Never forget that God is always there for you
This week in the Dispatch:
More Christmas facts and questions for you in Quick Hits!
“The Man in the High Castle” takes a spin on history in books!
This week’s Awesome Marriage Podcast looks at marriage in 2020!
Meet Zach and Liz in Insights!
Challenges and a next step to move your marriage forward!
This Week’s Quick Hits:
Here are some more Christmas facts:
Clement Moore’s poem introduced eight more reindeer for Santa’s sleigh and their names were Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Duner and Blixem (for the German words for thunder and lightning). These later evolved into Donner and Blitzen.
Between the 16th and 19th centuries global temperatures were significantly lower than normal in what was known as a “little ice age.” Charles Dickens grew up during this period and experienced snow for his first eight Christmases. This “White Christmas” experience influenced his writing and began a tradition of expectation for the holidays.
The Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square is donated to the people of London every year by the people of Oslo, Norway in thanks for their assistance during World War II.
Christmas Questions :
In total, how many gifts were given in “The Twelve Days Of Christmas” song?
What is the capital of Christmas Island?
In what year did Hallmark make its first Christmas cards?
(Answers are below Next Steps)
Book:
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
I was fascinated by the Amazon TV 4-season series The Man in the High Castle, which prompted me to read the book of the same name. The book, written in 1962, takes place 15 years after the end of World War II. The twist comes in that the war was won by Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany, which now rule over the former United States. The book was a Hugo Award winner for best novel in 1963 and is a fascinating read.
YouVersion Plan:
An Awesome Marriage Christmas is our featured YouVersion plan this week. If I asked you, “What would make your marriage awesome this Christmas?” what would you say? In this plan, I address four things that you can do as a couple to reduce the stress and anxiety of the season and help you focus on Jesus!
Podcasts:
In this week’s Awesome Marriage Podcast, Christina and I recap of marriage in 2020 as we share our biggest challenges, what we enjoyed, what we learned, pain points, and great next steps. 2020 was a tough year for most of us and for our marriages. This podcast can help you move forward as you look forward to 2021.
A Better Man Podcast for December continues our series on Settling and focusing on Convenience. Join Colby Taylor and me as we tackle these questions:
How does comfort factor into convenience?
What are some things in life that are convenient for us?
Is convenience a bad thing?
What does convenience in our marriage and our family look like?
Insights:
Zach and Liz’s Story
Zach and Liz were a really good couple. Zach was a pastor and together they tried very hard to live a life that pleased God. Sometimes this was very difficult as there were many distractions and the world around them was very corrupt. For years they had prayed for a baby but Liz was never able to become pregnant. They shed many tears over this and honestly could not understand why God had not answered their prayers. They had been so faithful to Him.
One Sunday Zach was at church getting things ready for worship. He noticed some of the church members were already coming in and many were kneeling and praying in the auditorium. He loved this church and the people. Then the strangest thing happened. Stranger than anything he had ever experienced. Right before Zach’s eyes, an angel appeared. Zach froze. He could not move. His knees knocked together and he could not make them stop. He couldn't breathe. Then the angel said, “Don’t be afraid.” Zach thought, “That’s easy for you to say. You are the angel. I’m just the man!” The angel’s voice was peaceful, and Zack calmed down a little even though his knees were still knocking together.
The angel spoke again and Zach could not believe what he was hearing. He thought he must be dreaming. The angel said, “Liz will become pregnant with a boy. He will spend his life serving God.” The angel went on to say that the boy would lead many people to God and many back to God. Then Zach finally spoke, “Are you kidding me? Liz and I passed child-bearing age a long time ago. Why now? Why are you saying this now when pregnancy is impossible? Is this a sick joke?”
Now Zach was about to learn a lesson. If God sends you an angel with a message, believe it. No matter how crazy it sounds. The angel said, “Because you won’t believe me, you will not be able to speak from today until the baby is born. By the way, name him John.”
The angel left. Zach looked at the clock. It was time for the service to begin, but how? He could not even whisper. As he walked out onto the small stage at the front of the church, the people could tell something strange had happened. Zach made gestures that no one could understand and finally the people left, confused and not sure what to think. Zach then closed up the church and went home to Liz. He wanted to tell her all that happened but there was that “not able to speak” thing again. Days passed and then, just as the angel predicted, Liz became pregnant. Liz was thrilled and so thankful for what God had done.
Has there ever been something you and your spouse have prayed for but it seemed that no one was listening? Most of us can identify with that. We serve God and wonder why He seems to not care. Did we do something wrong? Are we just not important enough? When we pray for something and don’t get an immediate response, we can begin believing those lies. They are lies because God does love each and every one of us and care for us deeply. We are very important to Him. God has a plan for each of us and our marriage and sometimes it does not unfold in our timing but God will never do anything that is not good for us and His plan is always the best. As a couple, 2020 may have been rough for you. Never forget that God is always there for you. He truly will never leave you or forsake you. That’s good news at Christmas and every day of the year.
By the way, if the story sounded familiar, you can read more about Zach and Liz in the Bible. Start with Luke chapter 1, verse 5.
Challenge:
What have you prayed for that God has not yet answered?
Do you ever believe any of the lies that God does not care for you?
What helps you stay focused on God and Who He is?
Next Step:
If God was going to send an angel to you with a message, what do you think that message would be?
Answers to Christmas Questions:
364
Flying Fish Cove - Christmas Island is a tourist destination known for its extraordinary coral reefs and caves and, aside from the name, has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas!
1915 - Hallmark Christmas cards came five years after the company was founded, however, they were not the first. People originally started sending Christmas cards in 1843.
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