Some Thoughts As I Watch The Snow Fall

 

It started snowing on Sunday, and for the most part it has continued to snow, with some sleet at times.  It's supposed to end soon.  It's a winter wonderland outside!

I've been thinking about a lot of things but this is one that has been in the for front of my mind. There are lots of pressures on our young people these days.  Many young people I know are hard working and as they begin to marry and have families, financial pressures are on them. One young couple I know that farm, lost their barn to fire last week. One young family with small kids, is struggling with finances.  Since Covid lockdowns hit, the husband has been mostly out of work.  Lots of stress and pressure.  

Let's all do what we can to walk along side these young couples. Let's physically help them, as well as financially help them when they have a need. Pray for the young people in your communities and see how God would have you be a help to them.  

Sometimes helping requires sacrifice in some way, and we should be willing, if God is leading, to do without some comfort or convenience in order to help a young couple see God at work in their lives.

For we surely can be the hands and feet of Jesus. Of course it may not just be young people, though they've been on my mind. It might be an elderly neighbor, or someone at your church, or at work.  Let's ask God how we can be a blessing to others.

We Are All Flawed

The last few weeks I've been going through a time of weeding out some things in my heart, and growing forth in my relationships with the Lord and my family.  Its uncomfortable sometimes, but its always for our good, and the end result is worth it.

I think I'd gotten comfortable in where I was at, and I'd gone through a year or so of discouragement in some areas, but that discouragement spilled over into other areas and I was unaware.

We are all flawed humans, and without Jesus redeeming us, and placing his righteousness on us, we'd have no hope.

 I think that for too long, the church put forth an ideal of how Christians should be, and we all tried so hard to live up to that ideal.  But there is no 'perfect' people.  I think we need to show that we fail sometimes, but that we have a savior to forgive us and help us, and isn't that where 'be ready to share the hope that is in you' comes in to action?  No one is going to ask us about our hope, if they think we've got it all together and they'll never be able to live up to that.

 Christians have gotten a bad reputation because so many of us act so pious and above sin, that when believers fall (and the s*x scandals and bullying pastors, etc, show how spectacularly we can fall), people who do not believe scoff and mock.

When the woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus by the religious leaders, he didn't say she didn't sin, in fact he told her to go and sin no more.  However, he did challenge the religious leaders and their actions toward her.

Wrong does need to be dealt with, sometimes that means the law gets involved.  Sometimes it means that people need to believe accusers.  Sometimes it means that an elder needs to be strong and stand up to a strong personality pastor, regardless of the consequences to his position in the church.

God isn't worried about his reputation.  He isn't trying to prove to the unbelieving world that he is good.  God is good, and he wants to use us to be his hands and feet and arms and to be love in the world.  

Life is short.  Let's live in love for one another, lets help our neighbors, love those who are hard to love.  We all have them in our lives.  Loving someone doesn't mean you have to approve of their actions or choices, but that you continue to pray for them and care for them.

Merry Christmas!

Luke 2:1-20

The Birth of Jesus

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 

2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 

3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 

5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 

6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 

7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 

11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 

12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 

13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 

14“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 

17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 

18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 

19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 

20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Easter 2018

Easter is always a favorite holiday here at the cottage.  For us it is a huge celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus.  We are thankful for Good Friday, which causes us to stop and remember just what Christ suffered on our behalf.

With Saturday, its all about setting the tables, and preparing for the celebration to come on Sunday.  I am grateful to live after the Resurrection.  Can you imagine how heartbroken, the disciples and all those who loved and followed Jesus were on that day after Jesus died such a horrible death.  We have the blessing of knowing 'the rest of the story' and so we can prepare with joy for Sunday!

We had a wonderful lunch together with my parents, Nate and Kayleigh and the girls, our friend Denny, and our friends Mike and Jennifer and two of their kids, Brooke and Daniel.

We ate good food (ham, broccoli salad, a fluff (jello salad), potato salad, fruit salad, and baked beans), talked and laughed.  

We enjoyed Klaire experiencing her first egg hunt

These three were excited for their egg hunt - 91 eggs full of fruit snacks, candy, and thanks to Birdie (my mom) some coins!  

Klaire enjoyed watching the action from Grandpa's shoulders.

Later we ate some dessert, the ladies played Mexican Train (dominoes), the men chatted, some of the kids went on a hike.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter, too.  Can't wait to make my way around blogland and see all of your celebrations!  Feel free to tell me in the comments what you did or your favorite thing about Easter was this year!

I LOVE Christmas!

I shared this photo over on Instagram the other day.  I've since rearranged a few ornaments.  My granddaughter helped me put ornaments on the tree and several big ornaments were sharing a branch!  So a bit of discreet moving around and she'll never realize I moved things! (smile)

I love Christmas!  I love the cheer of the lights as we go into winter, and the symbolism of Jesus (who came in the flesh as a human) as the light of the world.  He came into a dark place in history, and the world was forever changed!  

I love hearing Silent Night on the radio or in stores, I love giving gifts, because I love people, just like God, who loves the whole world, gave the best gift ever because of that love!

I love Christmas music - especially Chris Tomlin's Adore cd.  We enjoy other Christmas music too, and movies, but I love keeping Christ in the forefront of our celebrations!

I'm going to get my Nativity sets out and when I figure out where they are all going, I'll share them with you in a post!

What's your favorite thing about Christmas?

Good Friday

source

But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5

Home, With Some Thoughts On Family, Traffic, and Advent

There were many emotions in play this last week.

Tim's mom is 95 years old and has a form of dementia.  She has always had a servants heart, and is easy to be around.  She never 'needs' anything.  A born extrovert/sanguine personality, she loves having us and our busy family around.


It was hard to leave her, since we know that at her age and with her having had several mini strokes, this could be the last time that we see her here on earth.

But we have hope - the knowing - that she, as a child of God, will be with the Lord in an instant, when He calls her home.  There is great peace in that knowledge.

When you are on a trip with a lot of people and staying together, and having other family and friends join you during the week, the opportunity to annoy one another is great!  

But you know what?  Life is messy, but real love keeps diving in to forgive, and care, and forgive some more.  We all need that at all times.

I am thankful that my parents and Nate and Kay and the girls were able to go with us on this trip.  It was one for the memory bank.  Time with four generations, cousins, friends who are family.

I'm grateful.

We hit some crazy traffic today.  It made people tense, it made a long day, longer.  But as we drove the last 45 minutes home, we listened to Chris Tomlin's Christmas album "Adore" and we sang along.  And in the dark car driving along the back roads, I heard the voices of my children and my granddaughter singing along, and praising God for His unspeakable gift to us, and I rejoiced.

All of the stress of the trip and the traffic, just melted away.

In this season of Advent - remembering His coming - I am glad to orient my heart on Him.

Prayers For Peace

                                           www.telegraph.co.uk

It's a new world this morning.  We thought it was after 9/11, but outwardly our lives did not change. I think that these attacks in Paris will are the beginning of world wide upheaval.

 I think people may be beginning to awaken to the realization that there is no place of assured physical safety.  How many recognize this morning that attacks like these could happen at our football games, concerts, holiday gatherings.

The only place of peace is in knowing Christ, as savior.  He is the Prince of Peace. We can be assured of knowing that we are in His hands, and that while He may allow us to die in tragic ways, we will be in His presence immediately.

There is much unrest all over the world.  On college campuses, in airplanes being bombed, people being stabbed, or shot to death.

Do not fear, but your hope in Jesus and rest in His promise "I will NEVER leave you, nor FORSAKE you."

This is truth.  We can rest assured that nothing will come to us except that He allows it.

I'm praying for peace on Earth, but mostly peace for people's hearts.
     
 

Easter 2014

We love Easter.  It is a time for us to focus on what Jesus did for us on the cross, making atonement for our sin.  We also love to celebrate His Resurrection and the fact that we too can have New Life!

On Thursday, we met at the church building for a special project.  You can read about it here.  It really looks amazing!  It was really neat too, that we were able to have it done for our Breakfast at church on Sunday morning.  We meet pondside at a local park on Easter mornings, to sing and read some scripture then pray.  Afterward we go over to the church and eat breakfast together before Sunday School.  The room looked amazing and open and having it all one unified space is terrific!

The kids colored some eggs.  We've never taught our kids about the Easter bunny, (I've never figured out how a bunny brings eggs anyway) we talk about how in older times eggs were a simple of new life.  And we like to make our eggs beautiful colors!

After church we had my parents, my niece, Nate and Kay and Kamryn, Lindsay and Joseph, our friend Denny, and our friends the Bustis here for lunch.  We had ham, green beans, broccoli salad, cheesy potatoes, jello salad, sweet french bread rolls, Lemon Delight and Homemade Lemon cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream frosting!  It was good!

Here is a link to the most amazing lemon cupcakes.  Very lemony, a tiny bit tart that is offset by the buttercream!  

We had an egg hunt for the kids in the late afternoon, little candies and my mom always does some eggs with money.  The kids have so much fun hunting them.  One of the kids told me that one of our hens was pecking at one of the plastic eggs!  I'm sure she was confused as to what this might be!

 My lovely niece Kaitlin.  She and my mom had front row seats to the egg hunt action!

 Our sweet friend Amy, and Emma pouring over the new James Avery catalog.

 The newlyweds in on a fun conversation.  They spent a good portion of the beautiful day on horseback.  It's fun to see them take the horses out for a ride.  The horses are out of shape after a long winter of eating and standing around, so it's good for them to get some exercise!

 Joshua and Kamryn.  She says "We are best friends."  They are eating their cute snack Rachel made them.

 Here it is.  I made the little signs so that the kids would know which one was theirs.

My beautiful Emma and Kamryn at church yesterday!

I hope that you all had a wonderful day focusing on the JOY that Jesus' death, burial and resurrection gives to us!

Prayer Conference - Part One

Tim and I haven't been to any kind of conference except of the Home Education kind, in the last 20 years probably.

Our good friends asked us if we would like to go with them to a prayer conference, at the Bible school that their son attends, and where our daughter Emma is planning to attend this fall.  We agreed and Friday we set out together on a 10 hour drive to South Carolina.  

The time flew and before we knew it we were arriving, got settled in, had supper and the first session of the conference - which I wrote about on Friday.

Saturday morning, which is what I want to write about today, one of the speakers shared with us the "one liners" that he has collected over the years that lead him into worship during his prayer time.  This conference was not about corporate prayer, though that is important, it was about personal, daily time in communion with the Lord.  It wasn't a conference about how to have quiet time - read this - pray for those on your prayer list - done.

No, it was about getting before the Lord to seek His face in worship and fellowship with Him, to hear His voice.  The focus was on worshipping the Lord personally.

Here are a few that were meaningful to me.

"Your thoughts of God are too human" - Martin Luther

"Jesus doesn't come to put us in jail, He comes to rescue us!" - Ken Davis

Psalm 103 is the Believers Hymnbook - He forgives, heals, redeems, crowns, satisfies, and executes righteousness.

"The truest expression of trust in God will always be worship" - RC Sproul

We may open the Word, but God must open the understanding.

Do you know this chorus?

"My redeemer is faithful and true

Everything He has said, He will do

And every morning His mercies are new

My Redeemer is faithful and true."

In The Morning, When I Rise

"You can have all this world, give me Jesus."

These Three

had a great trip down to their youth conference.

We had updates all along the way and photos of lots of eating in the car!

Thank you for your prayers for them.  They are all pretty special and at their young ages of 21, 19, and 19, they love Jesus and want to walk in His ways.

I'm excited to hear all He is going to do in their lives.  

I'm already missing the girls, and I have it on good authority Ben's family is missing him.  His little brother Asher loved doing FaceTime with them yesterday and kept saying "Let's call Ben."  He loved seeing them.  

What a blessing technology is!  

Planning For Christmas

 First Snow 2012

Do you plan for Christmas?

I do.  Oh, I've never sat down, until now, to write out what I wanted Christmas to look like for myself and my family, but I have long been intentional with Christmas.

My friend Brenda wrote about this here.   Yesterday Vee wrote about this, too.

Being intentional with Christmas helps me to fulfill my main goal for this season with my family; Keeping Christ in Christmas.

First of all, we love everything about this season, but especially for us the Reason for the Season.  The coming of our Lord Jesus.  He may not have been born in December, but this is when we celebrate His coming.  We do this in many ways.  We have the names of Jesus on our tree - Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Second, we have a Nativity that we set up in a prominent place.  Third, we do some kind of advent calender.  We have seen over the years that our children end up memorizing the Story of His Coming, using scripture.
Also we don't focus on Santa, but we teach them about Saint Nicholas.

One thing I work very hard at this time of year is to keep my heart quiet even though my life is very busy.  I work at maintaining Joy, and embracing the season.


Things I will do this Christmas:

1. Decorate our home to be warm, cozy and welcoming. The tree is up, the decorations are in place, my garlands are hanging on my picket fence and around our kitchen door.  

2. Spend time reading good books.  I have started a new read aloud with my kids.  We are reading "Shepherds Abiding" by Jan Karon.  I love this book and enjoy re-reading it at Christmas time, and I knew my children would enjoy it too.

3. Help my Mom decorate at her home.  She wants to have it very simple this year, and so I'll head over to her place with my little helpers and make it festive at her house!

4. I believe it is a season for celebration!  So we make treats, invite people over to share in the season with us, eat good food. 

5. We enjoy good music, too, and the girls are learning to play together very nicely.  It's more enjoyable to listen and watch them play together, than to watch t.v.!

6. Make cookies for the neighbors.

7. Invite a dear couple from church over for dinner.  The holidays are hard for the wife especially, and she and Sarah have become good friends.

8. I am going to the midnight showing of The Hobbit with my 3 oldest girls and other friends from church, on December 14th!

9. Go driving to see the Christmas lights!  A business about 20 minutes from us always does a huge free display.  We go several times during the season.  I can't wait to take Kamryn.

10. I am organizing the Ladies Tea at our church, which is December 4th, and I'm organizing a Christmas Dinner for our church which will happen December 23rd after church.  It's so much fun to plan these special events!

11. On Christmas Eve we will celebrate my sweethearts birthday!  He is the best present that his Momma ever got, so she says, and I agree!  I am so thankful for him.

12. We always watch The Nativity Story on Christmas Eve.  It is our tradition.       

13. I am committed to buying meaningful gifts over the expense of a gift. I'm sure jewelry will be included as well! ;)

Have you ever planned what you want your Christmas to be like?  By doing this you can help yourself have the kind of Christmas you long for.

"Come thou, Long expected Jesus..."