Saturday Snippets

It is so great to have Matt home from college.  He has 5 weeks before second semester. HooRay

Merry Christmas in Spanish: Feliz Navidad

It is so hard for me to believe that Tara will be getting her drivers liscense this month.  Wasn't it just a few weeks ago she was hiding behind my couch eating candy? lololo  
{{{hugs to you, Tara}}}

Merry Christmas in German: Frohe Weihnachten

Did ya know Rudolph was actually created by Montgomery Ward in the late 1930's for a holiday promotion?  The rest is history !

Merry Christmas in French: Joyeux Noel

The children's Christmas Play.....HALO....was awesome.  Way to go Meadowcrest young people ! !  I applaud all cast and directors. 
Job well done.

Merry Christmas in Italian: Buon Natale

Did ya know if you received all of the gifts in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas," you would receive 364 gifts?

Merry Christmas in Swedish: God jul

The Singing Christmas Tree was, as usual, fantastic.  I am so happy it has become part of our family tradition. 
First Baptist Church....Thank You

Merry Christmas in Czech: Vesele vanoce

Another little tidbit......Christmas became a national holiday in America on June 26, 1870.

Merry Christmas in Turkish: Mutlu Noeller

We're still on a roller coaster ride with the weather here along the Texas coast.  Cold day, warm day, cool day, hot day....I sure wish it would make up it's mind....hmmm....do I run the A/C today or should I turn up the heat?

More trivia...The word Christmas is Old English, a contraction of Christ's Mass.

Looking forward to the new Women's Ministry at my church....JOY...Jesus....Others....Yourself.

We start in January.  Please pray for it's success ! !

Merry Christmas in Russian: C Pokiectbom

For the Son of God was given, and was hung upon a tree, and the only gift for Christmas, is His gift for you and me !

Also looking forward to our family get-together on Christmas Eve.  Tracey will be hosting this year, always, always fun ! !

Mary





Thursdays Thoughts for Christmas

Hope you enjoy.....

"He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree."  Roy L. Smith

"Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree.  In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall."

Larry Wilde

"Mail your packages early so the post office can lose them in time for Christmas."  Johnny Carson

"One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day."

Andy Rooney.

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."  Charles Dickens

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind.  To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."  Calvin Coolidge

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."

Norman Vincent Peale

"The only real blind person at Christmas-time is he who has not Christmas in his heart."

Helen Keller

And the best has been saved for last, the most important thought for the season.

"Therefore the LORD Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His Name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14).

Please stop by again...
Mary

From The Bookshelf

Several years ago I began to look for special articles, poems or books that I could study and present to my family as we gathered for Christmas.  Last year I read The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren and prepared a short essay for the family gathering, it was so well received I would like to share.  Even though it has been shortened for this post, the message is still clear, it's a wonderful book that gets right to the heart of Christmas.

Do you realize that every time you check your calendar or refer to a date or write one down, you are using Jesus Christ as your reference point.  Because of Jesus, history is divided into BC (before Christ) and AD (anno Domini, in the year of the Lord).  Every other event in history and every event on your calendar today is dated by how many days and years it has been since Jesus Christ appeared on earth.

Even your birthday is dated by his birthday.

Christmas is a time for celebration !

We learn this from the angel's opening statement to the shepherds of Bethlehem.  God had wonderful news for us that would cause us all to rejoice, celebrate, and throw a party:

"I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people."

Luke 2:10

Christmas is a time for salvation !

 We are not only saved from something bad, we are saved for something good.  The Bible says:

"In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing."

Ephesians 2:10

Christmas is a time for reconciliation !

To the shepherds of Bethlehem, the third announcement of the angel concerned the arrival of the Prince of Peace.  Jesus would not only teach the way to peace but would empower us to live lives of peace if we would trust Him.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:14

It's a great book, if you get the chance to read it during this Christmas season you will be blessed.

 Remember to keep Jesus in your heart all through the holidays and every day through out the year ! !

Mary

A Lot Like Christmas

At last my motivation button kicked in and now it's "Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" all over the house.  I spent the morning in boxes of decorations, got done around noon, cleaned up my mess and cooked a good meal.  Goodness, it's been a busy and an enjoyable day.  Of course I played my favorite Christmas CD's and burned my "Apple Pie" scented candle while I worked.  Nice...

Boxes, boxes and more boxes !

There's more, you just can't see them in these pics...

First, let's remember the reason for the season, the birth of Jesus Christ.

I love my Santas ! !

Look ! !  It's a little Christmas Mouse  ! !

Frosty and his family ! !

Now the house is ready for this wonderful time of year..

It's been a good day, time to set back, rest and enjoy Christmas at my house.

Come Again,

Mary



Sunday, The Lord's Day

Of course every day is the Lord's day and He should be praised every day.  Sunday is just the one day to set aside and fully dedicate my thoughts, prayers and praise to Him.

I love to blog, my problem is I'm not really a good writer at all.  I have so many great things to say and when I set down to write, the words just don't flow as well as I would like.  So, I've turned to other resources to help me along.  Articles, devotions or news items, anything that has touched me penned at the hand of someone else, I try to put in my own words and share with you.

What I'm writing today was inspired by Luci Swindoll, a great woman of faith.  I love her writings and many of them reflect my own life.

I have always been "over the top" with a clean house...every week-end was spent cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.  Years ago one of my daughter's friends referred to my house as a hospital.  You would think I would have taken that as a compliment, but alas, it really got me to thinking. hmmm, what's so important about a "clean house"....maybe I need to concentrate more on a "clean soul."  Wow, that thought really shouted at me...Maybe, just maybe, I needed a good "soul sweeping" more than that, a good "soul mopping" sure wouldn't hurt.. And that's what I tried to do...I had known the Lord for many years, loved Him for many years, always always had faith...What I didn't have was obedience to His word...I was too busy cleaning house.

Today my house has a little dust here and there, maybe the kitchen floor could use a good mopping, BUT, my soul is full of God's Word and it feels good.  I'll get to the dusting and dirty floors, today I'm cleaning my soul, giving my all to Jesus Christ.

My facebook friend Mitzi posted something so beautiful this morning, I would like to share...
"I was not perfect yesterday, I am not perfect today, and I certainly will not be perfect tomorrow.  But I most willingly will introduce you to someone who is perfect in every way on every day.  Allow me to introduce you to Christ for he knows everything about you and still He can say that HE loves you completely and without reservation."   Well said, thanks Mitzi ! !

Time to close, so glad you dropped in..

O Beautiful Star of Bethlehem, shining far through shadows dim

Giving the light for those who long have gone.

Guiding the wise men on their way, unto the place where Jesus lay.

O beautiful Star of Bethlehem shine on.....

Please come back again for a visit, you're always welcome.
Mary