May the peace of the Lord be in your heart this Christmas season…

Iris

Current Mood: Blessed †

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
(Luke 2:11-14 ESV)

The last couple of years have been really low key at our home around the Christmas time. I haven’t had a Christmas tree up for years; actually since our son moved out in 2007. I am not sure why, but it seems like we don’t have a need for it anymore.

Every year though I pick a Christmas devotion that I like to follow for the season. No different this year; I subscribed to Sarah Young’s ‘Jesus Calling – Christmas’ offered by Thomas Nelson Bibles. The devotional has really helped me to keep the focus on the Reason for the season.

Every year it amazes me anew that Jesus left heaven to be born in a lowly manger so that we can spend eternity in heaven with Him. Why would He go through all the trouble? Because of God’s great love for all humankind! Amazing, isn’t it…

I have enjoyed the peace and quiet around our home; no hassle and bustle. Even my shopping is all finished (except for groceries); I love shopping online for Christmas ?…

What are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us by leaving a link to your Thankful Thursday post below.

Thank you for stopping by this week; remember: keep your focus on the Reason for the season.

Merry Christmas my sweet friends…

Iris

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Current Mood: Blessed † & Thankful

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
(Luke 2:10-11 ESV)

I watched the video yesterday; I wanted to share it with my readers. Yes, it is 10 minutes long, but it is so worth it. I started to tear-up a couple of times as Pastor Greg Laurie explained the reason why the color red for Christmas. He digs into Scripture to explain it; some of the connections I knew, others not:

Thank you for stopping by today; remember: don’t forget the real reason of the season.

Love and peace,
Iris

Current Mood: Blessed †

“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
(Luke 2:14 ESV)

In 1965 CBS contracted Charles M. Schulz to create a Christmas special. The executives of the peacock station were horrified when Mr. Schulz presented the Christmas special. They thought that the animation film would be a flop. They even wanted Linus’ monolog ‘chopped’ from the film.

Thankfully for us, Mr. Schulz stood firm, not taking out Linus’ monolog about the true meaning of Christmas!

What are you thankful for this week? Please share with us by leaving a link to your Thankful Thursday post below.

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: sometimes we need to take a stand to share the truth.

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Current Mood: Blessed † & Thankful

Current Mood: Happy

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” ~ 1 Corinthians 1:18

I just returned from Good Friday service. The below song was sung; it made me weep. What a gracious God we have.

Humbled by His amazing grace,
Iris

Current Mood: Forgiven †

“And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

May His joy and peace be always and forever in you heart…Christmas Blessings…

Current Mood: Blessed †

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
~ Psalm 30:4 (ESV emphasis mine)

There are so many things to be thankful for, don’t you agree? In the US the ‘official’ Thanksgiving Day is celebrated today. But why should we wait for an entire year to give thanks? That is why we ‘meet’ once a week to share our thanks…I hope you will still join us this week for the ‘Thanksgiving Edition’ …

Today I want to share with you the things that just popped in my head this morning…the things we might take for granted on a day-to-day basis. So here it goes:

• I am thankful for God’s provision – not only salvation, but provision on a day-to-day basis — the ‘Daily Bread’. I so enjoy spending time with Him in the morning; it gives me the right perspective to start my day..
• I am thankful for my beloved. He still is my greatest cheerleader; even when I have a very bad photo session. He still encourages me and shows me ways how can ‘rescue’ photos…
• I am so thankful that our son is doing so well. It really was hard for me to really let go, but I know that he is in God’s hands now…
• I am thankful for the Internet. Not only can I connect with believers around the world, but I can share my faith with anyone who wants to read what I am writing about my Lord. I am also grateful because I can order stuff from my home-country Germany. I was so giddy this morning that I had to share with my friend in Florida. You know what I ordered? A German Bible and a study companion for the new year!!!!! Yes, I do I have a German Bible, but I wanted a more contemporary version (my German is a getting little rusty when it comes to reading )…
• I am thankful for my radio station. I love singing praises every morning going to work (and coming home)…
• I am thankful for our home. My dream-home? Hm, I would love to live closer to the beach (closest is in California). BUT I do have a roof over my head…
• I am thankful for my job. My dream-job? Hardly!!! But it helps to contribute to our household income to pay our bills etc. Maybe one day God will allow my dream to become my job (with God all things are possible)…
• Last but not least I am thankful for a four-day-weekend!!! Wahoo!!!!!

Oh.my – I could go on for ever, but I want you not to be bugged down with just my post. Go out and ‘meet’ other thankful Bloggers …So, what are you thankful for this week? Please share with us by leaving your link below…

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: It does not have to be declared a national (US) holiday to be thankful . Have a blessed Thanksgiving weekend!

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Current Mood: Thankful & Blessed †

America is celebrating its Independence today. Although I live in this country for the past 18 years, I still have my German citizenship…

I contemplated on freedom this past week…a different kind of freedom. I am glad that I am set free by the Truth that John describes in his Gospel.

What does freedom mean to you in this day and age?

Thank you for stopping by today. Have a blessed and safe 4th of July weekend…

PS: If you click on the above image, you can download the desktop (for personal use only ~ do not claim this as your own creation)

Current Mood: Blessed †

If you are an avert reader, you know about Laurel’s monthly column “Book Buzz” at Christian Women Online. This month Laurel had again some marvelous reads, so I asked for her help to pick out two of her favorites — “The Shape of Mercy” and “Out of her Hands” were Laurel’s top two picks for the month of December.

What else is in the December gift package you might wonder? Laurel is adding a CD to the package. The CD is by Bill Gaither; this wonderful compilation album includes hymns like Amazing Grace, Rock of Ages, How Great Thou Art and 9 other well known hymns. The CD is an exclusive only available at Cracker Barrel’s.

The other two gifts are a “Pray like a Girl” tote bag and one ‘mystery’ gift (its good – trust me)…

Now you are wondering what you need to do to enter my little give-away? Not much, just leave a comment below that you would like to enter. That’s it…No promo, no links required. Oh, and you don’t have to have a blog to enter, either. Just a valid email address…Deadline to enter is Sunday, December 14th.

Thanks for stopping by today…Christmas blessings and as always,

Current Mood: Playful