Monday Monday!

It's a rather foggy Monday morning here beside Still Waters Pond.  

It's now about 9:00 a.m., and the fog just seems to be getting thicker rather than dissipating.

Makes me thankful to not be out on the roads this morning, but I pray for those who may be traveling for this Thanksgiving Holiday week.  Fog can be a traveler's worst enemy. So please, dear friends, wherever you are...if it is foggy, just wait a while before venturing out. I know we all get in a rush to "get to Grandma's house on time" for Thanksgiving...but it's better to be late than not show up at all...

So please be cautious and wait for the fog to lift.

The other afternoon I was sitting in the "Secret-Memorial Garden"...it was a beautiful sunny day after a week of clouds and rain, so I enjoyed soaking up a bit of sunshine and warmth.

I took a book out with me to the swing, thinking I would do some reading while I sat there, but that didn't happen. I hate to put my nose in a book while there is so much beauty around me. I'm always afraid I might miss something.

The title of the book was "The Waiting", one of those Amish fiction stories...this one by Suzanne Woods Fisher. It was a good book, and so I am reading several others by the same author. I tend to  check out everything I can find by a certain author until I've depleted their current works and then I move on to someone else.

However, the title "The Waiting" made me think about a song we were working on in our choir for the Advent season (which begins in a couple of weeks, btw...the four weeks leading up to Christmas), and so as I said there with this book on my lap, instead of reading it, I was humming/singing the song entitled "Waiting".  Here is a preview of the music, if you wish to sing along with it...

It included the following lyrics, but these are not all of the words...:

"Waiting, we are waiting for the coming King"

1 O come, O come, Emmanuel,

and ransom captive Israel

that mourns in lonely exile here

until the Son of God appear.

Refrain:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

shall come to you, O Israel.

I thought to myself how appropriate this song is especially for this year, as we see the conflicts going on in the Middle East and in particular in Israel. Sadly, many of those of the Jewish nation still do not know that Emmanuel, Jesus Christ, is their Messiah...their "Coming King"...and that He already came for them once as a tiny baby in a Manger...and they did not recognize Him then...so they are still waiting for "the coming King".  However, when Christ returns the second time it will be different...I pray that their eyes will be opened and their hearts will receive Him as their Messiah before it is too late...

Philippians 2:5-11

"5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Shifting gears a bit, the other evening I was cooking some zucchini with onions and tiny tomatoes, and it looked so pretty (before it got all cooked) that I just had to take a picture!  It did taste pretty good too.

Yesterday afternoon after church the kids came over for lunch and the guys watched football, so Rose and I decided to have a little tea party on the back porch overlooking Still Waters Pond.  It was a lovely afternoon and we enjoyed visiting and talking about Thanksgiving dinner plans and then a little about upcoming Christmas events, etc.  It was really relaxing and sweet. 

However, we had a couple of little faces poking through the window blinds, wanting to come outside with us. Sadly, our porch is not real puppy friendly because we really don't have much of a protective guard/rail out there for little pups. Their sweet little faces were so pitiful. We did take them for a nice walk.  We also talked about a plan to get some kind of "fencing" on the porch so they can come out with us. That may be a new project for after the holidays.  Too much else going on right now.

We also had some other visitors while we sat on the porch:

Yes, the whole Sand Hill Crane family came by to say hello. They headed straight for the bird feeder to see if there were any seeds on the ground for them. I think they found a few, and then they headed down into the pond to pull up tasty vegetation and whatever else they enjoy out there. They didn't seem to mind us being in their territory at all.  

After a while they flew back over across the pond to their roosting place for the night:

We are wondering how much longer the two young cranes will stay with the folks and if the parents will be nesting again this winter. Time will tell. I will keep you posted.

Later in the evening, after our kids had gone home to their "roosting place" for the night, I snuggled up in my recliner to finish that book.  You will notice that I am wrapped up in a blanket.  No, it really wasn't that cold, but I have discovered something new that is helping me a lot...

I tend to suffer a lot from pain in my neck, shoulder, arm, and back. I've tried all kinds of stinky analgesic ointments that are supposed to provide deep heat, etc., which they do, but they are stinky and the aroma is often too much for me to bear and I get a headache.  The doctor doesn't want me to use Ibuprofen so much because it is affecting my kidneys, and frankly, Tylenol doesn't do a thing to help. I don't want to take any stronger drugs, so I tend to just hurt a lot, especially if I've been doing too much like sweeping, cooking, standing on my feet too long doing things, or even sitting too long (or even staying in bed too long) . Basically, just about everything.  The Stem Cell procedure that I had on my left shoulder/arm really has not helped so I can't say that I could recommend that, but some people have benefitted from it, so I cannot totally disregard it's ability to heal. It just hasn't worked for me.   

I often resorted to using a heating pad on the areas that were hurting the most, but the heating pad is really too small to cover all of the areas at once and it is frustrating and painful to keep trying to get it positioned in just the right spot.  

So last week we were in Walmart, and I told hubby that I wanted to try something different. I've seen these heated "throw blankets"  and have wondered if they would really be warm enough to hit all the right places at once.  I told him this could be an early "Christmas present" for me, and so we decided to give it a try.  

I have to tell you that I LOVE this blanket!  It has 4 heat settings, and it wraps around all the places I need it to reach all at once.  I can use it in my recliner or even in the bed. It will shut off after 4 hours if you don't turn it off before then.  And yes, even here in Florida I have to tell you it feels wonderful to me!  It gives me great relief and I'm not struggling to keep moving it to touch all the right spots. So, in case you have similar issues but have not thought about trying this heated throw, I would like to recommend it!  It's the best $30.00 bucks I've spent in a long time!

And so I will close this Monday Monday post with those "comforting" thoughts.  I am very thankful for this discovery and really wanted to share it with you.

  

Also I am thankful that my sister's husband Art is feeling better...I didn't know it until yesterday afternoon that he had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance Saturday evening, with symptoms that appeared to be a possible stroke or maybe a TIA.  They admitted him and ran all kinds of tests overnight, but whatever it was that was so scary and apparent that afternoon  apparently was not a stroke or TIA, and they really don't know what it was, but they sent him back home late last night. 

This is a picture of my sister Doris and hubby Art back in April, when we celebrated their joint birthdays on April 5th.

 We are not planning to be together with them this week for Thanksgiving...they will be with their kids and we will be with ours. Now I wish we could be together, but we do plan to try to get together some time during the holiday season.  I would say let's just keep Art in our prayers and pray whatever it was doesn't happen again.   Thank you!

Okay, the fog has lifted and I need to lift myself up from this chair and get something done. We have our Ladies' and Men's Bible Studies this afternoon  (two different groups), so we need to get a few things done before we have to leave for that.  

 

On the First Sunday of Advent...(Updated)

Good Morning everyone...and welcome to Advent!  Today is the first Sunday in Advent.  Some of this is a repeat of previous years, with maybe a few edits here and there to bring it up to date.

So, without further ado, let the 2021 Advent Adventure begin:

(Our home Advent Wreath, 2018)

Note: This post was originally written several years ago from our home in Salt Springs. At that time we were having a small group meet in our home for Sunday morning worship services, and the majority of this post is from that season of time in our lives. We have since moved from that location to a new community and wonderful little church that we dearly love. Below are a few pictures from our worship service this morning in our church:

Today, 11/28/2021:  Here is the lighting of the first Advent Candle this morning in our church service 

On this first Sunday of Advent we begin with the lighting of the first candle on the 

Advent Wreath:

As we light the first candle we read:

"This candle reminds us of the promise of the prophets that a Messiah would come.  The prophecy candle is symbolic of long years of waiting during which the prophets, inspired by God, kept alive the hope that the Son of God was coming to redeem us."

Then we read the following scriptures:

Isaiah 7:14

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign:

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall

call His name Immanuel."

Isaiah 9:2-7

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;

Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, 

Upon them a light has shined.

You have multiplied the nation

and increased its joy;

They rejoice before You 

according to the joy of harvest,

As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

For YOU have broken the yoke of his burden

and the staff of his shoulder,

the rod of his oppressor,

as in the day of Midian.

For every warrior's sandal from the noisy battle,

and garments rolled in blood,

Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.

For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of His government and peace

there will be no end,

Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,

to order it and establish it with judgment and justice

from that time forward, even forever.

The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."

The scene in our front yard as of last night

And then we sing together  "O Come, O Come, Immanuel"

I will continue the Advent Candle series each week when we light the second candle.  If you have never experienced the lighting of an Advent Wreath before, here is a little bit of the history:

"The word "Advent" comes from the Latin, "Adventus", meaning "coming" or "coming in", and the "coming in" of Christ has been celebrated by man on many different levels, both spiritual and social since the first years of Christianity.  The traditional Advent Wreath, like most Christmas and Advent customs, has been passed on from generation to generation.  In the Advent Wreath's evergreen boughs we are reminded of the eternalness of God.  In it's perfect circle, His all-encompassing love is symbolized.  Each week, as we add the glow of one more candle, we meditate upon another facet of the life and role of our Lord.  Candles, which are living flames, are symbolic of Christ, the Light of the World, Whose coming is nearer as the light of the candles is increased.  The purple candles represent the royalty of Christ.  The pink candle is the purple fading into the white candle, which represents Christ's birth and His purity.

Jesus said, "I Am the Light of the World...Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness."  (John 8:12)"

 

(Back to the original post:) Our special antique table that we have been using for our home Communion Service (click HERE for more about that story) is also a perfect place to hold the Advent Wreath.  Little did my husband's grandfather know when he built this little table so many years ago how it would continue to honor the Lord in the homes of his future generations.

If there are times in your life that you are unable to attend worship services at a local church, there is no reason why you cannot have a home worship service.  Although for me it is unique because my husband is an ordained minister, but one does not have to have a seminary degree to lead your family in a time of worship.  You primarily need your Bible, and ask the Lord to guide you and give you insight into His Word.  The Bible tells us that "where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."  I am not suggesting that this should be the norm, but there are times and seasons in life when it may be necessary for reasons beyond your control.  And, even if you DO attend church regularly, there is still no reason why you cannot have times of home worship and prayer as a family or with your neighbors and friends. As a matter of fact, it could be a true blessing for your family as well as those around you. 

In many nations of the world, this is the only form of church worship available, and that is often in what is considered "underground"...hidden and in secret, due to government restrictions and anti-christian leadership.  I pray that America never has to find out what that is...Pray for our nation. I look forward to the day when the fulfillment of the Isaiah prophecy will be complete:

"Of the increase of HIS government and peace 

there will be no end..."

Isaiah 9:7

"O Come, O Come Emmanuel..."

Stay tuned for more ADVENT Adventures in the next few weeks as we prepare our hearts for the Advent of our Lord...The first advent was when Jesus came to earth as a baby in the manger in Bethlehem to offer Himself on a cross for our salvation.  His second advent will be when He returns to earth:

"Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads,

because your redemption draws near."

Luke 21:27-28

"But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that DAY come on your unexpectedly.

For it will come as a snare on those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.

Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape 

all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

Luke 21:34-36

Are YOU Ready?

If you would like to hear our Pastor's message from this morning's worship service, here it is for you:

Have a blessed and wonderful Advent Season!