Stories from the Heart

My Favorite Time of Year 

 By the time this article comes out, Thanksgiving will have passed and most everyone will be preparing for Christmas! Once we get through October, the Holidays officially begin, and I love all of it. During Thanksgiving, I look forward to eating a whole pumpkin pie by myself throughout the long day. Second, third, and fourth helpings of turkey and mashed potatoes spread throughout the day, followed, of course, by another slice of pumpkin pie - well, you can see how eating a whole one would be an easy task. It's like on that one day God steps back and says, “Gluttony is off the list, enjoy yourself!” Okay, maybe God doesn’t exactly greenlight my binge eating, but it makes me feel good thinking that! Following Thanksgiving is the world's craziest day, Black Friday. 

I love Black Friday not just for the deals, but watching people lose their minds for a $10 toaster! Before moving to the beautiful Ten Thousand Islands to pastor Chokoloskee Family Church, we used to go to Walmart on Black Friday just to watch the festivities. You know, the moment the Walmart employee would squeeze through a throng of people crowded around a pallet of shrink-wrapped microwaves. Time would stand still as the employee would slowly cut the plastic. People were growing restless as the glorious contents behind the shrink wrap came into view. Then that super short pause as the plastic fell to the floor, the employee trying to get out of the way as a roar filled the atmosphere, and the people attacked the microwaves like a crazed group of hungry hyenas that just took down a water buffalo!  

But then we move into December and to my favorite holiday, Christmas! For us, our Christmas tree goes up right after Thanksgiving and out comes the Christmas music. From the Christmas movies to the decorations on the homes and in the yards and the music filling the stores, playing on all the music stations, the only thing we lack is some snow! Our daughter got an extra early jump on Christmas this year; she put her tree up in October. Yes, Christmas is my favorite time of the year. Like the song goes, “It's the most wonderful time of the year, with the kids jingle belling, Andeveryone telling you be of good cheer, 
It's the most wonderful time of the year.”  

It’s during this time of sharing, caring and dropping some dollars or coins in the bell ringer's cans, of memories of childhood fun and presents given and received, that we pause for a moment and remember that we truly are blessed. Christmas should help us forget the stress of life and think back to two thousand years ago on a chilly winter's night, a young girl with not much money gave birth to whom this greatest of all Holidays is named. May we each discover afresh the true meaning of Christmas this year. 

“O holy night, the stars are brightly shining. It is the night of our dear Savior's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, till He appeared and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees, O hear the angels' voices, O night divine, O night when Christ was born, O night divine, O night, O night divine.” 

Merry Christmas!  

Jesse currently pastors Chokoloskee Family Church on Chokoloskee Island along with his wife, Charity. Their growing congregation keeps them busy with local outreaches and community events. They have two grandkids who live in the area who also attend their church, along with their daughter and son-in-law.