By Kim White There is a very high likelihood that you have sung, hummed or listened to “O Come All Ye Faithful” at some point during this Christmas season. I don’t know about you, but I rarely concentrate on the words to songs I hear on the radio or in a store. With that being said, I did find myself singing “O come let us adore him” as I was tending to things in my home. I entered into a caught off-guard, beautiful, Spirit led, kind of worship. It was brief, but powerful. It still amazes me that when I attempt to express praise to my Lord and Savior, that He turns around and gives me deep joy. He is forever and always giving!
The words of the song took my thoughts to the manger and ultimately to the Word. I suddenly needed to know if the line in the song, “O come let us adore him”, was straight from Scripture.We are told in Matthew 2:11(ESV) that the wise men, “fell down and worshipped him.” In Psalm 95:6 (NAS) we are told, “Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before our Lord our Maker.” What an incredible picture of adoration! For various reasons, we may not be able to literally bow down to Jesus throughout the day, but we can surely bow our hearts! As we finish off this year and go into the next, may we spend time being in awe of the fact that Jesus left His rightful place at the right hand of God and came to earth as a baby. Jesus, came into that which he, himself, had made (John 1:10)! And ultimately may our hearts be stirred and transformed by the Word found in Philippians 2:7-10(NIV). "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." O come let us adore Him!!! By Beth Calhoun I don't know about you, but sometimes there is a crowd in my head! Especially this time of year when there seems to be a lot of preparations for Christmas. I tend to be more like Martha who wants to serve people but sometimes focuses on what needs to be done and gets annoyed when others don’t help (Luke 10:38-42). This past week, the Lord reminded me of what is really important - His perfect love.
We have a Christmas tree in our home this year. By some people’s standards, it is not an ideal tree. There is a hole in the back, the branches are not centered with the trunk and a few of the branches stick out way too far. However, the lights, garland and family ornaments cover all of the imperfections and the tree is now beautiful! As I was admiring the tree one evening, I realized that I am like the tree - flawed and imperfect. Thankfully, Scripture says that God created me in His image (Genesis 1:27) and He makes all things beautiful (Ecc. 3:11). So, like the lights and ornaments covering the flaws and making the tree beautiful, His love covers me and love covers a multitude of sin (1 Peter 4:8). His love covers you. His love is perfect! HIs love is perfect in difficult times. This week, while trying to get everything ready for out-of-state company, (READY = trying to make everything perfect) I learned that one of our daughters has a friend going through a life-threatening situation. This friend’s one-year-old daughter unexpectedly became ill and underwent a liver transplant two days ago. At this moment, she is fighting for her life. This precious family is definitely not concerned about temporal things such as a clean house or Christmas presents. They are focused on their daughter, crying out to the Lord, their ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). The Lord is meeting them where they are and giving them strength as they sit by their daughter’s bed. This family is a light to the nurses and doctors around them. His perfect love is carrying them through this difficult and uncertain time! This Christmas, probably all of us will experience a loss or change. In August, a very close friend/family member passed away unexpectedly. None of us had a chance to say goodbye and we are still so shocked and sad! I need to show love and appreciation to every person God has put in my life. We are not guaranteed our next breath and one day it may be too late to tell them that we love them. So often, I forget this and get busy all over again - thinking of the things that I “have" to do - however, this year, I am trying to reflect God’s perfect love to everyone that He has put in my life for as long as He allows them to be in my life. Lord, in the midst of our flaws, times of crisis and times of great loss, help our thoughts be focused on You. Help us accept Your perfect love, depend on Your perfect love and reflect Your perfect love to everyone we see. Thank you for your perfect love and for being Immanuel, God with us! By Julie Fuller It is probably every church going girls dream to play Mary in the yearly nativity. I had portrayed just about every character from baby Jesus at six months old to a sheep. But my 9th grade year I reached the pinnacle of my nativity career, I was chosen to play Mary!
I was so excited in my white robe and long blue headpiece (why is it always blue?). I had one job, sit behind the manger and look lovingly at the baby doll in my arms. However, somewhere between the visit from the shepherds and the entrance of the wise men my headpiece began to slip off threatening to reveal an unsightly mess of blond curls. It got to the point that I had to do something so I carefully reached up to pull it back on, but it wouldn’t budge because I was sitting on it. So in a moment of panic I tried to make a little hop to free the wayward garment out from under my backside and in mr. I quickly picked baby Jesus back up hoping no one saw this little mishap, but to my utter dismay the first thing I heard when I got off the stage was “I can’t believe you dropped the baby into the manger!” I was never asked to play Mary again. Oh how I wish “dropping Baby Jesus” was just a one time occurrence! But the truth is every year I fight the temptation to let that Baby slip out of my focus as I am dazzled by Christmas distractions. I become exhausted after days spent decorating the house, hours shopping in crowded stores to find the perfect gift, baking cookies, parties, school programs, teacher gifts, church pageants, sending Christmas cards, the list can go on and on. To be clear; all of the different ways we celebrate Christmas can bring joy and create beautiful traditions for those we love. But if I am not careful I can drop what is most important – the Almighty Creator of the universe stepping into human flesh to become Emanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23). He humbled himself to become a helpless baby, born in a forgotten cave surrounded by filth and poverty to rescue me from the filth, poverty and eternal consequence of my sin. When I allow Christmas distractions to take my focus from the true celebration of Christmas, it only brings dismay and disappointment. But when I let the truth of Baby Jesus penetrate my heart all-else fades and my heart is filled with awe and worship. This is where I want to stay this Christmas; this is the true joy of Christmas. y distraction the baby rolled out of my arms and into the mange By Donna Brown My Mom loved Christmas. I have fond memories of Mom singing Christmas songs around our home as she did her household tasks. I remember her reading Christmas classics to me as I sat snuggled against her, so I could see the beautifully illustrated storybooks.
She loved shopping for her loved ones. She loved the special advent services at our church. She loved decorating our home. Our Christmas tree was always trimmed in blue lights, her favorite. She loved driving through our small town looking at Christmas lights. She loved making Christmas candies, especially fudge, and cooking for holiday gatherings. And she enjoyed baking her coconut cakes. These cakes were creations of beauty, a wonderful centerpiece for any dessert table. They consisted of two thick layers of white cake, layered with crushed pineapple in between and fluffy white frosting. Then the entire cake was covered with chewy coconut flakes. She would wrap the finished cake loosely in foil and chill it in the refrigerator. Mom didn’t bake just one of these cakes. No, she baked several. These cakes were her gifts to family, friends, and neighbors. I often rode with her to deliver her culinary masterpieces. I would watch Mom ring the front doorbell of a neighbor’s house and see their faces light up as they received Mom’s gift. Mom would smile in return, knowing that she had placed a gift of enjoyment in their outstretched hands. I loved going with my Mom on her cake delivery rounds. To borrow from the lyrics of “The Christmas Shoes,” by Newsong, “Mama made Christmas good at our house.” I think Mom loved Christmas so much because she loved giving to others, and isn’t that what Christmas is about? God the Father began this Christmas giving. Christmas was God’s idea and His purpose was giving. God gave us His Son, Jesus, at Christmas. God loved us so much He knew that we needed a Savior, so He gave. And as Jesus grew from that infant babe born to a poor couple in a barn, He spent His life giving. He gave wisdom in teaching us about who God is. He gave kindness and compassion in the miracles He worked. He gave friendship to those whom proper religious society shunned. And then He gave His life, the perfect sacrifice for a sinner like me. God loved. God gave. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NLT) This will be my family’s first Christmas without my Mom, she passed away this past May. She lived a good life of faith in her Savior, Jesus, and she passed on her faith to her family. She left a legacy of loving and giving to me and I want to do the same for those who come behind me. So, in the coming days of this Christmas season, I will be remembering my Mom a lot, and looking for ways to love and give to others, just as she did. |
Kim White
My precious husband, Bill, and I have been planted in Fort Myers, Florida for almost 35 years. As a newly married couple, God most graciously had placed people in both of our jobs to share Christ with us. Its hard to believe it has been almost 34 years since we asked Jesus into our hearts! Bill and I have been blessed with four children, 3 daughters, then a son. These blessings came quickly, all within 6 years!! During these years I'm so thankful I was able to be part of women's ministry classes at our church, helping me to grow in my walk with Him. Then came the day when I was asked that question that stretched me way outside of my comfort zone...will you teach a class? Its hard to believe that I have now been teaching more than 20 years. Bill and I love to travel, most of the time going to visit our 9 grandchildren, oh ya, and their parents! I also love reading, walking and hanging out with some very special young moms in Beloved that bless my socks off!
Julie Fuller
Julie is a Kansas girl who resides in sunny Southwest Florida. She's been married to her husband Sean for 23 years and they share two boys ages 21 & 17. She enjoys baking and biking, but her absolute favorite thing is snow skiing which is a little difficult to do in a sandy 80 degree land.
She became a follower of Christ at age 10. She loves studying and teaching God's Word. She has a passion for encouraging moms to love and follow Jesus. 
Beth Calhoun
Beth grew up in a loving home; however, in her early 20s she faced a very lonely time. During that time, she cried out to God and asked “If You are real, please show yourself to me!” God met her where she was and she trusted in the Lord Jesus at that time. Her life verse and desire is “no matter what happens, to conduct herself in a manner worthy of the gospel.” Philippians 1:27
Beth now resides in Tampa, Florida with her husband Larry. The Lord has blessed them by blending their family of five children. They currently have eight grandchildren and are hoping that there will be more grandchildren in the future. 
Donna Brown
Donna accepted Jesus as her Savior at the age of nine and has been amazed at God’s goodness and faithfulness throughout her life. She has been blessed to have had many mentors through each season of life, who have shown her what trusting God looks like. Donna and her husband, Bryan, make their home in central Arkansas. They have five grown children and are grandparents to wonderful grandchildren. Donna enjoys spending time with her family, laughing with friends (usually over coffee), going for long walks with her husband, and reading a good book (which may also be accompanied by a cup of coffee).
Sarah Spencer
Sarah is a true Florida Cracker. She was born and raised in Southwest Florida. At the age of 6, Sarah accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior, and she hasn't looked back since. Hebrews 13:8 is one of her favorite verses, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Eating delicious desserts, spending time with her family and friends, and teaching people about Jesus are a few of the things she enjoys to do in her spare time.
Sarah has been married to her best friend and husband, Brandon, for 7 years. They have been blessed with one beautiful, determined son, Asher, who keeps them on their toes. Sarah and her family live in the Tampa area. They love exploring their community together, family hugs, and eating pizza whenever possible. 
Katie Flint
Katie Flint just recently moved back home to Fort Myers, Florida with her husband, Ryan and two children, Collins and Madden. At the age of 5, Katie accepted Jesus Christ to be the Lord and Savior of her life, after attending Vacation Bible School. Through each phase of her life, God has shown her that He alone is trustworthy. The verse that has been her life source is Psalm 46:10- “Be still and know that I am God.”
She is a stay-at-home mom and enjoys exercising and baking. She has been married to her husband Ryan for almost 9 years, who is her high school sweetheart. They enjoy trying new restaurants, family trips to the beach, and relaxing at home. 
Marsha Sommer
Marsha grew up in a small rural town in upstate New York. In 2006, after finishing college, she moved to sunny SW Florida where she met her, now husband, Shawn. Together they enjoy spending family time with their two fun-loving toddler boys Zachariah and Kairos.
Marsha enjoys living an active lifestyle, which is helpful, considering that her favorite hobby is baking. Though she attended church as a child, Marsha was not saved until adulthood when her eyes were finally opened to the love and mercy of Jesus Christ. Since being saved, God has placed a loving burden on her heart to share the truth about God’s healing grace with those who may feel like forgiveness is not possible for them. Archives
December 2021
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