Monday Morning Manna: The Specialey of December

December is a special month for me for several reasons.??My grandfather Crawford’s birthday was Dec. 2. My Dad’s birthday was Dec. 19. His sister’s birthday (my Aunt) was Dec. 22. My birthday is Dec. 30. On December 7, I was in an automobile wreck and sustained a broken second vertebrae of the neck, re-directing my plans for the future. As I lay in the hospital with doctors calling me a miracle (should have been either killed or paralyzed according to them), I made friends with Hospital Chaplain, Joe Fred Luck, and determined that God had spared my life to be a Hospital Chaplain.??That, of course, changed during my Seminary student years, but to this day, I look back on those December weeks in the hospital as a significant turning point in my life. Of course December is also the month when, on Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. So here are five of my favorite Christmas quotes:

·???????? “Christmas is a togethery sort of holiday. That's my favorite kind.” Winnie the Pooh

·???????? “One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day. Don't clean it up too quickly.” Andy Rooney

·???????? “When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things—not the great occasions—give off the greatest glow of happiness." Bob Hope

·???????? “Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” Norman Vincent Peale

·???????? “For unto us a child is born, to us a a son is given.”? Isaiah 9:6

?

Dr. Dan R. Crawford, Senior Professor, Chair of Prayer Emeritus; Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. Former Head of Task Force for the Teaching of Prayer in Theological Education for America’s National Prayer Committee.? Administrative Consultant for the Valley Baptist Missions Education Center.