For me, Christmas this year will be getting together with my children who are in the state, over New Year’s weekend.\u00a0 That may explain some of my deeper reflections the past several days.<\/p>\n
So, I was working alone on my trailer brakes with some mechanical challenges and severe cold weather, while most people were with family.\u00a0 Yesterday I may have gone too long without eating and was eligible for a migraine, which hit during the night.\u00a0 I didn’t want to get out of the warm bed, and my medicine was in another building.<\/p>\n
While I was lying there, I realized I was transitioning from a dream where I was sharing all-important things of life with my children—things I want them to remember when I’m gone.\u00a0 But I so much want them to catch this now, so I can know I made a difference in their lives in the parts that are for keeps.<\/p>\n
Some of those reflections are lost, as is the case daily.\u00a0 I don’t get to record a lot of the insights that come, and that is hard.\u00a0 But here is part of what I hope to share at the awesome meal this weekend.\u00a0 (You won’t find better eating at a restaurant—several amazing cooks, and my daughter has a dream cooking store)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The common table prayer, expanded:<\/p>\n
COME<\/span>—Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-loaded, and I will give you rest.”\u00a0 And we say, “Come to our table, come to our family, come to our hearts and lives.”<\/p>\n COME, LORD<\/span>—“One day every knee will bow;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 One day every tongue will confess, ‘You are Lord.’\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Still the greatest treasure remains\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 For those who gladly choose You now.”\u00a0 The choice today will not be open long.<\/p>\n COME, LORD JESUS<\/span>—His name means “Savior,” because He saves us from our sins.\u00a0 That too is by invitation only—by invitation accepted only.<\/p>\n COME, LORD JESUS, BE OUR GUEST<\/span>—“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and have supper with him.”\u00a0 It is my greatest desire that each of us individually invites this Guest and makes Him welcome, today, and permanently.<\/p>\n COME, LORD JESUS, BE OUR GUEST, AND LET YOUR GIFTS<\/span>—Thanks for the food, thanks for the friendships within family and others, thanks for provision, thanks for Your love, thanks for Jesus, thanks for the offer of salvation, thanks for all the gifts that come from You alone.<\/p>\n COME, LORD JESUS, BE OUR GUEST, AND LET YOUR GIFTS TO US BE BLESSED<\/span>—We don’t deserve Your blessings.\u00a0 We stop to recognize that all we have comes from You—not our own doing.<\/p>\n COME, LORD JESUS, BE OUR GUEST, AND LET YOUR GIFTS TO US BE BLESSED, AMEN.<\/span>—See the little baby\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Amen.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lying in a manger \u00a0 \u00a0 Amen. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On Christmas morning.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Amen.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Amen.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>\n And everybody that believes in Jesus says,<\/p>\n AMEN<\/span><\/strong> !<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For me, Christmas this year will be getting together with my children who are in the state, over New Year’s weekend.\u00a0 That may explain some of my deeper reflections the past several days. So, I was working alone on my trailer brakes with some mechanical challenges and severe cold weather, while most people were with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faith_based","category-family","category-inspire_lifter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1427"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1427"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1429,"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1427\/revisions\/1429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}