My friend Connie Vandeman Jeffery, shared this beautiful Christmas story with me. It is a story that was told by her father, Pastor George Vandeman. I love it. I know that you will too. Also, dont forget to go to You Tube, to hear her Connies beautiful song. Connie Vandeman Jeffery - A Christmas Hallelujah https://youtube/watch?v=6-RsuRlCEPY CONNIE WROTE - The Story of Roaring Camp – is a story my dad told every Christmas – on It Is Written Christmas programs, in sermons, and at family worships. For those of you who haven’t heard it – here it is, word for word, as he presented it (for those of you who have, skip to the end of the letter ) “Roaring Camp was a primitive mining camp in the Wild West. Into that grim and cruel environment, a baby was born and that changed everything! In Roaring Camp - to die a natural death meant to die at gun point. There was only one woman in the camp. Her name was Cherokee Sal. She died during childbirth and Stumpy, who had a little medical training, tried his hardest to save her, but couldn’t. He did manage to save the baby, and the baby changed everything! They had no clothes for the baby - only a bundle of rags and a box in the corner - that was the crib. But soon, the box seemed out of place. They sent a miner 80 miles to Sacramento to get a cradle. No sooner had he returned with a carved rosewood cradle, then they sent him back again for lace and frills. Nothing was too good for the blue-eyed baby boy. They put the cradle in the center of the room and stood back to admire it. Then they noticed the floor - it was filthy. They had never noticed before. They scoured the floor until it almost matched the cradle. Then the walls were cleaned, the ceiling whitewashed, and the windows repaired. They sent for drapes and hung them. Then, the men themselves began to change. Mirrors, razors, and suits found their way to camp. Gruff men who had thought only of gold began to laugh and coo as sparkling baby eyes turned their way. That baby changed everything! Need I draw the parallel? The world itself 2000 years ago was a roaring camp - men were either slaves or slave-owners. Human rights were unknown. Men created in the image of God had defaced that image until it was scarcely recognizable. Into the restless, careless, sinning world, God sent His son as a helpless babe. That Babe changed everything! That Babe changed the world! Not everyone accepted Him. Not everyone recognized Him for who He was. Thirty-three years later, rough and careless unthinking men drove nails into the hands of their Creator and put Him on a cross. And yet, the night the Christ child was born cut all of history in two. Today, even those who use His name only in cursing count time from the year of His birth. His birth made another separation - a dividing line between those who accepted Him and those who did not. It demanded of every man a decision. Echoing down through the centuries to this very hour, this very moment, are the words of the Roman governor - “What will you do with Jesus?” What will your answer be?” I hope this simple, but powerful story will remind you of the Reason for the Season this Christmas. As I re-read this story, I could almost hear Dad’s voice. May you and yours have a blessed Christmas – with babies or grown children, grandchildren, spouses and friends! And may 2015 bring you “the best of times!”
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 15:32:29 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015