Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is coming!

I have to tell you I really didn't think I'd be able to get the tree up and decorated this year. But yesterday our son Scott came home (after working for several hours in the early morning and then driving an hour to get here) and by the time we got home from lunch after church he had the tree already standing in the living room with the lights on it! That was a miracle to me! (And we brought him a nice hot cheeseburger and fries from the restaurant for his lunch too). As the afternoon progressed, I did manage to start putting the decorations on it, and by evening it was looking pretty good!

These pictures are a realistic view into our living room when the Christmas boxes come in from the storage shed...again, thanks to our son Scott.  He dodged a little bit of rain to get everything in just in time before it really started pouring.

Then, since he was still here with us, we called the other "kids" to come over to visit and have an impromptu "breakfast for supper"...bacon, sausage, eggs, and biscuits. It was pretty good and fun to be together before Scott had to hit the road to get back to Jacksonville.

Our grandpup Sugar was enjoying sitting in her Daddy's lap and stretching her head backwards to look at the pretty tree...

It did look very nice. I love the lights most of all, don't you? There's just something about lights at Christmas...

We didn't try to put up the train/village last night as we were all a bit too tired to start that project. Still not sure if it will happen this year or not...time will tell.  If I can't get down on the floor and back up again, then it probably won't happen, unless the kids want to come back over and spend another evening playing with the trains. However, I must say, I truly believe I am starting to turn the corner with this arm/shoulder/back pain...little by little, day by day, I believe it's getting better...but I still have to pace myself and not overdo it. I do give thanks to the Lord for the improvement that seems to be happening.

Today I did a few more things...the Tea Cup tree is ready, 

along with the angels singing...

And tonight I had my first official cup of hot cocoa of the season (hot ovaltine,  actually...my favorite!)

It's always fun to sip a cup of hot cocoa while watching the skaters and the sleds on the little pond...(lol)

Poinsettias and candles and the little white church make the table look pretty and bright...

This little white church was a Christmas gift last year from my sister in law. I love it.   I love how it lights up and shines so brightly.  

It reminds me of our own little white church, and it "shines so brightly" as a light in the darkness around us.  

Yesterday we sang this song in the choir..."Christmas is Coming, let the church bells ring...people celebratin' the birth of a King...shoutin' hosanna 'til the heavens ring! Christmas is comin', let the church bells ring..."    You might enjoy listening to the song...this is not our choir singing, but we did our best to sound this good...

 Do you ever wonder why we have so many lights shining at Christmas?  Maybe it's because of the Star of Bethlehem that the Wise Men followed...or perhaps even more so, the lights of Christmas shine for Jesus..."The Light of the World"

John 1:1-14

"1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

And in John chapter 8:12, Jesus declares to us:

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Yes, I believe that is why we love the lights so much at Christmas...because we celebrate the birth of Jesus, "The Light of the World".    So now, when you see those lights twinkling and shining so brightly everywhere, on Christmas trees, in the windows of houses and churches, on the rooftops and porches all across the land...wherever you may see the lights of Christmas, remember that Jesus is the Light of the World...and whoever follows Him will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life!  Praise God for that beautiful Light, Jesus, the Light of the world!!

Happy Advent!!

CHRISTmas is Coming!!

 Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat!!   We were excited to see the geese arrive back on Still Waters Pond this morning...the first time we've seen them since last spring!

If you aren't familiar with this little tune, here it is for you:

Christmas is coming, goose is getting fat

Please put a penny in the old man’s hat

If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do

If you haven’t got a ha’penny then God bless you!

Christmas is coming, goose is getting fat

Please put a penny in the old man’s hat

If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do

If you haven’t got a ha’penny then God bless you!

Christmas is coming, candles on the tree

Please hang a stocking for Saint Nick to see

If you haven’t got a stocking, a little sock will do

If you haven’t got a little sock then God bless you!

Christmas is coming, season of good cheer

Let’s sing a carol for the brand-new year!

If you haven’t got a carol, a joyous song will do

If you haven’t got a joyous song then God bless you!

Christmas is coming, goose is getting fat

Please put a penny in the old man’s hat

If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do

If you haven’t got a ha’penny then God bless you!

I was happy to see not just ONE goose, but four geese swimming on the pond!!

We are very excited to see them return, and hope they will decide to stay awhile, and perhaps at least one couple will decide to build their nest here again! Time will tell. But for now, I am considering this a Christmas blessing!!

And not only the geese, but there were bluebirds in the yard the other day when we were having so much rain! This one was checking out the birdhouse!  I certainly hope they will be back to nest here again also!! Another Christmas blessing!

Joy to the World, The Lord is Come!

Let earth receive her King!

Let every heart prepare Him room

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing!

The carolers are all singing and rejoicing in the Good News!

Looks like Mrs. Santa and Santa Claus are getting ready for the big day!  Hey, Santa, where's your sleigh?  Are you taking the train this year?

Oh, Someone hijacked Santa's sleigh and put some beautiful flowers in it, and sent it here special delivery!! What a wonderful surprise from some sweet family members!

Looks like everyone is ready for Christmas at the cabin:

The Martin Sisters are gathered round the piano and ready to sing...

Oh, there's another Santa, and he's got gifts ready to bring...

The snowmen are warming up by the fire...better watch out! You might melt!

Baby Elva and Lily Grace are enjoying the tree and the train and village...

The sleepy little village of "Bethlehem" is ready for the weary travelers...

(this is the modern day version of Bethlehem, not to be confused with the real Bethlehem...)

Lily Grace and her friends are getting ready for the Birthday Party for Jesus:

See? The cake is baked and the friends are all dressed in their best Christmas outfits, ready to celebrate:

All the family at Pamela's Victorian Cottage are ready to celebrate Jesus' Birthday:

Uh, someone might need some help in gift-wrapping...Actually they are mostly done, but just waiting for Santa to pick them up and deliver them...

Yes, Christmas IS coming, and yes, there will be gifts under the tree on Christmas morning...well, maybe not exactly under the tree due to the train and village, but somewhere in the neighborhood...

And yes, there are some cookies being baked a little at a time...This is a new recipe that turned out really good...Cranberry/white chocolate chip and pecans...yummy.  (found a recipe online).

Yes, all this is being done because of one very special reason,

CHRISTmas is coming!

Jesus, Our Savior and Lord...

He is coming!

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, 

and we beheld His glory, 

the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, 

full of grace and truth."

John 1:14

And that, my friends, is why we do all of this celebrating!

CHRIST-mas is coming!!

Silent Night

Silent night, holy night!

All is calm, all is bright.

Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child.

Holy infant so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace,

Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight.

Glories stream from heaven afar

Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,

Christ the Savior is born!

Christ the Savior is born

Silent night, holy night!

Son of God love's pure light.

Radiant beams from Thy holy face

With dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus Lord, at Thy birth

Jesus Lord, at Thy birth

From all creatures great and small here at our house to yours:

Merry Christmas everyone!!

This will probably be my last post until after Christmas, unless something else exciting happens!

So until then, have a very blessed and beautiful CHRISTmas with your loved ones and friends.

And remember,

"Jesus is the REASON for the season!!"

Sermon Notes: "The Look", A Mother's Day Message

Our scripture reference for Mother's Day was...you guessed it...Proverbs 31:10-31...a Portrait of the Virtuous Woman...I wonder how many churches heard a sermon based on these sames verses today? I expect most of them! But to me, it never grows old.  This Proverbs Woman is a role model for women everywhere...not just mothers...not old women, or young women...but all women everywhere...regardless of culture and nationality!

Before I get started on the message, let me say that we do appreciate your continued prayers for our pastor.  He goes by the name, "A.C.", so if you would lift up a prayer for "A.C.", God will know exactly who you mean.  He is still battling a serious illness and stands in need of our prayers...so thank you again.

We were blessed to have our Mother's Day message given by our church chaplain's wife, who is also our music and worship leader. Her message was very personal and from the heart, and God was truly glorified in the words that were spoken to us.

Being the child of a father who was an alcoholic, and a mother who worked very hard to balance home, parenting, a full time job as a chef, being a Christian role model for her daughter...and Girl Scout leader on her only day off...our speaker today could share from personal experience about walking a fine line between living in fear (of her father) and feeling loved and protected.  Her mother had to be the tough disciplinarian as well as a tender and compassionate parent.  She often only had to give her child "The Look"...and we have all experienced that "look" from our parents, haven't we?..."The Look" that says, "you'd better straighten up right away or you know what could happen!"

In reading about the Proverbs 31 woman, we can imagine that she was a woman of no nonsense, and that she probably knew very well how to give "The Look" to her children when necessary.

In the early church, there were some excellent examples of women who could demonstrate very well the attributes of the Proverbs 31 woman.

In Acts 16:13-15 we find Lydia, a 

"seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God." (vs. 14) And the scriptures say that "The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul...and when she and her household were baptized; she begged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay."  And so she persuaded us." (vs. 15)  

Lydia was a businesswoman, possibly the head of her household...and it took great courage in that day to step forth and have her whole household baptized into faith in Jesus Christ...and then to actually follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and the disciples.  But she was not afraid...and I have a feeling that Lydia was a role model for many women in her region and possibly led many others to Christ.  

Another marvelous example of a strong Christian "Proverbs 31" woman was Dorcas, also known as Tabitha.  We read in Acts 9:36, that Dorcas was a woman "full of good works and charitable deeds".  But Dorcas became very sick and died...and when Peter and the disciples came to Joppa, the people pleaded with him to come to see her.  (verses 37-43)  Peter did come and prayed for her, and literally raised her from the dead. Verse 42 says that "it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord."    What a powerful story! Here again is a woman who was well known for her good deeds, and God restored her life so that many were saved as a result.  I am certain that Dorcas went right back to doing her charitable deeds even more so after being touched by God in this miraculous way.

In Romans 16:1-2 we learn of another godly "Proverbs 31 Woman", Phoebe. Paul states the following: 

1. "I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea,

2. that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; 

for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also."

Oh! to have such high recommendations given by the leaders of the Church...

Even Timothy's mother and grandmother received high marks from Paul...

II Timothy 1:4-5

"Greatly desiring to see you, (Timothy), being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy,

when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also."

(Yes, even grandmothers have a powerful influence in the growth of faith of our grandchildren...)

But now we move to perhaps the finest example of a Proverbs 31 woman ever found...Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

Jesus, The very Word of God (John 1:1-14), Who became flesh and dwelt among us...

Mary knew from the beginning how special her son Jesus was to the world...and yet, He was her son...and Mary was a very human mother.  We know she experienced fear...especially when she didn't know where Jesus was...read Luke 2:46-52, when 12 year old Jesus was nowhere among the travelers headed home from Jerusalem...and Mary and Joseph searched for him for three days...and we can imagine that they were getting pretty frantic.  When they finally found Jesus, He was sitting in the Temple, in the midst of the teachers (verse 46-47), both listening to them and asking them questions.  "And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers."

But His parents "were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously." Can you imagine that Mary probably gave her Son "The Look"... I mean, Mary was a normal mother, filled with fear and anxiety for the safety of her Son, and then to find Him sitting there with the teachers in the Temple for three days while they had been searching so diligently for Him...and He was rather nonchalant about why they were so concerned..."Why did you seek Me? did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?"  I can imagine  that "Look" Mary would have given Him would have been a look of exasperation mixed with relief and wonder...

Nevertheless,  the Bible says in verse 51-52:

"Then He (Jesus) went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."

Look back a moment to Luke 1:38...right after the angel had explained to Mary that she would conceive and bring forth a Son...and that He would be the Son of God...and even though Mary questioned how this could be, in verse 38 Mary said,

"Behold the maidservant of the Lord!

Let it be to me according to your word."

In Luke 1:50, in Mary's beautiful prophetic prayer she says, 

"And His (God's) mercy is on those who fear Him, from generation to generation."

Proverbs 31:30 says:

"Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,

but a woman who FEARS the Lord, she shall be praised."

Proverbs 9:10

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom"

There are also some unhealthy fears in life...our speaker had great fear of her alcoholic father. She could not respect him because of his outbursts of anger and rage, and she lived in fear of him. (However she did share that later in life she was able to forgive and love him).  However, with her mom, she did respect her, and because she knew her mother loved her, all she had to do was give her "the Look" when she had been disobedient, and she knew that "the Look" also said,

"I don't want you to do wrong. I love you so much...I want you to be safe...I would take all your pain if I could...but some things you need to learn the hard way in life...there are consequences to disobedience..."

This is the type of "fear" we should have for God...Jesus has given us these commandments in Matthew 22:37-39:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like it:

You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

God is watching us, and if we do wrong we do have to face the consequences for our sin, but when we ask forgiveness, He is faithful to forgive us ...and He is saying to us, "I love you so much that I gave the ultimate sacrifice for your sins...John 3:16 tells us 

"God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life..."

If our Mom said to do this, we'd better do it.

God gave us these commandments, and we should do them.

Those who don't know the Lord had better fear Him, because we will all have to face Him.

But when we know the amazing love of God, we have a desire to please Him and to pray for as many as possible to go to heaven....

So the question today is what kind of woman am I? Am I a woman who fears the Lord with a reverential fear....do I serve Him with all my heart?  I don't want God to have to give me "The Look" when I step out of line...but I am glad that He loves me enough, like my own mother did, to give me that LOOK of warning with love...because He does love me so much that He wants me to have everlasting life with Him...

During our closing communion time, the choir sang the following song, and as I knelt at the altar for a moment to pray, these words really gripped my heart:

VERSE 1 
You are beautiful beyond description 
Too marvelous for words 
Too wonderful for comprehension 
Like nothing ever seen or heard 
Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom? 
Who can fathom the depth of Your love? 
You are beautiful beyond description 
Majesty, enthroned above 

CHORUS 
And I stand, I stand in awe of You 
I stand, I stand in awe of You 
Holy God, to whom all praise is due 
I stand in awe of You 

VERSE 2 
You are beautiful beyond description 
Yet God crushed You for my sin 
In agony and deep affliction 
Cut off that I might enter in 
Who can grasp such tender compassion? 
Who can fathom this mercy so free? 
You are beautiful beyond description 
Lamb of God who died for me 

CHORUS 
And I stand, I stand in awe of You 
I stand, I stand in awe of You 
Holy God, to whom all praise is due 
I stand in awe of You 

I want to be a woman who stands in awe of our marvelous of God...I want to be that woman "who fears the Lord..." and to know that when God gives me "The Look", it is a look of extreme, divine Love... a love that will never let me go no matter where I wander or even if I should forget His marvelous grace...just one look will bring me back into His open arms.  How about you?

Please Note : I want to repeat this disclaimer here...the notes, outline, and content included here are based upon my own personal understanding of the message that was being given.  I am not attempting to completely quote or reproduce this message or any other message I've shared previously.  Just as each person reading these notes may glean insights and thoughts that seem to directly apply to one's own situation and interpretation, my own delivery of these messages is skewed by my hearing and translation of what is being said.  Some may read my notes here and wonder if they were hearing the same message as I...and I say, God speaks to each of us as He wills...there are things He is trying to get across to each individual that may be entirely different than what the person sitting next to you in the pew is needing to hear...  That is how the Holy Spirit works! He knows what we need to hear and how to apply it to our hearts.  So it is with that understanding that I present these sermon notes to you.

Sermon Notes from FUMC, Interlachen, FL, 5/13/2018 - Mother's Day