Star of Bethlehem

Bill Keane’s comic strip, Family Circus, has communicated a beautiful truth about Christmas. As the children were setting up their nativity set, little Dolly held up the baby Jesus and declared, “Here’s the star of Bethlehem!” May you and your family experience the majesty of gazing on the Star of Bethlehem  during each and every Christmas season.

From McHenry’s Stories for the Soul – Raymond McHenry, Hendrickson Publishers, 2001, Peabody, MA, Page 36

Christmas Puzzle

http://www.christianbiblereference.org/wj_TheChristmasStory_0.htm

© by Cliff Leitch. The Christian Bible Reference Site, http://www.christianbiblereference.org.
Used by permission.

BEST CHRISTMAS EVER?

Christmas was going to be different this year. The father called a family conference and challenged them to be more disciplined in the management of their time during the busy Christmas season and to curtail excessive spending on gifts. He talked about better relations between visiting relatives and a more congenial atmosphere around their home. He brought his speech to a crescendo with his final rally cry, “Let’s make this the best Christmas EVER!” His little second-grade son countered the big motivational speech by noting, “But Dad, I don’t see how we could ever improve on the first Christmas.” We certainly can’t improve on what happened that first Christmas, but we can improve on the way we celebrate it today.

Humorous Notes, Quotes, and Anecdotes, Leslie & Bernice Flynn, 1973, p. 27
McHenry’s Quips, Quotes and Other Notes, HeavenWord Stories for Teachers and Preachers, CD-ROM, HeavenWord, Inc., Raleigh NC, 1999.

Jesus with a Switch

The kids were putting on the Christmas play. To show the radiance of the newborn Savior an electric light bulb was hidden in the manger. All the stage lights were turned off so that only brightness of the manger could be seen, but the boy who controlled the light got confused—all the lights went out!
It was a tense moment, broken only when one of the shepherds said in a loud stage whisper, “Hey! You switched off Jesus!”

From Illustrations Unlimited – James S. Hewett. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL. Page 86.

Priorities

Ben Patterson writes in The Grand Essentials:
I have a theory about old age. . . . I believe that when life has whittled us down, when joints have failed and skin has wrinkled and capillaries have clogged and hardened, what is left of us will be what we were all along, in our essence.

Exhibit A is a distant uncle. . . . All his life he did nothing but find new ways to get rich. . . . He spent his senescence very comfortably, drooling and babbling constantly about the money he had made. . . . When life whittled him down to his essence, all there was left was raw greed. This is what he had cultivated in a thousand little ways over a lifetime.

Exhibit B is my wife’s grandmother. . . . When she died in her mid-eighties, she had already been senile for several years. What did this lady talk about? The best example I can think of was when we asked her to pray before dinner. She would reach out and hold the hands of those sitting beside her, a broad, beatific smile would spread across her face, her dim eyes would fill with tears as she looked up to heaven, and her chin would quaver as she poured out her love to Jesus. That was Edna in a nutshell. She loved Jesus and she loved people. She couldn’t remember our names, but she couldn’t keep her hands from patting us lovingly whenever we got near her.

When life whittled her down to her essence, all there was left was love: love for God and love for people.

From Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching from Leadership Journal - Craig Brian Larson. Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 2000. Page 187.

Nativity Seat

A three-year-old was helping his mother unpack their nativity set. He announced each piece as he unwrapped it from the tissue paper. “Here’s the donkey!” “Here’s a king!” When he got to the infant molded in a manger he proclaimed, “Here’s baby Jesus in his car seat!”

Reader’s Digest, Dec. 1991, p. 66. McHenry’s Quips, Quotes and Other Notes, HeavenWord Stories for Teachers and Preachers, CD-ROM, HeavenWord, Inc., Raleigh NC, 1999.

Thanksgiving Puzzle

http://www.christianbiblereference.org/wj_thanksgivingj_0.htm

© by Cliff Leitch. The Christian Bible Reference Site, http://www.christianbiblereference.org.
Used by permission.

Consider The Possibilities

When Robinson Crusoe was wrecked on his lonely island, he drew up in two columns what he called the evil and the good. He was cast on a desolate island, but he was still alive—not drowned, as his ship’s company was. He was apart from human society, but he was not starving. He had no clothes, but he was in a hot climate where he did not need them. He was without means of defense, but he saw no wild beasts such as he had seen on the coast of Africa. He had no one to whom he could speak, but God has sent the ship so near to the shore that he could get out of it all the things necessary for his basic wants. So he concluded that there was not any condition in the world so miserable but that one could find something for which to be grateful. —Don Emmittee

From Illustrations Unlimited – James S. Hewett. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL. Page 258.

Crossword Puzzle

Bible Quotes

http://www.christianbiblereference.org/Crossword/cw_Famous_Quotes_I.htm

© by Cliff Leitch. The Christian Bible Reference Site, www.ChristianBibleReference.org.
Used by permission.

Forgiveness

Richard Hoefler’s book Will Daylight Come? Includes a homey illustration of how sin enslaves and forgiveness frees.

A little boy visiting his grandparents was given his first slingshot. He practiced in the woods, but he never could hit his target. As he came back to Grandma’s backyard, he spied her pet duck. On an impulse he took aim and let fly. The stone hit, and the duck fell dead.

The boy panicked. Desperately he hid the dead duck in the woodpile, only to look up and see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch that day, Grandma said, “Sally let’s wash the dishes.”

But Sally said, “Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today. Didn’t you Johnny?” and she whispered to him, Remember the duck!” So Johnny did the dishes.

Later Grandpa asked it the children wanted to go fishing. Grandma said, “I’m sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper.” Sally smiled and said, “That’s all taken care of. Johnny wants to do it.” Again she whispered, “Remember the duck.” Johnny stayed while Sally went fishing.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally’s, finally he couldn’t stand it. He confessed to Grandma that he’d killed the duck.

“I know, Johnny,” she said, giving him a hug. “I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you. I wondered how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.”

From Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching from Leadership Journal - Craig Brian Larson. Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 2000. page 89.

“Careful for Nothing”

Philippians 4:6

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

How many need a cure for a care! The burdened man of business, the anxious parent, the struggling toiler, the perplexed man of affairs- all need some counselor that can be trusted, and some helper that can be relied upon. God is the One to whom to go “in everything.” Thanksgiving is to be joined with prayer, for even the most burdened have blessings here and hereafter. Pray in faith; then comes peace, different from what the world gives, with its pleasure, its promises, and its opiates, and that peace keeps the heart as brave soldiers keep the citadel. And all “through Christ Jesus” - blessed be His name!

—John Hall

From Book Four - Bible Illustrations, Heartwarming Bible Illustrations – Richard A. Steele, Jr. and Evelyn Stoner. AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN, 1998, Page 50.

Trembling Saints

In the early days of emigration to the West a traveler once came, for the first time in his life, to the banks of the mighty Mississippi. There was no bridge. He must cross. It was early winter; and the surface of the mighty river was sheeted with ice. He knew nothing of its thickness, however, and feared to trust himself to it. He hesitated long, but night was coming on, and he must reach the other shore. At length, with many fears, and infinite caution, he crept out on his hands and knees, thinking thus to distribute his weight as much as possible, and trembling with every sound. When he had gone in this way painfully halfway over he heard a sound of singing behind him. There in the dusk was a man driving a four-horse load of coal across upon the ice and singing as he went! Many a Christian creeps tremblingly out upon God’s promises where another, stronger in faith, goes singing through life upheld by the same word. Have faith in God. Whoever puts his trust in Jehovah shall be safe.

From Book Four - Bible Illustrations, Heartwarming Bible Illustrations – Richard A. Steele, Jr. and Evelyn Stoner . AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN, 1998, Page 57.

Misdirected Comfort

A hospital administrator was startled to see a patient fleeing down the hall out of the operating room, his loose gown flapping in the breeze behind him. He stopped the patient and said, “Do you mind telling me why you ran away from the operating room?” The patient looked at him with startled eyes and said, “It was because of what the nurse said.” The administrator said, “Oh, what did she say?” “She said, “Be brave! An appendectomy is quite simple.” The administrator said, “Well, so what? It is quite simple. I would think that would comfort you.” The patient said, “The nurse wasn’t talking to me; she was talking to the doctor.”

From 1001 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking – Michael Hodgin, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 2002, Page 71.

Peculiar Problem

In his book Identity: Youth and Crisis, Erik Erikson tells a story he heard from a physician about an old man with a peculiar problem. The old man vomited every morning but had never felt any inclination to consult a doctor. Finally the man’s family convinced him to get a checkup.

The doctor asked, “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” the man responded. “Couldn’t be better.”

The doctor examined him and found he was in good shape for his age.

Finally the physician grew impatient and asked, “I hear that you vomit every morning.”

The old man looked surprised and said, “Sure doesn’t everybody?”
Like that old man, we may not realize that the problems we bear daily are abnormal. We have lived with the problems for so long we can’t imagine how life could be better.

From Contemporary Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers, and Writers - Craig Brian Larson. Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2000. Page 33.

Complacency

Ronald Meredith, in his book Hurryin’ Big for Little Reasons, describes one quiet night in early spring:

Suddenly out of the night came the sound of wild geese flying. I ran to the house and breathlessly announced the excitement I felt. What is to compare with wild geese across the moon?

It might have ended there except for the sight of our tame mallards on the pond. They heard the wild call they had once known. The honking out of the night sent little arrows of prompting deep into their wild yesterdays. Their wings fluttered a feeble response. The urge to fly–to take their place in the sky for which God made them–was sounding in their feathered breasts, but they never raised from the water.
 
The matter had been settled long ago. The corn of the barnyard was too tempting! Now their desire to fly only made them uncomfortable. Temptation is always enjoyed at the price of losing capacity for flight.

From Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching from Leadership Journal - Craig Brian Larson. Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 2000. Page 38.

Community

In October of 1993, in the town of Worchester, Massachusetts, police found an old woman dead on her kitchen floor. This was no ordinary discovery-she had been dead four years. Police speculated she died at age seventy-three of natural causes. That is when her bank transactions ended.

How can someone be so cut off from relationships that no one even notices when he or she dies?

To some extent it was a mistake. According to the Associated Press, four years earlier, neighbors had called authorities when they sensed something might be wrong. When the police contacted the woman’s brother, he said she had gone into a nursing home. Police told the postal service to stop delivering mail. One neighbor paid her grandson to cut the grass because the place was looking run-down. Another neighbor had the utility company come and shut off the water when a pipe froze, broke, and sent water spilling out the door.

To a great extent, though, it was not a mistake.

One friend from the past said, “She didn’t want anyone bothering her at all. I guess she got her wish, but it is awfully sad.”

Her brother said the family hadn’t been close since their mother died in 1979. He added, “Someone should have noticed something before now.”

The woman had lived in her house in this middle-class neighborhood for forty years, but none of her neighbors knew her well. “My heart bleeds for her,” said the woman who lives across the street. “But you can’t blame a soul. If she saw you out there, she never said hello to you.”

As this neighborhood shows, a spirit of community only results when all of us reach out to one another. Relationships take effort.

From Contemporary Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers, and Writers - Craig Brian Larson. Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2000. Page 31.

Unseen Beauty

“As it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his
Spirit . . .” ( 1 Cor. 2:9, 10).

His parents had sent the young boy to Florida to spend the winter, but he was disgusted with the area of Florida he had been in. Then a few months later he met a botanist who kindled the boy’s interest in his favorite study. The boy became fascinated with the orchid and it’s strange life.

Looking at the orchids in the greenhouse one day, the botanist said enthusiastically: “You should see them in Florida, they are much better there; but these will give you some idea.”

The boy looked at him in amazement.

“I have been in Florida,” he said, “but I never noticed any of them.”

“Perhaps you did not look for them, “ answered his friend, “but they will not escape you the next time.”

That is the way if often is with the Bible. A person sees no beauty in it, but the Holy Spirit is ready to open the eyes of our understanding, and to teach us. It may be by some sermon or book which will lift a truth out of its hiding place and give it application to our life which it never seemed to have before.

From Book Four - Bible Illustrations, Heartwarming Bible Illustrations – Richard A. Steele, Jr. and Evelyn Stoner . AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN, 1998, Page 57.

The Bible

When Barna Research Group completed a study for the Tyndale House Publishers, they discovered the following. More than 90 percent of American households contain a Bible and better than three out of four have two or more copies. 80 percent of Americans said the Bible is the most influential book in world history. Unfortunately, much of this respect for God’s Word is superficial. Barely one-third of adults read the Bible in a typical week and just one in five will read every page of Scripture in the course of their lifetime. Additionally, the most popular strategy for choosing a passage to read is simply flipping through the pages until spotting something that sounds intriguing, relevant, or interesting. This method of random selection is used by nearly half of all adults who read the Bible. These findings may explain why 56 percent of Americans think the Bible teaches that taking care of one’s family is the most important task of life (See Deut 6:5 and Matt 22:37), 72 percent believe that people are blessed by God so they can enjoy life as much as possible (see Gen 12:1-3), 42 percent claim the Bible says Jesus sinned while on earth (See Heb 4:15), and four out of ten people think “all individuals will experience the same outcome after death, regardless of their religious beliefs.” In America, the Bible seems to be widely respected, but not seriously studied.

From McHenry’s Stories for the Soul – Raymond McHenry, Hendrickson Publishers, 2001, Peabody, MA, Page 25.

Life Prescription

Officials at Indiana University School of Medicine added a new course to their medical curriculum in the fall of 1998 called Penmanship. The Indianapolis medical school added a writing class to help future doctors improve their treatment of patients. Antoinette Hood, the assistant dean, said poor penmanship can lead to mix-ups in medication, or improper treatment if the orders are misread. Hood noted that you can’t successfully practice medicine if your prescriptions aren’t legible. How comforting to know that the Great Physician doesn’t need a refresher course in writing. He has clearly written the prescription for eternal life so that even a child can understand it.

 From McHenry’s Stories for the Soul – Raymond McHenry, Hendrickson Publishers, 2001, Peabody, MA, Page 25.

PASSING IT ON

“Small boys learn to be large men in the presence of large men who care about small boys.”  

     —Phyllis Therous

EFFECTIVE TEACHING

In 1947, a professor at the University of Chicago, Dr. Chandrasekhar, was scheduled to teach an advanced seminar in astrophysics. At the time he was living in Wisconsin, doing research at the Yerkes astronomical observatory. He planned to commute twice a week for the class, even though it would be held during the harsh winter months.

Registration for the seminar, however, fell far below expectations. Only two students signed up for the class. People expected Dr. Chandrasekhar to cancel, lest he waste his time. But for the sake of two students, he taught the class, commuting 100 miles round trip through back country roads in the dead of winter.

His students, Chen Ning Yang and Tsung-Dao Lee, did their homework. Ten years later, in 1957, they both won the Nobel prize for physics. So did Dr. Chandrasekhar in 1983.

For effective teachers, there is no such thing as a small class.

From Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching from Leadership Journal - Craig Brian Larson. Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 2000. Page 254.