Freely Given Gifts

Are you wondering how you’ll afford to buy gifts this Christmas? Are you weary of shopping for gifts for people who have all the stuff they need—and even more?

If so, I hope you’ll find an idea or two in this post that you can use to create memorable gifts for others either in lieu of or in addition to those items you'll place inside beautiful bags or pretty packages.

My daughter Jena said, “There are two wonderful ways to give a FREE gift this Christmas season! Although neither one will cost you a cent, both are life-saving and life-changing: (1)Share Jesus. Tell others about Him. (2)Donate blood, platelets, or plasma."

As I thought about what she’d said, I began to think of other FREE gifts, not as life-changing as those two, of course, but ones that do impact others.

As I pondered, I recalled that author Leslie Fields had reminded the recipients of her email to “give generous words generously.” After reading the examples she provided, I came up with my own words of sincere affirmation, gratitude, and praise. 

A Gift of Gratitude

For example, in a Christmas card I sent to a family member, I wrote, “I'll always be grateful for your being an ‘angel of mercy’ to so many in our family. May God continue to richly bless you and supply strength and wisdom for each kindness.”

A Gift of Encouragement

While talking with a friend who was struggling to handle the financial responsibilities normally done by her husband (who had recently passed away), I said, “I’ve always admired the God-given strength I’ve observed in you as you’ve dealt with previous difficulties. I have no doubt that He will continue to enable you to do the things you think you can’t do.”

A Gift of Praise

In a text message to a grandson, I said, “Thanks for always being willing to help.”

Let’s resolve to give gifts such as these (and countless others) regularly and liberally throughout the year, not just at Christmastime. After all, they’re guaranteed to please any day of the year.

The Gift

Throughout the year, I listen carefully while talking with family and friends. When they say, “I’d love to have…”, I take note of that. Doing so, along with listing those ideas in places I’m sure to see them, helps me choose gifts loved ones will enjoy receiving on a special occasion.

As I reflect on gift-giving, several Scripture passages come to mind. One of my favorites is found in the third chapter of the New Testament book of Acts. As the story opens, Peter and John are on their way to worship at the temple. When they hear a lame man begging for money, they stop. Peter says to him, “I don’t have what you’re asking for, but I do have what you need.”

Then, in the name of Jesus and with His power, Peter commands the man to rise up and walk. Although the man had been lame since birth, he stands up and begins leaping and praising God for the gift given to him, a gift far greater than the money he had been asking for.

Likewise, our Heavenly Father knows what we truly need and will supply it in His time and in His way. For example, because God knew the people of all time needed a Savior, He sent His Son at the time God had planned. (See Galatians 4.) And, oh, the gifts He brought. Not only forgiveness of sins and the right to become children of God and to enjoy Him now and throughout all eternity but also love, peace, joy, and so much more.  

We may think we want whatever is inside beautifully packaged gifts, but we need a Savior far more. And God has given us one.

Let’s praise Him for that awesome Gift—and for His other wonderful gifts too numerous to count.

In Praise of Mama

My sweet mama died years ago. Even so, I think of her many times each day, especially on her birthday (September 24th). Although I can no longer visit her or give her a gift or even call to chat a bit, I yearn to honor her in some way.

As I thought about what I could do, a familiar verse (Proverbs 31:28) from the Old Testament came to mind. Although the words stored in my memory are from the King James Version (the translation Mama and Daddy used), I also like the words from modern versions that express how I want to honor Mama on her birthday. For example, 

Therefore, I want to use written and spoken words to say I do love Mama, and that I thank God for choosing her to be my mama.

Although she wasn't financially well-off like the woman described in Proverbs 31, Mama did many of the same kinds of tasks she did. For example, she got up early every morning to cook a hot, country-style breakfast on the wood-burning cookstove. She took good care of our family and the farm animals and the garden that provided much of our food.

Mama didn't weave and spin like the Proverbs 31 woman did, but she sewed pretty dresses for my sister and me whenever she had enough money to buy fabric and buttons and lace. She also made beautiful quilts from scraps of outgrown clothes and fabric leftover from sewing projects so that we could stay as warm as possible on cold winter nights in our drafty, uninsulated house that was heated by the living room fireplace. Her stitches were so even and tiny that some folks thought they'd been done on a sewing machine.

Like the Proverbs 31 woman, Mama spoke words of wisdom and was kind to everyone. She had a gentle and quiet spirit and bravely accepted each hardship without complaining.

For these reasons and for the innumerable other ways she showed her love day after day and year by year, I want to take this opportunity to publically praise her and to say, "Mama, you are still much loved, much cherished. Although you are gone from my sight, you'll always remain on my mind and in my heart."

Not Alone (poem)

Note: The poem I mentioned in my previous post inspired me to try my hand at writing a poem that describes experiences I've had on beautiful beaches, especially those on the Gulf of Mexico. Please feel free to comment.

Not Alone

 My feet made prints in the wet sand
As I strolled near the ocean's foam.
I marveled at all God had made 
On that island far from my home.

The shorebirds fascinated me,
As did pelicans plunging down
To fill their large, empty pouches
With fish swimming in their playground.

As the breeze restyled my grey hair,
And the sun's rays reddened my face,
I continued on, praising God
For His handiwork in that place.

Sea oats swayed in the gentle breeze, 
And puffy white clouds drifted by.
Seagulls swooped and strutted and shrieked,
While some swimmers toweled themselves dry.

Concerns and fears I’d brought with me
Vanished quicker than morning dew,
As I pondered this awesome truth:
God made me and sustains me, too!

I saw no footprints beside mine,
Yet, I sensed I was not alone.
Awed by His presence near to me,
I praised Him as we journeyed on.
 --Johnnie Ann Burgess Gaskill, (c) 2021
 
[Jesus said to His disciples:]
"I am with you always,
even to the end of the age."
--Matthew 28:20, NLT
 

Photo courtesy of Upsplash

Seen and Unseen

 

When I stepped outside to photograph the sunrise, I couldn’t see the sun, as I do most mornings here on Sanibel Island, Florida. Even though clouds obstructed my view of it, I knew God had caused it to rise again this morning as He has done every morning since He created it eons ago. How did I know? I saw evidence of it. Everything in my view was being bathed in brighter and brighter light. If the sun had not risen, there would have been no light to drive away the darkness that had reigned during the night. God was still on His throne, still running the world, still causing ALL things to work according to His purposes and His plans. 

I think of that often, especially when a crisis arises. I need not panic. God is in charge. He is ever faithful, ever wise, ever powerful. I can trust Him…and I do. Even though I can’t see HIM, I can see evidence that He is working. I can feel the peace He provides. I can praise Him for who He is and thank Him for ALL He does—seen and unseen.

Five Minute Friday: Love Lifts

I wrote these words in five minutes in response to a writing prompt (lift) provided by Kate Motaung at www.FiveMinuteFriday.com.

Since childhood, I’ve known the words to the old hymn, Love Lifted Me. But the older I get, the more those words mean to me. The Lord’s love lifts my spirits when I’m feeling down. It encourages me when I’m tempted to give up. It causes me to pause throughout the day and just thank HIm and praise Him.

Love from other people lifts me, too, as does the love I feel for others. Love for the work I do lifts me.

How does love lift you?

It's Time to Praise

A few days after I’d taken photos of spring blooms, I read The Making of the Beautiful: The Life Story of Annie Johnson Flint. (She wrote many of the hymns we love, including He Giveth More Grace.)

One of the poems interspersed in the telling of her story is Spring Song of Praise. In it, the poet imagines all of creation being “roused from winter’s chilling dream” and beginning to praise the Lord.

That’s an apt description of springtime, isn’t it? A world that has seemed asleep—even dead—begins to show signs of awakening, signs of coming to life.

Buds and blooms and bees and birds suddenly appear everywhere. And what a delight they are. How the sight of them lifts our spirits. How the sight of them should cause you and me to join them in songs of praise to our Creator.

One of my favorites is This Is My Father’s World.* What’s yours?

* written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock and published in 1901

Sing and Speak

Dense fog lingered until mid-morning before slowly dissipating. When it began to lift, I raised one of the sunroom windows (from which my husband had removed the screen) and began to photograph the little songbirds feeding beside the deck. 

Despite the dreariness of the day, the birds chirped cheerily, or so it seemed to me, and continued to do so that afternoon even as rain moved closer and closer to our area.

As I listened to them, I thought, I wish I could be truly cheerful ALL the time, especially when conditions are less than ideal and/or when all signs indicate unpleasant change ahead.


Later that evening, when I read Psalm 89:1, I realized I'd been shown how to do that: Sing (or speak) about God's faithfulness and His mercies! 

Wonder and Worship

I photographed this sunrise from the balcony on another day.

 I woke up when it was still dark but decided to stay in bed for a few minutes longer and listen to BBN Radio via an app on my phone. As I gazed out the large, uncovered windows, I marveled at the beautiful changes in the sky as a new day dawned.

While watching the dramatic changes, I focused on these words to a song that was playing on BBN Radio: “I will glorify the King of Kings. I will glorify the Lamb.” I lifted my hands in praise and worshipped Him.

Prayers of Praise

One day I heard Elisabeth Elliot quote a few words found in the Te Deum (tuh-DEE-um). Being unfamiliar with the Te Deum, I searched the Internet for information about it. I learned that it is an early Christian hymn of praise, possibly written by Saint Augustine or Saint Ambrose in AD 397. The words Elisabeth quoted are translated this way in the Book of Common Prayer:

Sunrise over the Gulf of Mexico--Gulf Shores, Alabama

We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee: the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud: the Heavens, and all the Powers therein.
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim: continually do cry,
Holy, Holy, Holy: Lord God of Hosts;
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty: of thy glory.

I plan to memorize those words so that I can readily (and often!) offer them as a prayer of praise to God.  I also plan to read regularly Psalm 104, which is a beautiful hymn of praise. Would you like to do that too? 

A Song of Praise

I made this collage while learning how to use new (FREE!) software I downloaded. As I worked, I thought about the words in Folliott S. Pierpoint's song For the Beauty of the Earth, which was published in 1864. 

For the beauty of the earth, 

For the glory of the skies,

For the love which from our birth, 

Over and around us lies:

Christ our God to thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

Amen.

Since those ancient words express the thoughts of MY heart whenever I see beauty all around me, I often personalize them in this way and use them as a prayer:

For the beauty of the earth, 

For the glory of the skies,

For the love which from my birth, 

Over and around me lies:

Christ my God to thee I raise

This my hymn of grateful praise. 

Amen.

Give What You Can

When a friend suddenly faced a situation that deprived her of much of her regular income, I wanted to do something to ease her financial worries. When I handed her a check, her eyes filled with tears. "I can't let you do this!"

I replied, "Yes, you can! God prompted me to give it to you. He knows your need. He wants you to have it, and so do I."

Now I can't go around handing checks to everyone with a significant financial need, but I do what I can for those God strongly impresses me to assist. Help doesn't always involve money. Sometimes it's the gift of time that some folks need. Sometimes it's help with a household task. Sometimes it's a phone call. Sometimes it's a listening ear. Sometimes it's food or a ride to the store. Sometimes it's the lending of a book. Sometimes it's a note of encouragement.

May you and I have an open hand when it comes to sharing with others the blessings we have received from our loving Heavenly Father. May we yield every part of our lives to Him. 

An example of that is found in the old hymn, Take My Life, and Let It Be. In it, Frances R. Havergal beautifully expresses her heartfelt commitment of all of her life to God, including her feet, her voice, her hands, her will, her heart, and even her money.

Take my silver and my gold,

Not a mite would I withhold;

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise. 

To listen to the entire song she wrote in 1841, please click here: https://youtu.be/0FBvoRwNyB0

Stages

When I photographed these tiny azalea blooms in my yard, I thought, Each stage has its own beauty. Such is true of the stages of human life.

May we learn to look for and to appreciate the beauty that's there!

May we praise the Creator who put it there.

Spring Is Sure to Follow

There's an old proverb that says, "No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow." That's so true, isn't it? However, when we're in the cold clutches of winter, we tend to think spring will never come. Likewise, we often think that we're stuck forever in a harsh season of life. But, rest assured, a gentler, more beautiful, more hopeful season will surely follow since God designed the seasons--and our lives--to stay on schedule. 

While reflecting on the cyclical seasons of life, I like to recall the words to Great Is Thy Faithfulness, a favorite hymn of mine, written by Thomas O. Chisholm in the early 1900s.

The chorus of the song praises God for His great faithfulness toward us and mentions that daily we see how gracious God is to us and how He so faithfully provides all we need. 

The verses mention specific ways God demonstrates His faithfulness. For example, even the seasons and the solar system attest to His great faithfulness. 

God didn't just create the world and all the living creatures that inhabit it and then walk away. No! He faithfully keeps everything (even our lives!) "on schedule"--day after day, year after year.

Thus, we learn that we can trust Him to faithfully care for us and to make sure that "No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow." Trust Him. Thank Him. Praise Him.

The faithful love of the LORD never ends! 

His mercies never cease. 

Great is his faithfulness; 

his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Lamentations 3:22, 23, New Living Translation

To sing along with the song, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, please click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cACqcURyvJA 

His Prayer; Our Prayer

I love the prayers found in the Bible, don't you? One of my favorites is found in the Old Testament book of 1 Chronicles, chapter 29. (I urge you to read all of it so as to understand the setting for the story and to savor the profound truths spoken so beautifully.) It’s a prayer spoken by King David in the hearing of the leaders of Israel whom he had summoned for a major announcement about the building of a magnificent temple, a “house for God.”

May David's prayer be our prayer!

Unlimited Power

Shoshone Falls (212 feet high) near Twin Falls, Idaho

While reading the July 19, 2017, issue of Our Daily Bread, I found this quote, which really spoke to me:

Never measure 

God's unlimited power

by 

your limited expectations.

As I reflected on those words, I recalled Ephesians 3:20, one of my favorite Bible verses, which I'd memorized many years ago. 

Now to Him 

who is able to do 

far more abundantly 

beyond all that we ask or think, 

according to the power 

that works within us

(NASB)

As I reflected on those familiar words, I decided to look up that verse in the new Bible (The VOICE) a dear friend had given me for my birthday a few weeks prior.

(20) Now to the God 

who can do so many awe-inspiring things, 

immeasurable things, 

things greater than 

we ever could ask or imagine 

through the power at work in us, 

(21) to Him be all glory in the church 

and in Jesus the Anointed 

from this generation to the next, 

forever and ever. 

Amen.

Any way you say it, our God is mighty! Praise Him!

Thank the Lord!

As another woman and I waited for the elevator, I smiled at her and said, “I hope your morning is off to a great start!”

Her pleasant expression became even more so. Her entire countenance radiated joy and gladness as she said, “The Good Lawd woke me up this morning!”

“And,” I replied, “aren’t we thankful He did?”

“Honey,” she said, “as soon as I open my eyes, I begin to thank Him for letting me live through the night and for letting me see another day!”

“We don’t always recognize how blessed we are, do we?”

“I know that’s right,” she said, nodding vigorously.

That’s all the time we had to talk, since we only rode the elevator down one floor. But in that brief time, we praised our Lord for His goodness to us, and I was reminded that praise doesn’t have to be complicated or lengthy. Even a few seconds of sincere praise and thanksgiving honors our Lord and encourages others along life’s journey.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,

And all that is within me, bless His holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,

And forget none of His benefits.

~David, Psalm 103:1-2, New American Standard Bible

Sprouts

Happy Spring!

Add caption

For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.

~Isaiah 61:11, ESV

Gratitude

Give Voice

When I sat down at my computer one morning, eager to write blog posts based on verses I’d just finished reading in Psalm 145, an e-mail I’d received from Instagram was still open. So, I took a few minutes to quickly scroll through the list of new posts (one from each person I follow on Instagram). I admired the creative pictures, inspirational words, humor, insights, wisdom, etc. they’d posted.

As I read Ann Voskamp’s post, I marveled (again!) at her ability to express so beautifully deep truths about God and about the insights He gives to her regarding how to live a life that joyously reflects who God is and how knowing Him (and thanking Him!) enables a person to have joy no matter how difficult life’s circumstances.

But as I read her words, I despaired of being able to write anything deep and beautiful. I was tempted to walk away from the message God had given me to share with those of you who visit my blog. Immediately, some words to the old song There Is a Balm in Gilead wafted through my mind like wispy clouds on a windy day and encouraged me to write about what God had given to me to share.

With renewed resolve, I said to God:

I will extol [praise, exalt, commend] You,

my God and King,

and bless Your name

forever and ever.

Every day I will bless You

and praise Your name…

for great are You, O LORD, 

and greatly to be praised… 

(See Psalm 145:1-3)

I will gladly and joyfully use my “voice,” 

which You have given me, 

to praise You.