Another beautiful chilly day and the day of worship🎉. More reports of sickness, the virus, cancer, heart disease, there seems to be no end to it. It's so easy to get discouraged. I remember what Jesus said in John 14: "Let not your hearts be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me”. Father, we claim Your promise, that You would never leave us, and that You would give us peace. We ask in Jesus name, amen.

22 degrees..brrrr!😇 All of the children are here. We have great joy, but in the midst of this a lady from our church family has the virus.🙏 And still another lady (friends with a member of the church family) also has the virus, and I have funeral service today. And oh by the way, I had a close encounter; I hit a deer😝. That’s life...the good, the bad, but our Father uses it all for His purposes to mold and shape us to serve Him.Thank you for another day of life Father, help us use it wisely for You, amen.

It's Christmas morning!🎉 Great joy, we have a Saviour Who is Christ the Lord!🙏 Many memories are flooding my mind of Christmas past - of the excitement of the children on Christmas morning. Now, I'm just hoping they will be able to come for just a short time.🙏 Looking ahead, I have a funeral tomorrow; this will be number 21 since July. For all of you, who are faithful readers of “ramblings at 6 AM", thank you, and as Tiny Tim exclaimed, "God bless us. God bless us, everyone".🙏🙏Amen!

Imagine the conversation: "Joseph, how much further, I’m so tired? Just a few more miles, Mary. Joseph, so many people going to Bethlehem, will there be any room in the inn? Don’t worry Mary, God will provide."  And then from Luke 2, "And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."  "Joy to the world, the Lord has come!” God has provided us a Saviour! Merry Christmas, y’all!

They’re calling it the “Bethlehem Star”. It only occurs every 200 years with Jupiter and Saturn coming into conjunction. Try watching it at twilight toward the southwest. God is using this as a sign of hope in our troubled world to show that He still loves and cares for us. As we view this "star" our thoughts rush back to the wise men following the star that led them to Christ (Matthew 2:1-12). As never before, we need to seek Him. I pray for all the seekers that they would find Christ. The clock is running, amen.

Thank you church family🎉for your giving❤️! We are above our Lottie Moon goal, and our children director said that we are able to reach 27 children and ten families with food, gifts and Christmas cheer. We had enough that we could help one of the community agencies as well🎉. God is good, He is great! He has blessed us so that we could bless others in His name. We have coffee and prayer time with the men this morning. Merry Christmas! 🙏

Count down is on! Gifts are wrapped; home decorated; we’re ready for Christmas😇! There are still a few Scrooges out there - trying to take away the joy. Wait...that’s what the angels promised “great joy”. The celebrations are a little constrained (because of the virus), but that’s what Christmas is all about. Joy! We have a Saviour, so let’s celebrate the coming of Jesus into our world and into our lives! Great Joy! Amen?

Heard this song on radio - "we could use another silent night!” Oh my, yes, Father, we ask for peace and harmony in our land. We ask that we slow down and reflect on how we’ve been blessed. Everything’s not “perfect” - yet! But because of that silent night long ago, we know that You are coming to deliver us. Sing with me, “Silent night, Holy night, all is calm, all is bright”. Amen!

Getting a little taste of being dependent on others. I can’t drive for a few days. I was told don’t pick up anything over five pounds and don’t climb stairs.😕 In a larger sense, we are all dependent on each other. Someone wrote “no man is an island”. He’s right, and now I know. The message this Sunday is "All about the shepherds”. Some new thoughts about this part of the Christmas story. Father, we ask now for the joy of helping others, to share the “good news of great joy” that we have a Saviour, in His name, amen.

I know personally the power of prayer!! Had a heart cath yesterday. My bypasses are working good, and no need for stints!! Many were praying for this country bumpkin preacher. I could feel them as I lay on the table, and the doctor did the “procedure”. Jesus told us in John 14 to ask anything in My Name and I will do it! Let’s take Him at His word; let’s be a people with prayer on our lips, in our heart all day long. Amen?

Santa and his elves were at work last night in a drive through for the children in our church. They’ll be busy Saturday reaching out to other children. Thank you, church family, for all the gifts you brought to make this possible. We are the church without “walls”. We want to reach all with the “good news of great joy” that we have a Saviour!! He came for all; ponder that in your heart, amen.

Learned yesterday that doses of the virus vaccine have arrived locally. They go first, rightly, to first responders. When my turn comes, I will take the vaccine. When I was in the army, I received so many shots - then overseas I got more. I think it is a miracle they developed it in less than a year. God, we prayed,"deliver us”. He is. Father, help us to see You at work in even the ordinary things of life, we trust You, in Jesus' name, amen.

An awesome Christian lady in our community has passed away. I’ve known her for fifty years. I thought about all that she had seen, experienced, and all the things she had accomplished - her ministries to so many (including my family). One of her children and his family are very active in worship and ministry at our church. But all that she had seen and done can not compare with what she is experiencing  now - as promised in God’s word, reunion with family and friends who gone before and being in the very presence of our Lord and Saviour. All I can say is “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”. Amen!

Facebook asks “what’s on your mind?” a lot. The virus is raging, there's unrest, crime etc., but yesterday God answered a prayer that I had been praying for years. In the fullness of His time, He brought together the right events, circumstances to bring it about. It was last night that it hit me what He had done!! Lesson: don’t quit praying! From now on I want to focus on His goodness, and trust Him!! Lesson learned🙏amen.

Why do we come to church? To worship! Lady told the preacher, "Your language is so crude. You said 'pants' you should have said 'trousers'"! Then the preacher said, "I’ll try to remember. What else did you get from the service?” She said, “I don’t remember anything else". So if the preacher hadn’t said “pants”, she wouldn’t have gotten anything!!  Why do we come to worship? Is it to critique? You can find something. Father, we come to Your house to worship You, to serve You, nothing else, help us, in Jesus' name, amen.