I Bless Your Name

I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise
shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul makes its boast in the Lord;

let the humble hear and be glad.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

and let us exalt His name together!

Psalm 34:1-3

In memory of my son Caleb who has been praising God in heaven for 24 years.

In prisoners' chains with bleeding stripes

Paul and Silas prayed that night
And in their pain began to sing
Their chains were loosed and they were free

I bless Your name, I bless Your name
I give You honor, give You praise
You are the Life, the Truth, the Way
I bless Your name, I bless Your name

Some midnight hour if you should find
You're in a prison in your mind
Sing out and praise, defy those chains
And they will fall in Jesus' name

I bless Your name, I bless Your name
I give You honor, give You praise
You are the Life, the Truth, the Way
I bless Your name, I bless Your name

Story of Paul and Silas
Acts 16
Bible Gate

Object Lesson at the Creek

One summer day a few years back, Granddaughter Kaedyn and I were walking down at the creek and were admiring some delicate wildflowers tucked in among the blades of grass.

Jesus' words came to mind: "If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you...?" Matt. 6:30

We talked about how Jesus was thinking about more than shirts and shorts. He was saying:

"I will clothe you with Myself." 

Another verse we cherish now that she is older is John 14:20
In that day, you will know that I am in My Father, you are in Me, and I am in you.

Brooklyn Bridge

My son Cameron, who lives in Brooklyn, often drives across the Brooklyn Bridge. I have never been to NYC and I love to learn about its history online.

I was surprised that construction of the Brooklyn Bridge began in 1869 and took 14 years to complete. People were afraid to trust the bridge, so chief engineer Emily Roebling asked P.T. Barnum to bring 21 circus elephants to march across and convince residents of the safety of the world's first steel-wire suspension bridge.

Today more than 125,000 vehicles cross the bridge every day.

God With Us

I've had many experiences in my lifetime. Some good and some bad, and though the events are history, the memories have stayed with me. I even have photographs of some of them.

Before the digital age, we had a Polaroid instant camera, so we wouldn't have to wait overnight to have the film developed. Yet, even as great as instant pictures were, in certain conditions, some were blurry or dark.

The Lord showed me how this was like the memories of my life. Not all of them have been developed yet. Not all of them make sense now. Not all of them are pleasant.  Some I want to hide, and others I wish I could forget. But God says in His Word that He has never left us or forsaken us. At the end of my life, and sometimes along the way, I'm going to see something different about those memories....

When these pictures develop.... 

I'm going to see JESUS standing there with me in every one!

We can ask Jesus to show us where He was in our memories. No matter how alone or forsaken we may have felt at times, Jesus has always been right there, causing all things to work together for our good, watching over us. He wants us to know that even in present and future struggles, He is right here with us. All we have to do is call upon His name and believe that He is our helper.

This was written by my son, Cameron 

As the Deer

Talk with each other much about the Lord, quoting psalms and hymns and singing sacred songs, making music in your hearts to the Lord. Always give thanks for everything to our God and Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:19-20
One of my favorite songs is AS THE DEER PANTS FOR THE WATER
Acapella rendition by Master's Chorale

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYNNIUtQ160

WORSHIP

I WILL COME AND BOW DOWN

AT YOUR FEET, LORD JESUS

IN YOUR PRESENCE 

IS FULLNESS OF JOY

THERE IS NOTHING

THERE IS NO ONE

WHO COMPARES WITH YOU

I TAKE PLEASURE 

IN WORSHIPING YOU, LORD.
RON KENOLY

CAROLING!

When I was a teen, my youth group went Christmas caroling, wearing our royal blue choir robes over our coats. We especially made an effort to visit older folks. Now I am one of the older folks! I live in a senior apartment building and we were serenaded by 40 young carolers crowded into the stairwell to escape the 20 degree wind chill.

It's fun to see their enthusiasm and energy and join in  celebrating the birth of our Savior.

LAMPLIGHTER

Before the electric light bulb was widely used, lamplighters had to go about the streets at dusk and light the gas lamps. Do you remember this song about The Old Lamplighter that Mother used to sing?
He made the night a little brighter wherever he would go, the old lamplighter of long, long ago.

How inky black the nights can be when the electricity is off all over town during a snow storm, and you can't see moon or stars hidden by the low clouds.

Maybe David was recalling how God brought him through a storm when he wrote this psalm:

It is You who light my lamp; 
the Lord my God 
lightens my darkness.
Psalm 18:28

SNOWMAN

So where did Mr. Snowman go? I worried about him when I was a little girl. And why did he seem eager to leave the children for new adventures?

When I was teaching second grade and teaching about the water cycle, I thought it would be great to imagine all the fun the snowman would have through the seasons as the children wait for him to come back next winter.

Where'd Mr. Snowman Go?

He's the puddle of slush
that flows over your feet
Numbing your toes
as you trudge down the street.
He's the crystals you see
on your own windowpane
As you wait for your school bus
to come down the lane.

In spring, you hear him
in quiet gentle showers
That water new leaves
and bright garden flowers.
He cascades down streams
'til they overflow
Bursting over waterfalls
onto rocks down below.

In summer,
he gives the trees a good drink
As the thunder claps
and lightning bolts blink.
He rains on your picnic
in the middle of July,
Sends you running for shelter
to keep yourself dry.

Autumn comes,
and he's watching so proud
From a gorgeous pink sunset
on a cotton candy cloud.
Then he teases the children
with an early snow flurry
To let them know
winter will come in a hurry.

Now December is back
and we can't wait to hear
If we'll have a white Christmas
again this year.
But "whenever great heaps
of snowflakes fall"
We'll build another snowman,
the best one of all.

~Karen Rice

EACH MORNING

But as for me, I will sing each morning about your power and mercy. For you have been my high tower of refuge, a place of safety in the day of my distress. 
PSALM 59:16 
iT IS EASIER FOR ME TO LISTEN TO MUSIC THAN TO READ AND I HAVE REALLY ENJOYED SEVERAL PSALMS SUNG BY SHANE AND SHANE. ONE OF MY FAVORITES IS PSALM 23 - SURELY GOODNESS SURELY MERCY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoojA0cLPWY

ALSO, I LOVE THIS LITTLE GIRL RECITING PSALM 23 
SO SWEET!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVLQLwSgnU8

Joy, Hope, and Peace

May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing - bubbling over with hope.
Romans 15:13 Amplified

FIVE AND DIME

 When Alpharetta was a tiny town

We knew all the families up and down

Christmas was an exciting time

Gazing at toys in the Five and Dime.

Etch-A-Sketch was all the craze

We made our list and counted the days

Peeking through the store's window panes

Longing for red and white candy canes.

Christmas morning would finally dawn

We'd rush to the tree with our pajamas on

Ripping the wrapping and tossing the bow

Gasping in glee, "How did Santa know?"

SNOWBALL FIGHT

The way a crow

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.

Robert Frost

I love poetry and I am in awe of Robert Frost's ability to paint such a vivid picture with one sentence comprised of 34 words! As I pictured his frown being turned upside down by an unexpected shower of snow, I remembered an experience from years gone by.

I can remember several instances, when the kids were all at home, when there was family tension or teenage "crises" and then something unexpected would happen and everyone would dissolve into laughter.

One day we had a rare snow in Georgia. I was anxiously trying to get everybody ready and out the door to be on time for some event. My husband and kids were in the car (or so I thought). I rushed out the storm door right into a volley of snowballs from every direction! This was WAR! After I attempted revenge with a few snowballs of my own, we arrived a little late - looking worse for wear - but in a much happier mood!

A merry heart does good like a medicine.

Proverbs 17:22

STRENGTH

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:25-26 NKJV

"You are my strength" sung by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9faaOmrw0hk

Christmas Lights

When my children were small, there was a neighborhood that went all out decorating their yards. We would drive around and around the neighborhood with Christmas music playing on the car tape player.

The sights and sounds of Christmas brighten a lot of faces.

God's Love

"It's deeper, it's wider,

 it's stronger,

 it's higher

Than anything my eyes can see."

I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans 8:38-39

Happy Birthday, Mother

Today would have been my Mothers 90th birthday.

She loved Christmas, and baking, and decorating the tree.

As a child I helped her replace

the burned out bulbs for the tree 

while we sang this song:

Now it's Christmas time

Oh, now it's Christmas time

And Christmas time will last til 

New Year!

Now it's Christmas time

Oh, now it's Christmas time

The time for happiness

And good cheer.