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Oh Come Let Us Adore Him!

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Christmas is a season of joy, hope, and celebration. It is a time to remember and rejoice in the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is also a time to worship and adore Him, for He is worthy of all our praise.

The Bible tells us that when Jesus was born, a multitude of angels appeared to the shepherds who were watching their flocks by night, and announced the good news of His birth. They said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14). Then they sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14). And the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” (Luke 2:15).

The shepherds hurried to Bethlehem, and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. They saw the fulfillment of the prophecies and the promises of God. They saw the Word made flesh, the Son of God, the Messiah, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. They saw the one who came to save us from our sins, and to give us eternal life. And they worshiped Him. They bowed down before Him, and adored Him. They glorified and praised God for all the things that they had heard and seen (Luke 2:16-20).

The Bible also tells us that when Jesus was born, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” (Matthew 2:2). They followed the star, which led them to the house where Jesus was. They saw the young child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. They opened their treasures and presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:9-11).

The wise men recognized the majesty and the mystery of Jesus. They saw the one who was born to be the ruler of Israel, and the light of the world. They saw the one who was the fulfillment of the law and the prophets, and the revelation of God’s grace and truth. They saw the one who came to bring us peace and joy, and to make us His own. And they worshiped Him. They knelt before Him, and adored Him. They honored and thanked God for His wonderful gift.

The shepherds and the wise men are examples for us today. They show us how to respond to the birth of Jesus. They show us how to come and adore Him. They show us how to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

To come and adore Him means to acknowledge who He is, and what He has done for us. It means to confess that He is the Lord, and that there is no other. It means to believe that He is the Savior, and that there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). It means to trust that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

To come and adore Him also means to express our love and gratitude to Him. It means to praise Him with our lips, and to sing to Him with our hearts. It means to thank Him for His love, His mercy, and His grace. It means to offer Him our lives, our gifts, and our service. It means to obey Him, to follow Him, and to imitate Him.

This Christmas, let us come and adore Him. Let us join the angels, the shepherds, and the wise men in worshiping Him. Let us celebrate His birth, His life, His death, and His resurrection. Let us proclaim His gospel, His kingdom, and His glory. Let us say with one voice, “O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.”

Merry Christmas Everyone!

SARAH LAUGHED…

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As a believer, once we discover the gifts God has given us, we go full on, unwavering. We look at every encouragement from the Lord and others, that causes us to continue this great journey. Sometimes because we love it but also because we can see God using it! Once we begin to know what our gifts are and God moves us into His plan, we are so excited!

We get so busy in what we are doing for the Lord, that sometimes we forget to check in, then totally miss God and get off track. We are so into what we are doing for HIM that we don’t notice when God wants to make a change. That He has a new plan or wants to do a NEW thing!

When my life drastically changed from art shows and street witnessing with that art, I was left feeling lost. I started thinking I must have done something wrong. But after a time of prayer and searching, I never gave up on the gift that He gave me. I knew it was real and watched Him use me in a great way in my past.

I never forgot the Word of Knowledge given to me when I was young, about God using my hands. I have been creative, all of my life. He has used this gift in me, but why did He stop everything so suddenly?

I tried to continue on my own once my husband and partner passed away suddenly. But I couldn’t sustain it. Though I saw other women doing this alone, it wasn’t working for me. I was very lost and couldn’t understand why God would change this great plan that He and I had started and He didn’t tell me. Or was I not listening?

During this time God moved me into a new type of creative work, creating websites and art for Churches. It’s not the same as creating something from your heart, But probably is more far reaching that what I ever did at a craft or art event. The opportunity to speak with Pastors and leaders everyday, gave me a sense of what people in the ministry deal with daily. What their needs are and how to accomplish their goals. Helping them to reach others with the gospel.

Last week, I had the great blessing of speaking with a customer that my team was designing a website for. He is an evangelist, having had a tough life, and God lifted him out of the depths of despair and saved him. He has a great testimony and God has used him to lead many others to a life in Christ.

While we were speaking, he encouraged me with a Word that God is planning something great! That the Lord is still continuing His plan to use me with the talent he gave me so long ago. He told me to continue on and believe and be excited. The evangelist said that GOD is doing a new thing! Then He asked me, “Are you a teacher?” and I laughed.

SARAH LAUGHED…

But God’s Word is true and He never goes back on what he said he was gonna do! In spite of Sarah’s laughing, God did what He promised long ago. So I have to say, What a witness to my spirit! I am so excited to see again what God is gonna do with my hands! Just as He spoke to me, many years ago. I am now more in tune than ever, waiting on Him to use me!

I also encourage you to never give up on your Gifts. God has blessed everyone with a talent and some many talents. But stay in prayer and let God move you into New Things in His Time!

And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and wisdom, with intelligence and understanding, and with the knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs. Exodus 35:31-32

A New Home and a New Beginning!

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As many know, we lived in Pennsylvania in the mountains for many years. But as time went on, a passing of Kevin, Caitlin has grown up and moved away, and the farm was a lot of work. Those 20+ years were a big blessing! Every morning we woke up to such peace and enjoyed God’s creation.

Because we aren’t getting any younger, Craig and I decided it would be better for us to downsize and to move south. As a lot of you know, I’ve always wanted to move to Tennessee and God provided! And he provided in a big way! Tennessee is a great place to live and has a lot to offer, My parents live in the Smokey Mountains so here we are! North of there but close! We went from 34 acres down to 3.5 so we may still have some critters, and a bit of elbow room but not too much to manage.

I had looked on line for over a year, and every time a house was posted, it was immediately under contract. This was very concerning. But God is faithful. I hadn’t pictured a log home, however, in three days of looking, This was the one! It wasn’t quite available but it was the one! That it was in our price range, that it was just coming available, and that it had most of what we needed, was incredible, considering everything we were looking for was snapped up immediately!

We enjoy the conservative values here. I love that everywhere I go, from church to the grocery store to shop, or eat at a restaurant, everyone knows Jesus! It’s so refreshing! People are quick to tell you what Jesus has done for them! That they know Him! There’s a church on every corner, even up in the hills.

The hardest part for us was downsizing all of our stuff we used on the farm and getting it all to Tennessee. We would never had been able to do this without the help of my family. My brother in law and sister used all of their resources to help us. We got loaded in a day and got right down here and unloaded the next day! Amazing. Two big trucks and a couple of small ones. Even with everything we sold off!

We have been in Tennessee for over a year now and we love it more and more everyday. We are so thankful for the blessings and are excited about out new Church. Looking forward to great things to come!

Whatever is Lovely

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When I saw this great sign outside of a coffee shop, it brought to mind the scripture above.    How can we, as Christians, bring the light of Jesus to others if our words are short, impatient, loud, arrogant, and judgmental?  Fact is, this is not pleasing to the Lord, and it causes the lost, the hurting and those that are dying a spiritual death, to lose hope.

Phillipians 3:2 says that we should do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit and that we should value others above yourself.   

This is a very hard thing when you are dealing with a stressed out, rude waitress, customer service person or even a co-worker.  Sometimes a kind thought or word can turn that individual right around! It may be just what they needed for that day.

As Christians, we must pray that God will help us to remember, that everywhere we go, we must present Jesus to them.  We have to meditate daily on what is pleasing to God!  This is the only way to turn our hearts around and make us effective.

Its easy to just say, “God help me to be kind.”  But we must also meditate on God’s Word daily, and pray.  We are weak and fragile, especially in these last days when everything in the world seems out of order. People are afraid and concerned and even our faith is weak at times.  

We want grace, so give grace,  we ask for mercy, grant mercy.  We need love so we must give the love of Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  Phillippians 4:8

If we do this, it will help us to give that attitude to others because as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7

Always be ready to serve the Lord in every situation.  Because of God’s grace and mercy to us, we have a hope and a future.  The lost do not.  Share your faith today with kind words and a lovely attitude!

A Shepherd’s Guide to Herding Sheeple

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I have a new short blog series that I will be posting over the next few weeks.  I have been thinking on how sheep are such interesting animals, so cute, so trusting, and so “not smart!” LOL, So I think this will be a fun read, and I’m quite sure you will enjoy it. Many believers can probably relate!
It will be a series of fun and humorous posts, but also reality check on our faith, and dealing with issues in the church family.   Artwork or photos will be included!

In my experience in working with Christian leaders on their church websites and apps, it never ceases to amaze me at the wide variety of churches, what they think is important, and how they care for their sheep and most importantly, where God is in their ministry. It’s really given me a lot of material, for the good and the bad. We gather all the information they send us about their church, their ministry, and their beliefs to create websites. My job is to put it all together for them so they can reach out and minister. My goal is to help them, add sheep to the herd, and to help them with tools to guide the sheep once they bring them in gate. I’m a little like a sheep dog! There will be no names, or particular faiths mentioned, but as I write these “parables,” I will enjoy hearing your thoughts on each post! I should have the first post over the weekend!

selective focus beige and brown goat
Photo by Sơn Bờm on Pexels.com

The Case for a Christmas Tree….

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As many close to me know….

I work at a Christian company designing websites and graphics for churches.  During the holiday season, I’ve also been lectured by several pastors, while on the phone with them, that Christmas trees are a pagan concept and have no place in a Christian home.  Some go so far as to say the Christmas celebration on the 25th of December, is a not a christian concept but derived from a winter solstice pagan celebration as a substitute to get people to come to church instead.. that Jesus couldn’t have been born in winter and blah, blah, blah….They are quite militant about it.

Nevertheless, I believe God looks at the heart, so as I began to get my tree ready this year, a lot of thoughts came to my heart about Christmas, trees and the whole celebration.

I started by setting up my smaller of the two trees, and carefully unwrapping all of my ornaments and lights.  As usual, several strands didn’t work, so I pieced together what I had, as you can see!  I’m not fond of the LED’s due to the brightness but I’m working through that phobia.   It’s a flocked tree, artificial, but still looks nice after several years.

I do love the blue and white together, though the white, being permanently attached to the tree and and only working halfway, and the blue here and there.  I love the blue, it’s a favorite of my husband Craig, and of my deceased first husband.  It’s also very peaceful and makes my heart think about that very first Christmas, in the night with the star in the east.  I think of the shepherds with their flocks and the angels.  Which then makes me think I need to add some sheep to the mix!

As I unwrapped the ornaments, it brought back so many memories of my life over the past almost 40 years of having my own home.  The ornaments all represented someone in my life, or something I made each year.  I have handmade stitchery ornaments from my mom along with several special ones she purchased as gifts for me.  Also, ornaments placed on gift packages from my sisters, and many from my late husband, my daughter and son in law.  There are some from special friends and some I had also purchased from craft shows I attended over the years. I’ve also been blessed to obtain a small Christmas village from Craig’s mom after she passed away.   They all brought back such warm memories. I know my tree looks a tad messy, old pearls and lots of hand made things, but what a blessing to have these reminders from years past! I just couldn’t have it any other way!

It occurred to me then, that God uses trees!  Of course there was the tree of life, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then the “tree” that Jesus was hung on and gave his life for us.  There was Zacchaeus climbing up in the sycamore tree to get Jesus attention.  And today God used my tree to get my attention and to bless my heart.

I think God must be happy with me having a Christmas tree to celebrate the birth of His son, our Lord Jesus!  Because He reminds me of every year of my life, that He has always been there, that He loves me and wants me to be happy!   I remember our Christmas trees as I grew up, whether flocked, Charlie Brown style or artificial!  How my mom made decorating a tree so special.  And though my family isn’t always interested in helping me, it’s a special holiday time for me and Jesus.

It then occurred to me, how sad it must be for those poor Christians that are so caught up in the law, that they miss out on the true joy of why God sent his Son!  That there is no wrong way to celebrate the birth of Christ, as long as it glorifies Him and brings us closer to Him.  That the focus is on Jesus and what His coming meant.   So dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, enjoy your tree if you like having it, and let it remind you of God’s mercy and grace in your life, that we will all one day be together with Him!  Merry Christmas!

It’s a New Year!

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Why does it always feel like a fresh start or clean slate, just because the year on the calendar has changed? But nevertheless, it feels like you get a do-over.  You can make those new year’s resolutions, over again, begin that diet, get a new job and more.  You are able to forgive yourself for the failures of last year or rejoice in the glory of the accomplishments of the last year.

So beginning this year for me, I too have big plans!!!! I’ve gotten past foot surgery, biopsies, and health issues.  I’ve been working on new artwork and am making progress in setting up events to attend this year! Yay!

But above all that, I want my relationship with my Lord to be closer than it’s ever been.  We rely so much on Him!  But I want Him to be able to rely on me. To take His message wherever I go.  He is everything!  It’s not an easy task, loving others who are not easy to love, turning the other cheek when you really want to slap theirs. But there is way more to it than that.  It’s about starving the fleshly desires and feeding the spirit. That’s what Jesus did.  When the disciples wanted to know where the should go and get food, Jesus told them that he had food they knew not of.   He was concerned with feeding the spirit, by the Word of God.

So I am believing that this year, my flesh will grow slim, and the Spirit within me will be very well fed!  And the best place to find that food is in His Word.  I want to use whatever He gives me and be the best I can be with it.

I have been working on new designs.  I can’t wait to get these items out to the shows!
I know some of you have seen these already on my facebook. And please don’t notice the coffee cups, lol.  I do love me some coffee!

burned berries

Burned wood fractals and painted leaves and berries.

felted bunnies

Needle felted bunnies

img_20180114_205816328-758867834.jpg

And quilting!!!!

So maybe it looks like I can’t make up my mind what I want to do, but I just love to do everything!  This kind of approach to an art business is not very profitable… but I can’t seem to focus directly.  I love to paint and can make the most impact with that.  But oh the joy of fiber arts!   SO I’m posting these pictures, I hope by the end of this year, my talent will have grown in fiber arts and painting.  I would like to have painting tutorials on here for you in the future for those of you who have asked me about classes!  I will keep you informed!