By Greg Miller © 2017

Paul had followed his passion of woodworking for several decades.

The woodworking hobby gave Paul a way to express the creative talent God had given him. He also used the process to work off the stress that came with his daily job as an airline pilot.

Paul’s wife, Pearl, always encouraged him to use his talents for God. “If you don’t use it, you might lose it,” she joked.

For the last five years, Paul had constructed toy trains for boys at the local orphanage. For the girls, Paul crafted exquisite dolls. Pearl designed and made the hair for the dolls. “We are a perfect ministry team,” Pearl told her husband.

“Yes, we are,” Paul grinned.

In addition to the toys that Paul and Pearl gave the children, on Christmas Eve the couple presented the Christmas story of Jesus’ birth and gave all the children, as well as their caretakers, huge boxes of treats. Paul and Pearl also cooked a huge turkey dinner with all the trimmings for the orphanage’s Christmas meal.

“God has richly blessed us,” Paul told the children and orphanage employees. “We want to share some of the bounty with you.”

“That’s right,” said Pearl. “God is such a caring heavenly father, we want to share. Also, it makes our hearts rejoice when we are able to give.”

Pearl prepared and baked the turkey, as well as a variety of homemade pies. Paul cooked all the vegetables and prepared the salads.

Paula, the orphanage’s administrator, lit up the dining room with her beaming smile when she saw the food Paul and Pearl had provided for their Christmas dinner. “Wow!,” she exclaimed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much food in one place at one time in all my life.”

Paula took a quick inventory of the items on the tables: Several turkeys, filled with tasty, mouth-watering homemade stuffing; bowls filled with hot mashed potatoes, green beans, and candied yams, along with smaller bowls of gravy to accompany the meal. Paul’s salads had been prepared with fresh vegetables he grew in a small garden.

Paula asked Priscilla, a very grown-up 10-year-old, to ask God to bless the food. After she had finished saying the blessing, Priscilla thanked Paul and Pearl for preparing such a vast array of food for the dinner.

A big smile covered Paul’s face when he said, “Young lady, this is only part of the food. We have several large boxes of goodies in our van in the parking lot. After we finish eating, all of us can go outside and work together to bring the rest of the bounty inside for everyone to enjoy. I think you’ll have enough food to last until the first of the year!”

To contact the writer of this column about speaking engagements, including Christian Comedy Fundraising Outreaches, Christian Creativity Seminars and/or puppet ministry, please email [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected].

By Greg Miller  2018

 Greg is retired from the Elizabethton STAR Newspaper, after working there for almost 23 years. He now freelances for the paper. Contact email address is [email protected], also facebook.com/kidcool4jesus. Available for speaking engagements/other ministries. Jesus is Lord