The Christmas Story

Luke 1:26-38

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.

Luke 2:4-7

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Transformed into a makeshift cradle by some hay, the manger was the first bed for the baby Jesus, wearing basically what we would call rags.  Can you imagine the scene?  Joseph and Mary are only semi-indoors with their newborn baby wrapped in rags, lying in a feed trough surrounded by the foul stench of barnyard animals.  In this manner the Kings of Kings and Lord of Lords was born into the world.

Luke 2:25-35

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Step Out in Faith

It may be that for a long time you have had upon your mind some strong impression of duty; but you have held back, because you could not see what the next step would be.  Hesitate no longer.  Step out upon what seems to be the impalpable mist: you will find a solid rock beneath your feet; and every time you put your foot forward, you will find that God has prepared a stepping-stone, and the next, and the next- each as you come to it.  The bread is by the day.  The manna is new every morning.  He does not give us all the directions at once lest we should get  

F. B. Meyer

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

  We have to pray for discernment on when to fight the compulsion to act when we are supposed to let go and let God, and we have to pray for the courage to step out on faith knowing that God will carry us two more steps

I Want Some of What You Have

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet...Matthew 5:13

This verse has always left me wondering its meaning and I found the commentary by Dr Grant Richison  an easy to understand directive about reaching out to others.  

“Salt” creates thirst when it comes to eating. 

Its saline quality seasons and makes food tasty.

There is nothing in this passage that says a person cannot restore their saltiness. The point is that as long as we lose that saltiness we are good for nothing spiritually. don't over think it.  Jesus is making a very simple statement or analogy here.

"You are the light of the world (earth). A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden . . . Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14,16)

Jesus tells those wishing to follow him that they must make a difference in the world. The difference made is "the flavor" or the good works believers are to do that are to shine like a light on a lampstand and offer a witness for Christ.

PRINCIPLE: Christians have a duty to the world.

APPLICATION: No believer can live in separation from the world. We are not of the world, but we are in it. The purpose of a salty Christian is to make an effect on others. Many individuals and churches have lost their appeal to non-Christians. The church has lost its pungency to the non-Christian world, for God designed them to touch society. Christians cannot live in isolation, cocooned from society. God designed them to reach out and touch

Dear Lord Thank you, 

Thank you for reminding me that your word is intended to be spread, spread like soft butter on lefsa, smooth and easy, not complicated at all. Show the World what it is like to have God at the center of your life, so others will want some of what I have. 

In your precious name..Amen

Patience in the Waiting

I am re-posting a blog regarding Patience, as this season has tried the patience of many!

..... True patience finds its strength in an unflinching focus on God......

Joseph Stowell

Be thankful...Be Thankful...BE THANKFUL.....
Patience is not just waiting but how you are waiting..and what you accomplish why you are waiting...use that time to focus on the wonderful blessings around because they ARE there..choose to look for what you have..

Dear Lord...thank you for giving me a heart of thankfulness for the many blessings I enjoy while I am waiting for your moment of glory to come down around me.  Let me be a blessing to others while I wait.  In your precious name I pray...Amen

April showers really do bring May flowers. This quote, verse, or whatever you want to call it,  reminds us all about the virtue of patience...Many of life’s greatest things come only to those who wait, and by patiently and happily enduring the clouds and damp of April you can find yourself more easily able to take in the sights and smells of May.....

"Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances." Thomas Jefferson

Luke 21:19..... In your patience possess ye your souls

Almost everything in life requires patience, buying groceries and standing in line or the traffic jam on the way home. The meaning of the word patience is a willingness to suppress annoyance and a quiet steady perserverance, and doing this with an fortitude and remaining calm.

.......When you come to the Lord, there is no waiting line-His ears are always open to your cry..... taken from Our Daily Bread

Romans 8:25...But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with Patience.

 "Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His. We can grow in faith only if we are willing to wait patiently for God's purposes and patterns to unfold in our lives, on His timetable." ...Neal A. Maxwell

Patience is endurance, steadfastness, long-suffering, and forbearance.

Job 2:10...He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"

 Remember Herbert the Snail said it best in "The Music Machine"

Have patience, Have Patience
Don't be in such a hurry
When you get impatient
You only start to worry
Remember, remember that God is patient, too
Just think of all the times when others
Have to wait for you...written by Bill and Gloria Gaither

How Can I Love You More

If your heart is full of Love for the Lord, the rest of your life will fall into place. 

 “Lord, how can I love you more”? Instantly the Lord responded “be thankful”. 

 Love always brings revelation, allowing you to see things and people in God’s light. When you decide to be thankful to God, even for the suffering, then the love in your heart for God will increase and so will your revelation of knowing Him, When you thank and praise God in your suffering your love for God allows Him to make the situation work together for good, for you and for other people also. 

You only need to read the prologue in the book of Job to see thankfulness and gratitude in the face of trial, a difficult example to follow. If we witness love for God in the presence of blessing it is easy to see why that love is strong but when that Love for God is evident in the face of tragedy and loss, we understand what God's unconditional love can do for us when we need Him the most.  

Just "keep Trusting the Lord" he will never fail.




Dear Lord...How can I love you more?  help me to put you first in my life and be thankful every moment of every day that I have found your promise to be true...I can not love you more than you love me. In your precious name I pray....Amen.

Are You Where You Thought You'd Be?

Am I where I thought I was going 46 years ago? Were my feet set on the path that leads to my life today?

If truthfully thought through, the answer is,"No".  My goals were smaller if I had any at all. There was no bigger picture out there somewhere with dreams to be conquered, they just seemed to drop in my path to be dealt with. Some of the obstacles I encountered on my path made me stumble, fall and lose my way for awhile, others blocked the direct route and I had to change direction and follow a side road.

from the song "Something Beautiful" by Bill and Gloria Gaither

"if there ever were dreams that were lofty and noble

they were my dreams from the start.  And the hopes for life's best

were the hopes that I harbored, down deep in my heart..."

I was young, married right out of high school and it seemed that must be my dream, everybody did it. Our first child was born,  so mothering, cleaning and cooking became the dreams of my future or was it?  The call to "serve his country" took my husband away for a time, and I was left to make it on my own, and I found that I could. That call also led to traveling across a big wide country, living without family and old friends where together we learned to lean on each other for what we needed, in sickness and in health. A second child was born and coping with sickness made us stronger.

This initial big change to our pattern for life led to more choices and decisions throughout the years.
And as I live forward and look back, I know that it wasn't by chance or coincidence it was God! and I understand.

The road of our life remained crooked and strewn with obstacles but I eventually found the map of God's Word to guide me through the potholes and perils along the way,

and I wouldn't change a thing.
Thank you Lord, for guiding and directing me, you are the God of the Mountain and the God in the valley, we only have to acknowledge you, and you will make our paths straight.

Proverbs 3: 5&6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Use What You've Been Given

Romans 12:4-8

*  4Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function,5so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

6In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

We can't be all things to all people...and it was meant to be that way so we lean on each other, borrow from others what we do not posses and lend to them that need what you have been given. The Spiritual Gifts that God has given us need to be cultivated, not hidden, but used to the best of your ability,

 "Hide it under a bushel No! I'm gonna let it shine"

 Be proud of your gifts and spread them around for all to benefit. Use your Spiritual Gifts to help one another. What have we done with the Grace assigned to us by God? Have we obeyed and followed through with responsibility and pressed on even when trials made it difficult? 

 2 Timothy 4:7 7 

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

His master said to him, "Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master." (NASB) Matthew 25:21 and 23

Thank you Lord, for the gifts I have been given, help me to use them according to your purpose, and join in with others to make us one body through you, in Christ Jesus I ask. Amen

Finding Your Faith

I prayed for faith and thought it would strike me like lightening. But faith did not come. One day I read, “Now faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” I had closed my Bible and prayed for faith. I now began to study my Bible and faith has been growing ever since.

Dwight L. Moody

 God loves us unconditionally, God will never let us down, and God is waiting on us to turn to Him and ask Him what His plan is for our life. God never left us or turned his back on us, He's been right there, in the same place, all this time. All He's wanted is for us to admit to Him that we couldn't do it alone, and to surrender our will back over to him.  

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. ~Deuteronomy 31:8

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ~Jeremiah 29:13

When we acknowledge that it really wasn't God who left us, but that we drifted away, bit by bit, day by day putting distance between ourselves and God, we need to be the ones to go after Him, close the gap and return to home base.  Little steps at a time finding the comfort of His Word

Sing His Praises

The only path to healing hurts, is to go back and fix them. 

Don’t give up. Keep on fighting for your faith, get back into His Word.  Spend time with God, for He's been there all the time, waiting for you.

Dear Lord, Thank you for helping me find the way back to you, lighting my path with Your Words and music, directing my steps to the safety and security of Your Love. 

In Your precious name...Amen

Follow Your Faith

Joshua 3: 2-4
After three days the officers went throughout the camp,3 giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.


Luke 6:39
And Jesus told them this parable: "one blind man cannot lead another one; if he does both will fall into a ditch. 

                               *****************************

Who will you follow?

Follow the one you trust....You can’t be an unbelieving believer. You either trust God or you don’t. You trust His Word or you don’t. Get into His word and find your way. 

Psalm 118:8  "It is better to trust the Lord than to trust people."

Matthew 21:22. "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

belief is Key...I love the words in this song sung beautifully by Jake Hess and friends, " Have faith when you speak to the Master, that's all he asks you for.  Prayer is the key to Heaven, but  faith unlocks the door."

Job's trials kept him on the road to God, he trusted him even though he had not seen him,
Job 23: 9, God has been at work in the North and the south, but still I have not seen him.
Job 23:11, I follow faithfully the road he chooses, and never wander to either side

Dear Lord...give me faith dear Spirt. Help me to be patient as I follow Your Word.  You will not fail me, of that I am sure.  In your precious name. Amen.

A Living Example

When you stand for God, you will stand out. And sometimes it will be painful, and sometimes you will fail but Sometimes You Won't and that's what is important.

Be a Holy living example, 

Lord, I want to be a just like You
cuz he wants to be like me

A great message about what others see in you, when you don't even know they are looking. 

Remember the saying, "Little pitchers have big ears"? well they hear, see and imitate...When I see myself in the people around me, I want to be proud of what they have chosen to emulate! 



2 Thessalonians 3:9
We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.
1 Timothy 4:12
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

As important as it is to be an example to the younger generation, I want to be a person people use as an example for their life and purpose. that is a huge, monumental goal, but attaining that goal becomes part of your everyday life, a little bit at a time. 

Who  I admire, read, watch or listen too may be the deciding factor in reaching the height I have set for myself.  
And as important,  how do I react when I slip on my chosen path and I know that I will.


We Are Examples
Learning to live as the Savior and follow where he leads...

Father, Help me to look and learn about Your loving guidance and order as the pattern for my life. By following the example of Your Son, in mutual love and respect, may I become a living Bible for others to read.  Lead me on Your path.  In your precious name, Amen

Good News

The “Gospel” is the “good news” that Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for our sin so that we might become the children of God through faith alone in Christ alone. The basic ingredients of the gospel message, are namely, the death, burial, resurrection, and appearances of the resurrected Christ. 

1 Corinthians 15:1–4,  

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sinsaccording to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures

 Paul provides the most succinct summary of the gospel: the man Jesus is also God, or Christ, and died on a cross in our place, paying the penalty for our sins; three days later He rose to conquer sin and death and give the gift of salvation to all who believe in Him alone for eternal life.

The good news starts out as awful news, He died and was buried, but the wonderful Good News is that He rose and lives in Heaven with His Father, and went to prepare a place for us.  If we believe that Jesus rose from that grave, we have heard the Good News and we will also rise from the grave, and be reunited with our many loved ones who have gone before.





Spread the Good News of Hope and Victory from death.

Good News,

         Good News
Isaiah 52:7 .....How beautiful on the mountain are the feet that bring Good News...Who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

Dear Lord,
Thank you for being the Good News in my every day...the end of my bad day is always...Good News, Good News..I believe that I will be with you one day.  Thank you. Good News! In your precious name, I believe in your Good News.  Amen.

I'll Rise Again

I'll Rise Again

by Dallas Holmes

A promise of salvation through our Lord Jesus

I've Just Seen Jesus

sung by David Phelps and Lana Ranahan

His promise is true









And I'll Never Be The Same Again

Jesus Made a Way

Exodus 26:31
"Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim woven into it by a skilled worker.

Matthew 27:51
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split

Luke 23:45
for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

Matthew Henry's commentary excerpt... At the same instant that Jesus died, the veil of the temple was rent from the top to the bottom. This spake terror to the unbelieving Jews, and was a sign of the destruction of their church and nation. It speaks comfort to all believing Christians, for it signified the laying open a new and living way into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. 

God was saying, “You no longer are on the outside. You can come in. My Son has made a way for you.”  The veil was torn. Jesus is now our Intercessor. We don’t have to go through a person to reach God anymore. We don’t have to go through rituals anymore. Instead, Jesus made a new and living way for us to reach God...by Greg Laurie

Dear Lord..You gave the ultimate sacrifice for my sake...I cannot repay..I can only accept your gift and Thank you.  I believe God gave His only Son as the sacrifice for my sin, forgive my sins, Lord Jesus, I believe in the resurrection and I believe that I will be with my Father in heaven one day.  In your Holy Name, Amen.

The Truth Will Set Us Free

The truth sometimes stings, but our reaction to the truth shows what we are made of. We can ignore or deny the charges and explain away the evidence, or we can take the truth humbly to heart, be accountable and let it change us.

...Truth confronts us with that which we do not want to know.
...Truth also hurts when it requires us to stop doing what we want to do, or requires us to start doing what we don't want to do.
...Truth is painful when it focuses on our own responsibilities and shortcomings instead of allowing us to focus on everyone else's

Yet when truth is painful, or requires something a person does not want to give or do, they often act as though it is somehow negotiable, or worse, non-existent. Avoiding truth is destructive but accepting Truth is instructive and shows us how to change pain to joy.


Who turned on the light to lead us out of our darkness? We are not always happy about the bright light coming on too quickly as it hurts the eyes..

think of a movie theater as we come to the end of a great story, still basking in the wonderfulness of it and FLICK! the light comes on. We squint and explore with our hands for a time but as the light comes over us, we rush forward with the knowledge of where we are going.

You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free..John 8:32

Truth is not a principle. Truth is a person: Jesus Christ.

One of the clearest and best-known statements by Jesus is 

Dear Lord, Help me to seek your truth, to find the Light of your way in this world of much darkness.  Sometimes I think I can just use a small lamp or a tiny candle flame to find my way, but I am just ignoring what I know to be true.  Jesus You are the Light of the World, thank you for showing me the way.  In your precious name. Amen.

Prom Night

As Prom Season comes into our lives again, I will re post this "Parents Prayer for Prom Night from May of 2012,  as many parents pray for the safety of their children.  It is a time when we are reminded that "wise choices" are learned from experiences and teaching they have had, up to the decision point.  Give them the opportunity to grow in accountability and to learn from their mistakes. They will make you proud.

"Raise up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it" Proverbs 22:6


Parents Prayer for Prom Night

May my child be blessed
on this special evening . . .
May my child be blessed with an enchanted evening.
May they dance with joy in their heart.
May they enjoy the smiles and laughter of others.
May my child have a date that is kind in word and deed, grateful and complimentary.
May their evening be filled with grace, dignity and respect. May my child experience a wonderful night, full of lasting memories.
I pray for the safety and wisdom for all that attend Prom this evening…
May the Lord watch over them.
- – Judy Geaslen