Christmas

Christmas can be a season of great joy. It is a time of God showing His great love for us. It can be a time of healing and renewed strength. You see, Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of the Christ child. God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to be born. His birth brought great joy to the world. Shepherds, wise men, and angels all shared in the excitement of knowing about this great event. They knew this was no ordinary baby. The prophets had told of His coming hundreds of years before. The star stopped over Bethlehem just to mark the way for those who were looking for this special child.
Luke 2:4-19* (NIV) says:

"So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 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.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."

Why did He come? Why did God send His son to this sometimes cruel and hard world? He sent Jesus to us so that one day, He would grow up to become a very important part of history. His story (history) is one of truth, love, and hope. It brought salvation to all of us. Without Jesus, we would all die in our sins.

Jesus was born so one day the price could be paid for the things we have done that are wrong. The Bible says that all have sinned. We are all born with a sin nature. We do things that do not please God. Through the sins of Adam and Eve, we have all inherited that sin nature. We need to have that removed. The only way is through Jesus. Jesus came so He could die on the cross for ALL of our sins. If we believe that Jesus died for our sins, we can ask Him to come into our hearts and forgive us. Then, we are clean and made whole. We can know that heaven is a place where we can go to when this life is over.

"But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." 1 John 1:9* (NLT)

We can truly be happy at Christmas! No matter what may be happening, we can know that we are His children. We then become sons and daughters of God. Heaven will be our home one day.
Look at Christmas in a new way this year. This is the year to invite Jesus into your heart. You will then have a "Merry Christmas." The joy and peace you will receive will last all year as you look to God for all your needs to be met.

Jesus Is The Reason For The Season! Rejoice!

Copyright © 2007 Martha Noebel. Used by permission.

How to make the holidays special

Here are five ways to help your loved one enjoy the holidays and make them feel at home:

1. Decorate for the holidays – Play holiday music while you decorate his or her room to set a festive mood. Perhaps you can bring some of your loved one’s treasured holiday decorations to include in the fun.
2. Plan a shopping day – For residents able to leave their skilled nursing centers,  plan an outing to help get their shopping done for the holidays. For those who are unable to leave, help them make a list of gifts they need to buy and take on the task of shopping on their behalf.
3. Attend holiday community events – Skilled nursing centers take special care during the holidays to ensure that everyone feels loved and celebrated by scheduling activities and parties. When available, join your loved one and share the experience. If your loved one is reluctant to attend or seems withdrawn from the group, help by striking up a conversation with fellow residents.
4. Visit often – Visits from family and close friends are always welcome, especially around the holidays when your loved one may be feeling a bit blue. Feel free to bring along children and grandchildren, as well as family pets. Residents are grateful to be around loved ones during the holidays and they appreciate the time you spend with them.
5. Write holiday cards together – If your loved one traditionally sends out holiday cards, take time to help write, stamp and ship the cards to family members and close friends. Also, be on the lookout for cards your loved one receives from old friends and put them on display.

Bethany
Inspired Designes
http://inspireddesignes.com