Advent Devotions - Dec 11

Today's devotion is based on what we did in church yesterday.

The readings came from Malachi 3:1; Luke 1:68, and Luke 3:4-6.

Malachi 3:1 says

1"Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.

Luke 1:68 says

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people

and Luke 3:4-6 says

4As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
5Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
and the rough places shall become level ways,
6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

This reading talked about the hope that we have in Christ. There is not a lot of hope in a wee baby lying in a manger, in fact it was a time of hardship. As Jesus grew, other babies died in an effort to kill him. As he ministered, jewish leaders were constantly trying to kill him. One of his own betrayed him. It was not an easy time, and did not seem to be a time of hope at all. BUT >>> the hope is found when Jesus died, and then three days later, rose from the dead!

Our Lord is alive! He is coming again! Hope. There is a real reason for hope now. Jesus, the messenger and the message. He is coming again. Things will be and are being made anew. He purifies us, he refines us, he washed away the dirt from us. Through him, we have the hope of life anew. Through him, we have the hope of being God's children in everyway.

He is our salvation!

A contest entry

These guys are having a contest. Go check it out if you want to.

A reminder given me

A friend recently reminded me that I never kept my promise to finish up this post. Let me take a moment or two to correct that oversight. :) Sorry about that.

Anyways, this is what I had promised

Anne did an interactive verse-by-verse study on Luke 9:10-17. FASCINATING. But you'll have to wait till tomorrow for that as I"m on my mom's dial up computer and she wants to go to bed! :) So I have to post this and I'll write more tomorrow.

Anne had us a do a verse by verse study of this chapter. I have to admit, that verse by verse is a good way to teach people to look at things in the bible, without overwhelming them, but is NOT the only way to study the bible. BUT for many people who have never studied the bible before, it's a really good place to start.

I had some people in my small group who it was quite obvious, had not studied the bible before, for themselves. It was neat seeing that look of "I can do this too!" coming over their faces. I really hope, and have prayed, that dawning of awareness that they too can study the bible, has remained with them.

So let's walk through this shall we?

Luke 9:10-17 says

10On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. 11When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing. 12Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, "Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place." 13But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." They said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish--unless we are to go and buy food for all these people." 14For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each." 15And they did so, and had them all sit down. 16And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

What do we see when we read these verses? (Observation)

10 - The apostles returned, made a report, Jesus took them to a quiet town. the town was called bethsaida.
11 - the crowds followed them. jesus welcomed, preached and healed.
12 - Day got late. Disciples wanted to send everyone away because it was a desolate place and people would need housing and food.
13 - Jesus said "feed them". Disciples said "with what?" The food we have is not enough, unless you want us to buy food.
14 - Jesus said have these 5, 000 men sit in groups of 50
15 - Disciples did as Jesus told.
16 - Jesus took what was available, blessed it, and the crowd was fed.
17 - People ate enough to be satisfied, 12 basketfuls leftovers

What lessons can we learn from this? (interpretation)

10 - Disciples returned to Jesus, showed accountability
- God wants to hear from us
- we need to be accountable
11 - even though Jesus wanted to be alone, he still welcomed people and did ministry
- People and their needs should not be seen as an interruption
- Jesus' priority was on the Kingdom of God
12 - Disciples cared, wanted the people to have time to get what they needed
- Disciples were selfish, and wanted to turn people away
- sometimes it is too easy to jump to the wrong solution to a problem.
13 - Questioned - how do we do this? Not wrong to ask questions.
- Jesus answers our problems.
- We often only see what we bring to the equation, and fail to see what God brings.
14 - Jesus had a plan.
- Jesus broke the problem down for them.
- We have to do our part so that things can happen.
15 - Disciples obeyed, the crowds obeyed, despite their lack of knowledge, this showed trust.
- People had faith that something would happen.
16 - Importance of giving thanks.
- Disciples faith and courage.
- God can take something small and he can still use it.
- Gives thanks because God blesses it.
17 - Satisfied and had leftovers. God gives us more than we need and leaves us satisfied.
- God didn't waste a thing. 12 baskets of leftovers
- God encouraged their faith.
- God meets our needs and we are satisfied.
- We need to help pick up the pieces and help people to be satisfied.

Then we were told to ask... what does this mean to me? (application)

10 - How do I show accountability to God?
- Do I see his concern for my actions?
11 - Who intrudes upon my life?
- Do I amke the most of opportunities?
- How do I handle interruptions?
12 - Do I often short-cut solutions?
- Do I jump ahead of Jesus instead of seeking his counsel?
13 - What part do I have to do?
- Am I open to doing something small?
- Do I see that little is much when God is in it?
- Am I willing to give my little bit to God?
14 - Where is my faith?
- Do I trust that Jesus Christ has bigger plan?
15 - Do I obey without question?
- Do I expect Christ to act?
- When God asks me to sit, do I obey and wait quietly?
16 - Do I thank God for teh stuff he can do and does do?
- What do I do with the stuff Jesus gives me?
- Am I willing to be broken for God's people?
17 - How does God satisfy my needs?
- Where am I most satisfied serving God?

Why did I like this study so much?
1. Seeing other women realize that they too can study God's word and Have it be meaningful to them.
2. It was fascinating seeing the things that women pulled out of this very familiar passage
3. I learned something! and I love learning things. :)
4. I was able to gently prod a reluctant woman into speaking what she thought, and finding herself pleased and surprised, that her thoughts were valid and fit with scripture. FUN FUN! Just seeing the look in her eyes, it was WAY COOL! I live for moments like these! :) \

Now...do I agree with everything everyone came up with? No. Some answers I didn't list because they were WAY out there, and though most were biblical, some had NOTHING to do with this passage and I had NO idea how they even got there. :)
Did Anne push the idea of seeing everything in the light of totality of scripture, and of seeing what was meant to be said at that time and at that place? No. This was meant to just be a very practical look at how people can study the bible.
Did she list all the different ways to study the bible? No. Not that she had all the time in the world to do that either. I really hope this area was followed up in her 6-8 week follow-up bible study series.

BUT she gave women a place to start. and for two of the women in my small group of five, it was what they needed. You could just see it in their eyes, in their questions, and the sounds in their voices when they realized that they could do this too. Just way cool! :)

Finally! I succeed.

After two days of trying, I have finally succeeded in putting a picture with my profile. Boy....next time I'll use the help feature sooner!

Anyways, this is a picture of me with my dog Sassy after she achieved her First "first" at an agility trial. HUGE it was at the time, and still is. She is a dog that I am quite proud of.

Though I must admit...not quite as proud of her as I am of my boyo who's learning well to use the potty to do number 2! I know...silly mom to be proud of her boyo's achievements, but I think it's cool. It's funny watching him though, he'll be doing his thing, but has to keep standing up to check on what he's doing. Just makes me laugh, and all I can do is tell him he's a good boy. :)

Hmm...does make me wonder though...should I compare those two pride levels? Both are huge achievements. :) Keep well!

Advent Devotions - Dec 8

Today's devotional comes courtesy of Goshen College. Today's scripture reading is Luke 3:1-6.

1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
5Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
and the rough places shall become level ways,
6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

As we learned yesterday, John was a solitary man, who was used of God to bring people to Christ. He was the forerunner to Christ Jesus.

He was a man who lived in the wilderness, and when God's word came to him, he left that wilderness to proclaim "a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins".

I can imagine, as can the authour of this devotional, that people didn't want to change.

I imagine they were reluctant to remodel the topography of their homeland, of their heart, of their mind. There's pain in change, especially when you're quite content with the way things are. But Luke 3 makes it quite clear that the way things were was not fit for the Lord. Roads had to be straightened and mountains of pride, bitterness and envy had to come down to prepare for his coming.

People don't like change. They like things to stay the same. Can't say I blame them. I'm the same way. Making changes is hard. But when God says change...we have to change. It's just the way it is. And we can keep ourselves prepared for change. We can focus on what we need to do, so that when change comes, or is called for, we are ready to meet the challenge.

We can, right now, prepare our hearts. We can remember when "the Savior first met us on our own turf, in our personal wilderness".

Christ has come, and in fact, he is coming.
Use these days of Advent to prepare your heart and mind for his arrival.

Cookies!

Today I made cookies. I had fun.

Jam-filled ones called foundation cookies.
These I made with My hubbie! It was fun! We chatted. He cut (with cookie cutters) two of each shape. I transfered to cookie sheet and filled with jam. We used all the jam up (well most of it) from those little gift jam jars that people give us. Nice to have that almost all gone. It was funny though, some of the cookies turned out better than others...different jams cook differently I guess. Tasted good none-the-less. Now to manage to keep some for Christmas. What do you think...will my hubbie and boy eat them all up before Christmas gets here? :)

Okay....how to make them...

They are called Foundation Filled Cookies. Recipe comes from Five Roses cook book

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.
combine the dry ingredients:
2 3/4 c. flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Cream 1/2 cup shortening with 1 cup white sugar until light. Beat two eggs. Add beaten eggs and 1 tsp vanilla to the shortening/sugar mix. Stir well.

Add dry ingredients alternating with 1/4 cup milk. Work dough by hand until smooth. Chill for 15 minutes (the ingredients in the fridge...you doing something else). :)

Roll to 1/8 thickness. Cut with floured cookie cutter. Place a little filling in centre of cookie. Moisten edges, place same type shape over top,press edges together with a fork. Pierce centre with a fork. Repeat until all dough is used up. Bake for 10 minutes on greased cookie sheet. Remove from sheets asap and cool on rack.

This recipe made about 18 cookies for us, some fairly large.

Pepper nuts.
These I planned to make with our boy child...but he was into playing games with daddy today. And then he got hungry and wanted supper so....mommy fed him and made cookies at the same time. Boy...was that a challenge. Anyways, these are a cookie I make EVERY year, without fail. I just love them. They are a pain to make, but they taste ever so good. :)

Okay...how to make them:

Beat three eggs until frothy
add 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar (packed) Beat until very light and fluffy about 5-6 minutes. Set aside.

Mix together the following: (if you don't want them as strong tasting, cut the spice ingredient amounts in half)
2 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp pepper
1.5 tsp grated lemon rind ...or add some lemon juice to the eggs and sugar mix
1/2 cup ground almonds

Mix together the wet and dry ingredients. It is a VERY dry mix.

What I find works best is to ball different amounts together until it kinda sticks together. Then take 1/4 of each ball, dip it in a wee bit of water and play with it until it becomes really pliable. Then form it into a thin rope about 1/2 inch in diameter. Cut into bitesized chunks (about 1/2 inch) and then cook in preheated 325 degree oven for 15 minutes (until lightly browned)

This recipe filled a whole square tupperware container for us.

I plan to put up pictures...just not sure when I can as both cameras need their batteries recharged and that takes overnight, and who knows what tomorrow holds? :) Well God does, but that's a whole other entry. :) ah...it feels good to have spent the day making cookies. :) even if yesterday's mood has carried over to today. I done good! :) All praise be to God!

Advent Devotions - Dec 7

Today's devotional comes from Upper Room Daily Reflections. And today's scripture text is taken from Luke 1:78-79.

78because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace."

This text is part of a larger passage where John's dad Zechariah "was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied." (Luke 1:67) This is what Zechariah said:

68"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
69and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
70as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
73the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
78because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Zechariah knows that John will lead people to Christ. He knows that John "will be called the prophet of the Most High; for {he} will go before the Lord to prepare his ways". And we know from reading the New Testament that this is what John did. When he grew uphe lived a quiet life until he openly came, prepared to call people to God. He pointed them to Christ. When he baptized Jesus he felt unworthy to do so and only did so because Jesus told him it was necessary. John constantly pointed people to Christ who would baptize them with the spirit and not just with water. John usefulness pointed people to Christ.

Matthew Henry's commentary tells us that Zechariah

uttered a prophecy concerning the kingdom and salvation of the Messiah. The gospel brings light with it; in it the day dawns. In John the Baptist it began to break, and increased apace to the perfect day. The gospel is discovering; it shows that about which we were utterly in the dark; it is to give light to those that sit in darkness, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. It is reviving; it brings light to those that sit in the shadow of death, as condemned prisoners in the dungeon. It is directing; it is to guide our feet in the way of peace, into that way which will bring us to peace at last.

So it makes me wonder, how am I useful in the kingdom of God. How do I point people to Christ? Does anything I do really matter for the sake of the kingdom? How do I point people to the Christ that I long to see come?

It's so easy to think that I do all the right things. but passages like this really make me think. I have to wonder if I am really doing all that I can. And today, all I can think is that... nope... all I have been doing lately is coping with life, and not doing all I can to show people the way to Christ. Despite how frail and incapable I feel right now, my first allegiance remains to Christ, and I must show others how to find him....so open your bibles folks...Christ awaits you there!

Did you ever have one of those days?

Did you ever have one of those days that ... even though
1. you managed to decorate the house for Christmas (mostly done) and
2. played music most of the day and
3. did a good job parenting your child .. without getting too frustrated with him for being in the whiney, crying stage of life and
4. didn't get angry with hubbie for anything remotely stupid and selfish (which is sometimes the case and usually I don't tell him because I feel like a stupid selfish person) so he wouldn't have known the difference anyways! :) and
5. ate healthy for the most part and
6. did most everything well, even connected well with God in devotions and
7. even got most of the Christmas program for church done and
8. didn't get mad at the stupid impatient barking old dog in the backyard (at least not that the old dog heard you muttering or even thinking! :)

But at the end of the day...you decided that you really didn't like yourself and that you were a skumbum anyways?

What can I say...i've had a productive day. I should feel good about myself and all that I've done. But all I feel is humdrum and like I'm ick and that none of it matters anyways.

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hate this.

Enough whining now. Getting on with life.

Advent Devotions - December 6th

Todays' devotion can be found in the full booklet from Lutheran Hour Ministries.

Today's scripture is taken from Luke 19:28-40. I have outlined the text (v 38) in bold.

28And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30saying, "Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' you shall say this: 'The Lord has need of it.'" 32So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?" 34And they said, "The Lord has need of it." 35And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37As he was drawing near--already on the way down the Mount of Olives--the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 39And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." 40He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."

Jesus had just entered Jerusalem, riding on the back of a donkey that had never been ridden before. He had taken this colt from a village along the way. As he entered Jerusalem, people threw down their coats before him, making the way smooth for the colt. And almost everyone around him rejoiced and praise God with LOUD voices. They praised God for all the mighty works they had seen him do. They said LOUDLY "blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

Can you just imagine the noise and clamour that would have been surrounding Jesus and that never been ridden donky colt? But we don't read of it running away, or shying, it just took Jesus where he was going.

Advent is a time of hopefulness, a time of looking forward to Christ.

The people in this passage were so hopeful. They saw Christ as King. They expected him to be the triumphal King indeed. Even though their expectations were wrong....in that Christ would be a living, on earth king that would set them free from the Romans, they were not wrong in praising God for all that God had done, for all they had seen him do.

Jesus knew what they thought, he also knew what was waiting for him at the end of this road. He accepted their praises, saying that "if these were silent, the very stones would cry out". Jesus accepted the praise due him.

The advent reading tells us that

Only a short time before the crowds cheered Him on with these words, Jesus had told His disciples that He was going to Jerusalem to be handed over, mocked, insulted, spit on, flogged, and killed. That doesn’t sound very blessed, but still He went to Jerusalem.

Jesus still went. We might think that he made a bad choice, going to Jerusalem to die? Who would want to make a choice like that. But God... But God had a different plan. His ways are not our ways.

Jesus came so that he could suffer and die and be resurrected that we might be brought back to God. That through his death and resurrection we might be made right with God and not be separated from him through our sin.

As our devotional for today says

So, to accomplish this, He became man and was born in Bethlehem so that He could suffer as a man for the sins of all mankind. If we are honest, we have to admit that this is not an equal trade. The Son of God … for me? It’s not fair, but Jesus thought we were worth it. Because He came for us all, faithful Christians can say, “We are blessed because our God, the King, comes to save us!”

Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!

Devotions - advent dec 5

Today's devotions come to us from Goshen College.

Today's scripture comes from: Malachi 3:1-4

1"Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 2But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. 3He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. 4Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.

Since I had no idea was fuller's soap was, I googled it. This is what I learned

A fuller was someone who cleaned and thickened (to make it "full") freshly-woven (usually woolen) cloth. The process involved cleaning, bleaching, wetting and beating the fibers to a consistent and desirable condition. Fuller's earth was a variety of clay that was used to scour and cleanse the cloth. Fuller's soap was an alkali made from plant ashes which was also used to clean and full new cloth. Since fullers required plenty of running water, along with the natural substances described, a fuller's field was a place where all were available for the fullers to conduct their profession. Source is the Church of God Daily Bible Study.

So God is sending a messenger who will prepare the way before him.
Christ will suddenly reappear!
But the query is....who can endure his coming? Who can stand when he appears?

Why these questions? Shouldn't we be joyful and unafraid of Christ's return?

As we read further we learn that Christ will come as "a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap". These aren't easy things to handle. They clean and they clean well. Refiner's fire is hot enough to burn off impurities. Fuller's soap is strong enough to cleanse dirty wool cloth. These are not things to mess with.

Christ comes to purify us and clean us. He will refine us like gold and silver, he will remove all the impurities from us.

That can be a scary thing. I look at my life and I consider all that God has to change in me, remove in me to make me even half way presentable....only the blood of Christ can do that for me. And that is already at work in me purifying me, making me into the holy person that God has called and declared me to be.

Ah....so though I can look upon Christ's return with some trepidaton, I know that the work he has already begun in me, will only be completed upon his return.

The God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

As I was waiting for the advent devotional to load ... it seemed to take forever this morning, I thought, well, why not make good use of this time. So I chose to read the bible reading sent to me by Through the Bible in a Year. Today's reading can be found here.

The part that struck me was this:

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 22 Because the king's order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. 27 And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. 28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

King Nebbie was FURIOUS with these three men.
Cast them into a fire that was so hot it killed the men throwing them in.
BUT King Nebbie then saw them walking around, apparently unhurt, with a fourth man with them. It confounded him. He then realized that the God that these men believed in was more powerful then he was, or the gods that he believed in.
King Nebbie took them out of the fire...it was interesting...when he believed that God was more powerful, he didn't get burned when he looked into the furnace.
He promoted them, and gave them safety "Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way."

I just thought this was fascinating. God used the convictions of three men of faith, to change the life of one of the most powerful men around at that time. Neat huh? :)

Devotions - advent dec 4

Today's devotions were taken from Wheatridge Ministries. They list a number of past lessons online, the one I used can be found here.

The scripture for today's reading is Genesis 1:16 -

And God made the two great lights--the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night--and the stars.

The author is this devotion used a story of his children walking towards the son "we're going to get you the sun daddy" and tied it to this verse, reminding us of the life-giving nature of the sun. How without the sun, all life on earth would die. He then tied this to Jesus Christ, and how Christ is the light of the world. Jesus is the only light that brings hope to the darkness in this world.

Though this was a very simple devotion, I did like how he applied it. We need to find ways to bring this light to the people around us. We need to be able to share it. He closed with this prayer

Come, Lord Jesus. Come to us when we are lost and alone in our times of darkness. Come to us like the sun in the morning gives us life and light. Help us to look forward to your coming this Christmas as the coming of the light of our life. Amen.

This is what advent is all about, seeing the different reasons we can be glad that Christ was sent to earth for us.

Jesus is the light of the world! Let us celebrate this!

Christmas is coming....

Did you know that Christmas is coming? In just 24 days, we will celebrate the birth (and subsequent death and resurrection) of Our living Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Isn't it cool?

I come from a tradition where Advent is considered part of getting ready to celebrate Christmas. that is all I see it as, is a way to focus my heart in thankfulness to God for all that he has done for me. I know that there are individuals who don't think that advent is worth celebrating. That the roots of it are something they don't want to associate with. And though I can kinda understand it, I think that many people are like me... they just see it as something to do to help focus attentions and nothing more. The roots to things get lost over time..... making them in many ways unimportant.

Anyways, for the month of December I will do doing advent devotions. I will be taking them from a variety of sources (I think) and focusing on God and his extended grace to us. :) I will also be doing a small advent sticker thing with our boyo. I really want him to start seeing the wonder of God's grace in our lives.

Without further delay, today's reading comes from Goshen College.

The reading is taken from 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13. It reads as follows:

9For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, 10as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?
11Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 12and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Do you see Paul's concern for the lives of other believers? How he wants to help them to grow in their faith? He is joyful in their faith in God and prays for them all the time that they may grow in their faith. he is concerned for what he sees lacking in them. His prayer is that their love for each other will increase. He wants their hearts to be blameless in holiness for when Christ returns.

We need as Christians to be concerned about the lives of other believers. We need to pray for them and encourage them. We need to point out areas in their lives where their faith could be strengthened.

I like that Goshen college includes questions with their devotionals. Here is what they asked
1. What are the ways in which we can share our love for the greater good?
2. How do we become faithful witnesses, beacons of light?
3. How do we encourage one another to move beyond our privileges (earned and unearned) to co-create a more just and equitable society?

My thoughts on this
1. I can share my love for other believers by: talking with them, encouraging them, teaching them, praying for them regularly, and living a life of faith as an example, and even sometimes challenging them to do better.
2. I can be a faithful witness best by knowing Jesus as well as I can. This impacts how I live my life. Shows me more and better ways to pray for others. Shows me more ways that I can show HIM to others.
3. This question I admit seems politically laden to me... the "just and equitable society" bit. I guess I"m not worried about making a just and equitable society as the world might see it. What I want is for God's word to be taken seriously by the world, and the way I can do that, is by living and speaking a life of mercy and of grace to all those I encounter in it.

What are your thoughts?

It's a struggle

Topper is the big white one in the middle, Timeron is the smaller one.

I have guinea pigs...five of them actually. Two boys (timeron and topper) and three girls (tansy, tasha and itch). Timeron and Tansy are the oldest...getting old for piggies. Piggies live generally speaking 4-7 years. They are hitting 4.5 years. Tanse is aging well. Timeron is struggling.

I'm a firm believer that small animal are cheap to purchase, give lots of pleasure, but aren't worth $50 or more vet visits. I won't do surgery on them, I won't pay to have them put down, I just won't do it. Seems to me a waste of good hard-earned money with little potential for improved life span.

And regardless of what we do for Timeron...he won't last us out another year. Timeron is developing older male piggie issues. He's thin, he's getting "horny old pig" syndrome, he's having trouble eating properly and eliminating properly... he's an OLD pig.

So the question of course comes, how long do we allow him to be an old piggie? How long do I allow him to drive his cage-mate batty? How long do I deal with elimination issues? I don't want to undually shorten his lifespan...but at the same time... I don't want to make living hard for his cage mate...and hence me as I listen to continual squeaking of "Would you just leave me alone old man!!!!!" It's a hard one to balance out.

I know my parents would say...just get rid of him already. :) They are rather practical minded folks. :) But Timeron is a pig that I really, really like. Has a good personality. Good size. Knew how to take care of himself. And now he's old and crotchety and if he were on his own, I'd be more content to just leave him to do his thing. BUT.... his roommate can't escape him, Timeron makes life miserable at times for Topper and we have no other place to put him (Topper). I am duty-bound to care for Topper in a good manner too, and what is happening now, is not a good way to care for a piggie.

I must I think, make a decision before the snow flies. For you believing/praying folks out there...you could pray hard that he dies a natural death before I feel compelled to take matters into my own hands.... :) Thanks! :(

Christmas greetings... intolerance???

So I find it odd that people get so bent out of shape over the greeting "wish you a merry Christmas".

my hubbie found this blog which states ever so clearly the silliness of whole thing.

anyways, go check him out....Stand to Reason.

1 Peter 5

It looks like we are coming to the end of 1 Peter.

Peter is so concerned that his believing audience continue in their faith. He wants, GOD wants, them to have good leaders among them.

Have you ever noticed that leaders can really influence a congregation or followers for good or ill? God knows that this is true, we are indeed like sheep, we follow.

So Peter exhorts the leaders, the elders, among these exiled Christians to

2shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,

Why are they to do this?

not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

The result?

4And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Those of us who follow have a duty as well.

5Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

God wants good leaders. He also wants good followers. Good followers and Good leaders are both filled with humility. Part of humility is casting our cares on God. Did you know that "to cast" means "to violently throw"? So when we cast our cares upon God we are violently throwing something away from ourselves that we don't need.

I have to admit...I like that imagery. That I'm all worried and stressed out by something, and instead of continuing in that worry and stress I"m taking it (just as I would a lure) and throwing it as far as possible from me. Just as when I"m fishing I want to get it out as far as possible and hopefully have it land where I want it to as well... when I'm stressed and worried...I want to throw the cause of that far away from me and have it land where I want it to. In this case...into the capable and caring hands of God.

What other habits should I cultivate as a believer?
1. humble myself - when the time is right God will exalt me
2. cast all my cares on God - God cares for me, what a perfect reason!
3. sober-minded - aware that not all is fun and games
4. watchful, alert - the devil seeks us out, he wants to destroy us
5. resisting of the devil - don't give into him, we are not alone in our sufferings
6. be firm in my faith - God will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you
7. willing to suffer for a while - God will call us to eternal glory and rest.

It's such an important thing to remember -- that we are a group of people that love God. That we are not alone in our faith, even if at times it feels that way. That God holds us close to his heart. That we can give him all the stresses and worries of life.

Peter closes this book with greetings. This is the normal way that folks wrote to others in bible times. He gives a couple of extra teachings - to stand firm in the true faith in God, and to greet each other with a kiss of love. He also sends peace to all who are believers.

You know...this chapter came to me again at just the perfect time in my life. For the last two years I've put together a Christmas program for our church. I'm expected to do it again this year. I feel like I haven't had a solid nights sleep in like forever. Time changed, son sick, me sick, hubbie sick, busy of life, son sick... no solid 8 hours of sleep for me except I think 2 nights in almost 6 weeks. I'm feeling stressed and tired and NOT WANTING TO HAVE ANYTHING to do with Christmas or Christmas preparations. All I want is a quiet week of sleep, rest, play whatever. No external demands. I think it's time for me to just throw this all violently at God (just to give away to him and let him work his magic like he always does). :) I know...it's not magic, but sometimes it feels that way, because when I do get this stressed within myself ... when I do cast it all upon him, somehow, it's like overnight wonders of snowfalls.... life just becomes so much better. Timely message for this stressed mom. Ah come quickly Lord Jesus...come quickly. :)

1 Peter 4

Todays reading is the fourth chapter of 1 Peter.

Did you know that the more we live like Christ, the less impact sin has on our lives? The more that we suffer, as Christ suffered, the less we want to do things that we know will displease him, and the more we want to do things that shows our affliation with him? Rather neat how that works. :)

Peter reminds his audience that the time is past for living however we choose, that we used to live in sin, but now we live as Christ wants us to. We are now willing to suffer for Christ's sake. This surprises the folks who live around us, and therefore they want to treat us poorly, because we don't live like they do. Peter reminds us all that they have to answer to God for their actions, just as we do.

THEREFORE Peter reminds us, we need to be

self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies--in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

We need to act differently than the world around us. As we do that, God is glorified!

As Christians we should not be surprised when bad things happen to us. Bad things test our faith. They show what we are made of as Christians. Do we rely on ourselves OR do we rely on God? As we rely on God, his glory is revealed. This is something we should rejoice in. We really should!

13But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

We should not be ashamed that we suffer for Christ, but should rather glorify God for what he is doing. God's glory is revealed in our suffering.

Did you know that when judgment comes, it begins in the church? New to me too! It shows how much we need to rely on God for our salvation. If we are scarcely saved, and we know God, imagine the impossibility for people who don't know God. It's hard, it's scary to think of the eternal significance of that. How much more important it is for me NOW then to show God's glory in all that I do, so that even one more person can be spared the wrath of God. I need to live my life in such a way that it draws people into God, so that they too can obey "the gospel of God". So as I suffer for Christ, I must entrust my soul to him for safe-keeping. His glory will be shown.

thankfulness to the World Wide Study Bible for posting commentaries on line to help me understand this chapter of God's Written Word.

a cat hmm....

What breed of cat are you? Your Result: Devon Rex You are the ADHD of cats. You resemble a furry demon, in appearance and behavior. Still, you are awfully charming and offer a great wealth of fun with your quirky looks and antics. With you around, your owners will no longer have to drop acid for amusement.
Savannah
Siamese
Exotic Longhair
British Shorthair
Ragdoll
Sphynx
Scottish Fold
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Grammar anyone?

Your Language Arts Grade: 98%

Way to go! You know not to trust the MS Grammar Check and you know "no" from "know." Now, go forth and spread the good word (or at least, the proper use of apostrophes).

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1 Peter 3

Today's reading comes from 1 Peter 3.

Wives and Husbands.

First Peter addresses the wives in this chapter. This chapter follows a passage on how employees should act in relation to their employers. Giving respect and honour, even if it seems that none is due. Also on how we live, shows people around us what Christians are really all about, and can be positively affected for Christ's sake.

LIKEWISE says Peter, wives are to be subject to their own husband. Not to everyone else's husband, but to their own. So just because someone else's husband wants me to always have shoes on my feet in church, MY husband doesn't care... so it's a non-issue for me. :) If he did care then it would be a different story. I'd have to find a way to work with it. But fortunately I don't have to. :)

Just as an employee's good conduct can be helpful in teaching an employer, a wife, especially one who's husband does not believe, by her respectful and good conduct, can win him over to the word of God.

I feel for women who are married to men who aren't believers. Being a believer encompasses so much of my life, not being able to really share that with my hubbie would be a very hard thing. So I sometimes wonder how women manage who can't share this part of their life with their hubbie. It must be hard. And to think that some women walk into it with their eyes wide open, while others are fooled. Either way, it's hard. We have a couple of women in our church in that situation, and it's hard with their children too. Do they follow mom in her beliefs, or do they follow dad? Both are good folks so does it really matter (this is what the children think)?

But I do find it neat that Peter points out that how these women reach their men is not by putting on a good show outwardly, but by putting on the things of Christ. They dress their inner person with a gentle and quiet spirit. They submit to their husbands, they give him respect, they do what is good and right. This is "in God's sight is very precious."

LIKEWISE Peter reminds the husbands also that they need to "live with your wives in an understanding way." They need to show honour to their wives.

Both wives and husbands are heirs of the grace of life. So when husbands treat their wives properly, their "prayers may not be hindered".

The Believers.

After addressing husbands and wives, Peter moves on to the whole body of the church. He reminds them

8Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

We need to be tender, united in mind, sympathetic, loving, humble, and blessors. We need to be zealous for doing good. We need to remember that there is no harm in doing what is right and good. But that even if we have to suffer for it, it is a thing of blessing.

We should not be afraid of suffering, but always hold Christ the Lord as holy. We should always be prepared to give an answer for why we have this hope within us. Our answer should always been given in a gentle and respectful way. We need to have a good conscience. If we do this, then when we are slandered and reviled, those who do so will be shamed for it.

This is why we should not be afraid of suffering:

17For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. 18For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, .... 21Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Christ suffered for us, to bring us to God, we suffer for Christ, that our lives might win others for Christ. :) May all the glory be to him!