Keeping His Presence Among the Presents – The Gift of Giving

You hear people say it all the time…”It is better to give, than to receive.”   It truly is.  It’s fun to receive, but it’s such a blessing to give! 

In fact, a gift I’ll never forget was a gift from my husband last year.   On Christmas morning, after all the presents had been unwrapped and we were saying one more round of ‘thank yous’, he said he had one more gift for the family.  It was an envelope.  Inside was a handwritten letter stating his appreciation of the blessings God had given us, reminding us how fortunate we were, and how important it is share our blessings with others.  Along with the letter was a check that would go into a special account to be used to help others as needed throughout the year.  He gave us the gift of giving, and it’s the best gift I’ve ever received!

Not only have we been able to give to others, we’ve also been able to pass on to our children the gift of giving by involving them in the things we do – and always remembering that it’s good to help others as we can, but…

The greatest gift any of us can share is the love of Christ, and that doesn’t require special funds.  That’s a gift all of us can give from our hearts.    

Merry CHRISTmas!

Renee

Keeping His Presence Among the Presents – Be nice!

I’m getting ready to go out into the crowds and craziness of malls, shoppers, and rude drivers today.  Before I do, I must arm myself with extra supplies of patience, cheer, kindness and grace – or my behavior won’t be too Christ-like!   Here’s a few verses from the Bible that will help:

Remember the Golden Rule:   Do for others what you would like them to do for you.  ~ Matthew 7:12a   (NLT)

Be cheerful!   A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.   ~ Proverbs 15:30

And one of my personal favorites for good behavior: 

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior.   Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.    ~ Ephesians 4:31-32

I’m also stocked up with lots of candy canes to give away!   (See the preceding post for more about that!)

One more thing…here’s some Christmas advice I saw in a gift store:   Don’t let your tinsel get in a tangle!

CHRISTmas blessings!

Renee

Keeping His Presence Among the Presents – Become a Candy Cane Crusader for Christ

“Whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory.”    ~ 1 Corinthians 10:31

It’s that time of year again!  Time to arm yourself with loads of candy canes and become a Candy Cane Crusader for Christ!

A Candy Cane Crusader for Christ is someone who gives out candy canes and cheerfully says, “Merry Christmas!”

I started this when I learned that many retail stores, restaurants, and business establishments were forbidding their employees to say, “Merry Christmas”.  I was appalled!   Since then, some businesses have gone even farther by omitting the word ‘Christmas’ from their ads and displays.  For instance, they advertise Christmas trees, but call them ‘holiday trees’.  What?!  Christmas is what it’s all about!

“Well,” I thought, “they can’t say Merry Christmas to me, but I can say it to them!”  That’s when I became a Candy Cane Crusader for Christ!   I started handing out candy canes and saying, “Merry Christmas!”   The candy cane symbolizes Jesus Christ, so when I share a candy cane, I’m sharing Jesus, too.

For five years now I’ve been keeping a stash of mini candy canes in my purse.  I give out as many I can throughout the day to those I encounter.  Often I attach a mini copy of the Legend of the Candy Cane.  Want to put a smile on the face of a teenager at the drive-up window? Give him/her a candy cane and say, “Merry Christmas!”  Better yet, give that person a whole handful and tell him/her to share them with the rest of their crew!   Cheer up grumpy shoppers and fussy chidren, reward kids you catch being good, and hand them out to your new ‘friends’ as you wait in lines. It always makes people smile, and sometimes it’s just what someones needs as a little ‘pick me up’. We keep candy canes in our newspaper box with a note telling passers by to help themselves.  I attach the Legend of the Candy Cane poem about Jesus on those.

One year our family gave out over 1,000 candy canes!  Most were given to With Love from Jesus run by Joy McGuire.  She and her helpers took them with her when she ministered to homeless people and people in shelters on Christmas Eve.  She fed them cups of hot chili, give each person a gift, shared the Gospel with them, and passed out the candy canes!   Friends from church pitched in and we donated over 3,000 candy canes to Joy to use for her Christmas Eve ministries.

C’mon and join us!  Become a Candy Cane Crusader for Christ and start giving out candy canes, too!  Remember, when you do you’re not just keeping Christ in Christmas, you’re sharing Christ, too!

Here’s the Candy Cane Poem about Jesus we attach to our candy canes.  I can also email you a page already typed with multiple copies of the poem on one page.  Just send me an email request, and I’ll respond with the Candy Cane poem attachment.

Look at the Candy Cane,

What do you see?

Stripes that are red

Like the blood shed for me.

White is for my Savior,

Who is sinless and pure.

“J” is for Jesus, my Lord, that’s for sure!

Turn it around and a staff you will see,

Jesus my Shepherd was born for ME!

 

Please let me know if you become a Candy Cane Crusader for Christ, too!   You can reply to this post or send me an email to ReneeMyers@carolina.rr.com

CHRISTmas blessings to all!