From Snowflakes to Being Taken for Granted!

Do you ever consider snow flakes?  They are really lovely. And they are all different...our God is so amazing and loving towards us.  Aren't we blessed?
I know that my snow flakes aren't anything compared to the ones that God makes, but they bring pleasure to me  and to most of the people that see them. So I will continue to make them.
God is the maker of us all...not just snowflakes but all of us and all the critters that roam this earth as well as the ones in pastures and the ones that swim under the water and the birds and insects that fly in the air.  Every living thing!  And it doesn't stop there!  Our God has not only created all of us but he has also created us with the ability to build and make things from the products and materials that are here on this earth like cars and computers and roadways and buildings and everything that we take for granted.

Have you ever been taken for granted?  If you are a parent I would have to say you probably have been taken for granted, perhaps it wasn't for very long, but I am sure that it has happened.  How did it make you feel?  I can bet it didn't feel very good.  I think that when we take someone for granted, not only do we make them feel poorly, but we also end up feeling terrible ourselves. Perhaps not right away...but we will feel terrible eventually.

We can allow this to become a bad, a horrible, a nasty habit if we don't deal with and resolve this unpleasant behavior as soon as it is recognized.

Are you married?  Then it is possible that you have been taken for granted by your spouse or that you yourself are the culprit and the one taking your spouse for granted.  Anyway you look at it, this is a very unkind behavior.  And one that hurts our loved one terribly.  God has made us for relationships, however it is up to us what kind of relationship that it turns out to be.  Will it be a kind and loving relationship or will it be one that is full of strife and discord?  When we are dealing adult to adult; that is one thing, however if it is adult and child, especially if it is one of your own children or a grandchild this can be very interesting.

A child will generally not take anyone for granted, unless, they have learned how to do it.  So if your spouse takes you for granted, then there is a good chance you children will learn this behavior...and welcome to the wonderful cycle that someone will have to develop a very firm backbone to break.  It won't be a fun process but with the help of a good counselor (my choice would be the Lord), it can be done.  The really hard part is to get the people who are the ones taking others for granted to realize that this is what they are doing. You may need to get some help with proving this out, but once the culprit has taken responsibility for their behavior that will be more than half the battle!

When someone does take someone else for granted, there is great sadness in the heart of the person who is being taken for granted.  And please realize that this can be very quiet and insidious.  You may not even realize that you are doing it.  What I would really like for all of us to do is to think about this...do you take Jesus, or God, or the Holy Spirit for granted.  Do you go to church on Sunday at which point you behave as a Christian should.  But then you go home or out to eat with your family.  And slowly the mask comes off and you start to behave as you do on Monday thru Saturday.  If this describes you then you are totally taking our Savior for granted...If you feel like maybe you are a different person on Sundays, perhaps you need to ask the Lord to show Himself to you in a more active way during the days other than Sunday.  And maybe you should spend more time looking for Him and talking to Him.  If God knows that you are actively seeking Him, He will show Himself to you in great and wonderous ways.

So it is one thing to take your spouse and or your children for granted, but remember this, the tables will slowly be turned on you and you will soon be the one on the receiving end.  Not necessarily from your spouse but from your children, because you have been their teacher.  This won't be fun being on the receiving end.  But perhaps you will open your eyes and correct the problem. 

God will not be taken for granted in the long run, He will get your attention some how and my guess would be that you are not going to like it!  So if this does describe you, just remember that God is the Father of us all, and all that we have is on loan from Him, it is not ours, we are only care-takers and we had better do things right...just read the story of the talents...Matthew 25:13-30

Which would you rather have said to you, "Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master."  Or, "Evil and lazy slave! So you knew that I harvest where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter? 27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received my money back with interest! 28 Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten. 29 For the one who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’”

So are you investing yourself in the things of God or in the things of man?  Do not take either for granted, because if you take one for granted, you will surly take both for granted.

So go and be a blessing to someone, anyone today, and you may find that the person that you bless today may be a person who has been severely taken for granted.  What a awesome blessing you just might be....

Grace for All

This morning I would like to write to you all about grace.  What it is and what it can do for us.

When I googled this word I came up with a lot of information.

Not the least of which was another word that, now that I think about this, I should have realized it would come up as well.  That word is unmerited.  Now I think that most of us know what this word means, but just incase you may be reading this to your children, unmerited means - we do not deserve it.  And IT can be anything.  You are doing what your Mother asks you to do and you get to looking at something that you are supposed to be cleaning up, and your cleaning up comes to a stand-still.  Your Mother calls you to the kitchen and asks you if you would like to try a cookie that she just put on the cooling rack after taking the cookies from the oven.  Of course you want a cookie, fresh cookies are the best!  “Here you go!” says Mother.  You enjoy your cookie and a little chit-chat with Mother and then head back to your room to finish your straightening up of your room.

Okay, Mother didn’t ask how your cleaning was coming; she didn’t know that you had gotten side tracked.  She simply called you to the kitchen and asked you if you would like a fresh, warm cookie.  Mother didn’t know that you had allowed yourself to get side-tracked; she just gave you a cookie. 

This cookie was unmerited. And Mother was giving you grace along with the cookie.

Another part of the definition states that this undeserved help is for us for regeneration.   Now we know that this word means to grow back.  Like you had your little finger cut off in an accident.  It heals but you go to bed one night and wake up the next morning and your little finger has re-grown and you now have five fingers again, how awesome is that?  That is an example of regeneration. 

When we speak of grace and regeneration, I would like you to consider a little seed.  I have lots of seeds because I like to grow things.  Now I want you to consider that the name of this particular seed is grace.  And I am going to plant this seed.  I think you could safely say that God gives each of us this little seed of grace and this little seed is going to need to be watered, this is the regeneration and it will need to be feed, which is the sanctified life, in other words we are going to live the way that God wants us to live.  We are going to regenerate our grace and we are going to be sanctified by being what Christ wants us to be. We are not going to steal, in any way, we are not going to lie, and we are not going to kill (as in being murderers).  

We are going to be little Jesus’ after all we are told to model ourselves after Jesus aren’t we?

Well I know that I have really simplified this amazing word, but in doing so I am hoping that there will be some out there that have their light bulbs going on all around the world as they come to realize that grace isn’t complicated.  God has made us with the ability to understand.  And this little exercise has helped me to have a better understanding of what grace is, and what it means to live a sanctified life.

Okay…time to find some one to bless…who will it be today?

Buy Back the Baby!

Luke 2: 23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord , Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) 24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

According to the Bible, we are to buy back our baby boys, which are first born, from the Lord.  And the way that this was done in BC times was the parents took their child to the temple with a gift, and the gift was established according to the parents
ability to pay.  For Mary and Joseph they took two turtle doves, or two pigeons.

Just as an aside do you remember the song "The Twelve days of Christmas?"  One of the gifts is two turtle doves.

This first picture is of my son Samuel at about two days old, and now in our time, AD, we now participate in Baby Dedication.   This is our way as parents to promise our Savior that we will rear our child in the ways of the Lord.  And the congregation of the church is to also help to do this.

This picture is of little Levi on the day of his dedication, right at the moment that these pictures were being taken, he wasn't the happiest of campers, he wanted some private time with his mommy.  This little child is in the process of being raised in the admonition of the Lord.  It is our job as parents to do this. 

This is what we are told by the Bible to do.  Is your life difficult at the moment?  Well perhaps you need to be walking more closely with the Lord.  I have found over the years that when I have strayed from the path that I know I should be on, my life in general seems to go down hill and sometimes it has been at an accelerated pace.  Not fun!  But when I came back to the Lord and walk in the direction that He wants me to go and I abide by His rules, rather than by my rules....ah life get's so much better.  Hm...I just got a little message..."Thank you Kirsten!" Yes I do believe that my Father in heaven speaks to me...remember this is my red letter version.  Now I do believe that God has told me Thank You for reinforcing this information to all of you. 

Our God is so good, and the way that we can see this is by living as He would have us to live.  When we live according to the ways that the Lord would have us to live our life can be so sweet.

This is some of my grandchildren, blowing out the candle as we celebrated Jesus' birthday.  I think they look happy and as thought they are enjoying themselves.  Don't you think so?



These children's parents sometimes comment on how their children don't listen,  I don't know, they always listen to their Pap and me whenever they are at our house...Do you or have you ever considered why this is that children frequently listen better to others rather than to their parents?  I will tell you in all honestly that there have been times I would like to say. let us handle this, and you all just sit back and enjoy your brothers and sisters in law and Pap and I will deal with the children.  Haven't done this yet, I am not 100% sure how this would go over...Have to think upon this...

And while I do.  Try to find someone to bless today,  I am going to not only try, but I am going to do!







These verses are often overlooked in the Christmas story, but they say so much about Mary, Joseph and Jesus. Mary and Joseph were followers of the Law, the teaching found in Genesis through Deuteronomy, so they brought their newborn son to the temple. Jesus was about six weeks old, and it was time for him to be consecrated to the Lord. Every firstborn male, according to Jewish law, belonged to God. A baby was consecrated at the temple, an act of dedication to God. The parents would then offer their sacrifice to "buy the baby back."
Scripture says that Jesus was "bought" with a pair of doves or two young pigeons. The price was based on a family's ability to pay-so we know that Mary and Joseph were considered poor, otherwise the price would have been a larger animal.
We no longer live under the requirements of the Old Testament Law. But we should consider this moment in the New Testament Christmas story. Jesus would be raised by parents who were obedient to God. Mary and Joseph took their most valuable possession, their newborn son, and dedicated him to God.
A lot of time is spent each Christmas in choosing, buying and wrapping gifts to give others. What gift will you dedicate to God this Christmas, in honor of his Son? You can follow Mary and Joseph's example. As they consecrated their son to God, you can promise to raise your children with godly priorities.
What gifts would God ask you to bring to his temple this year? Is there a sacrificial gift that he would lead you to give? Pray, consecrate yourself to the Lord and, in obedience to his call, offer him your gifts, "for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Christmas 2012

What a truly lovely Christmas we had.   I sincerely hope that you as well had a wonderful Christmas.  I know why we had such amazing time, was because we spent time keeping Jesus in our Christmas and that made it all the better because we did this.  I am not saying that you can't have a nice Christmas otherwise, but I would find it difficult, because what would you really be celebrating?
Let's take a look at Wikipedia and find out the definition for Christmas.....

"Christmas (Old English: Crīstesmæsse, meaning "Christ's Mass") is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ^[6][7] and a widely observed holiday, celebrated generally on December 25^[3][4][5] by millions of people around the world.^[8][2] A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it closes the Advent season and initiates the twelve days of Christmastide.^[9] Christmas is a civil holiday in many of the world's nations,^[10][11][12] is celebrated by an increasing number of non-Christians,^[1][13][14] and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season," cut and pasted from Wikipedia.

Now let's take a look at what Merriam has to say about the definition of Christmas:

Definition of CHRISTMAS

: a Christian feast on December 25 or among some Eastern Orthodox Christians on January 7 that commemorates the birth of Christ and is usually observed as a legal holiday

So frankly how can you have Christmas without Christ?  You can't!  I think if everyone would just agree to disagree all would be a whole lot better...and I also think that if everyone would just accept that this is a Christian celebration and just let it alone things would be so much better.  I am surprised that some of the other holidays we celebrate haven't also come under attack.  I am sure someone some where can find a reason for them to be biased somewhere. Oh and I am still waiting for the family photographer to get her pictures posted, as soon as I see them you will see them!

Now we seem to be heading for an interesting weather pattern:

Now isn't this pretty?  Well it would be if it wasn't effecting so many people.  This kind of weather is really nice if you don't have to go out, but if you must go out, it can cause havoc.  Well we have to accept the good with the bad and realize that God doesn't allow anything to happen without there being a purpose.

Well after this wondrous weekend, I received an email from my boss stating that due to the impending storm we will only be working a half day today, to get our payroll done and then everyone home to stay safe from the bad weather.  That is fine by me!  I will be able to help out my sick husband, who is still asleep and I hope wakes feeling better than when he went to bed last night.  I think he may have the flu, poor thing.  Time for me to use the Zicam!  I am not sick and I will not be getting sick!

I know I am a little bit short today, but I have a few things to accomplish before I am out the door to work.  So God's blessings on all of you and please share those blessings.

Smith Family Christmas

First of all let me introduce you to the amazing Jen.  She was the photographer of the day, and I am also blessed to have her as one of my covenant daughters.  Let me tell you a little bit about her...Jen is a wonderful wife and mother, she has three children, but many more have been blessed by just knowing her.  Jen is married to our son Michael, who loves her so much it is inspiring to see.  Jen has three boys and they are great children, but of course I would say that since they are part of our clan!

And what an amazing photographer.  Jen spent the whole day, pretty much, behind her camera.  I said to my husband that Jen reminds me of me a few years back, and now I am so glad to have a new family photographer, her eye for photos is awesome...she see a great shot and she captures it. 

It may be a few days until the pictures are up but as soon as they are I will share with all of you.

So now we will get back to the way that the Smith's celebrated their Christmas...All were here except for Jonquil and her five children, and they were missed.  We had Ruth, Samuel and Mary with Baby Levi, Scotty and Andrea with Trenton, Michael and Jen with Mikie (Michael), Jacob, and Shea, Tim and Celeste with Madie (Madison) and Ryan, my husband Tim and I, and next year there will be another.  Scott and Andrea are expecting another wonderful little baby boy in May!

It was probably about 2:30 till everyone got there, but once all were there we opened presents and once again the boys were so good about only opening their presents so far as to see what they received and then no further...Lego's can be left far and wide, and we didn't want them to lose pieces.  Madie was delighted with her wonderful pink princess dress ups from the Disney closet.  And I think Levi was pleased with his O balls and his noisy blocks.

After the children and adults opened their gifts...and oh by the way, Michael, I think had the best gifts for some of the men in the family.  He figured out how to put a very meaningful picture for them into a cutting board.  Those gifts, where I think, and not to down play anyone else in the family, the best.  I know that the recipient's were very touched as was I for my husband and Michael's father. 

After we had a yummy dinner of Turkey and gravy, carrots, corn and mashed potatoes, we all relaxed for a bit before we all gathered around and lit a candle and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus.  We finished up our dinner with desert of Crunchy Munchy Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Icing and the traditional Pumpkin Pie.  All seemed to be satisfied.  I know I was full and happy.

All in all I would say the day was a success.  But I must say one thing, when there is a new baby in our midst we don't spend enough time playing games...everyone and I mean everyone (except son Timmy) held Levi, who at three months finially got to meet his other aunts and uncles and cousins.  We had a truly pleasant day.

Since it seems that we have only been meeting up as a large group twice a year, my husband and I decided this wasn't enough.  So I took a little time and came up with a little Smith Family itinerary.  We now, in the coming year will also meet up around Easter, and Fathers Day and then Thanksgiving and Christmas.  And we don't have any of these gatherings on the actual day; they are usually on the Saturday following the event or maybe before, just depend how they fall.  I gave a copy to each of the mothers since they are usually the keepers of the schedules and I told them that we didn't, as parents and grandparents feel that we were gathering often enough.  I don't think that four times a year is too often for the the whole group to gather. And I think that they were pleased that I did this.  So girls, don't forget to mark these on your calendars.

When all had left on their ways, my husband and I decided, that the day was a success and that everyone was happy with their gifts.  We really had another very pleasant gathering.  Thank you Lord Jesus for that.

On Sunday the 23rd, Tim and I went to church and what an amazing sermon once again.  Something that I wrote down that I will expound on tomorrow, but probably not till a little later in the day was the following..."Is the grasp of tradition, tighter than the grasp of truth?" as spoken by Pastor Don Wolabaugh.

Yes it is that time of day, and it is Christmas Eve.  Thank you Daddy for what you have done for me and for everyone else as well, I only hope they all come to this realazation.  Now please be a blessing!

Christmas is Drawing Nigh

This little guy is wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!  I make these little snowmen and I have been making them since my Ruthee was about six years old and brought one home from either kindergarten or daycare.  Ruth's looked a little different, but inspired me none the less.
So I guess you could say I like to make these as a tradition.  I think maybe this year if I can get it together quickly enough I will make some of these with the grandchildren, when they are here.  That would be fun and a pleasant little project.  If any of you out there would like to know how to make these, just let me know and I will post the recipe!  And remember they are amazingly simple!

Well this Saturday we will have all the children and grandchildren here for our family Christmas.  (And that will be when I make these with the grand's.)  We, meaning Tim and I, like to have our Christmas celebration on a day other than Christmas, because that way we don't have to share the families with their other families.  However, this year, because of the way Christmas falls we will have to share a portion of our group a little bit, because they have a long drive.
 
We normally only get together only twice a year as a large family group, and by that I mean everyone....do you think that, that is often enough?  I don't! So I took a few moments and wrote out a sheet with four dates, all are on Saturdays for all of us to get together thru out the year.  I do believe that all the children and grandchildren enjoy being together and this will inspire Tim and me as well to get some additional things arranged both inside and out!

The times of the year that I choose for family gatherings are an Easter gathering, a Father's Day gathering, and our usual Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I do not think that getting the whole family together four times in a year is to much...do you?  We may even have to add one more, but we will have to think about this and come up with something. 

My husband and I enjoy being around our family, however, when you are not wealthy you are limited to what you are capable of doing.  Tim and I are capable of giving of ourselves, and quite frankly I like it that way, and that is not to say that I wouldn't enjoy being able to take all of our family to Disney.  But that is not something we are capable of doing.  So our family will have to settle for us.  I think they are content with just us, anyway I hope they are! 

Well back to this Saturday, we will be having a fairly traditional Christmas dinner.  And I hope everyone will be hungry.  When we had our Thanksgiving, we a ham instead of turkey and I think everyone had plenty to eat, but I must have picked the right size Ham, because there was hardly any left, which was good.  I am taking the day off from work tomorrow and I don't think I will be writing to all of you tomorrow, I have a ton of stuff to get accomplished, any body want to help?  No just kidding!  I do enjoy the preparation.  It is a great part of the whole Christmas celebration.  Tomorrow I plan on baking cookies and pies, and I have to go and get the Turkey, which I had better call the butcher shop today, I like to have fresh turkey rather than frozen, the frozen turkeys can have things in them that I don't like to eat and that I don't want my family to eat either, so I will stick with a fresh bird!

Perhaps I will be able to touch base with all of you on Sunday afternoon…we will have to wait and see how things work out. Now it is time for the morning rituals, and I will have to try to find someone to bless today.  Not sure who will cross my path this day, but I will find someone.  Will you?

Perspective Part III

Well I am pretty sure that I have introduced you to my Mary but just in case I haven't, here she is with my Samuel...well he's not really my Samuel anymore, he is now Mary's Samuel, but he is still my son.  And I have gained a daughter.  This picture was taken about 12 hours or so before little Levi was born.  And I am sure that this Mary wouldn't have wanted to deliver her baby in a stable.  Mary of the bible had some difficult things to deal with.  I am not sure, but I would think that giving birth in bible times...there was probably a midwife in attendance and the not the father.  Mary had a stable, now all you out there, just think about the birth of your child, or just think about this particular incidence, I am sure that you can close your eyes and just envision this.  You are in a stable...were the animals live...everyone that works for the innkeepper has been really busy because of the census...therefore the stable's probably not as clean as it may normally be...hence it smells.  But you know what, your nose does get used to things, even very unpleasant things.

So Joseph being the Godly man that he is, I am sure that he put down a pile of fresh straw for Mary to rest on while he prepared for the impending birth of our Savior.  What an awesome responsibility, Joseph actually helped to deliver Jesus.  Think about this dad's could you have done this? 

A lot of women, when they go to the hospital to deliver their child have
family around, to help out, even at home there seems to constantly be people around.  And what did Mary use for diapers, she didn't have pampers.  Those first days, which were probably the more difficult days, it was just Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus.  I would really like to see an accurate time line of events for the birth but I think in the research that I have done, that I will have to wait until I get to heaven to find this out.  It appears that the Baby Jesus was close to two months old when the wise men got to the stable, so it also appears that Mary and Joseph may have been long term guests.  I am sure they would much rather have been someplace else, but we all have to bloom were ever we are planted, even if it is for just a two months stay. 

What do you think Mary's perspective is on stables now?  She has probably gotten too really like the animals and Joseph probably does also.  What would you perspective be?  I believe that for the most part I would be enjoying my stay, although I do believe I would tire of it more quickly than did Mary.  All I can say is Mary was quite a woman!

We can have a positive perspective when ever we choose to have a positive perspective, we can also have a negative perspective...this is a choice that we make.  Believe me you are much more pleasant to be around when you are positive rather than negative.  And this can also become a bad, bad habit.  So if you are a negative person with a generally negative attitude and perspective on everything around you, you can choose to change.  And if you have children, you should especially change because you are teaching your children to be the same way.  Do you really want to create another negative person wouldn't you rather create a positive person with a positive attitude and positive
perspective on life? 

Please consider these things carefully...the best Christmas present you may be giving to your family is a new you!  Now you know what?  It's really hard to be a blessing to someone else if your outlook is negative.  So if you are going to be a blessing you really need to be positive in your outlook.  So do it...just do it!

Perspective Part II

Okay we are back to perspective part two!  Yesterday we spoke of Mary, as in Jesus' mother.  This is a picture of one of my daughters in about her eighth month, with her second child. Who is now know as the magnificent Madison!  Her perspective on being pregnant is that she will be having a little girl, to complete her wonderful family.  I wonder what Celeste might have said if you had told her that she was going to get on a donkey and ride that donkey, while her husband and little son walked for approximately 80 miles.  I can honestly say that I would not be able to write what she would have to say here. 

When we go back to the story of Mary and Joseph, we see that God had a lot of things worked out in advance.  When the angel told Mary that she was going to have a baby and that it would be God's son he also told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was already with child and in her sixth month, and this was difficult for Mary to understand since her cousin was past menopause. And her husband was older!  So with this news from the angel, Mary must have realized that with God nothing is impossible.  I am sure that Mary had been told this before by her parents, but to have something occur with in your life that makes this so tangible and real, must have been truly amazing for Mary to try to comprehend.  I would have to say that Mary's perspective on God more than likely changes and became much more tangible and real!

Okay now I am going to tell you all something that changed my perspective on something that occurred for me yesterday.  I miss read  something, instead of reading took as took, I read took as take.  Now I won't really go any further with the explanation, except to say that those two words if interchanged can make a statement unpleasant or pleasant.  I took a perfectly nice statement and turned it into an unpleasant statement just by not reading closely enough.  And it took someone else to point out my error, because I choose not to see the forest for the trees!  Have you ever done that?  I can remember when I was a child, that those things occurred.  I need to follow my own advice and read the bible a bit more and leave childish things behind, I am past that and I need to do that!  Are there any more "me's" out there who also need to change your perspective and let the childish ways behind?  Don't look for bad or unpleasant things, look for good!

I think it is time to check out what Merriam has to say about this word...

Definition of PERSPECTIVE   per·spec·tive  \pər-ˈspek-tiv\

2  a : the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed <places the issues   in proper perspective>; also : point of view

    b : the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance <trying to maintain my perspective>

3  a : a visible scene; especially : one giving a distinctive impression of distance : vista

     b : a mental view or prospect <to gain a broader perspective on the international scene — Current Biograph

As you can see by see by these definitions there is more to this word than meets the eye.  We can look at a person that is walking the streets with a back pack on their back and they may not be very clean, and think that that person is homeless.  Well then we look a little further and see someone else that is clean, their clothes may be a bit worn and they are carrying a back pack as well.  What would you say if I told you that the cleaner person was the homeless person and they had just left a shelter and that the person who was a bit unkempt was actually a person with a home and just plain poor hygiene?  Hmmm.  We mustn’t judge books by their covers.  I know of a young man who has many, many tattoos, and he has a shaved head.  If you saw someone walking down the street that looks like that you may be inclined to duck into a store or to cross the street to the other side.  But this young man is a musician in a heavy metal Christian Band.  He is a Christian, but because of the views that most of have, our first look at him may not be what it could be because our perspective is skewed.

Well it is time to get ready for work and to find someone to bless, how about you?  Will you find someone to bless today?

Perspective, Part I

Other than being a slightly fuzzy picture, what is your take on this picture?  This is a picture of me, taken some time back when I was a bit thinner, and had short hair, with my puppy, Louis.  I think he was about two years old in this picture.  

Now let's take a look at this picture, Louis loves to run and hunt and play outside.  He especially loves the days when Tim and I are home all day and he can pretty much be outside all day and enjoy himself.  And it's really amazing to me that he can be outside all day and stay perfectly clean and in the last 20 minutes he will find an area on the farm that I would really rather he not go and end up coming home and looking like the next picture.  I can guarantee that when he does come home looking like the next picture I  do have to laugh  because he does this so quickly.  And what else can I do.  In all honesty I must say that I don't always laugh, sometimes I may be a bit overtired and I don't find it too comical, but I think for the most part I do find this comical.  Have you ever seen a more pitiful sight? 

And what makes this somewhat difficult is that Louis will wait until dark to come home...and it is really difficult to give a dog a shower in the dark and make sure that you have cleaned him up enough to come in the house.

Now I have given you some views on my puppy, what is your perspective of him now?  Do you want a dog?  This is my reality with Louis.  And I am very willing to have this reality because the pleasant outweighs the unpleasant.  There are those in our family that don't particularly care for our wonderful Louis, but what they don't understand is that Louis gets a bit rambunctious when all of the family is around...they don't see how delightful he is when it is just Tim and I with him.

It is really amazing how we are capable of looking at the same situation thru different views, just consider Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.  Now I am sure you all know of what this speaks, this is the prophesying of what will occur for Mary.  Now let's think about this from the perspective of the towns' people who lived around Mary.  Mary was betrothed to Joseph. And this means that she had not yet slept with Joseph, nor had Mary been intimate with Joseph.  Seriously how do you think that the people around Mary, especially back then, must have felt, surely Mary had to have slept with someone!  She's pregnant!  Oh how their perspective of Mary must have changed!  They have known this young woman since she was a child and they have known her to be a quiet and helpful young woman, not someone who would have taken her sacredness lightly and now this!  Did their perspective change?

We will have more on this tomorrow, for right now please be a blessing to someone today...

My Condolences to Sandy Hook Elementry

I have just simple words of condolences to the families of the victims of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elem. on Friday.  When I first found out about this I was not capable of comprehending this tragedy.  I am sure that this was the same response that many of us had.  The grief and sadness I feel for all of you up there I am sure doesn't even begin to touch what you all are feeling,  Please know that you all are in my prayers and will be for some time.  Just know that you will again see your little ones again someday in Heaven.  I was told of a vision that a friend of mine had at one time after experiencing the loss of a child.  The vision was of a potter sitting at a wheel creating a child out of a lump of clay.  The children that are lost from shootings, miscarriages and abortions, deaths of any kind are brought to life in Heaven by the great Potter; He restores them so that we parents, when we finally get there, will know our lost lambs.  But until then my prayers are with you all as well as the prayers of many others who are only slightly feeling your pain and sadness.  God be with you all.

Wednesday's I love them....

On Wednesday evening, as I have told you all before, we women, well some of the women, mostly from Harvest Chapel, but we do have a couple from another church, get together to study the bible and to share and to build each other up and to hold each other accountable for the things we do and the things we share.

And right here, I want to say that God's people can only help each other if they are informed.  And by that I mean that when we get together we need to be open and honest with each other, or else our sisters in Christ, can not pray intelligently for each other.  I know that there may be things in our lives that we don't really want to share, but I will tell you all this much, it can be very frightening to share.

Okay now to the stuff I learned on this past Wednesday evening (the 12th), first of all I just want to say that we have an awesome teacher.  She try's very hard to get us thru our lessons, but she is willing and able to help us with other things that may come up and somewhat take a precedence, not over God's word, but in helping us to live Godly lives, and guiding conver-sations so that we all can see these things.

Do we all understand about being unequally yoked?  I thought that I understood this until this past Wednesday night.  I thought that this was only a guide line for marriage.  But it is not!  Just for marriage I mean...It also has to do with other areas of our lives.  When Jesus was hanging on the cross before He went to be with the Father, He said to John, the disciple that he was to be the son of Mary, and that Mary was to be the mother of John.  In other words, John the disciple was now to be the caretaker of Mary, Jesus' mother.  This was because John the disciple, believed that Jesus was the son of God and Jesus' brothers did not share this same belief.

So let's take this a bit farther, when you look at your group of friends, or the people that you spend time with, are you equally yoked?  And do you understand this phrase?

Take a look at this picture...Now just imagine if one of these oxen's was shorter than the other...what would happen.  Well I think that the animals would not work very well together...because they would be unequally yoked.  Now please understand that this is not implying that you can not have short friends, us short people are great, it has to do with ideas and the way that we think.  You worship God; you have a friend that worships money that friendship will not last unless one of you changes.  Hopefully you will be able to help your friend see that worshipping money is not a good thing, nor is it a God thing.  This was exactly way Jesus instructed John the disciple at the cross the way that He did.  So that Jesus' mother, Mary could still be equally yoked with a son.  It would have been a difficult life for Mary had she had to live out her life with unbelievers. 

Now I am going to find someone to bless and I hope that you can do the same thing.

Now to Finish up Yesterdays Tail!

To recap from yesterday, I moved to Delaware.  Moved in with Andrea...now we continue...The first night that Andrea and I were sharing the apartment, someone came up the steps, (it was a top of the garage apartment) pushed in the screen in the window and reached in and stole my purse.  There really wasn't a lot in it, a pipe, and a small amount of green stuff, (it was 1974 and I was a flower child, if you would) a little make-up and a little money.  So it wasn't a huge loss.  At that point in my life I was working as a bartender, not the best line of work for a female, but it was good money, unfortunately now in looking back it really was money from the devil and that is not a good way to earn your keep. 

Okay back to the point.  My parents found out that I had moved because my purse was later found in the Delaware Canal, and the local police found my drivers license inside my purse, identity theft wasn't yet a big industry in the mid-70's, so the police, doing their job, called my parents and asked them if they knew were I was.  They didn't and I am not sure how it all came about, I think I may have checked in with my parents (called)  and I do remember getting an amazing earful.  Which I did deserve.  I was being a very naughty sheep. 

I was following the wrong life style, and the wrong group of people, it was not a good scene, although I thought it was.  I was doing everything wrong, I wasn't trying to do everything wrong, BUT, if you are not doing things RIGHT, then you will be doing things WRONG. 

Unfortunately for me I stayed in that lifestyle until I was 22, four years of nothing, no learning, well perhaps I learned a few things, I learned what I shouldn't have been doing,  I was really going in no direction at all.  I thought I was having fun, but all I was doing was walking with evil and I suppose the devil was just bidding his time to really get a hold of me, which, thank God, I must have had someone praying for me, because I did manage to come back to reality. 

Although there were good things that came out of the next eight years of my life, there were also some very unpleasant lessons to learn during that time.  I was still not totally living a life for God.  I was, "Professing God, but not Possessing God," as said by Mrs. Janet Brown, last evening at our Women of the Word Group.  Sometimes it takes us a fairly long time to realize that walking with our Savior is really the only way to live a good and pleasant life.

I have learned many things over the years, things that I should do and some things that I shouldn't do.  They are flat out evil and against God and God's commands.  And since I am walking much more closely with our Savior I am so much happier.  Life is good and I thank God that I at least have a few good years to serve Him.  It does make me terribly sad to realize that I wasted so much of the invaluable time that our Lord did give to me to use for Him that I just frittered away.

So now I will not be a follower, as the sheep are, except to follow Christ, I won't be so stubborn as are the goats, and I will not be so curious as the cows.  What I will do, is find someone to bless to day, how about you?

Sheep, Goats, and Cows

Sheep Goats and Cows...How awesome are these animals?  Hopefully I haven't lost your interest yet...Sheep really are followers, and they aren't very smart.  However they have awesome fur, which can be made into wonderful knits or fabrics depending on whether you knit or weave.  I knit and sew and crochet.  I have not done weaving, not yet.  After the sheep we have goats.  Now I must say that goats really are one of my favorite animals, I don't really know why, but I find them very interesting creatures.  I am very curious if you took a wild goat and raised it with domestic goats how much difference there would be in the two types of critters.

This picture is of me and Starr, when Starr was pretty young.  When I would get them out of their pen and take them for walks, They would go anywhere with me as long as I had animal crackers, well that is not totally true, they will go with me without the crackers, too.  Believe it or not I like to take them for walks, although this time of year it's a bit difficult to do this because of daylight savings time.  During this time of year, my husband Tim takes care of the boys for me because it is generally dark by the time I get home from work.  So I really only get to spend time with them on weekends. 

Do you have any idea how curious cows are?  I go over into the pasture sometimes, and it is amazing to me how the cows respond.  First of all let me tell you that they won't always come up to you like 177, she knows me, and she knows my appearance I should say.  That is why she is willing to come up to me.  Cows will run away if they are not familiar with you.  The babies will almost always run away.  They really are a wild animal, but I do enjoy being around them in this fashion. 

Now how are people like these animals...there are constantly comparisons to animals, which I am not sure is a good idea.  Because all of God's creatures have redeeming values.  You may just have to look a bit to find them.

When people are compared to sheep, it is generally that sheep are followers.  Are you a follower or are you a leader.  If you are a follower you will tend to go with the crowd whether the crowd is doing what is wise and good or unfortunately even if they are doing not very smart things and not very good things.  I must say in all honesty, that I believe we as a people go thru various stages in our growing up and learning process,  unfortunately in this process we will probably drive our parents a bit crazy, I know I did.

Story Time....When I was a teenager, I was not a very happy camper; well actually I liked camping, but not much else.  I decided that when I was graduated from high school, I was going to move out and away from Pennsylvania, which I did, and yes, by myself.  All alone.  And since I had already moved out of my parents home, and I really wasn't talking to them very much.  I am not sure, but I don't believe they really knew about this.  Needless to say this was a pretty crazy time in my life.  Was I being a sheep then?  No not when I first moved, I was doing my own thing.  I was a bit of a free spirit, not always the best thing to do.  After I started to make some friends, oh and I moved to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, then I started to become a bit of a follower and I am 100% sure that I was following the wrong people.  And Yes my parents did find out that I was in Delaware, because after I was in Delaware for about one week I met a man who was in real estate and he knew that I was looking for an apartment to share with another girl and he found one and it came with a girl who was also looking to share the rent.  We met for five minutes and the next time I saw Andrea I was moving into an apartment with her.....and right now I must get to work...more tomorrow, go and be a blessing!

Manger Scenes and Shepherds

I wonder, as I wander, out under the stars...Does anyone remember these words?  I love this song.

Something else I have been wondering about (and this does follow along after yesterday's blog). When a group of people decide that a manger or nativity doesn't belong in a specific place.  Shouldn't the people of the particular area be consulted before it is decided that this needs to be removed?

I read frequently and see on the news stations that this nativity and that nativity need to be removed.  But for the most part I believe that the noise is being made by people who probably drive around looking for nativities that are on public property where these people can probably find some legal presedence for their removal.  They are probably not even from that particular area. 

I wish someone would do a study on were the complainers are from.  Are they from the particular area or are they from out of town?  Am I the only one who thinks about these things?  If we as a community do not find any problem with a nativity that is set up right across the street from the post office, which is a public building, why do we allow strangers, literally people who have no place in our communities, to come into our towns and dictate to us?

If we want a nativity or a shepherd scene, it's our town let us be.  If you would like to come into our town and partake of our hospitality we would love for you to visit. 

Let's take a look at Christmas Trees, what is their origin?  Do you know that these and garlands and wreaths are all symbols of eternal life acquired from the Egyptians, the Chinese and the Hebrews.  And this does make sense since these particular types of trees stay green year round, hence eternal life.  After some people converted to Christianity they remained true to having a tree because, they felt that it would scare away the devil... So the Christmas tree is also somewhat sacred.  But we have them everywhere...you really should look at Wikipedia for Christmas trees it is a fascinating read. 

Just an aside, when my son Samuel was a teenager he enjoyed reading research books, like encyclopedias.  I now understand why, there really is a lot of interesting information out there.

Back to the topic, I am sure you have heard the saying, "All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing," by Edmund Burke.  Can you please tell me how it is right and just for strangers to enter a town and decide unilaterally that a specific decoration needs to be removed, or that the Ten Commandments must be taken down.  I think that we as a people need to use the voices that God has given us, to prevail over the evil that is getting closer and closer to our homes.

Okay I am finished being negative, I do not like being negative.  So we will leave it there. I have said my piece. And I have peace. I will always have the peace of God that will never end for me.

 As in Philippians 4:7,
    ⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Now go and be a blessing!

 

Why do You Celebrate Christmas?



Simpler Times, an oil painting by my wonderful husband
Timothy A. Smith
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/tim-smith.html

 In our house we celebrate Christmas because it is Jesus' birthday.  Or at least it is a date that is close to the date that has been ascribed as His birth date.

All around the south central part of Pennsylvania, we can see Christmas lights, and manger scenes and Santa Clause's in all sorts of forms. 

But when I look at this picture I see a mom and dad, and perhaps there is a little one hiding under the blankets.  This home obviously belongs to a large family, and there are children in the family, hence the snow man.  Ahhh, I could so live in this fine home.  I call this a home because it is clearly not a house.  It is a home.  It is a home that, I bet in the summer, has nicely manicured lawns, with children tumbling about and playing and loving one another.  I would also say in looking at this picture, that while the family that lives here knows about Santa, they also understand that Christ is the center of the Christmas season.

I am beginning to see a humorous side to the people or groups that are going around the country asking that nativity scenes be removed.  I wonder what would become of things if a situation like the Christian Coalition, went around and asked for Santa's and all of the more worldly decorations be removed from public buildings.  Just a thought...I am not advocating that this be done either.  But let us all try to live more peacefully together.  And let us all enjoy our Christmas decorations what ever they may be.  What is important is that,  if God hadn't created the world there would be no Christmas.  And if God hadn't created man, there would be no Christmas.  And if God hadn't created Satan, there would be no Christmas.  And if God hadn't created Jesus Christ, there would be no Christmas. 

If we look in Merriam's dictionary we find the following:
  
Definition of CHRISTMAS

1: a Christian feast on December 25 or among some Eastern Orthodox Christians on January 7 that commemorates the birth of Christ and is usually observed as a legal holiday

So in my point of view I really think that everyone should just hush up when it comes to what decorations are displayed, because this really is all about the birth of a baby.  A baby that was born for a purpose, and that purpose was to be the sacrificial lamb, so that all of us mortals, that accept His divinity and that He is the sacrificial Lamb provide for us by God, His Father, into our hearts and lives can have eternal life with Him in heaven.

Well I must get ready for work, seeing it is Monday, so I will be back with you tomorrow at which point this will be continued.  Because I feel a need to express my opinion about this particular subject.

Okay, so you know what you need to do, go and be a blessing!

Thank Goodness it's Friday....and Gifting

Thank Goodness it's Friday is a very popular saying these days, however, doesn't that mean that we have wished away the rest of the week?  That's what my husband says.  And I think that he is correct.  So let us not wish away our weeks and let us be Thankful for each and every day.  But we can still be very glad that it's Friday when it is here. 
Are any of you out there ready for Christmas?  That is one reason why I am glad it's Friday....we have so much to do!
We do not even have our Christmas tree up yet.  I have done no baking.  And the snowflakes for my Christmas tree are getting fewer and fewer, because it seems like every year I give more and more of them away. 
This is pretty much all we have on our tree.  And it looks really nice.  But, I have to stop giving them away...I know, this will not happen, so I had better get busy.  I think next year when I send out our Christmas cards I will have to put a snowflake in each one.  Now that is something to strive for.  I really like making them although it is a bit tedious.  First you crochet them, then when the thread ends are all buried, you have to dip them in a mixture of Elmer's glue and water, lay them on wax paper, nice and flat, let them dry, and then they are ready to go.  I like making them and the grandchildren like dipping them in the glue bath.

Do you remember the Christmas's of long ago, when everyone, pretty much had to make their presents?  If we were still in that time period, what would you make?

Two Christmas's ago I made mittens for everyone...not going to do that again...I was really tired of that by the time I was finished.  And I don't know about my fellow knitters or crocheters out their, but the really fun thing about making pairs, is they need to match in size!  That can sometimes be difficult.  So what I ended up doing was making lots of mittens, and then I matched them up with the ones that were the same size, that worked out fairly well.

I do need to get better at managing my time.  I have great ideas but never enough time to do them all.  One year in a previous life I made comforters for everyone!  If you don't think that was a challenge. Oy vey!  But you know what I receive so much more satisfaction from giving gifts that I have made verses the gifts that are store bought.  Well if I put it in writting then I feel that my declaration is more firm.  So right now in front of all the world, I am going to make at least one gift for each person that I would normally buy something for, there I said it!  Now I will have to do it. 


A little pillow I made for a friends child.


One thing that has always been very important to me is that when we do something for someone else, if we give a little of ourselves along with that gift, it generally means more.  And you know not everyone is capable of understanding this.  Oh and that is so sad.  Anyone can go out and spend money, but it's the gift that comes from some ones heart, thru their hands, or thru there mouth, or thru there feet, that can really mean the world to the one who receives that gift. 



Ruthee's Moose

 So this year, when you are planning out what to do, why not decide right now to make at least one gift for someone special.  Or help a child to make a gift for someone special, so that that child can learn what it means to give a gift from the heart.  And while you are at it, wouldn't that be the perfect time to tell the Christmas story?  That way it will be very easy to explain to the child that this is what God did for us!  He (God) gave us Jesus.  In the form of a little baby, who grew up to be a wonderful man, and amazing teacher and part of the trinity...well may be don't go to the trinity, depending on the age of the child, that always confused me.  Now I understand, but it wasn't till I was about 38 that I really got a handle on that reality.

Well I hate to go, and I mean that sincerely, I would love to stay here and keep writing, but I have to make my pennies....So go and be a blessing to someone today.  If you see someone in need stop and ask them what's wrong and if you can pray for them. Show some concern for your fellow man, it just might be Jesus.