Skip to main content

Best Christmas in Years



Post after post on social media seems to exclaim:  “This is the best Christmas in years!”  I shout “Amen!” as I read them and join in the excitement of my friends. 

That’s how I feel this Christmas too!  It has been one of the best in years.  That’s because God did what we could not do!

I’ m basking in the love God has for His children.  His desire is for families to be reconciled to Him and to each other.  Reconciliation!  Oh, the freedom of it!

Ephesians 2:14 says:

 For Christ Himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.

I listen to songs proclaiming the peace of Christmas and read the words in Christmas cards.  This year that peace fell upon our home and our family as we experienced the gift of it in a long awaited prayer request for someone dear to us.  As we enjoy our days together this week, we can’t stop talking about the goodness of God and His amazing love for us.  Breakthrough is a wonderful thing, especially at Christmas.  The peace of it extends to every one of us in our family!  It was a present to us!

No wonder we have been inundated with spiritual warfare over the weeks prior.  The enemy does not want God’s people to unite, to love and forgive.  No, he would much rather fill our lives and homes with contention, strife and bitterness.

He didn’t win!

This has been the best Christmas’ in years.  We are a thankful bunch!


Here are some memories I hold dear this year.

























Labels:

Comments

  1. bettyDecember 27, 2015 at 10:00 PM

    So thankful it was a great Christmas for you all; the best in a bit : ) God is good and we are thankful he is :)

    betty

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nancy ChanDecember 28, 2015 at 5:50 AM

    Praise the Lord for His goodness and faithful. Thank God for the peace He gives to us and reconciliation that brought us back to Him and to one another. Your good news is our good news too. Have a beautiful new week!

    ReplyDelete
  3. MelanieDecember 28, 2015 at 7:08 AM

    I'm so glad it was such a blessed Christmas for you! God knows just how to put things together. Have a blessed day.

    ReplyDelete
  4. LindaDecember 28, 2015 at 9:02 AM

    I am so happy you had a great Christmas! Your photos are beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mevely317December 28, 2015 at 11:20 AM

    You just lifted my heart, Mary!
    Lovin' all these pictures ... particularly the joy tiny Amy seems to exude everywhere she goes. :)
    Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  6. LisaDecember 28, 2015 at 2:24 PM

    Mary so glad you had a wonderful Christmas! Mine was quiet which was a good thing. ;-) You have such a beautiful family!

    ReplyDelete
  7. CherylDecember 28, 2015 at 9:20 PM

    Oh, how precious, Mary! I am so thankful your Christmas was so blessed and happy, and to see all of the wonderful memories you made this year. God is SO good! One of the things I noticed this year is how it seemed that a lot more people focused on Christ. It seemed that more stores used "Merry Christmas" in their advertising and more people were spiritual-minded this year. SO very thankful to see that shift, as it has been a cause of great heaviness to me for years. Thank you for sharing your heart here....you are always such a dear blessing to me. I hope 2016 will be a wonderful year for all of us!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Victor S E MoubarakDecember 29, 2015 at 8:22 AM

    God bless you and yours.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nikki (Sarah)December 30, 2015 at 5:22 AM

    Fun pictures....You guys look like you had a great time.....wishing you a very happy new year too.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Creations By CindyDecember 30, 2015 at 7:56 AM

    Love all the pictures! So glad you enjoyed your Christmas as we did too! God is good to us and we are so undeserving. The Victory is HIS! Happy New Year my friend. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousDecember 30, 2015 at 10:36 AM

    Seeing the joys that our Father brings through His eyes and heart truly does lift a soul. So happy for you. May our Father continue to bless and lift you and yours up to Him!

    ReplyDelete
  12. SharonDecember 30, 2015 at 5:50 PM

    Ah, I can think of no better time for reconciliation than Christmas - you're right! When the Prince of Peace arrives, it's a blessed occasion!

    We also had a very nice Christmas. Every year our extended family grows, and I just love seeing us all together.

    Looking forward to sharing the journey in this coming year, Mary.

    You bring me laughter and wisdom like no one else!

    GOD BLESS!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Victor S E MoubarakDecember 30, 2015 at 6:38 PM

    Wishing you and yours a Splendid New Year.

    God bless.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Debbie PetrasJanuary 1, 2016 at 5:31 AM

    Oh Mary, God is so good! As I read your words, it is so encouraging. We've walked with each other through many difficult times. I've read your words and prayed for you over the years we've been blogging. How thankful I am that we have had the opportunity to meet in person and pray together. How thankful I am that blogging has brought so many Christian women together to offer encouragement, friendship and prayer. I love your photos.

    Happy New Year!

    Love,
    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  15. AnonymousJanuary 2, 2016 at 3:50 PM

    Wow, I love hearing about answered prayer. Thank you for sharing your life, and this years Christmas story that includes forgiveness. Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wise HeartedJanuary 2, 2016 at 4:50 PM

    (because God did what we could not do!) That is exactly how I feel, it was our best Christmas. Not because of gifts or food but because both our kids and their kids got come to our place for 9 days. It was a great reunion, full of laughter, playing games, deep talks, only thing wrong it was too short. Glad you had a great Christmas also. Blessings.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wise HeartedJanuary 2, 2016 at 4:50 PM

    (because God did what we could not do!) That is exactly how I feel, it was our best Christmas. Not because of gifts or food but because both our kids and their kids got come to our place for 9 days. It was a great reunion, full of laughter, playing games, deep talks, only thing wrong it was too short. Glad you had a great Christmas also. Blessings.

    ReplyDelete
  18. CeilJanuary 3, 2016 at 3:10 PM

    Hi Mary! What joy I felt reading your words! Who couldn't smile with all the photos you have here? I'm so happy for you and your family. Prayers answered, the evil one defeated...wow!

    Have a wonderful start to 2016, can't wait to see what God has in store for you!
    Ceil

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Memorial Day Reflection

  Memorial Day is always noteworthy for me and my girls.  Next Thursday marks the third year of missing their father, my husband. So many thoughts  run through my mind.  The journey of loss takes on various emotions.  The strongest feeling, at first, was emptiness.  In a split second, I would forget he departed forever.  I imagined things I needed to talk to him about when he got back home.  My mind is realistic now.  He's not coming back.  There will be no more times of sitting on the porch swing together on the front deck staring at the moon and the stars.  He would tell me all he knew about the majestic night sky. I have so much I wish I could tell him, like the excitement of seeing our oldest grandchild make a decision to follow Jesus and get baptized on Mother's Day!  And our little Amy, 11 years old, I wish he could have seen her on stage receiving her induction to the National Honor Society. Our daughters have their own ...
23 comments
Read more

Massive Wave; Need Prayer!

A few days ago, I dreamt that I was on the beach and a massive wave was approaching the shore but I didn’t move. I wondered why? It’s hard to write now on my blog. I’m going to focus on the Lord in prayer and His Word for a few weeks so please don’t worry about me. I need your prayers and encouragement. Your blogs lift me up when I visit you; I’m blessed to know so many bloggers who love Jesus and I will continue to read your posts and be inspired! Know that I hold your prayer requests near and dear to my heart and will continue to pray faithfully for you. That is a promise! The spiritual battle against my family rages. One precious sister commented to me that the warfare is not so much about all the issues that the enemy is falsely accusing our family members about as it is about the Name of God! This battle belongs to Him. I praise Him for His faithfulness. The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10 Please pray for the upcoming court ...
32 comments
Read more

It's Not Always About the Tomatoes

I like to travel with buddies and rename them.  I vacationed in Costa Rica with Lupe who loves margaritas   and gets a little loopy.   I don’t drink but I’m a fun gal.  Just ask my co-worker, Frank.  I nicknamed him Jellyfish.  I packed my underwater camera.  Jellyfish can hold his breath really long.  He modeled for my underwater photo shoot in the colossal pool at the resort our company chose for us. I am fascinated with rain forests so my favorite thing to do in Costa Rica is to take walks in them.  I signed up for the tour of an organic cacao working farm.  Lupe chose it too.  A group of us piled into tractors to view crops of watermelon, mango, rice and cattle while we chewed on natural sugar cane, their largest product.  We observed monkeys, Toucans, and sloths. The best part of the tour for me taught about climate change and harvest time as we walked single file among papaya trees, cacao trees, as we...
38 comments
Read more