Creation

Then God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let the birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens."
God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after it's kind; and God saw that it was good.
God blessed them saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth."
There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
Genesis 1:20-23

Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us

Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."
So He told them this parable, saying,
"What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?
When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, "Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!"
I tell you in that same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."

Luke 15:1-10

Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,
In His arms, He will gather the lambs
And carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

Isaiah 40:11

Wise Men Seek Him Still...

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."
When Herod the king heard this he was troubled, and all of Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:
'And you, Bethlehem, Land of Judea;
Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
For out of you shall come forth a ruler
Who will Shepard my people, Israel.' "
Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him."
After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
After coming to the house they saw the Child with Mary, His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

Matthew 2:1-12

Merry Christmas!

I thought I would share my favorite Christmas Carol sung by one of my favorite groups :) Merry Christmas!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9:6-7

Sunday Morning

Behold, children are a gift from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one's youth.
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies at the gate.
Psalm 127:3-5

Sunday Morning

And they were bring children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them.
But when He saw this, He was indignant and said to them, "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all."
And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.
Mark 10:13-16

"Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of your will they existed, and were created. "
Revelation 4:11

The Perfect Gift

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
James 1:16-17

Our Anniversary

"I am my beloved's and his desire is for me."
Song of Solomon 7:10

Happy Anniversary my love!

Happy Mother's Day!

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
Psalm 46:10

Who Can You Trust?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your body
And refreshment to your bones.
Proverbs 3:5-8

Fruit of the Spirit

But the fruit of the Spririt is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23

But now faith, hope, love, abide these three, but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13

The Spirit of Competition

The Southern Baptist churches have a program called Bible Drill. It starts at fourth grade and goes through high school. The kids who chose to participate have a lot of memorizing to do. They memorize 25 Bible verses from the King James version, 10 key passages, and ALL the books of the Bible...in order. Meetings start in October so they have time to learn it all, then there are three competitions... church, associational, and state.

Last year, Brandon was eligible to compete and boy was he ever excited! He is so competitive! He worked so hard learning his verses and Bible books. Then came the first competition...the church drill. Piece of cake :) All the kids did so well! The following week was the associational.

Brandon turned down breakfast that morning. That was the big clue that something wasn't right. That boy has NEVER turned down food! After a major inquisition, he said he didn't feel well. Oh no. After a million more questions, he finally said he was nervous. What?? He has never had any kind of stage fright?!? Piano recitals, choir, church musicals, showcase...he has never batted an eye and very much seemed to enjoy everything he did on stage. I was more than shocked. We took him down anyway thinking his nerves would calm in the presence of his friends...they didn't. He was so nervous and upset I thought he was going to throw up. We took him out of the competition. It was heartbreaking for me because he'd talked about it for weeks. He had worked so hard and he was so excited...I couldn't believe it.

Imagine my surprise when he wanted to sign up for Bible Drill again this year! I told him I didn't care if he competed at all and that the important part of Bible Drill was learning the Bible...the competition is to encourage them and give them goals. But he said he wanted to compete.

Tonight was the church drill. There are only three kids in the children's level so there's a bit of pressure! I was a little worried. There are four different rounds and each round has six questions, so when there aren't many kids, each child will get called on more often.But.....he did great! I'm so proud of him!

Good job Brandon! Next weekend is associational! I know he'll do just fine :)

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping it according to Your word.
With all my heart I have sought You;
Do not let me wander from Your commandments.
Your word I have treasured in my heart,
that I may not sin against You.
Psalm 119:9-11

Your word is a lamp unto my feet
and a light unto my path.
Psalm 119:105

A Blessing

"The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
and be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
and give you peace."
Numbers 6: 24-26

He is Risen!

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, brought spices so that they might come and anoint Him.
Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
They were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?"
Looking up they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.
Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed.
And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He is risen; He is not here; behold here is the place where they laid him."
Mark 16:1-6

Triumph!

6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them,
7 and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid they're coats on them; and He sat on the coats.
8 Most of the crowd spread their coats on the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road.
9 The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,
"Hosanna to the Son of David;
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;
Hosanna in the highest!"

67 So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?"
68 Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
69 We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God."
John 6:67-69
emphasis mine

Love...

4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek it's own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Pray without Ceasing

16 Rejoice always;
17 pray without ceasing;
18 in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in
Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The Word

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being.
John 1:1-3