"Joy to the World"

I read a devotional yesterday that included this Christmas hymn. It reminded me to focus on Christ and accept His joy in my busy, stressful, scary circumstances.

This morning (waaaaaaay too early, I might add) I had a little day surgery. It was short and sweet...and it seemed even shorter since I was asleep for almost all of it. Everything went fine, and I have to take this opportunity to brag on John. He is really the greatest husband in the world. That is not up for debate, so no comments. :-)

He went with me this morning and stayed at home today to take care of me (ya know, just to make sure I don't go to sleep and slip into a coma, operate a chain saw, or suffer any other such serious after-effects from anesthesia).

After eating some breakfast (finally!) I went back to our bed to take a nap. John left a funny get-well card on my pillow (because laughter is the best medicine, right?), and when I turned back the covers I found a bag of Dove dark chocolate (OK, maybe chocolate, the dark variety of course, is really the best medicine)!

I guess maybe all this doctor stuff could have taken place at a better time of year, like maybe not during the weeks leading up to Christmas, but I got some emails today just in time to remind me of how blessed I really am and how so many of the trappings of the season are just not important.

(And is that not THE longest sentence in the history of the world?!?)

If, for instance, you can't think of the perfect gift to get that hard-to-buy-for family member, why not buy them a concrete block? Mission Waco and World Hunger Relief, Haiti are working together to rebuild a damaged elementary school in Ferrier, Haiti for children whose families live on less than $1/day. One concrete block for the school is only $2. Here's a break-down of other needed materials:

1000 cement blocks @ $2/block= $2000
7 loads of sand @ $100/load= $700
300 bags of cement @ $7.50/bag= $2250
10 men for work per day for 20 days @ $200/man= $2000
600 steel rods (3/8 + ½) @ $4/rod= $2400
25 buckets of paint (5 gal.) @ $50/bucket= $1250

You can send donations in someone's name to:
Mission Waco
Haiti School Repair Project
1315 N. 15th St.
Waco, TX 76707

Or donate ONLINE.

Another option is to donate in someone's name to one of Compassion International's many successful, far-reaching projects.

Maybe you care about low-income pregnant mothers and unborn babies. Why not make a donation to your local crisis pregnancy center? Don't know if there's one near you? Just enter a zip code here and you'll get a list of names and addresses closest to you or your loved one.

With regular charitable donations sure to be down this year and next, giving a donation rather than the chotchky that ends up in a closet is sure to make a huge difference to any of the organizations you or your family members care about and support.

(I've even tried to make it super easy by giving you links that go directly to some donation pages.)

Anyway, it's nice to have my thoughts taken off myself today. Sometimes we need a reminder that our frustrations, fears, hurts, and issues - while totally real and important to us - belong in the big picture. And there's a loving God who has that big picture all in his hands.
I even got a Christmas reminder from a ministry we support in my email today. It was well-timed.

Work of Christmas Begins

When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
then the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal those broken in spirit,
to feed the hungry,
to release the oppressed,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among all peoples,
to make a little music with the heart...
And to radiate the Light of Christ,
every day, in every way, in all that we do and in all that we say.
Then the work of Christmas begins.
-- Howard Thurman, adapted