NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF THE STABLE...

Jesus is the reason for the Season!  Rejoice, Rejoice, Emanuel...  As you watch all the people rushing around to buy presents, many not celebrating the birth of our Lord at all, ponder the stable where Mary gave birth to the Light of the World, our Savior.

No tree,no gifts save the Gifts of the Magi.  Nothing but the focus of a Savior newly born.  When my children were growing up, we would read Luke 2:1-21 on Christmas Eve before opening presents.  It was our tradition to open presents on the Eve because Christmas Day was spent traveling to the grandma and grandpa's houses.
  We also sang Christmas Carols and basked in the warmth of their joyous words.  I really think that is how I first knew there was a God and His Son, learning to sing Carols from the time I could speak and sing.

TODAY: The birthplace of Jesus is on the endangered list by UNESCO as the warring factions are threatening the Holy City just as it was in Jesus' time.  How terribly sad.

This is the preserved place in Bethlehem reported to be the site of Jesus' birth.

This is my neighbor's Nativity Scene with near life-size figures.  Every year he faithfully puts up the manger and places the figures lovingly in remembrance of the Holy Birth.  It is lit with a flood lamp at night. A lovely visual remembrance of our Lord's birth.

Blessed Christmas to you all and may you all honor the Holy Birth by never losing sight of the Stable. ♥

♫♫O' Little Town of Bethlehem.....♫♫

Kerrie

My Christian Heart to yours....

A Monday of silence...

In view of the tragedy in Connecticut, I am speechless, as are many of you.  My tears flowed freely the whole day of the death of those innocent children and adults who were their caretakers...  It is surely one of those times when even we Christians question "Why?"



But as Christians, we have faith that God is in control.  When will our country turn to faith again in God?  For the first time, our president wept and allowed God to be mentioned not worrying that he would "offend" anyone, he just responded as a believer.  We do not allow God, he allows His people.  I thought about the Bible and how the innocent babes of Israel were slain in hopes of killing the ONE, who was the Son of God.  A horrible killing of babies and toddlers.
  Bad things have happened since God created man.  We all have a choice of which path we will follow.  The young man who took all these lives and then his own is to be pitied and prayed for, too.  Remember that what God has in store for your enemies is much worse than you could ever wish them.  And that is why God tells us to pray for our enemies.  A hard task indeed, but we can do it.
  And let's pray that with this tragedy, men will turn to the Lord once again and not to politics.  What can we each do to prevent this from ever happening again?  God will give you an answer, listen....
  Thank you for coming and please pray for the parents of the children, and the children of the adults that were lost trying to protect the precious little children.

After the Storm....
       by Kerrie O'Hearn Marquart

Wiping the tears from a cheek
   We embark upon another week
Knowing not what the days will bring, 
   And still...within my heart I sing
   The Carols of my childhood.

A blessed Babe born to us so long ago
  Who lived and died because He loved us so,
And we sing Christmas Carols in His memory
  So we will never forget when Love first started
For you and for me....
        in a lowly manger.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MY CHRISTIAN HEART TO YOURS....♥ ♥

A Monday of silence...

In view of the tragedy in Connecticut, I am speechless, as are many of you.  My tears flowed freely the whole day of the death of those innocent children and adults who were their caretakers...  It is surely one of those times when even we Christians question "Why?"



But as Christians, we have faith that God is in control.  When will our country turn to faith again in God?  For the first time, our president wept and allowed God to be mentioned not worrying that he would "offend" anyone, he just responded as a believer.  We do not allow God, he allows His people.  I thought about the Bible and how the innocent babes of Israel were slain in hopes of killing the ONE, who was the Son of God.  A horrible killing of babies and toddlers.
  Bad things have happened since God created man.  We all have a choice of which path we will follow.  The young man who took all these lives and then his own is to be pitied and prayed for, too.  Remember that what God has in store for your enemies is much worse than you could ever wish them.  And that is why God tells us to pray for our enemies.  A hard task indeed, but we can do it.
  And let's pray that with this tragedy, men will turn to the Lord once again and not to politics.  What can we each do to prevent this from ever happening again?  God will give you an answer, listen....
  Thank you for coming and please pray for the parents of the children, and the children of the adults that were lost trying to protect the precious little children.

After the Storm....
       by Kerrie O'Hearn Marquart

Wiping the tears from a cheek
   We embark upon another week
Knowing not what the days will bring, 
   And still...within my heart I sing
   The Carols of my childhood.

A blessed Babe born to us so long ago
  Who lived and died because He loved us so,
And we sing Christmas Carols in His memory
  So we will never forget when Love first started
For you and for me....
        in a lowly manger.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MY CHRISTIAN HEART TO YOURS....♥ ♥

Joy is mentioned 162 times in the Holy Bible.  So much joy to share!  Not the least of which is the joy of Jesus birth, the real reason for the season!
♫♫Joy to the World the Lord hath come, 
      Let earth receive her King!♫♫

As a child, I learned about God from my earliest years-singing Christmas Carols about the Lord's birth.  What a blessing! 

JOY TO THE WORLD The words and lyrics of the old Christmas carol 'Joy to the World' were written in 1719 by Isaac Watts (1674-1748). Joy to the World is a popular Christmas carol which is based on Psalm 98 in the Bible. The father of John Watts was a Non-conformist and so extreme were his views that he was imprisoned twice. His father's influence over Isaac was demonstrated when he chose to attend Non-­conformist Academy at Stoke Newington in preference to a University. Watts was ordained as a Pastor of an Independent congregation. He wrote many hymns and Carols and was awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree by the the University of Edinburgh in 1728. The music to the carol is by George Frederick Handel (1685-1759).  JOY TO THE WORLD Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing. Joy to the world, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy. No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found, Far as the curse is found, Far as, far as, the curse is found. He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love, And wonders of His love, And wonders, wonders, of His love. Wonders of his Love, what a beautiful phrase!  God's love is never-ending, so all-enveloping, so warm and giving that we are never without it even in our darkest hours.  Bask in it, embrace it. Open your heart to it and God will bless you o'er and o'er! My Christian Heart to Yours...