I Need Grace

Well, it's here!  

A brand, spanking new year - 2015!  

The ball dropped at midnight and here we are - faced with a clean slate, so to speak; 

a new year with no mistakes in it - - yet!

Happy New Year!

I sit here at the breakfast table enjoying still the glow of my Advent candles lit in the dark of morning.  I sit reflecting on this past year of my life - 365 days of my life gone - lived well???

It's the traditional time of year when most people reflect back, look ahead and make resolutions to change their future.  We can only reflect, regret or enjoy the memories of the past - we can't change them - it's a done deal; that ship has sailed.

Expectations!

There are so many wishes, hopes, dreams, and expectations we have that center around our holiday times with friends and family; many I'm sure we are not even aware of.

What a Difference a Day Makes!

"The spirit of Christmas needs to be superseded by the Spirit of Christ.  The spirit of Christmas is annual; the Spirit of Christ is eternal.  The spirit of Christmas is sentimental; the Spirit of Christ is supernatural.  The spirit of Christmas is a human product; the Spirit of Christ is a divine person.  That makes all the difference in the world."

Stuart Briscoe

And what a difference that is!

The spirit of Christmas is temporal, for sure.
Most people are back to "business as usual" today, the day after Christmas.

Into Our Darkness Comes Light

During the recent 4-day snowstorm our region experienced, I lost electrical power twice.  The first time it was about 5:30 in the evening and I was preparing a salad for my dinner.  The lights flickered, remained on for about 10 more minutes, at which point, I thought we had dodged the bullet.  Then they flickered again and went out - and stayed out.

About 10-15 minutes into this enforced darkness, my daughter called and said they had called the electrical company and had been told our power would probably be back on by 8pm.  Okay, I can handle another 2 hours of this, I think!

I got out my flashlights, gathered candles from the other rooms and lit them in the den, where I sat and ate dinner by candlelight.  Nice, but it gets old fast, trust me!

4th Sunday of Advent - Love

On the 4th Sunday of Advent we light the 4th and last candle which represents love.

"For God so loved.....that He gave......."

John 3:16

God so loved you.  God so loved me.  He gave.....His only Son became God incarnate.  He became man and experienced all that man can experience as man.....because of love.

Let The Stable Still Astonish

I want to feature a fellow blog-writer today; one whose writing has consistently blessed me. 

Her name is Leslie Leyland Fields and she posted this today on her blog: