MY BLOG POSTS

I’ve heard the sweet, the sappy, the heart-wrenching.Now I want to hear some funny Christmas stories!

Here’s mine. I’m sure you can beat it.

I was fourteen or fifteen, and my parents got a new video camera and decided to record all of Christmas morning. As the oldest of three (at the time — I have a brother, too, but he wasn’t born that year — lucky Wil!), I had the task of handing presents from under the tree to my sisters. So I did.

Remember, though, that I had back surgery (see “My Back Story” post). One effect of having my spine fused is that, when I bend, my back is flat, like a table and my…um….backside sticks straight out. No bending of the back to lead downward. No subtle vertebraic dancing. If the back goes down, the rear goes up. That’s just how it is.

Most of the time, that’s not a big deal.

Not that year. That year, the camera was set on a tripod facing the Christmas tree. And, somehow, when I bent down to get a gift and hand it to my siblings, I always, no matter where the gift was, ended up…end up. And I’m pretty sure there was a wide-angle lens on that camera.

So when we sat to watch our sweet Christmas video, what did we see? The joy on the faces of my sisters when they got that doll or the pretty dress they had hoped for? My parents and grandparents smiling and receiving “thank you” hugs for their gifts?

Nope. All we saw was my posterior.

Over and over.

And over.

So that’s my “interesting” Christmas story.

And I can’t resist saying….

The End

What’s yours?

@Thomas Nelson Fiction (FB and Twitter) is giving away 2 copies of First Date!

Just answer this question…

What was memorable about your first date?

I know people who spend entire weekends making holiday goodies. And they think it’s fun.

I know people who get cookbooks for Christmas. And like it.

I know people who have people over for dinner just to try a new recipe.

I am not one of those people.

Don’t get me wrong. I like eating holiday goodies. In fact, I’ll eat just about anything. Except broccoli. Or green beans.

But cooking?

No, thanks. It’s a necessary evil. Something forced on me. Like root canals and taxes.

I do it, but it isn’t pretty. And it isn’t fun. And it often results in the smoke alarm going off.

(the only difference between me and this lady is that I don’t have blonde hair…or an apron)

Take home lesson: If you don’t like cooking, write a blog. Your family will get tired of waiting on dinner and go out for Chik-Fil-A instead.

“God delights in giving good gifts to His children.”

It sounds so simple. So easy. But this is something that has taken me years to fully embrace.

“God’s people will suffer.” I get that.

“Life is hard. God is good.” Been there.

But recently, God has been showering me….no, flooding me…with good gifts. One right after another.

And I have struggled.

At first, I felt guilty. So many people I know are struggling. Yet, I have a fabulous family, I am writing books and teaching great kids and enjoying so many blessings every day.

But as I struggled, I have felt God speaking to my soul: “Enjoy, Krista.”

The pastor at the church we attended in Texas used to say that God occasionally gives us “glimpses of the kingdom.” Little reminders that what awaits us is incredible, astounding. These great moments God gives us can’t even begin to compare with the glory of heaven. But, in His grace, God gives us a little taste of what is to come.

So I am learning to enjoy, to bask in this “glimpse of the kingdom.”

It’s a good feeling.