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I'm an elf-taught Christmas decorator.

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Cybersalt News

Sunday greetings, everyone!

This Christmas comes with some emotional challenges for me.

Many of you will remember that my sister, Melissa, passed away shortly after Christmas last year. Officially the date of her death was December 31, but she was probably gone on the 28th when she ended up on life support. Between those dates the doctors first tried to see if she was still there, and then looked to see if any of her organs could be donated when they determined she wasn't.

Whichever date it was that she left her body is immaterial to the fact that all of the "first times without Melissa" we have gone through as a family (except for New Year's Eve) have fallen in the 2022 calendar year. And so with 48 weeks of practice missing her I anticipated Christmas would be the last "first year without her" hurdle to face. But then an unexpected thought splashed into my head last week when it occurred to me that a year ago she was still here. That splash brought a surprise wave of sadness when I realized I was running out of days when that would be true.

It has been 26 years since Susan and I moved to the West Coast of Canada, marking the beginning of living 3,000 miles away from my family. Over those years I have been no stranger to goodbyes at the airport after wonderful visits by both family and friends. But it is one particular goodbye at the airport that sticks out to me as the hardest: the day our eldest child flew the nest at 17 for a summer exchange program in Quebec before going on to college in Toronto. It was a new beginning for all of us, but for my wife an I it was also an ending, and a sorrowful one at that.

After sitting with Alyssa until there was only enough time to say goodbye before she caught her flight, Susan and I proceeded to a lounge in the Victoria Airport where those not travelling can watch planes come and go. There we stood at the window, watching our daughter's plane back away from the gate, taxi to the runway, take to the air and then bank away from us. I had said goodbye and she was no longer with me, but still seeing Alyssa's proximity comforted me - or at least delayed the dreadful reality of something irreversible that my heart was crying out to my brain to undo. I watched her plane get smaller and smaller until the point I was afraid to blink because I might not be able to find the spot where that speck had been when I closed my eyes. Eventually even wide open eyes could see her no more. 

The realization that there are only a few days left when I can say, "Melissa was still here last year at this time," made me feel like I did at that airport window. My heart and my brain panicked together, wanting to come up with a plan to undo everything while at the same time coming to grips again with the fact that nothing could be undone. The comfort and distraction of her proximity will be gone soon too.

Make no mistake. I am confident and comforted that my sister is safe in arms of Jesus whose birth she celebrated during Christmas . . . . last year at this time. But I wanted to share what I am feeling this Christmas because I know some of you are feeling the same, or similar, things.

Today's video share (Another Christmas Closer) fits right in with all of those feelings.

Click here to watch the video.

Enjoy the rest of today's mailing.

~ Pastor Tim 

In a small Southern town there was a "Nativity Scene" that showed great skill and talent had gone into creating it.

One small feature bothered me.

The three wise men were wearing firemen's helmets! Totally unable to come up with a reason or explanation, I left.

At a "Quik Stop" on the edge of town, I asked the lady behind the counter about the helmets.

She exploded into a rage, yelling at me, "You darn Yankees never do read the Bible!"

I assured her that I did, but simply couldn't recall anything about firemen in the Bible. She jerked her Bible from behind the counter and ruffled through some pages, and finally jabbed her finger at a passage.

Sticking it in my face she said "See, it says right here, 'The three wise men came from afar'!".

Dear Santa, All I want is a fat bank account and a skinny body; please don't mix it up again like last year!

"Be a Billionaire!"

and Help

Refugees and

Persecuted Christians

I made these snacks all by my elf.

"Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most."

- Ruth Carter Stapleton

My 9yr. old niece says her prayers every night and instead of Amen she says: "Hit ENTER"

Featured Illustrations are items well suited for illustrating or inspiring a point in a sermon, speech, or devotional. Funny, moving, or perhaps even graphic, the point of them is the point you make with them.

Rev. James Snyder, God's Penman, writes . . . . 

This week the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage approached me with a serious question.

As far as I am concerned, life is full of questions, but coming from her, I need to be very careful. I have found out that a question with her is not merely a question. It can be a whole lot more than that with multiple layers. I am still trying to figure out the dimensions of her questions.

If I do not understand her question, my answer is going to get me into trouble. Believe me; I know what trouble is all about.

The Cybersalt Digest is a ministry of Pastor Tim and Cybersalt.

I made these snacks all by my elf.

Dear Santa, All I want is a fat bank account and a skinny body; please don't mix it up again like last year!