The True Meaning Of Christmas

I had just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room, and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed his finger over his mouth so I would not cry out. "What are you doing?" I started to ask. The words choked up in my throat, and I saw that he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager, boisterous soul we all know. He then answered me with a simple statement: "TEACH THE CHILDREN!" I was puzzled, what did he mean? He anticipated my question, and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree. As I stood bewildered, Santa said, "Teach the children. Teach them the real meaning of Christmas. The meaning of Christmas that nowadays has been forgotten." Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it before the mantle. Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind. All the needles point Heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning toward Heaven. He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. Teach the children that the star was the Heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the sign of the fulfillment of His promise. He then reached into his bag and pulled out a CANDLE. Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light, we are reminded of He who displaces the darkness. Once again he reached into his bag and removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree. Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the real nature of love Christ showed for us. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of affection. He then pulled from his bag an ornament of HIMSELF. Teach the children that I, Santa Claus, symbolize the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December. He then brought out a HOLLY LEAF. Teach the children that the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Savior. The red holly berries represent the blood that He shed for us. Next he pulled from his bag a GIFT and said, "Teach the children that God so loved the world that whoever believes in Him shall have everlasting life." (John 3:16) Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift. Teach the children that the wise men bowed before the Holy Babe and presented Him with gold, frankincense and myrrh. We should always give gifts in the same spirit of the wise men. Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on the tree. Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherd's crook. The crook on the staff helps to bring strayed sheep back to the flock. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brother's keeper. He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL. Teach the children that it was the angels that heralded the glorious news of the Savior's birth. The angels sang "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men of good will." Suddenly I heard a soft tinkling sound, and from his bag he pulled out a BELL. Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should bring mankind to the fold. The bell symbolizes guidance and return. Santa looked around and was pleased. He looked back at me and I saw that the twinkle was back in his eyes. He said, "Remember, TEACH THE CHILDREN the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me in the center for I am but a humble servant of the One that is, and I bow down to worship Him, Our Lord, Our God, and Savior. 

Man's Best Friend

"No man can be condemed for owning a dog. As long as he has a dog, he has a friend; and the poorer he gets, the better friend he has." - Will Rogers Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. Proverbs 27:9

"What do you expect to do with that puppy?" He stared at me with glaring eyes. "I'm gonna get him some dog food," he explained that cold night. The ball of fur snuggled deeper into his jacket. It poked out between his zipper. My brother could barely stand, he'd been drinking. I tried to get him out of there before the boss saw him. He was off the clock, but I was working that night. "Get out of here before you get in trouble." "No! Not until I get my new best friend some dog food," he demanded. "Alright, here, let me help you." I took the little thing and hid him in my jacket this time. I was getting off shortly. As we rambled down one aisle after another, we finally found the dog food. I purchased it, and snuck a pup and a passed out brother into my car. We got out of there unnoticed even after his partying that night. Sneaking home I tried to get both past my mother. The plan was to get him to bed, but the pup gave us away with his whimpering. "Oh, no. She's gonna flip out to find him drunk." I sat my brother on the couch as my mom came in.

"What was that noise?" came her questioning. "That's nothing," he grumbled in a voice he was hoping sounded sober but just sort of slurred out. "Here, let me fix him some coffee," she exclaimed. "Don't tell, Dad," he said in a worried teenager's voice. I think he didn't even realize he was taking to Mom. "He came up to work drinking and I covered for him...." HHMM..... UUNNN.... "That's the sound I heard earlier," she declared. "Oh, that's a puppy one of his friend's gave him. It's a chow, I think. Look, mom, don't be mad at him. He asked this girl out, and he really liked her. He had been talking to her for months. Well, you know how they do him. He talked to a friend, and he went to drown his sorrows."

"Well, the puppy sure is cute. And his hangover will be quite painful tomorrow. I'm not saying I'm not disappointed in him, but I can understand the hurt," she said, "Go to bed and he can sleep it off."

"Funny, the dog starts whining when I try to take him away from him." "Just leave him with him tonite. He'll be alright," she stated. So began the time that Bear, as we called him that night came into our lives. We had owned many dogs before but this one lived the longest and touched our lives the deepest. I think from that small moment on he was put here to comfort us in times of distress. He never was the type of dog that jumped up on you, he only came over when you sat down, to place his head in your lap to be petted. He never got excited like most chows. He patiently waited on you until you returned. All with a pleasant demeanor.

I spent many nights, when I was at my saddest, just sitting on a front porch swing looking at the stars. Those times he came and laid his head in my lap to let me know he cared was innumerable. He was like that to us all. But he especially knew when my brother was sad. Animals who love us can sense these things. He cared and paid special attention to my father in his last few years. Always gentle with the children. Even as he got too old, Boo-Bear, as they called him, was a member of the family. The day he died closed a chapter in my life. We have never had a dog like him since.

God gave him to the most distraught member of our family that night. He gave us all 13 years of love. Maybe God has given such an animal as this to you at sometime in your life.

This is just another layer I peel back in understanding God's immense love. He uses even a dog to show affection and understanding when all other friends are gone. Like God, he never cared if I was rich or poor, good looking or ugly, dumb or smart. He didn't care what kind of car I drove, how big my house was, or what kind of clothes I wore. He was always glad to see me and loved unconditionally. His feelings never changed, they were unwavering. He was my friend. He saw me and the rest of us through some tough times. There will be a day, a perfect day, when my soul searching is done, when I'll play chase with him again. And I'll sit underneath one of heaven's trees and my friend will lay his head in my lap once again.

By

Lance Gargus

Sunset

"Daddy look the sunset. My Friend,God,made it." by Connor Gargus

My son pointed the obvious to me when he was just 5 years old. 

Unicorn-In The Garden of Eden

Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Job 39:9

THE FIRST ANIMAL NAMED When God created the earth, he made a river which flowed from the Garden of Eden over braided veins of onyx and gold. The river split into four branches: one was called the Pison, one was the Euphrates, one flowed east toward Assyria, and one circled Ethiopia. Everywhere the rivers ran, the land was filled with living things. There were vines, spiky yucca and dry-dropping quince, mosses, papyrus reeds and citrus. And there were creatures. They all were beautiful. But only two of them had names-Adam and Eve, who did not realize that they had dominion over the others. Then God told Adam to name the animals. All the creatures gathered around: those that crawled and those that flew and those that swam in the rivers; creatures with four legs and creatures with two, those with bushy tails and those who could see in the dark. They were all equal, and Adam had always been one of them. Yet as he began to name them, he drew himself apart. And the first animal he named was the unicorn. When the Lord heard the name Adam had spoken, he reached down and touched the tip of the single horn growing from the animal's forehead. From that moment on, the unicorn was elevated above other beasts. Adam and Eve rode upon the unicorn's back through the winding pathways of the garden, and all of creation lived in peace until Adam and Eve became curious about that which had been forbidden. Then they tasted the fruit of the tree of knowledge and, ashamed, they clothed themselves with woven leaves. When God saw what they had done, he drove them from the Garden of Eden and barred the entrance with cherubs who waved flaming swords. But the Lord gave the unicorn the choice of remaining in paradise or accompanying Adam and Eve out into the world, where there was pestilence and war, and pain in childbirth and in death. The unicorn looked to the angels hovering above the gate with their burning swords, and looked to Adam and Eve-and followed them. Forever after the unicorn was blessed for its compassion, for it could have stayed in that place of ideal beauty and delight, but instead, out of love, it chose the hard way-the human way.

Jewish Fable

Black Ocean

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

Isaiah 6:8-9

The ending of me is the beginning of You.

Lance Gargus

In a dream I had, there is a ocean that is completely black. The water is stormy and turbulent. Waves crash against each other as the wind blows. A mist blows up each time the waves collide. Sometimes it's hard to tell where the water ends and the sky begins. With each billowing roll, another one rises to join the last one that subsided. The white foam of the water is the only thing that breaks up the ocean's blackness. There is just a small amount of light to make out in this ocean in peril. I am sure anyone observing this display of power couldn't tell up from down in the middle of the chaos.

Yet, there is a light watching this tug of war. It is one single eye in the place where the moon should be. This eye seems to be changing as it radiates some sort of glow. The look is intense and piercing. The eye does not waver in its omnipotent presence.

And so the dream ends.

The words,"Black Ocean," resounds in my head. I rub my eyes and try to wake from the sleep.

This dream could mean alot of interpetations, but the one I think that most fits is about me. Dreams are always personal, and God always uses them to reveal something to us. They may be shrouded in mystery for awhile and only fully understood at a later date.

Lord,

You may be calling me out in my dreams, as Your Spirit breathes. Reaching for the deepest hope in me and calling out for the things of eternity. But I'm just a man of dust and stains filled with sitbacks and failures and upset plans that test my faith and leave me with empty hands. Are You not the closest when its hardest to stand? I know You will finish what You began. And these broken parts, You will redeem.

I'm overwhelmed by the thought of my weakness, and the fear that I'll fail You in the end. Oh, in this mess I'm just one of the pieces. I can't put this together, but You can. Somehow my story of soul searching is part of Your plan. Make me courageness enough to one day say,"Here I am, Lord, send me," in the midst of the turbulent black sea of my life. Until then, may your watchful eye ever be on me.

Amen.

by

Lance Gargus

God Made The Sun

This is a quote by my 9 year old daughter, Autumn. "God made the Sun the Innkeeper to the Stars."

Isn't that the way Christ is. He's the Son that is the Innkeeper to us the smaller stars. Always watching over us to make sure our needs are met.

by

Lance Gargus

God Is Love

God is love;

1 John 4:16

This was written by my daughter, Autumn in the third grade.

There is one verse in the Bible that is very short.

But it is also a very short sentence.

And that Bible verse is God is love.

She wrote this on a cutout heart she made. And addressed to all her family.

God uses small children to express His feelings to us in remarkable ways.

by

Lance Gargus

My Father's Shoes

whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: Matthew 3:11 "The preaching that this world needs most is the sermons in shoes that are walking with Jesus Christ." D.L.Moody As a young child, I remember sitting in my parent’s room, watching my dad get ready for church. As a pastor, and one who felt that dressing in your best showed respect to God, he almost never went to church in anything but a coat and tie – always a suit. I would sit and watch as he picked out his clothes, running his hand along the ever growing collection of repp, paisley and woven ties until he found just the right one for that day. After the jackets, shirts and ties had been sorted through, out came the shoes. Dad’s shoes were not handmade or exotic. But Dad always kept his shoes in excellent condition; religiously polishing them to a deep, jewel like gloss. He would put his shoes on last, the final touch. He would start looking for them only to find a little boy had made away with them. When I was little sometimes I’d put on my dad’s dress shoes and clumsily walk around the house, giggling as I looked down at my feet. I always felt close to him, standing in his shoes. The shoes seemed like the largest shoes in the world to me. "How could his feet ever fill such big shoes?"my childish mind wondered,"They keep falling off my feet." After a hearty laugh at me, he snatched the shoes while tickling my feet. Smiling big I hoped to be as big as him someday. Maybe then I could wear shoes like that. It rained the whole trip to church. So I spent my time staring at rain cascading down my backseat window. My five year old thoughts considered,"What if I can't get inside the church? It sure is raining hard. I might sink in the mud and get stuck. I've done that before and walked right out of my shoes." This was just a brief thought. We had arrived. My dad quickly picked me up into his arms and headed toward the church house doors. "Oh,no it's so muddy. Surely,his shoes will get stuck in the mud,"I thought. 10 steps later we were inside. Glancing back over my shoulder,I shall never forget those footprints. They were deep into the ground, leaving a lasting mark. I saw others running and stepping in his footprints to keep from bogging down in the mud. He had been the first inside. His shoes, amazingly to me, had not come off. I asked,"How come your shoes didn't come off?" "I guess I just tied them good. I didn't have time to worry about that I had to get you in out of the weather." With no regard for the new shine he had put on his shoes and not worrying about what others thought he just reacted. Without a second thought, he did what had to be done. By doing so, he left deep foot impressions for those who chose to walk where he had. Isn't that what our Heavenly Father does for us? We so much want to wear his shoes, but until the time is right he carries us through the storm when we need it. As he carries us, if you look back over your shoulder you can see others choosing or not choosing to follow the deep footprints of our Protector. Dear Protector, Thank you for thinking of me first.Before you hung the first star in the sky, You knew my name. You knew the name of an insignificant young boy in his earthly father's arms, who needs You more than ever to carry Him. I lose my shoes alot in the mud,and I sink in the muck. Your shoes are always secure and your footprints forever leave a mark on my heart.

Amen. by Lance Gargus

A Ship's Destiny

Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Hebrews 6:19 Heavenly Father,

Your son is my anchor and I am just a ship seeking his destiny, of that I'm sure. But I sure have a hard time reading the stars on this trip. So I look to the map you gave me, the Bible, but I ain't much good at reading maps. You know I don't want to get lost at sea on life's little trip. Onward moves time's lonely ocean voyage. I use my conscience as a compass to try to read that map. I sure miss my earthly father's moral compass helping me to translate. I've torn my knees up praying when times were looking bad, only to forget You when I'm flying high above it all. Spent so much time flying high I spend more time lying face first in the ground. Dear Father, I've the scars to show from all the time I spent falling down. It's going to be a long hard ride, but I have to take it. So, God, if Dad's up there watching me, please, listen to the message I'm sending him from my heart to his,"I might need a hand to see him again someday. Lord have mercy, it seems I don't have a prayer. I just know I want to go where the streets are gold cause he'll be there. Help me to see Your ship that will carry me to him. When mine becomes too torn and battered lift me up to finish the final voyage in." by Lance Gargus