THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS TREE
Our Christmas tree in my younger years was often the last one on the tree lot. Dad always waited until the day of Christmas Eve to buy one, because he’d get the best deal. The problem was there undoubtedly would be about three branches on it and most of the needles would fall off by the time he dragged it home. Then it was up to my sister and I to make it look beautiful under his watchful eye. No amount of tinsel could hide the fact that is was a loser as far as trees go.
When my own family was preparing for the Christmas season, one of our traditions was to bundle up the children, load them onto a sled and slide them to the woods and chop one down ourselves. The sweet smell of freshly cut pine was delightful. There would be hot chocolate with a scoop of ice cream on top, once we got home. The tree would last much longer this way and it was a wonderful memory to put in place for our family.
That darling Kodak moment when everything was absolutely perfect, soon turned into the coldest day of the year. Having a husband and dad who continues to have a critical artist’s eye, meant the excursion would become more of a quest than an adventure. Icicles clung to his beard and moustache, yet he pressed on in search of the perfect tree. Little red cheeks on not-so-happy children and a crabby wife wouldn’t deter this man. It was a do or die situation for him. For the rest of us, all we could think of was that hot chocolate waiting for us at home.
The tradition eventually dropped by the wayside when he agreed to an artificial tree. It was nice while it lasted, but I couldn’t picture my sweet husband and myself trudging through the snow to cut the perfect tree. Can you imagine?
The lovely folk tale, “THE TALE OF THREE TREES” by Angela Elwell Hunt, demonstrates how three little trees all had high hopes of what they wanted to be when they grew up. The first looked up at the stars in the sky and desired becoming a treasure chest – holding the most phenomenal treasure the world had ever known. The second tree watched as a tiny stream trickled down a mountain and emptied into the ocean. He decided he would like to become a mighty ship, transporting Kings. The third tree looked at the busy village in the valley below. He dreamed of staying on the mountain and growing into the tallest tree ever. He wanted people to see him and think of God as his limbs reached up to heaven.
The first tree was cut down because it was beautiful and perfect for the woodcutter’s purposes. It would be made into a feeding trough for animals. Eventually it would become a feeding trough for the Messiah – the greatest treasure the world has ever known.
The second tree was cut down because of its strength and crafted into a small fishing boat. When a storm came up and it looked as though the boat would perish, a man stood up, raised his hand over the waters and calmed the seas. The tree realized he was carrying the King of heaven and earth.
The third woodcutter felt that any tree would be suitable for his wood pile, so he cut it down into large beams for future use. Those beams would eventually be carried through the streets of Jerusalem to a mountain that would lead the eyes of the people to heaven and God.
We often dream of what our future holds and have a clear picture of where we will go, but often God has other plans for us. God fashions us throughout our lives. He cuts away the bad spots, trims away the dead branches and finds purpose for us. In the end, He’s leading us through difficult times, to bring our focus back to Him, and reminding us that He is always in control.
Posted in Advent, Christian daily devotion, Uncategorized
Tagged CHRISTMAS TREE, God's plan, Inspiration, TALE OF THREE TREES
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WHAT IS THE SEASON ABOUT?
ORIGINAL CARVINGS BY PAUL BOECHER©POETRY BY KATHY BOECHER
Adorning the fireplace mantel, which we no longer own,
We placed these carved wooden Santas, tradition man had sown,
Each detail he gently mastered, with tender loving care,
To add joy to the holiday, a treasured gift to share,
Some Christmases were not happy, some filled with pain and loss,
When homemade gifts replaced the new, but still at a great cost,
The love that went in those carvings, each chiseled deeply in,
Reminds us still of talents shared, with each returning grin,
Our new old house has no mantel, to display them as we could,
The Santas are inanimate, and simply made of wood,
The treasured gift of Christmas Eve, a precious, perfect life,
Was born in deepest poverty, to take away all strife,
A babe in a lowly manger, asleep upon the hay,
Who knew that this newborn baby would take our sins away,
He lived a life that was perfect, yet died upon a tree,
Gave up His life so I might live, unshackled and set free,
He conquered death on Easter morn, He rose to life more,
He gave that gift to everyone, and opens heaven’s door.
Posted in art, Christian daily devotion, Christian Poetry, Uncategorized
Tagged Advent, Art & Poetry by Paul & Kathy Boecher, greatest gift, Jesus, true treasure
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WRITERS’ FUNNIES
All of our color is done for this year, but it’s warm enough to still wear a hoodie in Minnesota. Love hot cocoa, cooler air, jeans, boots and football, but I’m not too sure about bonefires.
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GET SMART
It was the 1960s – a time when our country was in the midst of assassinations, violence, protests. In the throes of this chaos, Americans did what they did best. They looked for other things to occupy their minds. James Bond films were popular along with the bumbling Inspector Clouseau, Pink Panther movies.
Two brilliant comedy writers, Mel Brooks and Buck Henry combined elements of both genres and created a television spoof called “Get Smart,” starring Don Adams as Maxwell Smart. There were the usual gadgets from the Bond movies, along with a bumbling secret agent who worked for CONTROL against the insidious agency of evil – KAOS. “Get Smart” was made into a full length movie starring Steve Carell a few years ago. The show made us laugh, but held some truth as well. It didn’t make the current problems go away, but we forgot about them temporarily.
Our country seems to be in a state of chaos (KAOS) again. The topics in the news today pertain to things we wouldn’t have thought of talking about in the 60s. We now seem bent on tabloid journalism filled with half truths or misrepresented. We often thrive on the sensational headlines. With the invention of the internet – which to some is the devil’s workshop – we’ve opened the door to instant news and information. Fact checking is rarely done and people are quick to believe whatever they read, because we’ve come to trust the cyber world rather than the truth.
We need an organization like CONTROL to fight the evil being poured out by our enemy. We need someone who will come to our defense and bring us the real truth. Oh, wait! That happened over 2000 years ago when Jesus was born in a humble stable, in total poverty, a child of a human mother and the Son of God. He took the chaos of a sinful world to a wooden cross on Calvary and conquered the enemy.
God brought order out of chaos, because He is in control. Through His Word, we don’t have to look any further for the truth. He inspired the words so we know they’re true. Within the Bible we can escape the cares of this world and get through anything. The greatest story ever told is laid out for us and it’s the completely true.
Maybe it’s time we focus our faith on the triune God rather than the things of this world.
Posted in Christian devotions, Uncategorized
Tagged chaos, confusion, evil, God, Inspiration, truth
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THE TREE IS UP!
This is the extent of my Christmas decorating. I’ll try again next week!
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A FORTRESS UNENDING
ORIGINAL ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER©
A fortress carved from stone, stands rigidly against raging waters,
A refuge from the relentless waves threatening to intrude,
God alone has created that place,
Cut through the massive rock with His finger,
Each pebble blasted away with the breath of His nostrils,
A perfect defense from the seas of torment that infest each life,
My enemies pursuit and cover me with fear ,
I feel I will drown in the great expanse,
When it seems the water will overtake and the enemy has won,
God plucks me from the tempest and places me in His safety,
He is my rock and my salvation,
I have nothing to fear.
Posted in art, Christian daily devotion, Christian Poetry, Uncategorized
Tagged Art & Poetry by Paul & Kathy Boecher, God, Inspiration, motivation, safety, strength
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MY FIRST BLACK FRIDAY EXPERIENCE
It all began with an early morning text from my granddaughter. You see, it’s a tradition for her dad’s mother to shop on Black Friday with her grandchildren. Bless her loving heart. I’ve managed to stay clear of Black Friday since it’s maniacal inception, but when granddaughter texted me to tell me the local building supply store had the very camouflage blanket on her Christmas list for only $10 bucks, I decided to don my body armor and head for the trenches.
The parking lot was stuffed fuller than the Thanksgiving dinner of Thursday. Yet, things were looking up. I came upon a spot where the occupant just backed out and slid into it without incident. I made a bee line to the blankets, was going to leave, but saw the cutest little doggie vests. They were priced at $4.00, so I picked up three for the granddoggies and vowed to go straight to the checkout, which was a line a mile long.
I thought it might slow down, so I opted to look for some things I actually needed. Unfortunately none of them were on sale, but those memory foam neck pillows were. In the basket they went, along with a new dog bed for our pooch and some Christmas candy, which will be gone in a week.
I resisted temptation and headed for the cashier. The line had now increased to two miles, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. It was well managed until the main line forked into separate lanes leading to various cashiers.
As usually happens to me in a check out line, I got into the wrong one The cart in front of me was chock full of items. The woman must have been shopping all night, because she was eating some of her purchases before they were even checked out I have to give her credit though. She saved all the empty candy wrappers so they could be scanned,
Little did I know, the woman’s husband was right ahead of her and he had an even fuller cart. This apparently was their one stop shopping spot. Their total was well over $800. That’s more than my social security check!
I turned around and said this was my first and last Black Friday experience. He kindly agreed. I noticed he was carrying only one small item. I admired his patience.
I had no intention of buying anything more than a $10 blanket, but succumbed to the brilliance of marketing. My $10 purchase turned into $85. I now can say I have purchased one Christmas present for my granddaughter. She knows what it is, and the dogs are going to be so happy.
A TASTE OF HEAVEN
ORIGINAL ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER©
The majesty and glory of an ancient city,
Robed in beauty, filled with scents, tastes, sounds, textures and sights,
All tempting us with their shades of light and color,
Reaching our innermost emotions and desires,
We can’t imagine anything better,
And yet,
What lies ahead, beyond the departure from earth,
From the sweet, sleeping time of death,
The split second from death to life,
Could seem an eternity to most,
But in a flash, our eyes will open again,
To view paradise,
To live again in a place where there is,
No more pain,
No more tears,
No more wars, hatred, anger,
No more violence,
A place where only perfection abides,
Come quickly, Lord, Jesus.
Posted in Christian daily devotion, Uncategorized
Tagged art & inspiration from Paul & Kathy Boecher, death, eternity, God, Heaven
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JULIE’S FRIDAY FUNNY
FEEL GOOD I DO NOT. FULL MY STOMACH IS. ATE TOO MUCH DID I. INDIGESTION HAVE I, YES HMMMMM.
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HOLIDAY MEMORIES
As soon as the football games are back to their normal three days a week, rather than twenty five in one day, our thoughts turn to Christmas. It’s been one of my enjoyments to watch the old holiday movies during this interim leading up to Christmas – movies like It’s a Wonderful Life – White Christmas – A Christmas Story. For the past couple years, I have a hard time finding them on the tube. Of course I don’t have Netflix or Hulu. I’m one of those old fashioned hold-outs who still pinches her pennies.
Folks have made it a tradition to go shopping on Black Friday – some maybe even before they’ve digested their Thanksgiving dinner. Some prefer to do their shopping on the internet, which I’m opting for this year. I’m tired of fighting the elements and crowds of crazy people. Besides, I’m old!
I wonder how we’ll shop in 25 years or how we’ll prepare for the coming Christmas holiday. I remember going downtown to shop. This was well before shopping mega malls and computers. We’d press our noses against cold windows to get a closer look at the animated figures on the other side. These scenes would often include carolers standing by a lamp post; children building a snowman; Santa and his elves; a family decorating a tree; a nativity scene. There was always a Santa parade and it most always was below freezing.
At home, our Christmas tree was often purchased a couple days before the actual holiday, so we could get the best deal. We also wound up with the scruffiest looking tree which looked pretty good with a ton of tinsel and lights. We baked cookies and decorated them with lots of colored sugar. Presents would not go under the tree until Christmas eve. We’d attend church and hear the story of Jesus’ birth and be presented with a bag of hard candy, shelled peanuts and a huge orange and apple.
The way we celebrate this holiday changes over time, but the core message of Christmas never changes. We struggle through this time of busyness and sometimes chaos, as some become depressed because families are now so spread apart. Anxiety reaches the boiling point when we can’t afford to buy gifts or airline tickets. We become frustrated, impatient and often exhausted. We may lose our job, marriages fall apart, a serious health diagnosis is received or we lose someone to death. This is a time of extreme sadness for many.
God provides peace – a lasting peace that lay in a feeding trough that first Christmas Eve. Jesus was born a human being, but also the Son of God. He came to earth to live among us and experience our sadness, anger, depression and every other human emotion. Yet He was sinless. He would be the perfect sacrifice to take away the sins of everyone.
This is a truth that’s slowly being forgotten. People have replaced God with material things. They look for pleasure and satisfaction within themselves. They think they don’t need help from anyone. Maybe it’s time to go back to the old ways. God has never left us, we’ve lost track of Him.
Posted in 4th of July, Christian daily devotion, Nostalgia, Uncategorized
Tagged Advent, Busyness, Christmas, encouragement, Inspiration, memories
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THANKSGIVING FUNNIES
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL MY BLOGGING FRIENDS!
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VALUE OF ALL THINGS LIVING
When our first grandson was a child of three, he had a complete grasp on the value of life. As I stomped on a pesky little ant as it scurried underfoot, he immediately called me out for taking the insect’s life. Of course I felt terrible, but in that instant I knew he understood how important life is, and how we need to be aware of even the smallest in God’s creation. In that same year, he wrote and illustrated a book on ants and how they work together and how industrious they are. Not to brag, but my firstborn grandchild is a genius.
Life is precious. Beginning at conception, a life starts. It safely rests and grows in its mother’s womb and after a period of gestation pushes its way into the world – a world filled with danger, hatred, anger, lust, greed and sins of every sort. Each one of those sins is equal in God’s eyes. Even that newborn has been born with sin in its soul. Our original sin is a result of what happened in the Garden of Eden.
In spite of that, our God has promised to overlook our sin through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. Because we have been made clean, we’ve been promised eternity in paradise – a life without any sin and perfect in every way. While we walk this earth, we are still sinful. When we die our redemption is sealed and we will never die again.
Yesterday I posted about the importance of teaching our children to respect each other. Everything we do as parents in the raising of our children is going to affect their future behavior. Those who live in abusive situations, don’t have the advantage of learning what correct behavior is. They become victims trapped in a web of lies and deception and eventually are made to feel guilty themselves.
A dear fellow blogger pointed this out to me in her comment on my post yesterday. She felt that my post might send the wrong message to those who’ve been abused and not heard when they speak of their abuse. This wasn’t my intention at all, but I certainly understand where she’s coming from.
When allegations of the abused come out ‘en masse, as they have recently, it serves as an opening for those whose voices have been silenced because of fear. Yet there are those who are lying about their abuse in order to receive compensation or notoriety. Those implications can and do cause lost reputations, but more. They’re making it more difficult for the real victims to be heard. Crying wolf serves no purpose in the solution to this problem. It simply allows the perpetrators to continue their abuse.
I am deeply sorry if I offended anyone with my words yesterday, especially those who feel there is no way out for them. I would not want to be a stumbling block for anyone. It is imperative that victims of any kind know there’s a place of refuge for them. If you struggle with abuse, a loss of dignity or innocence or any other assault on your life, you have a champion who will listen and defend you. Jesus is there for every one of us. He died for everyone – even the abusers, the most horrendous of humanity, and you and me. All we need to do is believe in Him.
Life is precious. Don’t let it be snuffed out by those who would harm you!
Posted in Christian daily devotion, Hope for the hopeless, refuge, Uncategorized
Tagged abuse, children, encouragement, parenting, Sin, speaking the truth
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PROMISE
ORIGINAL ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER©
A light streams through resistant clouds. It brings a glimpse of heaven.
As once in darkness bathed in shrouds, it’s filled with hope once given.
The light came forth in darkness, so many years ago.
And shone upon the Son of God, in humble manger low.
He could have come in glory, with angels at His side,
but humility is what He chose, when with us He’d abide.
Oh, sweet and loving Jesus. You came to give us life.
You promised to be with us in all our earthly strife.
You walked alone to Calvary and hung upon a tree –
You suffered pain and shed your blood. You did it all for me.
How can I thank you, Jesus, for bringing me Your light?
Use me and let me praise you, through all Your holy might!
THE DAY BEFORE
It was a wonderful time to be alive. Americans were living in a self-proclaimed “Camelot” with a charismatic leader and his lovely wife. All was well with the world.
On this day in history the President of the United States and his First Lady, left Washington, D.C. bound for Houston, Texas to begin a series of campaign appearances for Governor John Connelly.
That evening JFK and Jackie attended a dinner held by the League of United Latin America Citizens. This was probably one of the first times that a president officially acknowledged Latinos as an important voting block. The crowd zealously chanted, “Jacqueline, Jacqueline, Jaqueline. The First Lady addressed the gathering in Spanish.
By the end of the evening of social events and speeches, Jackie was exhausted, but still able to lay out her clothes for the next day – the stunning pink suit with matching pillbox hat; a navy blue blouse and handbag; short white gloves. The outfit would be stained with her husband’s blood the following day.
The events following this dinner overshadowed it because the following day the President was assassinated. Not only did the world lose a great man that day, but our nation became bruised as it grieved over its lost leader.
In the next few days we’ll hear many words spoken about JFK and his presidency. Those of us who experienced that day will never forget it. It’s engraved in our minds as deeply as 9/11. Tragedy has come to our country many times before, but we as a nation will survive as long as we let God take the reins.
I know that many would like to have us believe that we are no longer a Christian nation, but I think there are still enough of us to make a difference.
Lord, protect our country and all of her leaders this day and every day. You have promised to be faithful to those who put their trust in you and I know that you are still in the hearts of many in our land. Hear our cry and heal our nation! Amen.
