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

“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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He is Risen Indeed!!!

Believe that He is Alive. The tomb was empty on the first Easter morning:

“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” ~ Luke 24:1-7 (ESV)

Happy Easter!!!

Current Mood: Forgiven †

Last Monday I started my ‘Birthday-Celebration’. I know, I know, my birthday is still 2 weeks away, but instead of receiving gifts, I thought it would be fun to give them …

This week I am giving away another marvelous book. This book is very precious for two reasons: 1) it is signed by the author; 2) Elaine is on a very tough journey right now but continues to encourage others to look to Him for peace.

Yes, this week I am giving away a copy of Elaine Olsen’s book “Peace for the Journey“. I think that we all need a little daily peace these days. You just have to turn on the news to see what I mean (I guess that is why I avoid news altogether).

I just started working through Elaine’s book, but I know that this book will help me find the peace that is not of this world. The first chapter is titled “Peace in the Pardon”. Elaine talks about more in depth what grace means and why it may be tough for people to receive it as a gift.

I really enjoy working through “A Further Pause” at the end of each devotion. Elaine encourages with Scripture passages to explore the topic and answer the questions. What a wonderful way to start or end your day; sitting at His feet …

What do you need to do to enter the giveaway? Not much, just leave a comment below and I will draw a winner next week. This giveaway is open until Sunday, September 19th.

The winner from last week’s giveaway is (drum-roll): Laurie Adams from “Women Taking A Stand“.

Have a blessed day and week…See you soon.

Current Mood: Okay

My dear friend Debbie is hosting this upcoming Tuesday (August 3rd 2010) “In Other Words“. Debbie chose a quote by Sarah Young that resonated with me:

I hope to see you over at Debbie’s blog on Tuesday. I will ponder the quote over the next 24-hours and hope to share my own thoughts on Tuesday with you.

Have a blessed Sunday night…

Current Mood: Forgiven †

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 (ESV)

The victory is ours if we believe that Christ rose from the dead. Praise God for His incredible mercy and grace.

Please visit me also today at Laced with Grace for a short Easter devotion…

Christ is Risen ~ He is Risen Indeed!

Photo taken after this morning’s Sunrise Service at CGLC.

Current Mood: Blessed † & Forgiven †

“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 he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23 (ESV)

Lent is my favorite season. Although I think often about Christ’s sacrifice, during Lent I really like to ponder on the Cross.

Giving something up during the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday is something I do each year. This year I had to really think about what to give up…So, starting today, I will not visit Facebook for the next 40 days. I hope that God will give me the discipline to hold up the 40 days. 40 days doesn’t seem long, but goodness – it is 6 weeks voluntarily staying away from my world-wide friends (and my sweet niece in Germany I just connected with).

One of my local friends said: “You shouldn’t – you try to build your photography business”…But you know what? To me that means that I have to daily combat this urge — laying down my life to honor Him and His sacrifice.

So, this week I am thankful for Lent; its meaning for my personal walk of faith. May God give me the discipline I need during the next 40 days. Lori had shared a ministry site with me last week (pst – if you like books you might want to subscribe to Lori’s review blog). Check out Sovereign Grace’s February sale. I picked up three books; Living the Cross Centered Life will be my read through Lent .

I am also thankful that Alanna contacted me to share a very cool Lent project for kids. Check out her Lenten Grass Project which is based on an old Finish tradition.

What are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us by leaving your link below. Hopefully we all can make a few visits to each other this week (okay – I hope I can – you all have been so good visiting each other)…

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: We have an amazing God; He sent His son to rescue us from ourselves.

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“But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.”
~ Isaiah 53:5 (ESV)

Oh, and how deep His wounds were…it makes me shiver…

To read the rest of my Easter thoughts over at Laced with Grace.

His is Risen…

Current Mood: Blessed †

“For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. ” ~ Romans 5:7-9 (ESV)

How often do you use the word ‘Love’ in your daily conversations? I have to admit…

You can read the rest of my little devotion this morning over at:

Thank you for stopping by this morning. Have a blessed day and week…

Current Mood: Okay