Spiritual Sundays: A Time of Preparation

This Sunday is the first of the four Sundays in Advent. A special time in the Christian church when we prepare for the coming of our Lord Jesus, God's son and our Savior.

Purchasing and wrapping gifts, sending out Christmas cards and letters, making breads and cookies, and decorating our homes and trees, are all a part of the preparations we make for Christmas. But we cannot stop there or we will lose sight of the meaning of this special season in all the activity and commercialism

When our children were home we made the effort to have special devotions every night starting with the first Sunday in Advent. We used an Advent Wreath with candles to light, told stories, read special devotions and scriptures, sang hymns, and prayed together. Each night one of the kids lit a candle or opened a "door" on the Advent Calendar. It was a time to stop, take a deep breath and center ourselves. The Christmas programs and special church services also kept our focus on waiting for Baby Jesus' birth. It was a time of anticipation and joy for all of us~ A time of expectant waiting. There are so many special memories of these times that I hold close to my heart. As empty nesters, we still make an effort to keep some of these traditions going. I am sure all of you have your own ways of keeping the "reason for the season" in your Christmas preparations.

As we begin once again this season of preparation, may we find joy and meaning in each and every day as we await the celebration of a small baby with the power to save the world!

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Thanksgiving Blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope and pray that your day has been filled with good food, good fellowship, and an abundance of blessings!!

Spiritual Sundays

From Max Lucado's booklet, "Give It All To Him".

W O R R Y

"Worry is the burlap bag of burdens. it is overflowing with 'whaddifs' and 'howells'. Whaddif it rains at my wedding.....Howell we pay our child's tuition.....etc. etc.

The burlap bag of worry. Cumbersome. Chunky. Unattractive. Scratchy. Hard to get a handle on. Irritating to carry and impossible to give away. No one wants your worries......Worry divides the mind. The Biblical word for worry is the compound of two Greek words that mean 'to divide' 'the mind'. Anxiety splits our energy between today's priorities and tomorrows problems. The result is half-minded living.

Jesus said, 'You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.' (Matt.6:27)

Worry has never brightened a day, solved a problem or cured a disease!"

BUT JESUS HAS!

There is so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, and at the top of my list is Jesus my Lord. Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate it in November!

For more inspirational posts visit Charlotte and Ginger's blog:
www.bloggerspirit.blogspot.com

Thankful Thursday Thoughts

Today I am giving thanks for my laptop computer that I have affectionately named "Libby" (Liberty) for the freedom it gives me. It was nearly a year ago that our family gathered together for Thanksgiving. Our oldest son and our daughter-in-love, and their 3 came a couple hours early and presented me with a huge surprise~ a laptop!! Our DIL had purchased it only a year ago and had decided to get a new one....she gave me her "old" one! I have been using it every single day since and love love love it. What a precious gift! My chronic illnesses come with a lot of chronic pain so having a laptop saves me not only energy, but higher pain levels. Since I am homebound, it expands my world!

Today I am giving thanks for surprise gifts and those who give them. I am giving thanks that I can sit in my recliner, all cozy and comfortable and be online...meeting new friends, and connecting with the world! I am giving thanks for Libby and all the convenience and community, and she brings into my life ~ and I am giving thanks for loved ones and their gifts of love.

This pictures brings me such a sense of serenity ~ I wanted to share it with all of you.

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you today and always. Amen

.

Thankful Thursday Thoughts

One of my favorite things to say is, "So many books to read...so little time."

I love love love books! I am so very thankful for the gift of books and the privilege to read. Books provide inspiration, a fun escape, and teachable moments for me. I read some books to help me grow and others to help me forget.

Books let us into their souls, and lay open to us the secrets of our own."

William Hazlett

Living most of my life from my "sofa sanctuary" I have welcomed books as friends and a way to connect with the world outside my windows. Today I give thanks for all kinds of "friends"!

"You know you read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend." Paul Sweeney

I am not one who keeps my books in pristine condition...I fold down pages, underline things I want to remember and write notes in the margins! I guess I do the same thing with my Bibles too. My Bibles are the most important books I own and being able to have several translations is really a gift, isn't it. Today I give thanks for having as many Bibles to read as often and as freely as I like.

"May the strength of God pilot us, may the wisdom of God instruct us, may the hand of God protect us, may the WORD OF GOD direct us."

St. Patrick

Books are part of my houses decor~ and you will find them in every room in our home...I remember once my brother telling someone that you can always tell when you are in a "D. home"....they even have books in their bathrooms! Giving thanks today for having so many books that I can spread them around the house!

"Books are not made as furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a home." Henry Ward Beecher

This Thankful Thursday I am giving thanks and praise for books~ !!!!

Spiritual Sundays

Recently I read about Augustus Montague Toplady, a minister who lived near Somerset England during the eighteenth century. He is well known for the hymn, "Rock of Ages".

One day when Toplady was out walking he was caught in a fierce storm. He quickly took refuge inside a rocky area and while waiting for the storm to pass he composed a poem that eventually became a favorite hymn. The place he took shelter was not small, but was a massive cliff with vertical rifts. He protected himself in a fissure that was completely hidden by the towering rock. Nothing would have moved this cliff~ it was indeed shelter from the storm.

When David praised God in 2 Samuel 22:1-3 he said,

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; thou savest me from violence."

Both David of the Psalms, and Toplady from England understood well that we have nothing to fear when we hide ourselves in the Lord. He is our Rock for ALL ages. He is our protector, our shield in every storm!

Rock of ages, cleft for me

Let me hide myself in Thee...

For more inspirational posts visit Charlotte and Ginger's blog, Spiritual Sundays at http://www.bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/

Thankful Thursday Thoughts

Today the sun is shining, the temp is climbing to the mid-fifties, and I was able to go for a short ride with my husband, Joel, to buy some gourds. The fresh air and change of scenery was good for my health!

Today I am especially thankful for my husband of 41 years. We met at Bible College and married at the young ages of 20 and 22. Our years together found us living in several states and one foreign country. Through raising 7 children and doing foster care, and his careers in the military and ministry, we have moved 23 times. I am blessed to have a husband with a deep faith, strong commitment to our marriage and our family, and a loving spirit. When times are tough he is right there, when I was bedridden he took over my responsibilities and still maintained his own. He is loving, caring, solid, dependable, and honorable. Today I give thanks for God blessing me with Joel in my life. I am blessed.