C C C Christmas 2009 hristmas 2009 hristmas 2009 hristmas 2009. . . . Christ has come and that’s why there’s rhyme and rea son to our lives. And notice, there’s rhyme and reason to this letter, which is organized as an acrostic! (Stu didn’t notice that fact since the letters going down the page are so far apart from each o ther, so I thought I’d be ttergive everyone a heads up!) What would it be like if all this world had just come into being by one big cosmic accident and that the reason we had to live was to “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die?” I’m so thankful that Christ h as come so that we might live, and live abundantly. I’m sure you all are busy doing your last minute Christmas shopping, buying tokens to show the people in yourlives that you love t hem. We’re doing t he same, except that we’re shopping in the bright hot dry sunshine while many of you are all bundled up for your outings. Just like us, though, you’re experiencing the Christmas rush, h eavy traffic, lots of people, and lots o f things on the store shelves to tempt you. Check out how similar our s hopping experience is to yours in this video of Christmas shopping in downtown Jos. http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=1292154110&k=Z4L5X2SZT5TAY1FITC242USURSCGX22&oid=1270841488615 H H H Heaven on Earth. eaven on Earth. eaven on Earth. eaven on Earth. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Sometimes I feel like the job is too big, don’t you? I mean, there’s just too much suffering, too much poverty, too many people without Christ. But that’s what our job is, is n’t it – to be instruments in God’s hands a s He does His w ill here on earth. So Stu, Paul, and I are here in Nigeria b eing instruments on this side of the world, while you are in a different spot expanding the Kingdom too. Sometimes I think I’m here at Hillcrest School as a brain surgeon, tweaking the thinkin g of missionary kids as well as the thinking of some very influential and high-placed Nigerian kids. Please pray al ong with us as we seek t o be more effective instruments in this work. Who knows how our efforts will be multiplied? R Righteous Living. ighteous Living. ighteous Living. ighteous Living. As Christians w e are called to righteous living. Imagine my surprise when recently my immediate response to a student’s question was to answer in a way that I w ould save face. Yes, my i mmediate response was that I LIED! And the immediate response within me was to be horrified, mortified, and very sad with myself. But as I considered the i ncident and prayed about it I realized several things: 1) the Holy Spirit is still witnessing within me, and so yes, there is a God and I’m not just delusional; 2) while we are called to righteous liv ing yet God foreknew I would respond to my student t hat day in my “save face” mode, and so this was no surprise to Him… indeed, when I received Christ as my Savior as a little girl, He knew tha t I would fall on this day, and He had forgiven my sins, past, present, and future, and the sin of this day had been nailed to the cross when He was crucified; and 3) the fact of my fall had me renew my resolve to stop trying to “save face” but instead let my mask drop. Irritations. rritations. rritations. rritations. Do you have irrit ations in your life? We do! And I don’t know if thinking about the oyster making an irritation into a beau tiful pearl helps me that much in a disagreeable moment… Here’s a little list of some of ourgrains of sand… Stu & Ruth Christmas of 2009 Carlson Chronicles Christmas traffic downtown Jos Cripples at MoM Orphanage. Create heaven on earth.
