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How to Choose the Perfect Gift

2 Dec

Thor Ramsey wrote a LOL article listing some of the myths about Christmas that included this funny observation:

“Myth # 4:  The Younger You Are the More Gifts You Should Get.

Truth: You know what I don’t like about the holidays? It’s this rule of Christmas: the younger you are the more gifts you get. My sister’s pregnant. The fetus has more presents under the tree than I do.

The kid doesn’t even have feet yet, why does he need a stocking?

I tell you what a great gift for a newborn baby is ~ a spice rack.

Hey, that’s what they got the baby Jesus for Christmas ~ frankincense, and myrrh? Come on, that’s a spice rack. They might have been three wise men, but they were bad shoppers.”

LOL! Take time to read all of the myths here: “Christian Myths” (at crosswalk.com, 12-16-2004).

But seriously, how does one choose a perfect gift at Christmas? Here are some tips:

  1. Pray for wisdom as you make your Christmas list (James 1:5a)
  2. Make a list of everyone you have to buy for this year. Get it written all down so you can see the big picture.
  3. Prioritize the list ~ family first, other relatives and/or close friends second, co-workers/hairdressers, etc. last.
  4. Think about the budget. After each name, write down the reasonable amount of money you have for that person (remembering, perhaps, what they bought you last year!). It doesn’t have to be expensive or huge to be “perfect” for them.
  5. Think about each person to narrow down possible gift choices. What do they love to do (hobbies/interests) and what might their personality dictate in choosing a gift?
  6. Anticipate. List one or two ideas about what you want to look for, for each person, before you go shopping.
  7. Go fishing ~ you may need to “fish” for ideas with the recipient or a loved one. It’s OK to “ask around.”
  8. When shopping, check out the clearance section in each store to see if any of the items you’re looking for are there (or check online for the same). Don’t waste money.
  9. Get creative. Perhaps you can make a meaningful gift. Or attach a handmade Christmas note or tag. Consider a personalized gift. A food gift.
  10. Consider a gift card if it is appropriate ~ if the person can get something they really want or will use (but consider attaching the gift card to something fun or useful). Or give great promotional coupons (like housecleaning, errand running, etc.) if the person would use them.
  11. Consider a family gift package – something they can do together.
  12. Regarding children ~ Remember safety and age-appropriateness.
  13. Picture this ~ a framed photograph is great for grandparents, a special loved one, or your best friend. A treasured childhood family picture framed exquisitely is priceless.
  14. Ask yourself questions: “Will the recipient really like this, or is it just something I would like to have? Will this bless the person? Will he/she use this or just have to find a place to store it? Does this gift show I value the person?”
  15. Wrap it up pretty! Presentation counts ~ a feast for the eyes.

The tradition of Christmas giving arose from those three Wise Men who were NOT bad shoppers. The Magi ~ they were not called wise men in the scripture, but were likely royal Persian astronomers or advisers to kings ~ went to Jerusalem seeking Israel’s newborn king. But he wasn’t there. God directed them to Bethlehem with a brilliant star, and they offered baby Jesus gifts that were precious and meaningful. They thought about the perfect gifts for a King of Kings: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Gold was certainly a gift for a king. In tradition, we often see this gold as a jar, but it could just as well have been coins, jewelry, or even chunks of gold.

Gold was a wonderful gift for a royal child.

Frankincense was rare and valued, often used in Temple worship. Frankincense burned on the altar and its smoke symbolized the Israelites’ prayers rising up to God.

Frankincense was a blessed gift for a divine child.

Myrrh was also valuable as a perfume, but it had another more ominous use. Myrrh was used in the cloths that wrapped bodies for burial. It’s strong smell was believed to help cover the smell of decay.

Myrrh was a prophetic gift for a child who was born to die.

The story indicates that the Magi knew Jesus was going to be more than a great teacher or prophet. They understood that He was the Messiah ~ the promised Savior. Gold, frankincense and myrrh certainly seem to be perfect gifts; but there was another gift offered that day when the Wise Men came, and if we are wise, we will offer it to Jesus too.

The Bible says they came seeking “the one who has been born king of the Jews” in order to worship him  (Matthew 2:1-2) and when they saw Jesus, they did just that ~ “they bowed down and worshiped him” (Matthew 2:11).

Jesus died to offer the gift of eternal life. (You can read about this gift in John 3:16, 36: 17:3; 1 John 5:11; and Romans 10:9-12.) What is the perfect gift to give to Jesus?

It’s worship. It’s praise. It’s magnifying His name so all the earth will know He is the King who will rule with power in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18).

The Perfect Gift?

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker.” ~ Psalm 95:6

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Have U Got Ears 2 Hear?

9 Jan

Our choir director, Tobin, told the choir about a night when his wife Lynette told their second son, Jonathan, to go up and brush his teeth and get ready for bed.

Boy with ToothbrushJonathan said,” No.

Lynette said, “Yes.”

Jonathan replied, “I don’t want to.”

So Lynette calmly explained that God wants us to honor our mother and father, and that obedience to mom and dad is an extension of our obedience to God ~ and sometimes a little boy just “has to do what mom says!”

Tobin was able to overhear them talking from upstairs, and when Jonathan passed Tobin in the hall on the way to the bathroom, Tobin asked him, “What’s up?”

And Tobin got a classic response in this teachable moment ~ “God told me to brush my teeth,” Jonathan said, “but I didn’t hear Him!” *

Jesus often used a simple phrase ~ “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (as in Matthew 11:15). Jesus said this in Luke 14:35 after he related a story, a parable. He said we should listen and understand; we should listen with the intent of obeying God.

Jesus wanted us to give high attention to what was spoken because He wanted us to remember His words.

I was a daydreamer in elementary school. It seems I was always thinking about something else Girl Daydreamingwhile my teachers spoke. They might say something that would send my brain on a creative journey.  I remember one time in junior high history, my teacher talked about the Roman “circus,” and I started imagining a three-ringed circus with lions, dancing poodles, and a ballerina on horseback.

Or I’d take a few phrases the teacher said and I’d start alliterating them. (I still sometimes do that with my husband’s sermons.)

More than once, a teacher called me down for my daydreaming with a sharp, “Dawn Marie, pay attention!” And I can’t tell you how many times my mother said that to me, growing up. She’d say, “Do I need to wash your ears out with soap so you can hear me?”

As a result, I’ve learned to be alert when others speak. I catch not only their words, but the nuances of their phrases ~ always listening for the hidden messages that might be there.

Some people refuse to listen to Jesus’ words. They are tone deaf to the music of the soul. They don’t grasp His meaning.

Boy_EarsToHearThe truth is, God gives us “spiritual ears” (perception) to stay in tune with His words when we become His own. Others may hear Jesus’ words, but they don’t understand, because the words are “spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

But how many of us believers hear and yet, like my Grandma Parks said, let the words “go in one ear and out the other”? We have ears, but we will not hear.

The scriptures talk about wasting words of counsel on fools. To a wise man, one word is enough,  but to a fool, a whole volume of chatter is insufficient to cause change. They have ears and “hear not” (Jeremiah 5:21) because they have “stubborn and rebellious hearts” (v. 23).

Throughout the Old Testament, God’s prophets cried out His to people who heard, but did not understand with the intent to obey … their ears were “heavy” (Isaiah 6:8-11) and they were rebellious (Ezekiel 12:2).  The people stopped up their ears “so that they could not hear” the prophets’ words of warning (Zechariah 7:11-12; see also Jeremiah 6:16-18). They only wanted to listen to others’ more comfortable, comforting words (Jeremiah 23:16-17).

We see this in the New Testament at the stoning of Stephen. He spoke to his attackers, but they covered their ears. They wanted to shut him up ~ they didn’t want to hear the truth (Acts 7:51-58a).

Those who truly love God also love the truth. They want to hear it and obey. Jesus’ sheep hear Woman Listening to Godhis voice (John 10:2-5). He doesn’t want our hearts to grow dull or our ears hard of hearing, because He wants to help us, heal us, and bless us (Matthew 13:11-17).

I love the words of Nehemiah 8:5-6. Nehemiah records that Ezra the priest read the Law of God to the people, and “the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.” And when they paid attention, their response was to bow their heads and worship the Lord.

Listening to the words of God will do that to us.

  • We will understand what He has done for us.
  • We will be grateful.
  • We will worship Him.
  • And we will be quick to obey.

So … are you listening?

* Tobin’s story, used with permission

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God’s Creation ~ Drink It In!

15 Jun

Glass_HalfEmpty?A well-known proverb states that an optimistic would say a glass is half full, while a pessimist would say it is half empty. What would people of different professions and walks of life say?

The Banker would say that the glass has just under 50% of its net worth in liquid assets.

The Government would say that the glass is fuller than if the opposition party were in power.

The Opposition would say that it is irrelevant because the present administration has changed the way such volume statistics are collected.

The Economist would say that, in real terms, the glass is 25% fuller than at the same time last year.

The Philosopher would say that, if the glass was in the forest and no one was there to see it, would it be half anything?

The Psychiatrist would ask, “What did your mother say about the glass?”

The Physicist would say that the volume of this cylinder is divided into two equal parts; one a colorless, odorless liquid, the other a colorless, odorless gas. Thus the cylinder is neither full nor empty. Rather, each half of the cylinder is full, one with a gas, one with a liquid. *

Whether a glass is half empty or half full, there’s nothing like crystal clear water to satisfy our thirst; and I (Dawn) am so thankful that God blessed our planet with rivers, lakes, oceans … beautiful bodies of water that serve so many purposes in our lives.

As Pam posted photos to Facebook recently of her time in beautiful, exhilarating Alaska ~ especially the gorgeous Pam Reading in Alaskascenes where she had her quiet time with God (I love this one of her reading LOL with God), I couldn’t help but think of the three years I lived in Iceland during high school ~ a place that is, in at least one way, much like Alaska. It gets cold!

Iceland’s official first day of summer is at the end of April, even though Icelanders won’t see higher temperatures until June or even July.  My favorite time of year there was summer, when the sun was visible for almost 24 hours of each day. I remember playing softball outside at 3:00 am! If I were there now, I’d be covering my bedroom windows with aluminum foil so I could sleep in the “Land of the Midnight Sun.”

OxarafossIt is a “land of frost and fire” with volcanoes, hot springs, and active geysers alongside glaciers, making this country one of the most unusual in the Atlantic. One of the most beautiful natural features of Iceland is its waterfalls. They are among Europe’s most powerful, magnificent falls.

My favorite waterfall ~ though not the most beautiful or the tallest ~ was the chilly Öxarárfoss near the Almannagjá rift valley, where the Vikings met for their parliament meetings at Þingvellir (pronounced Thing-vet-lur).  We placed six-packs of Continue reading →

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