Sharing my thoughts of our LORD. Sharing my journey through seminary.
Haikus written by me.
Come join me as I journey through seminary and life. God bless you always.
With love,
Tausha
Christmas
Morning - December 25 – Luther Vandross – O’ Come All Ye Faithful
The Christmas
Story (Luke 2:1-14)
“At that time,
Augustus Caesar sent an order to all people in the countries that were under
Roman rule. The order said that they must list their names in a register. This
was the first registration taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And
everyone went to their own towns to be registered.
So Joseph left
Nazareth, a town in Galilee. He went to the town of Bethlehem in Judea. This
town was known as the town of David. Joseph went there because he was from the
family of David. Joseph registered with Mary because she was engaged to marry
him. (Mary was now pregnant.) While Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, the time
came for her to have the baby. She gave birth to her first son. There were no
rooms left in the inn. So she wrapped the baby with cloths and laid him in a
box where animals are fed.
That night,
some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep. An angel of the
Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and
suddenly they became very frightened. The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid,
because I am bringing you some good news. It will be a joy to all the people.
Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is Christ, the Lord. This is how
you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a
feeding box.
Then a very
large group of angels from heaven joined the first angel. All the angels were
praising God, saying:
‘Give glory to
God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace to the people who please God.’”
December 19 –
The Jackson Five – Give Love on Christmas Day
“Dear friends,
we should love each other, because love comes from God. The person who loves
has become God’s child and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God,
because God is love. This is how God showed his love to us: He sent his only
Son into the world to give us life through him. True love is God’s love for us,
not our love for God. God sent his Son to die in our place to take away our
sins.
That is how
much God loved us, dear friends! So we also must love each other. No one has
ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us. If we love each
other, God’s love has reached its goal. It is made perfect in us.
We know that we
live in God and God lives in us. We know this because God gave us his Spirit.
We have seen that the Father sent his son to be the Savior of the world. That
is what we teach. If someone says, ‘I believe that Jesus is the Son of God,’
then God lives in him. And he lives in God. And so we know the love God has for
us, and we trust that love.”
December 18 - The
Temptations - Christmas Everyday
This is the
song to play when you want to propose marriage to your sweetheart this month. I
share this song with you all and I pray that you marry your helpmeet, the one
God intends for you to partner with for as long as you both shall live.
PRAYER
I pray that
those of us who are alone will meet that someone special at the appropriate
time. I pray that what God puts together, no one and nothing will tear asunder.
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I pray. Amen.
December 17 - The
Temptations - Everything for Christmas
A song for
those of us who do not have a special someone.
A song for
those of us who have lost loved ones.
Who will you be
spending Christmas with? Please know you are not alone.
Somewhere,
someone who knows you is praying for you.
Somewhere, a stranger is praying for
you.
God is with you, for you are precious to the LORD.
Will you invite the
LORD to spend time with you always and forever?
PRAYER
In the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I pray we are not alone for the holidays. I pray
those of us who have lost loved ones receive comfort from the LORD. I pray we
will no longer be alone, that we have people we can share love with. Amen.
December 14 –
Natalie Cole – The Twelve Days of Christmas
Almost there!
PRAYER
Dear God, I
thank you for granting us life. Thank you for helping us live to see the rest
of the year. Thank you for keeping us alive so we can live through all of next
year. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
December 13 -
Vince Guaraldi Trio – What Child is This
Here is a
peaceful version of an old time Christmas favorite. For me, just listening to
the music without the lyrics puts my focus on God. A Charlie Brown Christmas
album makes my heart smile. Have you ever done or said something to make someone’s
heart smile? Share below!
PRAYER
In the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth I pray we say or do something to make other people’s
heart smile. I pray we receive the blessing of someone making our heart smile
as well. Amen.
December 12 - Vince
Guaraldi Trio - My Little Drum
Here is a
delightful instrumental accompanied by children vocalizing. We can say a lot
without ever speaking a word. How do you show God’s love and light without ever
saying a word?
PRAYER
I pray God
helps us be better communicators of His word, His love, and His light. I pray
we can communicate those blessings before we even speak or write a word. In the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I pray. Amen.
December 10 - The
Temptations - The Little Drummer Boy (1980 Version)
I pray Jesus
smiles upon you today and makes your heart smile today, tomorrow, and forever.
I pray we all make God smile and delight his heart today, tomorrow, and
forever. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I pray, Amen.
December 9 –
Luther Vandross – Every Year, Every Christmas
Please take a
few moments to tell people you care about and appreciate how much you love them
and how much you appreciate them. Do not wait for holidays and birthdays. This
year is teaching us tomorrow is not promised.
As the late
Luther Vandross sang, we must “stop to love.”
PRAYER
Dear God, please
give us the words and the actions to demonstrate how much we love and
appreciate others. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I pray. Amen.
Here is a fast-paced
gem of a song to put you in the Christmas mood. Christmas will look different
for many of us this year, but we will still celebrate. We are alive and that is
enough reason to be thankful this year.
December 6 - Vince Guaraldi Trio - Christmas Is Coming
Here’s some
jazz music for your Sunday afternoon. I think the tempo is appropriate.
Dear God, I
pray we enjoy You on this wonderful Sunday. I pray we continue to enjoy You all
the days of our lives. May we be satisfied with long life full of joy and Your
grace. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
December 5 - Alexander O'Neal - Do You Remember Why
Around
the world, many of us have put up Christmas decorations. We shop for gifts to
give to others. We drop hints to others so we can get what we want. Some of
these people do not even believe Jesus Christ existed. Some of these people
believe Jesus Christ might have or did exist but they do not believe he is God
in the flesh, who came to redeem us, reconcile us to God the Father, and to
give us eternal life. Yet these people celebrate Christmas and exchange
presents. They may not even celebrate Christmas but they are willing to sell
their goods and services to you.
Why
do you celebrate Christmas?
Do
you even know the reason for the season?
PSALM 150
(Reader Friendly Edition)
Praise the
Lord!
Praise God in
his Temple.
Praise him in
his mighty heaven.
Praise him for
his strength.
Praise him for
his greatness.
Praise him with
trumpet blasts.
Praise him with
harps and lyres.
Praise him with
tambourines and dancing.
Praise him with
stringed instruments and flutes.
Praise him with
loud cymbals.
Praise him with
crashing cymbals.
Let everything
that breathes praise the Lord.
Praise the
Lord!
PRAYER:
Dear LORD, help
us to think about why we celebrate Christmas. Help us think about how we
celebrate the birth of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Help us
to not be greedy. Help us to be a blessing to others. Help those of us who
desire to do so praise You and Your holy name. In the name of Jesus Christ I
pray. Amen.
December 4 - Paul McCartney - Simply Having A Wonderful Christmastime
What would it
take for you to have a wonderful Christmastime?
How can you
help someone have a wonderful Christmastime?
In the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I pray we remember Jesus is the reason for the
season. I pray God blesses us with a wonderful Christmas time! Amen.
December 3 - Alexander O'Neal - Thank You For A Good Year
As we live during the rest of this year, let us be
thankful that we are ALIVE. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Dear God, I thank You for keeping us alive. I praise You, for You are good and You are love.
I pray that we continue to live and to declare the works of the LORD. I pray that all who have had COVID-19 virus infections do not have any aftereffects of the disease. I pray none of these people die. I pray they are no longer contagious.
I also pray no one else comes into contact with the virus. I pray no one else becomes sick or contaminated because of the virus. Please help us receive and benefit from Your divine protection. LORD, if the virus is from an unnatural source I ask that You rebuke the virus and its source.
LORD, I ask that You help us redeem the time. I pray we receive beauty in exchange for our ashes. Help us enjoy a life worth living. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth I pray. Amen.
December 2 –
John Lennon & Yoko Ono – Happy Xmas (War is Over)
John Lennon was not religious. I chose Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
for our song today because it expresses my desires for you and I. Today,
tomorrow, forever.
I pray God
grants us a happy Christmas and an even better New Year. May we receive the
blessings of peace within ourselves and with each other. May we all be a reflection
of God's love and light. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I pray. Amen.
Please enjoy
this song as we kick off the holiday season. I pray we have more than enough
reasons to celebrate. I pray we remember and honor Jesus Christ, the reason for
the season. I pray you are blessed as you listen to music for the next 25 days.
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth I pray. Amen.