MERRY Christmas!

Teenage beauties: friends and cousins, Christmas 1998ish
L-R precious friend Allison, my niece Tamara, my Rebecca, my niece Virginia




"A MERRY heart does good like a medicine,
but a broken spirit dries the bones." (Prov. 17:22)

          "MERRY Christmas" greetings will resound countless times over the next 3 weeks. (Yep, only 23 more shopping days till Christmas!) How "MERRY" is your heart these days? 

             In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness among the people. When He saw large crowds following Him, the Lord hiked up a mountain and began to teach them that the secret of HAPPINESS, i.e. a MERRY heart, rests in your attitude - or beatitude if you will. For instance:

"HAPPY are those who are humble,

for they will inherit the earth.

HAPPY are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be satisfied.

HAPPY are those who are merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

HAPPY are those whose hearts are pure,

for they shall see God.

HAPPY are those who are peace-makers,

for they shall be called the children of God."

(Matt. 5:5-9)

         Henry Ward Beecher, an early American clergyman known for his support of the abolition of slavery, once said, "The strength and HAPPINESS of an individual consists of finding out the way in which God is going, and going that way too."

Dear Heavenly Father,

           I pray for my dear readers to have happy hearts and a MERRY Christmas according to Your beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5.

                                                            In Jesus' name I ask,

                                                             Amen and Amen

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JOY to the World, the Lord has come!

My Rebecca's first Christmas, 1981,
my Phillip and me with our bundle of JOY 




"When morning dawns and evening fades You call forth
songs of JOY." (Psalm 65:8b)

         Last week's Thanksgiving feast is today's leftovers, thus Christmas season has officially begun. Are you filled with JOY? You can be IF you follow the JOY formula.

              In the fifteenth chapter of the gospel of John, Jesus reveals the doctrinal recipe for overflowing JOY:

ABIDE in HIM

+

Let His WORD ABIDE  in you

+

ABIDE  in His LOVE by obedience to His commands

=

You will be filled with His JOY

Yes, your JOY will overflow 

Dear Heavenly Father, 

       I pray for my readers today. Please help them to remain in You, Your word remain in them, and to remain in Your love by obedience to Your commands so that they are filled with Your abundant, overflowing JOY! 

                                         I ask in Jesus' name,

                                            Amen and Amen 

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Unconditional Thanksgiving

my beloved mother, age 8, 1928

"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights." (Habakkuk 3:17-19)


In this faded school portrait, her downcast, eyes, simple homespun frock, and solemn expression paint the story of the day. Times were hard for Mother's family and myriads of others, but the days would become drastically harder as the Great Depression lurked around the corner. She recalled her classmates labeling her a poor, little white girl from the wrong side of the tracks.

           History records that prior to that first thanksgiving in 1623, many colonists died from disease and exposure to winter's bitter cold, and those who survived suffered greatly; yet they responded with a celebration of gratitude to God.

           Today, I'm soul searching a bit as I prepare our abundant Thanksgiving feast. Am I a fair-weather Christian or is my love and gratitude to God, the Father, and my Lord Jesus Christ unconditional?

Beloved, may Thanksgiving 2014 be filled with unconditional love and gratitude to God, the One who loved us enough to die for us!

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so..." (Psalm 107:1-2)

My beautiful mother, 
early 1940s during World War II -
yet another difficult season of life

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This Not-So-Fairytale World

my beautiful friend, Eve, and family

"In His kindness God called you to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation." 
(1 Peter 5:10)


In fairytales, the good guy always wins and every fair maiden finds true love, becomes a princess, and lives happily ever after in a beautiful castle with her handsome prince. But this sin-corrupted, fallen world isn't fairyland - is it. When SIN barged through the door, SUFFERING snuck in a window.

            In the community where I meet for Bible study, a home invasion gunshot confined our beautiful Eve to a wheelchair, another friend's 15-year-old son was shot in the face, and yet another friend wears a thin sweater on bitter cold days because she has no winter coat.

HOWEVER

            God commands His children to be strong, courageous, fear not, and encourage one another

BECAUSE

Jesus is with us

Suffering is temporary

AND

Everlasting PEACE and JOY will come eternity morn

WHEN

"God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him." (James 1:12)

THEREFORE

"Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect out meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near." (Heb.10:23-25)

(BY THE WAY)

Those friends I mentioned received delicious Thanksgiving meals and that thin sweater has been replaced with a warm, hooded, pink, snow jacket.

GOD IS GOOD

NOW

AND

FOREVERMORE!!!

             

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Double Doozy, Chocolate Chip, M & M Cookie Cake

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday sweet Mandy,

Happy birthday to you!

our Mandy and her prince charming (our Dan)

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Home Sweet Home

The old home-place, Fort Payne, Alabama
Built in 1952

Jesus said, "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me. There is more than enough room in My Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with Me where I am...I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me." (John 14:1-6)

          Many scrumptious Thanksgiving dinners were enjoyed in my rustic, childhood home atop Lookout Mountain. One year, while mother slaved in the kitchen preparing the evening feast, some out-of-town relatives "surprised" her for lunch. From sunup to far beyond sundown, my sweet mother worked and worked and worked in her little kitchen. With the last dish finally washed and put away, she sat down by the roaring fire; but before she could rest her weary feet, I said, "Mama, will you pop us some popcorn?"

          The Lord Jesus promised God's children that He is at work preparing a never-ending home for us. As Audio Adrenaline sang,

It's a big, big house

With lots and lots of room

A big, big table

With lots and lots of food

A big, big yard

Where we can play football (maybe?)

A big, big house

It's my Father's house.

However, the Father's big, big house has only one door, and His name is Jesus.

Jesus said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, He will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture...I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly!" (John 10:9-10)

Have you found Jesus - the Door to God's big, big house?

           

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The Wisdom of Thanksgiving

My princess-grand




Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before Him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are His.
We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving;
Go into His courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
And His faithfulness continues to each generation.
(Psalm 100 NLT)

             At N. Avondale yesterday, we ended our "In Search of Lady Wisdom" Bible study with the lesson: 

The Wisdom of Thanksgiving

I.     The wisdom of thanksgiving.

       A.     Read Psalm 100. We enter God’s _______ through the

                gate of   _______________.

B.     First Mention NASB: Read Lev. 7:11-13. Thanksgiving is an ________ or sacrifice to God.

C.   Read Phil. 4:6 and Col. 4:2. In these passages, like Psalm 100, thanksgiving is the correct ________ for ________.

D.   What are 2 enemies of thanksgiving? Read Phil 2:14 - ______________. Read 1 Tim. 6:6 - ___________

E.  Read Rev. 7:9-12. Thanksgiving is an _________ attitude.

F.     On a scale of 1 to 10, what’s your thanksgiving quotient these days? _________

II.   O Father, forgive my sins of complaining and discontentment and please help me to offer unto You the sacrifice of thanksgiving EVERYDAY!

Wisdom for today: 

“Joy [with gratitude] runs deeper than despair.”     

~ Quote by Corrie Ten Boom

Answers: presence, thanksgiving, offering, posture, prayer, complaining, discontentment, eternal, (personal answers)

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Happy, Happy, Happy!!!

My happy babygrand



"Happy are those who fear the Lord. Yes, happy are those who delight in doing what He commands." (Psalm 112:1 NLT)

         Since starting daycare in August, babygrand has had a constant stream of colds, ear infections, and even walking pneumonia; but the little fellow remains his happy, little, smiling self.

            John C. Wheeler once said, "Now that I know Christ, I'm happier when I'm sad than I was before when I was glad."

Know Jesus? Then be happy rain or shine!

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I Trust!

My Dan and Mandy, sittin' in a tree
K-I-S-S-I-N-G

"Yes, indeed - God is my salvation. I trust, I won't be afraid. God - yes God! - is my strength and song, best of all, my salvation!" (Isaiah 12:2, The Message)






            Throughout today, we're gonna put a lot of trust in a lot of things - like trusting a metal platform to safely hold two full-grown adults 20 feet up a tree or trusting a metal contraption on wheels to carry us safely down Double Oak Mountain at 55 miles per hour.

            Sometimes the things or people we trust fail, but God never does! So trust Him today - He's worthy and will never let you down!

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Where are you going, my little one?

My Ben, Dan, and Rebecca, 1981


Where are you going, my little one, little one,
Where are you going, my baby, my own?

my oldest grand, age 2

Turn around and you're two,

my princess grand, age 4


Turn around and you're four,

my next to littlest grand


Turn around and you're a young (man) going out of my door.

my baby grand


Turn around and you're tiny,
Turn around and you're grown,

My Rebecca



Turn around and you're a young wife with babes of your own.1

My Rebecca, oldest grand, and Stephen, 2006

"Before the presence of the Lord; lift up your hands to Him for the life of your little ones." (Lam. 2:19b)

1 TURN AROUND. Harry Belafonte, Malvina Reynolds, and Alan Greene. 1957.

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The Wonder of God

Our princes watching snow fall - one of God's wonders
(photo by my Rebecca)



I wonder as I wander out under the sky
How Jesus the Savior did come for to die
For poor on'ry people like you and like I
I wonder as I wander out under the sky

When Mary birthed Jesus 'twas in a cow's stall
With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all
But high from God's heaven, a star's light did fall
And the promise of ages it then did recall

If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing
A star in the sky or a bird on the wing
Or all of God's Angels in heaven to sing
He surely could have it, 'cause He was the King

I wonder as I wander out under the sky
How Jesus the Savior did come for to die
For poor on'ry people like you and like I
I wonder as I wander out under the sky

(In 1933, in the Appalachian Mountains, John Jacob Niles collected the minor key Christmas Hymn, I WONDER AS I WANDER, from a young traveling evangelist, Annie Morgan.)

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"Vegetarian"

My baby grand and his tiger head

"Instruct all the skilled craftsmen whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. Have them make garments for Aaron that will distinguish him as a priest set apart for My service." (Ex. 28:3)



               As a veterinarian, my brother, Mark, has faithfully served pets and their people in the Cumberland Gap of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia for over 30 years. A kinder and gentler man you will never meet.
              Years ago, when our kids were young, it made quite an impression on my Dan when he watched Mark decapitate a dog for rabies testing. Later he told his older brother, "Ben, Uncle Mark cut a dog's head off!"
               "Why????" Ben asked.
               "Because he's a vegetarian," Dan explained. (hehe)

                In Exodus 28:3, the Lord God endowed His children with the spirit of wisdom to do the work He set before them, and He continues to do so today!

What work had God set before you? 

"I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you my grow in your knowledge of Him. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those He called...I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of power for us who believe in Him" (Eph. 1:16-18), which enables you to complete your assigned work for the glory due His name!



                       

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Landmarks Along the Way

Little River atop Lookout Mountain
(As teenagers, Phillip and I swam here on hot summer days in the 1970s.)


"Set up signposts;
Make landmarks;
Set your heart toward the highway,
The way in which you went..."
(Jer. 31:21)

           What a marvelous Tuesday with my friend, Mary, revisiting landmarks of our childhood. The beauty, blessings, and love of yesterday merit extraordinary words to paint an appropriate picture; but today, my God assignment takes me else where - off to N. Avondale Bible Study.

May the Lord bless you, my friends, with His beauty, blessings, and treasured love, and may these pictures speak a thousand words!

upper cascade of DeSoto Falls

DeSoto Falls

head of Little River Canyon
(In 1943, my parents honeymooned at the bluff cabin on the far right)

Howard's Chapel in DeSoto State Park

Fischer Elementary School
(My grandmother, Jessilee Nance, taught at this elementary school from the late 1950s to the early 1980s)

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My Hometown

Fort Payne Opera House
(built during the industrial boom in 1889 and
the only one in the state of Alabama still in use)

"For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our city in heaven, which is yet to come." (Heb. 13:14)

          Nestled between Lookout Mountain and Sand Mountain in a narrow valley along Big Wills Creek lies the small town of Fort Payne, Alabama - my hometown from birth to 1974.

        In the 60s, Fort Payne mirrored Mayberry, and Beaver Cleaver could very well have been my next door neighbor. Ninety-nine percent of the dads worked hard five or six days a week and mamas cared for their kids, shopped at the A&P, and cooked three meals a day. Children played in the dirt and climbed trees, and no one had ever heard of an X-Box or cell phone. 

           Today, I'm going "home" for a day. I'll see beloved family and friends, drive by the old home place perched on the brow of Lookout Mountain, and remember sweet days gone by; however, may I never forget that the sweetest days of life are yet to come.

          God's children through faith in His Son, Jesus, will one day dwell in a perfect, heavenly city absent of sin, pain, sorrow, sickness, and death. The Apostle Peter wrote, "According to God's promise we are looking for a new heaven and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved,  since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless - people of holy conduct and godliness."

O child of the King, be encouraged. The best days are yet to come. Therefore, live heavenly-minded in upright, pure, and godly thoughts, words, and deeds.

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