The True Christmas Story...

Far be it from me to be a Bible expert- however...I saw things last week.

Some I did recall from the gospel, some not so much.

"This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about:

His Mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph 

But before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace,he had in mind to divorce her quietly....

But he didn't. He trusted God and kept his girl. 

Mary was obviously thrilled.

Bad news was waiting for them. As you can see this very angry innkeeper 

was just waiting to drop the bad news- "NO ROOMS!"

 But, don't worry, there was still good news to be had....there always is with God.

"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, 

praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest, 

and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests. 

The Angel said to them,

Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; 

He is Christ The Lord."   

"For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Joseph never took his eyes of his boy. How could he? 

His very eyes beheld God Himself.

Then the royals showed up.

They brought "MUUURRRRR and Julian Gold."

As cows, hyped up on sugar cookies and hot chocolate, looked on...

One of them was devastated that her "tiara" kept falling off. 

I didn't have the heart to tell her she was wearing cattle horns.

This was when I began seeing things. Things in the Christmas Story I was not familiar with. 

Things that Matthew, Mark, Luke or John never bothered to mention.

The angel that pretended she was having a baby just like Mary.

Mary stripped off her "hat and dress" so she could go blow out candles on the altar.

and by ON the altar, I mean, ON.

Sheep went rogue and cows in tiny, shiny gold shoes kidnapped The Baby.

"because Baby Jesus needed to go for a walk."

(apparently Baby Jesus also needed to sit on the altar. 

note blown out candle, thank you Mary.)

The Innkeeper- left the Inn multiple times to discuss lunch with mommy 

Only to return with a "doo-rag" made from his belt.

My favorite was... 

One of the kings that left the gift exchange in order to go preach a mini sermon 

or cure the lame or make the blind see. 

I am still not quite sure. I just know he was suddenly transformed into a hybrid of Benny Hinn and the drum major for Baylor. (Baylor joke credit to Amy) 

So, to recap......

there were happy kids....They all wanted a piece of Him.

Cows, kings, angels, sheep and shepherds alike. 

all wanting to be near the baby or worshipping at the altar. 

and this is all that matters, right? 

God, Thank You for the true story of Christmas.

In His Dust,

DCC

Let Us Adore Him...

O Come All Ye Faithful.

It's my favorite Christmas Carol....I keep it on repeat in many different versions- 
it runs the gambit from James Taylor to Bing Crosby to George Strait.

This year I have been thinking about "where and how" am I to "Adore and behold Him."

Having never seen His "hometown" of heaven - we don't realize distance God Himself came to be right here. 
He went a distance we can not possibly fathom.
Even better, God doesn't call us to go remotely near the same distance or even understand it....He just calls us to know that.... 
He.
Came.
Here.

He came here for the faith-full and faith-less, just the same.

I continue to hear myself and others singing these words, like we really mean it...
It sounds like we are begging to adore Him.
However, I am not coming with a choir of angels, (that I am able to  hear.)
I am not coming with all the citizens of Heaven above, (that I am able see.)

So, it seems to me, the best way we can "get to Bethlehem" is simple.... Love God and Love others better.

In this way.....we can truly Behold and Adore Him

“Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can 

and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” ~Luke 2:15

God, Thank You for being Present among our every moment....We adore You.

In His Dust,

DCC

Clay Pot Nativity....

 I was accosted by a Nativity Pot Gang. 

As you can imagine, I was grateful we weren't in a dark alley.
After containing my fear....I took a closer look

And away in those mangers I found...
Joseph to be rather perplexed...(Obviously with good reason.)

His wife appeared to be Phyllis Diller....

and was about to be attacked by a steaming hot glue gun...

The prep work to honor a Baby King looked dangerous. 

Mary had a successful run with Latisse...
(unfortunately, she accidentally shaved her head.)
 

However shortly thereafter, she bought herself a red curly wig and gave birth to twins...
 

What I learned was that while some people make a life-sized Gingerbread house,

 Others put their heart and soul into clay pot nativity scenes.

Shepherds patiently hold dirty little hands....
while burning their fingers, in order to tell the story of Jesus' Birth. 

After it is all done...
As we watch Baby Jesus....He sits in wide-eyed wonder watching us....

"For to 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, in all shapes and sizes- we celebrate YOU and Your Coming Here.

In His Dust,

DCC

Butter Potties...

"God, You are our Father.

    We’re the clay and You’re our potter:

    All of us are what You made us." ~Isaiah 64:8  

So Thanksgiving was fantastic....

Mom made created table Martha Stewart herself would have been proud of.

The food was scrumptious, I believe I could even hear Momo herself clapping!

(Happy 90th Bday to Momo by the way) 

The table was complete with a perfectly lovely butter shaped turkey...

 Sometimes, we think that our molding and shaping of things is much better than what The Creator had in mind....and the next thing you know...

when no one is looking....you have a better idea...

A better idea---a new shape for the butter.

 And sometimes, that shape is a potty....or two potties for that matter. 

(Complete with flushing handles, because....duh.)

Make no mistake that, I was thoroughly impressed and amused.

Then upon a little introspection, I began to wonder

where I am trying to "over-carve" or "fix" something God Himself is working on.

  

God, Thank you for your patience with us when try and "help" You. 

In His Dust,
DCC

Cats,Chaos and Colossians...

What. Is. Happening.

At first, I thought Weezie had drugged me at Sunday Night Dinner....

Then I was sure of it when I saw 

Olivia Pope and Pres. Fitz had taken the stage. 

Followed by the traditional Thanksgiving shout out to Hsiu Yu.

Needless to say, I felt 100 years old as I wracked my brain to figure out what spiritual lesson would afford me the opportunity to write about Milli Vanilli's Lip Syncing Cat on the blog.

 It was then this gorgeous face showed up, to calm things right on down. 

My eyes were saved as well as my mind, from possible permanent damage.

It was as if the chaos stopped for a moment.

The season that is approaching us....
faster than some would like, 
not soon enough for others...
has an element of man-made chaos in it. 
(It's as if we are the ones bringing a fake horse and a lip syncing cat)

Although, the element that God Himself brings to this time of year is, Peace, Hope, and Joy. 
(With a side of strong, warm familiarity in the midst of it.)

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, 

since as members of one body you were called to peace. 

And be thankful." -Colossians 3:15

God, Thank You for coming in to our man-made chaos. We are beyond thankful.

In His Dust,
DCC

Watching....

So we headed to dinner on Saturday night with Big Mike D and gang...

After dinner, as we walked in the parking lot, some grubby little fingers tapped me and asked me this....

BMD: "Can I tell you something?" 

DCC: "Of course."

BMD: "I bet when you die and Jesus is tryin' to figure out if He'll let you in.....
           I think He's gonna say yes. Come on in." 

(Wanting to bust in to a theological explanation...I refrained and went with....)

Me:"Thank you Mikey. I appreciate your confidence. I think you are too. 
        As a matter of fact- I know you are." 

BMD: "I've been watching you and I saw you walk over to that sick boy and pat him. 
          And I saw your face when you looked at him. 
          It's like...you're nice to people you don't have to be nice to."

DCC: "That's a load off my mind Mike." 

(my mind raced to what else he had been watching and seeing. Ayyyy Chihuahua!)

I was reminded in such a sweet way- by such a sweet little buddy of mine- that our actions are screaming above our words. 

He didn't hear what I said to the "sick boy" he saw how I treated him.

Obviously, I quickly realized I had just gone to Alamo Cafe with Robert Deniro....

Had he been counting the buttery tortillas I had just inhaled? 
Maybe not...but he was sure silently watching the way I treated people....
and not just the good moments.

He is watching you too. 

Might not be Mikey....but someone is....

someone short...and impressionable.

Which begs the question.....who are WE watching? 

"Keep your eyes on Jesus, 

who both began and finished this race we're in." ~Hebrews 12:2

Because who WE watch and mimic...is exactly who THEY are really watching...and chances are....mimicking as well.

God, Thank You for the reminder and encouragement you give us all in unexpected ways.

His Dust,

DCC

WWII Museum....

Mom and I went to the WWII museum a few weeks ago....

and I am still reeling from it.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I have a deep affection for our military-

and a very deep soft spot for WWII.

We meet them- we thanked them- 

we cried with them- we laughed with them- 

we mourned our own loss and the loss of those around us.

Upon thanking them- we heard over and over again- 

"I am no hero. I was just doing my job....don't forget those that didn't come home..."

My head and heart were about to burst at every turn.

the pictures....the sounds...the proof of the pain and sacrifice.

And then the creme de la creme....

A true Hero, a man that actually drove a Higgins boat, (as in D-Day.)

We waited, with baited breath, for his first hand memories of those days.

He slowly began speaking,

"Are you familiar with the history of the bikini?"

Ummmm, no. No we are not.

Well, have no fear, our hero came through for us again.....

not just with information, he had a book of pictures.

Then we drowned our sorrows in beignets....

because....duh.

There is no question they were our greatest generation.

When given the opportunity to brag on their service....they humbly pass it on to others who sacrificed it all...and in some cases, even use the opportunity to discuss fashion.

They make me happy.

They make me proud.

They made us free. 

"There is not greater way to love than to give your life for your friends." ~John 15:13

I have no question they are resting, laughing dancing and 

possibly even talking about bikinis with God Himself.

God, Please give them peace, give those they left behind courage....
Thank You especially for my Granddaddy Con Mims, Jr. who gave it all.

In His Dust,
DCC

Perfect Protection...

"But You, God, shield me on all sides; 

You ground my feet, You lift my head high."

-Psalm 3:3

The word "shield" actually means much more than just a shield....

It was more like...

Completely covered and surrounded...Soft enough on the inside and tough enough on the outside. David was confident in God's Protection. This included his past, present and future. 

I went to a baseball game yesterday afternoon....I paid close attention to the catcher and all of the gear he wore.

He was protected on all sides....top to bottom...behind the ball and ahead of it.

"As for God, His Way is perfect; He is a shield to all who trust in Him." ~Psalm 18:30 

This is how He sends us out...

And we act like he sends us out in this...

barely covered at all...with a cheaply made cardboard covering.

God, Thank You for your protection on all sides. May we find what David found.

In His Dust,

DCC