What I love more than anything is that he signed his nickname "JT", which he claims not to like. He even told us when he was younger not to call him that, because his real nickname was Camaro. We humoured him and called him Camaro for a little while, but it never really stuck. He really is pure boy.

When we received each of our three boys, God made sure that we'd have no idea what He'd wrapped up and given to us in the form of a little boy, each one special in his own way.

Even though Joseph wrapped the Christmas gift in camouflage, wrote my name on it, and placed it under the tree, the giver is truly the gift to me.

I had no idea what the camouflage gift box contained. He made sure of that. I thought that it was a cardboard box that he'd saved and placed the gift inside to disguise the true present. He didn't want me guessing if it might be the bottle of perfume that I'd hinted would make a good gift for dear ol' mom.

But when I opened the gift on Christmas Eve, it wasn't what I'd thought at all. It wasn't even something that I'd told him I wanted. It was something that he wanted to give me — a kitchen appliance — a more expensive gift, and something that I needed.

So many years ago, the world also waited to receive the gift of a Boy. Only this present could never be bought. This baby Boy wrapped in swaddling cloths was actually God wrapped in human flesh, Who came to save us — a gift more expensive than we imagined and not exactly what we expected, but something that we needed.

God came — camouflaged in human flesh — fully God and fully man. The gift giver is also the gift.

We can become so busy amidst the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season that we might forget the wonder of it all. How incredible it is that God would give us such a gift. He made a way for us to be in a right relationship with Him again through His beloved Son.

Through Him we receive many wonderful things:

• Forgiveness of sins
• Grace and mercy
• Eternal life in heaven

This Christmas, seek Him, like the wise men and shepherds did so long ago, and find Him. There's a gift with your name on it, wrapped in camouflage, waiting for you to discover what's really inside: Jesus — the gift of a boy.

Matthew 1:21 – She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (NIV)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You so much for the precious gift of Your Son. Thank You for sending Him and for making a way for us to be in a right relationship with You through Him. In His powerful name, we pray. Amen.

As children, we had a blast trying to catch enough fireflies to make a night light for our bedrooms using a canning jar. Sometimes, though, we used to hold the bug until its tail lit up nice and bright, and then, we pinched it off. We rubbed its glowing bottom on our fingers and pretended that we were wearing shiny diamond rings.

What in the world?

We flashed our fingers around in the dark, lit up with glowing bug tails, and pretended that we were rich. We didn't give one iota about the poor bug missing part of its body. I'm embarrassed to say that I even did this.

I know that it's just a bug. But I can't help but think that I killed a lot of God's unique critters for my own personal temporary glory. I loved seeing my fingers aglow, shining in the dark summer night.

Now, I'd never pinch the tail from a lightning bug and put it on my finger. Instead, I'm in awe of God's handiwork and creativity. How did He make a bug that glows?

Since I've grown up, I find that I still like shiny things. But as a Christian, I desire to represent God well, here on earth. How do I shine my light in a way that doesn't involve lightning bugs and personal glory?

Matthew 5:14-16 – You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (NIV 2011)

When I read that casually, I think, Oh, I know. I'll be the light by doing good deeds and then others will see my light shining. But that's backwards.

In the passage, Jesus said, "Let your light shine before others". Then, He said, "that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Subconsciously, I wanted to insert some personal glory. I wanted my good deeds to be the light.

He also said, "You are the light". So, how do we become the light?

When we are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, we are "lit". We become the "light of the world" at that moment. We don't do good works to light up the world. The good deeds are a result of our being reborn through the power of the Holy Spirit.

What are the effects of being lit?

• We are the light
• We're on fire for God
• We fall madly in love with Jesus
• We shine through the power of the Holy Spirit
• We do good deeds
• We glorify our Father in heaven

Like moths are drawn to a flame, others are drawn to our light and then see our good works. This brings God glory.

So, shine on, my friend. No lightning bugs needed.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, fill us with Your powerful Holy Spirit, and make us lights for the world, so that others are drawn to You. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Everyone in class did. We placed potting soil into styrofoam cups and tucked tiny seeds beneath the soil. Then we lined up the cups on the counter in the sunlight, and each day, gave the seed a bit of water.

What I recall most is the day when the tender shoot popped up through the soil. I'd made a plant.

I carried it home on the school bus when it grew bigger and showed my parents what I'd done. As I held the sweet, little plant in my hands, a bubble of pride bloomed inside my young heart.

But all I had done to make the plant grow was to give it what it needed: soil, sun, and water. The seed already contained everything necessary to bloom into a beautiful plant before I had even placed it into the dirt. I followed the teacher's instructions. I watered it and made sure that it had sunlight.

Then, I waited. It did the miraculous thing that God had created it to do and became what He had designed: a beautiful little plant. That part was completely out of my control. God even provided the water and sunlight!

As Christians, we plant spiritual seeds.

It comes naturally because we want to share with others what God has done in our lives. We encourage family, friends, and coworkers to trust Him in every area of their lives, because He alone is trustworthy.

In childhood, I followed the directions of my teacher and gave the seed soil, sunlight, and water so that it could grow into a plant. Spiritually, we follow our Teacher's directions and give others what they need. We point them to Jesus.

Sometimes, we never see tender spiritual shoots pop up through the soil from the seed that we planted. But sometimes, we do.

That's when we might do the same thing that I did as a child: we might feel a little bubble of pride, thinking that we had done some great thing for God, when really, God did the great thing. We planted a seed in the garden of someone's heart, into soil already prepared by God to receive it.

Ephesians 2:10 – For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (NIV)

Personally, I can't keep my mouth shut about God. I might get on some people's nerves, but I won't close my mouth. I won't stop writing about the wonderful things that He does. I can't. I'd burst if I didn't let it out.

So, whenever you're planting seeds, remember those spiritual seeds, and point others to Jesus. Just don't put pressure on yourself about whether or not they sprout into plants. That's God's job.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for working in our lives in such a powerful way that we can't keep our mouths shut about it. Give us the words to share with others who need to hear them. Give us the words to write to touch the hearts of those who need to read them. In the powerful name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

If you're unfamiliar, the pressure cooker is a sealed, stainless steel pot used to cook food under high pressure. It expels steam from a contraption on the lid and makes scary, hissing sounds.

Nowadays, they make a similar digital cooker that doesn't scare the living daylights out of small children. Thank goodness!

I can relate to the cooker as an adult though.

Sometimes, I feel under pressure and need to vent and let off steam. I'm sure that many others feel this way when dealing with the stresses of life.

In general, I'm pretty easygoing. But sometimes, I'll get hot over something and stew in anger. Then, like the dreaded cooker, I'm about to blow my top. It takes a lot for me to get to that point. But when I do, watch out.

Proverbs 29:11 – A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control. (NIV)

God warns against doing what comes naturally to us. We want to relieve the strain and give full vent to our rage. I've made that mistake, and it only does more harm. It might make us feel better to blow up at someone, but more than likely, we'll regret our reaction later.

If you've ever felt like I have, then here are five simple ways to let off steam without blowing your top:

1. Walk it off! – Go for a long walk or run. Exercise helps and gives time for thought before making a calm response.

2. Rearrange furniture – This is a good way to release those penned-up frustrations and burn off that negative energy.

3. Write – It helps to write down what's making us angry and why. Sometimes, this simple action can alleviate the anger.

4. Read – Reading takes our minds off the problem for a little while, giving us time to calm down. The Scriptures are especially helpful.

5. Cook – Make comfort food and go ahead and eat some. Calories don't count. They're called comfort foods for a reason. While enjoying the delicious food, think of ways to handle the situation without causing harm.

When the scary cooker has done its job, the meat is tender and delicious. The high pressure worked. The same is true with us. We grow up a little when we stop allowing anger to explode out of us and take time to calm down. Our reactions reveal character and growth.

Even though it's hard to remain cool when we feel steamed, God allows these situations for our benefit. He's working all things for our good and is at work making us better and more like Jesus.

Romans 8:28 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (NIV)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for helping us as we go through life. Sometimes, it's hard, and we lose our tempers. Help us to remain calm and to handle difficult moments in a way that honours You. In the powerful name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

It was annoying to have someone following me everywhere. Trying to lose her was sometimes fun, though!

It is ironic that nowadays, everyone seems to want others to follow them. We see this daily in our social media news feed. Follow me on Instagram. Follow me on Twitter. Follow my blog. Follow me … follow me … follow me. Everybody wants a following.

Does it cost us anything to follow someone on social media? Not really.

Eventually, we may see too many posts or emails from them. It might start to get on our nerves. Then we simply "unfollow" the friend or the page or the blog and move on with our lives. Nothing lost. Nothing gained.

All this following got me to thinking about Jesus, though.

Mark 1:16-18 – As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. (NIV)

When He asked His disciples to follow Him, they dropped whatever they were doing and followed. They left their jobs. They left their families. It cost them a great deal to follow Jesus. But what they gained was priceless. He is the one Person that everyone should be following.

So, if we follow Jesus as Christians today, will our lives suddenly become perfect? No, it can still cost much to follow Jesus. We may lose friends when we choose not to participate in certain activities. Sadly, becoming a Christian could cause family issues, because of our new convictions.

But His gifts of forgiveness and a relationship with God make it all worthwhile. He has our best interests at heart every moment of our lives. After that, the benefits are out of this world! How wonderful it is to know Him and to trust Him!

As for my little sister, I wish that there were a way to go back in time and enjoy those early years with her again. I'd handle it a bit differently and ask her to follow me.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus. Help us to follow Him more than anything else in our lives. Help us yield ourselves to His lead in our lives, wherever that may take us. In the powerful, mighty name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.