[Alffe]

There is one word that describes the night He came - ordinary.
The sky was ordinary. An occasional gust stirred the leaves and chilled the air. The stars were diamonds sparkling on black velvet. Fleets of clouds floated in front of the moon.

It was a beautiful night - a night worth peeking out your bedroom window to admire - but not really an unusual one. No reason to expect a surprise. Nothing to keep a person awake. An ordinary night with an ordinary sky.

The sheep were ordinary. Some fat. Some scrawny. Some with barrel bellies. Some with twig legs. Common animals. No fleece made of gold. No history makers. No blue-ribbon winners. They were simply sheep - lumpy, sleeping silhouettes on a hillside.

And the shepherds. Peasants they were. Probably wearing all the clothes they owned. Smelling like sheep and looking just as woolly. They were conscientious, willing to spend the night with their flocks. But you won't find their staffs in a museum nor their writings in a library. No one asked their opinion on social justice or the application of the Torah. They were nameless and simple.

An ordinary night with ordinary sheep and ordinary shepherds. And were it not for a God who loves to hook an "extra" on the front of the ordinary, the night were have gone unnoticed. The sheep would have been forgotten, and the shepherds would have slept the night away.

But God dances amidst the common. And that night he did a waltz.

The black sky exploded with brightness. Trees that had been shadows jumped into clarity. Sheep that had been silent became a chorus of curiousity. One minute the shepherd was dead asleep, the next he was rubbing his eyes and staring into the face of an alien.

The night was ordinary no more.


Max Lubado The Applause of Heaven

[FeelinGoofy]

i love max lucado!!!!!! thank you alffe

[Alffe]

LOL...well as the spelling police pointed out...it's Lucado, not Lubado, and I love it also Goofy.....love you too. Merry Christmas!

[who moi]

, well, Max Lubado wrote: the joy of SIX....

[Alffe]

It's that time of year.......

[who moi]

I see Max LuBado has spoken again....when is Lucado gonna show up?? LOL

thanks for the bump, it is a wonderful message....

coming from someone who doesn't subscribe to any religion...

I do find it amazing...

the message IS about love, altruism, and passing that around...

it's gotten lost in our world of big trees and I must have Ur-Foot® or I-Pod® world....

I am not sure if anyone has noticed that this year, it's been a little different...

people are....*nicer....

I am not sure if it is because the slowness of the economy and the rapid bad news around the world are making people more aware and coming to terms and making efforts to be nice or not....

an awakening seems to be happening...maybe the greed of the big super companies are anviling (is that a word?) people on da heads...

this has been a much more pleasant holiday season (as far as shoppings go) than I could remember in awhile now....a lot more smiling faces and greeters...

it gives me "HOPE"

that I desparately need....and I am thankful that there IS such a holiday to remind us of it....

Love and Hope...two simple words...that holds many promises....

I rest my MISSLE toes...(as I hope those super powers will rest their MISSLE toes also...)

[Alffe]

Time for a bump...wish I had a loaf of your sour dough bread! The recipe looks intimidating! Thank you.

[Alffe]

another bump...still looking but this one is timely.

[Mark56]

Regardless of the writer, the message is timeless and wonderful.
Thank you,
and,
Merry Christmas,
Mark56

[Alffe]

It's that time of year