Tuesday 4~ Advice: 5 Cents

 

Advice: 5¢

You are very welcome here at Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4. We look forward to your participation and seeing your answers to the questions we provide. It's enjoyable to get to know more about blogging friends.

We all take and give advice at least once in our lives.
Oxford dictionary says that advice is: guidance or recommendations offered with regard to prudent future action.

1. Is there one piece of advice you were given that you feel has been very important in your life?

This scripture verse below was shared with me prior to marriage, and it was the best advice ever given to any married couple:

Ephesians 4:26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,"
Obviously, every couple will have disagreements about many things, but it is important to not allow those disagreements to carry over into the night and not be settled as much as possible before you go to sleep. Sometimes you may have to "agree to disagree", but do not allow things to fester and grow bigger between you. Try, with as much as is within you, to settle the little issues before they become bigger issues. "Kiss and make up" and get a good night's sleep.  If you have to discuss things further in the morning, at least you will have had time to "sleep on it" and you may have a different perspective in the morning.

2. What advice do you think is important for building good personal relationships?

Practice forgiveness as much as possible.  Even if they don't ask for forgiveness, settle it in your own heart and mind and don't allow unforgiveness to cause you more pain. Sometimes you have to just move on and pray for God to deal with the other person in His own way.  Don't allow other people's problems to destroy you.

Matthew 18:21-22 NKJV
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Matthew 6:14-15 

14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

3. Do you give advice to friends when they have problems to solve or do you refrain unless asked?

I usually wait until asked, unless I see that someone is headed for something really bad and they need to be warned before it's too late. But that would be an unusual situation. And it also depends on the person. Some people wouldn't listen to good advice no matter what, while others might really appreciate someone's words of wisdom.  It really depends on the relationship and the level of trust between you.

4. What advice can you give us today?  The only good advice I have comes from God's Word. Here is a passage that I have found helpful and comforting throughout the years:

Psalm 37:1-8

"1 Do not fret because of evildoers,

Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,

And wither as the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him,

And He shall bring it to pass.

6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,

And your justice as the noonday.

7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;

Do not fret—it only causes harm."

The best advice I can give to anyone is to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, before it is too late. Our world is rapidly spiraling into a major conflagration, even as I sit here writing and hearing what is going on in Israel as we speak, and for those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, the results could be extremely catastrophic.  

2 Corinthians 6:2

2 For He says:

“In an acceptable time I have heard you,

And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

John 14:6 NKJV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. 

No one comes to the Father except through Me."

I realize that this post is pretty heavy on the Scripture, but my heart is truly burdened right now for our country and our world and for so many who really do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. While I am sitting here writing right now, Iran is bombing Israel, Israel is fighting back on many levels...we've had major weather related catastrophes here in our part of the country this past weekend, and there have been fires and earthquakes in many parts of the country and world.  There are also some major financial issues going on throughout the world that could have a serious impact on our own American dollar. If you know anything about the prophecies concerning the end times and the Rapture and the Tribulation, you will realize that Christ's return could be imminent.  I am not a fear monger...just a person who sees the signs of the times and realizes that life as we know it could be changing very rapidly.  

Today, being the first day of October, I will share this one new calendar picture for today, especially because of the verse that is attached, "Pray without ceasing".  I Thessalonians 5:17.  

And with that I will close for today.  Please pray for Israel, and for all of our world.

Amen.

  

Monday, Monday!

Good Monday Morning!  I woke up after a restless night's sleep with disturbing dreams to see these beautiful skies:

And I know I've shared this old hymn many times before, but it is worth sharing again:

When morning gilds the skies,
My heart awaking cries:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Alike at work and prayer
To Jesus I repair:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

I was so thankful for the beautiful skies and the peaceful serenity of Still Waters Pond, soothing my mind and soul...

To Thee, my God above,
I cry with glowing love,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
The fairest graces spring
In hearts that ever sing,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Does sadness fill my mind?
A solace here I find,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Or fades my earthly bliss?
My comfort still is this,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

I found myself looking longingly at the "Secret Memorial Garden", and wishing I could just go spend some time there early in the morning, before the busy-ness of the day takes over... (and yes, that branch hanging down needs to be cut.  There's so much work to be done, and that's what stops me from finding the "rest" that I need for my soul and body.LOL. There's just always something that needs to be done!)

When evil thoughts molest,
With this I shield my breast,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
The powers of darkness fear,
When this sweet chant they hear,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Did you all see the full moon last night?  It was amazing! 

When sleep her balm denies,
My silent spirit sighs,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
The night becomes as day,
When from the heart we say,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Yes, the full moon was glorious, but sometimes a full moon also disturbs my sleep.  I think I just had too much of a wonderful weekend with family and friends and blessings overflowing, and perhaps my mind and body were a bit over-stimulated and my mind wouldn't shut down like it should!

I am reminded of Psalm 4:8, which says:

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

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

Be this, while life is mine,
My canticle divine,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Be this th’ eternal song
Through all the ages long,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Waking up this morning to this glorious sight restored my peace and calmed my spirit, and I must say I've had more energy this morning than I have had in a while, so I give thanks to God for His peace and grace and love.    May Jesus Christ be praised!! Amen!

So, I know you've heard enough by now about our wonderful weekend, celebrating our anniversary and also the birthdays and anniversaries of some of the rest of our wonderful family together.  It truly was a lovely weekend, and we were blessed with good weather and good fellowship. To top it all off, our son Scott came over yesterday and grilled us some hamburgers and hot dogs. Of course Benton and Rose and the pups came over as well. We just didn't take any pictures.  But we had a good time together and that made our weekend complete. Oh! We also heard from our grandson Noah, who loved seeing the pictures of us on our anniversary that I texted him. He said, "Y'all are cute, and I love you too."  I was surprised he said "y'all", because he's a Maine boy through and through, but I guess he learned the southern lingo from his daddy who was raised in the south, and from us who say "y'all" quite often.  LOL.  I don't care what lingo he used,  I'm just so happy to hear from him!  That truly was the "icing on the cake".  

One thing I forgot to show you from our family gathering on Saturday was this cute gift from my sister in law Peggy. She said she was thinking "FALL", and also thinking about my birthday, which isn't until next month, but they will be away at that time so we probably won't get together.  So she brought me this really cute little Autumn Squirrel couple.

Aren't they adorable?

Lily Grace thought so, and here she's trying to hold her dog Bailey back from chasing them! LOL.  We all know that beagles love to chase squirrels! (What dog doesn't???)

Also, Lily wanted to name the squirrels, so I said she could name them whatever she wanted. The first names that came to her sweet little mind was "Rocky and Bullwinkle".  I told her that Bullwinkle was actually a moose, and also one of these squirrels is a girl and one is a boy. But that did not deter her. She said "Rocky and Bullwinkle" is what I want to name them, and you said I could name them anything I wanted!"  (little bit impertinent, isn't she??)  LOL.  And so Mr. and Mrs. Autumn Squirrel are now known as "Rocky and Bullwinkle".  I'm sure they probably don't mind at all. They are just happy to be safe and warm and dry inside our house and not have to go anywhere else to hunt for nuts! There's plenty of "nuts" right here! LOL. 

I didn't even notice what this gift bag said on it until this morning when I was arranging things on the table.  Dr. Joyce Brothers "became famous in 1955 for winning the top prize on the American game show The $64,000 Question.^[1] Her fame from the game show allowed her to go on to host various advice columns and television shows, which established her as a pioneer in the field of "pop (popular) psychology".(Wikipedia)  I remember hearing all about her when I was a child.  I was about "Lily Grace's" age when Dr. Joyce Brothers became famous. LOL.  Anyway, I love this quote and thought it noteworthy to share:

And yes, today, after a lovely weekend filled with "family happinesses", I can totally agree with her statement.

Of course, I also believe that the "greatest happiness" comes from knowing Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord. 

Matthew 19:14  New King James Version

14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, 

and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus also said in John 14:6:

"I am the Way, The Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Without that knowledge and assurance, there really cannot be any true great happiness.

I mentioned having troubling dreams last night...and so I did. Without going into all the details, just to suffice it to say that it appeared in my dream that the world as we know it was coming to a very violent end.  And just before I woke up, I saw a woman singing a song that said "Be sure your children belong to Jesus. There is nothing more important than that."    And with that I woke up and prayed, not just for my own children (although I do know that they do know Jesus), but for many other "children", both young and old, who still have not made that decision to accept Christ as their Savior.  Time is running out for this world.  People need to make sure of their salvation now, before it is too late. And with that I will  close this post, praying that if there is anyone out there who isn't sure about their faith in Christ, it's time to settle that issue now with God.  Amen.

 

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!

JOY IS COMING TO THE WORLD!!!! Another Advent Window! (Revisited)

(Joy To The World...under construction...coming soon!)

Isaiah 35: 4, 5-6, 10

"Say to those who are fearful-hearted,

'Be Strong! Do Not Fear!

Behold, your God will come with vengeance,

with the recompense of God;

He will come and SAVE you!"

"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped,

Then the lame shall leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the dumb sing,

For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,

and streams in the desert....

"And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,

and come to Zion with singing,

With everlasting JOY on their heads,

They shall obtain JOY and gladness,

and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

In these perilous days on earth, many are fearful-hearted, weak, sad, without hope.  Many are longing for a miracle...and a way to find JOY in the midst of all this terror and sorrow.

And then we open the Advent window today and there it is: JOY...JOY IS ON ITS WAY TO THE WORLD...It's coming to us in a rough and hand-hewn manger, in a stable strewn with straw and the scents of donkeys and sheep and cattle...JOY is on its way to us...all the way from Heaven, in a helpless little babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, with a young mother, weary and worn from the journey and the birth of her babe in such a rude and dirty stall...and a young father with wonder in his eyes and holy fear as he recalls the message of the angel telling him not to fear...

JOY is on its way to the world...and angelic choirs sing their praises while shepherds watch with amazement and awe...

JOY is on its way to the world, and the Wise Men traveled far and wide, following a star to find the King of Jews as it had been prophesied to them so many months before...

JOY came to the world when Jesus, the little babe in the manger grown to be a man, opened the eyes of the blind, caused the deaf to hear and the dumb to sing His praises, and the lame to run and jump for joy that he had been healed.

JOY is coming to our world today...This same Jesus, grew to be a Man, the Son of God no less, Sacrificed His sinless, pure life on the cross for the sins of the world, so that we would be SAVED!

No matter what this world tries to do to cause fear and sorrow in our hearts, God's Word is sure...His Word is true:

"Be Strong! Do Not Fear!

Behold, your God will come with vengeance,

with the recompense of God;

He will come and SAVE you!"

I don't know about you, but this news gives me great JOY!  JOY IS COMING TO THE WORLD...CHRIST IS COMING BACK TO REDEEM HIS OWN!  And that is very good news...

(Revisiting this post from several years ago, but the message is still the same...and we are still looking forward to celebrating our Messiah's birth...and awaiting His second Advent...hopefully soon! Have a blessed and wonderful Advent and joyous Christmas!)

The Choice Is Yours UPDATED

 Anointed for Service

April 12, 1978

Ordination Service for  Rev. John F. Steiner

(Originally written 8/2011)

"And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...
But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."  Joshua 24:15



Trooper John

There once was a young man who came to a point in his life when he knew he had to make a decision.  He had a great future ahead of him as a career patrolman, albeit, a dangerous and difficult future, full of life or death decisions and actions, but a rewarding career and the fulfillment of a life-long dream (at least up until that point in his life).  He was an extremely conscientious officer, taking his position as a peace-keeper and people protector very seriously.  No crisis call was too hard for him. He was right there, "Johnny on the spot", literally, when the calls came.  He risked life and limb to get to the accident victims as quickly as possible without jeopardizing other innocent people's lives in the process.  He was a natural born patrolman, and he actually enjoyed the thrill and excitement of the chase and the sirens blaring.    But there came a day when the Trooper had to make a choice....Like a siren's call it came to him, through a series of frightening events and different signposts along the highway of his life, he realized that he was being groomed and prepared to be a different kind of peace-keeper...a peace"maker", if you will, a new type of "life-saver".  Yes, as the newspaper article below describes quite well, "He Traded His Badge for the Bible."   

(double-click on picture to enlarge to read, then
back arrow to return to blog)

  So, you may ask, "Did the road get easier or safer for travel in this new life?"  Well, not exactly.  The road to the ministry was full of dangerous potholes and detours, some which threatened the lives of our precious children and the sanctity of our home itself...the very home in which we had vowed together like Joshua, the leader of the Israelites who led them into the promised land,

"But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

There were many days in which this "trooper" for the Lord and his young family longed to turn back and "go back to Egypt", just like the Israelites did when things got tough and there was not enough meat to eat and money to pay the bills and people were reviling and ridiculing us for our choice of the "narrow way".  When our children were injured both physically by accident and even in some ways emotionally by cruel and thoughtless people we longed to scoop them up and carry them away to a place of safety and security and yes, even prosperity so they wouldn't have to suffer.  I admit it, we are human.  We felt the pain of frustration, anger, hurt, and even pride.  But for some reason, God would not let us go back.  He said,

"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."   II Corinthians 12:9

I wish I could say that I was as strong in my faith as the Apostle Paul and that I could cheerfully say, "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (II Corinthians 12:10)

But there were many days that I didn't like being made stronger...I didn't want to see my children go through such difficult times because of the choices we had made...and see my husband oftentimes humiliated by people who thought they were God's ambassadors to keep him humble and poor, and yet, how could  I/we turn back? We took our calling very seriously...and the words of Jesus in Luke 9:62, which said,

"No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Please don't misunderstand me...I am not saying that all of our thirty-some years of ministry were awful and terrible...no, quite the contrary.  There were many, many years of joy and blessing and honor and peace. They were the best years and the worst years...but they were exactly where we belonged.  Yes, God did give us the grace that was sufficient for us.  He did help us to grow stronger in the process.  He took us through some deep valleys, but also placed us on some high mountaintops.  Sometimes the road was rough and perilous, sometimes it was smooth and pleasant.  Whichever the case, I can honestly say, God was always with us. He has never left us nor forsaken us.

I go back to the book of Joshua again, this time to the first chapter and the ninth verse...and this verse became my life verse throughout those years of journeying through what seemed like the wilderness in many ways...

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."



Rev. and Mrs. John Steiner,
At our first church pastoral position

Receiving his certificate of ordination from the District Superintendent

There we were...bright eyed and "bushy tailed", and totally clueless as to the joys and trials that would come our way.

Current as of today, June 3, 2020:

Yes, we have traveled down a long road, actually now for 50+ years together as man and wife.  We are now happily retired,  but we still have servants' hearts.   The road we traveled was long and sometimes quite perilous, but  I will repeat this again, God's Word is true and He is faithful.  He IS with us, and has ALWAYS been with us, and He will NEVER, EVER leave us, wherever we may go.

As we face uncertain days ahead in this world, I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy, "a beloved son" in the Lord, and to all of us who serve the Lord:

II Timothy 1:6-7, 12.

6.  "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

7.  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

12.  For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day."

So let us all persevere together in this life we are living.  God still has work for us to do, until He returns. 

P.S. Note: I had scheduled this to publish on Thursday, June 4th, but for some reason Blogger went ahead and posted it today. Sorry about that. I don't usually post two posts in one day!! Anyone else having issues with the changes that Blogger is making? 

Post Easter Thoughts and Notes

Happy Easter Monday...can you imagine what a glorious day this was back in Jesus' day?  The day AFTER the Resurrection?  Can you imagine the excitement rippling through the disciples' community network...they didn't have social media back then, but they sure had ways of getting the message around...and look what we have today...God's Word The Bible and the New Testament...we would not have The New Testament if Easter had never happened!  We would not have our churches and Christian schools, ministers, missionaries...we would still be lost in our sins...Oh, my goodness! What a difference Three Days Make! 

I do not have any sermon notes from our church service yesterday, as our "sermon" was in song...our choir performed the Easter Cantata, "I Will Embrace the Cross".  I cannot find any videos of these wonderful songs, but here is a link to the publisher and there is an "audio preview" on this site where you can actually listen to the songs.  If you want to sit and listen to the songs, there it is. (You have to click on each song to hear it).  I wish someone would have recorded our program, as it was so meaningful and each song is a part of the story of Jesus' journey through Jerusalem and to the cross.  Here is a picture of our choir singing. (Actually listening to the narrator at that point, hence we are not looking at the director!) 

After our Easter services we went home to prepare dinner for our family. Our daughter in law unfortunately had to work all day, and so we waited until supper time to have our Easter dinner. Thankfully, that gave me more time to cook after church.  We had a great time together...
 (I apologize if you've already seen all these pictures on my facebook page, but not everyone is a "fan" of facebook, so here we go...)

I also had time to bake this "Happy Face Easter Cake"...it turned out pretty good for not knowing what I was doing but just kind of "winging it".  Green dyed coconut makes pretty good Easter Grass for the Jelly Beans on top of the cream cheese frosting on a delicious lemon cake!

  We are not wearing our Easter finery here...this was later in the day we were very relaxed and casual...

 We enjoyed ham, deviled eggs, scalloped potatoes, broccoli, and corn on the cob, which was still cooking when this picture was taken...oh, and of course, "Hawaiian Rolls"...

And yes, our family has a tradition of finding the hidden Easter Baskets somewhere in the house...we are running out of good hiding places...they are finding them too quickly...well at least Scott did...he found his right off and I thought it was so well hidden...

Rose and Benton had to search a little longer, but they finally found theirs too.

It was a lovely evening.  So very thankful for our family and our church family too.

Again, I think..what would our lives be like without Jesus in our lives? There would be no "church family"...no Easter music...no Christmas...no salvation from our sins...none of the wonderful sacred music that we enjoy so much every week at church and in between...no Christian charity, ministries, hospitals...wow...if Jesus had never come to earth...if Jesus had never died on Calvary...where would we be? Have you ever thought of this?  I supposed we'd all be like the rest of the heathen world...following after false religions and gods...or not knowing any kind of god at all. We'd be lost. Our lives would be dark and sad and filled with sorrows with no hope.

Thanks to Calvary...we have hope of life eternal...we have salvation from our sins...we have life and love and faith to carry us through all of life's trials.

Jesus said to Martha in John 11:25-26

"I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die...."

Hallelujah for this hope that we have in Christ Jesus, all because of Easter!

Second Sunday of Advent

Here we are again...the 2nd Sunday of Advent...and in our home tradition we usually light the "Bethlehem Candle"...

(picture from our home Advent Wreath, 2017)

As we lit the Second Advent Candle we read the following:

"Today we light the Bethlehem candle.  It is symbolic of preparation.  The prophecy in Micah 5:2 that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem has significance because it indicates how God prepared even the last detail of the coming of Christ."

The following scriptures were read:

Micah 5:2

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,

Yet out of you shall come forth to Me

the ONE to be Ruler in Israel,

Whose goings forth are from of old,

From everlasting."

Matthew 2:1-6

"Now after Jesus was born in BETHLEHEM of Judea 

in the days of Herod the king,

behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,

saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?

For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together,

he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

So they said to him,

"In BETHLEHEM of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

"But you, BETHLEHEM, in the land of Judah,

are not the least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel."

This was followed by the singing of another beloved Christmas Carol, "O Little Town of Bethlehem"

Don't you sometimes wonder why God chose Bethlehem for the birth of our Savior?  Perhaps because God wanted us to realize that He is able to make something marvelous and magnificent come out of someplace seemingly small and somewhat insignificant. Much like what He does with us, we are seemingly small and insignificant in the eyes of the world...but Psalm 139:13-16 tells us we are "fearfully and wonderfully made"...and that God had a plan for our lives before we were even born.

"For you created my inmost being;

    You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    Your works are wonderful,

    I know that full well.

15 

My frame was not hidden from you

    when I was made in the secret place,

    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16 

Your eyes saw my unformed body;

    all the days ordained for me were written in your book

    before one of them came to be."

The marvelous thing about Advent and the Christmas story is that God sent Jesus, His Only Begotten Son, down to earth in the form of a tiny baby, to be born in an animal stable in the insignificant little town of Bethlehem, so that He could save ME (YOU) from all our sins. Read the following from the book of Matthew, chapter 1: 18-25 for more information...

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

"YOU ARE TO GIVE HIM THE NAME JESUS, BECAUSE HE WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS."

We are the people that He has come to save...little, insignificant you and me...because the God of Heaven loves us so much He was willing to sacrifice His Son for us...this is really significant...really big news!  And THIS is why we celebrate Christmas!

Nativity scene at our church - 2018

Today at our church Advent service, we lit the candle of PEACE.  This was our responsive reading and prayer after lighting the second candle:

In this season of Advent, we pray for God's peace.

Christ is our light and the source of our peace.

We witness the hostility between nations and neighbors.

Christ is our light and the source of our peace.

We see a world full of fractured relationships and unforgiving hearts.

Christ is our light and the source of our peace.

We seek relief from our own inner turmoil and restlessness.

Christ is our light and the source of our peace.

"Gracious God, as we continue our Advent journey, we thank You for sending the Prince of Peace into a world filled with unrest and strife.  We ask that You quiet our restless hearts and instill in each of us the calm assurance that tells us You are in control so we need not worry. Give us the tools we need to serve as You would have us serve, and make us willing instruments of Your peace. Amen."

Our choir sang the following "Calypso Lullaby", written by Jester Hairston, and arranged by Joel Raney.  You can listen and sing along here:

https://soundcloud.com/hope-publishing/calypso-lullaby-marys-little

It really doesn't matter if your church lit "The Bethlehem Candle", the "Peace Candle", or no candles at all...what matters is that we are each preparing our hearts for Christ to enter our lives, homes, churches, and world anew at this Christmas time. Try to forget about the gifts we need to buy or wrap or make...try to put aside all of the stress of doing this or that or how much money we are going to spend to make sure everyone gets a "good Christmas".  Can we just focus our thoughts and minds on Jesus, and how He came to save us from our sins and give us PEACE and HOPE and JOY?  And can we share this good news with someone else this week?  It is too good to keep to ourselves!

(This post will take the place of our usual Sermon Notes for this week)