The One Consistency of Life....CHANGE!

It has been said there is only one thing in this world that remains constant…and that is CHANGE!!!!

If that is true, then it behooves one of wisdom to prepare for the inevitable. We only have to read the daily headlines to see that our world is in a constant state of influx, financial disarray, rising unemployment, spiraling food and health costs…. All producing change... Change….CHANGE.

Now for most of us, change is something of a dirty word, or at least one that makes us very uncomfortable. We strive to live our lives in a calm and peaceful manner; free from the upheavals of change. Yet, try as we might, change happens! In fact, God’s word tells us that change is coming ….but praise be, it also tells us who is in charge of that change.

“I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends the good times and the bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things. Isaiah 45: 7 NLT

Our typical response to change is one of fear and trepidation. We all too often begin to look at our circumstances rather than our provision. Unfortunately, change seems to always bring fear before it births faith. Fear seems to focus on the worst rather than hold claim to the best.

When God chooses to interrupt the natural flow of our life with change or something that we have never encountered before….we choose panic over praise. James, the Lord’s brother, wrote in his letter, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds (change, my interpretation), for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4

Yes, when calamity or change occurs that is unsettling or disheartening, we can view the presence of the problem as the absence of God ….and our simplistic response is to try and run away from the mess we find ourselves in. Or… we can do the unexpected; we can praise Him from whom all blessings and problems flow!

We can take comfort in and find joy in the midst of any trial if we will but remember that God is on our side…and that He is in control. He is working all things out for our good… so that we may be perfect and complete in Him.

So….change is coming and you have two distinct choices….Prepare to Panic … or… Praise His Provision…for no matter the magnitude of the change that comes…our God is sufficient to meet and exceed ALL OUR NEEDS.

Standing firm….Praising His Provision,

WPQ

Living the Good Life

There’s a New Year coming and its literally just hours away. For many of us this seems to be good news….for we suppose in our minds that as awful as this year has been, SURELY next year will have to be better….however; as much as I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, this may not be true.

At the end of this year, many of you are suffering from lost jobs, lost incomes, lost clients, lost savings and investments and maybe even the loss of a loved one. But your ability to function and find joy in the New Year should not be determined by your circumstances….for God may be using your problems to prepare you for greater things to come … He may be testing your trust, faith and resilience in these difficult days…or He may be correcting, punishing and reshaping your behavior for sins or disobedience in the past….whatever the reason, the Christian walk is not without its problems and difficulties.

There are many well-intentioned orators and preachers of the highly acclaimed “success and prosperity” religion that is so popular with the masses these days; however, these men and women seem to have left out a number of biblical passages that deal with God using our problems to prepare us for greater service. One of my favorites is found in Hebrews that reads, “Let God train you, for he is doing what any loving father does for his children. Whoever heard of a son who was never corrected? Our earthly fathers trained us for a few brief years, doing the best for us that they knew how, but God’s correction is always right and for our best good, that we may share His holiness (my emphasis).  Being punished isn’t enjoyable while it is happening-it hurts! But afterwards we can see the results, a quiet growth in grace and character.” Hebrews 12:7, 10-11 (The Living Bible.)

As you look back on the pitfalls, problems and perplexities of this past year, don’t fall into that mindset that says you are doomed and nothing good can come out of the situation in which you now find yourself…rather understand that even our Savior lived in and through the midst of his problems. Even with all of the trials and tribulations of life that lead to his death on a cruel Roman cross, Christ was ultimately victorious in life. Neither the scorn nor prejudice of the Pharisees nor the grumblings of the religious leaders held Him back from seeking and doing the Father’s will. He had temptations, problems, desires, and yet, He was without sin because He knew that each moment spent in self-pity would take Him away from service to his Heavenly Father.

So, as this year comes to a close, why not take a moment to look back at last year’s failures, problems or difficulties and see what it might have been that God was trying to teach you. Was it TRUST….OBEDIENCE…FAITH….ACCEPTANCE; whatever it might have been…. know this; even though each problem or disaster might have been unpleasant, difficult or even gut wrenching, God was building in you character and grace that will be sufficient for all of life’s woes.

It is true for each of us that we may not understand God’s methods and we may be perplexed in our circumstances, but know this….GOD IS WORKING ALL THINGS OUT FOR OUR GOOD!!!! He will not let you fall any further than your knees as you come to Him in complete surrender and acknowledge Him as Lord in your life. Your problems may get worse….Christ’s did,  as He was led as a lamb to the slaughter; but, in His obedience, God was glorified and He was lifted up to draw all men unto himself.

Got problems? Then, rejoice that God is at work in your life….either He is punishing you and correcting your ways so that you might be of greater service or He is preparing you and equipping you with greater character for an ever-increasing role in His Kingdom….either way, GOD IS IN CONTROL AND NOTHING HAPPENS TO YOU BY CHANCE…so go on, let go and let God have His way….living the good life for God lies just ahead in the New Year.

Looking Forward to Perfection….Enduring the Pains,

WPQ

Come Home for Christmas

For many years, probably dating back to my late twenties, I have tried each year to write a Christmas poem that embraces the reason for the season. The poems have been short, long, epic, comical, serious, whimsical but most of all, celebratory in nature. After all, the Christmas season is about celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I have written about this holy season from almost every vantage point…from the donkey that Mary rode upon to the little angel in charge of the Heavenly Host, announcing to the shepherds the birth of Jesus….but this year, in light of all that is taking place in our country and around the world, my vantage point is a little different.

So many of our families have their loved ones spread across the globe, standing in harm’s way as they defend the sacred values and ideals that we as Americans hold so dear. It is to these brave, courageous men (and women) that I would like to dedicate the following poem …it is my prayer that God will watch over, protect and defend and under His great mercy, provide safe passage home to many of our military men and women this Christmas season. I ask that each of us do something measured and on purpose that will signify to our armed forces the value and dignity we bestow upon them….MAY THE GOD OF AMERICA PROTECT EACH OF YOU AND ANSWER THE PRAYER OF YOUR HEART ….TO BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS WITH THE ONES YOU LOVE,

Amen.

Come Home for Christmas

It seems like many years ago that you went away

I was just a tiny tot that loved to run and play

But, Mom says that it was only about a year ago

When you were called to go to war…my, but time is slow.

I can’t believe that its time for Christmas once again

And you’re not here to celebrate with our family and friends;

To lift me on your shoulders; to place the star upon the tree;

To bounce me up and down on a bronco-buckin’ knee.

Today, we climbed into the attic with all the spiders, bugs and such

And Mom said I was really brave for helping out so much.

We gathered all the boxes of lights and Christmas stuff …

And that floppy-eared old hound dog that you and I named, “Ruff.”

Grandpop carried down the tree in that dusty old trash bag

And Mom started cleaning with her trusty dusting rag…

But, I was very quiet as I fought back all my tears

‘Cause Mom said you’re not coming home for Christmas this year.

Now, I know that you told me that I must try hard to be brave

‘Cause there were other kids just like me you had to go and save;

You had to go and fight in a war where valiant men would die

You told me to be “a brave soldier” and do my best not to cry.

Daddy, I’ve been trying to do just as you ask;

So I could kneel at my bedside with one simple task.

To pray that Jesus would keep you out of harm’s way

So He could send you home to us before Christmas Day.

Yes, I made this promise that I’m trying to keep;

That’s to pray for you every night until I fall asleep.

So I’ll obey all the grownups and do just what they say,

If Jesus will bring you back to us before Christmas Day.

I promise that I will be brave and not cry at all

If God will help my daddy and his men to stand tall;

To fight for all our freedoms and our American way

And let Daddy come home and celebrate this Christmas day.

I won’t ask Santa for anything even though I’ve been great,

If you’ll bring Daddy home to us not one minute late…

And so, dear God, if it’s okay to make one more request of you

Could you let all the other daddies come home for Christmas, too?

W. Patrick Queen

 November 2009

Please feel free to share this with others you know….especially if they have a loved one in the military this Christmas season…May God Bless each of you as you reach out for Him….

           

WPQ

I WITNESS...

              

My back was tired and weary, my feet were aching too.

I couldn't take another step, yet, our journey wasn't through.

We'd been traveling all day long beneath the grueling sun

And with night fast approaching, day's work was almost done.

A roof; a stall; a bale of hay would make it all seem right,

But I couldn't help but notice the Miracle born that night.

For in that tiny village with all the world asleep;

While angels sang hosannas and shepherds their flocks did keep.

There in a barren stable with no one else around,

The Holy Son of God from heaven had come down.

No majestic cymbals played; no blast from trumpet horn

Was there to greet God's heavenly gift; that blessed Christ-child born.

No royal robe nor kingly cloth; no precious burlap sack;

But just the dirty blanket that I had worn upon by back.

A dusty, dirty blanket that was ragged, tattered, torn

Was all I had to give the Child on this first Christmas morn.

For in that lowly stable with no place to lay his head;

They took my feeding manger and made His princely bed.

So, they wrapped Him in swaddling blanket and I leaned closer that I might see

That precious Babe, the Son of God, smiling up at me.

Now gone was all my weariness, my troubles had vanished too;

And if you celebrate His birth, he'll do the same for you.

For He cares not if you're wealthy or have abundance as your lot;

He only cares that if you give, you give of what you've got.

W. Patrick Queen © 1997

....All the World Was Waiting....

All the world was waiting for the birth of the Promised One…

The Prophets of old long foretold that one day He would come.

Then an angel came to Mary and shared a miraculous story

Of the birth of a Son, God’s chosen one and the coming of His glory.

All the world was waiting in the darkness of that night

As angels sang, the bells they rang, flooded with brilliant lights.

For in that stable lowly, no place to lay His head,

They took a feeding manger to make his kingly bed…

While all the world was waiting.

All the world was waiting as shepherds hurried to the place

To gaze upon the Christ-Child...the Savior of the human race.

This tiny babe, the Son of God, now come to earth to dwell

God has come in human form…our Lord Emanuel.

He’d come to earth in a cattle stall birth, so hard to understand

How God’s great love, sent from above, is part of His wondrous plan.

So the question for you and I as we ask the reason why

The Son of God would come to earth just so He could die.

Yes, the reason is quite clear to see…

It’s because of His love for you and me.

So lay aside your questioning and stop your contemplating…

Accept His love this Christmas season,

While all the world is waiting.

W. Patrick Queen

December 2012

The Tradition Continues as we celebrate His birth....

The Perfect Tree

High upon a lonely hill, above the town below

Wintry winds begin to swirl...the snow began to blow.

Trudging in the wintry mix, each step measured as the other;

Walking with my Mom and Dad, my two sisters and my brother.

Off on our yearly conquest to find the perfect tree,

To decorate for Christmas...in one week, it would be

A time of great excitement, of laughter and jubilation;

A special time that fills each heart with joyous celebration.

'Twas there upon that precipice, there stood a tree so small

That everyone overlooked it because it was not tall.

Its branches looked like matchsticks; its tiny, barren limbs

Barely felt the winter's cold that encircled them.

Standing like a sentry, in silence, he would guard;

 There alone to keep his watch upon this vacant yard.

My family, they marched onward; but I...I stopped to see

This tiny wisp of God’s creation…...this sparse, unproven tree.

I pleaded with my Mom and Dad, '"Let's take this little tree!

I know it doesn't look like much, but imagine the possibilities..."

A row of lights, some shiny balls; the tinsel placed just right.

It would command attention on that very special night.

For I'm sure that the shepherds and even the Wise Men, too

Wondered about a tiny child and what he would someday do;

For He would set the people free and fill each with His grace...

Those who gazed on this infant babe had seen the Father's face.

So, in each Christmas season, remember that the perfect tree

Is the one that became the Cross of Christ….

The one He bore to Calvary.

For the real story of each Christmas Season

Has special meaning for you and me….

As we celebrate God‘s unspeakable gift and remember

The Perfect Tree!

W. Patrick Queen @  Christmas 2011

A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING…

This coming Sunday, December 20th, my wife and I will be celebrating the 24th birthday of our daughter, Alyson…and as her mother and I took a walk down memory lane, I was reminded of that age-old truth…A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING!

I remember that during those long months of expectancy, I took a simple note card and in my rudimentary calligraphy wrote the following and placed it in Alyson’s crib….

COMING SOON…..ALYSON TAYLOR QUEEN.

As a father, expecting his first (and in my case, only child), I was filled with fear, trepidation and anxious moments as I anticipated this new arrival….would I be a good father? Would I know what to do and how to protect this small child? Would I, could I and should I filled my every thought, for as I have mentioned before….A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING!

I’m sure that was true on that first Christmas night, two thousand plus years ago, as Mary and her betrothed husband unloaded the donkey and began to make a birthing bed for Mary. They probably waited in silence, huddled together to stave off  the cold night air as they awaited the miracle of birth. The cattle stirred and the bleating sound of the sheep interrupted their thoughts of what had happened in days past ….and look where they were now…for we all know….

A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING…..ESPECIALLY WHEN HE IS THE SON OF GOD!!!!

And now,  almost a week ( and 2,000 plus years later) the same is true….A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING….for that was God’s intent all along. Through His prophet Isaiah, God foretold, “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

God came to us in a form and in a way that we could understand….He came as a baby and through His birth, His life, His death and His glorious resurrection, HE HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING. No longer does the notion that God is mad at us hold water...that He is hell bent on our destruction because of our sin and disobedience….He has shown His great love for each of us because He sent His son…His only Son to take our place; to pay our debt; to forgive our sins; to cleanse us from all unrighteousness; to make us a new creation; to give us eternal life as a free gift from Him….and it all started with a baby.

It is my hope that you know the Christ-child of Christmas not only as the babe in the manger, but as the Christ on the cross. I pray that the babe of Bethlehem lives in your heart and is the Lord and Savior of your life. I trust that for you this baby, God’s son, is the BABY THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING FOR YOU.

If not, why not?

Don’t let another day go by without the acknowledgement that you need a savior. Accept today that the baby born to Mary and Joseph so very long ago is the baby that changes everything …and if you are willing to confess that He is Lord and that His death on the cross paid your sin debt, you will have eternal life… and your forever life, in the presence of the Heavenly Father, starts the moment you invite this baby into your heart.

Trust your heart to the babe, God’s Son, EMMANUEL….GOD IS WITH US!

Be Blessed and Know that He is God,

WPQ

Poem for the Day:

Born that night in a cattle stall,

This one babe to die for all...

God's most precious gift was born

In a manger laid on Christmas morn.

Shepherds and Angels announced His birth

Glory to God...Peace on the Earth.

And with the Wisemen let us bring

Our precious gifts to Christ the King.

In each heart may the Savior reign

Fill the skies and the lowest plains

With our praise and everlasting joy

Because of Mary's baby boy.

W. Patrick Queen @ December 2015

The Tradition Continues...MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

IT'S THE THOUGHT

When I was just a little lad I would travel to the mall;

I'd take along my piggy bank to buy gifts for one and all.

I'd look and search for the perfect gifts to give to Mom and Dad

To let them know what they mean to me; I'd spend every cent I had.

~

But then one day a problem arose...the gifts had too great a cost!

I feared the worst; tears filled my eyes...my Christmas would be lost.

My Mother took me by the hand; "Now, Son, you mustn't cry,

For it's not the present that you give, but it's the reason why."

~

The reason why; what could she mean? My problem was paramount!

"It's not the gift you give my son; it's the thought that really counts."

"The thought that really counts" can't be place beneath the tree.

Did my Mom not understand what Christmas meant to me?

~

A quiet pause; a smile, a squeeze as she began to explain this thought...

It's not the tinsel nor wrappings nor the worth of what's been bought.

For we're to give at Christmas as the Father gives to us

Out of love and selfless living without the fuming and the fuss.

~

For God so loved us all that He sent His Son to earth;

Born in a lowly stable bare of a maiden's virgin birth...

A gift so rare and so wondrous to all who receive His Love

We're promised a life abundant and eternity above.

~

So be not worried nor have regrets of the gifts beneath your tree,

For God's greatest gift was given on a hill called Calvary.

Just thank the Father every day with a life that's pure and true

And the Spirit of each Christmas will live inside of you...

So as you make your shopping list and you're settling on each amount

Just give as God has given you, and remember...

"It's the thought that really counts!"

W. Patrick Queen

Christmas 1995

The Tradition Continues....

In a blog posted just a day or two before this one, I mentioned that for almost the last twenty years, I have tried to write a Christmas poem each year to share with family and friends. Sometimes, the message is short, simple and sweet...just a quick reminder of what our Heavenly Father did for us on that first Christmas over 2000 years ago. Others have been more reaching and a greater challenge as I tried to tell a story or convey a more profound and hidden meaning that is wrapped up in the Reason for this Season.

In every attempt, both large and small, God has always blessed my heart and I hope in more times than I will ever know, His still, small voice has whispered a word of hope and encouragement to a tender soul, lost in the quagmire of all the trappings of this holiday...after all, it is really a simple holiday set aside to remember the greatest gift ever given to mankind....EMMANUEL, God with us!

So in that same vein, I once again seek to share this year's poem and over the next few days, some of those poems of year's past. My prayer is simple...MAY GOD RICHLY BLESS YOU AND ALL THOSE YOU LOVE THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON.

MAY YOU FIND EVERLASTING LOVE IN THE GIFT OF GOD'S SON, JESUS CHRIST, BORN OF THE VIRGIN AND SACRIFICED ON THE CROSS OF CALVARY... GOD'S SON BORN TO DIE SO THAT ALL WHO CONFESS HIM AS LORD AND SAVIOR MAY LIVE FOREVER WITH THE FATHER AND HIS HEAVENLY HOST.

He came for you...the gift is free... you need only....

DECLARE THE BABE A KING

Long ago, one cold winter's night, in a small Judean town;

A Heavenly Host would gather; to Earth they would come down.

To make known to the shepherds; in one voice to sing.

"Glory to God in the Highest...Declare the Babe a King!"

A tiny babe, wrapped in dirty rags, who left His throne above

And came to earth in a lowly birth to show the Father's love.

The shepherds came from their flocks nearby, no gift did they bring;

Just their glorious "Hallelujahs" to declare the babe a King.

And on that night in a manger laid; the Gift of Heaven sent

To call a lost and dying world to atone and to repent.

So the lowest and the meekest joined the angels to sing

In praise and adoration and to declare this babe a King.

 Though the sky was dark and black, one bright star filled up the night;

Leading the three Wisemen by its ever guiding light;

And entering the stable bare, each with a gift to bring

To lay before the Christ-child and declare the babe the King.

And mother Mary holding tight to Heaven's greatest pleasure

Held in her heart each coo and cry, forevermore she'd treasure;

For she would raise Heaven's child, though heartbreak it would bring;

And in each moment shared with Him, declare this babe the King.

And so it comes to me and you upon each Christmas season

Do we really celebrate the true and holy reason?

Do we come with adoring hearts, our lives the gift we bring

That tells all the world we know and

DECLARES THIS BABE.... OUR KING!

W. Patrick Queen

Copyright December 2015 

A Time to Shine

I grew up in Charlotte, near a small mill town lovingly known as Christmas Town, USA. It gained its name due to its Christmas tradition of lighting each home and the entire mill village in thousands and tens of thousands of Christmas lights.

Each Christmas season, over a million viewers would climb in their cars, vans, SUVs’ and church buses and make the drive south on I85 to the McAdenville Exit to make the 2 mile trek though this quite hamlet. In fact, I have seen times when the cars were backed up in the exit and emergency lanes, bumper to bumper, for over three miles down the interstate…why all this commotion year after year to make a trip to this small town at Christmas?

Everyone was drawn to the LIGHTS….to the sheer magnitude of the beauty of millions of brightly shining lights, adorning each home; the tiny mill and the trees around the small pond and all the other buildings of this small, quaint mill town.

But why did the people of McAdenville go to such trouble each and every Christmas season to do the work, spend the money on decorations and electricity and have the town invaded by millions of outsiders?

I believe they understood the scripture in Matthew 5: 14-16 that reads, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a candle and put it under a basket, but on a stand and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

This is the season for us to shine …to give light and warmth, love and encouragement to all those we encounter …to tell others that the light of the world has come …the Babe of Bethlehem….Jesus.

It is in this season, above all others, that our hearts should be filled with charity for those less fortunate than us. Our pocketbooks and our wallets should naturally fall open as we look for ways to bring “light” to those who are in the midst of “darkness”…the loss of a job; mourning for a dear loved one who has passed away; the onset of unforeseen misfortune or mounting bills; empty tables and empty cupboards…and the list goes on.

You can be that “light” today if you will only open your eyes and then, open your heart and your hand to those who need help. There are many that are hurting in our communities, churches and company cultures that will never say a word or let anyone know the circumstances in which they find themselves…but God knows and He is just waiting for a willing heart and an open hand to meet their needs. Ask God to help you find someone who needs your help and then get ready for action. He will provide …both the need and the means to meet that need.

Today, let your light shine so that He will receive the glory….you can and must be the light of the Savior in the world today…He has no one but you….will you let Him be glorified in you….it’s time to shine for Jesus!

Glorifying the Father ….Shining brightly to light my world,

WPQ

Poem for the Day:

Lord, make my life a guiding light

So that my neighbors might see.

May they be lead to seek your face

Because of what they’ve seen in me.

WPQ     Jan 2003

The Man and the Birds...A Christmas Story

Each year at Christmas, I eagerly search across my radio dial trying to find the story of the Man and the Birds, as told my Paul Harvey. I find that in listening to that story, I am so wonderfully reminded of the love of God for each of us. On many occasions, I have been forced to pull off on the side of the road to listen to the conclusion of the story…it’s so hard to drive when your eyes are water-logged and leaking.

I hope and pray that during this Christmas season, you will have the wonderful opportunity to hear Mr. Harvey’s captivating telling of this timeless story…of Emmanuel, God with us. If not, then please read on and be forever blessed to know that the love of God was expressed…in human form…in a manager in Bethlehem…in a baby named JESUS.

The Man and the Birds by Paul Harvey:

The man to whom I'm going to introduce you was not a scrooge; he was a kind decent, mostly good man. He was generous to his family and always upright in his dealings with other men. But he just didn't believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas Time. It just didn't make sense and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn't swallow the Jesus Story, about God coming to Earth as a man.
"I'm truly sorry to distress you," he told his wife, "but I'm not going with you to church this Christmas Eve." He said he'd feel like a hypocrite. That he'd much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. And so he stayed and they went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound...Then another, and then another. Sort of a thump or a thud...At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They'd been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn't let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter, if he could direct the birds to it. Quickly he put on a coat, galoshes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted wide open doorway of the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them...He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms...Instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted barn.

And then, he realized that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me...That I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them… But how?....since any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him.

"If only I could be a bird," he thought to himself, "and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to the safe, warm barn. But I would have to be one of them so they could see and hear and understand." At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. As he stood there listening to the bells ….listening to the bells pealing forth the glad tidings of Christmas, he understood …. And he sank to his knees in the snow.

I trust that this Christmas, when you hear those church bells ring or the sounds of carolers lifting their voices in praise to the newborn babe, you too, will understand the message of Christmas….Jesus Christ is born and God is forever with us!

Merry Christmas….Happy Birthday, Jesus!

WPQ

 

Traditions…Our Treasures Shared

It is at this special season that many of us bring out some of our greatest treasures, as well as some of our most treasured traditions…..special ornaments that have been passed down through the family for generations; special holiday cookie or cake recipes that are loaded with all things fattening and lots of love; a time-honored gathering on Christmas morning to read the Christmas story before turning our attention to the mounds of presents under the tree.

Whatever your traditions …whatever your treasures…..they are always amplified in their meaning and symbolisms when they are shared with those you love most….so in the mindset of sharing one of my traditions, I give you a poem written for Christmas in 2011.

For approximately the last 20 years, I have been writing a Christmas poem to share with my family and close friends….some years the message came quickly and with great ease; other years provided a true test of imagination and arduous effort, but nevertheless, God always provided me with a new thought of the Christmas celebration.

The following is my poem for the 2011 Christmas season….As I share this tradition with each of you, I pray that God will richly bless you and your family as we celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas,

WPQ

The Heartbeat of Heaven

The hallowed halls of Heaven were quiet on that night

When the multitude of angels took off in heavenly flight;

Bound for earthly realms and there in one voice to sing

Their praises to the Christ-child….Heaven’s newborn King.

There was no celebration on that night so long ago

When the heartbeat of Heaven gave up His throne to go;

To save a lost and hopeless world; they hardly noticed then

That God had sent His only Son as ransom for our sin.

The cherubs were not gleeful; they each choked back their tears

For the heartbeat of Heaven would now be gone for years.

For as He took the form of man, the Creator, His Son he gave;

This tiny child from Heaven now sent for all to save.

To live a life of obedience; to answer the Father’s call….

Born that night in Bethlehem in a lowly cattle’s stall.

No trumpet sounds or blaring horns were there to greet His birth

As the heartbeat of Heaven came silently to earth.

For in that manger lay Heaven’s righteous, Holy One

Born to a virgin meek and mild ….God’s gift of His only Son;

A precious gift so freely given….sent from Heaven above;

A gift of God’s great mercy and His never-ending love.

So in this Christmas season, let us each rejoice and sing

Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ, our King;

For the heartbeat of Heaven gave up His royal throne….

He gave his life as a sacrifice so we would never walk alone.

Walking with Jesus today…tomorrow…and forever!!!!!

W. Patrick Queen

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December 2011