Merry Christmas

^{Here we go. December. Christmas. Not gonna lecture you on what this season is about. I know that you know that I know that you know that Jesus is the reason, no matter what the commercials say and how many snow men and santa claus' and presents and trees we gather and display, Jesus is the reason for the season.}

^{I got my angel tree ornament, did you? I sent my son in with some cans for the food drive did you? Is that what Jesus died for, so that I could compete with or guilt someone into donating as much as me or feel guilty because they donated more than me? No, its not about that any more than it is about how many or how expensive the presents are that we buy for the people in our lives.}

^{You don't need me to tell you what the season is about. So I won't.}

^{Instead I will encourage you as I encourage myself to pray and speak and love, to worship and believe and give from our hearts. Only God knows what we can do this month, this year, this day that brings Him glory, that shines His light, that heals a heart or blesses a person, that changes a life in helping someone find Jesus by the way we live.}

^{Whenever we are getting stuck in the trap of how much you have or don't have,}

^{how much we want vs. how much we need,}

^{how many more Christmases or how few,}

^{be reminded that we have Jesus, so we have EVERYTHING and it is selfish not to share Him!}

^{Ask Him what that looks like in your life and then listen and DO whatever it is He shows you to do.}

^{Let's be a positive example of what it means to be a Christian, a Believer, a Follower of Christ!}

^{Thank you for serving Him. Believe He is who He says He is, trust Him and expect miracles this Christmas!}

^{Love and Praise in Christ,}

^Amy

^{Phillipians 1:27-30} Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ. Let nothing in your conduct hang on whether I come or not. Your conduct must be the same whether I show up to see things for myself or hear of it from a distance. Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people's trust in the Message, the good news, not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition. Your courage and unity will show them what they're up against: defeat for them, victory for you—and both because of God. There's far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There's also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting. You're involved in the same kind of struggle you saw me go through, on which you are now getting an updated report in this letter.

Breath of Heaven - Amy Grant

Book Review - "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo is an easy to read and sweet story told from the father's perspective about his son's story of going to heaven during emergency surgery when he was just a preschooler. As a parent myself, it tears at my heart imagining this family having to walk through such a scary time where their son almost, and by medical standards, should have died. Their faithful and honest account of what they went through and then the amazing story of what their son shared that he saw and experienced is truly comforting as a believer in Christ.

I have to admit, especially as a Believer, I didn't realize I had become so skeptical but as I read I found myself questioning, could this really have happened, did he really say that? The bottom line is that there is no way to know for certain. I know in my heart and soul that Christ is real and there is evidence around me every day of a loving and powerful God. I can't promise that Colton saw Jesus, but I will say that I am convinced he did. The basic experience as described is very similar to many that are spoken of in stories all over the world as an out of body experience when someone's heart stops but is revived during a surgery, trauma or accident. What is remarkable about Colton's story is the details, the parts of his parents life before he was born that he now knows, the details about their whereabouts during his surgery and the fact that he is so young but is so consistent and specific about what he shares. I would recommend this book to anyone who wonders about heaven, whether you've ever read the Bible or not. I hope it blesses you as much as it has blessed me to read it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson book publishers through Booksneeze.com.