DEC 16
What a gift!
by Betty and Joe Lunsford

November 15, 1989 was a day that changed all our lives in ways even we could never have imagined. Our oldest son had just left for college and our youngest son was starting high school. It was an exciting time for our family. I remember that day so well. At 4:38 that afternoon, a tornado struck Huntsville, our home, and many other homes in our neighborhood. Our home was totally destroyed. All our earthly possessions were gone, but we still had family. Everyone in our family was safe and alive and that seemed to be all that mattered. God is indeed so very good, isn’t He?

It was such an emotional, anxious and busy time for us. How were we going to face the merriest time of the year when our home was gone, all our clothes were gone, all our furniture and all our Christmas decorations and ornaments were gone with the wind? The Living Christmas Tree provided a means of escape and reflection. I do not remember the details of that year, but I do remember what a comfort it wasto know that no matter what the circumstances or how many things change there was a constant. As we came to the Tree that year, it was such a reminder of God’s constant and unchanging love. That Christmas, we were again reminded that God gave His only son that we might have eternal life. What a gift!!!

The Living Christmas Tree has always been an important part of our lives and our family tradition. It is the worship experience that starts the Christmas spirit in our hearts – the true meaning of Christmas. What a joy to watch our sons bring friends home from college to see and hear “The Tree.” I remember the excitement when our sons’ wives came to “The Tree” for the very first time. Now, oh, the joy in our hearts to bring our grandchildren to the Children’s Tree and how we love watching them experience “The Tree.” That is a family tradition we treasure!

Christmas 1989, indeed, was a very hard holiday season. What a comfort to listen to “The Carols of Christmas” such as Silent Night, Away in a Manger, Deck the Halls, Holy Night and especially I Wonder as I Wander.

“I wonder as I wander out under the sky
How Jesus the Savior did come for to die
For poor ordinary people like you and like I
I wonder as I wander out under the sky.”

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:7