A Reason To Celebrate....

We have so many reasons to celebrate this year...our family being together, health, great jobs, and the list goes on and on, but what we love about Christmas is that it is a holiday set aside to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus long ago and to celebrate the peace that we have in Him.

I posted before that I was asked to share testimony at our church women's group's last 4 breakfasts and one of the times, I shared about how I love to read the story behind the hymns and I shared the story behind, "What a Friend We Have In Jesus". If you have never read how they were written, I encourage you to google it. These writers have been through so much in their life and yet they write about the faithfulness of God. Well, today at church they shared the story behind the song, "I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day" and thought I would share a little bit...

The words to “I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day” were written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on Christmas Day 1864 in the midst of the American Civil War and the news of his son had suffered wounds as a soldier in battle. The poet had suffered the great loss of his wife two years earlier in a fire. But in the midst of it all, he wrote the poem “Christmas Bells” that became this carol. He finished with this last stanza...

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, goodwill to men."


Our adoption agency sent out Christmas letters this year and at the top was this Awesome heading:
The treasure of Christmas is HOPE,
The hope of Christmas is PEACE,
The peace of Christmas is Jesus!

At Christmas time, we are celebrating the peace of having a relationship with Jesus and our hope is that each of you will experience the peace and joy that only He can give this Christmas!

Below is the Casting Crown's version of I heard the Bells: (May have to turn off other music at the bottom)


ISAIAH 9:6
For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called WONDERFUL, COUNCELOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

More family updates next post :)