Monday Monday and Tuesday 4: Christmas!

 Good Morning Everyone! It's another Monday Monday!! The last Advent Monday before Christmas! Hard to believe Christmas is just one week from today!  Our Tuesday 4 meme is all about Christmas, so I will save some of my thoughts to share within that format, which will follow my Monday thoughts.  I figure I might as well do both posts in one today because the rest of the week is going to get pretty busy and I probably won't have much time for writing.  

Here in Florida we had a humdinger of a kind of tropical storm over the weekend. Massive amounts of rain and wind moved onshore from the Gulf of Mexico and pretty well flooded the whole state of Florida all night Saturday.  By Sunday morning the rain had mostly stopped, but then the wind picked up and the gusts were quite strong.  Thankfully we didn't have any major damages, just a few dead tree limbs fallen to the ground and lots of leaves from the trees.  Still Waters Pond filled up nicely after the at least 4" of rain that we received in a 24 hour period!  Here are some sunset pictures I took last night after the storm had finally abated:

If you look at this one above, you can see where the water has come up above the grasses along the shore. That area had become fairly dry before the storm, so now the pond is full and happy again!

I loved how the skies went from fiery orange to gray in just a matter of minutes.

More clouds rolled in ...

And very soon we had a black and white sunset!

But I thought it was still very beautiful in a very dramatic way...

Thankfully by then the winds had died down and all was calm and still somewhat bright...

We give thanks to the Lord for His protection during this storm. With all the big trees we have around here it could have been much much worse. I know places down along the southwest coast of Florida did get a lot of tidal surge and damaging flood waters. We pray for those who have suffered in the wrath of this storm.

Meanwhile, yesterday morning the sun was shining enough for people to come out to church and give their thanks to God.  Unfortunately, my hubby has gotten a bad cold/cough and had to stay home. Quite a few people have had this "crud" around our church/community here lately...even our Pastor and his wife were sick for about a week. I am praying that I don't get it. Our son Benton also had it, but so far neither Rose nor I have come down with it. Please pray that we don't...Christmas is coming...and there's still too much to be done to get sick...and we have some very special guests joining us on Christmas day for dinner...someone that you may know, so PLEASE pray we are all well for Christmas!

Because my hubby couldn't go to Sunday School or Church yesterday, guess who got to teach our Adult Sunday School class?  Yep, yours truly!  I don't usually teach, but I do help and give support in our lessons each week.  Normally if my hubby can't go our Pastor will fill in for him, but because he's been under the weather all last week too, we didn't want to burden him with having to prepare a lesson on short notice. So I came up with a lesson that I've been wanting to do for a long time.  

I wonder how many of you are a fan of "Handel's Messiah"?  If so, you are probably aware that every song is actually a recitation of Scripture...Here is a list.  So for our lesson, we went through each of the scripture references listed (but only made it through Part 1 this week), and discussed their significance in order of the prophecies given in the Old Testament and prophecies fulfilled in the New Testament, in the birth of Jesus Christ.  It became a very interesting and enjoyable discussion. I was thankful that the Pastor was in our class to help give more insight and history when difficult questions came up.  As I said, we only made it through the first part, which is primarily the part of Handel's Messiah that pertains to Christmas, but everyone in class said they would like to continue this study next week to finish it if we can.  So I told hubby about it when I got home and he was happy with that...so we will continue next week.  Oh, one of our Christmas traditions here in our home is to listen to Handel's Messiah at some time during the Advent season.  We found the best performance on YouTube videos with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  

Speaking of choirs and music, yesterday morning in our church service was our Children's program. It was wonderful, as children's Christmas programs always are.  

Here is a "promotional video" of some of the music...you can listen to this if you want and get the idea of what these kids were singing and doing in the pictures below...

The group was a little smaller than usual, but they did a fantastic job. Here are a few pictures from their performance:

As children's programs go, you know this was super special and wonderful.  They definitely got a standing ovation at the end!

And so now let's move on to the Tuesday 4 meme, which is all about Christmas!

Christmas

 Hi there. It's time for another of Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4...

Christmas is next week...Let's talk a bit about it, okay?


1. Are you excited for Christmas to come?

Yes, I am always excited about Christmas, even if I seem to be a bit rattled from time to time about everything that needs to get done, I LOVE Christmas and everything about it.

2. What do you look forward to on Christmas?

Mostly the time spent with loved ones and friends.   And this year we will have some very special guests joining us for the day in addition to our immediate local family. Some of you may know our special guests, Linda and her hubby Dave from Just Simply Linda blog fame, so please keep praying we all stay well!  Linda and Dave live just about an hour's drive from us, and we have met several times in the past since they moved to Florida from NY about a year and a half ago. It will be a very blessed time together.  Also our local friend Pamela will be here, as she is a "snow-bird" from CT, and has no family here.

3. What will Christmas Eve find you doing?

On Christmas Eve morning, which is a Sunday, we will be in church as usual. Our choir will be performing our Christmas Cantata, which is entitled "The Christmas Story".  We will have our dress rehearsal this Tuesday night and it will be recorded, but the recording won't be available until Sunday, so hopefully I can share it with you then. Please pray for our singers that we will all stay healthy and be able to sing!!   And then on Christmas Eve night we also a have a Candlelight Service at church, and so we will be there for that, Lord willing.

4. What will be on the menu for Christmas?

This year we are doing something a little different, but not really. We have done this before and it is always a hit...we are having lasagna for Christmas dinner! This was a suggestion by our guests, who said they wanted to bring it with them...and of course we all thought that would be wonderful, and we will also be making a pan of lasagna here, along with salad and garlic bread.  Dessert? Well, I don't know yet...we'll see what we come up with.  After eating a lasagna dinner I never have room for dessert, but I'm sure we can't get away with no desserts...so there will be something I am certain...LOL.

From Annie, our Tuesday 4 Hostess: "Since Christmas will come before the next Tuesday 4, I wish you a blessed and very merry Christmas."   (This picture is one of our Tuesday 4 hostess Annie's creations...isn't is lovely? She is very gifted)

"Angels say what???"

Luke 2:8-14

8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 

9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 

10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 

11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 

12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

14 “Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Thursday Thankfulness Advent Window

 Today is the 7th day of Advent, if you count from December 1st.  Or do you count from the first Sunday of Advent, December 3rd? I don't know, so I guess we'll just open the window and see what's been going on today!

Oh look! I see beautiful reindeer dressed for Christmas, and a very interesting looking building that looks like it could be a fun place to spend this Advent weekday!

And look what we found inside when we opened this Advent window!  A lot of lovely smiling faces who look like they've enjoyed spending some time together as a family!

Yes, that would be the Steiner family, well, most of us. Scott couldn't join us as he had to work, but this is my hubby's brother Bill and wife Peggy and their two "kids", Nick and Shannon, along with my hubby John and our two "kids", Benton and Rose, and then there's yours truly with the redbird on her shirt (in case you couldn't pick me out of the bunch).  They were passing through our area on their way to Gatlinburg for a little pre-Christmas vacation.  We had a wonderful lunch at one of our favorite places and had a great visit.  This kind of took the place of being together for Thanksgiving, and is just a prelude to Christmas, which we will hopefully celebrate together sometime soon after the actual date.  They live about 2 hours away from us, so it is always a treat when we can figure out a plan to get together.

Niece Shannon found a little friend on the front porch...this is the resident cat who welcomes everyone to the restaurant. (and hopes for handouts when people leave. LOL)

Some of you may remember praying for Shannon a few years ago when she was involved in a pretty serious car accident that caused some severe hip and leg injuries, and also spoiled her opportunities for being able to accept a college scholarship for swimming.  However, she is now doing great, all healed, and is attending a local community college. She is also starting to get back into swimming with an adult swim team. She says she's just trying to get back "into the swim of things" and taking it slow and easy.  She's really a miracle child, and we are very thankful to God for healing her.

This is her big brother Nicholaus. I'd say it's a miracle I got this picture of him. He has never liked having his picture taken and it is a rare moment when he will let me capture his handsome face in a photo.  I think this is a moment worth celebrating.  Nick is a sweet guy, and is a junior at the University of Central Florida now. 

Both of these young adults are wonderful people and we are very proud of them.  It was a blessing to spend some time with them today.

Thinking about opening an Advent window...I opened this window and here's Pamela's Victorian Cottage! 

It appears that there are two angels standing on the front porch, waiting to be invited inside I guess.

There's a lot of hustle bustle going on inside the house...all the family has gathered and they are getting things ready for Christmas. It looks as though their Auntie from the city has arrived with gifts...

and apparently they can't hear the angels knocking at the front door...

It made me stop and wonder about how often there were angels "knocking" at our doors, or perhaps standing next to us,  or even being invited into our homes, and we didn't realize the time of their visitation...We didn't recognize them for who they were.  

The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 13:1-2

1"Let brotherly love continue. 

2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, 

for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels."

Perhaps this is a good reminder to us during this busy holiday season to pay attention to those who may come into our homes, our churches, or wherever we may be...strangers who may go out of their way to lend us a hand or protect us from some kind of impending danger, or even bring us unexpected gifts of special blessings that we need and have no idea how we would ever be able to afford it or take care of it.

 Or perhaps someone who actually needs our help and we find ourselves going out of our way to help someone else in need and it brings us such joy to be able to do so.

We know about the Angels who played such a big part in the birth of Christ...The Angel Gabriel and his announcement to Mary, (Luke 1:26-38) and to Joseph in Matthew 1:18-25, and then of course the angels who proclaimed Christ's birth to the Shepherds in Luke 2:8-20.  

The angels were very busy all through the Gospels in preparing the way for Christ's birth and then protecting him when King Herod sought to destroy Him. (Matthew 2). 

I do believe that angels are still active today, watching over the children of God.  We may have encountered angels many times in our lives without knowing it.  

I hope someday to meet the angels who have been watching over me all these years. I have a feeling I will be surprised to find out how often they intervened on my behalf and I did not realize it.

I am thankful for God's provision of angels "unaware" in our lives...

This is certainly something to think about during this holy season.

To close out this Advent thankfulness window, why don't we sing along with this wonderful Christmas song, "Angels We have heard on high"

Thank You, Lord, for the angels who have been active in our lives, whether we have been aware of them or not.  And thank You for the angels who announced the birth of our Lord and Savior, and also who watched over Him when the evil king Herod sought to have Him destroyed.  It makes me wonder how often my enemies would have tried to destroy me had it not been for God's angels standing in the way protecting me.  I look forward to meeting them someday, but most of all, I look forward to the day that I meet You, Jesus, face to face...for we know that it is You who has directed the angels to watch over us.  Thank You, Jesus.  Amen.

Good Night Friends. Sleep in heavenly peace...

 

When Things Start to Fall Apart...Just Get Back Up and Shine!! Repeat Performance...

Original post written a few years ago...but it seems like I relive this "repeat performance" every year about this time...How about you? Is the pre-Christmas stress starting to get to you? Are things feeling more like they are falling apart than put together?...Read on and maybe we can get through this season together...

12/20/2017:

This morning was the day for our home Bible Study, and we have been lighting the candles on the Advent Wreath each week.  Because our wreath is made of real pine boughs attached to wet florist's blocks, I keep it outside on the back porch during the week in between our gatherings so it won't dry out so much in the warm, dry house.

This morning after replacing some of the pine boughs that were starting to die with fresh ones, I brought the wreath into the house to get it ready for our service.  As soon as I set it down around the candles on the little table in our living room, it literally fell apart...some of the foam blocks fell to the floor, with the pine needles falling all over the place...and it was a MESS!!  I quickly gathered the pieces back up and stuck them all back together as good as I could since I didn't have time to start over.

So here is the poor lopsided Advent Wreath, looking rather disheveled and worn...Kind of the way I feel about this time every year as we get closer to Christmas and I am not really ready...

I woke up this morning and said out loud (while still lying upon my bed) "I hate myself!"  My husband was just barely awake and didn't quite understand what I said, so he asked me to repeat it. So I did...and he was quite perplexed, surprised and concerned. This is not a normal state of affairs for me, especially to say out loud before I even get out of bed! Actually, I don't think I've ever said that in my head or out loud.  That's just not me.  But I went to sleep last night thinking about all the things that I still need to do in the next few days before Christmas (too numerous to list here and I don't want you to know exactly how much I still need to do...)...and I woke up thinking about all these things and I just said out loud "I hate myself!"  Why? Because I do this every single year!  You would think I would have learned by now not to put off so much until the last week before Christmas and then end up in a panic having a meltdown in the middle of a department store because I can't find what I want and I don't even know what I want even if I could find it and when I do find it I know I really don't want that after all, but in desperation I have to get something!!!  And just like that Advent Wreath, I fall apart and look disheveled and worn and just wish I could crawl away somewhere and hide until Christmas is all over.

I wonder how Mary, the mother of Jesus, felt the week before Christmas.

There she was, technically a betrothed but still unmarried young woman, great with child...(not by her betrothed husband to be, but by the Holy Spirit, so you can imagine how difficult that had been to explain to everyone...) and wouldn't you know it was time to travel to Bethlehem to be counted in the census?  I'm not sure just how long that trip was, but you can only imagine, even five miles would be too far to travel on the back of a donkey when you are nine months pregnant.  And then, to finally arrive in Bethlehem only to discover that all the hotel rooms were taken, and there was no room for them in the Inn, so the only place they could stay was in a smelly, dirty animal stable, with the dirty, smelly animals standing by. Can you imagine how Mary must have felt?  Talk about being rather disheveled and worn and weary...and then to go into labor and actually give birth to your baby right there in that stable with the animals watching?  And there were no midwives or doctors or nurses available to help with the labor and delivery...no medicine to block the pain...no clean bed to lay upon...and only your betrothed there to attend to you...a man whom who truly have not known in that kind of intimate way...

Can you imagine how Mary must have felt...she had no clean, soft blanket or diapers to comfort her newborn babe?  But somehow she found some "swaddling cloths" to wrap around him, and she laid him in the hay in the manger.

If I had been Mary, I wonder if I could have been so cool, calm, and collected at the birth of my first child? Probably not, judging by the way I've been acting this week before Christmas...

But perhaps if the angels had come to tell me about the birth of my baby in the first place...and then if the angels had come to sing praises at His birth...and the shepherds had come to bow down and worship Him

...maybe I would have a different attitude...perhaps I wouldn't be so focused on the peripheral "stuff", but would be truly worshiping and adoring the Child sent to me by God...God's Gift to me...and to the whole world...and I would be singing with the angelic choir..."Gloria in excelsis Deo"...Glory to God in the Highest...and Peace, Goodwill to men...

So, after thinking about this, maybe I just need to pull myself together, get my self organized, and just get out there and "shine"...

Like this Advent Wreath, after  straightening up the candles, pulling the pine boughs back together as well as possible, we read the verses about the Angels announcing Jesus' birth to Mary, Joseph, and the Shepherds...and then we lit the candles and let it shine forth in the darkness.

Yes, that's what I need to do. There isn't much time left...but after giving myself this little "pep talk", I think I can go out with a new and brighter attitude...and a song of joy in my heart as I go about my activities of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus, our Savior and Lord!!!

"Hark the Herald Angels sing, Glory to the Newborn King!"

Angels Watching Over Me

I stepped outside this evening ostensibly to watch the sunset, 

and it was magnificent and did not disappoint.

But what really caught my attention were the clouds...and it was as if God was putting on a beautiful display of His cloud creations just to give me great comfort and encouragement tonight on the eve of my surgery.

The song that came to me right away was:

"All night, all day, angels watching over me, my Lord,

All night, all day, angels watching over me."

(There's a video of the Oak Ridge Boys singing this song following these pictures if you want to sing along)

Now, don't get me wrong, no, I don't believe that the clouds are angels. But 

so often when I have needed a little reassurance from the Lord He has shown me "His angels" in the clouds, and they have always given me peace.

 Several verses from  Psalm 91 also came to mind:

1.  "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

 2.  I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, 

My God, in Him I will trust."

 3.  Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler

and from the perilous pestilence.

 4.  He shall cover you with His feathers,

and under His wings you shall take refuge;

His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

 5.  You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,

nor of the arrow that flies by day,

6.  Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,

Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

 9.  Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,

even the Most High, your dwelling place,

10.  No evil shall befall you,

nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

11.  For He shall give His angels charge over you,

to keep you in all your ways.

12.  In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

14. Because he has set his love upon Me, 

therefore I will deliver him;

I will set him on high, because he has known My Name.

15.  He shall call upon Me, 

and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble' I will deliver him and honor him.

16.  With long life I will satisfy him,

and show him my salvation."

I want to thank you all for your prayers and words of encouragement over the past few weeks/days as I have shared with you the fact that I am having some major surgery tomorrow. Yes, it is "repair work", but because of the intricacies of this particular repair, it will be somewhat invasive and I will need several weeks to fully recuperate. Hopefully I will soon be back up and writing again, but if you don't hear from me for a while, please just say a little prayer. I will be anxious to get back to visiting with you all again as soon as possible. 

Oh, one more thing:  This morning I shared on Facebook that I was drinking that stuff that cleans you out, and I was drinking from my favorite cup:

I wanted to say that during the early moments of drinking this lovely drink (!), I did actually 

"Stand Still and consider the wondrous works of God" 

(Job 37:14) 

as I watched the geese on Still Waters Pond:

And I rejoiced in the way that God sent these beautiful creatures to visit and entertain me this morning...at least for a little while as I was able to "stand still and watch" them. 

So the day started out with God's blessing, and has certainly ended with His blessing.

And now, dear friends, I must get ready for bed. We finally heard from the hospital that I am to arrive at 5:00 a.m., and it is almost an hour's drive away from us...so...we will be rising very early in the morning. Makes me wish they'd go back to the olden days when they'd let you come and spend the night at the hospital the night before surgery. Oh well...hopefully I will be first on the docket and we can get this party over and done with!!

Final thoughts for tonight:

"I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;

For You alone,  O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

Psalm 4:8