DEC. 25 - Thoughts on Gift Receiving

During today's message we thought together about how we receive the gift of Jesus! It's also helpful to think about how we receive gifts that are offered to us from others - both at Christmas time - and all year long. Here are some thoughts from others...


DON'T FORGET the "small moments." In our hurried pace, we sometimes miss the gifts God has given us. Moments that usually escape us can be precious - a sunrise, a full moon, a bird singing. Stop to look, listen, smell, enjoy, and admire the gifts God continually supplies. And say THANK YOU!


1 TIMOTHY 4:4-5 (nlt). Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer.


OLD SCOTTISH PROVERB: Whatever you do, don't be a stingy receiver!


WRITE A FAMILY PRAYER. Have each family member include a few sentences of things they are thankful for from 2011. Store the prayer with your Christmas keepsakes, and read it again a year from now! And then write a new one!


WATCH FOR GIFTS WITHOUT BOWS. Some of the best gifts you will receive may not be wrapped in fancy paper with a bow on top. A kind gesture. Help in a tough time. Don't take these surprises for granted. Acknowledge them with a grateful heart! If you really dare, think about the gifts you have received that seemed negative at first - but turned out for the best.


A PRAYER. O Lord Christ, you came to us as a small gift, in an ordinary place, in common time. Help us to receive the small things as precious, and get caught up with the grandiose, the extravagant, the expensive, the exquisite. We are, after all - all of us - very small in terms of history and the universe. Yet YOU gratefully receive US with joy! Teach us to do the same! Amen.


THINK OF MARY. So often we are reluctant receivers of the gifts that come our way. We don't consider unexpected interruptions or extra activities as gifts. We want everything to run smoothly, according to our plans. When our days involve changes in our plans, giving thanks becomes a chore. Like Mary, who was given the quite unexpected gift of being the mother of the Messiah - we can receive with thanksgiving the unexpected gifts!


AND FINALLY - SOME ADVICE FROM MISS MANNERS ON THANK YOU NOTES!! Today's Houston Chronicle Miss Manners column had some good advice on how to write a good thank you note!

She notes three good elements to a good thank you note!

(1) An expression of delight.

(2) Mention of the particular present and why it caused this delight.

(3) Kind words about the giver along with the expression of thanks.

She also notes two examples of POOR thank you notes!!

The first is in the "Thanks, I Hate It" category. This one came in response to being given a basket of fruits and sweets:

“I know that this probably cost a mint, so it makes me feel very guilty when I throw it all in the trash. One year I took a bunch of sweets to the women and children’s shelter here in town, but I was appalled when I saw that almost everyone in there was morbidly obese. So, I never took another. There is really not one soul who lives in this house who can eat those sweets with reckless abandon — all of us have weight issues. If you can’t steer away from sending these, please do not worry — I will just continue to throw it all away. (I did keep the six pears.)”

The second is in the category of “Don’t Think You’re Finished Shopping.” This person received the gift of a sweater:

“I’m sending this back, because even though the size is OK, I like to wear things bigger, but the real problem is the color. What were you thinking? I hate blue! I didn’t see a gift receipt, and anyway, you live nearer the mall than I do, so I would appreciate a larger one in medium green, not too dark and certainly not that awful yellowy green. You can send me pictures from the store if you’re not sure.”


REMEMBER to "season your gift-receiving" appropriately!!

DEC. 18 - Thoughts on Glorifying!!

How do we "season the season" with glorifying? Here are some not-so-random thoughts from David Mains and others:

THINK about how you approach the worship service. Come, expecting to receive. Don't come like a cork - bobbing on the ocean, just going through the motions. Come with your eyes open to see the hand of God, and your ears tuned to hear the frequency of heaven!


USE MUSIC. The music of the season - in your home or car - can help tune your heart any time of year! Share songs that touch your heart with your children and other family members. (BY THE WAY - did you know there is a new Christian music station in Austin County - check out 90.7 FM.)


CONTINUAL PRAISE. Implement continual praise into your life. Adopt a praise phrase (like "Glory to Jesus" - or - "Be with me Lord" - or - "Glory to God in the highest" - or another one) - and repeat it to yourself throughout the day.


TWEET PRAISE! Use Twitter or Facebook to share brief inspirational thoughts with others!


PRAYER WRAPPING. Pray for each person who is receiving a gift as you wrap it!


BORING TASKS. Use "task time" like driving, or walking the dog, to meditate on the goodness of God.


IDENTIFY OBSTACLES. Write down obstacles that keep you from offering yourself wholly to God. Pray about those obstacles.


SEE THE BABY! When you see a family with a newborn, if it is appropriate, take a moment to say a word of blessing to them. Then say a silent prayer for that family. And thank God for becoming a helpless, humble child in order to save you from your sins!


USE THE MANGER SCENE. Use the manger scene characters with your family to talk about what it was like for each of the characters in the Christmas story - even the animals!


MOVIE NIGHT. Purchase or rent the great movie "The Nativity Story" (suitable for approximately age 10 and up). Talk about the movie with your family!


TALK ABOUT CHRISTMAS EVE WORSHIP. Talk with your family members about how excited you are to celebrate that "holy night." If you are out of town, find a church (of any denomination) to attend.


INVITE A NEIGHBOR to share Christmas Eve Candlelight worship with you! Candlelight worship at BUMC on Christmas Eve is at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. - plus we have an "early" candlelight service (for those whose schedules are busy on Christmas Eve) - on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 6:30 p.m.


A POEM. Read this poem by Greg Asimakoupoulos, called "Godspeak":

As I sit in silence for the service to begin,
I wonder how the living Lord might speak to me again.
Will it be the songs we sing or in the pastor's prayer?
It just might be the sermon or a need somebody shares.
Maybe God will touch my heart through laughter or a sigh,
or even through distractions like a newborn's hungry cry.
Whatever means God chooses to bend my ear his way,
I will worship him expectantly for there is something he will say.

DECEMBER 4 - Top Ten Christmas Shopping Mistakes

Top 10 Christmas Shopping Mistakes (from daveramsey.com)

We’ve all paid “stupid tax” — making costly decisions with zeros on the end. A lot of those decisions happen when we’re caught up in the emotion of the Christmas season and procrastinate a little too long.

Make this year different!

Here are the top 10 Christmas shopping mistakes and how you can act differently:

1. Not prioritizing. Instead of getting stressed out with all the parties, baking and shopping, in addition to your normal daily life, set some priorities before you’re bombarded with a million requests. Think about which things are “must do” and which are “would be nice to do.” It’s all right to say no to keep yourself sane. Shopping for gifts is more fun when you’re not completely stressed out.

2. Not using a budget. Before you make a gift list and head to the mall, set aside a reasonable amount of money for gifts. Make a commitment that you won’t add $20 to the fund every week just because you saw something cute that your niece would love. Get budgeting advice here.

3. Using credit cards. Once you have your budget finalized, stay away from credit cards! You will still spend 12-18% more if you use plastic, and you’ll be paying it off come 2012! Doesn’t paying with cash sound more freeing than having a credit card balance looming over your head? You bet.

4. Buying for everyone. Do you really need to buy gifts for every family member and friend you have? That can get overwhelming and expensive for everyone. Talk with them and work toward an agreement to draw names for gifts or donate money to a common cause.

5. Not listening. Listen to the hints your loved ones drop about what they need or want this year. Maybe your Aunt Sally mentioned that she would love someone to help her in the garden, or Cousin Bob keeps losing guitar picks. A thoughtful gift like this will mean a lot.

6. Not having a thought-out list on paper. If you think you can spend time in “Christmas retail world” without getting distracted by all the shiny toys, you’re in for a big surprise! You’ll be more likely to buy impulsively if you do it that way. Write down what each person you’re buying for would like and stick to the list. Stay focused!

7. Not shopping around. “Shopping around” doesn’t mean you have to spend 24 extra hours running from store to store to save 10 cents. Take a look at your gift list and do some comparative price-checking online before you head out into the retail and traffic madness. This will save you money, time and stress!

8. Waiting until the last minute. Procrastination is not the most appealing gift out there. Don’t find yourself stressed out on Christmas Eve just because you didn’t invest a little bit of time to plan.

9. Forgetting to plan for next year. Throughout the next year, look for outrageous sales on things your loved ones will need. If you time the sales just right and clip some coupons, you could land a major discount on something you were going to buy in a few months for a birthday or wedding gift. Remember to have a list and budget for this, too.

10. Forgetting why we celebrate. If this season becomes all about shopping and gifts, you’ve missed the whole point. People—not things—matter. The miraculous birth of a baby who changed the world is what matters.