Favorite Christmas Songs

My youngest daughter has a favorite saying—music is life. She sings, and plays the guitar, drums, and piano. She’s also a songwriter. God has blessed her with many talents.

My husband and I love music too. There’s no other time of the year we enjoy singing together as much as we do during the Christmas season. One of my favorites is Steven Curtis Chapman’s “Christmas Kiss.” But it’s only my favorite when my husband sings it to me.

Songs I enjoy that declare the reason for this season include, “O Holy Night,” “Joy to the World,” although I prefer the contemporary version made popular by Chris Tomlin, and a song I recently discovered—Michael W. Smith’s “All is Well.” Whether Carrie Underwood and Michael sing together or Jordan Smith sings alone, the song is amazing and becoming one of my favorites. These songs depict the glory of our Savior’s birth—that holy night when joy entered the world through a baby and brought the message that all is well if we make Him our Lord.

Other Christmas favs include the classics with a swing band feel. I listened to these songs growing up. My dad loved big band music and passed his enjoyment along to me. Songs like “Winter Wonderland,” “Let it Snow,” “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” and “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” bring fond memories to my heart. I’m a little partial to “Tennessee Christmas” by Amy Grant too, because my two older children and three grandchildren live in Tennessee.

What are your favorite Christmas songs?

The Whole Package

A Facebook friend (I’ll call her Monique) posted about an experience of being snubbed by another woman (let’s call her Jackie). Monique cited she couldn’t understand why because she’d never done anything to Jackie to cause this reaction. To make matters even more difficult to understand, this incident occurred at her church.

Made me think. When have I slighted others and why? Jealousy? Envy? I know resentment is wrong and have struggled with it in my own life. Why do we wander into this plight? What may have caused Jackie to snub Monique? Possibly comparisons?

Monique has a lovely singing voice. A successful husband and marriage. Two beautiful children.

Perhaps Jackie envied her. Would love to sing. Had a troubled marriage or husband without a job. No children but always desired to be a mom. Any of Monique’s blessings may have caused Jackie’s resentment.

Have you considered this perspective? A friend of mine at work shared a truth she learned from her mom with our Bible study group. We tend to look at someone else and envy one part of her life. Instead we need to consider the whole package—her entire life. We can’t just want one of her blessings. We need to consider all she’s experienced. Do we want everything in order to gain that one part?

What if we desire a friend’s seemingly perfect marriage? Do we want the torment she endured when her husband nearly committed suicide? Do we envy her large home and new car enough to bear her pain and suffering resulting from a son on drugs?

When I think about the people I’ve envied and look at their entire life, I realize my need to be content with what I have and to be thankful for God’s bountiful goodness.

Proverbs 14:30 says, “A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones” (NLT). A peaceful heart is a much better alternative to cancer in the bones.

Beautiful New Mexico

New Mexico offers bountiful beauty. My husband, Kenn, and I travel New Mexico often. We moved to Albuquerque ten years ago from Tennessee and explore this amazing state whenever possible. This past weekend we visited the Gila National Forest. The Gila covers 3.3 million acres of land which makes it the largest national forest in New Mexico and one of the largest in the United States.

Our first stop in the forest took us to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. The Mogollon people built over forty rooms in a set of five caves in the 1280’s, but it is believed they only lived in them until 1300. They left for unknown reasons. The trail is a one-mile loop—rather steep and rocky. We were told no food was allowed in the caves because food attracts rats. If rats dig holes beneath the rooms, the rooms will deteriorate.

Our final stop took us to Whitewater Canyon and the Catwalk Trail. We walked along a metal path attached to the cliffs of the canyon. The walkway suspended twenty feet above a crystal-clear stream. The rushing hum of whitewater below, flowing over the rocks, made for a peaceful morning. The multi colors within the canyon cliffs added to the natural beauty abounding in God’s creation.

While in the forest, we saw a javelina (often mistaken for a wild boar), a few deer, tiny lizards along with one medium-sized lizard, and a hawk.

For a few photos of our trip to the Gila please visit my Photos page.

Special Gifts

A year ago, I joined a ladies Bible study group at my church. We read the book, Lead Me, Holy Spirit, by Stormie Omartian.

She shared a story in her book that I’ve been reminded of often. On a snowy morning outside her window, there were thirty to forty redbirds perched in a tree. She compared the scene to a Christmas tree decorated with red ornaments. She tried to discover what God was revealing to her through the beauty of the moment but couldn’t quite grasp the meaning. When a pastor friend stopped by, she asked him what he thought God was showing her. The pastor said, “It was a gift to show His love for you.”

How often does the Lord give us gifts to show His love for us? Happens more than we realize. I’d like to share one He gave me.

A lover of worship music, I was looking for songs to download and came across a worship CD from my alma mater, Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. I purchased the entire album and listened often. There was one song that became my favorite—“Hope Is Rising.” For some reason, I wanted to know who sang this song. I checked the website for LeeU Worship but couldn’t find anything about the featured singers.

Eight months later my husband and I took a trip to Ohio where I grew up. We visited our home church while there and met the worship pastor. He was also the singer of “Hope Is Rising.”

There was no reason for me to know who sang this song, but God knew it was important to me. God gave me a name and allowed me to meet the singer.

God’s gifts are everywhere. How has He recently shown His love for you?