Category Archives: Christianity

The Tree and Ornaments

Our tree is an artificial tree that we purchased from Costco this year.

 

This Disney ornament was our first as a couple. It was a wedding shower gift in 1974, the year we were married.

These older ornaments have been around since the 80’s and beyond.

The walnut half with a baby was a Sunday School craft made by one of our kids but I’m unsure which one.

The two Beatrix Potter ornaments and the others are from England except for the birds.

The Stag was from Addy and the Christmas tree was painted by JJ. The handprint is Addy’s.

This one is from Addy, too.

I’ll share the rest of our decor on another day this week.

Our Children’s Christmas Play at church this year was so well done and it was a delight to watch it. I’ll share some photos later this week.

Once In Royal David’s City

Once In Royal David’s City

Once in royal David’s city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her Baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.

He came down to earth from Heav­en,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior holy.

And, through all His wondrous childhood,
He would honor and obey,
Love and watch the lowly maiden,
In whose gentle arms He lay:
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.

For He is our childhood’s pattern;
Day by day, like us He grew;
He was little, weak and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us He knew;
And He feeleth for our sadness,
And He shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love,
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in Heav’n above,
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him; but in Heav­en,
Set at God’s right hand on high;
Where like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around.

Words: Cecil F. Alexander, 1848.

Truth for Today #81

Thursday December 14th

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like to share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth again this year!

The verses that you share are appreciated and so encouraging, I’m thankful for them and for each of you! 

Luke 2:1-20

 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.  This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.  And all went to be registered, each to his own town.  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,  to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.  And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.  And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.  And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

 “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”  And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.  And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.  And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.  But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

From Vera:

”To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.“
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭25‬-‭26‬

From Dianna:

John 1:14
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we held His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

From Lauren:

Luke 2:14
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased!

Less Stress More Peace Hodgepodge

Time for another Wednesday Hodgepodge. Thank you to Joyce From This Side of the Pond for the questions!

1. Oxford’s Word of the Year for 2023 is ‘rizz’. Hmmm…before today had you ever heard the word? Do you know what it means? (Apparently it’s short for charisma) Have you ever used the word? If you were in charge of the world, what word would you declare word of the year for 2023?

I have not ever heard that word before today and I did not know what it meant. It sounded more like a nickname for a person to me.

The first word that came to my mind to declare to the world is REPENT! Our world is in a mess.

2. What’s one word you tend to abbreviate in your writing or speech? (as in rizz for charisma)

I’m drawing a blank here except for FYI. It probably will become clearer when I read your answers to this question.

3. Are you a Hallmark movie watcher this time of year? What’s your favorite character from a holiday- themed movie, book, or TV special? 

We do watch some Hallmark movies. Because I’ve had to think so hard and long to come up with a favorite, I don’t think I have a favorite. 🙂 I enjoy the Christmas specials in ongoing series like Call the Midwife or All Creatures Great and Small.

4. Something you look forward to eating this month? 
Our Christmas dinner, all the things on the plate together, prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, creamed corn, roasted vegetables.

5. What’s the most stressful part of the holiday season for you? 

Over the years the stress has decreased because I’m learning to adjust my expectations. Those adjustments have made things less stressful. Sometimes it is hard to admit that I am the one causing the undo stress and I’m the one who needs to adjust. I need to remember to let the peace of Christ rule in my heart.

Getting the Christmas letter/photo/cards out probably has the most time/deadline stress.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I’m reading a Christmas Advent Devotional these days leading up to the 25th of December. The writer is covering several Christmas Carols/Hymns/Songs, some very familiar ones and some not so familiar. On Day 12 this was the song that was covered, written by Jester Hairston in 1956.

Mary’s Boy Child

Long time ago in Bethlehem so the Holy Bible say, Mary’s Boy Child, Jesus Christ was born on Christmas Day!

Hark! Now hear the angels sing: “A New King born today, And man will live forevermore because of Christmas Day!

Trumpets sound and angels sing, listen to what they say, That man will live forevermore because of Christmas Day!

While angels watched their flocks by night They saw a bright new shining star, And heard a choir from heaven sing the music came from afar.

Now Joseph and his wife Mary came to Bethlehem that night. They found no place to bear her Child, not a single room was in sight.

Hark! Now hear the angels sing: “A New King born today, And man will live forevermore because of Christmas Day!”

By and by they found a little nook in a stable all forlorn. And in a manger cold and dark Mary’s little Boy Child was born.

Hark! Now hear the angels sing: “A New King born today, And man will live forevermore because of Christmas Day!”

From the devotional:

A memorable line, repeated four times, is this: Man will live forevermore, because of Christmas Day.” It seems rare for a carol to emphasize eternal life, but this line is ‘spot on’. If it weren’t for Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection, there would be no eternal life for any man, woman, or child. Among the many things that Christmas means, this is not the least–Christmas means we can have eternal life! 

Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Our Christmas Letter 2023

Friends and family, we send you our 2023 Christmas message with love.

We could recount all the cool experiences we had in 2023, or talk about how Greg completely remodeled our Master shower even with a left hand that is 30% functional, but if you are at all interested, Ellen’s blog covered it with photos. http//happywonderer.com

Now that we are both in our seventies we feel an urgency to share our greatest treasure with you. Some of you have the same treasure but our desire is for all our friends and family to know this treasure. We’ll start with the words from our favorite song since September of this year, My Worth Is Not In What I Own. (Keith and Kristyn Getty, and Graham Kendrick)

My worth is not in what I own,

not in the strength of flesh and bone,

but in the costly wounds of love, at the cross.

My worth is not in skill or name,

in win or lose, in pride or shame,

but in the blood of Christ that flowed, at the cross.

I rejoice in my redeemer,

greatest treasure,

wellspring of my soul.

I will trust in him, no other,

my soul is satisfied in him alone.

As summer flowers we fade and die,

fame, youth and beauty hurry by,

but life eternal calls to us,

at the cross.

I will not boast in wealth or might,

or human wisdom’s fleeting light,

but I will boast in knowing Christ, at the cross.

Two wonders here that I confess,

my worth and my unworthiness,

my value fixed, my ransom paid,

at the cross.

I rejoice in my redeemer, greatest treasure,

wellspring of my soul.

And I will trust in him, no other,

my soul is satisfied in him alone.

My soul is satisfied in him alone,

my soul is satisfied in him alone.

We are all sinners and we all need redeeming. Jesus is the one and only redeemer who can save us from our sins and their consequences, giving us peace with God. Jesus paid our ransom at the cross. He is the only one who could be the perfect sacrifice for sin. We need to recognize that our sin separates us from God and we need what Jesus accomplished on the cross to reconcile us to God. Acknowledging our sin and putting our faith in what Christ did on the cross gives us new life, spiritual life, with God.

When Greg and I came to that place in our lives, recognizing our sin and trusting in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins we began a new life with eyes and hearts open to learning more about God from the Bible. All he wants us to know and become is written in His Word. From Genesis to Revelation we learn about Jesus and how he is the answer for life with God. Satan is real and dominates our world with lies. His sphere lies in darkness and that is where we are until we accept the light of the world, Jesus. With Jesus you inherit light, without Jesus you will remain in darkness.

“May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:11-14

Don’t let Satan fool you into believing you are just fine the way you are, that you aren’t a huge sinner, that you are a ‘good’ person because you haven’t murdered anyone…yet! No! That belief will land you in hell instead of heaven. We are all sinners and we need Jesus to save us from the eternal consequences of our sins. We urge you to choose light and life today! Start the new year with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior who loves you and cares for you!

For those of you who have put your faith in Jesus we encourage you to keep growing, don’t drift, obey God’s Word, learn more about our God in Three this year. We hope to love Jesus more in 2024!

Love in Christ,

Greg and Ellen

Monday Catch-Up

Reading up on the weather forecasts we decided that last Friday would be a good day to do our last Christmas shopping in Spokane. The roads were clear and sun was shining. We went to our usual stores, Home Depot, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Hobby Lobby, Trader Joe’s and Costco. After we got done with most of the stores we decided to enjoy an Anniversary lunch at Clinkerdagger. It was fun for us to read that Clinkerdagger was established in 1974 so they celebrate the same anniversary year as us. When we were done we made our last stop at Costco and headed home.

A dear friend of ours with whom we enjoyed card nights with was called up to heaven on Monday the 4th of December.  Her memorial service was at our church on Saturday. Greg and I along with other helpers managed the reception for the family. The service was lovely and her love for Jesus was testified to by her children, grandchildren and husband. We will miss her.

On Saturday Evening, Dear and I finished this difficult jigsaw puzzle that my sister Lana and I started when she was here over Thanksgiving.

Our Colville kids enjoyed Bethlehem Revisited at Colville Community church and our Grands got to enjoy animals and crafts.

Sunday we woke up to 6 inches of snow.

I tried to get artsy…

We drove to church slowly and carefully. Our adult Sunday School sessions are on the topic of forgiveness. Sunday sermon was from Isaiah and all about our Lord Jesus Christ. ‘We must worship the Babe in the Manger.’

After church we enjoyed lunch up at our Colville kids’ home. We got to see the lassos and dreidels and mallets our grands enjoyed making at Bethlehem Revisited. Here’s a shot of the views from their driveway as we drove home.

The fog had settled down on us. Thankful that our son had plowed his driveway before they left for church.

Our Christmas Cards are all addressed and sent, always a good feeling of relief.

This new week I’m hoping to deck the halls and share the decked halls soon.

O Come let us adore him…

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Hark! The herald an­gels sing,
Glory to the new­born King;
Peace on earth, and mer­cy mild,
God and sin­ners re­con­ciled!
Joyful, all ye na­tions rise,
Join the tri­umph of the skies;
With th’an­gel­ic host pro­claim,
Christ is born in Beth­le­hem!

Refrain

Hark! the her­ald an­gels sing,
Glory to the new­born King!

Christ, by high­est Heav’n adored;
Christ the ev­er­last­ing Lord;
Late in time, be­hold Him come,
Offspring of a vir­gin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the God­head see;
Hail th’in­car­nate De­i­ty,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Em­ma-nu­el.

Refrain

Hail the heav’n­ly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Right­eous­ness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris’n with heal­ing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glo­ry by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them se­cond birth.

Refrain

Come, De­sire of na­tions, come,
Fix in us Thy hum­ble home;
Rise, the wo­man’s con­qu’ring Seed,
Bruise in us the ser­pent’s head.
Now display Thy sav­ing pow­er,
Ruined na­ture now re­store;
Now in mys­tic un­ion join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.

Refrain

Adam’s like­ness, Lord, ef­face,
Stamp Thine im­age in its place:
Second Ad­am from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, re­gain,
Thee, the Life, the in­ner man:
O, to all Thy­self im­part,
Formed in each be­liev­ing heart.

Refrain

Words: Charles Wesley, 1739.

Wesley’s Original version:

Hark, how all the wel­kin rings,
Glory to the King of kings;
Peace on earth, and mer­cy mild,
God and sin­ners re­con­ciled!

Joyful, all ye na­tions, rise,
Join the tri­umph of the skies;
Universal na­ture say,
Christ the Lord is born to-day!

Christ, by highe­st heav’n ador’d,
Christ, the ev­er­last­ing Lord:
Late in time be­hold him come,
Offspring of a vir­gin’s womb!

Veil’d in flesh, the God­head see,
Hail th’in­car­nate de­i­ty!
Pleas’d as man with men t’ap­pear,
Jesus, our Im­ma-nu­el here!

Hail, the heav’n­ly Prince of Peace!
Hail, the Sun of right­eous­ness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Ris’n with heal­ing in his wings.

Mild He lays his glo­ry by,
Born—that man no more may die;
Born— to raise the sons of earth;
Born—to give them se­cond birth.

Come, de­sire of na­tions, come,
Fix in us thy hum­ble home;
Rise, the wo­man’s con­qu’ring seed,
Bruise in us the ser­pent’s head.

Now dis­play thy sav­ing pow’r,
Ruin’d na­ture now re­store;
Now in mys­tic un­ion join
Thine to ours, and ours to thine.

Truth for Today #80

Thursday December 7th

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like to share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth again this year!

The verses that you share are appreciated and so encouraging, I’m thankful for them and for each of you! 

Revelation 1:4-6:

John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

From Vera:

‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭24

“Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

From Nikkipolani:

Habakkuk 2:20
“But the Lord is in His holy temple.
Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”

From Diana:

Psalm 95:1-3
Oh come, let us sing for joy to Yahweh,
Let us make a loud shout to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before His presence with [a]thanksgiving,
Let us make a loud shout to Him with songs of praise.
3 For Yahweh is a great God

From Karen:

I John 3:23
And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

From Maristella:

Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Psalm 143:8.
‬

MGCC Christmas 2023

We drove to Abbotsford on Thursday November 30th a day early for our Mennonite Girls Can Cook annual Christmas party. We were graciously invited to stay an extra day with Terry and Lovella who were hosting the party this year. We arrived late afternoon and had some test runs on different drinks we might be serving at our party. Wonderful conversations were enjoyed in their home and at the restaurant where we had dinner that evening.

On Saturday morning we were invited to Anneliese and Herb’s for breakfast and again enjoyed gracious hospitality. Lovella and Anneliese live just around the block from each other. We were back at our hosts by noon to help set things up for our Appetizer and Dessert evening.

 

As each of the other girls arrived the ‘buffet island’ was filled to the brim.

The guys chatted as we finished up setting out the appies.

The ‘girls’ loaded up their plates and enjoyed time in the living room.

We all brought one gift and then got to choose one to take home with us. Soon it was time for dessert.

In case anyone is wondering…these girls can still cook. We enjoyed our dessert in the family room. Good times together and we talked well into the night.

After a quick sleep it was time for our car to head back over the border into the USA. We are thankful for our ongoing friendship with the Mennonite Girls and their husbands. God is good to us.

Advent Begins 2023

We traveled to the West side of the Cascade mountain range last Wednesday and spent some time with our kids and then traveled north from their home into Canada to attend the annual MGCC Christmas party. I’ll be sharing more about that when I gather all the photos. Our travel was slow and interesting because of the weather.

On the way last Wednesday we encountered Hoarfrost and freezing fog which was very treacherous. We stopped at a couple stores in Spokane and the parking lots were ice skating rinks. We decided against going into Costco because of the danger walking posed and just hit the road to the Seattle side of the mountains. Along the way there were crews cleaning up after accidents with semis who spun out of control because of the slick roads.

We made it safely to Kirkland to our favorite Mexican restaurant and met up with our good friends for a couple hours of catching up. After that on to our kids’ home for the night.

On Thursday we traveled up to Abbotsford, B.C. for our Mennonite Girls Can Cook Christmas party. (A post will be coming soon) We had great interactions with the Border agents on both sides of the line!

On Saturday we had safe travels back to Bothell and had a meal out to celebrate our daughter-in-law’s birthday.

It was so good to be with our ‘westside’ kids to celebrate Auntie LoLo!

On Sunday we packed up the car bright and early and went to the 8am church service with Josh and Laura before hitting the road back to Colville at 9:15 am.

On Sunday Addy sent this message to Auntie Lolo from church in Colville where she would be performing with the children’s choir to start off the season of Advent. I was able to watch the performance on our church’s livestream while on the road heading back to Colville on Sunday since Greg was driving. Addy did an exceptional job with singing and hand motions.

Snoqualmie Pass had accumulated some snow and the driving was treacherous with 35 mile an hour reduced speed limits. Chains were required for cars without 4wd and for the large trucks.

Once over the pass the roads improved and the plows were doing their job nicely.

We made it off the freeway in Spokane with a sigh of relief and only 75 more miles to go.

Colville had a good drop of snow while we were gone and our grands were taking advantage of it.

We finally made it home after 5pm.

Our stars on our deck with our small outdoor manger scene greeted us in some fresh fluffy snow. It was a nice ending to our trip and the first Sunday of Advent. We had so many praying for us on our hard journey and we thank God for his care and for our prayer warriors, too.