Treasures For My Heart

After the Christmas rush of activities I wearily laided down for a much needed nap Christmas afternoon. It was a blessed time filled with wonderfully prepared meals and lots of "treasures" to be opened. Honestly, after such a whirl wind of activities, I was exhausted.

I thought about Mary. She travelled far during a time most woman would feel it was too late in their pregnancy to leave home. She must have been weary and maybe even miserable. She had to deliver her son in extremely humble conditions and then visitors came! It might have been overwhelming. The Bible says she treasured these things: the worshiping shepherds, the singing angels and the extravagant gift giving, Wise men.

What are you treasuring from this Christmas time?

My treasures are simple but yet special all the same.

I treasure the moment my youngest daughter was praying along with our minister, and children's choir, before they were to sing for the congregation on Christmas Eve. Her sweet little hands folded and head bowed in earnest prayer warmed my heart.

I treasure singing Silent Night along with fellow believers in a candle lit church meditating on the true meaning of this blessed time- the gift of salvation we receive in Jesus Christ.

I treasure that my parents came to share this celebration with us, and that they are healthy and even robust!

I treasure the sparkle in Mr P's eye as he had surprises under the tree for me that I did not know about. Before I'd even opened my gifts the realization came to me that the giver is truly more spectacular than any gift!

Dear God,

May we keep the joy of Christmas all year long as any day is a great day to celebrate the gift of life you have given us in Christ Jesus. May we truly feel how blessed we are by our family and friends and never take them for granted. May we take hold of every opportunity to show them love. May we reach out to others who may not know You and may our lives cause them to seek You. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Luke 2:19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Living Nativity

Tonight we participated in a living nativity on one of the coldest nights of the year! Our kids had a great time as a shepherd, a lamb, and a wiseman.
Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Glory to the New born king!

We three kings of Orient are.........

All of the children did a fabulous job in their character roles.

Church members and people from our communty came out to see the Nativity and to pet the animals.

Happy Birthday Baby Jesus!

From Our House To Yours!

Today we lit the fourth candle. The love candle. We have not lit it here in our home yet-we were out late for a choral concert at church.

Before the choir "went on" our choir director shared an important message with us and I'd like to share it with you. She told us it did not matter if we got every note or entrance to perfection. What mattered most is- Emanuel- God is with us- The most important thing was that the audience could sense the love of Jesus in us. May everything we do bring glory to God and may all whom our lives touch feel the presence of Jesus when they are with us!

The concert went beautifully and a great evening was had by us all!



My oldest holding his puppet from the show after last weeks childrens program.

By the Christmas tree last Sunday morning!

We Wish You A Merry Christmas!

Handmade Treasures

My children have been proudly bringing home gifts they have made for the family. It is so fun to see their excitement of giving the gifts they have worked so hard on!

A Late Night Talk With Eternal Perspectives

Last night while re-tucking my oldest in, (he reads for awhile after his first tuck in -and if we forget to come and say, " lights out" he could be reading late into the night) we had a wonderful conversation! He is usually reserved with his feelings. Occasionally he will open up and last night was one of those times.

Earlier in the evening, we'd talked together as a family about a gift we each could give Jesus. We decided on Christmas Eve we will have a birthday party for Jesus, and write down our gift that we would like to give. I asked my oldest if he had any ideas. He said, "The best gift would be to give Jesus my heart." I asked him if he knew what that meant and here is what he said:

To give Jesus your heart means to invite Him to live there. Sometimes what's on the outside doesn't match what's on the inside, so even if it looks like your good your mind may not be. When you ask Jesus to live in your heart then He can help you keep your mind on good stuff and then your inside matches your outside. He went on to say that when we die and God calls us before Him, (my oldest child) imagines there will be a dry erase board behind God with all of the bad things we've done written on it. It will be big and full. Jesus will come and erase all of the bad things because He already paid for those things then our erase boards will be empty and clean.

What a wonderful blessing my children are to me. I am learning so much about the enjoyment of life and about God through them! What a marvelous gift my son has to give Jesus this year. What a blessing for my oldest to receive the gift of eternal life!

Dear God,
I am so very thankful that my children are beginning to understand and realize the great love you have for them. A love so great that you offered up Your own Son to pay the price of our transgressions, that we might live eternally with You. Grant me the wisdom to continue to nurture and teach them about You and the importance of a relationship with You. Thank you for the family members, Ministers, Sunday School teachers, Scout Leaders, Camp Counsellors and Music Leaders who have had a role in leading my children to You.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

Romans 3:23
"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;"

Romans 7:23
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved through faith; and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God, not by works, so that on one can boast."

Pray a prayer like this:

Luke 18:13
"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God have mercy on me a sinner.'"

John 3:16-17
" For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son in to the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. "

Light One Candle For Joy

Today we lit the Joy candle! The angels brought news of great joy. The first and the greatest Christmas present in the world has been given..... Jesus.

I thought a lot about joy today. Sunday is my favorite day of the week and I spent it doing things I love best: praising God in song, worshiping alongside fellow believers in Christ, studying God's Word, singing with little children....focusing on.... Christ. It was a full day... yet a spiritually restful one. Today I am joyful.

Often times I confuse happiness for joy. Some days I do not feel happy, in fact I can become overwhelmed and quite blue. This unhappiness is due to my circumstances or happenings of my day. Those days are usually marked by Mr. P, as days I, along with the children, need a nap!

Joy comes from the Lord and is able to withstand even the unhappiness of difficult children, financial difficulties, lost loved ones, lost job, or a failing marriage.

Joy can look to the eternal knowing this life is not all there is and God is in control of our circumstances. Somehow He will bring good out of what is bad.

Today during this joyful time I want to pray for those I know who are facing circumstances that are not at all happy. May they feel the love of Christ, who is God, who came down to earth to live among us. He felt all the same hurts we feel and promises to be with us always. May they trust in God knowing He will work all things out for good for those who love and obey Him.

Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. "

John 15:9-11 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commmands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

Seven Christmas Memories

This meme is going on at Chatty Kelly's and at Greg's General Store. It is about seven of your favorite Christmas memories. I thought it would be fun to share seven Christmas memories from my childhood.


1) My favorite Christmas memory is the Christmas Eve candle lite service at my childhood church. I can't remember how old I was the first time I was old enough to attend; but it left the most amazing, awe inspiring impression on me. After the songs were sung and the message delivered by the minister, the lights were all turned out and it was completely dark except for the Advent wreath. With out Christ our lives would be dark and cold. Jesus the light of the world fills our lives with warmth and light. And as we share this light with others it only shines brighter and brighter. The light from the Christ candle is spread through out the sanctuary while we sing Silent Night. By the time the song is sung the sanctuary is filled with light! I would always want to keep it lit even after the lights were turned on.

2.) I also treasured singing in the children's choir as a kid. I still remember some of our songs from Christmas past and sing them even today......

Christmas isn't Christmas until it happens in your heart
Somewhere deep inside you is where Christmas really starts
So give your heart to Jesus and you'll discover when you do
That it's Christmas really Christmas for you.

Jesus gives gifts of truth and life and makes them bloom and grow
So welcome him with a song of joy and when he comes you'll know

I was probably in second grade when we sang that song and it still touches my heart!

3.) We'd have lots of family gatherings around Christmas. On my Daddy's side I was the baby. So even in fourth and fifth grade I could still sit in my dear Grandpa's lap. He smelled of Old Spice and his blue eyes sparkled with the merriment of Christmas!

4.) The day after Christmas early in the morning (around 2AM) we'd get on the train to visit my Mom's side of the family. As a little girl it was very exciting not only to be up at that hour but to be at the depot and standing on the platform waiting for our train as another train would whoosh by! It would take my breath away!

5.) When I was seven (I think), my Aunt and Uncle had a baby girl (she's all grown now and is a blogger too!) The first time I saw my baby cousin she was just an infant and my Aunt let me follow her all around... "helping". The next year, I named my baby doll I had received as a Christmas present after my cousin.

6.) My mom makes magic at Christmas time! Mr P. agrees! She does the house all in fresh greenery and cooks wonderful family goodies like my grandmother Aggie's date orange muffins and red velvet cake! This year she and my Daddy are coming to my house! I am hoping I can make some magic for her!

7.) Mom and Dad would always get a fresh tree and my Mom would set out the decorations ahead of time to prepare. She'd let me play with all of the ornaments. (The angels had to talk to baby Jesus and the toy soldgers had to protect the dolls!) I smiled fondly as my boys stopped to play with some of our ornaments when we decorated our tree. My youngest pulls a few off the tree from time to time to play or to re-arranges them so they can talk to each other!

Merry Merry Christmas to you! Feel free to share your memories too!

The Sweetest Thing!

My little girl, who is three, had a play date the other afternoon with a close friend of hers. They were happily cooking and chatting in the play kitchen upstairs. Suddenly they both marched down stairs, obviously on a mission, birthday cake in hand! They stopped in front of the Christmas tree and began debating if they could go ahead and sing Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus. " It's too soon ,"my daughter said, "it's not Christmas yet. " I stepped in and encouraged them that everyday is a wonderful day to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus because we are thankful for Him each day of our lives! So, we all sang Happy Birthday to Jesus! What a blessing these sweet little girls are to my soul!

Luke 2:11

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

The best Christmas present we will ever receive is from God..... The gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

We Are Cooking!

We've been doing some Christmas baking around here! My youngest LOVES to help and wants to do it all! She even said, "Mom, I'm working hard!" She is making her Grand Mimi proud! These are some easy recipes from some dear friends!

This has got to be the easiest sweet treat and fun to take to parties! We received this idea from a Joyful friend attending a Super Bowl Party with us several years ago.

You put square shaped pretzels on a baking sheet and top each with a Rolo candy. Put them in a 350 degree oven for five minutes and immediately place a pecan half on top.

Sparkling Toffee Cookies

(full of Green Love!-recipe is from S.Green)

1 1/2 stick butter (softened)

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup toffee bits (or to taste-I put in the whole bag!)

Sugar for top to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar, butter, egg and vanilla in mixer bowl. Beat @ medium speed until creamy. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, reduce speed to low. Beat until well mixed. Stir in toffee bits. (I refrigerate the dough for an hour) Shape into one inch balls. Roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Flatten with bottom of glass or fork for criss cross pattern. Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Sprinkle with sugar while warm.

I only make this next recipe around Christmas time. The sweet friend I received it from has made it an all occasion treat by changing the color on the covering. Pink and Blue at a baby shower was my favorite one she had made. These treats are only about half a sweet and rich in goodness as my friend, S. Cray.

My kids call them Snow Balls (on the Internet you can find them under Oreo balls)

I think the recipe is easier if you have a food processor but we do not. As is it is a fun and easy one for my youngest to help with.

We take a whole package of oreos (12 cookies at a time-all my blender can handle) and crush them in a Ziploc freezer bag. Then we put them in a blender and set it to chop! We do this over and over until the whole package of oreos is exhausted.

In a bowl we combine the pulverized oreos, (2) 8 oz cream cheese (softened) and a 1/2 cup powdered sugar. I put the dough in the refrigerator for one hour. Roll dough into small balls. Refrigerate for another hour. Coat with white almond bark.

Patterson Love all wrapped up and ready to deliver!

Amish Friendship bread pictured but not blogged about, perhaps another time!

Illumination

This past weekend was a grand Illumination for our neighborhood. Families put out luminaries in front of their homes and neighbors were out enjoying the lights!












I pray that as Chirst's lights we are "grandly illuminated" so that others feel the warmth and love of Christ just by being around us.






This Christmas.......
may we long to learn more about God and how much he loves us.














May we truly recieve the gift of the Christ child in our hearts this Christmas time and may we share this gift with all!












Matthew 5:14-16
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Join me in singing "This Little Light of Mine"!

Peace Maker Mom

When thinking of a peace maker images of important world leaders who dedicate their whole lives to the prevention of wars come to my mind. Only after studying a passage in James with Mr P in our Sunday School class did I notice the important calling of a peace maker for me as a mom!



James 3:17-18

"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."



In our discussion we talked about who in our lives exhibitied the qualities of a peace maker. My husband mentioned moms and teachers of young children, as often disputes arise involving sharing of toys, taking turns, and learning to get along. He marvelled at the patience those who have dedicated their lives to daily working with children. Even though I find him to be extremely patient with our three, he more than once has said how amazed he is at my career as a mom!



Looking closer still at these verses I hope that as I help my young ones with their disputes, I encourage them to look at their siblings and peers with compassion and love; so that I will be raising "a harvest of righteousness" in these precious lives God is helping me lead.

Light One Candle For Peace

Tonight we lit the second candle on our Advent wreath, a candle for Peace.

Mary, when given a seemingly unbelievable assignment accepted the role God called her to play with peace. She was humble, not looking out for her own selfish ambitions, as she trusted in God to take care of the details. She was available to God to receive the call. She was not so caught up in the busyness of her life that she would miss it---even in the midst of planning a wedding!

She trusted in God and joyfully accepted even when the consequences for being an unwed girl with child during her time was quite severe. She gave over her worries and was given peace.

God grants us peace when we trust in Him. He longs for us to lay our concerns and worries at His feet so He can give us peace. May we like Mary humble ourselves, putting aside our own selfish ambitions and incessant busyness, so that we can receive this gift of peace.

Dear God,

May I give all of my worries to You. For with You nothing is impossible. May I clear my schedule each day prioritizing time with You, so that in this busy season I will receive Your peace.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Philippians 4:4-7

"May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord. I say it again: rejoice! Show a gentle attitude toward everyone. The Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in the union with Christ Jesus."

Isaiah 9:6

"His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God. The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

Luke 1:46-49

"And Mary said: ' My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me-holy is his name."

We'll Leave The Light On For You

Tonight the boys and I took our dog, Toby out for a walk around the neighborhood. We looked at all of the beautifully decorated houses. My favorites are the ones with a candle in each window. To me it looks as if they are awaiting a special visitor and are leaving the light on for them!

I have read that this tradition started in Ireland. The candles in windows are a symbolic gesture to those ancient travelers who could find no shelter that there is room for them and the coming child.

During the seventeenth century the British had control over Ireland and instated harsh laws hoping to eradicate Irish traditions. The Irishmen were not allowed to vote, send their children to school, buy land, or own expensive livestock. The Irish priests were sent out of Ireland and warned never to return.

On Christmas Eve the Irish families of faith placed a single candle in each of three windows, or three candles in one window to symbolize, Mary, Joseph and Jesus. The candles were lit for traveling priests to let them know the doors were unlocked and they were welcome to come eat and celebrate "Christ-mas."

Today the candles in the windows could symbolize our readiness for Jesus to enter our homes and live in our hearts.

Jesus is the light of the world that shines in the darkness. His light can not be extinguished no matter how many laws are instated to stop believers from gathering together. Such laws are no match for the Light of the World!

May our "light" so shine that people feel welcome and long to meet the Giver of Our Light, Jesus.

John 1:4-5 "The Word gave life to everything that was created and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it." NLT

John 9:5b Jesus said...."I am the light of the world."

Our middle child recently sang a song for the PTA , along with his class about candles and how they warm our hearts. He also had a small speaking part. He was visibly nervous but did a super job!

He is holding his candle!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

Everywhere we go it seems there is a Christmas tree. I marvelled at the trees in the Bass Pro Shop, each one had a theme and was very elaborate. I thought about having the kids stand next to one of those and not even mention that it wasn't ours! You all already know those fancy one's just aren't our style!

Today we talked about trees and read a book my sister-in -law gave us, The Tale Of Three Trees. After reading the book we looked at our tree and thought of Christmas trees. Most are triangular in shape and could represent the trinity--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Christmas tree is an evergreen, which could represent eternal life. My middle child noted that Jesus died for us on a tree. Again we discussed God's grace and mercy in giving us eternal life. We talked about how a tree stands tall pointing to God. May we stand tall and make certain our lives are pointing to God.

Dear God,

We are thankful for the many reminders of Your love all around us this Christmas season. May we stand tall like our tree and be a witness for Jesus. May we look upwards and direct our attention to You. May we open our hearts and arms to others with Your spirit of love. May we share this love with others who may not know You but who are longing for the life You give.

In Jesus Name,

Amen.

I Peter 2:24

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed."

Light One Candle For Hope

Our house is all a buzz with the excitement Christmas brings! Children full of excitement, energy and laughter! Our home is usually loud but today...it's very loud. Songs were sung at the tops of their voices! Huge belly laughs as they chased each other round and round our house. Christmas time is here and they are delighted!





We love tradition and have many little things we do every year. During Advent we have our devotion time right after dinner by candle light! Today the first candle was lit, the hope candle. Reminding us of the hope we have in Jesus. Jesus brings hope into the dark places of the world. By God's mercy through Jesus, we have been born anew to a living hope.



Dear God,



We look forward to Christmas with excitement and joy. Help us to take our time enjoying this wonderful time of praise and thanks to You. May we let go of the anxiety of busy schedules and full calendars. May we slow down so we can be attentive to Your whispers. Open us up to Your love that fills us with hope!



In Jesus Name,

Amen.





Titus 2:13

"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ."



John 8:12

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life."



I Peter 1:3

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."