Tag Archives: Jesus

Dec2

Christ Is The Heart Of Christmas!

Posted on by
Standard

CHRIST IS THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS!

God  in Heaven Gave His Son…

For You and Me…

Divine Birth…     Angelic Voices…     Nativity Scene…

Shepherds, Wise-men, Angels…

All Worshiped Him!

And Experienced the Miracle of His Birth!

When…Love Came Down To Us!

May your CHRISTMAS reflect all these Miracles…

From our Family to Yours!

Praying Jesus is in your heart…

And in the heart of your Christmas!

“….Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us…”  

Matthew 1:18-24

“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:9-14

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

John 7:38

Christmas…

Jesus

is the

 Light of the World

Love          Joy          Peace

Life

It’s All About You, Jesus!

May God Richly Bless You This Christmas!

John.7.38
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

John.7.38
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

John.7.38
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

John.7.38
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

Dec2

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Christmas Things….

Posted on by
Standard

The Christmas Wreath I decorated with all my favorite “God’s Scenery” photos that  I’ve taken!!

The Christmas Tree I made decorated with all my favorite photos, and my favorite beach toppers!

My cute little Nativity Scene to remind me that Jesus is the reason for the season!

11-23-12Christmas Decorating 002

My table is set…the gifts are ready!

11-23-12Christmas Decorating 005

My Crazy Siberian Puppies have invited some friends to join them for Christmas!!

A perfect lunch with good friends!

12-1-12 Walka-Alligator lights! 042

Our light-up Christmas Alligator!!

12-1-12 Walka-Alligator lights! 045

Now you know we’re truly Floridians!!  Ha!

Have a Very Blessed and Merry Christmas, Everyone!

From Our House To Yours!

Nov23

Is This Asking Too Much!?!?

Posted on by
Standard

Photos by JC

We had a great, calm, fun-filled Thanksgiving Dinner at our friend’s house this year…

But I’m remembering other Holidays, Vacations, and Special Occasions of ours in the past…

So, in anticipation of the upcoming Merry Christmas get-togethers…

I feel the need to vent!!

I like “NICE” on Holidays,  Vacations, and Special Occasions!!!

I want EVERYONE to be NICE…

Talk NICE!

And to be on their BEST Behavior!!

Why get together if everyone is going to “air their dirty laundry…”

Be grouchy…

Judgmental…

Snotty…

Impatient…

Intolerant of others’ routines…

Negative…

Condescending…

Arrive late…

Or leave early…

Mope around…

Be moody…

Create tension…

For goodness sake…

Don’t make me thank God every day..

That I don’t have to live with you…

And, if I do live with you…

Don’t make me thank God every day…

That I have you to go to places with…

But, that I can go by myself,  if I want to…

Please everyone…

Make me want to spend time with you…

Make me happy to see you!

To BE with you!

“Put yourself under…”

As one of my family members used to say…

When I was a young adult…

Meaning…

THINK OF OTHERS FIRST!!!!

Above yourself!!

Before yourself!

This equals:

JOY!

Jesus…Others…You!

In that order!

A Holiday, Vacation, or Special Occasion…

Is supposed to be NICE…

FUN!!!

HAPPY!

LOVING!

LIVELY!

FESTIVE!

It’s not a time for “BLAH” as usual…

Mundane…

Boring…

Or, your opportunity to bark at people…

 And, not the time for ranting about your least favorite things…

But, it IS about being with your most favorite people!!

In this special way…

At this special time…

To enjoy this special moment…

Together!

Laughing, loving, and sharing…

Talk about controversial issues over coffee on a normal day…

Rehash heated family issues with a trusted counselor…

Not at the dinner table!

It makes me nauseous…

Or makes me have “agita” as we Italians say!  Ha!

Interesting fact from “The Word Detective”…

thehttp://www.word-detective.com/121800.html

“‘Agita’ is not a standard Italian word, and linguists are not certain where came it from.  One possible source is the Italian word “agitare’ (‘to agitate’ or “‘to trouble”‘, which in turn came from the Latin ‘agitare,’ which meant ‘to stir up.’  To be ‘agitato’ in Italy is to be very excited, and a musical score marked ‘agitato’ is intended to be played at a frenzied pace.  But it’s also possible that the source is ‘acido’ (pronounced ‘AH-chee-do’), Italian for ‘stomach acid,’ which then possibly became ‘agita’ (‘AH-jih-ta’) over time. Whatever the source, ‘agita’ seems to have arrived in New York with Italian immigrants around the turn of the century, and has been in constant use, especially in places like New York City, ever since.”

See what I mean??

Be NICE while driving to see family and friends…

Or, while spending time with others…

Compromise!

Relax!

Enjoy the quality time together….

Life is so short!!

Too short to be hostile…

Let it go!!

BE Nice!

I don’t want “AGITA!!”

With my Holidays!

Is This Asking Too Much??

Nov22

Rejoice With Me Today!

Posted on by
Standard

One of my dear friends just e-mailed me her awesome testimony…

And I want to share it with all of you!

Here’s what she wrote:

“Happy Thanksgiving to one and all…
I want to share my thankful heart with all of you…
And wish you all a day filled with thanks for this holiday season…
The Lord answered our prayers about our roof…
And He asked me if I was going to “give Him the glory” for the great things He had done…
I hope this experience of God’s provision for our family speaks to you…
That He does receive all the “glory” for the miracle of providing the roof money to the exact penny…
Not only that, but He blessed us with grocery money…
That we so desperately needed, as we were completely tapped out…
He is so very good.
Let me share the other side of the story….
 While this was all going on with the roof…
My mom was admitted to the hospital with the possibility that her heart had stopped and been restarted…
We found out later it was not that, but a defect in the wiring for her internal defibrillator/pacemaker…
(The product of toxic chemo 10 years ago with lymphoma)…
She had surgery that replaced the internal machine…
And after hours and hours in the waiting room…
We came to see her in recovery…
Another miracle…
My mom is still with us!
Behind the scenes…
I have been going through tests since August for pain in a certain area…
I had multiple doctor visits, tests, ultrasounds, scans, and an MRI…
The tests did not find the source of the pain…
But, the doctor did find a problem on the other side…
That I didn’t even know about, or have pain in…
After weeks of waiting for yet another test to be approved…
Insurance denied me…
1 day before the biopsy…
Another miracle happened when the imaging place called…
And said they would take care of it…
And get it paid one way or another…
I should relax and just do the test!
The day of my biopsy…
Was not a fun day…
It was very painful…
Yet, even though my husband was not allowed to go in with me…
I felt and sensed God’s peace…
  His prayer warriors were praying and battling for me…
  The doctor told me, the results would be in by this Monday at the latest…
I just received a phone call….
Today….
Early….
Telling me that there is no cancer!
  Every sample was benign!
  Thanks be to God for His favor and answered prayer!
  Not 10 minutes before the phone call…
I was praying…
And asked God, if this time…
He was going to calm the storm…
Or calm His child….
I was very scared as both parents have gone through cancer…
Each being diagnosed the week of Thanksgiving…
And my grandfather passing away with cancer the week after Thanksgiving…
My joy is here and now…
So is my THANKFULNESS!
As He proves to me again and again…
He is God!
It doesn’t always mean He calms the storm…
In the storm we learn to hold fast to Him…
I am thankful today that He chose to calm the child and calm the storm!
Rejoice with me today!!
We serve a great and mighty God…
Who holds our every breath…
Yours and mine…
Whether He calms your storm, or He calms you…
RUN to Him!
 And please don’t forget to always give Him the…
GLORY, HONOR, and PRAISE…
Thank you, Lord, for all you have done..
The glory is all yours!
Forever!”
PSALM 103: 1-6
 “Praise the Lord, my soul…
All my inmost being…
Praise His Holy Name!
Praise the Lord, my soul…
And forget not all his benefits…
Who forgives all your sins…
And heals all your diseases…
Who redeems your life from the pit…
And crowns you with love and compassion…
Who satisfies your desires with good things…
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
The Lord works righteousness…
And justice for all the oppressed!”
Nov21

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas…Even In FL!

Posted on by
Standard

See our snowflakes???

Don’t they look real pretty with our Palm Trees???

And the beautiful wreath with a pineapple motif!

And a Santa with sunglasses and fishing pole!

And Christmas colored landscaping…

A festive Hibiscus…

Some rosy colored Bougainvillea…

With greenery…

This would be a great place for Santa to land his sleigh….

Or to imagine a Nativity Scene!

Isaiah 9:6-7

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.  The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”

Luke 2:10-11

“And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not:  for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord’.”

Nov21

Make The Effort!

Posted on by
Standard
I’m highly recommending this Christian daily e-mail you can subscribe to…
Called “The Daily Verse” by Kat Davis…
Or you can purchase her book by the same name…
Web-site:  TheDailyVerse.com
Today’s Bible verse for November 20, 2012:
“And there was a man named Zacchaeus.  He was a chief tax collector and was rich.  And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature.  So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.”
Luke 19:2-4

After each verse, Kat explains her thoughts from God on that verse: 

For this verse, Kat  writes:  “Let us consider how much of an effort will we make to overcome our limitations, so that we can clearly see Jesus, and figuratively climb the tree, just as Zacchaeus did.”

Always short, sweet, and to the point!!!!

Do we get it???

Don’t be lazy!

Make the effort it takes to see Jesus…

To walk with Him…

To have Him come to our house…

And into our hearts!

Then when He says, “I’m coming in!”

Let Him!!

Amen!

If you were raised in Sunday school, you know the song about Zacchaeus!!!

The song tells of Zacchaeus’s attempts to see Jesus by climbing a sycamore tree, there are a series of hand motions that accompany the song.  The song is one of the more popular children’s Bible songs, and has been featured on numerous Christian children’s music collections.

It was my favorite!!

  I can still see and hear my Uncle Angelo (my pastor!) singing it to us and teaching us the hand motions…

It’s one of those songs you teach to your children…

I taught my son!!

Here are the lyrics:

 “Zacchaeus was a wee little man,

And a wee little man was he.

He climbed up in a sycamore tree

For the Lord he wanted to see.

And when the Savior passed that way

He looked up in the tree.

And said, ‘Zaccheus, you come down!

For I’m going to your house today!

For I’m going to your house today!’

Zacchaeus was a wee little man,

But a happy man was he,

For he had seen the Lord that day

And a happy man was he;

And a very happy man was he.”

Each day, “The Daily Verse” pops into my email…

I can’t tell you how much it has helped set the tone for my day…

For my walk with the Lord…

And how many, many times I’ve felt compelled to forward it to others!

  Miraculously, when I have a need, or a family member or friend is going through something…

“The Daily Verse” seems to be just what I need…

What I want to pray for…

And what I want to convey to others!

  Thank you, Lord…

For giving Kat the gift of Your insight!!

Make the effort…Jesus is worth it!!

Nov19

No More Tears!

Posted on by
Standard

Listen to:

“There Will Be A Day”

By Jeremy Camp

Several years ago, one of the girls in our drama team did a solo lyrical dance to this song

for the Penn Florida District Fine Arts Competition in Orlando…

Beautiful!

Here are the lyrics…

“I try to hold on to this world…

With everything I have…

But I feel the weight of what it brings…

And the hurt that tries to grab…

The many trials that seem to never end…

His word declares this truth…

That we will enter in this rest with wonders anew…

But I hold on to this hope…

And the promise that He brings…

That there will be a place with no more suffering…

There will be a day with no more tears…

No more pain…

And no more fears…

There will be a day when the burdens of this place…

Will be no more…

We’ll see Jesus face to face…

But until that day…

We’ll hold on to you always…

I know the journey seems so long…

You feel you’re walking on your own…

But there has never been a step…

Where you’ve walked out all alone…

Troubled soul don’t lose your heart…

‘Cause joy and peace He brings…

And the beauty that’s in store…

Outweighs the hurt of life’s sting…

But I hold onto this hope…

And the promise that He brings…

That there will be a place with no more suffering…

There will be a day with no more tears…

No more pain, and no more fears…

There will be a day when the burdens of this place…

Will be no more, we’ll see Jesus face to face…

But until that day, we’ll hold on to you always…

I can’t wait until that day where the very one…

I’ve lived for always…

Will wipe away the sorrow that I’ve faced…

To touch the scars that rescued me…

From a life of shame and misery…

Oh, this is why…

This is why I sing…

There will be a day with no more tears…

No more pain…

And no more fears…

There will be a day…

He will wipe away the tears…

He will wipe away the tears…

He will wipe away the tears…

There will be a day!”

Nov19

Jesus, I Am So In Love With You…

Posted on by
Standard

Listen to:

“Let My Words Be Few”

By Phillips, Craig and Dean

Ever notice how a song can expressed your thoughts exactly…

Well, this is exactly how I feel!!

“You are God in Heaven…

And here am I on earth…

So I’ll let my words be few…

Jesus, I am so in love with You…

And I’ll stand in awe of You, Jesus…

Yes, I’ll stand in awe of You…

And I’ll let my words be few…

Jesus, I am so in love with You…

The simplest of all love songs…

I want to bring to You…

So I’ll let my words be few…

Jesus, I am so in love with You!”

Nov18

I’ve Decided To Love…

Posted on by
Standard

Yes!

To love you!!

Even though…

You…

My spouse, my father, my mother, my son, my daughter, my family or my friend…

Whoever you are…

Make me crazy at times…

Or annoy me with your habits…

Don’t appreciate me…

Or pay enough attention to me…

Get on my last nerve…

Or make a mess for me to clean up…

Bark orders…

Or give me the silent treatment…

Aren’t punctual…

Or snore…

Don’t call…

Or call too much…

Expect too much of me…

Or give too little of yourself…

Are too negative…

Or too needy…

Too loud…

Or too intolerant…

Whatever we disagree about…

Or however different we are…

I choose to love you…

Because God does!

I want to love like this…

As God does!

I want to live like that!

Listen to:

“Live Like That” by Sidewalk Prophets

“Sometimes I think…

What will people say of me…

When I’m only just a memory…

When I’m home where my soul belongs…

Was I love?

When no one else would show up…

Was I Jesus to the least of those…

Was my worship more than just a song…

I want to live like that!

And give it all I have…

So that everything I say and do…

Points to You…

If love is who I am …

Then this is where I’ll stand…

Recklessly abandoned…

Never holding back…

I want to live like that!

Am I proof…

That You are who you say You are…

That grace can really change a heart…

Do I live like Your love is true?

People pass…

And even if they don’t know my name…

Is there evidence that I’ve been changed…

When they see me, do they see You…

I want to live like that!

I want to show the world the love You gave for me…

I’m longing for the world to know the glory of the King…

I want to live like that!”

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
“Love is patient and kind…
Love does not envy or boast…
It is not arrogant or rude…
It does not insist on its own way…
It is not irritable or resentful…
It does not rejoice at wrongdoing…
But rejoices with the truth…
Love bears all things…
Believes all things…
Hopes all things…
Endures all things…
Love never ends…”
So it’s final…
I’ve decided to love!
Nov18

Don’t Move!

Posted on by
Standard

Listen to: 

“I Will Not Be Moved”

by Natalie Grant

Here are the lyrics…

“I have been the wayward child…

I have acted out…

I have questioned Sovereignty…

And had my share of doubt…

And though sometimes my prayers feel like…

They’re bouncing off the sky…

The hand I hold won’t let me go…

And here’s the reason why…

I will stumble…

I will fall down…

But, I will not be moved!

I will make mistakes…

I will face heartaches…

But, I will not be moved!

On Christ the Solid Rock I stand…

All other ground is sinking sand…

I will not be moved!

Bitterness has plagued my heart…

Many times before…

My life has been like broken glass…

And I have kept the score…

Of all my shattered dreams…

And though it seemed…

That I was far too gone…

My brokenness helped me to see…

It’s grace I’m standing on…

And the chaos in my life…

Has been a badge I’ve worn…

Though I have been torn…

I will not be moved!”

Have you moved???

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.

  Let nothing move you. 

Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,

Because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 

I Corinthians 15:58    NIV

Don’t move!