Text Box: soaked, he thought to himself: John 3:16….. I sure don’t understand it but it sure does make a dirty boy clean. You know, I’ve not had a real bath in my whole life. The only bath I ever had was when I stood in front of that big old fire hydrant as they flushed it out. The lady came in and got him. She took him to a room, tucked him into a big old feather bead, pulled the covers up around his neck, kissed him goodnight and turned out the lights. As he lay in the darkness and looked out the window, at the snow coming down on that cold night, he thought to himself: John 3:16….. I don’t understand it but it sure makes a tired boy rested. The next morning, the lady came back up and took him down again to that same table full of food. After he ate, she took him down again to that same big old split bottom rocker in front of the fireplace and picked up a big old Bible. She sat down in front of him and looked into his young face. “Do you understand John 3:16?” she asked gently. He replied, “No ma’am, I don’t. The first time I ever heard it was last night when the policeman told me to use it.” She opened the Bible to John 3:16 and began to explain to Text Box: By the time you read this, ORT will have partaken in its first annual “Christmas Goodie Exchange!” At the moment of this writing, that event is still several days off. Just imagine…folks getting together to sample each other’s special Christmas goodies and exchange legendary family recipes! Another winner…I just know it! Through the years, I’ve been collecting my own version of Christmas goodies. The word ‘plump’ applies to more than just my tummy at Christmas. It also describes my Christmas file quite nicely! In this December edition of “Terrace Talk,” I’d like to share some of those Christmas Goodies with you. Let’s begin with… Christmas and John 3:16 (Anonymous) In the City of Chicago, one cold, dark night, a blizzard was setting in. A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner. The people were in and out of the cold. The little boy was so cold that he wasn’t trying to sell many papers. He walked up to a policeman and said, “Mister, you wouldn’t happen to know where a poor boy could find a warm place to sleep tonight would you? You see, I sleep in a Text Box: box up around the corner there and down the alley and it’s awful cold in there for tonight. Sure would be nice to have a warm place to stay.” The policeman looked down and said, “You go down the street to that big white house and you knock on the door and just say John 3:16, and they will let you in.” So he did. He walked up the steps and knocked on the door, and a lady answered. He looked up and said, “John 3:16.” The lady said, “Come on in son.” She took him in and she sat him down in a split bottom rocker in front of a great big old fireplace, and she went off. The boy sat there for a while and thought to himself: John 3:16….. I don’t understand it, but it sure makes a cold boy warm. Later, she came back and asked him, “Are you hungry?” He said, “Well, just a little. I haven’t eaten in a couple of days and I guess I could stand a little bit of food.” The lady took him in the kitchen and sat him down to a table full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until he couldn’t eat any more. Then he thought to himself: John 3:16….. boy, I sure don’t understand it but it sure makes a hungry boy full. She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge bathtub filled with warm water, and he sat there and soaked for a while. As he

Christmas goodies from pastor whitaker
Text Box: Old River Terrace UMC

December 2008

Volume 2, Issue 11

Terrace Talk

Bits From The ORT Child Care Center

2

UMW News

2

Boy Scout Troop 524

4

Christmas trivia

4

Fall Festival Pictures

5

Calendar

6

Kids Page

7

Christmas goodies:

· Christmas John 3:16

· Christmas & the Poinsettia

· A Christmas Present for Jesus

· Christmas in Heaven

· Twas the Night Before Christmas - Hurricane Version