The Road to Bethlehem

My father, mother and I were on a week's vacation to Canada. We were driving on slippery roads most of the day, as white fluffy flakes piled up over the mountain tops.  It was cold and lovely that evening, as the stars spilled out a beautiful light over the countryside.  I remember feeling a bit nervous as my father gripped the steering wheel tightly, while my mother sat still resting her head against the car seat.

I could see my father's forehead in the glimmer of the car lights, every so often.  I knew he was concerned.  It was strange how just knowing that he was at the wheel gave me an assured comfort.  But something in me still worried about his concerned look.

After what seemed like hours, my father's gentle hand reached back and touched mine as I was resting, my eyes closed, against the backseat. "Kathy, I need you to start praying."  I heard the gentle breathing of my mother, so I knew she was asleep.  "What is it, Dad?"  "We've been driving for the past fourteen hours," he answered, "and there isn't one motel where we are now, with a vacancy sign.  I don't know what to do.  It's now close to midnight."

I started to feel his panic.  I was wide awake now and I noticed that we drove for miles without a town anywhere in sight.  The sky was beautiful and clear, but there was no sign of human life...anywhere.

After another half hour, my father pulled to the side of the road and said, "Kathy, you need to drive.  I have been driving since 8:00 this morning.  I just can't go on."  I got outside and got into the driver's seat.  I was exhausted.  And, I had only had my license for a few months.  I had no idea how I'd fair driving on icy roads in the dark night.  I breathed a silent prayer and buckled my seatbelt. 

I frequently checked my rear view mirror to see if my father was asleep.  I felt very alone in the darkness.  But somehow, as I prayed, I looked out and saw a huge windmill gently spinning in the mild breeze.  The light from the moon struck it so that it looked like a big strong comforting force.  Round and round it went, and as we approached it, I noticed that light was bouncing off of it.  A small row of little cabins sat directly behind the windmill, as warm yellow light in the cold night spilled out across the snow.

My father spoke so clearly, I can still hear him as he said, "Honey, it's a place to stay.  Pull in.  Pull in."  The sign that was warm and orange blinked "VACANCY." Over and over it glistened against the freshly fallen snow in the fields around it.  I looked up to see beautiful tall mountain tops and sparkly white lights.  My mother groggily opened her eyes and wondered where we were.

It was one hour since I had taken over.  One hour of begging God for a safe retreat.  Uncomfortable, cold, exhausted, and uncertain of our future, we had one thing going...faith in God for where we would end up.

My father got out and grabbed the suitcases and said to me, "Perhaps this is the same way that Mary and Joseph felt that night.  Over and over they were told there was no room. Cold, tired, hungry, and scared.  Why, tonight even made me feel uneasy and scared." 

I couldn't believe he said it.  My father said, "scared." He had to be strong for us.  But we had been in the dark, in the middle of nowhere, with no place to stay.

Scripture tells us in Luke 2:4-7   "So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

The memory has stayed with me these past thirty three years.  And today, looking at that big towering windmill, I am once again reminded of the thankfulness for a journey that ended with a place to rest.

This season, we remember the birth of Christ.  Birthed in a simple stable, a Savior was born.  No place for Him in a lovely inn. 

Today, let there be a warm welcome "VACANCY" shining in our hearts for Him today, with  room for the Savior, taking His rightful home in our hearts. 

Come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Merry Christmas!  

Christmas Traditions

By Riley Erickson   

The sun had already disappeared below the horizon on an unseasonably warm day for fall, my thoughts far from the complexity and often-overlooked familiarity of our planet's predictable rotation. My attention, at that particular moment, was instead focused on sorting my ideas for suitable writing material for this edition of Best Life.

I tapped impatiently on the steering wheel of the car as I journeyed west on a relatively lonely stretch of highway, while little stubs of tan grasses that were formerly lush and green danced in my periphery vision as the headlights illumined them.

The mental list was narrowed to a few topics, but I found that none were particularly leaping out as I coasted into a small town where a white Cape Cod-style house caught my attention. The dull yellow emitted by the surrounding street lights was completely overwhelmed by the vibrant and piercing hues of the lights that traced the roofline and neatly gave form to the entryway. The careful and intentional placement of additional lights in the shrubs was duplicated in the reflections of the nearby windows, twinkling like distant stars as the breeze ruffled the branches.

As the lights grew smaller in my rearview mirror, I could not help but smile as I realized that God had given me the answer to my question.   Of all the Christmas traditions that we can participate in as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, I have discovered recently that being able to put up lights has become one of my favorite things.

As a family, we have had less time of recent to devote a significant portion to decorating as we had done in the past, but it remains a wonderful time of bonding with my dad. The process is much more enjoyable when the weather permits fall attire, but even foreboding snow storms and close calls with slippery shingles or perilous ladders have yet to break our decades-old activity.

On those bone-chilling winter days when the darkness seems more pervasive than the hours of light, there remains a warm and inviting charm to being enveloped in the soft glow of lights. The variety of intensity and location of the individual bulbs is what truly captivates me, however. Some are unencumbered, while others cascade light off overhanging icicles or illuminate the undisturbed snow with a delicate glow.

This fascination with light has kindled within me for the majority of my life. Any evening trip our family would take in the car would find me looking out the windows at upcoming vehicles. I did it so frequently that I began to know exactly what car was around us by the headlights alone.

That game reminds me of the call for a Christian life to be a light unto a world filled with darkness (Eph. 5:8) and that the love of Christ emits a distinctive light that allows a follower of Jesus to be recognized by those who are observing.

The use of light as an illustrative and alliterative tool for teaching has always played a prominent role in identification throughout both the Old and New Testaments. It was, after all, a bright star that guided the magi to the stable to find their King (Matt. 2:2).

As we begin to celebrate the true and definitive reason for the joy we have this season, take the time this year to appreciate the lights of Christmas and be reminded that we as Christians are called to shine the love of Jesus wherever we may be, all days of the year. 

Jesus Christ:

The Light

Of the World!

New Christmas Traditions 

By Kandy Stevens

After losing a child in a tragic way, I was uncertain as to whether there would be joy at the holidays ever again. 

We still hold dear our two favorite traditions: sleepover around the Christmas tree and the Christmas Eve candlelight service. 

But, we just had to let go of many other things that were either too painful or just required more energy than we were able to exert.  But in the last week, I realized how we have created a new tradition that brings us all to the table with so much joy and laughter that the true reason for Christmas is evident in all our hearts. 

This tradition was a by-product of an experience of our son, Reed.  He and a teammate were offered a hunting trip with their football coach. It would be Reed's one and only actual hunting trip. After hunting, Reed's coach took the other young man home first, only to discover that young man's family making lefse.  Coach later recounted that Reed was so excited because he loved that delicious Scandinavian treat.  Coach arranged for that family to give me a lefse-making lesson that became contagious. 

Needless to say, my birthday presents that year were a lefse griddle and all the accoutrement needed to be a fine lefse maker.  Apparently, that wonderfully, soft, Norwegian flatbread is as addicting as any video game can ever be because our whole family became enthralled. 

As an Irish girl, of course, it doesn't hurt that the bread is made with potatoes. With my Irish heritage and my husband's Polish/German heritage, our family is definitively Norwegian only by adoption.  Our adoption didn't make us experts, but we forge forward anyways. 

The thing about our lefse-making is that we would probably not be asked to come any Norwegian suppers and jump into the fold of experts.  We are truly novices, but that is what we love about it.  As we roll out the dough with our special rolling pins and sleeves, we have yet to get perfectly round circles. No, our flatbreads come out in all sorts of various shapes.  Actually, this is where the fun begins.  As we look at each one, we try to come up with the best fitting description for our not-round creation.  The giggles come louder and louder as we exclaim, "Ooh, it looks just like the continent of Africa" or "I think this looks like George Washington's head on the quarter".  Peals of laughter erupt as each silly creation only tops the last one. 

We spend hours around the kitchen table, rolling our creations, naming them each, frying them, flipping them with our lefse sticks, and yes, eventually eating some of them as well.  For a mom that loves a clean and tidy home, our new "tradition" also creates one heck of a mess.  I can only equate it to finding sand in places you didn't knew existed after going to the beach, but the same thing happens after this family makes lefse.  We find flour everywhere for several days.  And to tell the truth, I am okay with that . . . simply, for the joy that it brings to all of us.

In the last week, I have learned a lot about Christmas and about our family.  The simple truth is that if we didn't live in a world full of hurts and hardships, there wouldn't be a need for Christmas. Secondly, new traditions are just as special as old ones, especially when they help you remember someone you love.

And sometimes, joy has a way of sneaking up on you in the strangest places . . . just like a little baby born in a stable.

From Josh's Kitchen to Yours 

By Josh Garland 

6 medium sized sweet potatoes (washed)

¼ cup sundried tomatoes (optional)

¼ cup sour cream

4 oz cream cheese (at room temperature)

3 Tablespoons olive oil

¼ parmesan cheese

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Parmesan to top stuffed potatoes before baking

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

Using a fork, prick skins of the sweet potatoes. Then, bake until soft (about 1 hour.)

While sweet potatoes are baking, place sundried tomatoes (optional,) sour cream, cream cheese, and olive oil in food chopper (or food processor.) Chop until you get a creamy consistency.

Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them on one side from end to end. Carefully remove the inside of the sweet potatoes, without damaging the skins.

In a separate bowl, mash inside of sweet potatoes. Then add cheese mixture, parmesan, salt, and pepper to create filling.

Stuff the reserved sweet potato skins with filling, and top with additional parmesan cheese.

Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Serve with sour cream or butter.

          

Depending on who you are, there are many different ways you can think of the Muppets. As a kid you would identify them with Sesame Street. Or perhaps if you are an adult, you'd also associate them with the various Muppet movies in the 1990's, such as "The Muppets Take Manhattan." 

However, if you are a die-hard Muppet fan, you'll remember The Muppet Show, a prime-time show starring Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, and debuting the indomitable Miss Piggy.

The new movie "The Muppets-Green With Envy" is sort of a movie version of the The Muppet Show, but it postulates the characters broken up now and living their own lives. A new character "Walter" is a Muppet that has a human brother Gary (Jason Segel), and idolizes the Muppet Show.

Gary and Walter are very tight-knit, so when he and his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) decide to vacation in Hollywood, Gary persuades Mary to let Walter come along and finally see the Muppet Studios. As it turns out, the studio is in severe disrepair and Walter finds out accidentally that a big oil company is taking the studio away from Muppet control, and tearing it down. Walter, Gary and Mary, find Kermit and convince him the studio is worth saving.   

"The Muppets-Green With Envy" is a truly excellent movie, and has all the great Muppet writing and characters you've come to expect. The movie even comes off as sort of a musical/variety show, and has several large musical dance numbers. The songs are excellent (you'll really like "Man or Muppet"). Plus, a Muppet movie wouldn't be a Muppet movie without cameos, and there are plenty of old staples and new stars.

However, the movie isn't just funny, it's very sensitive and moving at times, which is what makes the Muppets so memorable. Saying that puppets made of felt have great acting breadth may seem like an overstatement, but that's what great writing, great puppeteering performances, and devotion of character does.

The Muppet Show is great for all ages, as they are truly multi-generational. 5 stars if only 5 are available. Must see.

Christmastime is famous for producing fabulous movies like "It's a Wonderful Life," "Miracle on 34th Street," and "A Christmas Carol."

But if you're looking for something that's a little bit more updated, check out this encouraging story called "The Perfect Gift."  You can purchase it at Amazon.com for $14.49. 

This movie represents a wonderful reminder of the season's purpose, as we watch a kind carpenter named Jess, come to a small town, helping the church to build a nativity set.  His gentle spirit as he inspires hope, changes a young girl and her mother's sour outlook, as well as encourages the lives of many of the townsfolk.  What a fun story! Listen to some words from the main character, "Jess" as he encourages the town about the meaning of Christmas:  

"When God came to earth, He chose a poor girl from the village to give birth to the King.

He chose a stable instead of a palace for the new King's birth.

When God came to earth He came to the least, the last, the lowest, and the lost.

 ..For centuries, men and women have been seeking God and they found Him in this man (Jesus), and what's remarkable is, that while they were seeking God, they found that He had been looking for them their whole lives.

So that's what happened on that first Christmas 2000 years ago.  God came to earth, looking for you.  And He came in the form of a man who showed the whole world what God's love was like. 

So on that first Christmas, God's perfect gift...was love.

Now, if you take the love out of Christmas, where will you put it?  What will you do with it? What will you do with Him if you remove Him from the season.

The things that fill people's hearts, usually show up around them, and that's why this time of year you see evergreens and lights and nativity scenes, because they remind people of the love that came looking for them, so long ago."   

It's the Christmas season, the end of another year, and your chance to donate to our ministry, and we need your help.  Each year we present our conferences to churches, and your contribution helps us to travel and present the gospel of Christ to women everywhere.  We are an approved 501(c)(3) Ministry, so your contributions are tax deductible. 

Please consider putting us on your support list for 2012, and for this year-end reminder, donate today!  You can mail us a check to Best Life Ministries @PO Box 73, Benson, MN 56215, or use our paypal and your charge card.

For more information about donating, visit: http://bestlifeministries.com/donate-to-best-life-ministries