Bethlehem
“You’ve been to Bethlehem. What does it look like? What kind of feeling did you get about the place?” a friend asked last week.
Bethlehem feels like… like… conflict. It feels like a conflict of emotions -joy and sorrow, a conflict of the old and new, a conflict between rich and poor, a conflict between heart-felt devotion and burdensome religious ritual, a conflict between God’s loving acceptance and mankind’s hateful rejection. It is the place where hope and fear still meet.
How could I explain it?
“Here,” I said. “I’ll send you some photos I took a few months ago.”
These are some of them:
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:7)
Charis: Subject to Change 
WONDERFUL pics & true words. Merry Christmas 🙂
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Love, joy and peace to you and your family as well.
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You really have an eye to reveal the unseen vision behind this world to us, Charis. It is not the perfection of your photos nor the high quality of the proper lens you chose – as my hubby told me seeing your beautiful photo gallery – it is His eye guiding you constantly.
The light of heaven is in your eyes…You are vision-led, indeed. 😉
Much love to you,
Susanne from Bavaria
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Hello, Susanne. What a wonderful, encouraging comment to wake up to this morning! You bring tears to my eyes! I do not have a lot of fancy photo equipment. To be honest most of my photos are done with a little Canon point and shoot that I carry everywhere because it fits in my purse. I have an older bigger Nikon but I always seem to collect blobs of dust inside it when I change the lens. I am not a professional photographer. I just want to share what I see when the Lord nudges me to pay attention. That someone understands makes me happy. God bless you and your husband in Bavaria, Susanne! Someday I hope to see your beautiful country.
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Thanks so much for your kind reply, Charis. I am glad you have been encouraged by my few words.
Regarding your photo equipment, I don’t think it is necessary to have a fancy or expensive camera since even smart phones will do the job due to today’s advanced technology which increasingly makes any electronic equipment smaller.
Yes, Bavaria is beautiful, but seeing all those pictures you took there where you live, you wouldn’t miss anything if you never came to Bavaria. Honestly, these high mountains are redolent of the snow-covered Alps in Bavaria, Austria and Switzerland. Nonetheless, I would be happy to meet you and give you a heartfelt hug, sister. 😉 Until then we may settle for fellowship and communion in His Spirit.
And yep, I do understand that the Lord is the One who gently pushes all of your doing for Him and His Body. I can “see” Him in your pics and paintings, and I “hear” Him speaking through your written entries.
May God bless your family as well, Charis! 🙂
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Oops – correction:
May God bless you and your family as well, Charis! 🙂
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Thank you.
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gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous Grace! I’m mesmerized ! Thank you for posting this! Merry Christmas dear~ Faithfully Debbie
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Merry Christmas to you, Debbie!
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