What a Difference a Year Makes!

Some of you may remember this picture from Christmas 2010. One year ago on Christmas morning, my husband snapped this photo of me with my 89-year-old mother. Just over six months later, on July 2, 2011, we all gathered together to celebrate her 90th birthday. Then, on August 3, just one month and one day later, Mom "graduated to heaven," where she is now spending Christmas with the One whose birth we now celebrate.

Wow. What a difference a year makes! Or even a month or a week or a day. We aren't promised any time beyond this moment, at least so far as our temporal life here on earth, but we are promised eternity with Christ if we receive Him as our Savior and turn our lives over to Him.

Mom did that when she was fifty years old, and she lived the last forty of her years as a child of God. That's why, as Christmas 2011 closes in on us, we can rejoice for her even though our celebration is tinged with the sadness of missing her. We know where Mom is at this very moment, and one day soon we will join her there. What a great and precious promise!

If you haven't already settled that "forever issue" in your own heart, don't let another minute go by without doing so. None of us knows where we will be this time next year, but if we know the One who holds the future in His nail-scarred hands, we can rest in His eternal security. Just ask Him to forgive you, to be your Lord and Savior, to keep you close to His heart for all eternity--and He will faithfully do so. And then, if there's someone you need to visit or call or just makes things right with, do it now...while you still can. Trust me; you'll be glad you did.

Merry Christmas, beloved ones, and a joyous New Year to all of you!

A Christmas Letter to You All

Christmas greetings to you all!

I just realized I haven’t sent out a mass update since July 22, two weeks before my 90-year-old mother “graduated to heaven.” She’s spending this Christmas rejoicing in the presence of her Savior, reunited with my dad and so many other loved ones who went before her. We’re glad for her, of course, but it makes for a very different Christmas for our family, as she was the last of our parents and our children’s grandparents, so we will certainly miss her presence here with us.

As for publishing news, I released three more books this year, all novels—People of the Book in April, and Deliver Me From Evil and A Christmas Journey Home in September. Of course I’m now working fast and furiously on the next ones!

Al is still working in aerospace during the week, playing golf on the weekends—and enjoying his new 2005 sunburst orange Corvette, which he got when he finally traded in the Harley. So I’m still “Easy Writer” but now in a bit more comfort.

The kids and grandkids are all doing well, and our family continues to grow as we just got the announcement that our grandson Mikey (actively serving in the Navy and newly married) and his wife, Brittney, are expecting their first child (though not for about eight months yet). I can’t believe we’re talking about being great grandparents—again! Wow, are we getting old or what???

But we’re not so old that we can’t jump on a plane and fly to Hawaii for Christmas—which is exactly what Al and I are doing on Sunday, December 18. We’ll return on January 1 and dive right into the New Year then; meanwhile, MELE KELIKIMAKA to you all!

The Best Is Yet to Be!

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him”

(1 Corinthians 2:9, NKJV)

I still can’t believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone and Christmas is nearly here—again! I used to scratch my head and look askance at my parents (and other “old people”) when I heard them say things like “time sure flies” and “the days are zipping by way too fast.” But the older I get and the more days zip by, the more I understand.

One thing I’ve always enjoyed doing during this season between Thanksgiving and Christmas is to make a personal list of things I’m thankful for, adding at least one thing each day when I have my prayer and Bible study time. But always before, I’ve focused on being grateful for things in the past or even the present. This year I’m trying something new. I already know the many wonderful blessings God has given me over the years/decades, but what about those I anticipate in the future?

Without Jesus, cynical people say things, “Life stinks…and then you die.” What a sad viewpoint! Of course, without Christ the statement is true. I once heard someone say, “For unbelievers, whatever happens to them on earth is the best they’ll ever have. For those of us who know Jesus as Lord and Savior, whatever happens here is the worst we’ll ever have.” Translation? We have more to look forward to, more blessings to be thankful for in the future, than we could ever begin to list from the past or present. In fact, the Bible says the blessings that God has for us are so great and immeasurable that we can’t even begin to comprehend or imagine them.

But even if we don’t make a dent in that infinite list of blessings, why not join me in making one anyway? We can start today, jotting down as many of the promised blessings we can think of as we look forward to that day when we will finally see our beloved Savior face-to-face. Being in His presence will no doubt be at the top of our anticipated blessings list, but there are many other things too—no more sickness or death; no more tears or sorrow; no more sin or evil; hanging out with our “forever family,” not to mention legions of angels…the list is endless. So rejoice, beloved, for truly the best is yet to be!

Great Christmas Book for Children

Looking for a great Christmas gift for children? Here's a book I highly recommend:

http://www.amazon.com/Eli-Stable-Boy-Keith-Ogorek/dp/1449041167/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322433898&sr=1-1

A Christmas Journey Home

New Hope Publishers Releases Christmas Fiction Novel by Kathi Macias

(Birmingham, Ala.)—September 5, 2011—Award-winning author Kathi Macias releases a Christmas novel, A Christmas Journey Home: Miracle in the Manger (978-1-59669-328-9, N124135, $12.99).

A Christmas Journey Home is the story of two widows—one driven by fear and a promise, the other by bitterness and revenge—who must make their journeys along different pathways, but with the same destination: a barn full of animals that stands waiting for them on Christmas Eve. Forced to face their personal demons, Isabella and Miriam soon discover a common yearning that will bind them together in a most miraculous way.

“Kathi Macias has earned a reputation for crafting stories that feature believable characters who face true-to-life situations, and she does it again in A Christmas Journey Home,” says Loree Lough, award-winning author of 80 books, including From Ashes to Honor. Readers will quickly identify with Isabella and Miriam—very different women, forever changed by heartache and loss—and find themselves forever changed by Macias’s powerful, spirit-charged story. Definitely a ‘keeper!’”

Red Ink, one of Kathi’s current fiction books, recently won Novel of the Year by the Golden Scroll Book Awards. Red Ink has been named one of three finalists for the Long Contemporary Carol Award by the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).

About the Author

Award-winning author Kathi Macias (www.kathimacias.com) has written more than 30 books, including the award-winning devotional A Moment a Day and the popular “Matthews” mystery novels. Kathi has won many awards, including the Angel Award from Excellence in Media, fiction awards from the San Diego Christian Writers Guild, and the grand prize in an international writing contest. With women’s ministry as her primary interest, Kathi is a popular speaker for women’s retreats, conferences, and churches. A mother and grandmother, Kathi and her husband, Al, call California home.

About New Hope Publishers

Representing more than 80 authors and more than 130 individual works, the mission of New Hope^® Publishers is to provide books that challenge readers to understand and be radically involved in the mission of God. New Hope Publishers is the general trade publishing imprint for WMU^®, a missions auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention. New Hope Publishers is a member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA).

On the Road to Bethlehem...

The wind was stronger this afternoon, Mary thought. Colder, too. Though wrapped tightly in her own cloak and Joseph’s as well, the young woman shivered, as much from the implications of what lay ahead as from the weather itself.
It had been the most amazing year of her brief life, and yet she sensed it would quickly pale in comparison to what was to come. Shifting her weight as much as possible on the back of the little donkey that transported her down the bumpy road, she thought back over the previous months, even as she fixed her eyes on the broad shoulders and strong back of Joseph, who faithfully led the way. How she had grown to love this good and gentle man since first they had pledged themselves to be married! And how she had once trembled at the thought of telling him of the baby who grew inside her….
It had all started with the angel, of course, who had come to her on an otherwise ordinary day, as she went about her common tasks. The appearance of the angel had so frightened her that she had scarcely been able to breathe…and yet a peace from above had accompanied the epiphany, assuring her that God had ordained it so. As a result, she had listened…and believed.
She believed when the angel told her that she was blessed among women and had found favor with God.
She believed that she would conceive and bring forth a Son, who would be called Jesus.
She believed that Jesus would be great and would be called the Son of the Most High.
She believed that the Lord God would give Jesus the throne of his father David.
She believed He would reign over the house of Jacob forever and there would be no end to His Kingdom.
And she believed all this despite the fact that she didn’t understand it.
“How can this be,” she had asked the angel, “since I do not know a man?”
In other words, she was a virgin and would remain so until her marriage to Joseph, so how could she conceive a child? She didn’t doubt the angel’s proclamation; she simply wanted to know how it would happen.
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).
Even now, as the long and difficult journey continued, Mary practiced what she so often did with the words and memories hidden in her heart: she treasured and pondered them, considering in awe how some of the prophesy had already come true, and wondering how the rest would yet unfold. For here she was, some nine months after the angel’s appearance, nearly ready to deliver the baby so miraculously conceived and about whom were written so many promises. And perhaps for the thousandth time she wondered, Why me, Lord?
The question brought another, more recent memory to mind, and Mary blushed at the reminder. When she’d heard that she and Joseph, along with everyone else “of the house and lineage of David” (Luke 2:1) would have to make the trip to Bethlehem to accommodate the decree of Caesar Augustus that “all the world should be registered,” Mary found herself asking, “Why now, Lord?” Though Mary was a godly, devout woman, she was also young and inexperienced…and understandably frightened at the prospect of giving birth under less-than-desirable circumstances. How much better to be at home with family and friends when the time came! Instead, here she was, jostling along behind Joseph as he trudged toward Bethlehem.
Despite her discomfort and apprehensions, Mary smiled as she continued to hold tight to the donkey with one hand and laid the other across her swollen abdomen. The baby wasn’t kicking tonight, as He usually did. The realization brought an initial stab of fear, followed quickly by the thought that perhaps the Holy Child was preparing for His entrance into the world. Mary’s mother had told her that babies sometimes rested just before beginning the birthing process.
Oh, no, not here, she begged silently. Please, Lord, not on the road! At least let us arrive safely in Bethlehem first. Surely someone there will take pity on us and grant us a safe, warm place to sleep, or… She pressed her eyes shut, breathing deeply to summon the courage to complete the thought. Or to bear this Child.
And then the angel’s final words from that life-changing encounter floated to her on the wind: “For with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37). The heaviness and concern in Mary’s heart lifted, and she smiled again, repeating aloud the words she had spoken before the angel left her: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
The donkey stopped in its tracks, and Mary opened her eyes to find Joseph gazing back at her, a look of love and wonder on his face. “Yes,” he agreed, nodding. “Let it be to us according to His word.”
Mary answered him only with a smile, and her beloved Joseph turned his eyes back to Bethlehem and resumed the journey. For a long distance, neither of them spoke…not even when Mary felt the first twinges of pain dart across the front of her stomach and into her back. Her eyes widened and she caught her breath each time they occurred, but she continued to focus on the angel’s promise: “For with God nothing will be impossible.” Somehow she sensed, even as the sun began its descent and the air cooled with the coming night shadows, that they would make it to Bethlehem in time. What would happen then, or even in the years to come, she had no idea. But she was at peace now, as the knowledge that the God of the impossible was leading them, going ahead of them, providing for them…and, indeed, ordering their steps to accomplish His purpose.
“Thank You,” Mary whispered, even as the pains increased in intensity and frequency and Joseph finally announced that he could see Bethlehem in the distance. “Thank You, Lord God, Maker of heaven and earth, for the blessing of this Life within me, ready to be born and bless the world…according to Your word.”

Learning from the Children...

“Unless you are converted and become as little children,
you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven”
(Matthew 18:3, NKJV).

My husband and I broke away for a quick trip to the mall a few days ago, and it was every bit as crowded and hectic as we’d expected. We were cruising the second floor when we spotted an empty bench and decided to rest for a few minutes.
No sooner had we settled ourselves in than we glanced down from our lofty perch and realized we were positioned just above the Santa line. Children and parents waited expectantly (some patiently, most not so much) for their chance to talk with the jolly old man. Though I prefer to use this season to focus on the celebration of Christ’s birth, rather than the giving and receiving of material gifts, I learned a lot during our observation of this event.
Babies were predictable. Anxious parents would lovingly place their little ones in Santa’s arms and then hope and pray for a decent photo while the baby screamed for rescue. The older children seemed reluctant or even embarrassed at visiting Santa and posing for a picture, but they made sure to present their wish list and take advantage of the bowl of candy canes on the nearby table. But it was the little ones who were old enough not to be frightened by the white-bearded stranger yet still young enough to believe what they’d heard about this benevolent gift-giver that touched us the most.
One little girl, who couldn’t have been more than three or four, approached Santa’s “throne” in seeming awe, her eyes wide as he pulled her up on his lap. We couldn’t hear what was said, but we assumed he asked her what she wanted for Christmas. Rather than answer, she impulsively threw her arms around his neck and clung to him. Santa appeared pleasantly surprised. When she finally drew back, he spoke to her again, and again she responded with a hug. When he put her down and she started to walk away so the next child could have a chance, she suddenly stopped and turned back, then ran to him and threw her arms around him one more time. Santa’s “ho ho ho” was the most joyous I’ve ever heard!
I couldn’t help but compare what I saw to our own approach to God. Before we have personal knowledge of who He is, we are terrified of His presence and want to escape, just as those babies did with Santa. When we’re older and have known him for some time, to the point that coming into His presence no longer strikes awe into our hearts, we are in danger of approaching Him only to present Him with our wish list, as if He Himself were our own personal Santa. How I pray that as we use this Christmas season to reflect on the greatest Gift ever given we will be like that little girl, coming into God’s presence, humbly and wide-eyed, wanting nothing more than to sit on His lap and throw our arms around Him in love and gratitude.
Shalom and Merry Christmas, dear ones!

Choosing Our Words...

“For by your words you will be justified,
and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37).

Okay, let me preface this by reminding you that I didn’t say this, Jesus did. And that puts the statement in serious perspective, doesn’t it?
When we were kids we often heard/proclaimed the singsong taunt, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But it wasn’t true, was it? Our words do hurt. They sting, they wound, they injure. And Jesus said we would be held accountable for them.
“I just tell it like it is” is a common excuse for blasting someone with both barrels, but would we be so quick to fire away if we first remembered that those very words would be brought into account when we stand before God one day? And why bring this subject up at Christmas, anyway?
For the very reason that it is Christmas, that’s why. The One who spoke those words while He walked this earth first came as a Baby, humble yet royal, to show us how to live—and then to die in our place. Though the majority of people will ultimately reject that priceless gift, those of us who accept it have no excuse for cutting people down with our words. Ephesians 4:15 admonishes us to speak the truth “in love” so that we “may grow up in all things into Him.” Mature believers seek God’s help to restrain their lips from speaking hurt and injury to others just to satisfy their own selfishness, and instead to speak truth in love, with the purpose being to bring life and healing and reconciliation.
As we go about our many busy activities this Christmas season, may we remember the words of the One whose birthday we celebrate and weigh our words before we speak them. There is enough negativity being proclaimed by those who don’t know Christ; let’s counter that by speaking love and life and joy to ears and hearts that so desperately need to hear them.

Where is your heart?

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”
(Matthew 6:21, NKJV).

Jesus’ words about treasure ring especially true and relevant in this pre-Christmas season, don’t they? It is a time when we who claim to worship and follow the King of Kings, whose birthday we celebrate on Christmas Day, are often put to the test during these weeks of frenzied shopping and spending. That test is summed up in this question: Where is our treasure? As Jesus said, the answer to that question reveals where our heart is.
I once attended a church service where the pastor was teaching on this verse, and early on in his sermon he asked a lady in the front row if he could borrow her purse. She hesitated a moment before agreeing. The pastor then set her purse on the pulpit and proceeded with his teaching. Throughout the remainder of the service, we in the congregation couldn’t help but notice that the woman’s eyes never left the pulpit, even when the pastor walked around the stage as he spoke. It was a powerful illustration of his message.
And not one that didn’t speak loudly and clearly to my heart, I might add. I certainly couldn’t think ill of the woman for wanting to keep her purse in sight, as we women don’t like being separated from our purses, do we? We keep not only our checkbooks, cash, and credit cards in there, but so much else that seemingly identifies us, such as family pictures and other mementoes. But ultimately, what does that say about our hearts? Is it possible that as believers we still have a lot of growing and maturing to do when it comes to understanding our true treasures?
In the two verses preceding Jesus’ statement that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” He cautioned us against focusing on amassing temporal treasures here on earth rather than eternal ones in heaven. Then, in verse 33, He summed it up like this: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Jesus wanted us to understand that the Father knows our needs, and we can trust Him to meet them. What the Father desires from us is a heart that truly seeks Him, first and always. May we actively do so today, throughout the Christmas season, and all year long, as we add to our treasures in heaven and experience the joys of a caring and faithful Father who faithfully meets all our needs “according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

Little Shepherd for Christmas!

I am so honored to have been quoted on the back cover of this wonderful new book for Children, Little Shepherd by Cheryl Malandrinos. This is a lovely and unique approach to the Christmas story and will make a perfect gift for children of all ages. I encourage you to order copies for all the youngsters in your life. This grandma is surely going to! Join me at Amazon by clicking on (or pasting into your browser) this link:

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Shepherd-Cheryl-C-Malandrinos/dp/1616330856/

Making Christmas Personal

It was Christmas Eve, my favorite night of the year, as we sat shoulder-to-shoulder on a rear pew in the quaint but packed country church. I had been a Christian for slightly less than ten years, but each day since that unforgettable moment in July 1974 when I had received Jesus as my Savior, I had prayed for my dad’s salvation. Dad was the last “holdout” in our family. Prior to 1969, none of us had known Jesus as Lord and Savior, but since that time we had all become Christians—except Dad. My stubborn German father, though raised by a praying mother, had rejected his childhood faith and now insisted he was an atheist.
That night my family was sure all that would change, for Dad had agreed to accompany us to the Christmas Eve service. We had been shocked but thrilled when he accepted our invitation, since we invited him to church quite often and he always refused. For the first time, on that night of all nights when the faithful gather together to commemorate the birth of God’s Son, my dad was with us.
As the service progressed, I found myself peeking out of the corner of my eye every few moments to make sure he was still there, sitting next to my mom, whose face literally shone with joy and excitement. But so far nothing was happening. Dad sat perfectly still, his big hands resting in his lap, his broad shoulders straight, his lined face expressionless. With the service about to end, I found myself fighting discouragement.
And then the lights went down and, as if on cue, the parishioners seated on the center-aisle end of the pews passed small unlit candles to everyone in their row. At the same time two ushers began to make their way down the center aisle, stopping at the end of each pew and lighting the candle of the first parishioner in each row. Those parishioners then turned and lit the candle of the next person in the row, and so on until everyone held a lit candle.
Clutching my own candle as I waited for the usher to reach our row, I glanced over at my parents and realized my ever-practical father must have decided the process was going much too slowly, for he suddenly fished his cigarette lighter out of his pocket and started lighting candles. Within minutes he had lit every candle at his end of the pew and was reaching over to the people in the pew in front of us to start on theirs.
Fighting humiliation, I closed my eyes and felt the sting of unexpected tears as I realized my dad was simply trying to be helpful. I heard a couple of chuckles in nearby rows, but no one said anything until the usher arrived at our pew. With the glow from his candle illuminating his face, the smiling man thanked my father for his assistance. Dad returned his smile and assured him he was glad to be of help, and the gracious usher moved on.
It was nearly fifteen years later before the last “holdout” in our family responded to the loving call of his heavenly Father. At eighty-eight years of age, less than one week before his death in October 1999, my sweet but stubborn German father received Jesus as his Savior—and then promptly went home to be with Him.
I have thought of that Christmas Eve so many times over the last couple of decades. With the exception of occasional weddings, funerals, or baptisms, Dad never came back to church with us after that night, though we asked him nearly every week. There were times we wondered how God would ever penetrate Dad’s seemingly hard heart with the gospel, but we clung to the knowledge that God is faithful and nothing is impossible with Him. And how we rejoiced when God finally broken through Dad’s resistance and we saw the tears of joy in his clouded eyes. Though a series of small strokes had left him bedridden and unable to speak, we were thrilled each time he grinned and lifted his finger to point heavenward at the mention of the name of Jesus. And we were so very grateful. But I have to admit that, despite my gratitude and joy, I also wondered why Dad had waited so long to receive such a truly awesome gift. As it turned out, because he died in October, he never got to experience the wonder of Christmas as a believer—or did he?
As I thought and prayed about that very issue, I realized how I had allowed myself to get locked into dates. I knew, of course, that Jesus may not have been born exactly on December 25, but I hadn’t really considered that Christmas could be celebrated at any time other than on that precise date. And yet, I reasoned, wasn’t Christmas the celebration of the birth of God’s Son into the world? What, then, had happened in October 1999 just days before my dad slipped out of his earthly body and was whisked into the presence of God? Hadn’t Jesus been birthed by God’s Spirit into Dad’s heart? If I believed that—and I certainly did—then that wonderful day of new birth for my dad, though it took place in October, had been his personal Christmas celebration here on earth.
I was thrilled—not just because of what had happened to my father, but because I suddenly realized that the day of our salvation—our new birth—is also the day of our own personal Christmas. After knowing and walking with Jesus for more than a quarter of a century, I had come into a new and fresh appreciation of the most beautiful of all holidays. In fact, I realized how much more meaningful Christmas would be if, when we get together as a family to celebrate the gift of Jesus, we also recount our own Christmas stories, telling of the day Jesus was birthed into our hearts. If we have guests who have never received Jesus, it would be the perfect opportunity for them to do so.
But we wouldn’t have to stop there. Why not have several Christmas celebrations throughout the year? Regardless of the date, each time one of us comes to the anniversary of our new birth, we could have a Christmas party in honor of the event. Guests could bring gifts, and the person celebrating his or her own personal Christmas could designate a charity to receive them. It would provide us with opportunities to invite unsaved friends, neighbors, and loved ones, and to present the gospel to them throughout the year.
I will always cherish the memory of my dear father “helping” the ushers at that Christmas Eve candlelight service so many years ago, and the opportunities that it generated to make Christmas personal all year long and to tell others about the greatest gift ever given—God’s own Son, born into a world of sin that He might also be born in our hearts and wash those sins away forever.

*Printed first in “Victory in Grace” Magazine, December 2005; second in Crosswalk.com, December 2006.
www.kathimacias.com

Free books--honest!

Too early to start thinking about Christmas shopping? Not if you can get a gift for free! Here's your chance.

The first three people to leave a comment (and please include your email address so I can contact you!), along with the name/relationship of the person you'd like to give a copy of the beautiful hard cover gift/study book Mothers of the Bible Speak to Mothers of Today--and why you'd like to give it to her--will get a free copy in time for Christmas giving. It's just that simple! If we get more than three sign-ups, I'll sell two copies of the book for the price of one to all who sign up after the first three. I'll keep this offer open until mid-December.

Why am I doing this? Because I believe in the message of this book, and I believe those who read/receive it will be blessed.