive the debt! How smart is that on our part?
3. Christmas is about our American Heritage! Never be ashamed of saying "Merry Christmas". Saying Happy Holidays is a cop-out! Whether some like it or not...Christmas is about Christ and their are forces at work in our country that are doing everything possible to rip Christmas out of our heritage in the name of tolerance! Unfortunately many cannot see what is happening and they will not realize it until it is too late. Say Merry Christmas and mean it while you can! Not out of arrogance but because it is true.
   
4. In order to have a real Merry Christmas you must know Jesus Christ personally. Jesus is the piece of the puzzle and the real "Prince of Peace" of Christmas that is missing in so many lives. Without a personal relationship with him then Christmas is just a formality without meaning. In the end your life theme song will either be "I did it my way" which will simply mean that you missed what life is all about, or it will be "I did it His way" which will just be the begining of a relationship that will last throughout eternity. You don't have to be "good" to know Him, you just need to be "willing".
   

Speaking of willing...If you are willing to take about four minutes right here and now to watch this short video below, then you can know how to know the Christ of Christmas. On the other hand if you think that you have the answers in life and do not want to know the truth about Christmas then you can make that choice too. The sad thing is that in the end it will be a choice that you will regret more than you can imagine. Why not open your heart a little and at least listen. Ask God to make himself real in your life. The truth is that Christ is Christmas whether or not you or I are willing to believe and accept it. Hopefully you will be able to put your personal pride aside long enough to investigate the real "Reason for the Season"

I hope you have a real very "Merry Christmas" and please view the link below.

John

www.simplysharejesus.com

Dogs and Turkeys? by John Godfrey

I have to admit that I didn't take this picture...wish I had! This photo came to me in an email and I liked it so much that honestly I can think of a thousand captions to put with it for fun or to make a point of some kind or other. However, right now it seems to me to best describe someone so overwhelmed that they are just about ready to give up! Just like this poor dog is in deeper than he (or she?) ever imagined, some people are feeling the same way.

Okay I'll be more specific and say that this dog's situation reminds me of myself lately! I haven't blogged for a while because I felt that I had nothing worthwhile to say.(I know that some of you are saying.."Its about time I figured that out!"  :-) I guess that I've been having one of those periods in my life where I just haven't felt like its worth the effort to do anything extra. So I just get by doing little as possible and let it all slide! Lately it seems that every time I stick my head up that someone is waiting to take a swing at it (figuratively speaking...I hope??). The harder I try to get out from under the pressure, stress, and unfavorable circumstances...the deeper I go the other direction!

I don't know about you, but most of my life I have had a problem controlling my own life situations. If you've ever had the privilege of watching one of my favorite old movies "Sergeant York", then you might remember the turkey shoot scene where the main character Alvin York, situated n the woods with rifle in hand, would do a "gobble gobble" turkey call and suddenly out of curiosity, the dumb old turkey would raise his head from hind the safety of the log to see what it was that he heard just long enough to hear... BAM! (Ouch! That would be moment he lost his head)

That's me! Instead of being the hero of the movie that eventually wins the war...I'm the doggone turkey that's in trouble!! I've done it over and over and over again. I hear the "gobble gobble" call from the world around me and I just have to check it out. I can't wait on God..no way, I gotta do it now in my time before the opportunity is missed (I think). Luckily I've never lost my head literally, but sometimes I think I have lost it figuratively speaking. How easily I forget that the only peace I have ever truly felt in life has been when I quit the self-controlling aspect of my life and turn things over to God.  Unfortunately, my commitment to let God handle my circumstances soon fades away and off in the distance... I hear the lure of another turkey call. It's a call that for some reason always sounds so good to me that I cannot resist the urge to check it out one more time. I justify it by thinking, "After all this is new and different and surely God won't mind?" But..later, like the dog in the picture, I'm stuck...I'm in deep again! I'm depressed, discouraged, overwhelmed, and I'm having a self pity party thinking..."Way to go dummy!"  I'm sure that if that dog keeps acting like me, then by the time he is old he will end up in the trunk! Poor doggy!

A Christian cannot control his or her life. When we accept Christ as Lord we give that right up...He Is Lord! Of course if we want to eat and have shelter we Christians need to work, plan, and keep moving in life just like the unbelieving world, but we also are called to trust God to control and guide where we are going and even to trust him with the events that happen along the way. We trust though we often do not have a clue what he is up to in our lives and we trust as well when things look the worst. If someone tells you that the Christian life is all rosy then they haven't read the bible. God is God and we are to trust through the good and the bad...That is called faith! The good news is that we can make it through the tuff times with hs guidance and better days are ahead.

So if you are feeling sort of like the dog in the photo today just remember that, like the dog there in the back seat, you are not in the driver's seat. The picture doesn't show the driver, but we know who is really at the wheel of our lives. You know, if the dog had been watching and had stayed closer to the driver then most likely  he would not be in the situation he is in.  He would still wobble and fall occasionally along the way, but he would have made it home safely. You now...I'll bet ya that he was looking out the window at some turkeys and not paying attention to to his master when his the car stopped!  :-)  Where is your attention today? "Gobble Gobble"