It's time to think of 2017! Ugh! That's the first time I have typed it, what a surprise, it crept up on me, and bit me right between the eyes. I guess every year does that, it's just that I don't ever catch on to the fact that time is moving faster than I would like. Praise God, He is in control, and His plans will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.

Speaking of God's plan, how do we fulfill His plan for our lives while we are here? Every individual finds out what God has for them by reading the Bible, His handbook on life. It is not instantaneous, like driving up to the window of Starbucks; it takes daily reading, memorizing, contemplating, and meditating in God's word.

The seed that is planted in the heart will take root, and grow stronger daily. Water, sunshine, and good ground!I have been  inundated recently with e-mails about how to grow spiritually in 2017. This is all well and good, because we think of the New Year as a good time to change. All the Bible studies in the world won't change us if we don't have a heart for God in the first place. I have done dozens of Bible studies in the past few years, and I will continue to, because I can glean from them the truth and apply it to my heart. You can too, but first you have to be hungry!

Hunger for God only comes through gaining an appetite for more of Him. Reading God's word will make you hungry for more! It may not seem like anything at first, but keep going in obedience, and God will honor that. No matter where you are in your walk with God, you can gain a greater desire for Him. "Perfect love casts out all fear."We become fearful if we have not had the best of relationships with others, and thinking of having a relationship with God, well, that too can seem daunting, no, maybe overwhelming is a better way to put it.


"It's His kindness that leads us to repentance." Jesus, In His compelling love and desire for us, wants us to be free.  He wants to give us body rest, soul, and spirit. "Come to me, all that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." " Cast all your cares upon me, "Jesus says,  "And I will give you rest." I need rest, How about you?

"Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances."          (Proverbs 11:14)

I have found this verse to be true in my life. If I listen to what God says, the outcome of any circumstance tends to be better. My husband has said to me for years, to respond not to react when speaking to our children.  Of course this takes discipline on my part, and I don't always think before I speak. I wonder if any of you can relate? 

Yesterday as I was speaking to my daughter about dating, I realized that I had a good deal of composure1! She brought up the subject as this is something we never want to deal with. Our expectations are not realistic, but we know our children, and don't feel this is something that is good for her at this time. Teens can be so carefree and unaware of the pitfalls and entanglements that can come in relationships. Without realistic expectations, and guards around your heart, damage can be lifetime snare.

Listening to parental advice is not the latest fad, and has always met with resistance in teens, but those who are wise will have a continual feast! What kind of feast you might be wondering? Free from emotional baggage, free from jealousies, free from anger, and free from always trying to please someone else. Emotional roller coasters were invented by teens! All I have to do is say the wrong thing, and we are hanging on for dear life. The wrong thing can be something different every day!

What does God want in these situations ? His Father heart is to keep us from evil. He wants us to stay away from even the appearance of such things. Try to get a kid who doesn't know God's heart towards them to see that this is not harsh, well that is why we pray. Parents need to be on their knees more today than ever. I did not have a prayer covering when I was a teen, but God kept me from guys because I was shy. I didn't know the Lord, but He was already working in my heart. That just blows me away! Wisdom was working in me before I knew who wisdom was!!! 

Today, we live in a mixed up world of denial of sin, and unrighteousness. Praise God for His care and comfort in our lives. His heart was for us, before we knew Him.Who does that? Only our All consuming, ever-present Savior who makes a glorious way for us, if we will follow.

Dear Heavenly Father, your ways are so much higher than our ways. We can be thankful that you are watching out for our good, even when what happens to us doesn't feel like good. You see what has happened to us in the past and in the future. We can't possibly navigate in this world without your wisdom, Grace and care. Please be all that you can be in me! Amen

Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas celebrations. It truly is the best time of the year!  The white dog is my west highland terrier, Lina, and our yorkie, Jack.We know that Jesus wasn't born in December, and we don't celebrate it because of winter solstice, we celebrate Jesus birth every day of the year, but it's great to have one day that concentrates on His birth.

Where would I be without Him? Thank God he doesn't tell us those things. There is no reason to dwell on what never was, and never will be. We celebrate the here and now, of being in His presence, loving others and displaying His love and kindness to the lost.

Jesus didn't hesitate to arrive here on earth so that He could save mankind. The greatest gospel truth is this, that Almighty God, lowered Himself to such a degree that He would be a helpless, newborn. The God who spoke all things into existence, cared for us enough to empty Himself of all that He was, so that the story of the fall would only be that, a story of what "was," not what "is" in our lives. Not that we have perfected being human, oh by no means, we all have to yield to God's gentle leading, and sometimes His push to display His glory. His power and authority rules in our lives as believers. That is something that I am happy to yield to. His love reigns supreme! Drum roll please.

This scene is in the narthex at my church. They had several little places like this for families to take pictures. I love fireplaces and use mine quite often this time of year. It makes the whole room cozy. 

This is my family's Christmas picture in front of our tree. Everyone looks so much older, yes, because we are! Time is one thing that we don't have a grasp of. It moves in spite of us, but with Jesus as the head we are always headed in the right direction. Amen!

I would like to share a scripture with you today from Proverbs 18:16. "A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great.

I like this verse since it reminds us of the greatest gift of all, Our Savior and Lord, Jesus! How I love to say His holy name, and give him praise. No matter what comes our way, we can rest in the fact that we are always in His care, and that He will somehow make a way for us regardless of the circumstance. I think of the persecuted church members in countries all over, who give testimony to the Love of God with their dying breaths. He receives their heart-felt cries, and receives them into heaven as victors in the winner's circle.

As we look at this verse we see that the gift was given by someone, who is much greater, and whose presence is great! Of course when we receive Jesus into our hearts we know we have also received The Father over all creation, who was and is, and is to come. Being ushered into the presence of God someday by Jesus, will be the crowning glory of our lives, and also just the beginning of our life in heaven. No tears, no death, no sorrow of any kind. Ruling and reigning with Christ.

We have a lot to do here before we can even think of the great beyond! Souls to bring to Christ, people to love regardless of their faith, and hands that reach out to the most desperate of souls.
Yes, we have a lot to do, as we serve Christ on earth, where he has us, doing His will to impact all eternity! Your life has impact, purpose, and is highly regarded, by the Presence of the Great!

Many Many Blessings and much love to all of you and your families as we celebrate the coming of the greatest man who ever lived. I so enjoy our time together, and look forward to talking with you next week. Merry Christmas!

I love the front of this house! It shouts He's alive,  Rejoice, give Him praise! The King is coming! I have no idea what these people believe, but that's my take on it.

Have you heard this song: I heard the bells on Christmas Day, on Christmas Day, on Christmas Day, I heard the bells on Christmas Day on Christmas Day in the morning. We were watching the end of the movie, " A Christmas Carol" last night and I was so joyed by the church bells ringing all over the city! Can't you hear the bells in heaven ringing out loud and clear when someone gives their heart to Christ, or receives healing, or hears from God?

The book of Revelation talks about the trumpets sounding, which seems more regal and kingly, but the peal of bells sounding out over the house tops so clear, sends a different message. Bells speak of Christmas in our culture. Many hymns talk about the ding dong sound of bells declaring the new born King's coming. What about His second coming?

There won't be the sweet sound of bells, but the roar of a Lion, the Lion of Judah. We will hear the voices of many angels saying, "Worthy is the Lamb  who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessings! And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"   { Revelation 5:12-13}

Then those who  are on the earth will wish that they had rung the bells, or Praised the Lord while here on earth. It will be a terrible time for the unbeliever, or those who half heartedly served God. It sounds from this scripture that even the " creatures on the earth and under the earth, meaning in the sea, will Praise God! Can we imagine such a scene? Animals will praise, maybe with the sound that God gave them, but what a sound that will be!

These are the silly reindeer that are in my yard right now. I know they have nothing to do with Christmas, but I still like them. My JOY sign is behind them, and that is what we want people to see, with the manger scene in it.

Have you ever considered why God would send His son to save us? He could have spoken salvation into existence, or used someone other than His son, or who know what to bring us to Himself, but He chose to send His one and only son. His Son was part of Him, of who He was, He was a treasure, especially since He couldn't be replaced.

Why not use another option, since He is God. He could do anything that He wanted to, but this was the only option in His estimation. What would cause a Holy Righteous God, to let go of heaven's jewel? Do you want to know the answer? It may shock you, but it was you. That's right, God looked to  eternity future, and desired that you would be His own. You are worth it, according to God. These are not my words, they are His.

"We love because he first loved us." {1John 4:9 }      " I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. "  {Jeremiah 1:5}      "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight."  {Ephesians 1:4 }



 

This is what it looks like in my front yard right now. Snoopy is a favorite because when I was a child, he was the comic that I would always read. Dogs were considered special in my family, and this dog was silly, cute and endearing.

What is on your heart during this season? Do you enjoy the holidays or are they just something you hope to get through without any damages? I'm thinking financial, or relational damage that can occur when we are in close proximity to those we love. Differing of opinions, how we raise our families, and live our lives can become explosive discussions within minutes since some of them come with hurt feelings from past holiday "discussions".

I lived through this with my Mom's mother and my Father. They were not "friends" to put it lightly. Most holidays they were civil, but both had short fuses and harsh tongues.The last time my Dad saw my Grandmother they had a big fight over how much my father would contribute to my college education. I had already finished two years, but my father felt that I should get a job and contribute to my tuition. My Grandmother was used to getting her way, and felt that I should have my education paid for by herself, my Mom and Dad. Dad left there fuming, and the ride from Connecticut to Long Island was much longer than usual. My Mom and Grandmother paid for the last two years. I am very grateful for that.

I don't mean to be airing dirty laundry, my point is that we can make or break bad situations by how we look at people ahead of time. Seeing those who we have difficulty with through Jesus' eyes can help us to hold our tongues. Before you know it, time will pass and those who we are angry with will be gone, and there will be no words said that will change this. A little compassion and concern for others can go a long way.

Jesus speaking to His Father said, "And the glory which you gave me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You loved Me. { John 17:22-23}
Let God lead you as you talk and share this Christmas. I am praying for you, and myself that He may be glorified. AMEN.