The day after Christmas 2008...is here...

When we have regular days that seem slow and quiet...we are frustrated...or grateful or OK with it...when the 25th of December is slow and quiet...it does not seem right...yesterday was that for me...

We celebrated Christmas on November 28th since two of our three beautiful boys would be gone on Christmas day...

Yesterday, we set out driving for three hours looking for homeless people to give gifts to...the good news is...we did not find any on the streets of downtown Long Beach...we tried, they were in somewhere, hopefully having a warm turkey meal with pumpkin pie and sweet potatoes...

We also went to a movie, along with a million other people...we came home and read books, received loving phone calls from our boys and other family members...

We went to sleep...I was sad to leave the day...it was too quiet for me...I missed my mom...Bobbie Lee...she was with the Savior...I prayed to Him...she was in the real choir...I listened to many on TV...she was at the banquet table...I ate at Cocos...she is in heaven...

I am thankful for it all...because today...I heard about the man who went into a house dressed as Santa and killed 9 members of one family, out of revenge...he even shot a little girl in the face...she thought he was there to bring her love and gifts...she forever will be afraid...she forever will be scared...she will forever miss her relatives....she is in my prayers...

Christmas was here and now it is still here...because Jesus is here...He is with us...EMMANUEL...

"GOD WITH US"....God with the little girl....God with Aaron and Andrew...and Pete and Brandon...Sarah and Karen...even Kona and Kofax...God with Bobbie Lee...God with me....God with YOU!

I LOVE GOD'S WORD...HIS CHOICE OF THIS LADY TO HELP ME IN MY FAITH TODAY...IS AWESOME....RAHAB

Rahab HEBREWS 11:31 NKJ31

By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish . . . Rahab was not a descendant of Israel. She was a harlot from the city of Jericho, which God commanded Israel to utterly destroy.But because of her faith, all that was hers was spared. She also became an ancestor of Jesus of Nazareth, being the great-great-grandmother of King David (Matthew 1:5-6).

No matter who you are, or what you have done, there is hope for you. Through faith in God, and His provision, your life can be changed. Rahab asked that all her family and all their possessions be protected. This action evidently pleased God because Hebrews 11commends her faith, and tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6,31). JOSHUA 2:12-13 NKJ12 "Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since Ihave shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's house, and give me a true token,13 "and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters,and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death."

Note that Rahab asked for a token, a sign. They told her to place a blood-colored cord in her window -- representing her faith in God's provision of blood under the Old Covenant. JOSHUA 2:18,21 NKJ18 ". . . bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down . . . .21 Then she said, "According to your words, so be it." And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window. JOSHUA 6:23,25 NKJ23 And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel.25 And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father's household,and all that she had . . . . We should stand in faith just as Rahab did and ask for the lives of all our family members, and for all our possessions. Then we must "display the scarlet cord" in our windows -- the Blood of our Savior Jesus Christ.

When the devil comes to steal, kill, or destroy us, or anything that belongs to us, we must make sure he sees the Blood of Jesus. If a harlot, who had no covenant with God, by her faith received God's protection for all her family and possessions,surely as believers in the New Covenant established by Jesus' Blood, our faith can do at least as much.

SAY THIS: By faith, I place the blood of Jesus over all my family and all our property.

Today is a day when Christmas time is hiding from me. In my heart of hearts, I am struggling to celebrate. I still feel love for Jesus...who came to a weary world...

He can come to me today...

It is amazing to me how things change in my life so fast and so often. I wonder if everyone is the same. I seem to be made to move and change. I would like to stay in my cozy home...it seems I will not be able to...I am not so much sad about it as I am numb about it...it is still Christmas time...

Time for caring and loving and giving and singing...it is still time for smiles and hugs and memories and ministries...

it is still time for missing our moms, our dads, our sisters, our brothers, our nieces, our nephews, our grandmas, our daughters, our sons, our husbands, our wives, our grandpas, our aunties, our uncles, our cousins and our friends...you know...the ones who have already moved on...we miss them so much...

It is time for quiet and prayer and soft songs and gentle moments...and reading and movies with happy endings...

Christmas is the time for.....all of this stuff...Christmas is here...it has not vanished...it is here....I am so thankful...Christmas is Jesus Christ...."FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON. THAT WHOSOEVER WOULD BELIEVE IN HIM, WILL NEVER DIE, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE"...JOHN 3:16

I love God and I love People

"Sweet hymns of joy...in grateful chorus raise we...let all within us, praise His holy name"

Today was a great Sunday...the kids of Cypress Church are amazing...I love them...I love you Lord Jesus...

"FALL ON YOUR KNEES...O HEAR THE ANGEL VOICES...O NIGHT DIVINE..."

When someone truly loves Jesus...no matter what they have been through, or how much pain they may be in, they will act unselfishly.

I encountered such a person today. My new dear friends, Gary, Patty, Jacob and Jillian Painter will be observing the 2nd anniversary of Jenna, 's passing...Gary and Patty's 7 year old daughter who died 2 years ago Christmas Eve...Jacob and Jillian are the big brother (11) and little sister (6)...

Pete and I were going to have our 2nd annual Christmas Party next week...inviting our friends from Cypress Church...we had to cancel due to Pete's recent loss of his job...

Patty called me today and left the following message on my cell phone..."Hi DeVonna, it's Patty...we want to invite you guys to a brunch at our house on Christmas Eve...we don't want you to feel bad or pressured about not having you party because we know finances are tight...so we were thinking we could invite the same people and have it at our house..so you would not have to worry about it"...

WoW!...can you believe the unselfishness of this. Their daughter died on Christmas eve...she was 7...they are worried about Pete and I and our finances... and us feeling bad or embarrassed because we cannot host a Christmas get together...

This is Christ in action...He gave and gave and gave...no matter how much pain it cost Him, because He was worried about us...the Painters are amazing Christ-followers...I hope to be able to shine like they do no matter what the circumstances...

More of "O HOLY NIGHT" -

"Truly He taught us to love one another...His law is love and His gospel is peace"



Merry Christmas time today...I love people...I love God!

Today is another day of Christmas Time. I have time to listen to the great music, have some candy, pray and thank God for His amazing blessings....time to love, sing, enjoy and ya...Christmas....

O HOLY NIGHT.... a thrill of hope...the weary world rejoices...for yonder breaks....a new and glorious morn....

I LOVE THIS SONG....Christmas is the time for O HOLY NIGHT!

Christmas is the Time

Have you ever wondered why we get so busy at Christmas time trying to make sure we get it all done for Christmas time? It's is crazy when you think about it. We are running around, buying, decorating, performing, attending parties...all to "celebrate the season"...

There was a little song written several years ago for a kids musical called "Christmas is the time for Love"...

As I celebrate this year...I want to focus on using my time to love...love my husband, my sons, my family, my friends, and the children in my care at Cypress Church...most of all, I want to focus on loving Jesus...He is who "Christmas is the time..."for....Jesus Himself...He is who I want to take time, make time and spend time with...

"CHRISTMAS IS THE TIME, CHRISTMAS IS THE TIME, CHRISTMAS IS THE TIME FOR LOVE....CHRISTMAS IS THE TIME, CHRISTMAS IS THE TIME, CHRISTMAS IS THE TIME FOR LOVE..."
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! I LOVE YOU!