Jill of Most Trades

An interesting adaptation of 1 Corinthians 13 for Christmas. Enjoy.

If I speak in the tongues of Christmas materialism and greed but have not love, I am only a tinny Christmas song or an out-of-tune choir.

If I have the gift of knowing what Aunt Agatha will give me this year and can even understand last year's present, and if I have the faith that I won't get yet more socks and ties this year but have not love, I am nothing.

If I clear out the house and give everything to charity and my credit cards are snapped in half but have not love, what can I possibly gain?

Love is patient when the fourth store you've tried doesn't have a bottle garden.

Love is kind and lets the couple with only a few items go in front of you and your bulging shopping cart.

Love does not envy your friend who gets mega-presents from everybody.

Love does not boast about the expensive bike, the PlayStation 3, the TV, VCR, and computer your dad gave you.

Love does not attempt to out-buy, out-wrap, and out-give the rest of the family just to impress.

Love doesn't cut Aunt Flo off your Christmas card list because she forgot you last year.

Love is not self-seeking and leaves a copy of your Christmas list in every room of the house.

Love is not easily angered when the young girl at the checkout takes forever because she is just temporary staff.

Love doesn't keep remembering how many times your mom forgets you don't like Brussels sprouts.

Love does not delight in the commercial bandwagon but rejoices with the truth of a baby born in the stable.

Love always protects the family from Christmas hype.

Love always trusts that the hiding places for presents will remain secret for another year.

Love always hopes that this year more neighbors will drop in to your open house coffee morning.

Love always perseveres until the cards are written, the presents all bought, the shopping done, and the Christmas cake iced.

Toys may break, socks wear thin, but love never fails.

Where there is the feeling of the presents to guess their contents, and Mom going on about being good so Father Christmas will come, and searching through the cupboards to find your hidden presents, they will all stop.

For we think we know what we are getting, and we hope we know what we are getting, but when Christmas Day arrives, all will be revealed.

When I was a child, I talked with big wide-open eyes about Christmas, I thought that Christmas was all about me, I reasoned that Jesus should have been born more often. When I became an adult, I forgot the joy, wonder, and excitement of this special time.

Now we just hear about the angels, shepherds, and wise men; then we shall see them all the time. Now I know as much as the Bible says about the first Christmas; then I shall know just how many wise men there were and where they came from.

Now three things remain to be done:

- To have faith that the baby born in a stable is the Son of God.

- To hope that the true message of Christmas will not get discarded with the wrapping paper and unwanted gifts.

- And the most important, to have a love for others like the one that God has for us.

Copyright 2001 Claire Jordan (caleb@eurobell.co.uk).

Permission is granted to send this to others, but not for commercial purposes.

(Minor edits by GCFL.net)

 
Listening to tonight: Anchored in Love: A Tribute to June Carter Cash

ToDo tonight:

• finish supper dishes
• keep sorting toys on the patio
• catch up on Advent posts at our family site.
• go to bed early and try to kick this sore throat
• figure out what to put in the Advent box to illustrate icing cookies and drinking eggnog

ToDo soon:

• write our end of the year letter
• finish my list of 8 prayer requests for 2008
• Call/write a few dear friends
• get to the bottom of the pile on my desk

Recently acquired books that I have no idea when I'll read:

• In Search of the Source
• The Third Culture Kid Experience
• Right Wing, Wrong Bird
• Teaching Montessori in the Home: The Pre-School Years
• When Life and Beliefs Collide
• Raising Wordly-Wise but Innocent Kids: Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs for Modern Families

Books I am actually reading right now:

• While They Were Sleeping: 12 Character Traits for Moms to Pray
• The Hiding Place

Just a quick note to let you know that I have resumed blogging at www.rannebarger.net and wanted to invite you to follow along on our Advent Adventure. Experience tells me not to promise a daily post, but since I do have an easy (and daily) subject, that is my goal for the month of December. I also have a bunch of pics to post from our 2007 Stockdale Thanksgiving gathering in MO. You can look forward to those too.

And I look forward to your comments on anything on our site. Who doesn’t love feedback on their stuff?!?!

After so many months of nothing here, I just have to put up Something.

This is probably not the best evening for me to resume blogging. I feel tired (up late last night stalking Tupperware on eBay), ineffective (relatively trashed house), frustrated with the kids (what's with the YEAR of potty training?), overwhelmed by the Christmastime to-dos (The kids just don't get this - Is it Christmas yet or isn't it???) and rather worthless. Just so you know.

Since the minute I posted my last blog entry I have been composing new entries in my head.  Some really challenging, heart warming, insightful stuff. But you haven't seen any of it. What a slacker I am. Yes, I know I have two kids and all that. But is many ways, it all boils down to me just being a slacker.

Ooooohh. Galatians 6 comes to mind. Yes, Dad, I know the New Living Translation is the unauthorized version, but the Lord keeps using it in my life. Like right now.

4) Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5) For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

Ya. Need to meditate on this some more.

And I need to go to bed. Tomorrow will be no different if I don't get the rest I need. See you soon.

I hope.

I just have to highlight two women who's blogs are well worth reading.

MotherMary is a pastor's wife in Minnesota who recently endured the year-long treatment for Hep-C. Her blog is a great mix of random personal stuff and really-basic-but-profound truth that God is teaching her. The style can be a little jittery but I am continually challenged by her humble heart. Recent fantastic posts include thoughts on Psalm 142:5 and a tribute to Ruth Bell Graham.

You know when the title of her blog is "And I shall yet praise Him" that there is a depth of faith in Carol Feistel's soul. She and her husband Malcom were missionaries for some time in Taiwan. I stumbled across their blog just as Malcom was entering his last days on earth before passing into the presence of his Lord Jesus Christ June 22, 2006. Her writing since that time has been a tremendous example of fidelity of faith ("faith toughened by testing"). I am at a loss to express how much her faith has challenged my heart. Recent fantastic posts include Submission and Words of song to fill my heart.

It's so easy to get sucked into the zillion interesting (and gazillion worthless) blogs out there. It has been good for me to pare down the material I read. These two heroes of the faith are going to be staying on my permanent blogroll.

May I follow in their faithful footsteps.