“The True Light of Christmas - Beyond the Twinkling Lights”

by Babs KinCaid

Christmas is more than twinkling lights, spectacular presents, melt-in-your-mouth homemade cookies and the perfect family gathering. The truth is the heart of Christmas is galaxies beyond the beautifully staged Thomas Kinkade winter wonderland scene. The lie is you can shop till you drop and you can purchase what you need to make the best sparkling Christmas ever happen. The stress of trying to reach this unattainable goal is devastating. People go through rigorous torture to find the colossal gift of a lifetime! The only reward from that experience is debt and pure exhaustion!

The true Light is the extravagant gift that too many people miss each Christmas. Visualize God’s compelling true Light perspective of Jesus from the Masterpiece book of all wisdom: “…the world was made by Him, and the world knew him not… That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world… He came unto His own, and His own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1: 10, 9, 11-13 According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance  the Greek word “lighteth”  #5461 means  “to shed rays, to shine, or to brighten up: enlighten, illuminate, bring to light, and make to see.” So Jesus gives us His Light for us to shine and to see. According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance the Greek word for power is exousia  # 1849 in John 1:12 which means  “privilege, force, competency, freedom, mastery,  (concretely, magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence:--authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength.” That is quite a gift!  Did you catch the phrase “delegated influence?” Think about it, everyone who believes in Christ has the delegated influence to become a child of God! Christmas is all about the true Light coming into the world to give mankind the privilege to become children of God! The shepherds received this gift and traveled to the manager where they worshipped the true Light. To the shepherds, an angel of the Lord said: “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10

I remember my very first Christmas after I made the decision to receive Jesus as my Savior my Christmas was radically different. Surprisingly, I saw Christmas through a different lens after the scales from my eyes had been removed. My new and bright Christmas was about Christ and His amazing gift of love to me. All the twinkling lights reminded of the true Light of Jesus! Check it out from the words of Jesus: “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12b    I felt very enlightened and illuminated with great joy! For the very first time in my life, I felt like Christmas came alive with worth and hope! 

When you connect to God’s heart and meditate on His word a masterpiece can be born. God is the masterpiece music writer. Didn’t God anoint all of the songs in the book of Psalms in the Bible, 150 to be exact? Shockingly, didn’t God anoint George Frederic Handel to write the Messiah? “In 1741, George Frederic Handel‘s heath was failing, audiences had deserted him and he was in debt. Seeing no hope for the future, his music, or his life, he was ready to retire in disgrace.” Spiritual Moments With Great Composers by Patrick Kavanaugh. Who did God choose to write the Messiah, but a 56 year old man going through a pit of disappointment and hardship? Yea, I love that God champions the underdog so many times! Patrick Kavanaugh quotes from his book: “At one point a servant came into Handel’s room…He reported having seen…a weeping Handel refused the food and exclaimed, “I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God himself.” Wow, now that is an epic picture! Another quote from Kavanaugh sums it up quite nicely: “But Handel was a man listening to the voice of God. Struck with the power of the words of scripture, he opened himself to the Holy Spirit and let the Spirit work through him to produce what can be described as a wonder.” Jesus said it best: “But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” John 3:21The Messiah is nothing short of outstanding artistry! Here is a famous quote from composer George Frederic Handel about his music: “I should be sorry if I only entertained them, I wish to make them better.” I love the fact that Handel's heart motivation was to bring people to a  more excellent awareness of God that could transform them. Ludwig van Beethoven said of Handel: “He was the greatest composer that ever lived.”

One day at work the LORD orchestrated for me to wait on a vivacious little girl and her dad, no doubt to enhance my Christmas experience. The little girl was singing…you guessed it “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine.” I was so moved as I felt like God was reminding me of what life was all about. Jesus said powerful words on this subject: “You are the light of the world…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14a, 16 The little girl was letting her light shine in a beautiful way and that is my prayer for all of us to do likewise!     

                                            

This Christmas, you can choose what is better. “The LORD is my light and my salvation.” Psalm 27:1a Sit at the feet of Jesus! God is the masterpiece composer of your best life experience! Enjoy a majestic Christmas by enjoying the true Light of Jesus and letting it shine through you! Then it will be a very Merry Christmas!!!

Rejoicing: My Thankful Life comes from my Relationship with God

By Babs Kincaid

Wow, because of God, I can live a Thankful life! My grateful life began one evening in Atlanta, Georgia when I received a surprise love gift from a humble hairdresser. I had no idea I was going to get a VIP haircut! My delightful hairdresser Peggy O’Barr was a stranger who was highly recommended by her twin sister Joyce. I had arrived at Peggy’s house in rough shape from pursuing a life of getting high and bar hopping! I was one angry and rebellious young woman who got high and ate health food! That reminds me of an oxymoron!!! My life was so out of control and my only strategy to console myself was to work on my appearance! Yes, I was so vain and shallow! Who gets a haircut believing it will improve their life? So Peggy was drafted to give me a new style! Picture it, Peggy was radiant with joy and I was melancholy with regret! Peggy’s peace and contentment made no sense to me, so I had to grill her on the source of her cheerful spirit! When I asked Peggy, “What is the source of your joy?” She boldly said, “Jesus.” Puzzled, I thought, what does that mean? I asked Peggy what did I have to do to get what she had. With great enthusiasm, Peggy told me the simple gospel: my sins separated me from God, Jesus died in my place to pay for my sins, my need to repent and surrender my life to Christ, God desired to have a relationship with me as my Father and his gift of eternal life.  I had no idea Peggy had friends in high places! Not everyone gets a life-transforming haircut with Peggy and Jesus! Yes, Jesus was at Peggy’s house and her heart, so I got a powerhouse haircut! What a priceless love gift I got from Peggy that wonderful day! I got a new hair style, a new heart and a new Spirit in one day! Check it out: “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 Peggy will always have an endearing place in my heart! You can read my full story of transformation in my blog entitled, “My Ultimate Makeover from a Broken Spirit to a Joyful Heart.” How can I ever thank Jesus and Peggy for all they have done for me!!! Thank you, Jesus, for being my knight in shining armor! Thank you, Peggy, for being God’s faithful messenger!

God’s faithful messenger - Peggy O’Barr Hunt 2017

My gratitude reaches to the moon and back for my new Loving relationship with my Heavenly Father as a result of my salvation. God is called “A father to the fatherless” in Psalm 68:5a Since I grew up with a cruel and unapproachable earthly father I can so relate to this verse. God replaced the hate I received from my earthly father with His everlasting love. It is written: “Yea, I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Jeremiah 31:3 My dad was a raging alcoholic, who kept a running inventory of my faults which he shared with me daily. In contrast, God’s love for me “keeps no record of wrongs.” 1 Corinthians 13:5b Growing up, I never went on a father-daughter date or spent quality time with my dad, so I felt insignificant. God is quite the opposite: “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8  My eternal Father goes with me everywhere I go! Check it out: “the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 God cares so very much about the pain that I suffered as a child that his word says: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 God is the one I now proudly call “Abba Father.” There is nothing sweeter than God’s Love!

One of my favorite gifts that God has given me has been Joy! Life with my alcoholic dad was filled with sorrow. The shame I experienced was continuous humiliation and disgrace because I fell short of my dad’s high standard of perfection. I lived in a constant state of feeling inferior and unworthy of doing anything successful due to his critical words. My earthly father used to tell me that “the only reason a guy would ask me out was to have sex with me!” Gee thanks dad, nice father daughter chat!!! God’s word says: “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 After I asked Jesus into my heart, I received a flood of love, peace and Joy. My feelings of Joy were so inspiring! “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” 1 Peter 1:8 What a Joy to experience God’s supportive and uplifting spirit!

Imagine how profound it was for me to have God give me a special calling for my life! I went to a church class on Missions and we were asked to write a mission’s statement. I had an attitude right away. I thought “right, how am I ever going to come up with something, as if it depended on me?” As I sat in the class praying, a thought came to me, “Cheerleader of Faith.” God nailed it! God, I am so sorry I didn’t believe you cared that much about me to give me an amazing life purpose. One of my spiritual gifts is encouragement so it matched perfectly! “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD;…” Psalm 37:23a Yea God!

      God has given me back my voice to share with Him and with others. When I was growing up my dad wouldn’t allow me to express my thoughts or opinions on anything. I could be seen but not heard. God, on the other hand, values my thoughts. “Oh LORD…you understand my thoughts from afar off.” Psalm 139:2b I know have a Heavenly Father who wants to hear my voice and is always thinking about me. Listen to his heart: “How precious to me are your thoughts, God…Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.” Psalm 139:17a, 18 and “But certainly God has heard me; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.” Psalm 66:19 When I was going through my divorce, a dear friend of mine gave me a journal and told to write my thoughts in it. She said at first it will be full of negativity but keep writing. She said eventually, your writing will become full of positive thoughts. I soon discovered from my friends, I had a gift for writing from God. Check it out: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the Heavenly Lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 God expanded my mission statement to “Writer of Light and Cheerleader of Faith.” It so matches my heart’s desire to use my voice writing and sharing faith-based encouragement to others!

          So I am counting my blessings again this Thanksgiving and my thankful heart comes from my loving, joyful, creative, and personal relationship with my Heavenly Father!

       

“I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.” Jeremiah 32:40

Be a Shining Light:

See People with Disabilities as Jewels that Sparkle

By Babs Kincaid

God has a big heart of compassion for the people the world calls less than or inferior because of their disabilities. For example, God chose Moses to be the dynamic leader of Israel to deliver them out of slavery from Egypt to freedom. God chose Moses, a man with a speech defect to take on a crucial leadership role for the nation of Israel! Israel had been in slavery for 400 years in Egypt! According to Peter Machinist “And when God commands Moses to free the Israelites from Egypt, and Moses protests his competence to challenge the Pharaoh because of a speech defect—a “heaviness of mouth and heaviness of tongue” as the text says (Exodus 4:10)—this defect is turned, by God, into the basis of a new arrangement, wherein Aaron shall do the speaking, and Moses will direct him as though he were God Himself (Exodus 4:16).” Check it out from God’s play book “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” 1 Corinthians 1:27 According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance the Greek word for weak (772) means “without strength, and more feeble.” According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the Greek word for mighty (2478) means forcible, powerful, strong and valiant.” So God’s merciful heart did not select a mighty warrior to fulfill this dangerous mission, but someone who had a significant weakness. The cool part of this story is that despite his weakness, Moses with God’s help rose to the occasion and bravely got the job done! Listen to the historical summary in God’s word: “Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt-to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.” Deuteronomy 34:10-12 What a miraculous achievement! Yea God!!!                                                                             

There are moments in life that take your breath away and one of those involves a child I know with downs syndrome. David was 5 ½ years old at the time and one particular morning after breakfast he clearly said to his mom, “Babs' arm.” His mom Lisa knew that meant that Babs needed prayer for her arm. It was customary for Lisa to do devotions with her children after breakfast. Lisa is a prayer warrior and part of our Sunday prayer team at Calvary Church in Jupiter, Florida. I had broken my arm and Lisa had been praying for me. The remarkable miracle in that story is I have never been to Lisa’s house and I have only seen David a handful of times at church. The fact that he would have remembered my broken arm and need for prayer was a Heaven drop directly from God! God used a precious child David with a disability to highlight my need for prayer! I struggled with a lot of pain during my healing process, so I was extremely grateful for the prayer. When Lisa told me the story, it brought tears to my eyes!!! God’s big heart was moved to use a small child with a disability to help me at my critical point of need! Listen to this heartwarming narrative from God’s word: “Then the little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these,” Matthew 19:13-14 No wonder God uses little children with disabilities to significantly minister to people in need! Yea God!

What I took away from those two real-life stories, is that Almighty God as a creative genius sees people with disabilities as jewels that can sparkle. “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b When we discount people with disabilities we are missing the mark with God. Check it out from God’s word: “To show partiality in judging is not good.” Proverbs 24:23b God has called us to show honor and value to all people.

I find it fascinating that individuals with autism have exceptional giftedness from God that other people do not have. “Some of the strengths you may see in people with autism – Adapted from A Parent’s Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome and High Functioning Autism by Sally Ozonoff, Geraldine Dawson, and James McPartland:

■ Strong visual skills

■ Ability to understand and retain concrete concepts, rules, sequences and patterns

■ Good memory of details or rote facts (math facts, train schedules, baseball statistics)

■ Long-term memory

■ Computer and technology skills

■ Musical ability or interest

■ Intense concentration or focus, especially on a preferred activity

■ Artistic ability

■ Mathematical ability

■ Ability to decode written language (read) at an early age (but not necessarily comprehend)

■ Strong encoding (spelling)

■ Honesty

■ Problem-solving ability (when you cannot ask for something you want, you can get pretty creative about getting your hands on it yourself.)”

       Wow, that is quite an impressive list of attributes that I would even love to have in my wheelhouse of credits! Some of the celebrated individuals with autism who have or are making a difference in this world from Famous Autistic People in History from http://www.appliedbehavioranalysisprograms.com/historys-30-most-inspiring-people-on-the-autism-spectrum/ include the following individuals:

§  Hans Christian Andersen – Children’s Author

§  Lewis Carroll – Author of “Alice in Wonderland”

§  Albert Einstein – Scientist & Mathematician

§  Bobby Fischer – Chess Grandmaster

§  Bill Gates – Co-founder of the Microsoft Corporation

§  Thomas Jefferson – Early American Politician

§  Steve Jobs – Former CEO of Apple

§  Michelangelo – Sculptor, Painter, Architect, Poet

§  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Classical Composer

§  Sir Isaac Newton – Mathematician, Astronomer, & Physicist

§  Jerry Seinfeld – Comedian

§  Satoshi Tajiri – Creator of Nintendo’s Pokémon

§  William Butler Yeats – Poet

          It is intriguing to me that individuals with ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) also have unique giftedness from God that bears recognition. According to Bob Seay from an article in ADDitude Magazine here is a list of what to love about ADD:

v Insomnia makes for more time to surf the web

v The drive for hyperfocus

v Resiliency

v A sparkling personality

v Generosity with money, time, and resources

v Ingenuity

v A strong sense of what is FAIR

v Willingness to take a RISK

v Making far-reaching analogies that no one can understand

v Spontaneity

v You have a “Ferrari” brain, but with “Chevy” brakes

v Pleasant and constant surprises due to finding clothing or money you forgot about

v Being funny

v Being the last of the romantics

v Being a good conversationalist

v An innate understanding of intuitive technologies such as computers or PDA’s

v Honestly believe that anything is possible

v Rarely being satisfied with status quo

v Compassion

v Persistence

v Joining the ranks of artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and other creative types

v Always being there to provide a different perspective.

v Willingness to fight for what you believe in.

v Excellence in motivating others

Be surprised at this list of some well-known people with ADD or ADHD:

Walt Disney – founder of Disneyland

Michael Phelps – Olympic gold medalist

Michael Jordan – Basketball star

Richard Branson – Business mogul (starting his own space exploration company to owning his own island)

Albert Einstein - Theoretical Physicist

Ryan Gosling – actor

Justin Timberlake – Grammy winner singer

Jamie Oliver – star chef

Karina Smirnoff – Dancer with Dancing With the Stars

Will Smith – actor and singer

Jim Carrey – funny actor

Ty Pennington – expert carpenter from show Extreme Makeover

Terry Bradshaw – NFL quarterback

David Neeleman – founder of JetBlue Airlines

Paul Orfalea - Founder of Kinko's (copy chain)

To be a shining light by adding worth to others with disabilities, I dug deep into God’s word to highlight his emphatic instructions for us. God’s word teaches us to show Honor toward others. "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.” Honor one another above yourselves." Romans 12:10  It is worth stating that we are to Value Others above ourselves. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,” Philippians 2:3 Another bold directive from God is to show proper Respect to everyone. “Show proper respect to everyone.” 1 Peter 2:17a Since Jesus modeled kindness and forgiveness, we are admonished to Be kind and Forgiving to all people. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 Considering that Jesus was the epitome of sacrificial Love, it is logical that God would direct us to follow his example. “By this we know love that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 1 John 3:16-17”

If God has crowned me with his glory and honor, I want to treat others with disabilities so they will feel like they are being treated with glory and honor!

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. ...Psalm 8:4-8?

Be known as someone who Adds value to People! 

Faith Stimulus: The Best-Kept Secret that Transported

 the Pilgrims to Freedom

by Babs Kincaid

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36

Suppose you were told the only way out of your extremely adverse trial was to take an adventurous cruise to an unknown land. Would you hop on that daring ship? Suppose you were told that unlike other cruise ships there was no gourmet restaurant, no butler or concierge service, no free drinks, no élite lounges, no fitness classes, no movies, no Broadway shows and no goodie bags. Would you sign on the dotted line to set sail? Sign on the dotted line is exactly what the Pilgrims did. Reality has it that “one hundred and two Pilgrims crammed into a space about equal to that of a volleyball court. Compound that misery by the lack of light and fresh air (all hatches had to be battened down because of stormy weather). Add to it a diet of dried pork, dried peas, and dried fish, and the stench of an ever-fouler bilge, and multiply it all by sixty-six days at sea…” (From the Light and the Glory by Peter Marshall and David Manuel) It doesn’t sound like a luxury liner I would want to sign up for!

What would have motivated the Pilgrims to take on such a horrific challenge? I’m afraid the only way I would have gone would have been kicking and screaming! Jesus said it best to his disciples: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself and take up the cross and follow me.” Luke 9:23 Truly the Pilgrims were signing up to follow Christ to the ends of the earth despite the hardships and suffering that they would face.

The best-kept secret that propelled the Pilgrims to be risk takers was their love for God revealed by their relentless Prayer! Relentless and zealous Prayer was their secret weapon against evil and for living an abundant life! When their European departure date arrived their pastor John Robinson “declared a day of fasting and Prayer to prepare them spiritually for the arduous voyage to come. At the end of the day, they had a farewell dinner and sang their favorite psalms” (The Light and the Glory) The Pilgrims life was a reflection of Christ’s love: “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Romans 5:5 Did you catch that their time spent in Prayer was a whole day? Convicting, isn’t it? Isn’t that what Jesus did often?

“All great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage.” William Bradford

As the ship was leaving the shore, William Bradford who had been assigned to be acting pastor “may have had a pang of regret. But if he did, it was only temporary, for “they knew they were Pilgrims, …but lifted up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country and quieted their spirits.” (The Light and the Glory) No doubt this scripture gave the Pilgrims comfort: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 Here is the key to their remarkable walk in Christ “they continued to seek God together, Praying through despair and into peace and thanksgiving.” (The Light and the Glory) I have to ask myself “do I pray through despair and into peace and thanksgiving or stop short of it?”

What you didn’t learn in school about this courageous Pilgrim voyage was “the weary Pilgrims were forced to endure…harassment from the sailors… their self-appointed leader would gloat at their seasickness and delight in telling them he looked forward to …feeding them to the fish. But at the peak of his tormenting, …this same crewman took gravely ill of an unknown fever and died. Thereafter there was no more mocking from the crew.” (The Light and the Glory)  It is amazing in the great chess game of life, God protects his own. Check it out from God’s word: “Do not take revenge, my dear friends but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” Romans 12:19 So nothing like resident bullies to make a trip more memorable right? You know the Pilgrims were engaged in major Prayer over this abuse! Score 100 for God! Now, who is fish bait???

So when the weary Pilgrims finally landed on the shores of Cape Cod, what was their first activity? “They had begun their long journey by kneeling on the dock…to ask God’s blessing; they ended it on the sands of Cape Cod, kneeling to thank Him for that blessing….The Pilgrims never complained about their conditions and thanked God for the merest of blessings.” (The Light and the Glory) Remarkable how closely they followed God's word: "Do everything without grumbling or arguing." Philippians 2:14

The Pilgrims were not just hearers of God’s word, they were cheerful doers of it. Picture this verse: “Devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2 The Pilgrims lived their lives in communion with God. Prayer was not an activity for them, it was their lifeline to God! They stayed intimately connected to God by living this verse: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12 So I ask myself, am I devoted to Prayer, being watchful and thankful? Am I joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in Prayer? Wow, that is convicting! When I look at the freedom the Pilgrims achieved and their closeness with God, I am motivated to intimately pursue God more passionately in Prayer. The Pilgrims have left us quite a legacy of Prayer and faith in Christ! They had a vibrant relationship with God and it showed in their fearless lives!!!