Glory to God in the Highest

The Word Made Flesh

The Son of God in mighty love,
Came down to Bethlehem for me;
Forsook His throne of light above,
An infant on the earth to be.

In love, the Father’s sinless child,
Sojourned at Nazareth for me;
With sinners dwelt the undefiled,
The Holy One in Galilee.

Jesus, whom angel hosts adore,
Became a man of griefs for me;
In love, though rich, becoming poor,
That I through Him enriched might be.

Thou Lord of all, above, below,
He went to Olivet for me;
There drank my cup of wrath and woe,
When bleeding in Gethsemane.

The ever blessèd Son of God
Went up to Calvary for me;
There paid my debt, there bore my load,
In His own body on the tree.

Jesus, whose dwelling is the skies,
Went down into the grave for me;
There overcame my enemies,
There won the gracious victory.

In love the whole dark path He trod,
To consecrate a way for me;
Each bitter footstep marked with blood,
From Bethlehem to Calvary.

’Tis finished all; the veil is rent,
The welcome sure, the access free;
Now then we leave our banishment,
O Father, to return to Thee.

Words: Horatius Bonar, 1843.

The words on the cross say, “Glory to God in the Highest”.

Dear and I will enjoy a meal together before we head out for a candlelight service this evening at our church. Tomorrow all our kids arrive at our place for Christmas day festivities.

Happy Christmas Eve to you all.

More Snow and Christmas

Our round of snow early in the morning of the 22nd created an interesting layering. On our Global Blue Spruce it looks like someone placed kitchen towels out to dry. Or maybe white skirts with scalloped bottoms. Or a layer of Fondant Frosting. 🙂

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…

It is very safe to say we are going to have a White Christmas. Maybe we’ll have a snow shoveling day when the kids get here on Christmas.

We will pick up our roast for our Christmas dinner today and a few other things we need for our Christmas dinner and for our daughter’s birthday dinner on the 27th. Our Colville kids are feeding all of us on Boxing Day. We haven’t all been together since the wedding in North Carolina so we are excited for Christmas Day when all the vehicles pull into our drive.

Joy

Joy in all that Christmas means to humanity.

It’s a joy to hear from friends and family with cards and letters at Christmas.

Joy Bells Are Ringing

Joy bells are ringing,
Christmas is bringing
Tidings of Jesus’ birth.
Candles are gleaming,
Gladness is streaming
Out over all the earth.

Light is ascending,
Nighttime is ending,
Sunshine from God appears.
Hope of the ages,
Foretold by sages,
Comes to dispel all fears.

O what a treasure
God in His pleasure
Lovingly gives today.
Grace to the lowly,
Peace, pure and holy,
Angels to men convey.

Come to the manger,
Kindred and stranger,
Hail now the newborn King!
In adoration
With jubilation
Peoples and nations sing!

Banish all sadness,
Fill me with gladness,
Jesus, whom I adore!
All else may perish,
Thee will I cherish
Now and forevermore!

Words: Nils Frykman, 1881.

So my peppermint bark was a fail. The white layer did not adhere to the chocolate layer, oops. The Peanut Butter Balls turned out like they should but I’m not sure if I’d make them again. I’ll let the kids weigh in when they arrive later this week. We are waiting to see if we get more snow overnight.

Happy Winter everyone!

Some Snow Scenes

It’s always nice to be able to sit in a warm home and watch the snow fall through the windows.

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
    remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
    learn to do good;
seek justice,
    correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
    plead the widow’s cause.

 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
    they shall become like wool.

Isaiah 1:16-18

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Psalm 51:7 (ESV)

Between snow fall we put up some lights in our backyard and it’s nice to have them shine in the darkness.

We have more snow in the forecast and it’s safe to say we will have a White Christmas.

Whiter than snow

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole
I want Thee forever to ransom my soul
Break down every idol, cast out every foe
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow
~
Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow
~
Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat
I wait, blessed Lord, at Thy crucified feet
By faith for my cleansing, I see Thy blood flow
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow
~
Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow
~
Lord Jesus, Thou knowest I patiently wait
Come now and within me a new heart create
To those who have sought Thee Thou never said’st no
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow
`
Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow
~

Snow makes for a beautiful landscape everywhere but roads and parking lots. Oye, the slush and sandy grit and dirt in the parking lots make walking into stores treacherous. I’ll need to take some photos to show our readers who don’t ever deal with snow see what I’m talking about.

On Monday the presents all got wrapped and put under the tree. After the presents got wrapped I braved the temps in the 20’s and headed to town to get some ingredients. Wal-Mart was out of Peppermint Extract but had the almond bark I needed. Super 1 was out of Peppermint Extract in the cooking aisle but had some Organic Peppermint Extract in the Huckleberry section of the store. Whew! They also had the Cocoa Krispies I wanted for Joanna Gaines Peanut Butter Balls. Now I’m reading through recipes and seeing which Christmas goodies will win my attention this year besides the Peanut Butter Balls and Peppermint Bark I’m trying from here.

Hope all is moving along joyfully as we are just 4 days to Christmas.

A Four Year Old and The Nativity

This was how our four year old granddaughter felt the Nativity should be staged. I love her perspective. This was the very first Nativity set we bought. We found it at Disneyland in their Christmas shop sometime in the 80’s. We wanted a set that our kids could handle without fear of breakage. After a few years there was a mishap with one of the sheep losing a leg, the simple creche was broken, too. We have also lost the Shepherd’s staff somewhere along the years.

This week I’ll be sharing snippets of Christmas at our home with less known Christmas Carols.

O Sing a Song of Bethlehem

O sing a song of Bethlehem,
Of shepherds watching there,
And of the news that came to them
From angels in the air.
The light that shone on Bethlehem
Fills all the world today;
Of Jesus’ birth and peace on earth
The angels sing alway.

O sing a song of Nazareth,
Of sunny days of joy;
O sing of fragrant flowers’ breath,
And of the sinless Boy.
For now the flowers of Nazareth
In every heart may grow;
Now spreads the fame of His dear name
On all the winds that blow.

O sing a song of Galilee,
Of lake and woods and hill,
Of Him who walked upon the sea
And bade the waves be still.
For though like waves on Galilee,
Dark seas of trouble roll,
When faith has heard the Master’s word,
Falls peace upon the soul.

O sing a song of Calvary,
Its glory and dismay,
Of Him who hung upon the tree,
And took our sins away.
For He who died on Calvary
Is risen from the grave,
And Christ, our Lord, by Heaven adored,
Is mighty now to save.

Here was one of our beautiful views on the way to church yesterday. We had a joy filled service with the children’s choir singing and congregational Christmas carols and a sermon filled with hope. We love our church.

O Come, All Ye Faithful

O Come, All Ye Faithful

O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye,
To Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of angels;

Refrain

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

True God of true God
Light from Light Eternal,
Lo, He shuns not
The Virgin’s womb;
Son of the Father,
Begotten, not created;

Refrain

Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation;
O sing, all ye citizens
Of heaven above!
Glory to God, all
Glory in the highest;

Refrain

See how the shepherds,
Summoned to His cradle,
Leaving their flocks,
Draw nigh to gaze;
We too will thither
Bend our joyful footsteps;

Refrain

Lo! star led chieftains,
Magi, Christ adoring,
Offer Him incense,
Gold, and myrrh;
We to the Christ Child
Bring our hearts’ oblations.

Refrain

Child, for us sinners
Poor and in the manger,
We would embrace Thee,
With love and awe;
Who would not love Thee,
Loving us so dearly?

Refrain

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be all glory given;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing.

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Snow is Falling…

It’s a treat to see the Quail moving in the snow.

Snow is falling again this Saturday morning with a prediction of three inches. I think we are close to two inches already on top of what was still on the ground.

My hair appointment this morning will be interesting heading down the hairdresser’s steep driveway. Dear will drive me today and handle the driveway instead of me.

We don’t have to dream of a white Christmas this year…

 In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

 Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;
heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

 Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
but his mother only, in her maiden bliss,
worshiped the beloved with a kiss.

 What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
yet what I can I give him: give my heart.

 

O Little Town of Bethlehem

 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. Luke 2:7

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary,
And gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars together,
Proclaim the holy birth,
And praises sing to God the King,
And peace to men on earth!

How silently, how silently,
The wondrous Gift is giv’n;
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His Heav’n.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in,
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!

We got more snow during this past week. We like to turn the deck light on so we can see the snow out our Family Room Slider. It was fun to capture the outdoor nativity and it’s shadow in the snow.

We are going to see temperatures in the teens and very few days in the next week above freezing. More snow in our 10 day forecast. The county plows our road so I am brave enough to drive into town if I need to.

Last Two Days in North Carolina

Back to our Land That We Love Tour for our last full day in North Carolina and our departures on Sunday the third of October.

On Saturday the 2nd of October we enjoyed park time, lunch at the local Mexican restaurant and then some time at the Bride and Groom’s home for an open house.

Following Baba back to the cars.

After the open house the guys and Katie went on a shopping excursion the rest of the girls and Addy and JJ went back to our VRBO. What we didn’t realize was that the car that went shopping had both keys to the house and we panicked for a short time until genius Laura checked under a planter and found a spare key that the owners left. Whew! Naptime and later a quick dip in the lake and a relaxing evening.

Snuggle time before naps.

Josh was the only one of us who decided to take a leap into Lake Hickory.

The rest of us just watched from the deck.

On Sunday Dear and I left to continue our Land That We Love Tour.

Goodbye to our home away from home.

Our kids loaded up later than us and headed to Raleigh for their flight home, stopping at a Cracker Barrel for breakfast.

More park time before their flight.

We were on the road again heading through the mountains of North Carolina into Tennessee. More about our day of travel later.

Back to the present we had another dusting of fluffy snow on Monday evening. It was fun to watch it fall. Tuesday morning was above freezing and the fluff melted off quickly.

Young At Heart Hodgepodge

Our last Wednesday Hodgepodge of the Year. Thank You Joyce From This Side of the Pond for keeping this going!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Hodgepodgers!!

1. How young is young? In the past, according to various organizations who decide these things, age 60 was the ‘border age’ to old. The World Health Organization has done new research recently and divided up the categories as-0-17 (underage), 18-65 (youth or young people), 66-79 (middle-aged), 80-99 (elderly senior), 100+ (long-lived elderly). Your thoughts on this particular breakdown, and also your thoughts as to where you land?

That youth or young people section is a huge stretch and laughable!  In my opinion the WHO no longer lives up to it’s mission.

2. TIME magazine has declared Elon Musk person of the year in 2021. What say you? If you want to know more about how they choose you’ll find that info in the link here. If you were choosing, who would be your person of the year? 

He’s a very rich and very smart man, I hear. On the standards of Time Magazine I suppose he deserves it. I don’t buy Time magazine.

If I was choosing person of the year I’d choose Dr. John MacArthur, a man of God who rightly divides the Word of God. He and his church stood up to local government overreach in trying to shut their church down and take away a parking lot lease in retribution. The church won their battle in court and the city had to pay their legal fees and their parking lease was reinstated.

3. I read here ten habits of extremely likable people which include-they greet the world with a smile on their face, they ask questions, they’re consistent, they put the phone away, they remember names and use them, they keep an open mind and don’t pass judgement, they’re authentic, they’re kind and generous, accountable for their mistakes, and they send thank you notes.  

So, are you likable-lol? Which one of these habits could use some further developing in your own life? What is one habit/quality you’d add to the list? 

I’d like to send more thank you notes and be more careful in passing judgement.

4. One non-holiday related task/job/goal/dream on your to-do list that you hope/plan to make happen before the new year rolls in? 

Keep up my thirty minute a day cardio workout. I’m slipping during the holidays!!

5. Share with us some of your holiday plans. 

Church this Sunday which will include the Children’s Christmas Choir which is always fun to watch. I’m hoping for at least one nose picker. LOL.

Christmas Eve Candlelight service.

Christmas day when all our kids will gather here and we open gifts and enjoy our traditional Christmas dinner. If we knew before we bought gifts how much the Christmas Goose Prime Rib Roast was going to cost this year we would have cut down on the gifts. Yikes! But for the record we’ll enjoy it all and say thank you Lord for all you give us to enjoy.

The two days after Christmas we’ll spend more time together as a family ending our time off with a birthday party for our daughter Katie who was born on the 27th. Our westside kids will travel back home on the 28th.

10 days till Christmas!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Christmas in the country when you own 20 acres and find your Christmas tree on those acres. This is our son’s family and his land.