Tickets For Two

By Christine Thomas

“Your Mom and I talked and we want to do something different for Thanksgiving this year.”“ Oh really, like what?” I said gripping the phone tighter. “We want to take you and Jim, and Joe and Amy, to the Cowboys game on Thanksgiving Day.”

My Dad’s offer was simple and appealing, but at the same time it put me in a familiar place, stuck between two good decisions. I twirled around the logistics of his offer like a Rubik’s cube. We were planning to spend Thanksgiving at my in-laws. If we accepted, my Dad’s offer where would everyone stay? Should I cook a turkey meal?

“Wow Dad, that’s really generous,” I said weakly. “Jim will probably want to go, but let me check and I’ll call you back.” As predicted, my husband wanted to go. He thought his parents would understand why we couldn’t make it. “Let me call my Dad.” I picked up the phone, and then set it back down. “Uh-oh, what about the kids?” If we were comic strip characters, we would have question marks above our heads. Realizing we couldn’t leave the kids home alone, and not knowing who would babysit on Thanksgiving Day, I insisted that Jim go without me. I could tell he wanted to say yes, instead, he made an announcement.

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A Profound Mystery

By Marty Norman

When I was a child my favorite books were mysteries. Nancy Drew was my all time favorite heroine. “Ransom of the Seven Ships” and “The Curse of Blackmoor Manor” were two of my favorites.

Every week rain or shine, my mother took me to the Skillern’s Drugstore parking lot, where the Fort Worth Library Bookmobile hung out for the day. Taking the steps up into the interior of the bus, I browsed to my heart’s content. Always in search of excitement, I combed the shelves for the newest book in the Nancy Drew series. I could hardly wait to see what she would do next. She was the bravest woman I knew.

Today I am involved in a much bigger mystery than Nancy Drew – the mystery of God. But this time a new chapter is being written every day. Just like my search in the Bookmobile, I can hardly wait to see what he will do in his next series.

A walk with God is a journey of faith, and there is no time better than the present to search out that journey, even when we can’t see past the next curve in the road. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (NIV) God’s presence is a mystery. It just has to be taken on faith.

Asking questions is the best strategy to grow faith. My grandson Strother is three years old. For him, everything is a why. “Why do lady bugs have spots on their back? …  Why do we have to go inside for dinner? … Whey does the water drain out of the bathtub and go away?” Everything is a mystery. 

Throughout time the mystery of God has revealed itself in a number of ways, in nature, in miracles, in God’s unexplained presence in circumstances. But the clearest revelation came two thousand years ago, on a cold, dark night in December. Everything was business as usual. Shepherds were out in the fields, guarding their sheep by night. 

Suddenly the mystery, a bright light shone around them. As they interrupted their usual routine, they watched in awe as angels, descending from heaven, proclaimed the good news. “Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11 (NIV) Immediately they left the sheep in the fields and went to explore this revelation.

One of the things that most amazes me about the story is that the shepherds left immediately and went to Bethlehem to see this thing that the Lord had told them about.

I’m not so sure I would have been so quick. Skeptical in nature, I would probably have drawn up a list of whys for God to answer before I left my flock and took off for Bethlehem.

But no, to Bethlehem they went where they found the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes just as the angel had said. The next part is even more amazing. After they had seen the child, they spread the word concerning all that had been told them. And the scripture says, “And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” Luke 2:18 (NIV)

The shepherds were messengers. Steeped in faith, they didn’t question the mystery of the angels. They just followed instructions and went to see for themselves. Then they told everyone what they had experienced. 

These men encountered a profound mystery. Who can explain why God chose to reveal the birth of his son to shepherds in a field. But choose them he did.

Would it be that more people would question the existence of God, and would search out the mystery of faith like the shepherds? Today there seems to be a resurgence of apologetics, of people asking questions such as “is there a heaven and hell…why do bad things happen to good people…is there evil in the world and what does it look like?” I have heard more sermons on the radio, TV, and church in the last year on these topics than I have heard in all the years combined. The world is searching.   

Perhaps, like the shepherds who were the Nancy Drews of their day, shouldn’t we, too, search out the mystery and be prepared to answer questions regarding this profound mystery.   

As the Christmas season approaches are we not called out of our fields and away from our flocks to witness to the birth of the savior wrapped in swaddling clothes? Are we not shepherds called to go to those in our fields to testify to what we have seen and heard? What better fields than our neighbors, families, and co-workers to tell of our encounters with the Messiah. We have an opportunity to witness by word, mouth, and deed to his divine presence in our lives.

Who knows why God has chosen us. It is a profound mystery. But choose us he has. There are no better fields than our families to explain why, to proclaim the profound mystery of the birth of his son this Christmas season.

You Really DO Have Self-Control!

By Cami Checketts

I often talk myself into making health-related mistakes. It’s easier to convince myself that I don’t have any self-control rather than make my taste buds suffer. For example, I say that I can’t stop myself from eating that bowl of ice cream. I can’t stop myself from baking another batch of cookies and eating snitches of dough. I can’t stop myself at a party because everything looks so amazing. It’s always nice to say I can’t help it or blame someone else. It’s easy to say it’s not my fault–it’s my innate lack of self-control. Or if all else fails, I can blame it on my mother’s sweet-tooth gene.

I am here to tell you that this is a load of garbage!

From this day forward, I am going to look at things in a different way: Because of Jesus, I’ve got more self-control than I know what to do with! He tells me in John 15 that if I abide in him, he’ll produce spiritual fruit in me. And when I look at the list of spiritual fruit found in Galatians 5, I discover that self-control is right there! That means that if I stay close to Jesus and rely on him, he will produce all of the self-control I need.

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Christmas is NOT in the SNOWGLOBE

By Stanley Leffew

Snowglobes have intrigued the hearts of men and women as far back as I can remember. And why wouldn’t they? Not only are they creative, they all seem to take on their own life and lavishness. Just one little shake and you can’t help but be hooked.

But I wouldn’t bring you over here just to hear a story about a snowglobe would I?

Great reasoning!

So what is this about?

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God Save Our Bathroom!

By Bob Kaku

Two years after we moved into our newly constructed home, we noticed hairline cracks forming in the tiles of our master bathroom­—all over the floor, shower walls, bath skirt, and even on top of the vanity counter. It looked like someone took a piece of chalk and drew lines on the tiles. The longest crack measured four feet and ran across multiple tiles. Where did these cracks come from?

“Lord, help! What’s happening to our bathroom?” my wife, Gail wailed.

I called the builder, and he came over to examine the problem. He squatted down toward the bath skirt and ran his finger over the crevices. “I think the problem is in the marble,” he said with a puzzled expression. “I’ll get back to you.” But we never heard back from him.

“It looks like we’re stuck since we didn’t extend the home warranty,” Gail lamented. “Who would have ever thought a new house would have such problems!”

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