Wow, this is it people. We're actually in this year 2012 now. Heck, even in older movies and shows, this was a popular "future" year, where there'd be technological advances and widespread knowledge...gee whiz, that don't sure sound like today :... more
A FANTASTIC, SUPERB rendition of one of my favorite hymns. It was such a nice little nugget I found this past Sunday on one of my many adventures on YouTube. How I wish I could sing in such a fashion with such a congregation, how the Spirit would... more
No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.* My body rests in safety. Psalm 16:9, NLT David's heart was glad--he had found the secret to joy. True joy is far deeper than happiness; we can feel joy in spite of our deepest troubles. Happiness is temporary because it is based on external circumstances, but joy is lasting because it is based on God's presence within us. As we contemplate his daily presence, we will find contentment. As we understand the future he has for us, we will experience joy. Don't base your life on circumstances, but on God.
SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns--01/24/12:
Enter the realm of the Spirit and ask what you will in faith. Do not hesitate or come with doubt or double-mindedness. Come expecting an answer, for I will surely hear and answer your requests according to My purposes, says the Lord. And, in your asking do not violate the free-will choices of others, for the ability to choose has been afforded to all and cannot be transgressed. Come to Me with purity of heart and exercise your childlike faith.
James 1:2-8 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
James 1:2-3 [Faith and Endurance] Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. Hugs - Your Friend BettyJo
For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
January 10, 2012 So once more the people complained against Moses. "Give us water to drink!" they demanded. "Quiet!" Moses replied. "Why are you complaining against me? And why are you testing the LORD?" Exodus 17:2, NLT The people complained about their problems instead of praying. Some problems can be solved by careful thought or rearranging our priorities. Some can be solved by discussion and good counsel. But some problems can be solved only by prayer. We should make a determined effort to pray when we feel like complaining because complaining only raises our level of stress. Prayer quiets our thoughts and emotions and prepares us to listen.
May GOD make your year a happy one! Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain, But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes; Not by making your path easy, But by making you sturdy to travel any path; Not by taking hardships from you, But by taking fear from your heart; Not by granting you unbroken sunshine, But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows;
No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, and disciplined. But no life is ever happy until it is lived for the glory of God. Keep the faith.
Loving Father, help us to remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wise men.
Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.
May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children, And the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake. Amen!
Thank You for being part of my 2011. Thank you for making it a Wonderful time for me! My friend you are a true gem and you sparkle and shine. Your friendship is one of the reasons I keep coming back to MP again and again...xxx Put this on the wall of the friends You NEVER want to Lose... Let them know how important they are to You...♥♥
The Christmas truce on Flanders Field in Belgium is a timeless testimony to the power of the birth of Christ. On the western front of World War I, a brief, unofficial cessation of hostilities occurred between British and German forces. It began on Christmas Eve 1914, when German soldiers in their trenches began singing "Silent Night." The British stopped firing and began singing English carols. Soon the troops were greeting each other across no-man's-land and exchanging small gifts. According to the written account of an unknown British soldier, the next morning, December 25, 1914, was foggy and very cold. Neither side began firing; the truce held. Some British troops went over to the German side to help bury a slain soldier and then returned for a Christmas worship service. "How we did sing, 'O Come, All Ye Faithful,'" he wrote his family. "I never expected to shake hands with Germans between the firing lines on Christmas Day, and I don't suppose you thought of us doing so. So after a fashion we've enjoyed our Christmas." The next day the war resumed.
O come, all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant, O come ye, o come ye, to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, born the king of angels;
Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation; O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above! Glory to God, all glory in the highest;
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning; Jesus, to Thee be all glory given; Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.
O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
"For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." -- Luke 2:11
Today's reading is from Near to the Heart of God by Robert J. Morgan.
God had promised the people of Israel a Savior. Through the prophets, God had told them how the Savior would come and what he would do. All the things the prophets had said about Jesus’ birth came to pass. Mary gave birth to Jesus in the town of Bethlehem, an ordinary, quiet place.
Luke 2:1-7 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 his 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. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While 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 room for them in the inn.
Further Study JUST THE FACTS
Why did Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem? (vv. 1 – 3) What was another name for the town of Bethlehem? (v. 4) Why did Mary put the baby in a manger? (v. 7)
LET’S TALK
Can you think of some of the prophecies that were fulfilled when Jesus was born? Look back to the previous readings if you need to. Why would God want his Son to be born in such a poor and ordinary place?
WHY THIS MATTERS
That night in Bethlehem, God came down to earth in the form of a little baby. God gave Jesus a humble beginning so that everyone could understand that he came to bring salvation to all people, even the poorest and lowliest. Jesus was born human, like us, so we could relate to him. He was God so that he could save us from our sins and give us new life.
POINTS OF INTEREST
2:7 The manger Mary laid Jesus in was a trough or open box used to hold grain or grasses to feed livestock. The area around Bethlehem has many limestone caves that were used in Bible times to shelter and feed animals. Although we think of a stable as a wooden building, the stable Jesus was born in may have been a cave located behind an inn.
Your greatest gift to others is to be happy and to radiate your happiness to the entire world. Every day is Christmas when you are open to receiving love. May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope; the spirit of Christmas which is peace; the heart of Christmas which is love.
