Some Christmas Puppy Fun

Waiting for Wonder

Big Point: God is at work in all places and at all times.

Have you ever had to wait in a hospital waiting room? When it’s for the birth of a baby, the room is filled with anticipation, but most others are filled with a range of emotions, including anticipation, but also stress and tension, quiet, sometimes relief and gratitude, or even silence because there’s been no word, no news.

The time between the Old Testament’s ending and...
the New Testament’s beginning was also a time with a range of emotions and experiences, including silence. God did not speak to the Jewish people for 400 years, there had been no “heavenly visitors” for 500 years, no news, but yet there remained anticipation. While several prophesies had been fulfilled, God’s people were still oppressed (by the Romans as we pick up the story) so it was a culture that was waiting to hear from God and expectant of the promise of a Savior.

As John Piper, famous pastor and teacher, says, “Now something dramatic happens. All of a sudden angels start to appear. And all of a sudden God starts to speak and reveal His Word and miracles begin to happen.” This is where the disciple Luke begins his account of Jesus’ arrival, with the news from an angel to Zechariah, a priest, that his wife Elizabeth would bear a son, the one prophesied to come right before Jesus (Isaiah 40:3). Despite their advanced age and Elizabeth’s barrenness, their prayers would be answered and God’s silence was broken.

READ IT… What does the Bible say?

 Luke 1:13-17 (New International Version)

¹³ But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. ¹⁴ He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. ¹⁶ He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord^.”

Question: What two things does the angel tell Zechariah that his son would do?

Answer: 

BELIEVE IT… What is the lesson for me?

Read Isaiah 40:3-5 and John 3:28. Using those verses with the verses from today, what does the angel say to Zechariah that, even after years of silence, confirms God’s plan was still at work? 

LIVE IT… What will I do now?

Think of a time when God has been silent for you or even if it’s now, what would it look like for you to live ready and prepared for the Lord, trusting that He is working in all places and at all times? 

PRAY… Dear God, I trust that Your plan is always at work. Help me to be prepared for how You will use me and to be faithful in where You have me today. Amen.

from Living It Out

Walking by Faith to the Goal

Big Point: Faith in forward motion opens the door to God’s blessings and work in your life. 

Newton’s first law of motion states that an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted on by an unbalanced force. For example, consider that you’ll fly...
forward off a skateboard when it hits a rock. The same could be said of our faith—something out of our control can momentarily send us flying; but more importantly, we’ll also stay where we are, not growing or moving forward, unless we intentionally set it in motion. It’s the principle of starting out to then experiencing blessing, not waiting for the blessing and then stepping out. Having the faith to start walking, even when we cannot see or understand, and especially when we have fear about the walk, is trusting Jesus to open the door to God’s blessings and work in our life.

One place this is so clearly demonstrated is in Luke 17 when ten men with leprosy approach Jesus and ask to be healed. Instead of immediately granting their wish, Jesus sends the ten men to see the priests. The men would have been very confused by this, since 1) they all still had the physical signs of leprosy. At that time, no one knew what caused skin diseases or how they were spread, so lepers were outcast to live outside city walls, and 2) in addition, it was after healing that the priests would have fulfilled the 3-part process of cleansing as dictated by Old Testament law. But, it was only after they began walking that they were healed.

READ IT… What does the Bible say?

Luke 17:11-19 (New Living Translation)

¹¹ As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. ¹² As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, ¹³ crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” ¹⁴ He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. ¹⁵ One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” ¹⁶ He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. ¹⁷Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

Question: What did Jesus tell the lepers to do? Then what did just one of them do?

Answer:

BELIEVE IT… What is the lesson for me?

Which of these actions do you think Jesus is calling you to right now? A) start walking, B) come back and give thanks, C) both. 

LIVE IT… What will I do now?

Where are you finding it difficult to start walking right now, to step out in faith? 

What “unbalanced force” do you need to apply to be open to the blessing God has for you? Once you do, how can you ensure you’ll come back and thank Him, too?

 PRAY… Ask God to help you either start walking, stop and give thanks or both, even if you don’t understand, or can’t see, the blessings He has in store for you

Be Grateful

Will you be grateful for ____?

Big Point: Stop. Look. Go. Be grateful.

You’ve probably heard the phrase “America: the land of opportunity”, referring to the opportunities to earn a prosperous living and to succeed in the U.S., but what about a faith of opportunity in Jesus? Do you look for things to be thankful for—for opportunities to be thankful in...
your faith? How can we do this?

Start with God’s love and forgiveness and then STOP. Everything is fast-paced around us and it’s easy to fall into that same speed, but just take a moment to stop. Next, LOOK. Use your eyes, ears, nose (and taste buds!) to look for the wonders around us. Appreciate the gifts that have been given to you that you may otherwise pass over. Next, GO. Go do what life offers you in this moment. It’s an opportunity to enjoy!

True gratitude happens when we receive something of value that was given, not earned, and Paul wrote the following verses to help us understand where God wants us to focus so that we can experience that truth. He tells us to STOP, LOOK and GO to keep us centered on God.

READ IT… What does the Bible say?

Philippians 4:8-9 (New Living Translation)

⁸ And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. ⁹ Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me – everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.  

Question: What happens when we fix our thoughts on the things Paul has instructed us to focus on?

Answer:

BELIEVE IT… What is the lesson for me?

If we are instructed what to fix our thoughts on, it implies we are to spend far less time thinking about anything else. Below, list some opposing words/phrases to help you know what to avoid.

True vs. _________ Honorable vs. _________ Right vs. ____________

Pure vs. _________ Lovely vs. ____________ Admirable vs. ________

LIVE IT… What will I do now?

Based on what Paul teaches in these verses, how can you be thankful to God in spite of a current struggle?

PRAY… Pray for an open heart, one that will focus on the positive things in your life rather than the struggles. Thank God for the wonders that surround us and ask for the ability to recognize these things amongst whatever chaos or struggle you may be going through. 

More Living It Out

---

Dig Deeper with this week’s teaching pastor:

Let's All Try to Remember...

Click to Enlarge

As we begin preparing for this busy season - shopping, presents, the tree, decorating, baking, cooking, parties, guests and so much more...Let's really think about what Christmas REALLY Means!

I hope you enjoy the days leading up to Christmas and all year through!

Hugs & Blessings,
Jan & the PuppyKids

Thanksgiving Blessings to All of You...

I am thankful for so many things, including:

*my health

*my weight loss

*the PuppyKids

*my home

*food on my table

*all of you, who read my blog

Blessings & Have a wonderful day!

Jesus Re-Defines Lost

Big Point: The father had two sons and both were lost. 

When we think of someone being lost, the prodigal son really makes sense to us; after all, he physically left his childhood home in search of what he thought would be a better life. But, as we’ve discussed this week through this parable, Jesus wants us to also understand another, more insidious type of lostness. Tim Keller calls this “elder brother lostness” that brings “as much misery and...
grief into the world as the other kind”. Why? Because it leads to the enslavement of feeling you are owed more than you are getting.

If that’s what we believe, then in addition to anger, there will be other signs of elder brother lostness: self-righteousness, feelings of superiority, criticism of others, joyless obedience (often for the sake of duty), moral for our own benefit, and living for ourselves. The truth is that this life reflects no real assurance of the Father’s love and “as long as you are trying to earn your salvation by controlling God through goodness, you will never be sure you are good enough.” We remain enslaved, working hard for ourselves, while seeing it as working hard for good.

To live as a son and daughter is living from God, not for God. This is a shift in how most of us think. It moves us from a scarcity mindset that says, “There’s not enough for everyone; work harder to be good enough” for God, to an abundance mindset that instead says, from God “there is plenty, more than enough for everyone.” 

READ IT… What does the Bible say?

Luke 15:29-32 (New Living Translation)

²⁹ but he replied, “All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. ³⁰Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!” ³¹ His father said to him, “Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours^. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!”

Question: What are the first words the son says to the father?

Answer: 

BELIEVE IT… What is the lesson for me?

Was the son a slave to the father? Why or why not? 

LIVE IT… What will I do now?

How do you respond when your loyalty and hard work is seemingly overlooked with recognition and celebration for someone else? 

In what ways do you feel enslaved to doing good because you should, rather than because you are living from the Father? 

PRAY… Use these words: God, it’s likely that I have some elder brother lostness in my heart that I don’t even notice. Reveal the ways I’m trying to be a slave to You rather than a slave for You, experiencing the freedom of Your love. Amen.

I Love the Holidays...

Years ago, when my 2 boys were little, it was me who did all of the Holiday cooking and baking.  I hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner at my home.  Most times there were between 20 and 30 people who came to dinner - almost all family.  I was 5 months pregnant the first Thanksgiving Day and still having morning sickness.  I cleaned, cooked and did...
everything I could a little at a time.  I was proud of how everything looked and tasted and was all ready at the same time!!  I had just turned 20 the month before.

After my first marriage broke up and we divorced, and the boys got older and went their own way...there was the occasional dinner out with the boys...or with a friend...or dinner at the Moose Club with my mother and her husband...and the rest of the family.  [there was always alot of drama surrounding these "special occasion dinners" spent with my family - so they weren't always alot of fun]    

There were Holidays spent with a special guy, a friend or 2, but mostly I spent Thanksgiving by myself.  I'm not complaining about that...it was fine with me.  I would have pizza and decorate my apartment for Christmas.  I would get alot done, because no one stopped over or called that day!

I remember one Holiday [I think Christmas] when my oldest son invited me to dinner at his place.  He did alot of cooking and baking and we had a wonderful dinner and a great time.

There was a Thanksgiving, right after I moved to Rutledge, TN, back in 2003.  I moved into a mobile home, owned by the Pastor and his family...on their road.  Boy it needed alot of work...which I gladly did, to make it home.  But, if I hadn't planned well for Thanksgiving, bought goodies for me to cook, bake and eat, I wouldn't have had anything in the house...and would have gone hungry, since everyone forgot about me, when it came to that day.  That was probably the "worst" best Thanksgiving ever.  I decorated my home...but felt alone.

Holiday dinners have been virtually non-existant for years now...and I had thoughts of inviting a few people for dinner at my house.  Well, the people I know all have family and have plans.  And since injuring my knee almost 2 weeks ago, it's not totally better and it would be too difficult for me to even consider making Thanksgiving Dinner for several people now...so that is a good thing that my friends have plans.

Have you ever found yourself alone for a Holiday...for a special dinner?  What did you do to make it special?  Were you able to secure an invitation from someone to go to their house?  How did you handle that, if you did?  How did that work out for you?

I did ask one "friend" if she had room for one more and I promised to bring a couple of dishes to help her out, if she would have room for me.  She said very politely and apologetically that she didn't have the space.  I know what her house is like and with the number of people she said were coming, I know she was probably overloaded already!!  I said, thanks...maybe some other time.

So, this Thanksgiving...on my own again, I'm making a few of my favorite things.  I'm making...

Chicken Divan

Stove-Top Stuffing

AuGratin Potatoes 

Pocket Pies - Cherry & Apple

and

Biscuits in the shape of Turkey Legs for the Pups

In between cooking, baking and eating, the Pups and I will enjoy some together time snuggling in front of the TV...watching Christmas movies.  I'll also put up the few Christmas items I have for decorating my home.  After last Christmas, the small Christmas tree we had, fell apart and this years was the year to start over with some new Christmas Stuff.  But, I can't physically and really don't want to go shopping for any of it.  LOL!!!  A woman who hates to shop!!  That's me!!

I sincerely hope that you have the Thanksgiving of your Dreams.  Stay safe, warm and be well. 

The Christmas Shepherd

I watched a movie the other day...a Christmas Movie on the Hallmark Channel...and I loved it.  It's now my 2nd Favorite Christmas Movie!  It's called the Christmas Shepherd.  It's a wonderful movie for the entire family.  If you get a chance, watch it...and enjoy.  Sally Brown, a children’s book author and
illustrator lives in a small Massachusetts town where she and her late husband, an Army vet,settled with Buddy, a German Shepherd he found while serving overseas. She is devastated...

though, when her beloved Buddy runs away during a thunderstorm and ends up in an animal shelter miles from home. Mark Green and his teenage daughter, Emma themselves struggling to put their lives back together after losing his wife and her mother three years ago, end up adopting the dog, who wins their hearts and heals their souls. But Sally’s journey to find Buddy eventually connects her to Mark and Emma, who must decide if they want to give up a pet who has helped make their lives whole again – and Sally has to decide if she wants to separate him from this loving pair. But wherever Buddy goes, love follows, helping to bring everyone the greatest Christmas present possible.

Still, my #1 Favorite Christmas Movie is

One Special Night

Which you can read about HERE...

Believe Santa Jar

Barb Garrett atThe Everyday Home

Shows you how easy it is to make this for yourself and others!  Stop by for instructions.