Birthplaces

During this season of the year, we think a lot about the birth of Jesus. And we think of His birthplace, Bethlehem. It is a special place to us as Christians, because it is where our Savior took His first breath in a human body. Divinity met humanity, perfectly combined in one little being.  It is where the prophet, Micah, had said He would be born.

MIC 5:2 KJV,  But thou, Beth–lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

There are many other towns/cities and states and countries that claim to be the birthplace of many different notable people. Illinois is known as the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln and Virginia as the birthplace of George Washington, etc.

The birthplace of my children will always be a place that is close to my heart. There is something very special about meeting the new little life you have carried for 9 months.

As I think about birth and birthplaces, it reminds me of the words of Jesus in John 3.

John 3:3 KJV

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Our natural birthplace is special, but it is our spiritual one that is the most important! It is as vital to being a part of the kingdom of God, as birth is to having life here on this earth. As a mother, I look forward to the spiritual birthplaces of my children. And I think that I will treasure them even more than their natural birthplaces.

So this Christmas, as we think about Jesus birth, may we also think about our own birth into His kingdom and thank Him for giving us that new life abundantly! Let's worship Him for He is worthy!

Celebrating the Birth of our Mediator!

Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the busyness that goes along with this special Christmas season! I am sorry for the long absence here. We have been very busy with many good things, one of which is taking care of a new foster baby. I do hope to do better at updating! 

Today I was reading through Job 9 and this verse stood out to me.

Job 9:33 HCSB

There is no one to judge between us, to lay his hand on both of us.

Job realized that because of God's greatness and his smallness, he could not question or answer to God. This is what he said just a few verses before:

Job 9:15 HCSB

Even if I were in the right, I could not answer. I could only beg my Judge for mercy.

I think that Job realized that there needed to be someone that could be a go-between, someone that understood both divinity and humanity, a mediator. He was looking forward to the time when God would send a redeemer to reconcile mankind to Himself. That mediator/redeemer is our precious King Jesus! 

1 Timothy 2:5 HCSB

For there is one God and one mediator  between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, Himself human.

This Christmas season, let's celebrate not only the birth, but also the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and praise God that through Him (Jesus) we have access to the Father. We now have someone that is our go-between, our mediator! 

Pumpkin Pie Squares from Home Joys

One of my fellow bloggers that I highly recommend is Home Joys. She posts amazing recipes and does a LOT of gardening! She recently posted the following recipe and I Can't wait to make it!

Pumpkin Pie Squares

Crust: 
1 cup flour
1/2 cup quick oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter

Combine ingredients. I use a food processor to make it extra quick to cut in the butter. Press into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool.

Filling:
6 eggs 
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T flour
2 tsp cinnamon 
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger 
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
4 cups pumpkin puree
2 cups scalded milk (heated to hot but not boiling)

Mix all ingredients together and pour over crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream.

Blessings!

Praise God's Glory

A continuation of our thoughts on thanksgiving....

Ephesians 1:3, 7, 11-12 HCSB

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.   We have redemption in Him  through His blood, the forgiveness  of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace We have also received an inheritance  in Him, predestined  according to the purpose of the One who works out everything in agreement with the decision of His will, so that we who had already put our hope  in the Messiah might bring praise to His glory.

We cherish the times when our children express their love to us. Whether it is an "I wuv you, Mommy" or an "I wike your dwess", it always warms my heart.

I think that it is the same way for God. He is so great and has done so many mighty things for us and we are mere dust in comparison to Him. Yet He loves and wants to hear our praise and adoration for Him. He has blessed us with so much, we should be bursting with thankfulness and praise! Just read Ephesians 1:3-14, and look at the descriptive words in that passage that talk about what God has done! Let's take conscious time today to bless, praise, and thank our Heavenly Father. Will you join me?

Thank you, Father God, for all the spiritual blessings that You have given to me today. I want to bring praise to Your Glory today. You have done so much for me, and when I really stop and think about it, I can't help but adore, honor, and praise You, for You alone are worthy! In Jesus' name, Amen.

Thank God for Victory!

As we head into this season of Thanksgiving, I would like to think about things that we can thank God for. Today I want to focus on these verses:

1 Corinthians 15:57-58 HCSB

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work,  knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

The other evening, we took our family out to try the new ice cream shop in town. While we were waiting in line, I observed a father and small son that were also waiting. While they waited, they were playing "Pin the Thumb". When the little boy won, he jumped up and down and celebrated his victory.

We also can be excited about the victory that is already declared in heaven. Jesus Christ has won the battle against the devil and evil once and for all by His death on the cross. We must thank God for this amazing gift! And then out of our thankful hearts, we need to serve Him and 'excel in the Lord's work'.

"Thank you, Father God, for declaring the victory over sin and evil! Thank you for giving us the tremendous privilege of claiming that victory with Christ. We praise You and magnify Your Name! Give us the grace (power) to excel in Your work today! In Jesus name, Amen

"Gratitude unexpressed is plain old ingratitude"

Messes and Me

Psalms 51:1-10 HCSB

Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithful love; according to Your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion. Wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me. Against You — You alone — I have sinned and done this evil in Your sight. So You are right when You pass sentence; You are blameless when You judge. Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me. Surely You desire integrity in the inner self, and You teach me wisdom deep within. Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice. Turn Your face away  from my sins and blot out all my guilt. God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast  spirit within me.

Today was one of those days......when I put the children down for their afternoon naps, the house looked like a tornado had hit and all that was left in its path was toys and crumbs and shreds of paper. I told Carsten "You boys made a big mess! ... That makes mommy sad!" He replied, "It doesn't make me sad!"... "I just don't want to clean it up." I had to laugh a little then. And it made me think.

About messes....

How often does God look at my life and say "You made a big mess!"? What is my attitude when He reveals something that needs to change in my life? Am I sad about my messes? Am I willing to go through the hard work of cleaning up?

Later at the dinner table, we were taking about who cleans up the mess and Carsten says "Mommy had to clean it up all by herself." (I did because the boys had gone down for naps) This makes me think about how this is similar to how God deals with us.  He is willing to take our mess and clean it up ... one little piece at a time. He never gives up and is insistent on total purity.

Prayer for today:
LORD, thank you for having an interest in the messes in my life. I give you my heart and ask you to clean it up and remove all the messes I have made. Forgive my wretched sins and make me clean and new so that I can serve you in your kingdom! In and through Jesus name,  Amen

Life Stories

Psalms 78:22, 35, 38-39, 65, 68, 72 KJV

Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation: .... And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. .... But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.  For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again....  Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.....  But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.....  So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.


Life stories....

Some are long.
Some are short.

Some are full of drama.
Some are just ordinary.

Some are well known
Some are not known at all.

All are interesting.

All would show the mercy of God,  the grace of God,  the immense love of God.

Whether the person lived for Christ or not, God could still be seen working in his/her life.

This passage is a beautiful story but not because the Israelites loved and obeyed God with all their hearts and lives but because God is faithful.

God chose them and had many reasons to give up on them. But He didn't. Because of His character. Because of His commitment. Because of His love.

If you read the full chapter of Psalm 78, you will find that the Israelites were not faithful and yet God was and still IS!

How will your life story read? What will be said about you at the end of your life?

My desire is that my life story world be so wrapped up in God and my Savior that not much of "me" would shine through.

May "the world see Jesus when they look at my life".

Dear God,
You are so great, we cannot comprehend You! Thank You for the interest and love You show in our lives. I pray that each of us would allow You to write our life story today. Help us to follow Your perfect will for our lives so that when people 'read' our life story, what they see is the Glory of God! We love You and want to live for You! In Jesus name, Amen.