Bless Those in Need This Christmas

THE GREATEST GIFT

When Sheila was a spry seven-year-old, she spotted a baby doll in their town’s only toy store, and was smitten. That’s all she wanted for Christmas. When the big morning finally arrived, she was almost afraid to look at her pile of gifts. Taking a quick scan, she started to panic. No baby doll. Not wanting to hurt her beloved mum’s feelings, she feigned a smile and started opening her gifts. The various games and puzzles did little to comfort her. Then her mum asked about the other gift. “What other gift?” she asked. “The one at your feet,” her mum said. Tucked under the chair that held the other gifts was the baby doll in a cradle! She’d missed the best gift as her focus remained on the lesser ones. 

Sheila uses that story to illustrate how since the days of Jesus’ birth, people have always missed the greatest gift. No wonder people missed Him, she says. “He wasn’t what they were looking for. I wonder if we’ve changed much since then. It’s easy to become so familiar with the Christmas story that we forget it’s the gift we desperately need, the one we can’t live without.” The miracle born in Bethlehem that night is the one that changed the world forever, she reminds us. “You have a Savior! You are loved! Let’s celebrate Christ, the greatest gift of all.”  

EXPECTANCY 

Expectations often lead to disappointment, Sheila acknowledges, as life turns out differently than we’d hoped, even prayed. She urges us to trust in the God who alone can make all things work together for good. “You may have been hurt or disappointed, you may have stopped looking for miracles, but pause for a moment and remember. No matter what you are waiting for, the greatest gift has already been given. He was given for you. He is with you now even though He was once wrapped in the most fragile, unexpected wrapping of all.”  

While expectations may leave us feeling empty at Christmas, she says living with a sense of expectancy will not. “Whether you are surrounded by family and friends this season or facing the first Christmas without a loved one, I invite you to pray this prayer with the psalmist, David:

Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
Each morning I bring my requests to you
and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3

THE ANGELS

Sheila recounts the wondrous news the angel Gabriel was charged to deliver, first to Zechariah about his elderly wife, Elizabeth, bearing a son, John. Next, he came to the teenage virgin, Mary, revealing that she would bear the long-expected Messiah, the Savior of the world. Finally, Gabriel spoke to her fiancé, Joseph, in a dream, reassuring him that the baby in Mary’s womb was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Sheila reminds us of the heavenly chorus of angels rejoicing over God’s unfolding plan.  

It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen. 1 Peter 1:12

“Notice how Peter writes the angels are watching, not that they were watching on that night alone,” Sheila points out. “They are watching now. The angels are watching when you walk through heartache and still get down on your knees and worship. They are watching when it feels as if your prayers are not being answered but you still trust God. This is not an old story that we remember once a year. We are part of God’s ongoing celebration with the angels until Christ returns in triumph to take us home. Let’s join our voices with theirs and give glory to God. Let’s still our hearts and receive His peace.”

LOST AND LONELY

Many years ago, Sheila herself was feeling lost and quite lonely when a special person lifted her spirits. “I had just spent a month in a psychiatric hospital diagnosed with severe clinical depression.” Sadly, a number of people expressed very unkind words to her. “I felt so alone and afraid,” Sheila says. “It was as if I had let down God and the community of faith and there was no way home for me. That was when Ruth (Graham) called and asked me to come to Montreat. Ruth read her a story one night about a Scottish father who had unjustly condemned his daughter, leaving her feeling utterly unloved. When someone pointed out his egregious error, he repented and welcomed his daughter home with loving arms. “The truth is, God is always at work, even when we can’t see His plan. As she finished the story that night, Ruth reminded me that we all get a little lost at times. We disappoint each other, we fail each other, but that’s why Jesus came. If you feel a little lost or forgotten this Christmas, lift up your head because Christ, the Light of the World, has come. Remember these words from Isaiah:

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness a light will shine. Isaiah 9:2

Purchase your copy of Sheila Walsh's The Gifts of Christmas at SheilaWalsh.com and be encouraged in this season of wonder and celebration.

FOUNDATIONAL TRUTHS    

When John was five years old, he remembers seeing a figure in his bedroom. He raced downstairs to tell his mom and dad. Frustrated that he kept getting out of bed, they told John no one was in his room and to go back to bed. When he returned to his room, he saw the figure again and these words came into his mind, “You need to give your heart to Jesus.” In his bedroom that night John gave his heart to Jesus. His life changed when Jesus became his Savior and his boss.

During his teenage years, John entered some of the hardest and loneliest years of his life when his mom, the spiritual leader of their family, died after a three-year battle with cancer. John prayed to God and asked Him to take away the hurt and loneliness he felt, but nothing changed. Then one day he asked Jesus if he could know Him differently. He asked to know Jesus as his friend. In that moment he felt God became not only his friend but his dad. Through the years, John has grown to understand God more and know Him better which has kept his faith strong while being in the entertainment industry. 

FINDING TRUTH

In 2011, before Skillet had sold 12 million albums, they were on tour as the opening act for some very successful bands. After a show one night, John was approached by a man who was a mover and shaker in the music industry. He recognized how good Skillet was and how they could even become the biggest rock band in the world if John stopped talking about Jesus, stopped playing Christian shows, and did Christian radio interviews. "The Jesus stuff hurts your brand," said the man. He reminded John how many poor people he could help in the world if he was rich and famous. His lie sounded almost like the truth. John and his wife, Korey, discussed it but decided that not talking about Jesus was not an option. 

When John called God his boss it was his way of saying he would trust and obey whatever He says. God calls us to obey Him and the truth He gave us through Jesus. Unfortunately, today there is much confusion in the world, “Lies have become truth, truth has become emotion, and emotion has become God and God has become whatever one desires (self-worship, sexual desire, dreams of fame and fortune),” shares John. Twenty years ago, those who did not believe in Christianity would not claim to have their own version of truth. They didn’t believe in the God of the Bible but held a different truth claim. Sadly, today our society has moved away from a belief in absolute objective truth based on the following philosophies of our culture:
•    Post-Modernism – Philosophical stew, a little bit of this, a little dash of that. The belief that reality is nothing more than a conceptual construct. Postmodernists believe there is no absolute truth, no absolute morality, and no absolute reality. 
•    Relativism – Although similar to post-modernism the main difference is that according to relativists truth is not absolute, but it can be true for now or truer than something else. Many churches have adopted the relativistic thoughts of the day. For example, some believe morality is subjective. 

WIMPY, WEAK AND WOKE 

John says that Critical race theory, gender identity, statism, anti-Americanism, D.E.I., socialism, Marxism, the attack on civil liberties and religion, and progressive Christianity… all of this is sometimes referred to as merely “culture war” issues, and it is wildly incorrect. All these destructive philosophies are born out of an atheistic religion: utopianism. 

As he writes in Wimpy, Weak, and Woke, “What we are witnessing is an age-old war between gods. It’s a winner-takes-all battle between the living God and the false god of Man.” 

The West was built on the belief in objective truth, objective reality, and absolutes, all of which are being destroyed as we speak. In his book, John further explains where these destructive philosophies come from; why they won’t work; how they differ from the Christian worldview that built America and the West; and how a revival of the truth of the Bible can save us from far-left humanistic fantasies run amok. He says conforming to objective reality leads to human flourishing and meaning. 

John shares, "I have written this book because I have been forced to. Apparently, I am not allowed to stay silent. I will be bullied if I do not conform to the secular Leftists, and I will be a coward and a liar if I do. Christians have adopted and made use of the lies and unrealities of the current age… All I wanted to do was play music in peace. But since that is no longer an option, I will play music in war. Ours is not a war against flesh and blood, of bullets or bombs. It is spiritual, theological, and philosophical. There is no such thing as utopia. It is a lie. It denies the sinful nature of man, the existence of a transcendent God, and it denies God’s created order. We must burn utopia to save the world.”

To purchase John's book, "Wimpy, Weak, and Woke," please visit John Cooper's website: www.JohnLCooper.com.
 

“We wanted to write hymns that help people worship the whole beauty of the God of the Bible,” says Keith Getty. “So we decided to start writing hymns that were deeper about the core truths of the Christian faith. The first one, of course, was, 'In Christ Alone.' That really just launched us on this journey.”

Grammy nominated artist Keith and Kristyn Getty have been writing modern day hymns for the church for over 20 years. Their beloved song 'In Christ Alone' has been sung worldwide by over 100 million people. This December they bring their hymns and favorite carols on a US tour in celebration of Christmas.  

“Some of the greatest hymns that the church has is – it's found in the carols. And so we thought it’d be wonderful to shine the light on that, put a band together and tour around Christmastime, primarily to encourage people to sing, and to sing carols at Christmas and to remember that rich heritage,” says Kristyn.

Keith describes the concert, “The first half is a Christmas party, in the Irish tradition, with songs and dance and laughter and fun. And the second half is a Christmas Carol service.” 

Since 2010 The Getty’s Christmas tour has performed in venues from Carnegie Hall to the Schermerhorn in Nashville, TN. - sharing the hope of God’s love for the world as found in the Christmas Story.

“Christmas can be a tricky time for so many of us. You know, it emphasizes feelings of loss, or frustration, or disappointment, or just cold weather and just pushing through to the spring," says Kristyn. "And so, to shine a light on the true message of Christmas and what it is, and to sing that in what we hope is such a warm and winsome way that really brings that sense of true joy that is always there, whatever circumstances we face. Actually, speaking into those circumstances and giving people hope through them. And music is such a powerful tool to do that. I always hope that from, you know, beginning to end the gospel story is presented as beautifully, and as fully, and richly as possible and that people take that home, they sing these songs as they go. And that those songs are on repeat in their minds and hearts over the Christmas season.”

Join the Getty’s as they celebrate the joy of Christmas.

“Growing up in Ireland, we were taught very much the importance of hospitality,” says Keith. “And so, when we have this event, we want people to come in and laugh, and enjoy and hear great music but then the second half, we want them – to take them on this journey where they rediscover the beauty of the Christmas story yet again. We pray that each person will leave refreshed and renewed in new ways.”

Jhan, a 9-year-old boy living in the Andes mountains of Peru, used to have to wake up early every morning to ride his bike to get bottled water for his family. Their main water source was an open pit well filled with bacteria, and when it ran dry, they had to walk 40 minutes each way to a river to get water that was also dangerous to drink.

Jhan and his siblings have gotten sick from drinking the bad water. "When I was sick I had a headache, a stomach ache and diarrhea," Jhan said. "I could not do anything but lie down and sleep."

Jhan's mother, Cirila, said they have faced critical water shortages for generations. "I've been here for 37 years, ever since I was a child," she said. "We have had little or no water. We must go somewhere every day to get some."

But then, Operation Blessing arrived in the community and built a large capacity storage tank over a new underground spring. A solar-powered electric pump fills the tank, and the water is then purified and sent via a network of pipes to every home and family in the community.

Now, Jhan and his family have access to clean water for the first time in their lives. "I'm happy because I have clean water," Jhan said. "We can drink it and it tastes great!"

Cirila is also grateful for the new water system. "Now the water is safe for us to cook with and to drink," she said. "I can use it to bathe my children."

Both Jhan and Cirila thanked Operation Blessing for bringing clean water to their community. "Thank you very much to everyone who gave us this clean water," Jhan said. "I am happy! Thank you."

"I am very grateful to Operation Blessing," Cirila said. "Thank you for giving us water. Now we are so happy!"

How to Help:

Operation Blessing is a Christian humanitarian organization that provides clean water, food, medical care, and disaster relief to people in need around the world. You can help Operation Blessing continue to provide clean water to communities like Jhan's by donating today.