Merry, Merry Christmas, Siestas!
Greetings this glorious, cold December 25th in the Name of our Savior, Jesus Christ!
Celebrate with Amanda, Melissa, and me and all your Siestas around the world this revolutionary truth:
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. From this fullness of His grace we have ALL received...
...ONE BLESSING AFTER ANOTHER. John 1:14,16 NIV
When you get a moment over the next day or two, share one very SPECIFIC way God blessed you this wonderful day. It would be so fun for us to name our cities so we can be reminded once again how we stretch over this globe.
Oh, Sisters. We love you so much.
Beth
posted by Beth @ 8:51 AM
688 Comments
688 Comments:
My blessing this day is my family which inclues Beth, Amanda and Melissa and your familes and all the Siestas and their familes throughout the world. God has been so gracious to my family and my extended family this year and I give him all the praise and glory for all the wonders of this life and world and the last year!!
Merry Christmas
GG2002/Judy Baggett
Irving, Texas
My husband blessed me by giving me your new book/gift set, "So Long, Insecurities"! Can't wait for it to arrive! Merry Christmas!
Jennifer
Angola, IN
This is a tough Christmas. You see, over Thanksgiving, I lost my baby to a miscarriage. But Siestas, I am BLESSED! My child is with Jesus right now. And he or she has got friends to show them around -- the children of the women who have reached out and held me through this. And when I get there, we're gonna get to know each other.
Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow Is 1:18b
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Ps 51:7
God has blessed me with a White Christmas here in North Texas. At 48, I had never seen one. What a blessing to be snowed in. I love it, I love it.
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
I volunteer in a young life program and this December one of my girls just got Jesus..first time..exploding all over facebook about how great He is. The perfect Christmas gift.
Canton Ohio
My ten year old son was sick and the hospital most of November with a very scary pneumonia. We are filled with joy to be together, at home, today. Our son is healthy and healed and we praise God for that and for His son and gift of salvation!! (And for your restored health, too Bethie!!) God bless all of you this Christmas and in 2010!!! JoLynn, DuBois PA
spending time with my family (two college kids at home along with other son and husband)exchanging gifts and reminiscing about past Christmases and events ~ our shared history!
Murrayville, GA
The LORD has given me this day peace in my home, a family who love seach other tremendously, and the love of our Savior to hold us all together in His hands.
Thank you, JESUS!!!
Greensboro, NC
Merry Christmas Beth and Family! God has blessed my family so much, and today as my 10 yr. old read from the Bible about the birth of Christ, I felt so blessed to remember how God has rescued my husband and I from generations of broken families, and has given my children two parents who love Jesus and love them. He has blessed me with the hope that nothing is impossible with Him and that His gift of grace to us is beyond measure.
Laurie T.
Richmond, ME
I was reunited with a dear old friend that I have lost touch with for so many years! Those are the best kind of gifts!!
Merry Christmas Moore family and wishing you a complete recovery,Beth!
Lots of love and prayers sure help and we know you are surrounded by both!
Douglasville, GA
Despite the weather, we made it safely to visit our family. We have food to eat and family to share it with. God is good.
Merry Christmas from Iowa!
I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas from Coronado, CA. Thank you for your faithful and wonderful ministry that has touched my life in so many glorious ways. God be praised. Love forever, Karen Sharman
My sweet man and I just got home a little while ago. We went to the WAFFLE HOUSE for breakfast this morning with the intention of BLESSING whoever the Lord sent to wait on our table!
My husband had saved all his one-dollar bills this year in a big old jar. We got them out this morning and that was our tip for the waitress!
The Lord sent a sweet older Black woman named Katie. She was precious. I could hardly wait for the bill to come! When we gave her the money, she hugged our necks and said it would help her family because she is helping her grandchildren.
We told her that we gave because Jesus gave to us.
It was SO MUCH FUN! We left so full, and not just full of grits, eggs, bacon (and raisin toast - yum!), but FULL OF THE JOY OF GIVING!!!
Merry Christmas Siestas!
I love y'all so much.
I love you Beth Moore - you and your entire family!
Your Friend,
GJ
Hawkinsville, GA
After getting to spend 6 days with my son & his daughter (my granddaughter) her at my house...they called early this morning to say "Merry Christmas...I love you...and guess what Santa brought?"
That's my blessing for today!! (among many others, I'm sure, God will lavish upon me!)
Blessings to you all!!
God has blessed me immeasurably with my husband, children, and grandbabies! I grew up in a very disfunctional family full of abuse, alcoholism, and divorce. My prayer many years ago was that God would break that ugly legacy with a legacy full of Grace and Truth...and He did!! 38 yrs of marriage, 3 beautiful kids with 3 beautiful spouses all serving the Lord, and 8 gorgeous grandbabies...yes, God is good and He is faithful! Thank you Jesus for YOUR Legacy!
The Woodlands, TX
Mammy
With my husbands new job came a move to a new state. We have five children in a very small rental house. (sort of feeling like little house on the prairie) But, we feel cozy, close, and blessed to be employed. We are Hoosiers at heart, but are discovering the 'Wild Wilderness' of West Virginia!!
I don't know if I can narrow it down to one. I am listening to the sounds of my family playing a game together as I savor the smell of the ham baking in the oven. I am reflecting on the morning and my husband reading Luke 2. I still can't get over it. Who am I??? That He would become flesh and dwell amoung us with the very intention of saving that which was lost. Each year my heart becomes more tender as the story is read and the reality of what He did for me sinks in. The last few holidays here have been tough but He has been sooo faithful even when I have been faithless. Merry Christmas Beth. Thanks for being such a faithful servant. Have a blessed holiday.
Denise Grove
Elizabethtown, PA
My husband, Steve, is a firefighter and is working today, Christmas Day, as is customary from time to time according to his schedule. He would have to leave very early (7:30am) for work. Our plan was for our family (we have 4 boys) to get up at 6:30am and open all the gifts with them, eat breakfast and then dad would leave at 7:30. Well, yesterday, a fellow firefighter called and said he would stay a little longer at the fire station and cover Steve's time so he could spend a little more time with his boys on Christmas morning! That half an hour was a blessing for all of us and we didn't have to rush too much on Christmas morning.
Merry Christmas to you all with love,
Amy W
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Joplin Missouri
I have been blessed because He loved me!
One blessing this year is that my kids are finally getting that Christmas is not all about the presents and Santa... When I was little that is what it was all about.
For the last several years my husband and I have tried to teach the kids about the real meaning of Christmas...Jesus. In that process I have truly come to know what Christmas is all about too.
One other thing, my middle son is eight and he was so excited that he got his first real Bible (not a little kid one). That warmed my heart and soul.
Merry Christmas to all!!!
Love, Kim from Illinois
I memorized my 24 Scriptures with you all year (and posted all 24 times!) but with 5 little kids to make arrangements for and a flight from Minnesota, the cost of lodging plus a one income family, I knew I couldn't afford to go to the celebration with you in January . . . but this morning my husband surprised me with news that he really wants me to be able to go (even though it will still be a HUGE financial stretch) and made the arrangements for me as a Christmas gift. What a blessing! I can't wait!
Merry Christmas!
Shana in St. Paul
God bless you and your family, Beth! I am new to your blog, but have hopped around on it a few times and found your recent medical scare. God is so good. I am so glad we're in HIS capable hands.
Merry CHRISTmas to you all at LPM from a snowbound siesta in North Central Texas.
I was tempted to wallow in self pity this glorious morning because of the fact that I awoke to another christmas alone...but alas, God woke me early to spend some special time with Him as the sun rose. I am thankful for the fact that He NEVER leaves me or forsakes me and that He DELIGHTS in me! I may be a bit lonely this Christmas but I am NOT ALONE! Praise God!
Bethany
Merced, California
The LORD blessed me this day to spend time with my Mom, Grandma, and Papa. The older I get, the more that I realize how quickly time goes by, so I am especially grateful this day for sweet memory-making and laughter-filled moments with them. Family is a blessing.
Danielle
Atlanta, GA
P.S. See you at Passion 2010!!!
This cold Christmas morning I am praising God for four children who love Jesus. God's grace is so overwhelming! I'm also thanking God for you, Beth. Doing your Bible studies with my daughters & daughter in law is a joy that is hard to explain. Bless you & your precious family as you continue to heal.
Love, Jamie
Glen Carbon, IL
This has been a difficult year for me going through a divorce, dealing with all the emotions, buying a home on my own, and learning to do so many things by myself. I've done alot of talking TO my heavenly father this year and have witnessed first hand his abundant grace and provision and love. Today, on His birthday, I plan to be quiet and LISTEN to Him - that is so hard sometimes, just to be quiet in my heart, mind, and voice. Merry Christmas to you Beth, and Happy Birthday Jesus! I'm so glad you came!
Monica
Littlestown, PA
God blessed me this year by giving me my mom back. My dad died several years ago in a plane crash and my mom was so depressed and started to drink and isolated herself from us.
My sister shared the gospel with my mom a few months ago and my mom asked Jesus to be her Savior. She has been going to church, reading her Bible and praying daily.
So thankful to the love of Christ that transforms lives OVERNIGHT!
Grace..limitless, grace. Also patience. He has been so patient with me.
Leah
Blairsville, GA
The fellowship of other brother's and sister's even though we are so far from family, much needed! Indonesia.
One of the most beautiful blankets of snow for this 'His' day! Thank you, Jesus!
Beth,
I woke up this morning around 5:30 thinking that my children, who got up at 3am last year would be up soon after. They didn't this year. They slept in. So did my husband.
And so I lit the tree, started the coffee pot and thanked God for His indescrible gift.
As I looked at each and ever Christmas ornament, the music on my iPod shuffled to these lyrics:
"This is our God,
Living and breathing.
Call Him courageous,
Relentless, and brave.
This is our God,
Loving and reaching,
Scandalous mercy
And mighty to save.
Hallelujah! This is our God!
Hallelujah! This is our God!
Hallelujah! This is our God!
Sing praise."
And I was undone and so thankful for a quiet morning this Christmas morning.
"Scandalous mercy and mighty to save." I needed to hear that from Him today.
Have a blessed day, my sister in Christ.
Blessings,
Dori
God blessed me with a husband who just took all four of our children (10, 8, 5 & 3) out to play in the 8 inches of snow we got last night!
Me? I'll be inside nice and warm waiting to serve them hot cocoa when they return. :)
Wow, first commenter! God is so good! He has provided so much for us the past couple of months while my husband what out of work. He provided rent money, food from friends, and support from Family! He is so good and faithful! Happy Birthday Jesus!
Through His marvelous love, which I learned by listening and studying His word, (which much of came through LPM), for the first time in my 52 years I have not woke up with that empty longing on Christmas morn that something was missing. The love and wonder of this day that everyone always talked about is something I can have everyday if I just keep my eyes on Him.
Sonoma, CA
I am with my family today. So many are not for differing reasons.
Also safety and salvation.
God continues to Bless me with a wonderful husband, tow amazing children, and an incredible body of Believers with whom we serve and worship. Thank you Jesus!!
It's a white Christmas here in Dallas, Texas! The first one since 1926. Thank you God. It's beautiful!
Blessed me with an awesome family! And a Savior who has Redeemed me. Waiting between the Advents,
Wendy
Oh, Jesus, let me count the ways!!! They are innumerable. But one specific one is that God provided for my children and grandchildren to be here in our beautiful new home on a very grand and glorious day. It was so full of fun and love that I could hardly stand it. Thank you to THE ONE AND ONLY!!!
God has blessed me today by allowing me to be with my family after a week of illness in our house and questions of whether or not we'd be able to travel. I was praying SO hard that we'd be well and that we wouldn't miss out on the one time of year we can count on being all together...if we're healthy. And we ARE! Praise God!!
God has blessed me richly by restoring and reconciling my marriage this December. We were headed for divorce, I'm talking papers drafted and ready to sign, when God did a transforming thing. He has worked mightily in the heart of my husband and in me!
Leslie Ruth
Chattanooga, TN
Merry Christmas Beth!!
God out did Himself this Christmas!! One specific way...my sons had a wonderful time with their father on Christmas Eve, and that had not happened in 12 years AND God is turning their father's heart back toward his sons!!
ONLY God!! I love Him!
Much love,
Patty W. (East Tennessee)
Hi Moore Family + Women of Faith around the world,
On this cold Christmas day, I sit at the desk in my hotel room in snowy Madison, Wisconsin, aka Badger Country! My husband and I drove from Denver. I have been coming to this location for 19 years (since I was 7) to gather with my side of the family from all over the states. It is my husband's second time experiencing the Balfour/Goodell christmas!
It's just past 11 in the morning + we just returned from opening gifts with my parents in their room. My husband, Noah, is to my left, on the other side of the bed, wrapping my Christmas present. He said, "I have some more wrapping to do, so don't look!"... So I came online while he wraps. You can imagine him hiding on the other side of the mattress, bending down as he noisily tapes pretty paper around gifts. I can barely see the top of his head.
Today you asked us to share what God has done today. For me, I am blessed to be here with family. Each trip here is a gift.
As a military kid growing up, we had no continuous consistency in our life, but for this holiday tradition of gathering with everyone once a year. Same people. Same hotel. Same foods. Same old family jokes. Same stories. Same cousins playing the piano and guitar throughout the days. Same advent candle service at my aunt's. Same midnight candlit service at a local church. Same hill to sled down. Same ice-skating rink to skate at. I am blessed to have this extended family and all our traditions.
Best of all, I am able to reflect on the truth of Christmas with this family, especially my cousins—standing side by side at the candlelight service at midnight, holding our candles up high. The lights burn steadily, as the congregation looks around to see what it looks like when we each shine the light of Jesus. It creates a strength, a glimmer in the darkness, a unified message to the world around us. My cousins and I exchange smiles. Our arms are wrapped around each other, and I want to cry at the depth of love I have for them and they have for me. Today I am thankful for these people, for a God who made them and placed them in my life. For the cousin, Alex, who was adopted from Vietnam. For Molly, who was adopted from China. For Eric, Jenny, and Heidi—siblings who's love for Jesus is evident in the way they love. The way they serve and give. I am thankful for role models + family that accepts me where I am while lovingly encouraging me toward righteousness. <3
For me this Christmas season has been different, quieter. When you live life as outloud as I do sometimes you forget to appreciate the silence it sometimes takes to ponder the blessings of the year. My blessings came one by one as my phone beeped begining about 6:30 a.m. with one text message after another just simply saying merry Christmas. It was then that I realized how richly I am blessed with friends and family that I get to walk life's ups and downs with day in and day out. I am cherishing the silence today to remember the Word made Flesh and the promise he brought with him.
Merry Christmas Siestas!!
Carrie,
New Orleans, LA
This holiday is different. I usually suffer from depression from about the middle of November to January. This year - I'm not. This has been an incredible year of growth in the Lord for me! It's wonderful!God is good!
Julie
Gainesville, GA
God has Blessed me in SO many ways. But this morning on this Day of our Saviors' Birth, God blessed this mom with the gift of LOVE from my girls. They were more excited for me to open the gifts that got me more than the gifts we got them. They insisted that I open my gifts first BEFORE theirs. If you have teenage girls and an almost 8 yr. old, then you will understand. Especially with teenagers...we have had a rough time lately and I have questioned myself as a mom with many tears. What a wonderful gift on this day! (The best gift a MOM could receive from her girls.) They were so precious with their LOVE towards me and telling me how much they love me! What a wonderful way for God to show HIs grace and His love for all of us.
love y'all
Tina from Houston,TX
My family sits here humbled yet blesed to have our house sparred when so many in our neighborhood in Crowley Louisiana were destroyed in a tornado on Christmas Eve.
about 4 years ago today while doing Jesus the One and Only, John 1:14,16 hit me like a ton of bricks. I had no idea that it was out of His grace that we received one blessing after another. I remember just staring at that page in my bible as those words leapt off of it. Much has happened over the last four years, last year at this time was one of the darkest times in my life. As I sit here amid the Christmas morning mess while the rest of the family is down for their naps, I have never in my life been so overwhelmed by God's grace. He has revealed so much of Himself to me in this last year and I feel freedom I have never felt before, freedom that comes only from His grace and mercy. To log on to this blog and see those scriptures again was a beautiful way to come full circle on my journey and end up in a very different place from where I began. Thank you Jesus - Katie (Lynchburg, VA)
My daily Bible reading this morning was Isaiah 61, which perfectly describes everything Jesus came to do for us. Just reading that in itself was an awesome blessing!
Also, it's been a gorgeous white Christmas down here, and I'm snowed in with my family, just baking sugar cookies and hanging out having fun! =)
Everything has felt peaceful and simple, and I love that.
~Lindsey, Jenks, OK
My husband and I have been blessed with 2 beautiful children. They were both adopted on the same day, just one year apart. God is so awesome. The most humbling part is that He chose us for them and them for us even before time began. Praise Him!
Kim, Atlanta
He provided for our family this year, so that we are on a strict budget and still have a home--we have everything we need. And our children--they LOVE Jesus. I can ask for nothing more than to see my children walking in the truth. Also? There has been a strengthening of the very fine thread holding the relationship between my parents and us together. And that is God. He alone could have done it. Praise God!
With humility, I thank Him for you, too, Beth. I thank Him for His words on your tongue that give life. Thank you! Love you.
Oh, and I live in Monument, Colorado! :)
It was a white Christmas!
Merry Christmas, dear Beth!
HE's blessed me by returning me to a "promised land" I thought was forever gone. A small little farm I cherised in my heart, now is home to my Husband and two little boys. Growing our two "cowboys" has been our heart's desire for many years but we didn't know how God would make a way. And the way, wouldn't have included my home here in Texas. It was lost to us, as far as our earthly eyes could see. But HE knew. HE had already made the way. We've returned after many travels (some of them living abroad). I'm reminded from one of your Bible studies, Beth, of Gilgal. Full circle, that's where I am. Where we are. It's a good place to be.
In His Redemption!
Tammy
Mt. Vernon, Texas
Well.... this has been the busiest holiday season for me ever. I have never remembered feeling so frazzled and so stressed. The theme of REST has been heavy on my heart from the Lord but as of yesterday (Christmas Eve) I still had been running around buying last minute gifts that I really don't have the money to be buying. We've had quite a snowy holiday in North Carolina and we've been unable to drive close to our home.. so in between hiking the snowy roads to get in and out of our house and then driving back and forth 30 minutes away to my parents house.. I have felt my head swimming like never before.
Yesterday the last gift was finally purchased and wrapped.. and my husband and I went out at last for a run in the wild snowy outdoors. I can't even express the restoration God worked in my soul on that run.
Everything grew quiet and still again.. the wild gray clouds whipped across the sky silently but violently. The only sound to be heard was the swooshing of my feet running through snow on the deserted parkway and the playful yipping and panting of our two dogs. And suddenly He came. The very presence of the living God seemed to envelope me and I stopped dead in my tracks. Just to know His pure undeserved good-pleasure over me.. even in the midst of my running around and stressing and failing. To feel His smile. I just stood there staring away into the sky, panting for breath with tears streaming down my face. I wouldn't dare miss this moment. I WILL stop and praise my God! Just unabashed arms out face upturned worship.
Oh how hard this past year has been. It seems every year gets harder and harder (anyone else??). But the joys tucked in the midst of the hardships are so piercing, they seem to go far deeper than the pain. They seemed far more memorable to me than the hardships. I have never felt so near to God as I have this year. I have never seen Him so real and present in the midst of the dailies of my life. I have never felt so in love with this God I have a hard time finding an adequate name for in this moment. His Word has never been more alive and real and deep to me than it has been this year.
I'm studying Hebrews presently and reading Hughes commentary on it.. He quotes from C.S.Lewis "Chronicles of Narnia":
"'Welcome, child' he said.
'Aslan,' said Lucy, 'you're bigger.'
'That is because you are older, little one,' answered he.
'Not because you are?'
'I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.'"
That is how it has felt this year. He has grown me up a little more in Him and I have found Him gloriously bigger!
Do it again Lord Jesus in the year to come! Do it in all of our souls. Enlarge us to see You more rightly.. Be MAGNIFIED in us this next year. Not that You actually grow any bigger, Lord, but that we actually see You rightly, as all-encompassing as You truly are. Be magnified over all our trials and all our triumphs.
As Shane and Shane sing.. "Oh, to know this Man!"
I have encountered the Living God again, anew and afresh this Christmas. He has brought the story of His birth alive to me again. That is just one gloriously wonderful thing He has done for me this Christmas, His gift to me.
Thanks for letting me share. And thank you, LPM, for a wonderful year of blogging. I have LOVED getting to know you better through this blog and journeying with you in scripture memory as well as in "Me, Myself, and Lies." Thank you for devotedly serving Christ.. it is so much of what has taken me deeper on my journey.
God be praised for His unspeakable Gift!
And let us ALL keep running toward the Prize.
Martha
Asheville, NC
I was blessed today by a gift from my 14 year old daughter. It was a scrapbook-like book telling me how much I meant to her from A-Z. For example - A for Advice; G for Good Example; K for Kisses & Hugs. Each one had a small paragraph explanation. It was the sweetest thing and makes me tear up just thinking about it. My kids are such a blessing! (Most of the time!)
Tanya A.
Dayton, OH
Merry Christmas, Mama Beth, Amanda, and Melissa,
I am blessed to be with family in the midst of a blizzard where we have over a foot of snow, 40 mph winds, and can't see down our lane, but we are together celebrating Jesus and loving each other and that is a blessing after a long year of challenge. I am so lucky to have a family who loves me and Jesus with all their heart.
But I will say I will be ready to come out of my house when the storm passes.
love to you all, I just love yall with all my heart and you have touched me in ways I can't put in words.
love
Tammy S.
Howells, NE
I am blessed with the wonderful family that I dreamed of all my life and for probably the first time in my life, I truly get what Christmas is about - the love of Christ and the gift that he gave us on that first Christmas. What an amazing thing!!
Mama Beth! Merry Christmas to you and your family! I pray your recovery continues without a hitch.
I feel SO blessed this Christmas to have my son, his wife, and my nine-month old grandson here with me, in the U.S., after almost a decade apart from my only son. Being in London was in certain ways the worst thing I could have done to my family. I made many, MANY, foolish, selfish, damaging choices that have scarred me and my boy SO much. On the other hand, it was there, in that city, alone, almost destroyed by self-inflicted "pain killers", and in numbed despair, and oh so close to suicide, that God reached down to me and told me to trust me for His healing. Today, realizing that I am back with my family, with a loving, Godly husband, and with HOPE, hope that I thought I had long lost, well... it just knocks me face down to the floor in absolute amazement and gratitude at the MAGNITUDE of God's MERCY and love. YES, a lot of damage has been caused by my actions but today I see the path of healing in His tender love and care so much more clearly now.
thank you, Jesus. thank you for NEVER abandoning me, notwithstanding me. This Christmas, I could NOT have received a more humbling, awe-some gift. I love you. I love you Mama Beth and all the Siestas! See you soon in Houston.
maria cristina
Orlando, FL (formerly London, UK)
God has blessed me with a study of Esther with some wonderful sisters at my workplace.
San Antonio, TX
God Bless You Beth...
It is a wonderful Christmas! My daughter and I have been so immensely blessed by your ministry...and now God is opening doors for us to share together and separately at churche, retreats, teas, other than our own churches. You have been a huge part of our journey with the Lord we adore with words inexpressible.
I just passed the one year mark with a usually terminal cancer. I will keep you in much prayer...Is. 41:1-10, the enemy shall not be found in your body!
Much love,
Sue
This Christmas my husband played his guitar while we sang some praise and worship songs. My 5 yr old daughter wanted to start with the amazing grace hymn; we ended beautifully with Silent night. After that, we all knelt down facing each other in a circle and took turns praying. We are going through some struggles with my extended family currently so I am rejoicing with a heavy heart but I am grateful that I could pause and share such a beautiful moment with my family this morning before opening the gifts. Merry Christmas to you all and Thank you Jesus.
Ola in Woodbridge, VA
Oh Mama Beth:
The Lord has blessed me so with both of my children home for the holidays. My son David is due to be deployed to Afghanistan in March and I am not sure how long he will be gone, but this year he is here with me and for that, there is no bigger blessing than to have him and my daughter with me.
Merry Christmas to you and yours! Loving you like crazy.
Lichelle
Austin, Texas
The Lord has blessed me in so many ways today but I would have to say I am most thankful to be able to see His redemption in my life just from last christmas to now. Last year, I started having panic attacks and became agoraphobic with worsening depression by my birthday in August. It has been a rough road but i know without a doubt i have been in the palm of His hand. I praise Him that today I am healed and rejoice with my family this Christmas with pure joy because of my Abba's love. It is a true blessing from God to be full of joy once again and in a closer walk with my Father with a renewed mind, returning to my call of ministry and attending HBU in the fall to complete my Christian studies degree. Merry Christmas!!! He never leaves us or forsakes us.
My husband graduated recently but we've been waiting to hear about jobs. He just received an email last night (yes, Christmas eve!) saying he has a job offer! I am 4 months pregnant with our first child and this assures us of the opportunity for me to be a stay at home mom. I was a bit worried but I shouldn't have been. God's timing is always perfect!
College Station, TX
God truly blessed my husband and I this Christmas in how our daughter and son-n-law hosted our family Christmas in their home, to help us out since our youngest daughter is getting married soon and they know we are busy and were looking out for us. It was a wonderful family celebration on Dec. 23rd with a delicious, home-cooked meal and everything was so beautiful. We treasure time with our children and grandchildren. I also had time this Christmas morning to enjoy Day 2 of the Beth Moore Bible Study, Jesus 90 Days With the One and Only. This post is such a blessing as we celebrate together the birth of our Savior and Lord Jesus!! Merry Christmas Beth to you and your family!!
Love & Prayers,
Debbie
Olathe, KS
I am so very thankful for my Siestas this afternoon and every afternoon! They have gone from being "internet friends" to being face to face real live friends. And some of them are true heart friends. What an amazing support system God developed through this blog! :)
Merry Christmas Moores, Jones', and Fitzpatricks!
Much love,
Teri
Romeo, MI
Today we are blessed by being surrounded by our children and sweet, new son-in-law. Just knowing they have Christ as their Lord & Saviour, are happy and healthy is the sweetest blessing a momma can have.
But the icing would be Gr.Babies next year at Christmas!!!!
A very blessed, and Merry Christmas & Healthy New Year to all of the Moore clan and LPM ministry. Your ministry has been a blessing to me beyond words.
Diane
Vinton, La
Merry Christmas Moore/Jones/Fitxpatrick girls! You are so very loved!!!
I was Blessed with a VERY special gift from my stepsons this Christmas. My camera has been on it's way out for over a year adn finally just up and died this week. We knew we could not afford a new one so I had resolved to taking pictures with my cell phone. But I opened my gift from the boys this morning (usually their gifts to me are an afterthought!) to find a brand new camera ... a GOOD camera too ... with detachable lenses ... expensive. WOW! What a Blessing!
But the most precious gift I have recieved this year are the TRUE heart friends I have found through this crazy society of siestas ... and that gift came from you girls! I cannot thank you enough!
Becky Jo
Chesterfield MI
Oh, Beth, we all love you so much, and your family, and can't wait to see you next month, up and feeling more like new!
Merry Christmas!
My hubby and I are snowed in here in Lincoln, Nebraska with two of our 3 grown daughters. So very wonderful....safe and warm inside enjoying the glorious snow from the picture window. One of our daughters leaves on the 30th to go to Haiti on mission trip so this time together is precious.
We were blessed to enjoy 14 inches of snow and 35 mph winds....a Christmas Eve blizzard all right! The four of us were together, cozy, had power, plenty of good food, and wonderful time together as a family. We praise God for the simple blessings of a warm home and the indescribable, supernatural blessing of His overflowing salvation. Merry Christmas to the Moore family!
P.S. I, Becky, am blessed because I'm a woman and my man, Jeff, is home to do the shoveling outside!;)
The Jeff Roth Family
Choctaw, OK
The Lord brought my husband to Christmas Eve Services for the first time!
Yesterday morning on a very cold & snowy Christmas Eve I looked on my kitchen counter at all of the goodies my husband and I had been given (we're SO blessed!!) and I decided to share a little platter of coconut bread, pumpkin/cranberry bread, banana nut bread & fudge with one of our elderly neighbors.
I called her and then my husband took it over to her.
She called me a little while later and shared with me how she has no family left and how very much this meant to her. She said she had just been thinking about how she would be alone on Christmas Eve and Christmas and then I called. She said we'd never know how much this meant to her.
This lady taught my husband and me in school when we were in junior high. I grew up in this neighborhood and she still remembers (and brought it up again) when Danny and I were teenagers and she moved into our neighborhood and we made her a chocolate cake to welcome her.
We were blessed again yesterday to be able to brighten her Christmas Eve. Sometimes it's the small things that mean so much to others.
Merry Christmas to all!
Love,
Valerie
Oklahoma
We were able to be with family and extended family this year, God provided a lovely house for us to live in for the next 6 months while we are home on furlough- it was such a blessing in such specific ways that I cried when I walked in the front door to see where our little family would get to be living! God is good!
Charity
Living in the UK, but home in TX for 6 months!
I'm from St. Louis, MO. Other than having my 3 children home for Christmas, which is awesome, God blessed me by allowing me to have to work two nights before Christmas in the NICU. I thought it would be difficult and my family did have to make adjustments. But God really spoke to me through it. I had a tremendous peace as I held and fed each little one. I thanked God over and over for coming to earth to be born among us. And I thanked Him for allowing me to serve in such a special way!
Merry Christmas to you, Beth, Amanda & Melissa! This is my first time commenting, although I've been a reader for quite some time. I am SO blessed today by my family. We moved from Houston to Ohio two years ago and this Christmas, it was just us, no extended family. I thought it might be a sad day, but absolutely not! Much laughter has filled our home today. I am thankful for and blessed by the gift of family. I have to share that one of the best moments this morning was when my 3-year-old opened her most wanted present, The Touch & Brush! She fell on the floor and kicked her feet in the air, full of pure joy! Barbie didn't have a chance after that! (If you aren't familiar with the Touch & Brush, just google it...it's often seen immediately following the commercial for Bumpits!)
Oh, God has blessed in many many ways! We have had all of our children and grandchildren here today and all are well and happy. I have had cancer surgery this month and today I am cancer free --To God be the Glory great things he hath done.
The thing that I am most thankful for today is that I know the one whose birthday we celebrate. I'm thankful to be one of his children and that he walks with me everyday. Oh, I love him so!
I am truly blessed!
Judy
Anniston, Al
We are so,so blessed,last Christmas my husband had lost his job,was involved in a law suit and we were without a home and living with some dear friends who opened their home to us.This Christmas my husband and I are celebrating Christmas in our dream home.I am currently home ALONE because my husband is WORKING.God is so good and truly too much.Oh by the way the law suit got settled "out of the blue" in our favor earlier this year.I can share testimony after testimony how God has worked this year in and through our circumstances and in our life.How grateful I am for my Savior.
HE never leaves me nor forsakes me.
Will see you january 26th Beth,loved the Revelation study
Michelle Legg
Magnolia,TX
Sherri in Atlanta:
VERY low budget Santa this year. Yet HE covered everything that needed covering. For example: I was standing in Walmart on Dec.23 to buy my last 'Santa' item & there were no more on the shelf. Asked a stock-person to go check in the back. While waiting 10 min. & praying, this random lady strolls up with this 1 item in her buggy. I ask her where she found it & she said it was the last one. Then she said I could have it. She blessed me/my child & reminded me that there are good people out there. And My Father knows what I have need of :)
my sweet little boy woke up before his little sister did this morning and so i was blessed with the chance to cuddle in our big bed with him before my husband and little girl woke up. there is something so special about cuddling with my son, he is such a wonderful, happy, energetic gift from our great God and he is full of life and love...and so is my sweet daughter. God is so good and so sweet to our family. merry Christmas!!!!
-crystal,
canton, mi
I'm sitting among my 5 kidlets and my wonderful hubby.
Yes Beth - blessing after blessing after blessing...
Merry, merry Christmas to the Moore clan!!!
From Edmonton, Albert, Canada,
Chris
Feeling so praiseful during the Christmas Eve service and singing joyful, joyful, we adore thee with the biggest smile and joyful heart!
Amy- GA (Gainesville)
I am blessed this year by being so secure in my beliefs. I did the Believing God study in my home with some lady friends. My 5 statements have gotten me through some difficult times.
I am also blessed to have been able to give my children Christmas presents this year.
Merry Christmas to all of your family as well! Indulge me to list 2 specific ways we are blessed today. First of all, we are blessed to be at my folks house to spend it with my dad who is battling Lung Cancer and COPD - and the 2nd way we are blessed is that my brother's dog is still with us. He is 14 years old and very very sick and we are happy that he is still with us on this Christmas day! It may sound odd to some, but our pets are family members, too!!
Blessings to all!
Karen
For the first time since I married my husband nearly 15 years ago, we got to have a Christmas Eve and Day all to ourselves, with just our two kids. We're always racing through our morning to run off to Grandma's, and today we just got to be together and enjoy our little family. I LOVED it, and would like to do it every year if we could. God has been so near to us this year, and we're blessed by that as well...
Merry Christmas Moores, Fitzpatricks, and Curtis's.
Love, Kathryn
God has blessed me with an answered prayer...I will be able to attend in January the M&M conference.
He has blessed me this very day with solitude...quiet time with Him to worship and adore Him.
Most people would (and are going to) feel sad about something like this, but I rejoice in it and gladly enter into His rest with Him.
The way I see it is if He wanted me anywhere else or with anybody else I would be. And as long as I am where He wants me with whom He desires then all is well with me this day. Cause this day ain't about me It's about HIM, my LOrd, my Savior, my King, my Prince of Peace, my Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:13-14 (MES), 9:6 (AMP)
So Isaiah told him, "Then listen to this, government of David! It's bad enough that you make people tired with your pious, timid hypocrisies, but now you're making God tired{of putting up with us...so}. So the Master is going to give you a sign anyway. Watch for this: A girl who is presently a virgin will get pregnant. She'll bear a son and name him Immanuel (God-With-Us).
6For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace.
He has blessed me with a family that loves me. We are snowed in this Christmas and having a blast!
Hannah - Choctaw, OK
Can I do to quick ones???? 1. God gave my family and I the most lovely Christmas morning. It was such a blessing to spend some amazing time with them. 2. God blew my mind with the power or prayer this week. Amazing.
Blessing to all!
Hannah in Ohio
I am so happy to have received some clothes that fit.i have been gaining weight like crazy and have no clothes!these clothes have been such a blessing and i will be wearing them to the gym too,instead of just being "loungwear".I am so blessed to know that He is really really taking care of me!i also feel blessed because I just finished Living Beyond Yourself for a second time and I need to walk in the spirit !!!!love you all!!!
My sweet friend had her baby girl one month early this Christmas Eve via C-section. Our amazing Dr. sent sweet baby girl, healthy as can be and excited parents home this Christmas morning! What a miracle and amazing blessing and gift! Praise you Jesus for all you MANY good gifts!
Corpus Christi, Texas
Tara <><
I was blessed this Christmas Day with a sausage and blueberry pancake breakfast with family and friends.
Diana
Fredericktown, Missouri
Last year at about this time, our large family of 6 added an additional family member. My husband is a pastor and we had four children until 2009. Their ages are 12, 10, 7, and 5. We were given the privlege of taking in a 17yr old last year. Over the year she has become such an important part of our family! She is a wonderful girl who got to know Christ while she was here. Over the last year, she was baptized, managed to stay on the a/b honor roll, got a great job and has now graduated high school! She has applied to several universities and has already been accepted to one(that is only 10 miles away from us!) What an incredible blessing it was this Christmas morning to share together as a family of 7!! We are so grateful for the year we have had with her and will be eternally blessed and grateful for the things God has done in our lives and hers this year!
*I was also blessed by your post a couple days ago Beth! Thank you for sharing your experience and your heart with us for His glory!
We had the biggest blessing of all this Christmas:
My whole family came from out of town to be here together. Last night (Christmas Eve) when we went to bed, there were 18 of us asleep under my roof, ages 6-90!! When my daddy read from Luke 2 this morning, with all of us sitting around him, I couldn't help but have tears of joy. I'm so GRATEFUL for my family, and that every one of us loves the Lord and puts Him first in our lives.
THAT is the biggest blessing I could ever think of.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Lavonda
Atlanta, Ga
Our son, a Marine, who is stationed at Camp Lejeune NC surprised us by arriving home on Dec. 24th!!!!! I can't stop praising God for this gift, can't stop praying for our military families that they KNOW God sees them. Oh Lord, thank you for holding them tight in your everlasting arms.
Dannel
Holtwood PA
The Lord blessed me with my first born child this year-5 months old. Today, I shared his first Christmas with my family! We're all happy and healthy! Such a blessing!!
Robin
Cabot, AR
Freedom at last.
Chicago.
I read the Word today for the first time in a couple of days and suddenly felt a new level of LIFE and COMFORT. That's a very big blessing.
Jessica
Greensboro, NC
Praise God from whom all blessings flow! I am feeling particularly blessed at this particular moment that my twin girls love music and love to sing praises to their God. Merry Christmas!
Oh come let us adore HIM!!!! Merry Christmas to all the Moores! Thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul for blessing us all!
Merry Christmas to you and yours, MamaBeth.
Holidays are historically tough for me, as I'm sure it is for anyone who is alone when all the emphasis is on families.
This season has been especially difficult due to some relational problems where the foundation of one of my primary relationships was shattered. God is definitely ministering to me, though. As important as that relationship has been to me, the fact that I am okay (depressed and hurt, but okay) is a testament to his grace.
One specific way God blessed me this year was that I was given the money to buy a new carpet cleaner. My dog is old and often has accidents in the house, so it is hard to keep the carpets clean. I just cleaned them today with this new machine and they look great. And it is so easy to use, now it will be much easier to pick up after my baby girl (yes, she is still my baby girl/puppy even though she is almost 16, she's just a lot slower).
Merry Christmas to All,
Our family, of five(my husband,our three adult age children and I)was blessed today by all gathering together in a small circle hugging and crying tears of sweet memories. My husband's father passed away on December 6th at the young age of 91. He is in glory now with Jesus even though he will be missed. What a wonderful time we all shared together. God is so good!
Merry Christmas to all the Siestas,
Taking a minute out of the kitchen, reflecting on how God blessed in one specific way...A healing in my heart for a loved one who is here today in my house. Having God repair this relationship and do a work in me, is a true gift...I can see how the Scripture memory cards played a big part in this work of the Holy Spirit. What a blessing. Thanks be to God. Love, Pam in San Diego
My blessing today was being able to talk to both of my children who are stationed away from home serving in the Air Force. I love and miss them desperately and am so thankful for cell phones!! Merry Christmas!
Gal 5:1a It is for freedom that Christ has set us free
This Christmas, my husband and I decided to attend a Christmas Eve service at our small church plant in a small town instead of attending our beautiful home church by the lake. Our home church is always a beautiful place to go to on Christmas Eve. Lights are dimmed to give way to the glow of the candles lit everywhere. Friends and brothers and sisters greet you warmly with well wishes for Christmas and the New Year. However, we felt the Lord drawing us to this much more humble place. We went out on an icy and rainy evening to our small place of worship.
All week, I had been talking to a dear, hurting friend whose life’s circumstances had left her sad and desperately lonely. She couldn’t see the value of a place of worship nor the value of meeting any more people who potentially could leave her hurt. However, she did come, feeling drawn by a God she did not understand. What she found was Christ Himself in the people He indwells. For the first time, she found the body of Christ and church the way it should be:
Free of judgment toward her hurting soul.
Free of piercing glances of the well-to-do.
Free of distractions.
Free to be drawn to the mystery of God With Us.
Free to worship.
Free to ponder to become one of His children.
That was the most special Christmas ever.
H.V.
(Green Lake, WI)
God has blessed me with a beautiful time with my family across the US that I rarely get to see.
Merry CHRISTmas!
Tiffany L.
Boise, ID
I was blessed by a video message that my sister's kids made for me! It was all their idea and only needed help with the camera! It meant so much to me since I don't get to spend Christmas with any family for the 3rd year in a row. The relationships with my family are one of the most important things with which God has blessed me!
Melissa, Kenai, Alaska
My husband and I are so blessed to have both of our daughters and their families with us this year, the first time in our Laurel, MT home in 4 years. We have gone to MN to our oldest daughter's home a couple of Christmases, and our other daughter and her family now live back here, but this year was especially wonderful, with our 3 grandchildren making the day so full of joy and memories. Jack, age 6, really knows what this day is about, and he is enjoying the celebration of Christ's birth along with the toys! Eli and Maya are each 1 1/2, and they love all of the commotion and yum-yums. We celebrated Advent together and sang Christmas carols, baked cookies and played in the snow. Yes, "One blessing after another" is certainly true for us this day, and we thank God for His most precious Gift, His Son, our Jesus.
Merry Christmas sweet ladies. God's grace is boundless and I'm so glad that it extended to the birth of His Son, Jesus. Happy Birthday Jesus!
Love y'all,
Lisa
Cedar Hill, Texas
P.S. Dori Cook, Spring Hill, TN! :)
Watching my husband read the Christmas story from Luke 2 aloud to our now grown (some married) children and remembering that we have done this for over 30 years on Christmas Day. What a blessing that God has allowed us to see our kids grow up and serve Him!
Merry Christmas!
Marilyn...in Mississippi
merry Christmas!!!!
Merry Christmas Siestas!
My husband blessed myself and our five children and son-in-law this morning with Christmas cards that he had written a promise to each of us from God, and then a special note to each one. We have been married for 35 years this Christmas was just extra special because of God's Word reminding us how much we are loved and cared for. We had to grab the roll of "tissue" and pass it around. God bless, Ginger
Winter Haven, Fl
God blessed me by allowing me to visit my family in Canada for
Christmas. He got me here, made it all possible by His incredible goodness to me. I'm so grateful to Him for life and love and forgiveness of sin.
Sandy S.
Houston
My husband who does not love Christmas told me this was the best Christmas he had had in a long time. We are focused in on Jesus and spent time in worship on Christmas Eve and praying as we walked our dog on this cold and biting Christmas day. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Arkansas
Merry Christmas from Frederick, MD!
My brother and his wife have struggled to conceive for well over a year and they just announced today that she is 8 weeks pregnant. Praise God. Although they do not know Him yet, it is my prayer that as they celebrate the gift of life she is now carrying, they will also come to know the Giver of life.
My husband and I talked "life' messages to one another today! The layers are being peeled back! I'm so glad my God knows BOTH of our stories!!
Port Angeles, WA.
Merry Christmas and blessings to each of you. Love you all so; your ministry has blessed my life. I was one who prayed for you in OKC and hope that this morning as you awakened, the awesome healing power of Jesus brought even a greater healing to your body. carol from Cashion, OK
Hey Moore Family!! Merry Christmas!! Our blessing this Christmas came in the form of a countdown. After serving overseas in England with the USAF, this is our last Christmas away from "home". We have loved our experience in a foreign country...and yes England is foreign to us. However, there is nothing like our beloved United States of America.
Merry Christmas from our family to yours in RAF Mildenhall, England (Beth, you came and spoke to the military spouses on our bases over 10+ years ago...and you would be delighted to know that we have a STARBUCKS!!!)
Blessings Abound,
Tracie
God blessed me with a wonderful, loving family to spend a quiet peaceful holiday with doing everything we love most!
Merry CHRISTmas!!!
Tammy in Marshallville, Ohio
God blessed me in giving me the words and courage to have a candid conversation with my family about the joy that is Jesus and about the baby born to die on a cross for all our sins. It's something that's been on my heart for so long, and He made it possible this Christmas. (It also sparked what will be a life-long tradition for my husband and I and one day, our children!). I am so thankful to serve a God who can touch my heart and give me the Gift of all gifts at the same time. Merry Christmas!!!
Blaine - Houston
We have been blessed in so many ways this season. We count our blessings each and every day. Let us remember the true reason for the season, and give thanks to Him who makes this possible.
Blessed Bayou Girl in South Louisiana
He blessed me with love and comfort because for the first time in ages I didn't wake up to an empty house on Christmas morning ... the joy of having roommate.
Thank you, Lord!
Molly
Camarillo, California
We had a white Christmas, which was so great and a answer to prayer for my 9 yr old son Corbin. I have been telling myself for the last few weeks to make it a "Mary" Christmas and not a Martha. God helped by giving us 9 inches of snow. I have been able to sit back and relax ( as much as possible with 3 boys 9,6,4) and sit at His feet and thank Him for the wonderful gift of Jesus. "Mary" Christmas everyone!
I got to see my two beautiful daughters (3 and 5) open gifts and play like siestas today with very minimal fighting. This is a HUGE deal in our house for fighting between the two is constant.
God is so good and I love being a mom.
Kristan in Tennessee
Merry Christmas! We're enjoying a VERY lazy day around our house, all the girls are still in their flannel pjs!! My heart is so full of joy right now, just having all of our family in our home TOGETHER has been the best blessing I've gotten this year. I'm waiting for the beef tenderloin to cook and we're sitting down to dinner!
Enjoy the rest of your holiday! Can't wait to read everyone's memory!
Love & blessings, Bobbie
JOY! Jesus deposited His joy in this little lonely heart of mine. We are stationed in England - away from home and family for the holidays. I'm embarrassed to say that I had somewhat been dreading Christmas Day, thinking I'd be blue knowing all that I'd be missing back at home. On the other hand, I also was looking forward spending Christmas with Him in a new place since he is our ever-present Father and goes with us everywhere. I woke up (Even before the kids!) and had some very special time with Him before all the hustle and bustle - just me and my Lord. He gave me in return such rest and JOY! Merry Christmas Siestas from across the sea!
Cindy Childers
Newton Tony, England
We just relocated to Baltimore, MD from Texas. My blessing today is that my sister was able to come spend Christmas with us here. We spent the day laughing and cooking.
God blessed me with a special awareness of His presence both Christmas Eve, and today. I am just so thankful for the blessed gift of Jesus, and am so thankful that I know Him. It made today so full, so happy, and yet so sad for those who celebrate this day unaware or unconcerned for the birthday of our Savior. How empty it must all be, when the gifts are unwrapped and the hustle and bustle is over. I have sung these words many times today, " Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus, You can have all this world, But Give me Jesus."
Blessings beyond measure, grace beyond measure, love beyond measure!
Tammy
Mechanicsville, VA
Merry Christmas, my dear Siestas! One specific way in which God blessed me this day was through the wonderful attitudes of my daughters, ages 6, 7 and 9. They demonstrated such patience and joy in giving to each other during our gift exchange. My heart was soo blessed by seeing the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in their young lives. I'm so proud of them I could burst! Thank you, thank you, thank you Jesus for being alive and active in my precious daughters' hearts!
Barbra
Oxford, PA
We are in a blizzard here which can be daunting. However, our children were able to go outside and sled with their Grandpa and Dad. It made for many smiles, great pictures and even better memories. Merry Christmas
Amy
Kansas City, Missouri
I am an American living in Prague, but I spent much of this year in the US being treated for cancer - including surgery again four days before Christmas. I've thought a lot this year about the sick of body and mind who lined up before Jesus, saying, "Lord, if you want to, you can heal me." And He answered, "I WANT to. Be healed." Without surgery or anesthesia or chemicals or radiation. Restored to God's original physical design. Because He loved us while we were yet sinners, the Infinite became finite ... to heal our very souls.
Oops I forgot to leave my info from my first post.
Casey
Henrietta, TX
Today the Lord gave me a blessed visit with my 97 year old grandmother. She has suffered greatly from Alzheimer's and most visits are difficult to get through. Today we laughed and sang together and talked about baby Jesus. It was the best present I could've received. God is good!
After many years of struggling with infertility, God blessed us with twin miracles in October. What a blessed first Christmas God gave us this year! We have truly received one blessing after another. Celebrating the birth of our Saviour and our precious little ones. Love to all!
Luann
Houston,Tx
God blessed me with almost all of my cherished family under one roof for two whole days. In the midst of a blizzard, we had heat, food, music, happy grandchildren, games and peace. We know how blessed we are, and said so. And on top of all this, we all belong to Christ, and were reminded again how He came to live and die for us. I pray none of my family ever forgets how lavish He's been with us.
Thank you for sharing your life with us, Beth. May God's touch and protection be on all of you and those you love.
Julie B.
Duluth, MN
Family!
Colorado Springs, CO
The "valley of the shadow of death" has become God's significant way of working in our lives this Christmas. We have spent the last 3 weeks walking the valley of the shadow of death with our mother, knowing that she is now resting with her Savior. We are now going through the valley with our father, dying of prostate cancer - God answered his prayer to be allowed to care for our Mom until she was safely home. Absent from the body, present with the Lord. God is good, all the time. All the time God is good.
I am up in Petoskey, Michigan celebrating Christmas without our adult married kids. First time in 31 years with no kids! But (!) my husband and I and our "girls" (two golden retrievers) are celebrating with my mom and dad. My dad is 84, shovels snow and still works part-time and mom is a very active 79. How blessed is that?
We skyped with our son, his wife and our two year old grandson visiting her folks in the great state of Tennessee. Our daughter called today while visiting her husband's family in downstate Michigan. We went to a Christmas Eve service with them before they headed to see his family.
I am so blessed. Like your girls, my son and daughter met the mate that God intended for them. Talk about giving you the desire of your heart.
Thanks for asking Beth! You all are loved and wished a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Merry Christmas Beth, Amanda & Melissa") Hope you are having a wonderful day. Have a friend that has connected us with a Domestic Violence Shelter this year. A group of us girlfriends have been their redoing bedrooms and decorating them with different themes. Last week and this week we have been their sharing Christmas cheer with Mom's and children. We took some gift cards and toys to help with Christmas. We decided we wanted to give away Christmas this year...most of all we were blessed to share our Jesus with them") Family time has been extra special for me this year...maybe thats why.
You can't out give God! Love you all.
Alta Blake
Sharpsville Indiana
I have been deeply blessed by the Hope we have in Jesus...I have two of my three children physically here with me and the other spiritually...she is standing in God's light and on this Christmas day I know she is feeling the hugs we've asked our gracioius Lord to give her...He is the bond that holds our family together after tragedy and the promise we have of a beautiful reunion awaiting us. What a blessing to share smiles, tears, hugs, laughter with my family today...JOY of His Grace
that I can truly feel after 5 years...PRAISE! PRAISE!
Christmas Hugs Beth,
Love Tammy in Estelline, SD
I have been battling depression for awhile in 2009 and I had prayed for laughter, joy, peace, happiness, etc. And today I got the biggest laugh (crying and couldn't breath right away kind of laugh) at my son's Christmas present from his brother!!! I am still laughing-God answered my prayer beautifully!
Christ blessed my family and me by all of us being together and sharing in HIS love for us. My dad was here and we hunkered down for a snow storm last night. Praise the LORD we were hardly hit by it. We had a beautiful dinner and family fun time.
Blessings to all for the New Year!
Love,
Mary Ann
Woodbury, MN
I just posted a comment about overcoming depression with a hysterical laugh, I live in West Columbia South Carolina! God bless!
God has blessed me with a wonderful husband, 4 beautiful children, terrific frineds... and most of all He provides my every need through His Son Jesus Christ. Happy Birhtday, Jesus, I celebrate You today and EVERYDAY!
Teri
Corpus CHRISTi, Tx
Seeing my son and daughter-in-law for the first time in weeks, and realizing that distance cannot separate the hearts of those who love! I LOVE my family...they are my greatest blessing every day!
Oh that's an easy one.. My family is restored. My ex and I back together and the kids are happier than ever. We spent our first Christmas in four years together.
Thanks you God for second chances.
I asked Jesus for a Christmas miracle regarding my finances and employment. I have been without employment for six months and I cannot make my January rent. I had a voice message that was left on Thursday mid afternoon and it did not come through my voicemail until Christmas morning. The company I interviewed with on the phone last week, wanted a face to face this Wednesday. I feel like this may finally my be the job I have been waiting for. Please pray I land something soon. Thank you Jesus, with you there is always hope.
Maria - New York , NY
oh and it's wildwood, Florida
My son prayed out loud, humbly and honestly, during our family prayer of thanksgiving to God today. This is an answer to my fervent prayer that he return to the Lord with all his heart. I thank and praise Jesus that he is rounding the curve of that U-turn back to God.
Bethesda, MD
Our seven children have not been together under one roof in five years. Today, they were all here, including our only son-in-law and two grandchildren. NO ONE WAS MISSING!
Thank you, Lord. We know others are grieving this Christmas day and it didn't have to be this way for our family this year. It was a gift from You.
Atlanta, GA
Brenda in Wichita, KS is blessed because I have a very warm home with a hubster and two wild boys. I took a two hour nap this afternoon! That is a wonderful blessing!
We had our entire family together this year.....all 21 of us. Plus, we invited a college buddy of one of my nephews to spend the day with our family because he could not go home for Christmas.....and he survived our craziness! Family is the BEST!
Merry Christmas!
Blessings,
Ginger
Wetumpka, Alabama
Merry Christmas to you and all the LPM ladies! I have one very sweet blessing today. I'm a nurse and I was scheduled to work today. We already celebrated Christmas yesterday, but I so didn't want to go to work today. I had even been praying about not having to go in. I got up at 5am and started getting ready and at 5:15 I got a call saying they didn't need me today because there weren't many patients. Thank you Jesus!
My husband and I are missionaries in South America. We've been here since March. To come, we had to make a lot of sacrifices over the past couple of years. One of the biggest, most superficial, for me was trading away my piano. I loved my keyboard and it was my way of praising the Lord and having my own time. This year for Christmas, my husband had spent weeks tracking down a full-size keyboard and finally found one of the only ones available in the entire country. I have had to go less than a year without my music. God is so good to me. It's such a selfish, superficial thing to miss, and yet, the Lord provided so much more!
Hope your Christmases were just as special! Beth, glad you're feeling so much better.
-Lisa B.
A specific way that God blessed me today...I would have to say Forgiveness. Everything about it. Forgiving, being forgiven, really believing in forgiveness; grasping it. To understand how the power of forgiveness is Life Changing. How freeing it is to accept it and to offer it.
I can't explain it all; so much in a lifetime to bring me to this moment in my life..but through the message last night at the Christmas Eve service...when our pastor began speaking of the meaning of Christmas and the cross and how forgiveness is the greatest gift you can give someone...well it was the hugest answer to a prayer.... I mean the hugest...huge.
I had offered forgiveness and peace to someone that I wasn't sure wanted to hear that I forgave them and was beginning to doubt my motives of why I did it. Maybe only for myself...feeling guilty almost for how free I felt. I know just insecurity playing games in my head and fear. But that beautiful message last night was so incredible and beautiful. I will always treasure it.
Oh how the truth sets us free.
God is so good and how I love Him so.
Much love and blessings in Christ Jesus, our blessed Lord and Savior,
Michelle in Woodstock, Vermont
God has blessed our little family with a son; expecting our first child on 2/16/2010. We are so thrilled and excited to go forth in this new chapter in life.
Glory to God.
-Sahsha's Mummy
Spring, TX
Christmas with my in-laws was at my house again this year. Don't get me wrong, I love it and them! They believe in God, but that is about the extent. They've always looked to me for the spiritual side, which is difficult for me at times. Anyway, it was time for "me" to say the blessing and I asked my 3 year old niece if she wanted to say the blessing with me. (That was out of the box for me). She said yes, I picked her up, and then she got bashful. That was o.k. Right after the blessing, my other 23 year old niece walked in and the little one ran over to her and said "we are having a Jesus party"! I wanted to scoop her up and tell her how much He loves her. It was a sweet day!
Richelle
Kingston, TN
God blessed us with wonderful friends and family that live close by.
Michelle
Southaven, MS
Hi Beth,
I just found your blog and it is truly a blessing to me. My blessing today would be a loving husband and the opportunity to live here in Chapal, Mexico. My husband and I have lived here for the past 3 years and are in ministry with volunteering at a local children's home and our Mexican church. My Spanish is terrible but the Mexican peole are loving and patient and sweet. We love living here and are truly blessed. We thank God every day for our lives here and for the wonderful people He has placed in our lives.
Be Blessed and Merry Christmas
God blessed me with four wonderful children and they were all with me today. My daughters are 23 and 20 years old and my two little boys are 9 and 4. They each bring incredible joy to my life in their individual ways. Thank you God for allowing me to mother these four precious gifts.
Merry, merry Christmas to you, you sweet things! How did God bless me on Christmas day? I can't even keep up with Him, are you kidding?! Christmas Eve, I was cooking away in preparation for dinner and the propane tank on my house ran out! So my pie was having a brush with death, and my ham needed in the oven like, 10 minutes ago. So who has the best neighbors in Wewak? I do -2 of the guys were rolling a new tank up the hill and hooking me up within minutes! Us single girls REALLY appreciate this kind of thing! Then, in the middle of rolling out my cinnamon rolls (for Christmas morning) I got a really upsetting email from home and one of my OTHER sweet neighbors took 5 minutes away from her kitchen to be at my door with the hugs I needed and the ears that listened and the shoulder my tears fell on! I love the ways God extends Himself to us through our brothers and sisters in Him. Especially here on the mission field, and turning coworkers into family, in every sense of the word. One last very simple, but sweet blessing was the weather! We rarely get a cool day in the tropics, but I've been asking God for months for some Christmasy weather for yesterday that would help us feel some ounce of "home" at Christmas -and wouldn't you know, that we woke up to a dark, cloudy, cold, rainy, thundery and windy day!!! Not one ray of sunshine the whole day and this did our hearts so good!! What a special treat from the Weather Man Himself! Isn't He good? I'm so blown away with the beauty and wonder of Christmas this year and my heart just about stops with love for Him... because of His love for me!! Because of ALLLLL that He means. Soak Him up today!
"Yet in the dark street shineth, the Everlasting Light; the hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight"
With love from Wewak, Papua New Guinea!
This was our first Christmas back in Texas after 11 years, and our last Christmas as just our family of four, as my youngest daughter is having a baby next year. We were blessed with a white Christmas and a precious time together as a family. God is so, so good!
Merry Christmas from Snowy Big D! This has been the best Christmas ever... a beautiful white one at that. After sweetly carrying me through a 7 month battle with breast cancer (double mastectomy and chemo) the Lord blessed my socks off this Christmas with a snowfall that began Christmas Eve day and carried on throughout the night. I knew He did it JUST FOR ME because I've always told Him that SNOW is one of the things He does best!! It was the perfect love note from Him! Leaving the midnight service at our church... seeing everything blanketed in white, I was in tears. Tears of joy for the life I have in Christ Jesus... and the healing He's blessed me with (Psalm 103:1-5).
So grateful for all you girls!
xo - Punky Tolson
Dallas, Texas
I am in awe of my GOD!! He has given me victory over a stronghold that has gripped me most of my life. Today, I thank Him for this evidence of His Grace in my life and His Love for me!!!
Happy Birthday Sweet Jesus!
Melana
Sheridan Wyoming
I am blessed near Memphis TN! God has richly blessed my family~we have the love of Him in our hearts, health, family and friends all nearby. I feel very joyous on this day~the celebration of Jesus' birthday. I adore Him.
Merry Christmas, Siestas!!
God blessed me by letting me be with my baby sister, Leslie, who has stage 3 breast cancer and is in the middle of chemo and other treatments at MD Anderson and also with my husband, Gregg, who just three short weeks ago had quad bypass heart surgery. What a mighty God we serve!! I was the best Christmas being with those I love very much, may I never that those times for granted.
Love, Becca
Pearl River, LA
Merry Christmas to you and your family. I am so greatful that you are on the mend. You have been on our hearts and in our prayers as a group of ladies who you have been teaching now for about eight years. You have become our friend,mentor, sister and for some we get to yell at you on the screen when necessary.:)(in love of course. I guess the biggest blessing I have received over the holiday is that finally after 15 years of guilt, I have really gotten the realization from my head to my heart His mercy is real and it is for me. I have known it for others, taught it, counseled it, believed it for others, but felt I had outsinned His grace. This Christmas season He set me free. I give Him praise and am looking forward in the New Year for a new walk of faith. What a great way to start the year.
May He touch you from the top of your head to the soles of your feet with healing, strenth and joy.
Nancy From MA
GOD BLESSED ME WITH A WONDERFUL FAMILY AND MY TWO LITTLE GIRLS WAKING UP SINGING HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JESUS.
JULIE
SWAN QUARTER, NC
God blessed me this day by family. My dad, who Dr's said would NEVER come home from the hospital, is home and joined our celebration. Tears of joy. Thank you Lord for another Christmas together.
Merry Christmas from Ontario, Canada,
Joy
The pricless sound of two sets of little feet running on christmas morning to tell us santa has been here :)
I was so blessed to sit with my two grandsons while my son read the Christmas story from Luke to our family.
Susan Huntsville, AL
Both of my adult children and my son-in-law were home for Christmas eve and Christmas morning. A gift directly from God in so many, many ways.
Merry Christmas to all
Kim
Loving my family and being loved by them. God is too good!
I have learned not to take anything for granted, and that friendship can come in unexpected places, even where they were once thought to not exist.
Melinda -- Independence, MO
With good health, a job, a beautiful 3 year old grandson, a loving husband, son and daughter. San Juan Capistrano
Blessings in Indio CA, a nice quiet restful peaceful day in my home. Linda
God blessed me by allowing me to experience, on a deep level, the joy of giving. My son, almost 12 years old, who usually keeps his emotions to himself, burst into a frenzy of pure glee after receiving a special gift from me. I was blessed beyond measure by his expression of emotion.
Becky
Chattanooga, TN
Beth, Amanda, Melissa...Merry, Merry Christmas. I love you!
I was wearily doing some last minute shopping on Christmas eve in a local mall and was being ridiculous and pouting...complaining to myself about shopping and materialism. I was in one particularly long line when I heard a woman behind me greeting the others in line and wishing them a Merry Christmas. I recognized the voice immediately and spun around, finding myself face to face with a woman I hadn't seen in 4 years. I met her when we were doing Believing God at my church. She was a lost soul, nearly dead from anorexia (we bonded over this shared history) and was barely making it from one day to the next. She completed that study but we never saw her again. Our group has prayed for her and wondered about her ever since and I, showing my characteristic puny amount of faith, had feared the worst for her. But yesterday, in the line, I saw a beautifully radiant woman. She was full of life and Life. She had been on quite a journey since the last time I'd seen her, but she stood before me a woman of faith who was making it her mission to bring joy and love to complete strangers in a mall on Christmas ever. What an amazing Christmas blessing! I am so grateful.
Anne
Lorton, VA
Merry Christmas to all! One of my blessings from God on this precious day was the opportunity to be in Red River, NM, sitting on the lift chair and looking at the beautiful snow covered mountains while spending this beautiful scenery with my two boys, Chad & Cole, and my wonderful husband, Matt. Thank you Jesus!
Tammy
Stephenville, TX
Hi there Beth!
God really did bless me today. I spent most of the day at my mom's house. We lost my dad a few years ago, so Christmas has gotten a lot quieter. And my one brother nearby does not celebrate Christmas, so he stays away on this day since he knows that we do. But blessings were still to be seen. The biggest one was watching The Nativity Story with my mom. It was her first time seeing it, and it was powerful for both of us.
And one last little blessing came this morning. The man I have just started to date gave me a hug after church today. I've never been so over the clouds about a hug before...I'm so blessed that God has put a really good Christian man into my life finally (I'm 32).
I hope your day was amazing, and I continue to pray for your quick recovery. God bless!
Kristy Gonzalez
Erie, PA
God has blessed me by having a very pleasant Christmas Eve, with my husband's family and Christmas Day with mine. There's usually some kind of family drama stirring on both sides every year.
Thank you Lord for answered prayers!
The best blessing though was playing nerf dart tag in the house with my husband and 3 children(ages 6, 9, and 10) this morning after opening presents. We laughed so hard shooting each other. I cherish these times.
And last but not least I am so blessed that God sent his Son for me! Thank you LORD!!!
Andrea R
Chester, VA
well, this evening as our day was winding down, my 10 year old daughter, Becca, curled up next to me(wearing the bright pink Snuggie she got from grandma), lay her head on my lap and said, "I love you". She just lay with her head on me for nealy an hour and cuddled. It struck me as funny that with all the gifts she recived, that at the end of the day, all she really wanted was to be near me.
I think I understand how she feels. With all the activity that goes on in my life, what I really want at the end of the day is feel near to my heavenly Father... setting aside all the stuff that was a part of my day. And the crazy and wonderful thing is, He wants to come near to me, too. That's why He made a way at Christmas- to be God With Us. Isn't He wonderful?
Merry Christmas as the day draws to a late evening of looking at the living room with all the new toys and sweet treats still sitting in the kitchen to nibble on.
Oklahoma had a historic blizzard yesterday, which brought a total standstill of any travel, even to church for Christmas Eve Service or travel to family and friends.
This led us right to the book of Luke....our own service around the fireplace and time to be still and be reminded again of the awesome story of a babe who came to this earth to fulfill God's promise of redemption. Amazing.
Of course the grand finale were the smores cooked right there in the living room, but like my 4 year old said, as she played with her Fisher Price Nativity, "Baby Jesus sure would like this, hugh mommy?" Yes baby, Jesus would love a good smore, I am sure of it!
Since our family has a backwards way of indicating our true affection for a gift, we measure real joy by the number of tears it brings to the recipients eyes....this year was marked with GREAT joy as each of the seven of us shed tears of joy, some of us more than others. My 17 year old son, totally shocked my socks off, when he used his long saved PS3 money to purchase me (the number 1 woman in his life as he refers to me) the new Jim Shore nativity set! Needless to say, the mascara was gone and the tears were in full flow. But what made the gift so priceless was the unselfish heart full of love from which he gave...not only of his money but also of his love! I am one blessed momma!
Merry CHRISTmas!
Tracie - Bristow, VA
My biggest blessing today came when I stepped away from my own family celebration to take Christmas dinner to an elderly former neighbor who lost his wife two months ago. They had been married over 60 years and clearly he was having difficulty dealing with his loss. That became very apparent when he handed me cards for both of my kids, whom they adopted as their grandkids while we were their neighbors. Bob said, with tears in his eyes,that Daisy would have made sure they had gifts. That he, in the midst of his sorrow, would think so generously of others was an added blessing. It was a very special moment and the highlight of my Christmas.
This was my family's first Christmas without my mom. She died in April. We weren't sure how this Christmas would go with the grief still so fresh but God blessed us with a day of laughter, conversation and true peace. I was also able to talk about God and His word with my aunt the way I used to do with my mom. It was a very special day. We're gonna be ok.
Merry Christmas!!
Christmas Blessings to all you Siestas! Yes, we have all received one blessing after another. So many reasons to praise our God!
On this Christmas Day:
After singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus, and cutting His cake I said, "Well, it's Jesus' birthday and we got all the gifts!" My youngest granddaughter (8yrs.), Ashley, told me "what Jesus wants most is our hearts!" Since there is no greater joy than hearing my children/grandchildren speak/walk in the truth, I was extremely blessed! She is the third and last and will be baptized Jan. 31 on her birthday! What a joy to have them all in the fold!
Vicksburg, MS
One of my SIL's who is not a believer stated that Christmas was all about the kids, and of course I just wanted to cry.
I wanted to be cynical after taking ALL of the gifts my children had recieved and say "it's not about the gifts!" But as I unpacked I saw how much thought and love that family and friends had put into the gifts and I was reminded that the LORD has given us the love from Him to spread around. Each gift they recieved was something that the LORD knows would bring joy.
I was so overjoyed to see how precious the love that was given. Merry Christmas!
We had a white Christmas!!!
Buffy
Rogers, Ar
God has blessed me so much this past year. On this Christmas day, I thought of my father who passed away two years ago. We miss him dearly, but moments after dwelling on that, I was reminded of a miracle birth in our family this past year.
My cousin had a baby boy (Logan)born in April of this year. Last Christmas she was told that due to severe Spina bifida, he most likely wouldn't survive. After months of praying, he did survive birth. He was born with this condition, but God performed sooo many miracles on this special baby! He continues to amaze doctors as they said if he survived he would have no quality of life.
He's 8 months old and not far behind what healthy babies do at his age!
Praise be to God for this miracle and allowing us to share in his first Christmas today!
Lynn Langford
Rochelle, GA
Today was my first day out of bed since Monday when I had an unplanned surgery. I, like you, have adverse reactions to anestheisa and throwing up was not an option for overcoming the surgery I had. I was sent home with pain pills that I dutifully took and finally realized on Christmas Eve, after bouts of dry heaves,that these were the cause of my problems. I missed the Christmas service at my church but sent my family on, all the while praying for God to just give me relief and also praying for family members who need to know Him. I was able to wake up this morning nausea free and to enjoy the day, even though I spent it in my p.j.'s. Like you, I am just thankful for God's touch - not just in the physical but in quiet moments He allows us to have - in times of pleasure and in pain.
Karen
Madison, MS
A phone message of my granddaughter's first "coo's" announced this blessed day, reminding me that it's all about the babe!
We received a record 14 inches of snow on Christmas Eve. Yet through the efforts of the loving and persistent men in my family we were all able to be together, including my 83 year old grandmother. I love my peeps. Glory to to God in the Highest!
Kellye
In Snowy Oklahoma City
We had a White Christmas in Decatur TX for the first time that anybody can remember (even thouse who are elderly and have been here all their lives)! Had 8 inches on the ground. Showed the beauty of God's creation!
Gail Jones
Decatur, TX
Jupiter FL
God blessed us to attend church as a family....a rare event. So special to me.
A blessing of big proportion. My sister was found to have a brain tumor. She is 53d. He a faithful husband who has been caring for here ever need, every need she had not even been able to take care of herself. Dr. had been treating her for sinus problems for two years as this progressed. She has had surgery and regaining her ability to care for her self. Praise God
I after the world wind week asked God to give me a blessing.
Went on face book to check on sisters status. I received a chat from a missionary we have know for 25 years. He in India a native India born came to states to receive education to be a man used of God. Just to say hello I could not believe I was sitting here in Louisiana talking to him in India have not talked to him for about 10 years. He in conversation said "be blessed". OH God the simple blessing but meaning the world to my heart. God loves us so he can have anything happen to show he is God and in control. Thank you Lord for your love and amazing blessing,
I do need to say that the Lord is so good. I was moved to tears last night as I prayed with my son and his Christmas prayer for our "Giving Tree" families was that they would enjoy their gifts and that they would be blessed far beyond their expectations. Merry Christmas girls- May you be reminded of that beautiful babe born into this world for each one of us!
Love you,
Andrea
Moorhead, MN
(Currently snowed in-MAJORLY snowed in!)
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