WISHING ALL OF MY SISTERS A JOYFUL AND BLESSED CHRISTMAS SEASON ON THIS THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS.  THOUGH I HAVE BEEN ABSENT IN POSTING, I HAVE NOT BEEN ABSENT IN SPIRIT.  

Some thoughts from Frederick Buechner on the Christmas story from his essay, "The Face in the Sky", an essay for unbelievers and unbelieving believers as well as to the believers that he talks to in this excerpt.  

                         AND NOTHING IS EVER THE SAME AGAINhttp://apurposedlife.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/nativity.jpg?w=440&h=247" style="max-width:100%;">                                                                     

And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.  And the angel said to them "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy, which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."  Luke 2:8-12    

 "The child is born in the night among beasts.  The sweet breath and steaming dung of beasts.  And nothing is ever the same again.      Those who believe in God can never be sure of him again. Once they have seen him in a stable, they can never be sure where he will appear or to what lengths He will go or to what ludicrous depths of self-humiliation he will descend in his wild pursuit of humankind. If holiness and the awful power and majesty of God were present in this least auspicious of all events, the birth of a peasant's child, then there is no place or time so lowly or earthbound but that holiness can be present there too.  And this means that we are never safe, that there is no place that we can hide from God, no place that we are safe from his power to break in two and recreate the human heart, because it is just where he seems most helpless that he is most strong, and just where
we least expect Him that he comes most fully.       

 For those who believe in God, it also means, this birth, that God himself is never safe from us, and maybe that is the dark side of Christmas, the terror of the silence.  He comes in such a way that we can always turn him down, as we could crack the baby's skull like an eggshell or nail him up when he gets too big for that.  God comes to us in the hungry people we do not have to feed, comes to us in the lonely people we do not have to comfort, comes to us in all the desperate human need of people everywhere that we are always free to turn our backs upon.  It means that God puts himself at our mercy not only in the sense of the suffering we can cause him by our blindness and coldness and cruelty, but the suffering that we can cause him simply by suffering ourselves.  Because that is the way love works, and when someone we love suffers, we suffer with him, and we would not have it otherwise because the suffering and the love are one, just as it is with God's love for us.               
                          excerpt  from Frederick Buechner's  essay, "The Face in the Sky"  

Believer, unbeliever, believing unbeliever and unbelieving believer, you are loved.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.  KOS

Last edited by KeepOnSinging (12/25/2015 11:24 am)

Loved your post, KOS.....Have a wonderful Christmas Day!

Last edited by View, unobstructed (12/25/2015 12:35 pm)

 Fedor celebrating Christmas with Meryl.




 12/25 - video on Twitter and Instagram. Already posted

Clayton is the one on the hooverboad...this video is from his IG account...

 https://www.instagram.com/p/_uZb9CFjIK/?taken-by=claytonhdavis

Last edited by CEK40 (12/25/2015 3:53 pm)

valchmerkovskiy:

iamvalc: doing our annual Christmas shopping for the kids at Children’s Hospital, jus because and it’s turning out to be the funniest experience ever…. haha my brother and I used to dream about this place as kids, and now we finally can shop here and have NOOO IDEAAA what we’re doing. 😂😂😂 check out the adventure on snapchat right now (iamvalc) #holidayseason #givebackseason maksimc


Link to video clip...
http://valchmerkovskiy.tumblr.com/post/135878256686/iamvalc-doing-our-annual-christmas-shopping-for




 iamvalc: I think YES!!!! 😂😂 #girlslovefrozen right?! #givebackseason



Another video link...

http://valchmerkovskiy.tumblr.com/post/135883658764/iamvalc-it-isnt-about-race-nationality


iamvalc: It isn’t about race, nationality, financial status or political agenda. At some point in your life you realize you’re not here for you only. you get a little older and start to understand that you’re a mere reflection of your actions towards others. my ambition isn’t driven by ego it’s driven solely by the desire to provide for and spoil absolutely everyone in my vicinity..as far as I can see love, health, and a peaceful perspective for all this holiday season. Love y'all. #lifesbeautiful #givebackseason maksimc

Last edited by CEK40 (12/25/2015 3:58 pm)