It’s party time!

I LOVE the whole season of autumn into New Year’s Day! Everything about it makes me happy. I like Christmas spice coffee. I like the dust burning off the furnace the first time it comes on after summer. I like the sounds of the fallen leaves crunching under my feet. And, oooooh, that smell of a fireplace and the warmth of a glowing fire.

I enjoy quiet gatherings; dinner with friends or family, hot cocoa and a drive through the neighborhoods to look at Christmas lights, sitting at home in pjs, wrapped in a blanket watching It’s a Wonderful Life, Christmas in Connecticut, It Happened on 5th Avenue, A Christmas Carol, and Miracle on 34th Street (black & white, of course!). And,

I LOVE PARTIES!! Do you? Seriously, I love them! They are so much FUN! We have seven grandchildren and when we are all together, it is a natural party! It is a gathering of beautiful, organized chaos as children are chattering, playing, and moving everywhere and we attempt to get all of dinner on the table. With the assistance of all of the adults, we get it done.

At our most recent gathering, we decorated cookies and then ate them–piled high with loads of icing and sprinkles. We built with Legos. We opened gifts. We played outside. We watched movies. We read books. We ate together. We missed those precious ones who have moved from this life into the eternal spiritual realm. We took pictures. We talked. We laughed. We celebrated each other and life.

Whatever your events are, the season for gatherings is here! At this time of year we spend a lot of our time setting aside the negatives of life for the purpose of enjoying a few hours with friends and family. As we move full-force into this fun-filled, happy, party season, I want to not only remember, but also to meditate on what it is we are actually celebrating.

Jesus is still Emmanuel, God with us, because his Spirit dwells within the heart of the believer . Click To Tweet

Without Jesus–the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Christ–there is no Christmas. Although the origins of the designated date of this celebration are a bit sketchy, the point is that we have a designated date for the purpose of remembering the birth of Jesus and why he left glory and arrived on the earth. We are celebrating that Jesus came and dwelt among us, was crucified, buried, and rose again, and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, interceding on our behalf. Because of this, when we entrust our lives to Him, we have the promise of eternal life. What’s more is that Jesus is still Emmanuel, God with us, because his Spirit takes up residence in our spirit. He dwells within our hearts. So, while he doesn’t walk on earth as he did with his disciples, he walks with us in our spirit. Because of this, the real celebration is in praise to the Lord.

Let’s have a PRAISE PARTY!!

Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise him with the timbrel and dance; Praise him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise him with loud cymbals; Praise him with clashing cymbals! Let EVERYTHING that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the LORD! Psalm 150

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leah@vinesweet.org

I help overwhelmed people confront and collapse problems of the past and collect right information about themselves so they can connect to life and relationships in a brand new way! With her joyful, enthusiastic attitude, Leah has an exceptional ability to extract significant lessons learned from life-experiences and turn them into teaching points we can all relate to and help connect us more closely to Jesus Christ. In addition to speaking, Leah is a blogger and author with two works to her name, Faith Lessons: Experiencing the Miracles (Insight, 2008) and Success Simplified (Insight, 2011). She is currently completing a book project of her signature program, The VineSweet Connection: 5 Steps to a Fruitful Life, scheduled for publication later this year. Additionally, her radio broadcast, The VineSweet Connection, has aired on the Kingdom Keys Radio Network. A Licensed Pastor with the Church of the Nazarene, Leah serves as the Worship Arts Pastor at First Church of the Nazarene in Amarillo, Texas. Taking ministry outside the walls of the church building and serving the community, Leah has been invited numerous times to lead opening prayer at the City of Amarillo Council Meetings, led and served on community task forces, several non profit boards, professional associations, and ministry boards. Most recently, Leah was appointed Chaplain of the Amarillo Association of REALTORS and served as a member of their Board of Directors. She also served as President of the Board of Directors of Worth the Wait. Currently Leah serves on the Board of Directors of the Amarillo Education Foundation. Leah and husband, Mike, an accomplished musician, have served together in worship ministry more than thirty years. They have traveled in ministry and performed at many events, as well as having performed on national television. The Forts have been married more than 35 years and make their home in Amarillo, Texas. They have a daughter and son-in-law, Sydney and Chase Clark, a son and daughter-in-law, Lane and Neeley Fort, and six grandchildren.

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