All Things Through Christ

She wanted to keep trying,

even though the sun was hot and her legs were unsteady.

Her daddy held the bicycle with his strong hands

and guided her along with his encouraging words.

 

 

Our Father in heaven is just like that.

Just ask Paul.

He was being held under house arrest as he wrote to the Philippians,

encouraging them, praying for them, and exhorting them to live godly lives.

At the end of his letter, Paul wrote of his contentment no matter his circumstances:

 

"...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

I know what it is to have plenty.

I have learned the secret of being content

in any and every situation,

whether well fed or hungry,

whether living in plenty or in want.

I can do all things

through Christ 

who strengthens me."

Philippians 4:11-13

 

Paul knew the secret to contentment was finding his strength in Jesus,

trusting Him to hold him up and keep him going,

no matter the circumstances.

And so can we.

Fall On Your Knees ~ O Holy Night

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby,

keeping watch over their flocks at night.  

An angel of the Lord appeared to them,

and the glory of the Lord shone around them,

 and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them,

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news

that will cause great joy for all the people. 

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;

He is the Messiah, the Lord. 

This will be a sign to you:

You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel,

 praising God and saying,

 

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 

 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another,

 

“Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened,

 which the Lord has told us about.”

Luke 2:8-15

(image)

O Holy Night
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees
O hear the angel voices
O night divine!
O night when Christ was born
O night divine!
O night, O night divine!

Oh Come, Let Us Adore Him

So it was,

when the angels had gone away from them into heaven,

that the shepherds said to one another,

“Let us now go to Bethlehem

and see this thing that has come to pass,

which the Lord has made known to us.”

Luke 2:15

Be Still...

 

This old bench has been in our yard for several years,

and this picture was taken at our old house in the winter.

 

It now has a new home under our pergola this winter,

providing a spot under the white Christmas lights,

reminding us to pause and remember why we celebrate Christmas.

 

We remember that...

 

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

He was with God in the beginning...

 

The Word became flesh

and made His dwelling among us.

We have seen His glory,

the glory of the One and Only,

who came from the Father,

full of grace and truth.

John 1:1-2, 14

 

The Everlasting Arms

 

 

A sweet baby boy gone to be with Jesus
Before he took his first breath,
Held briefly in the arms of his parents
Now held by the Lord of the heartbroken,
Forever loved,
Forever held in their hearts,
Tender words of love whispered in his ears,
Tears of sadness washing down their cheeks,
A grandmother’s heart breaks for her daughter
Her arms ache for this sweet little boy,
Jesus, the Lord of the heartbroken
Jesus, the One who holds him now.

~

For my dear friend, who trusts Jesus to hold her
sweet little grandson until she holds him again

 

"‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes.

There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain,

for the old order of things has passed away.”


Revelation 21:4

 

Whom Shall I Fear

 

This morning, I was encouraged by a song a friend shared that lifted my spirit and reminded me of God's promises. It is by Chris Tomlin (with Ed Cash), and he has done what he does so well; he has given us the hope of God in His promises.

2 Kings 6:17

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh, my Lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked.

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet (Elisha) answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

And Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Whom Shall I Fear/God of Angels Army
By Chris Tomlin and Ed Cash

You hear me when I call
You are my morning song
Though darkness fills the night
It cannot hide the light
Whom shall I fear?

You crush the enemy
Underneath my feet
You are my sword and shield
Though trouble linger still
Whom shall I fear?

I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind
The God of angel armies is always by my side
The One who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine
The God of angel armies is always by my side

My strength is in Your name
For You alone can save
You will deliver me
Yours is the victory
Whom shall I fear?
Whom shall I fear?

And nothing formed against me shall stand
You hold the whole world in Your hands
I'm holding on to Your promises
You are faithful
You are faithful

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Burdens or Rest?

 

This sweet kitty was napping on our porch this morning when I opened the blinds.

She belongs to one of our neighbors, and this is the first time I have seen her here.

She seemed a little fuzzy when I came out with the camera.

 

Then she stretched, meowed daintly, and went back to sleep.

 

A lovely catnap.

 

 

 

Sometimes we carry burdens that are to heavy for our backs,

too unthinkable for our minds, and too sorrowful for our hearts.

 

We carry

lies,

regrets,

shame,

unforgiveness,

a devastating diagnosis, 

the loss of a job,

the loss of a loved one...

 

we all carry burdens of some sort.

 

But we need not carry our burdens alone.

The weight of our burdens are too much for us to carry.

Jesus promises in Matthew 11:28-30 to help us with our burdens,

to be united (yoked) with Him so that we can weather the storms that

seem to drag us down into the depths of despair. 

All we need to do is to ask Him and He is there, lifting our hearts

as He lifts us from the heaviness of heart burdens bring.

No, the problems do not always just disappear, but our burdens can become lighter,

our minds relieved and our hearts renewed by the rest Jesus promises.

 

And with this renewed heart comes rest ~ physically, mentally and spiritually,

and we may find ourselves at rest like this little visitor I had this morning.

I just peeked, and she is still out there, napping peacefully.

 

 

 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

for I am gentle and humble in heart,

 and you will find rest for your souls. 

 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

A Beam of Light

 

I know this picture is dark, but my husband was vacuuming in the early morning.

Now, I am thankful when he vacuums anytime of day,

but I was curious as to why he was doing this in the dark.

He told me that the vacuum beam was all he needed to see where he was going.

 

 

Wow.

 

God's Word is like that.

It is always just what we need to go down life's path,

and without it, we would be trying to find our way in the dark,

stumbling and perhaps falling down.

But His Word gives us the light we need so that we may

stand upright and follow the path He has for us.

 

By Your words

I can see where I am going;

they throw a beam of light on

my dark path.

Psalm 119:105 (The Message)

 

The familiar King James version says it like this:

 

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,

and a light unto my path.

 

 

 

Amy Grant - Thy Word

 

A Spacious Place

 

The back of our new house faces an empty field to the west,

 and beyond the field is a cemetery with a beautiful chapel.

It is a peaceful and spacious view, and I appreciate it all the more

because we have houses on both sides of us and in the streets beyond us to the east.

 

The only thing keeping Lucy, our Golden Retriever, from running in the field

is this gate in our picket fence. Lucy loves to go out into the field to run and sniff

where rabbits, pheasants and deer may have been.

Our yard is quite small, so this "spacious place" is a sweet place for her to run

and for me to gaze at out my kitchen window.

 

I grew up on a farm, and I love spacious places.

The Lord brough my husband and me out to Montana many years ago

and I especially love the spacious places here.

But that is not the "spacious place" the Word speaks of in Psalm 18.

 

This "spacious place" I truly love is where He has forever set me free,

where He has rescued me from the enemy and from my sinful life.

His love broke through the gate of sin in my heart and set me free.

And to think that He did this because He delights in me!

 

And He delights in you.

 

What a wonderful place to be!

 

He brought me out into a spacious place;

He rescued me because He delighted in me.

Psalm 18:19 (also 2 Samuel 22:20)

 

 

This post is linked up with Word Filled Wednesday

 

A Perspective of Light

Everyday events usually seem uneventful,

but when my granddaughter asked to use my camera and went around our house

taking pictures, she snapped this  photo of a lamp in our living room.

I was struck by the perspective as well as the lighting,

almost as if it was done in sepia.

 

I share it here and will show it to her when she comes on our day together,

and we will talk about Matthew 5:14-16.
Sometimes a 4-year-old's perspective is best!

 

 

You are the light of the world.

 

A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

 

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.

 

Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

 

In the same way, let your light shine before others,

 

that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

 

Matthew 5:14-16

 

 

The Everyday Word ~ Far from Ordinary!

So often I go about my day doing the everyday tasks that must be done without thinking about how God's Word relates even to these ordinary, everyday moments. As I was doing laundry yesterday, I thought about how I could connect the everyday moments of my life with the Word of God using photos of these moments and sharing them.

 

 

The Everyday Word does not mean that the Word of God is everyday,

for it is powerful and sovereign, far from everyday.

Nor does The Everyday Word mean that I will post every day,

although I might.

 The Everyday part means the commonplace, ordinary, or normal things we do,

and the Word part means connecting these things with the Word of God.

 

I'm not a good photographer and my photos will not be perfect,

but that isn't the point here.
My purpose is to point and shoot my little camera as I do the ordinary
and combine it with the extraordinary Word of God.

I'm so glad you have joined me!

 

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sinsand blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvationand grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Psalm 51:7-12