Christmas with Jesus

By Brenda J Wood

Spend your Christmas holidays with this witty, provocative devotional that also tackles the struggle to pull everything together for the big day. Christmas with Jesus, aptly subtitled ‘Help for the Holidays’ does just that.
Get the house clean for the in-law visit. Use the tried-and-true recipes to impress the neighbours.
Decorate the tree, calm your frazzled heart, Plan ahead, laugh at yourself, fill those stockings with care of your charge card. When nothing is left but the turkey wishbone, turn to the recipes that reorganize that December five.
As the author says... I am a writer and food eater. I regularly use these devotionals and recipes with great personal success. Your tastes may differ. Eat at your own risk! I am not liable for errors, omissions or even bad cooking. It’s the same as writing really. You take your chances.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brenda J Wood
• Release date: Aug 23, 2021

Brenda J Wood

I call myself the ABC girl’ because I’ve survived the alphabet biggies of abuse, bulimia, and cancer.Right now I am working my way through the D’s that is recovering from the loss of my husband a few months ago.I expect to conquer the entire alphabet in my life time with the help of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.I am a somewhat average gal, not too tall, not too round, not too old or too young. I am not too outgoing, yet I am definitely not an introvert.I started to write seriously when I learned that journaling could help a person overcome sexual abuse. I thought that is for me! Eventually I started publishing the devotions that fill my journals.Some of those devotionals became the book, Heartfelt Devotionals-366 devotions for common sense living.My devotionals appear regularly at http://everydaychristian.com / and http://daily.presbycan.ca /I tend to write about what is happening in my life. Constant dieting produced the Bible Study, God, Gluttony & You, as well as several health related cookbooks.When Ron passed, I wrote a picture/story book for grieving children, called The Big Red Chair (2011).Meeting Myself-Snippets from a Binging and Bulging Mind (Word Alive Press) is the newest release. As you might expect from the title, it’s the painful, though often funny story of my recovery from abuse and bulimia. I’m honoured that both Michael Bull Roberts and Nikki Rosen read and endorsed it.You might have guessed by now that my next book will be about losing my Honey. I guess you could say that writing saved my life. Oh, I know that without Jesus and my husband Ron, (who was my ‘Jesus with skin’) I’d have sunk. But writing gives me a place to look at my life and recognize how far I’ve come.

Book preview

In Charge of Christmas

If only we were in charge of Christmas, everyone would enjoy outrageously wonderful roast something dinners. Every child would open at least three special gifts. The adults would get money to pay their taxes and buy enough groceries for a whole month.

We would lavish them with paid receipts from their debt pile. Give them that one gift that fulfills the desires of their heart. Invite them to our house; be their friend; their listening ear.

Christmas is weeks away, but people are still hungry. Pantries still run short of food. Children need clothing; hearts are lonely.

We dream of a perfect Christmas, yet all the while people live on the streets, suffer, cry and starve alone.

Because you know, Christmas is coming.

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40, KJV)

My Response-

Something I Can Use

When you prepare your Christmas list (with my name on it!), I want to tell you what I do not want and what I do need.

I do not need more gadgets, bowls, vases or other assorted kitchen wear. I do not need jewellery. I have only one set of ears. I have many necklaces, but only one neck.

I do not need more clothes. Half the ones in my closet are too big and the other half are too small, so let us leave well enough alone!

Instead of stuff, I want experiences. I want something I can use, but that I do not have to dust. Give me a theatre ticket; or two, so I can take a friend! Give me coupons for dinner out and a vacation in Hawaii. You get the idea.

Still, however hard you look to get me the perfect something... none will top the gift a friend gave me on July 9th, 1978. That’s the day I found out about Jesus and asked him to be my personal Lord and Saviour.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, NIV)

My Response-

Month of Trees

December is the month of trees. Well, it used to be! Christmas tree putter-uppers used to wait till December I to place bedecked trees in every retail establishment in North America.

Little by little the date changed to right after Thanksgiving, and then it was Halloween. This year I saw my first tree about the end of August. Rushing the season, aren’t we?

Retailers want our Christmas money; first come, first served is their motto. Yet, some employers instruct their staff not to say Merry Christmas lest they offend somebody.

The tree always offends because it is a symbol of another tree. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. (Acts 5:30, KJV)

You killed Jesus by nailing him to a cross. But the God our ancestors worshiped raised him to life and made him our Leader and Savior. Then God gave him a place at his right side, so that the people of Israel would turn back to him and be forgiven. (Acts 5:30-31, CEV)

This year, let’s ‘Merry Christmas’ one and all and remind folks why we ‘tree!’

My Response-

The Shoulds

It’s almost Christmas and we aren’t ready. Both turkey and presents should be in our house. Forget thawing and wrapping! The scent of freshly baked gingerbread should waft through the air; the house be spotless.

The cards that came in our mail box speak peace and we don’t have any. We are S-O-O-O far behind... What to do? What to do? We can only do as much as we can every day, one thing at a time. More is not possibly possible!

What is not done is not done. Let’s start where we are and go forward. Get a fresh turkey or even serve ham. Shorten the gift list. Use bags instead of wrapping paper. Fill the house with the fragrance of cinnamon in a simmering pot of water. Buy the cookies; vacuum after the party.

The shepherds were busy, but they took time to find Jesus.

After the angels had left, the shepherds said Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about. They hurried off and they saw the baby lying on a bed of hay. (From Luke 2:15-16, CEV)

My Response-

Stressed

Don’t you love that Christmas gives us at least a month of stress-free eating and spending? Of course, that is usually followed by three months of stress as we try to lose pounds and pay bills!

Stress is caused by our reaction to a thing, rather than the thing itself. Christmas is a good stress, but if we handle it badly, we experience the bad after effects.

We have an opportunity to ‘good stress’ our December. Let’s not overindulge in anything but Jesus. Then we won’t have to endure weeks of stewing over past failures.

The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news, but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it. (Mark 4:18-19, MSG)

My Response-

Holiday Fever

The world calls us to scurry through December. We claw out precious time to buy the perfect gifts for difficult people. Wrap presents with designer flare. We choose new colour themes for the ‘holiday tree’ and bake heart-dangerous treats.

This year, one card stopped me in my tracks. My mentallychallenged friend usually writes notes that are scrambled and disjointed. This year, her Christmas card stopped me in my tracks.

Dear Brenda;

God thinks you will understand what he truly gave you. He wants fellowship with you, not words and rituals.

In the midst of frantic, his still, small voice calls us to what matters. Certainly, we celebrate and rejoice in the joy of Christmas. Jesus loved a good party, but he also knew how to make time for what really counted; time with the Father.

While it was still night, way before dawn, he got up and went out to a secluded spot and prayed. (Mark 1:35, MSG)

My Response-

God with Us

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no