Tag: christmas

Wrapping up 2023

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Dowdle Folk Art Puzzles  NATIVITY

I got my puzzle board out for the first time since last winter. Around church service on Sunday morning and visiting with our son Alex’s family on Monday, we had a quiet couple of days. I got out the Christmas puzzles, choosing the nativity to keep my thoughts on what we’re celebrating. This puzzle was challenging, with lots of repeated colors and textures.

I actually gained control of the remote, and we watched some encouraging videos on Amazon Prime. I saw Agatha VonTrapp sharing the Sound of Music story from her own perspective with her grand niece. A real treat, since the Sound of Music was my Austrian Jewish grandmother’s favorite movie.

Archie the tomcat enjoying the box of wrapping paper and the lights on the tree at Alex & Joanna’s house yesterday.

Then we watched Noelle, the story of a priest who shuts down churches that aren’t thriving, sent to a small church led by a classmate from seminary. Turns out he’s haunted by a baby/young girl whom he’d encouraged his college girlfriend to abort. A real story of redemption and the true meaning of Christmas.

Going back to the Nativity puzzle, I point out that it gives the condensed version of the account that most of us grew up with. I didn’t realize until I started reading the Bible myself that the Christ child was about two years old, and the family was living in a house in Bethlehem of Judea, when the caravan of wisemen arrived.

Well, I finished the puzzle as I was heading to bed last evening.  I won’t continue recounting the rest of the half-dozen videos we watched, but I go on to this morning.  Following friend suggestions from Facebook, I spent an extended time cruising my feed, which I’ve not attended to lately. Lots of beautiful family Christmas photos as well as memorials to those who won’t be with the family this year. Children are growing quickly, those of a certain age are growing old gracefully,  and I’m thankful for all God is doing in our lives these days. Here, I share a photo from my browsing.  Since I got it from accessing a FB game, I had to have my husband John take a picture of it on my phone and send it to me. Trying to save the photo to my phone only took me back to the games!

This is definitely a choice verse for my life, and it must be what the Lord wants me to concentrate on for 2024. I’m happy that my friend Joyce from Kenya is part of this photo. I don’t recommend accessing Facebook games, but this was worth it for me today.

This New Year’s Eve, there will be a prayer vigil from 6 p.m. to midnight at the Wellspring Fellowship church in Brownville, New York. From the invitation, this stone church was built about 1823 and shared by all the churches in the area until 1826, when it was purchased by the Episcopal Church. It faithfully served the Brownville community until 2021.

Charles G. Finney came to Brownville in November 1823, following signs of revival that were beginning to manifest there. He was snow-bound for the entire winter and labored in this building in prayer and preaching until April 1824.

I am excited! Revival is beginning in our church, Airport Christian Fellowship, in Dexter, NY, which is just a few miles away from this church in Brownville. If you are in this area, join us for any or all of the time between 6p.m. and midnight, New Year’s Eve, 2023. The address is: 212 Washington Street, Brownville, NY 13615.

Wherever you are, you are right where God needs you. Or, He will prompt you to move soon into the position you need to occupy for this new erea in His plans. Oh, it’s official. My book, Musings Along Life’s Journey, Vignettes From The Road, is live on Amazon. You may purchase it in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, or as an audiobook read by myself.

Audiobook cover

Success in Fits ‘n Starts & Emmanuel

musingsalonglifesjourney2 Comments

I think we finally won the battle! After about a month of fits’n starts and my husband John coming to the rescue, my book is officially LIVE on Amazon. You can find the SECOND second printing in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle versions. The audiobook, read by me, is waiting for final quality checks, and then it will also be available on Amazon and ACX.

I hope this photo got your attention! Musings Along Life’s Journey Kindle version will be on a promotional sale from January 17th to 24th, 2024. The price will begin at $0.99, rise to $1.99, $2.99, then revert to the original $8.95. Thank you to all who have blessed me by buying the original version of my book. That money helped pay for the $1,200.00 for Dave Ficere to facilitate my audiobook creation.

Emmanuel, God with us! Let’s contemplate what that means. I will draw on Pastor Paul Gimtter’s sermon at ACF Church this morning. In the first chapter of the book of Matthew, we have the genealogy of Joseph and of Mary, proving they came from the line of David, tribe of Judah. As an aside, my elderly cousin told me our family believes we also came from David’s tribe.

God wanted to be with us so desperately that He reduced Himself to be placed in a human egg in Mary’s womb. Angel activity ministered well in the events pertaining to God becoming a man, Emmanuel.

Pastor Paul related it to a dirty, stinky diaper on a baby. Jesus, fully man and fully God, stepped into the dark, foul mess that mankind made. He came so we never haft to walk alone. Pastor Paul read Psalm 139 to reinforce the fact that there is no place we can go that He is not there.

Think of the deepest hole you have fallen into, the darkest night you’ve been in. He was there with you! He has never turned His back on you. Jesus did not come to condemn us in our sins and sorrows, but to save us. Ask the Holy Spirit to take you into the pains and hurts. Let Him show you where He was. Let God’s loving kindness turn those graves into gardens, your mourning into dancing. Jesus came to show us how much the Father loves us. Even the woman at the well, His messed up disciples… so many examples of the Father’s love and mercy through all generations!

Romans 8:38-39 AMPC
For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, [39] Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I’d like to share one more piece of the Christmas story we don’t usually ponder. Bethlehem of Judea is where the shepherds raised the Passover lambs for the temple sacrifice. The lambs without blemish were chosen, then wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger to keep them clean and unblemished. Sound familiar?

Luke 2:6-7 ASV
And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were fulfilled that she should be delivered. [7] And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Revelation 13:8 KJ21
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world.

Oh, how wonderful! Oh, how marvelous is my Savior’s love for me! I hope you experience a new dose of the great love of Emmanuel, God with YOU this Christmas season.

Shalom, dear readers!