Tag Archives: Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

Posted on

Seven Scriptures to Remind Us that Jesus is the Real Reason for the Season…

Hello World,

I don’t know about you but December always seems to fly by…Between making Christmas lists, shopping with the masses, sending out Christmas greetings via e-mail or snail mail, going to Christmas parties and other events, preparing for the New Year and regular life stuff, it seems there is never enough time to do it all and so I almost look forward to January when life is back to its regular pace…

And if you noticed, I haven’t mentioned Jesus at all…That is because with all I have to or want to do, I can forget that the birth of Jesus, God’s precious gift to mankind, is the real reason for the season…And so to prepare my heart for this season and hopefully help you prepare your heart for this season too, I have decided to list seven scriptures that take the focus off of the worldly expressions of the Christmas season and help us to focus on Jesus…

1.  “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:23 I just love that Immanuel means “God with us.”  Jesus was born so that God could be with us…Remember that the next time you feel alone because you are not…God is with us!

2. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 Look how much we are loved by God! He sacrificed His one and only Son! What have we sacrificed for God lately? Something to remember and act on at this time of the year…

3. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 Every time I see Christmas lights, I’m going to remember that God is the father of heavenly lights and that every good and perfect gift is from Him…I’m feeling better about the Christmas season already…

4. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 Although we will never be free of sin this side of Heaven, we can still accept God’s gift of eternal life with Jesus Christ who helps us not to sin…

5. “…Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…” 1 Peter 3:15 At some point during this Christmas season, we have to know that everyone around us does not know the real reason for the season…I hope I’m ready when the opportunity arises for me to tell somebody about my Lord and Savior…

6. “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4…Do  you want the desires of your heart? Of course 🙂 Then we have to delight ourselves in the Lord and His purposes…Now, this does not mean that we send up a list of what we want and then He delivers gifts like He is some Santa Claus in the sky…No, this verse means that mysteriously when we align ourselves with the Lord, His desires for us become our desires…and then we get the desires of our heart because they are His desires for us too…

7. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14…This time of the year especially I have to make every effort to give glory to God and live at peace with others…I wish those in government would remember that…

What helps you remember the real reason for the season? “Happy Birthday Jesus” by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir also reminds me that Jesus is the real reason for the season…

Any thoughts?

Posted on

Christmas & Children Go Together aka Jackie Loves The Kids!

Hello World!

As I contemplate my Christmas plans, it seems like whatever I plan, nothing will bring the immense joy that I felt as a child at Christmas time. I love to watch my nephew opening up his gifts on Christmas. It’s as if each gift he opens potentially possesses the keys to life, and he must ravage each package in his yearly quest. Every year, I get him a remote control car at his request and months later, the car has disappeared or no longer working properly. This year, he has requested a remote control truck. I guess at 9 years old, it’s time for an upgrade…lol…I plan to get my 2-year-old niece a doll for Christmas this year. I hope she relishes dolls as much as I did when I was a little girl. She probably doesn’t get the whole Christmas gift thing right now, but I look forward to the day when she starts making requests as her older brother does…Christmas & children really go together…

Aside from the whole gift giving thing, people also relish the singing voices of children at this time of the year that is not duplicated any other time of the year (unless you are Willow Smith ). And so in this post, I hope these Christmas songs sung by children or for children will bring a smile to your face today…

“Happy Birthday Jesus” is sung by the children of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. This song is achingly sweet…

This is “Carol of the Bells” by the Ishmel Sisters. These cute girls have got it going on! Go girls! Look out Willow! You have some competition!

And what would Christmas be without the “Chipmunk song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)?” This song is guaranteed to make me giggle and remember the almost annual long road trip my family and I take to Memphis to celebrate Christmas with my cousins. It always comes on the radio while my family and I are making the trip.