Christmas with the Kranks! Repost from 2012

Have you seen the movie, “Christmas with the Kranks”? It is hilarious!

With their only daughter away with the Peace Corps over Christmas, Luther and Nora Krank decide to “skip” Christmas and go away on a cruise. Their decision to boycott the holiday has the neighborhood in an uproar.

This movie is hilarious because it is so relate-able! I can identify with all of the crazy details that we can get caught up in over Christmas- the cards, decorations, parties, lights….losing sight of WHAT Christmas is really about. Sometimes we can become so overwhelmed with the activities, forgetting that Christmas is remembering and celebrating the birth of Christ.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions that I got from the book, "Redeeming the Season,"
is called “Gift with Purchase.” Our family spends some time together making simple crafts, like ornaments or jewelry. We make several, usually at least 10-20 items. Then, when we are shopping, we give them to sales clerks, thanking them for working during the holidays. We make sure to include a scripture and message of God’s love through the birth of Jesus.

The reaction of surprise and thankfulness of the clerks is so worth the effort! They love being appreciated.

This season, especially when you have the opportunity to spread Christ’s love with strangers, remember to keep Christ in Christmas. Don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed in the details, but remain in His peace. Help your family to bask in the gift of Jesus….His love, His peace, and His hope.

You don't have to be like the Kranks and try to "escape" all of the hub-ub by "skipping Christmas", but stay grounded on why we are celebrating- the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Treasuring..and Pondering...

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19

In this season of Advent....waiting and preparing for the birth of Christ....let us ponder upon all we know about Jesus. Let us treasure up all of the details of the magnificent story of His life.

Advent is "the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity (or birth) of Jesus."

Expectant waiting.....

As I bring out all of our Advent activities- the wreath and calendar and tree and playset- I think about Mary's expectant waiting....Creation's expectant waiting...the angels' expectant waiting....

We may take the month of December or the four weeks before Christmas to plan and prepare. But, I thought about how Mary had been planning for this time for MONTHS before....

The angel had visited her several months ago. By this time, she had already visited Elizabeth and helped her with the delivery of John. By now she may have already been on the road to Bethlehem.

Isn't it funny how we can focus on all of this right before Christmas......

But, I should be "pondering and treasuring and storing up"all year long the miracle of Jesus.

"Advent" isn't just a once a year attitude. This joy of Christmas should be practiced all year long. And, I will continue wait expectantly until Christ returns!

As I prepare during this Advent season, I have been trying to focus on Jesus and reread the Gospels.

O, Christmas Tree!!!!

You may have noticed that I posted on Facebook that our tree FELL OVER ON US this year!  When we finish decorating the tree, we gather pillows, blankets and hot chocolate and sit under the glow of twinkling lights, swapping favorite Christmas memories and wishes while we admire the beautiful lights.  Well, no sooner had we begun sipping and swapping when the tree SLOWLY fell over right on us!  It reminded me of this devotion I wrote several years ago....I love that God whispers to us through the hubbub of this busy season, teaching us lessons, if we are listening. O, Lord, may I always be listening to your sweet voice, teaching me, encouraging me, warning me…….. Give me ears to hear!
Well, we have had some problems with our Christmas tree this year.
We like to buy a live tree through the “Optimist Club” that helps the Boys and Girls Club in our city. We found the “perfect” one this year, and it is HUGE! Because we have a two-story entrance, we are able to have a tree that is very tall, and I would guess this year’s to be about 12 feet high. It took a looooooong time to decorate, about 4 hours- the lights, the garland, the decorations……… And, when we finished, Brian, the kids, and I gathered our pillows, blankets, and hot chocolate to snuggle under it, talking about favorite Christmas memories. The tree was perfect. We had taken our time and placed the decorations in the best locations. The lights looked great- Brian hit every branch! We had to go upstairs and hang over the banister to place the star on top. This year’s tree definitely was Christmas card material! We went to bed that night pretty pleased with our handiwork.

About 2 AM Brian and I were startled awake to a loud “CRASH!” As our fuzzy brains were trying to comprehend what the noise was (could it be burglars????), we both yelled, “the tree!” as we raced downstairs. There was our beautiful (huge) tree lying on its side. We wanted to cry! All the hard work down the drain! We had simply not taken the time to double check the base to make sure all of the posts were completely fastened tightly, and the weight of the tree had caused it to slide across the tile floor until it fell over. Somehow the two of us managed to right the tree back up. Brian tied it to the banister with a large rope and put weights all around the base to keep it from going anywhere. It was safely secured, but it was a mess! Thankfully, only two out of at least 50 glass or ceramic ornaments had broken. None of the lights had broken! But, the strands had fallen all over the tree, the wire garland was all at the top of the tree, and the ornaments were turned topsy turvey. The tree branches were smooshed down where it had fallen. The next day it took me about 2 hours to put it all back together again.

As I pondered all this, I began to see some pretty important life lessons. (Pride comes before a fall?) Actually, I thought about how I can look perfect on the outside, all my “ornaments” in the right place, lights and garland looking perfect, but if my relationship with the Lord is not secure, everything can come crashing down! More important than how the outside looks, is the base secure??????? It reminded me of when Jesus taught about the wise and foolish builders (Matthew 7:24-27). If I build my life on the foundation of Jesus Christ, I will be secure. If not, the “tree” comes crashing down. Jesus said, “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a crash.”

Father God, thank you for loving me. Thank you for teaching me these lessons. May I always hear your Word and put it into practice. May I lean on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ as my base. Thank you for reminding me that no matter how beautiful the decorations are- how much my life looks good from the outside, without my base firmly anchored in Jesus and your Word daily, my life can come crashing down! I love you, Lord! In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen and amen and amen!

First printed December 2007

Christmas is .....Hope

This devotion was first published December 10, 2008, but has so much relevance to a hurting world today with a struggling economy and so many people who have lost their jobs. Be blessed!

How do you feel this Christmas?

Joyful?

Peaceful?

Happy?

or...

Sad....

Frustrated...

Worried...

The past two weeks I have talked to so many heartbroken people.

Mary......whose extended family lost eight homes during the flood of 2008. As I held her, she cried on my shoulder, telling me how difficult this Christmas is. Not only is she frustrated that so much of her family is displaced, but also that her mother has Alzheimer's and doesn't recognize her anymore.

Jamie.... a sweet Sister in Christ, a member of my small group bible study. She is in her early thirties with adorable 2 year old triplets. Jamie has bravely been fighting cancer for the past year and a half. It has spread to her liver. As I write this now, I am expecting news today or tomorrow that she has gone Home to be with Jesus. Talking to her mother yesterday, asking her what our group can do to help, she sighed, saying, "I don't know. I have never been through this before."

Linda...... called telling me that her father just passed away. He, too, lost a battle with cancer. My sweet sister- in- law, grieving the loss of her dad, was also worried because she has a ruptured disc in her back, with shooting pain down her leg. She doesn't know if she will be able to fly to her dad's state for services.

I am sure you have your own Mary, Jamie and Linda in your life.

As I prayed over these sweet souls, I became so aware of the hurting hearts all around me. I have heard the statistics of Christmas suicides. I wondered why this time of year can be so depressing for many.

When a hurting heart watches holiday TV programs and commercials, the families are smiling around a dinner table...everyone happy. She can think she is the only one who feels alone....the only one who feels sad...who feels...let down about Christmas.....who wonders, "Is this all there is?" She shops (but cannot afford to), trying to buy all of the items that are promised to bring happiness.

Have we forgotten what Christmas is about?

Christmas is HOPE because Christmas is the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to bring hope. Immanuel, God is With Us. He knows our hearts. He knows our worries. He knows our loneliness. He wants to comfort, heal, and bring peace.

Jesus is the Light of the World. Jesus brings Light to this dark world. And, He wants us, as Christ followers, to share this Light with the world. He wants us to share this Hope to the hurting....to the confused....to the lonely.

Jesus never promised that we would live a pain free life here on earth. In fact, He tells us the opposite. "In this life, you will have trouble..." But, Jesus also gives hope because He continues by saying, "But take heart, I have overcome the world."

This world is not our home. We have an incredible, glorious inheritance that can never perish, a living hope, joy unspeakable, everlasting life when we return Home to live forever with our Savior. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him". We can't even imagine what God has stored up for us.

And, while we live our lives here on earth, we are promised LIFE and life to the full. We are promised that He is walking with us, bringing us comfort, peace, and joy....true joy that is not dependent on circumstances, but comes from the hope we have in Him.

This Christmas, be a Light. This Christmas, extend your hand of hope to a hurting heart. This Christmas, like Mary, sit at the feet of Jesus, basking in His love, peace, and hope.

Merry Christmas 2010!

May the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ bring you much comfort, joy and peace this holiday season as we celebrate His birth, life, and resurrection! During this beautiful season, we are reminded to put our trust and faith in the innocent baby born on that special night. We pray that Jesus will be the heart of your holiday, and that Christ will be the focus of your Christmas!

2010 proved to bring our family some big changes- some wonderful, some challenging and some very trying and sad.

We have entered the realm of parenting PRE-schoolers AND HIGH schoolers! Andrew is a freshman in high school and loves it (uh-oh….should we be worried?????). He played football for Linn Mar and really enjoyed it. Our youngest, Abigail began preschool, but since her older brother started “high school”, she was convinced that she, too, was in HIGH SCHOOL and called it that for the first month! As the youngest of 5, she really does think she belongs in high school as she tries to keep up with her older brothers and sisters.

This year began a new adventure of HOMESCHOOLING for the Berta family! Ashley, 6th grade, Aly, 4th grade, and Aaron, 2nd grade are all home with mom learning some great stuff (even some of it academic! Ha!) Seriously, it has been a wonderful, yet challenging school year with many valuable academic and life lessons being taught. Tracy has been in “7th Heaven” having the kids home. Brian finished the basement and made a beautiful school room and huge 7 foot desk for the kids. Tracy jokes that after 12 years of waiting for a finished basement, she would have homeschooled years ago! Ashley and Aaron are both “duel enrolled”, which means they go to public school for some subjects. Ashley, who loves music, takes orchestra and vocal at Oak Ridge Middle School. She is playing the violin. Aaron goes to Bowman Woods for gym and music. Both Ashley and Aly enjoy piano lessons.

The hardest challenge our family has faced this year is the passing of Brian’s dad. Les went home to be with Lord a day after his 85th birthday on November 18th. It was a very difficult and trying fall with Les suffering a massive stroke in September. We will sure miss him. But, we rejoice in knowing that we will see him again because of the hope and promise of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This year, we are especially mindful that Christ came to free us from sin and death. When we see the manger, we are reminded of the cross. Jesus made “ A WAY” in the manger….a way to overcome death and to live with Him in everlasting, eternal life. Jesus is truly our Savior, and as we grieve our loss, we are thankful that He is also, Emmanuel- God with us…with us to comfort us…to give us peace….to give us hope….to give us joy.

Our prayer for you, is that you, too know that Promise of our Savior and that you are reminded of the glorious riches to come.

May He bless you richly in this New Year. And, may the “God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him.”

Merry Christmas and Happy 2011!

Traditions

First Posted 12/15/09

Does your family have Christmas traditions? Do you remember the traditions you had as a child? Ashley has been completing a unit on Christmas traditions at school and I thought I would share ours with you!

Merry Christmas!

My Family Christmas Traditions
By: Ashley Berta

Every family has their own traditions. The Berta family is no exception. We do a lot of fun things in my family to make Christmas special.

A few traditions…….

One of our traditions is we always have a Christmas tree. First, we get a live tree and tie it to our van. When we get our tree home, we bring up the ornaments from our basement. We have tons and tons of ornaments. The kids pick out all the ornaments that belong to us individually. Like, if the ornament says your name on it, you made it, or someone gave it to you, you would automatically get that one without taking a turn. We call it “automatic dibs.” Then we divide the ornaments between the four of us kids (we don’t include my baby sister, Abigail) and we take
turns going to the huge pile of ornaments and picking one. After we’ve picked all the ornaments, and there’s not one left, we trade.

We play “shop.” If someone wants one of your ornaments, they can trade one of their ornaments for yours. But, you don’t HAVE to trade if you don’t want to. If someone offers a trade and you
don’t like it, you’d say, “No deal!” to them. Finally, after we like all of the ornaments that we have, we shout, “Ashley’s (or whoever’s) ornament store is closed!”

While the kids are picking the ornaments, Mom and Dad put up the lights and tinsel. Then, we put up the ornaments. When all the ornaments are up, my mom makes hot chocolate, and we
spread out blankets around the tree, lie down, and sip our hot chocolate. While we’re sipping our cocoa, we talk about what we want for Christmas.

Another tradition is we do “Gift with Purchase”. This is when we decorate plain ornaments, or make a small craft that has something to do with Christmas. When we go shopping we give it
to a clerk at a check out center at a store.

One last Christmas tradition is we sing at a nursing home. We get into our van and drive off to the nursing home. At the nursing home we sing Christmas carols. We walk up and down the halls singing.


Christmas Eve…..

During the day, we decorate Gingerbread houses. The boys make one and the girls make one. On Christmas Eve we put out some snacks to eat. We never really have a meal. Then we get dressed in our matching, fancy, and dressy Christmas clothes to take pictures. After we take pictures we head off to church. We ride around looking at Christmas lights after church. When we get home, we eat more snacks, and sometimes watch a Christmas movie. But we always have to be in bed early.

Christmas Day…….

On Christmas day we kids are so excited to open presents! But my mom always makes us wait for my dad. He's hard to wake up! We can’t just say “Come on, Dad. It’s Christmas,” and he’ll wake up. No! We have to jump on him, and shake him, and pinch him, and so on. But the way he always gets up is by Mom’s kisses and sweet talk. YUCK!!!!

But when my dads finally gets up, Mom is ready with the video camera. She tapes us as we all walk down the stairs.

Sometimes it gets annoying because it takes FOREVER to just get down the stairs. When we do get downstairs we sort out our presents and open them from oldest kid, to littlest (or sometimes
the other way around), one at a time. And all the way through it Mom is video taping it. For the rest of the day we play with our toys, or watch our new movies, or whatever.


So this is my family’s Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and a few of our traditions! Every Christmas is the same at the Berta’s house!

Like Ashley, one of my favorite traditions is the "Gift with Purchase," an idea that I got from the book, "Redeeming the Season."

Our family makes simple crafts like ornaments, and then we give them to sales clerks, thanking them for working during the holidays. We make sure to include a scripture and message of God’s love through the birth of Jesus. The reaction of surprise and thankfulness of the clerks is so worth the effort! They love being appreciated!

This season, especially when you have the opportunity to spread Christ’s love with strangers, remember to keep Christ in Christmas. Don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed in the details, but remain in His peace. Help your family to bask in the gift of Jesus….His love, His peace, and His hope.

Please take a few moments and join "At the Well" to see and SHARE some more Christmas traditions!

Give a “little Jesus”

This Christmas, give a “little Jesus” everywhere you go!
Shine the light of the Savior to everyone you know!
Tell everyone about this incredible Gift and His amazing love,
Share the Light, the Hope, the Joy and the Peace that only comes from Above. -Author Unknown

Greetings, all! May you be experiencing the excitement of Advent as we are preparing our hearts and lives for the celebration of Christmas!

I was talking with Andrew once when he was younger about his friends and his desire that they all would be saved. He realized he can’t “push” Jesus onto people, but has to “shine” Jesus, lighting the way to Jesus by his love, his actions, and his words to others. Andrew learned that he can’t just tell people, “You need Jesus or else you are going to hell!” (or at least, it may not be the most effective way). But, he has learned that he needs to first build a relationship with people, asking God to open doors for him, giving him the right words to speak, and giving him opportunities to share Jesus and Christian love with them.

But, what I explained to Andrew, is that we need to give people the “whole picture.” You see, Andrew is in a place of “I want people to know Jesus because I don’t want them to go to hell!” But, what I am trying to help him understand is that is only part of our faith. Yes, as Christians, we have this wonderful hope of the glory to come- we have the promise of Heaven and living eternity with our awesome God! Hallelujah!

But, that is not the “whole story.” When we have a relationship with Jesus, we experience this incredible hope, joy, and peace NOW, here on earth, no matter what our circumstances are. When we have a relationship with the Savior, we get a glimpse of eternity right here and now!

When we are walking with the Lord, we experience true LIFE right now, and it is amazing, wonderful, incredible, and wild! When people accept the Savior, they will not only “escape hell,” but they will experience never ending hope, unfailing love, abounding joy in any circumstance, and indescribable peace, even through life's most difficult trials.

Jesus is an incredible gift to share with the entire world!

"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they will see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16

First printed December 2007

Christmas 2009

Christmas Memories of 2009.......

Finding that "perfect tree".....


Waiting in line to see "Santa."

After the "work" of waiting.....reading the book that Santa gave them.
Gingerbread Houses........
Our annual Christmas Eve picture after church. Silly pictures after the 25 "real" ones Mom takes!

New Christmas PJs....all ready for bed!

The excitement of opening presents!

The "Reason for the Season"!

May I be like Mary

Psalm 37:5. “Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him, and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”

Listen to that relationship again- COMMIT YOUR WAY TO THE LORD, AND TRUST IN HIM AND HE WILL MAKE YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS SHINE LIKE THE DAWN!

Have you ever been outside at dawn? I love it! I like to get up early and walk in the morning. There is nothing more beautiful and magnificent than God’s sunrise. The sky starts out dark and begins to fill with a pink glow, and as the sun makes it’s way over the horizon, the light is brilliant with hues of red, orange, and yellow. The dawn is breathtaking. When YOU are committed to God, YOUR righteousness (from Jesus Christ) is breathtaking- it shines like the dawn. And your cause shines like the noonday sun. We all know how bright the noonday sun is. We bring out our sunglasses to shade our eyes from the brilliance.

Mary, mother of Jesus is a woman whose righteousness shines like the dawn and her cause like the noon sun. Dee Brestin says, “Mary, the mother of Jesus, was honored above all women.”

Mary was completely obedient, totally surrendering to God. She surrendered her will and her life for the Will of the Father. She offered herself to God.

Can you imagine?

Here she was a humble, young woman, not a queen or a person of power, but a simple young girl chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus! She was a virgin, not yet even married to Joseph when God asked her to surrender herself to His will. She loved the Lord and doesn’t hesitate to be his servant! You can tell she had been already walking with the Lord and that she had a loving relationship with him.

Listen to how Gabriel, the angel, greets her, “Greetings, favored woman.” Then the angel says, “God has decided to bless you. You will become pregnant and have a son and he will be called Jesus, the Son of God!”

Does Mary even hesitate in her response?

Does she argue with God, complain or start worrying?

Does she say, “What will Joseph think? Our lives will be ruined.”

Does she say, “Joseph won’t believe me or stand by me. What will my family say? My neighbors?”

Remember, she and Joseph are not married yet. God is telling Mary that HE will be the father of her baby, not Joseph. She is going to have to explain to Joseph that she is with child. Remember, she is a virgin. Obviously, she may have feared his reaction. She may have wondered how she would explain her pregnancy.

How does Mary react, what does she say? Does she start listing all of these very valid excuses of why she can not be obedient to God to the angel?

In Luke 1:38, Mary says, “I am the Lord’s servant and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true.”

Wow! What a statement of faith! She doesn’t even hesitate in her obedience. Even though Mary knows she could be shamed by her family and her community, her reaction is immediate. She could be stoned to death.

Luci Shaw says, “she staked shame against the will of God.”

Mary was passionately obedient, completely abandoned to God and His will and purpose for her. She says, “I am willing to accept WHATEVER God wants. May everything you have said come true!”

Can I say the same? When God asks me to take a risk in my life, do I answer so faithfully, so completely committed to His will? When His will is not popular with today’s culture, and I could risk my standing in society- my standing with your co-workers, my group of friends, with the other carpool moms- am I so willing to be the Lord’s servant? Are you willing to stake shame against the will of God?

Mary travels to visit her cousin Elizabeth right after the angel’s visit. Is she running awa? Is she starting to regret her decision? Is she second -guessing God? Is she starting to worry about what is going to happen to her?

No.

Mary sings, “Oh how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in God my
Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation
after generation will call me blessed. For he, the Mighty One is holy and
He has done great things for me.”

And do generations call Mary blessed? Oh, yes! Did God make her righteousness shine like the dawn? Oh, yes! And will the same be true for you, if you commit your way to the Lord? Oh, yes!

But, how do you do this? How do you commit your way to the Lord and His will for you exactly? How do you even figure out WHAT God’s will is for your life? What is God’s will?

Remember the words of Jesus in Mark 12 29-31. “The most important command is this- Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. Then, love your neighbor as yourself.”

When you love God more than yourself, more than your desires and ambitions, you are following this command! When you put others’ needs before your own, you are being obedient to God’s will. When you choose God, when you become passionate for the Lord, when you commit yourself to Him, He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, your cause like the noonday sun.



Father God, all praise and honor and glory to You! You are such an amazing God. We love You and trust You. Lord, help us flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." Help us, God to commit our ways to You. Help us to live our lives for You. “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” Please, God help us to have a completely obedient heart as Mary did. Help us to say without hesitation, “I am the Lord’s servant and I am willing to accept whatever He wants. Help us God to be a light shining in the darkness for You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Reposted from December 15, 2008

"Some Christmas this turned out to be..."

This is a repost from Christmas last year...

Did you ever see the movie, "Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas"? One of the short stories in the movie has Donald Duck's three nephews reliving Christmas day over and over. Until they learn the "true" meaning of Christmas, they reek havoc on Christmas morning. They hurt the family's feelings, ruin Christmas dinner, even cause the tree to fall, breaking all of the ornaments. In sad disbelief of the total disaster all around, the aunt cries out, "Some Christmas this turned out to be."

We expect Christmas to be "perfect." The decorations. The lights. The presents. The food. We expect it to be a Norman Rockwell painting.

Or....a Thomas Kinkade Christmas card...

Our Christmas was much more "Some Christmas this turned out to be" than Norman Rockwell or Thomas Kinkade.

We had gotten weather that prevented us from spending very much time with my family. What was supposed to be a whole weekend celebration of visiting turned out to be a few rushed hours spent with only part of the family making it due to weather. Hours spent planning and searching for "perfect presents" and anticipation to see their faces when they opened them were traded for the disappointment of leaving the gifts with relatives to be picked up at another time.

Brian had not been feeling well since Thanksgiving. So, with Daddy sick off and on, many of our usual traditions were not done this year.

My sweet friend Jamie passed away right before Christmas. Attending her wake and funeral made some holiday activities just seem irrelevant.

Illness struck our house. Many of the usual traditions were skipped because someone was sick. Even Christmas morning present opening had to be postponed due to the flu.

As I spent Christmas Day wallowing, praying, being angry with God, rebuking the sickness, asking for Jesus' healing....I thought about our message on Christmas Eve. The pastor had told us how his family had picked the "perfect" Christmas tree that year, but, even on Christmas Eve, that all of the "perfect" preparations were still not finished at their home.

He then went on to remind us that the perfect Christmas didn't have a tree, or decorations, or a fancy meal....the perfect Christmas didn't have Christmas cards.....the perfect Christmas didn't have fancy wrapped packages....the perfect Christmas had a humble baby in a manger that came to love and live and die for us. The perfect Christmas was when Jesus was born and His promise to all of us.

The "perfect" Christmas isn't about presents, but about His Presence.

In bed, Christmas Day, I thought about all these things....praying and pondering.

No matter what our circumstances. No matter what the weather. No matter if we get to "do" all of our favorite traditions.

Even if we "lose" a precious loved one.

These "things" don't "make" Christmas.

Jesus makes Christmas.

His gift to us makes Christmas.

His love makes Christmas.

The "perfect" Christmas was when a sweet young girl surrendered to her Lord and when her husband obeyed Him. They traveled to Bethlehem. There was no room in the inn for them to stay so they found a stable on the outskirts of town. Sometime during the night, a precious baby was born. A Savior. Immanuel. Messiah. A soft, warm, crying baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger. Angels glorified Him. Shepherds worshipped Him.

What a Christmas this turned out be! Hallelujah!

No room for Jesus....at WFW

First posted 12/09/09 Picture from Google from the movie "The Nativity"

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:6-7

Isn't it amazing that Jesus Christ, the Son of GOD, the Holy One, God INCARNATE, the King of Kings was born in a humble stable? He came as a little baby...totally helpless.....born in a cave with animals all around...not sterilized, not clean.

Born in a stable because there was no room at the inn.

I wonder now if the innkeepers noticed the star above the stable. Did they have an inkling of what was going on so close to them? Did they hear the angels singing glorious songs in the sky nearby? Were they disappointed that they had not made room at the inn?

No room for Jesus.

The Savior.

The Son of God.

And.....is there room for Jesus in my Christmas?

In the shopping?

In the decorating?

In the baking?

Have I made room for the Christ child in all of my celebrating?

It is so ironic that we need to "make room" for Jesus in the celebration of His own birth! But, I know if I don't purpose in my heart and my schedule to make room for Jesus, He can easily be pushed aside because of all the activity. I do not want to have an attitude of "no room here" for Jesus!

My prayer is that you, too, will make room for the precious Christ child. May He be the CENTER of our CHRISTmas.
Please visit the Cafe for more inspiration!

What IS the meaning of Christmas...at Laced with Grace

So, WHAT is the "true meaning" of Christmas?????????

Visit me today at Laced with Grace where I will be pondering this question!

Hmmmm.........

Click here.

I'm at the Cafe today!

BUSY...BUSY....BUSY...BUSY.....BUSY....BUSY......

Please stop by the Internet Cafe today as we are talking about having a MARY Christmas!

Black Friday....

(image from MSN opening page)

Do you go shopping on this most dreaded of shopping days? Do wake up in the middle of night to get out by 4AM (or, like this year as many place begin at 12 midnight the night before)? Do you scour the adds looking for the best deal? Do you feel exhilarated as you brave the crowds hunting down the items from your list? Does your list resemble more of a notebook, filled with times and items listed for each store, along with needed items for every person on your Christmas list?

If so, I am right there with ya! The above describes me to a T! I LOVE "Black Friday"! I LOVE this shopping day more than any other! I have no problem waking up, getting ready (no, I am NOT one who basically rolls out of bed and comes in her PJs). I do it all- hair, make-up, traditional Christmas sweater....

But, as we look for all of the best deals, let us remember what is THE best "deal"- trading our life of sin for His robes of righteousness. As we hunt for the "perfect" present, let us remember the Father's gift to each of us.....His precious and beautiful Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

And.....what a PERFECT day to shine the Light of Jesus and share the Gospel! Not only do I wear my cross and my friendliest SMILE, not only do I clothe myself with patience and grace.... but I make a point to shine of the Light of Christ to every person I come into contact with...

Which may mean you give up your spot in line to someone else. You may have to offer the last sale item to another. And, I make a point to share the Gospel with check-out clerks with a GREAT tradition we do every year- Gift with Purchase (from the book, Redeeming the Season).

day before Thanksgiving the kids and I sit down and make craft items to give away as gifts to the salesclerks. We usually make ornaments of some kind... I make sure to thank the clerks for being there for us (shoppers). And, I make sure to say, "MERRY CHRISTMAS"! The ornament always has a message of God's love for us. We have also done bracelets in the past as well. It is an awesome way to bring some joy on a very CRAZY day!

For another Black Friday post click here.

Happy shopping!

The most wonderful time of the year!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I pray you will be richly blessed as you focus on His bountiful goodness in your life.

As we approach the Advent season and begin thinking about the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I want to encourage you to take a look at Him again through the Gospels. I am trying to read the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, in this Christmas season. I began today in Mark and again am so blessed as I see the compassion and love of Jesus as He heals all who come to Him. I hope you, too, will take time everyday this Advent season to prepare your heart for Jesus, pondering His life, love, Words, and sacrifice.

Be blessed!

Waiting...I'm at Laced With Grace Today

With only one more day until Christmas Eve, my thoughts go to Mary. The couple was on their way to Bethlehem....one day away. Was she nervous? Did she wonder if she would make it? Did she fret about the birth? Was the journey hard...uncomfortable....treacherous....emotionally and physically painful? I couldn't imagine riding on a donkey being nine months pregnant.


With Christmas Eve only one day away, I think about my own "worries". Should I still attempt to send out Christmas cards? Do I have the "perfect" gifts? Will I have time to wrap? Should I still try to make cookies? Oh, we haven't made our gingerbread houses yet.....

As Mary contemplated giving birth to the Savior of the world, the Messiah, do we fret over silly things at Christmas? Have we become distracted by the details, instead of focusing on the Christ child?

This Christmas is very different for me. I am attending a funeral this morning for a beautiful 31 year old mother of 2 year old triplets. Jamie fought so bravely, so calmly, so peace-filled......

To finish reading this devotion, please click here...

Have a "Mary Christmas!"- Sit awhile at the Cafe today!

Tuesday-Aly's Christmas Concert at School, Wednesday-All-Church Family Advent Night, Thursday-Christmas Party at the "Smith's." Send out invitations for an annual Cookie Exchange at our house. Send out invitations for our Christmas party for Brian's employees. Send out invitations for Ashley's birthday party....... Wow! Is your calendar as busy as mine? AND- it's only the first week of December!

As we begin to jump into the Christmas season, and all of the activities that surround it, I am again reminded that I must keep grounded on what Christmas is all about- the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is so easy to get caught up in all of the busyness, the things on all of our “to-do” lists, the shopping and entertaining…

Please visit me at the Cafe to finish reading this devotion.....

Having a "Mary" Christmas at the Well....

Having a "Mary" Christmas:

Keeping "Christ" in Christmas with Practical Ideas

Do you find yourself stressed each Christmas, trying to "DO" all of the activities of the holiday, only finding yourself depleted and wondering if your family celebrated the true meaning of Christmas?

What are practical tips and ideas you can share that celebrate Christ and simplifies Christmas?

Thanks for joining us at the Well....it's been awhile since I have joined in the conversation. Life has been crazy here at the Berta house (and two weeks without a computer- ugh!). But, I have checked the questions each week, pondering and praying over them. So, if you are unable to write about this week's question, don't sweat it! My prayer is that you will take time to ponder it, though, and think about your own Christmas traditions.

Are there ways to bring Christ into these traditions? (Like the "Gift with Purchase" idea below that spreads Christ's love during shopping.)

Are there areas which need to be simplified?

Are there areas in which do NOT glorify God and need to be rethought?

Please share your own thoughts, ideas, traditions if you can.

And, please check out my devotion on "Having a 'Mary' Christmas" at the Cafe on Thursday.

I have personality of doing and doing- kind of like Martha. My sweet husband used to say "you're going overboard, Tracy." I said "used to" because, thankfully God has helped me in this area. I want to do it ALL. I want to be involved in everything! But, I know that I have to be careful or I will do too much, stressing myself out and my family.

So, I have tried to make choices of WHAT to do to glorify God. For example, I love caroling. The kids and I love to carol and have hot chocolate (singing is NOT one Brian's favorite things). So, we go caroling at the nursing home.

Each year I host a cookie exchange. I love to entertain. I love to make food, decorate, give out door prizes....About 4 years ago I began sharing my testimony during the evening. I serve my guests, making sure it is a wonderful evening, and then share what God is doing in my life. I try to invite new ladies each year, including how important God is to me. This is a fun way to share my faith with friends and neighbors.

When I send out Christmas cards, I choose cards that tell about what Christmas is about- the celebration of the birth of Jesus. When I write our Christmas letter, I include what God is doing in our lives, taking the opportunity to share our faith.

With the kids, I love to do advent activities as a family. Family Life Today has a wonderful book and activity called "What God Wants for Christmas." As we look forward to Christmas, we prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ. We watch videos of the Nativity story. We want our kids (and ourselves for that matter!) to remember that the meaning of Christmas is Christ!

For me, the most important thing is keeping my relationship with JESUS the most important thing of Christmas! It sounds so strange- I mean, after all, Christmas is Christ! But, if I am not careful, I can let all of the activities interfere with keeping Christ the focus of Christmas. I can become stressed and anxious, taking it out on my family! But, this is the time when I should be experiencing perfect peace and creating peace in m home. So, when I become anxious, I step back, evaluate what I am doing and think about what I need to take out of my schedule. I have realized that I can say NO to things and requests. (One busy year I even decided NOT to send out Christmas cards! It was a relief not to have one more thing on my "to do" list.) We don't have to do all of our traditions every year. Christmas should be peaceful and joyful!

So, my prayer for you is that this Christmas is filled with peace, love, and joy. I pray that if you become stressed, you, too, will take a step back and evaluate what is important and what could be taken out. I pray that you will bask in the peace of Christ, filled with His love and joy. I pray that as you celebrate His birth, you will be overwhelmed with hope.

Merry Christmas!

Black Friday

Are you going shopping today?

It's Thanksgiving night and I just finished getting ready for the big shopping day, “Black Friday.” I have my list of “must haves” and my plan of where to begin at 4 AM. I have gone through the flyers and found the best deals.

And, as I write this, I am watching one of the funniest Christmas movies, “Christmas with the Kranks”. With their only daughter away with the Peace Corps over Christmas, Luther and Nora Krank decide to “skip” Christmas and go away on a cruise. Their decision to boycott the holiday has the neighborhood in an uproar.

This movie is hilarious because I can relate to all of the crazy details that we can get caught up in over Christmas- the cards, decorations, parties, lights….losing sight of WHAT Christmas is really about. Sometimes we can become so overwhelmed with the activities, forgetting that Christmas is remembering and celebrating the birth of Christ.

One of my favorite traditions of Black Friday is an idea that I got from the book, "Redeeming the Season."

One of the ideas is called “Gift with Purchase.” Our family makes simple crafts like ornaments, and then we give them to sales clerks, thanking them for working during the holidays. We make sure to include a scripture and message of God’s love through the birth of Jesus. The reaction of surprise and thankfulness of the clerks is so worth the effort! They love being appreciated!

This season, especially when you have the opportunity to spread Christ’s love with strangers, remember to keep Christ in Christmas. Don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed in the details, but remain in His peace. Help your family to bask in the gift of Jesus….His love, His peace, and His hope.

And, if you happen to shop, please give a friendly smile and thank you to those salesclerks!

Merry Christmas!

May the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ bring you much comfort, joy and peace this holiday season as we celebrate His birth, life, and resurrection! During this beautiful season, we are reminded to put our trust and faith in the innocent baby born on that special night. We pray that Jesus will be the heart of your holiday, and that Christ will be the focus of your Christmas!

Well, this has been an exciting year! Our biggest news this year has been the birth of Abigail Grace on March 19th. As Ashley says, “Abigail is a little slice of heaven!” She has been such a blessing. The kids have loved playing with her and the girls have fast become expert diaper changers and bottle makers. It is hard to believe all the changes a baby goes through in a year. Abigail has two bottom teeth, is crawling around like crazy, says “da-da” and “ma-ma”, gives us “raspberries,” usually during the sermon on Sunday, snuggles and gives lots of hugs and kisses. She is very busy and we have nicknamed her “Grabby Abby!”

Andrew loves middle school, and is doing great. He enjoys his friends and is active with Scouts, confirmation, and vocal at school. Ashley loves 3rd grade. She loved singing at her school concert, is an avid reader, and loves to draw and write. The highlight of her year has been receiving her 3rd grade bible at church. Aly is having fun in 1st grade. She has developed quite a sense of humor. Andrew and Aaron are funny clowns, but Aly has a dry sense of humor. When Brian and I were kissing in the kitchen, Aly rolled her eyes, saying, “He-lloooo! Still in the room!” Both girls are also playing soccer. Aaron is a character. He is still a little entertainer, singing and dancing, showing us his muscles and his karate moves (don’t know where he “got” that- he has never taken karate!). His favorite movie was “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!”

Brian and I are doing well, too. We gave up tent camping this summer for an air-conditioned cabin with a bathroom. I told Brian he may never get me back in a tent! We enjoyed a great baseball season with our Cubbies and looking forward to next year! I began speaking again in October at women’s retreat in Naperville. I continue to write devotions on my blog. What a blessing it has been to meet many women over this past year, sharing the love of Jesus with

them!

Merry Christmas and a blessed 2008! May He bless you richly in this New Year! And, may the “God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him.”

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
The Berta Family