In the Bleak Mid Winter

Give Jesus your heart this Christmas.
It's the best gift you will ever receive. 

To Him I direct you

“You should tell the devil, “Just by telling me that I am a miserable, great sinner you are placing a sword and a weapon into my hand with which I can decisively overcome you; yea, with your own weapon I can kill and floor you.

For if you tell me that I am a poor sinner, I, on the other hand, can tell you that Christ dies for sinners and is their Intercessor… You remind me of the boundless, great faithfulness and benefaction of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The burden of my sins and all the trouble and misery that were to oppress me eternally He very gladly took upon His shoulders and suffered the bitter death on the cross for them.

To Him I direct you. You may accuse and condemn Him.

Let me rest in peace, for on His shoulders, not on mine, lie all my sins and the sins of all the world.”

Martin Luther

Psalm 32:5-7

Run the Race

We are to run our race “looking unto Jesus.” We are to run, depending on Him for salvation, renouncing all trust in our own poor frail exertions, and counting our own performances no better than filthy rags, and resting wholly and entirely, simply and completely, upon that perfect righteousness which He worked out for us upon the cross. We need not run uncertain of the end, we need not fight in ignorance of what shall follow. We have only to behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and believe that He has born our griefs and carried our sorrows, and will soon present us spotless and unblameable in His Father’s sight.

~ J.C. Ryle

30 years

We celebrated 30 years Oct 6. Married in 1979. I know some of you weren't born then. :)
My sweetheart had 30 of these beauties delivered to my office. 

I am amazed and awed at how my Lord looks after us and our marriage. How he can take two sinners and miserable people like we are and somehow allows us to be deeply in love after so many years. He is the one who changes our hearts and gives us right thinking when the world bombards us with wrong thinking. He heals, He mends, He grows, He saves.
Todays verse is "May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance." 2 Thessalonians 3:5  (NIV)
This is the key to a long and wonderful marriage. 

Disturbing Christmas

I am copying this post from the web site of Sovereign Grace Ministries and author C.J Mahaney
posted 12/23/2008

The days before Christmas can be a tiring season of preparation, planning, shopping, and wrapping. But I think as we prepare for the Christmas celebrations, dinners, travel, and gift giving, it’s equally important that we pause and prepare our souls for Christmas.

During this time of year, it may be easy to forget that the bigger purpose behind Bethlehem was Calvary. But the purpose of the manger was realized in the horrors of the cross. The purpose of his birth was his death.

Or to put it more personally: Christmas is necessary because I am a sinner. The incarnation reminds us of our desperate condition before a holy God.

Several years ago WORLD Magazine published a column by William H. Smith with the provocative title, “Christmas is disturbing: Any real understanding of the Christmas messages will disturb anyone” (Dec. 26, 1992).

In part, Smith wrote:

Many people who otherwise ignore God and the church have some religious feeling, or feel they ought to, at this time of the year. So they make their way to a church service or Christmas program. And when they go, they come away feeling vaguely warmed or at least better for having gone, but not disturbed.

Why aren’t people disturbed by Christmas? One reason is our tendency to sanitize the birth narratives. We romanticize the story of Mary and Joseph rather than deal with the painful dilemma they faced when the Lord chose Mary to be the virgin who would conceive her child by the power of the Holy Spirit. We beautify the birth scene, not coming to terms with the stench of the stable, the poverty of the parents, the hostility of Herod. Don’t miss my point. There is something truly comforting and warming about the Christmas story, but it comes from understanding the reality, not from denying it.


Most of us also have not come to terms with the baby in the manger. We sing, “Glory to the newborn King.” But do we truly recognize that the baby lying in the manger is appointed by God to be the King, to be either the Savior or Judge of all people? He is a most threatening person.


Malachi foresaw his coming and said, “But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.” As long as we can keep him in the manger, and feel the sentimental feelings we have for babies, Jesus doesn’t disturb us. But once we understand that his coming means for every one of us either salvation or condemnation, he disturbs us deeply.


What should be just as disturbing is the awful work Christ had to do to accomplish the salvation of his people. Yet his very name, Jesus, testifies to us of that work.


That baby was born so that “he who had no sin” would become “sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” The baby’s destiny from the moment of his conception was hell—hell in the place of sinners. When I look into the manger, I come away shaken as I realize again that he was born to pay the unbearable penalty for my sins.


That’s the message of Christmas: God reconciled the world to himself through Christ, man’s sin has alienated him from God, and man’s reconciliation with God is possible only through faith in Christ…Christmas is disturbing.

Don’t get me wrong—Christmas should be a wonderful celebration. Properly understood, the message of Christmas confronts before it comforts, it disturbs before it delights.

The purpose of Christ’s birth was to live a sinless life, suffer as our substitute on the cross, satisfy the wrath of God, defeat death, and secure our forgiveness and salvation.

Christmas is about God the Father (the offended party) taking the initiative to send his only begotten son to offer his life as the atoning sacrifice for our sins, so that we might be forgiven for our many sins.

As Smith so fitly concludes his column:

Only those who have been profoundly disturbed to the point of deep repentance are able to receive the tidings of comfort, peace, and joy that Christmas proclaims.

Amen and Merry Christmas!

The Heavens declare the Glory of God

The skies display His craftsmanship.

NASA

Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known.




They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.





Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.




The message bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.
It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.




For His unfailing love toward those who fear Him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

Consider Him who made the heavens.....

photos courtesy of NASA

What you REALLY want for Christmas...

Come. Just unwrap the paper from this corner, peeling back the tape. Go ahead. Look. It’s all right—keep breathing. I know, I know … breathtaking, isn’t it?

visit this beautiful posting by Ann Voscamp at Holy Experience

Get your MoJo On Challenge #1

THIS WAS A TOUGH CHALLENGE SHERYL! But thank you. I seldom journal from the heart and this sort of thing makes me do just that...and so that is good.

My word is a little different from most I think. My word is a name and it is Jesus. I chose it because He does permeate my day....or at least He should. And He has changed my life more than any other thing in this world ever could. He figures prominently in my life...even if He is not physically visible and touchable. And so part of my plan here was to make his name LARGE, but let it blend in with the page.

Journalling reads:

Get Your Mojo On first challenge: scrap a word that means something to you.
Hmmm .... words…are just words…

I am trying to think of a word I use often, a word that elicits some deep meaning to me personally …that is a hard one.
Love?
Family? How many times have I used this on a page?
My children’s names; they bring loving feelings.
My husband?
What word is on my lips more than any other?
What word brings me great joy and peace when it is on my lips and in my heart? Jesus!
I say His name every day.
I talk to Him
I read His precious words every day.
He permeates my life –
He makes me who I am.
He helps me mother my children.
He helps me be a wife that my husband adores.
He helps me love the unlovable – but I am still a work in progress.
He shows me my sin….and He humbles me.He died for me… .He takes on the wrath of God for me… .He removes my sin… ..He gives me eternal life… ..He gives me hope for today…for tomorrow…for eternity.
Jesus!
He means more to me than life. What a beautiful Word! What a beautiful name.

I used all Basic Grey from the new "granola " line - and I think I used a little bit of every paper in this line - well almost. hehe I also added some element stickers from this BG line and some heidi swapp clear gel blossoms and deco art paper effects to adhere the gel blossoms.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! (music playing)

The tree is up along with about 40% of the decorations, there are boxes of "Pot of Gold" chocolates around (someone is into the second layer before the first is finished and breaking the rules), the mailbox is overflowing with cards from far away friends and family, Mark arrived home on Monday late afternoon and Paul and Allie will arrive at 1am tonight, Allison is home on Friday. Yup life is good - especially because of Him! I feel so blessed. Yes the days are very busy, my to do lists long, I am tired and I have lots of work days coming up, and a few things may not get done on time (David is in charge of writing the Christmas letter this year and I have all the cards ready to go with photos once he is done) but I am thankful. Life is full and busy and I am thankful. I believe He meant for our days to be full. We will be together to play some board games, prepare meals and do the dishes together - to just hang out together. God is abundantly good to us. We are blessed, not so much because He provides the things we need to be comfortable, but because He has given us Jesus Christ - and in Him is the fullness of joy that this world can never know.

It is my hearts desire to share that fullness of joy with whomever crosses my path. If you want to hear about this wonderful joy that He gives, come hang out with a gang of us in Sutherland Hall 1112 Central Ave in Saskatoon this Sunday Dec 28th at 10:00am. We can talk and share for a while (very casual!) and I will buy you lunch! Really!

We are just a bunch of people who once upon a time were disgruntled with life and trying to make things work out our way and well generally kind of unhappy because we couldn't control all the events in our life and each of us one way or another were found by Christ. We would love Him to find you too! So come and share some time with a bunch of people who are so happy - even when life brings tragedy - because our hope and joy is in Christ. Come and ask us all about Him or just come and listen and watch. And then stay for a great lunch and lots of laughter!

Merry Christmas everyone!