Happy New Year!

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.

Benjamin Franklin 

This is SO cool

What a birthday!

I had a wonderful birthday this year!  It started out with a lovely dinner party given by my BFF Dorothy before my birthday, lunch out after church on Sunday, and tonight my wonderful husband and son played chef and sous chef to make me a chicken parmesan and spaghetti dinner from scratch.  It was SO.YUMMY!!  Everything was homemade except the ice cream cake (my favorite!) 

The guys thought they'd bitten off more than they could chew at a couple points during the preparation, but they soldiered on and their efforts were more than rewarded with the most delicious meal--entirely prepared by the two of them:

I am so blessed by my family!

Quote of the Week: Packer

The saving power of the cross does not depend on faith being added to it; its saving power is such that faith flows from it.

J. I. Packer



Sunday Hymn: All Praise to Thee, Eternal Lord

ALL PRAISE TO THEE, ETERNAL LORD

All praise to thee, Eternal Lord,
Clothed in a garb of flesh and blood;
Choosing a manger for thy throne,
While worlds on worlds are thine alone.

Once did the skies before thee bow;
A Virgin's arms contain thee now:
Angels who did in thee rejoice
Now listen for thine infant voice.

A little Child, thou art our Guest,
That weary ones in thee may rest;
Forlorn and lowly is thy birth,
That we may rise to heav'n from earth.

Thou comest in the darksome night
To make us children of the light,
To make us, in the realms divine,
Like thine own angels round thee shine.

All this for us thy love hath done;
By this to thee our love is won:
For this we tune our cheerful lays,
And shout our thanks in ceaseless praise.

Blue Trinity Hymnal, #155

Ivy Claus

There is more to this than meets the eye.  I'll post the rest of the story this afternoon.

Merry Christmas!

As with JOY they hailed its light,

leading onward, beaming bright;

so, most gracious GOD may we

Evermore be led to THEE.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

An Army in My Kitchen

Once these guys march out of the oven and get their 'uniforms' they'll be reporting to my friends and neighbors. . .

Two Days

Sunday Hymn:

All my heart this night rejoices
As I hear
Far and near
Sweetest angel voices.
"Christ is born," their choirs are singing
Till the air
Everywhere
Now with joy is ringing.

Forth today the Conqueror goeth,
Who the foe,
Sin and woe,
Death and hell, o'erthroweth.
God is man, man to deliver;
His dear Son
Now is one
With our blood forever.

Shall we still dread God's displeasure,
Who, to save,
Freely gave
His most cherished treasure?
To redeem us, he hath given
His own Son
From the throne
Of his might in heaven.

He becomes the Lamb that taketh
Sin away
And for aye
Full atonement maketh.
For our life his own he tenders;
And our race,
By his grace,
Meet for glory renders.

Hark! a voice from yonder manger,
Soft and sweet,
Doth entreat:
"Flee from woe and danger,
Brethren, from all ills that grieve you
You are freed;
All you need
I will surely give you."

Come, then, banish all your sadness,
One and all,
Great and small;
Come with songs of gladness.
Love him who with love is glowing;
Hail the star,
Near and far
Light and joy bestowing.

Dearest Lord, thee will I cherish.
Though my breath
Fail in death,
Yet I shall not perish,
But with thee abide for ever
There on high,
In that joy
Which can vanish never.

Trinity Hymnal #150

Sometimes by Step--Listen

Quote of the Week: Luther

Feelings come and feelings go,
And feelings are deceiving;
My warrant is the Word of God--
Naught else is worth believing.

Though all my heart should feel condemned
For want of some sweet token,
There is One greater than my heart
Whose Word cannot be broken.

I'll trust in God's unchanging Word
Till soul and body sever,
For, though all things shall pass away,
HIS WORD SHALL STAND FOREVER!

Martin Luther

Sometimes by Step

Sometimes the night was beautiful
Sometimes the sky was so far away
Sometimes it seemed to stoop so close
You could touch it but your heart would break
Sometimes the morning came too soon
Sometimes the day could be so hot
There was so much work left to do
But so much You'd already done

CHORUS:
Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
I will seek You in the morning
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You'll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days

Sometimes I think of Abraham
How one star he saw had been lit for me
He was a stranger in this land
And I am that, no less than he
And on this road to righteousness
Sometimes the climb can be so steep
I may falter in my steps
But never beyond Your reach

CHORUS

And I will follow You all of my days
And I will follow You all of my days
And step by step You'll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days
And I will follow You all of my days
(Sometimes the night was beautiful)
And I will follow You all of my days

Rich Mullins

Dear Blog,

Hello!  Remember me?  I hope you're enjoying December without me.  I promise not to forget you entirely and I'll be back in a few weeks. 

Merry Christmas!

Me

Quote of the Week: Luther

If you want to interpret well and confidently, set Christ before you, for He is the man to whom it all applies, every bit of it.
— Martin Luther

Sunday Hymn: As With Gladness Men of Old

AS WITH GLADNESS MEN OF OLD

As with gladness men of old
Did the guiding star behold;
As with joy they hailed its light,
Leading onward, beaming bright;
So, most gracious God, may we
Evermore be led to thee.

As with joyful steps they sped
To that lowly cradle bed,
There to bend the knee before
Him whom heaven and earth adore;
So may we with willing feet
Ever seek thy mercy-seat.

As they offered gifts most rare
At that cradle rude and bare;
So may we with holy joy,
Pure, and free from sin's alloy,
All our costliest treasures bring,
Christ, to thee, our heav'nly King.

Holy Jesus, ev'ry day
Keep us in the narrow way;
And, when earthly things are past,
Bring our ransomed souls at last
Where they need no star to guide,
Where no clouds thy glory hide.

In the heav'nly country bright
Need they no created light;
Thou its Light, its Joy, its Crown,
Thou its Sun which goes not down;
There for ever may we sing
Alleluias to our King.

Trinity Hymnal #154

Sunday Hymn: God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen

GOD REST YOU MERRY, GENTLEMEN

God rest you merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
Remember Christ our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day,
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray;

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy.

From God our heav'nly Father,
A blessed angel came;
And unto certain shepherds
Brought tidings of the same:
How that in Bethlehem was born
The son of God by name.

'Fear not then,' said the angel,
'Let nothing you affright,
This day is born a Saviour
Of a pure virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in him
From Satan's power and might.'

The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks afeeding,
In tempest, storm, and wind:
And went to Bethlehem straightway,
The Son of God to find.

Trinity Hymnal #160

Quote of the Week:

Do give books - religious or otherwise - for Christmas. They're never fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal.

Lenore Hershey 

Note to Self: First Shovel-able snow

Awoke this morning to snow covered roads and the sound of snow plows.  The first shovel-able snow of the season.  Temp 22 degrees, so it'll be sticking around for a while.

December Blog break

It's December and I'll be taking a break from blogging and reading blogs between now and the first of the year.  I want to simplify my life as much as possible this month to keep the focus on faith and family during the Christmas season.  I may post occasionally if there's anything I want to chronicle for the family, but other than that, I expect the blog will be quiet.

I'll be checking email, so I won't be completely unreachable!

I hope that your Christmas season is full of faith and family, peace and joy, and the joyful anticipation of Christ's second coming as we reflect upon the miracle of His advent!