Christmas Day

 For us, celebrating Christmas is celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, Son of God  we choose to remember He is the reason for this season. 

Jesus was born so that we could receive the enteral gift.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Luke 2:8‭-‬20 KJV

Featured Friday Photo - December 24, 2021

 

Monday of Monday, what other day would it be?

The last two-ish weeks have been crazy. We had a touch of illness run through the house. Everyone is on the mend. I have returned to work this morning. (Gotta fund the hobby until the breakthrough, right?)

Our prayer is that everybody is at least 90% by Friday. Family time is important to us, so we want to be able to spend time with as many as possible.

If you don't mind, please keep our youngest in prayer. He has been affected the most by this illness and while he is doing better, it is still hanging around. 

On to the best-laid plans. 😂

• A short Jack Frost story is in the works. (short story or novella, I am not sure at this point.)
• I call Him Lord  - My nonfiction book I am working on. I am praying I have the first draft complete by the end of February.
• Wanderer - The first in the series of the Kamama. The nature of the beast is discovering if this book will start with the beginning, middle, or end. 😉
• An undecided project for the Whitestead Anthology set in Summer 1846.
• I'm sure there is more, but this is enough to get me through the winter.

How are you spending your holiday season? What are your plans?

Love...

 The fourth Advent Sunday is all about Love. Let's look at it this way, we would not have the advent season if it were not for the love God had for us in sending His son to us as the perfect sacrifice. Sure, it can be difficult to wrap our minds around it. Why would God sacrifice His son? The answer is simple because He loves us.

God can not tolerate sin. The solution is a perfect sacrifice. And so, Jesus was sent to be exactly that.

Could you lay down your life for another? 

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 1 John 4:9 KJV

Featured Friday Photo - 12/17/21

 

Joy

 

The third Advent Sunday is Joy. Our focus on joy is simply the anticipation of what is to come. Choosing to live with joy based on the knowledge that Christ will come again.

And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

Luke 1:41 KJV

As Elisabeth was pregnant with John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin, the mere hearing of MAry's voice excited the babe and Elisabeth became full of the Holy Ghost. That is the kind of joy I seek. Knowing the Lord is coming and being so close.

Peace...

The Second Sunday of Advent, we focus on peace. 

In the chaos of the world, we need to find our peace. The seemingly simple answer is to find peace in Jesus. While this is very true, it is not always "easy" for one to do.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:7 KJV

We do not always understand the peace that God grants us, but we need to trust it. Trusting God to provide peace is the biggest obstacle to get over. Once we do trust, the peace surpasses what we ever thought possible.

For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.

Isaiah 54:10 KJV

Featured Friday Photo - December 3, 2021

 I haven't taken very many photos this past week. But, this is my favorite.