Christian Devotionals and Scripture Applied to Everyday Life

I never played basketball when I was young, but some things I have learned from listening and watching. In a game that is high impact and quick paced there are certain shots, that each player just has to make if the team wants to win the game.

I got a special surprise gift today. While at Grandma & Grandpa's eating lunch, Grandma gave me a little, worn, black leather Bible. Inside the front cover the fancy handwritten inscription read:

Winter in the Sheridan household brings about a struggle with dry skin. The beautiful and toasty fire from our wood burning stove comes with a price. The dry heat is very warm and toasty, but it sucks all the moisture out of the air and everything in the near vicinity. 

Yesterday was not a day that any office manager looks forward to. I arrived at work at the same time the black sedan pulled in. Out of the car stepped the state auditor. We had been told that she would be coming and we had everything in order. Still, no matter how prepared you are, there is something very uncomfortable about opening the intimate details of your company's books to the scrutinizing eye of a complete stranger.

I heard the rumble coming down the lane and turned my head towards the window. I caught a fast glimpse of brown before the door opened and our smiling UPS delivery man stepped into the office. He handed me my package and we exchanged brief pleasantries while I signed the electronic device he always carried with him. Upon my handing him the machine, he waved and in a flash he was gone, leaving me to listen to the rumble of the truck as it retreated back down the drive. 

The Christmas season is one of expectations. There are very few in our consumer-oriented culture who escape the desire for something special and magical to happen Christmas morning. From the time we are children we are conditioned to ask for things we want and then hope that our desires will be fulfilled in the package under the tree.