Christmas Joy!

"Now all praise to God for His wonderful kindness to us and His favor that he has poured out upon us, because we belong to His dearly loved Son.  So overflowing is His kindness towards us that He took away all our sins through the blood of His Son, by whom we are saved; and He has showered down upon us the richness of His grace for how well He understands us and knows what is best for us at all times.

God has told us His secret reason for sending Christ, a plan He decided on in mercy long ago; and this was His purpose: that when the time is ripe He will gather us all together from wherever we are - in heaven or on earth - to be with Him in Christ forever."  Ephesians 1:6-10 (Living Bible)

This morning I read this scripture in my Bible.  What joy!  With all that is going on in the world, the gloom of it all, still that little baby in a manger is the one who conquers all.  The greatest gift ever!  Real Christmas joy begins in Christ Jesus and the gracious kindness of our Father who knows what is best for us at all times.  Rejoice!  

Thanksgiving

Yesterday was Thanksgiving day here in America.  In Colorado we had a white Thanksgiving.  Mark pulled back to curtains from our big living room window and we watched the snow fall as we snacked on bits of cheese and sliced apple. It was a good day to stay home and rest, just the two of us.  The smells of a roasting chicken in the crock-pot drifted through the house.  We enjoyed a wonderfully restful day.  I had been looking forward to a restful day as I have been feeling tired and worn out from all that I have been doing.  My son & his wife went to New Mexico to spend Thanksgiving with her family.  We will be hosting Christmas for them this year. 

As for "Black Friday" I was again a "no show".  Instead I enjoyed a nice warm bath, the comfort of my jammies, a warm blanket and a slice of caramel apple pie with hot tea.  No way I was going to battle snow and ice for a deal.  Besides, I started my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving, but no where near finished.  Shopping can wait till later.

Well,  I hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving day!  Most of all, I hope that you were able to tell God "Thank you!" for all that He has blessed you with.  Things may not be perfect, but Mark and I know we are blessed, our cup is overflowing.

Here I am with my son's cat, Henry, on Thanksgiving Day.

Out of Control?

I don't know about you, but the state of affairs in this world looks to be chaos.  Total chaos!  I could go on and on about it, but I am sure you know all about it.  Everything that is going on makes my head spin so much that it makes me ill.  How about you?

Tonight I read in my devotional titled "Not My Worry" about God's great power, wisdom and mighty strength.  Psalm 55:22 says, "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you." and Isaiah 40:28-31 says, "He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

So when we are tempted to feel despair, lets turn our eyes upon God.  Jesus has overcome the world.  He is our Redeemer, our Sovereign Lord; definitely He's got this, no problem.  The best part is that He is coming.  Lets look up, for our redemption draws near.  In the meantime, lets do as the below message advises...lets carry on in His service till He calls us home.

Autumn Reflection Time

Autumn, the season of color.  In Autumn the air takes on a nip.  Sweaters & blankets appear and wrap us in warmth.  Pumpkins and apples grace our tables and fires and candles make things cozy.  Let us take some time today to think about Autumn and the wonderful season God made for us.  Take time to reflect on the aspects of this lovely season that give you pleasure.  Listed below are some of mine.

Apples & Pumpkins - for eating, in drinks, and just so pretty to look at on their own.

Leaves - all the different colors, shapes and sizes.  I love how the sunlight shines on them in the evening making them glow.  And I love how they look against a clear blue sky.

Sweaters - I love the warmth they bring to a chilly day and how they complete an outfit.  I love the patterns of knit, the colors and textures.

Hats, Gloves & Scarves - I have all kinds of scarves and knit hats.  It is so fun to add them to my outfit and the warmth they bring is so necessary.

 Blankets - the warmth of a blanket on a chilly night is so comforting.  I love the oversized throw blankets with woolly fleece or down.

Candles - I especially like the scents they have in Autumn, apple, smokey scents, spicy cinnamon, pumpkin, etc.

Hot Beverages - nothing says Autumn like hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick, hot chocolate, chai tea, hot coffee with an Autumn flavored creamer.  So yummy!

Pie - I absolutely adore pie and Autumn pies are special to me.  Apple, pumpkin, and custard pie are my favorites.

Soup & Bread - Autumn has the perfect weather for soup & bread.  So warming, healthy and tasty.  My favorite soups are my Grandmother's minestrone and a good Irish potato soup.  To complete the meal a warm bread out of the oven.  Cornbread, biscuits, etc.  I absolutely adore bread with melting butter!

These are a few of my favorite things for Autumn.  I hope this list has inspired you and that you will take time to think of your favorite things.  In reflecting on these blessings I hope your heart fills with thanksgiving to God.  We are so blessed to be able to enjoy all of  our favorite things.  He is so GOOD!  Happy Autumn!

Can you believe it?

It is November and soon we will be celebrating Thanksgiving!  And after that the Christmas season will be in full swing!  I am so not ready.  Lately, the holidays have been the least on my mind.  Its been an amazing year, so many things have transpired.  I started out the year just looking forward to my grandson's 1st birthday.  As the year went on I sensed in my spirit an urgency and a longing for His return.  After praying and asking the Lord to give me salve for my eyes, He answered my prayer.  Many new doors were opened up letting in His light.  I am no longer in the dark.  Here is a link to an article I recently read that puts a lot of things into focus about what is up ahead.  The article is titled The Coming Snare written by Daymond Duck.  Hope you enjoy it.  And remember, the Lord is more than willing to help you keep the light on, just ask.

Sharing the trials...

I have not shared my trials on this blog for quite a while now.  When I did share way back when, it had caused issues for me so I stopped sharing. I have gotten used to sharing light stuff since then.  However, the situation has changed, so it may be safe to share the deeper things of life.

I still struggle with with my sons.  As you may remember my sons are both adopted, they are biological brothers.  Its been quite a story these past couple of years.  Son #2 looked up his birth parents and got Son #1 involved.  I did not talk to the parents, but I did finally get to see a picture of their birth mother, which Son #1 shared with me.  Anyway, since last writing about my sons, both are married now.  As you may remember, Son #1 was the first to marry as he had a child on the way.  My gorgeous grandson.  Son #2 married last year and they have a child on the way.

Son #2 is still the source of much heartache, so much so that it is hard to talk about.  He left home just before his 18th birthday, dropped out of high school and went to Cali.  He came back for a short period, then went back to Cali again.  (He always leaves because he gets into trouble.)  He got married in April last year.  After 6 months he brought his wife to live in Colorado.  They lived here for 10 months and it was a roller coaster ride the whole time.  He was in and out of jobs, cars, jail and places to live.  I have had the police at my house and creditors calling me on account of his antics.  I had the experience of accompanying my new daughter in-law to court and seeing my son in a prison uniform, handcuffed and a chain around his waist.  He and his wife left Colorado in August without saying goodbye.  After a month he called.  He continues to live life on the wrong side of the tracks.

I used to get terribly upset, but I have learned to leave it with the Lord.  Prayer time for the boys is done with a heavy heart and few words.  Mostly just my spirit groaning within me.  To survive, I've learned to focus on the Lord's return, it is the only thing that brings me joy, excitement and anticipation.  And of course the Lord opened the doors for me to provide daycare for my grandson, which also brings me joy.  The Lord is my strength, my shield, my strong tower to run to.  Praise His holy name!      

What's Happening to America?

Recently, I have been intrigued by something eerie.  Can you say "dead malls"?  In my opinion, this phenomenon is due to our fading economy.  An article from the New York Times titled "The Economics (and Nostalgia) of Dead Malls" is an interesting read.  And if you go on You Tube and type "dead malls" into the search engine dozens of videos come up.

It appears that the heyday of the retail era is slowly dying.  As a teen growing up in the later 1970's, the mall was the place to go nearly every Saturday.  Even as a mom with elementary school children (in the early 2000's), my friend and I met at the mall to walk, have coffee, shop, lunch and of course talk-talk-talk.  

Definitely, our country has turned a page in its history.  With our national debt in the trillions of dollars and the recent rumblings in the world economy, wars and the threat of nuclear war, where are we headed? As I watch the nightly news I see the elements of hate and destruction flashed across the screen.  Lawlessness, lies, deceit, appear to be the norm; a new way of living life.  And what about the phrase "politically correct"?  Well, it appears to be a new lifestyle to be ascertained, however in my opinion its a poison to drink resulting in becoming a zombie. 

Evil is being fed to us as goodness and true goodness is being touted as evil.  The Bible says in Isaiah 5:20, " Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" Is this what is happening to America?  It seems then that these "dead malls" are a picture of what is happening to our society.  What once was a great nation is now dying.  But the real tragedy is what is becoming of Americans.  Are we dying?

I cannot end this post without pointing the way to life.  There is real life available, but you have to be willing to let go of your "dead mall" life.  I point to the Bible, where it says in John 1:4, "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind."  This passage speaks of "Jesus".  By his own admission, He says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  In Jesus, there is life everlasting, the truth, and the way we really start living is through Him.  Yes, all have sinned and fall short (Romans 3:23), but we have a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  A fantastic deal...forgiveness is FREE!  But its a limited time offer, don't miss out.