Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I had the most important Meeting of my day inside in the warmth of my kitchen and I received my Direction from my Instruction Manual by lamplight. This time of year is filled with family and activities and it’s this time of year that my business stays busy as the year comes to a close. It’s this time of year that takes more focus on equipping myself for the Season, so it’s this time of year that I am sure to take the time for me and my God despite the madness. My focus won’t just be on the birth of baby Jesus and presents under the tree. My focus will be on the only Way, the only Truth and the only Life and I’ll be sharing Him far beyond the manger. Isn’t that the way you see the season too?

It’s so easy to hoard this time of year for our own pleasure if we aren’t careful. We get busy decorating our homes with a tree and some lights and a multitude of other things, as if there’s a contest that we hope to win, and somehow the gentle beauty of the season is lost in the shuffle. The 3 wise men may have found their way to the manger where Jesus was born by following a beautiful bright star, but I’m sure the rest of the sky wasn’t lit up in bright, flashing colors in celebration. We’ll shop until we drop for our loved ones and we’re inclined to spend money that we don’t have to make the family happy; as if the more we buy for them the sweeter the season will be. But the 3 wise men KNEW that they were headed to meet their Savior and they didn’t bring a U-Haul to shower the King of all Kings with gifts. We’ll see a whole lot more of Santa than we will about Jesus in and out of our homes, and somehow the legend of a mysterious guy in the North Pole bearing gifts has out-shadowed the greatest Gift of all and the reason we celebrate this time of year in the first place. We’ll cook and we’ll bake and we’ll have more treats than any human could possibly consume while countless others will spend the season alone and hungry. Yes, we definitely heard this time of year for our own pleasure. I just wonder how that feels to the One who was born to die for you and for me?

I’m not legalistic and I KNOW how to have fun. I don’t believe for one-second that Christians are supposed to be broke and miserable. I’m filled with Joy for my King every day of the year, and when I celebrate Christmas with my family; it will be obvious that the day is all about Him and not about us. I’ll have a Christmas tree and I’ll put out a few decorations in my home. I’ll be busy making most of the gifts for my family and a few of my friends so that I can share a piece of my heart with them that somehow goes beyond pulling out a credit card. You won’t even find a HINT of that mysterious guy named “Santa” because we’ll be WAY too busy celebrating the birth of our Savior and giving thanks to the King of all Kings…our Prince of Peace.. our Wonderful Counselor and Almighty God for ALL that we are and ALL that we have and for the Hope that He brought to the world when He was born in that manger so long ago. I’ll have a lot of fun with my family (and a stray or two as the Lord sees fit) and this old farmhouse will rattle with laughter and love. We’ll exchange gifts and we’ll eat too much food while we give our time,our attention AND our Honor to the REAL reason for this season. I’ve got a feeling that the One who was born to die for me and for you likes it that way.

How about you?