Scatter the flowers

  Jacob Marley, Muppet Christmas Carol "Why did I walk through crowds of fellow-beings with my eyes turned down, and never raise them to that blessed Star which led the Wise Men to a poor abode!"                   ~ Jacob Marley, a Christmas Carol We all love stories of redemption, cheering for the underdog, the downtrodden and the despondent having a happy ending. No one knew that better than Charles Dickens, Hollywood, and now Hallmark. Consider the following masterpieces of literature & the screen: Why? Because we like when characters overcome obstacles, and they give us hope, and our brains need hope, according to the Washington Independent . The guy saves the girl, the girl gets the guy, the dog saves the family, the town is rescued, Christmas is saved, the team is victorious.   While we like to focus on happy endings, let's go back to the beginning of the story- the "before".  Genesis says that ...

  google image "It is not happy people who are th ankful, it is thankful people who are happy."  ~ Unknown 🏈 What does Thanksgiving mean to you?  Hopefully you have some warm fuzzies when you think of your traditions this holiday.  Food, football, some Christmas decorations (because I never wait), wonderful smells from the kitchen, my husband napping in the middle of it all on the couch- all some of the memories that come to my mind. After reading so many articles, posts and memes lately, it seems like this holiday sometimes involves getting together with relatives you don't see often, who maybe don't know or understand you as well as you hope.   So, in keeping with the season, let's combat our concerns/worries/insecurities with God's advice:     1 Thes 5:16-18   " Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. "        I take this to mean that th...

  ~"Second Coming of Christ"- Gustave Dore "God tells us what will happen before it happens so that when it happens we'll be ready and we'll believe."  ~Max Lucado, FB podcast Aug 10, 2020 📰 I am glued to the news of world events happening right now- aren't you?  I want to know how it all fits in to end times prophecy, and I want to know my role in it.  Lord, what am I supposed to be doing, and what is going to happen? I am not a Bible prophecy scholar so I rely on those who are.  There's so many trusted Bible-believing, God-fearing, Christ-following pastors who are talking about prophecy and the events unfolding- David Jeremiah, Max Lucado, Greg Laurie, among some of them.  I am listening to podcasts, reading Scripture and am finding the alignment of their messages, which I am happy to say are there in their entirety.   📰Over 1/4 of the Bible is prophecy, according to David Jeremiah.  The references mentioned below seem to give insight to...

  One sunrise and sunset that seemed to make time stand still. "Traditions, traditions. Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as...as...as...a *fiddler* on the roof!" ~Tevye, Fiddler on the Roof 🌄 My sweet late father-in-law told the story of a woman w ho prepared her holiday ham by cutting off  the end and placing it in the pan before putting it in the oven.  When her daughter began hosting the holiday meal, she did the same thing to the ham.  Then this woman's granddaughter carried on the tradition in her generation, carefully cutting off the end of the ham before putting it in the pan to bake it.  She asked her grandmother what the meaning was behind this tradition, and the grandmother said simply, "I didn't have a pan big enough to hold the whole ham,  so I had to cut it." As we kick off the holidays it's so fun to start preparing for our traditions.  I'm finding as I am officially "the grandmother" that I wished I would ...

  "Women Kneeling in Prayer", George Henry Boughton "We must talk to God about men before we talk to men about God." ~ Dr. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ Ahhh. Fall.  The smell of fallen leaves, crisp morning air, colorful mums between pumpkins, cinnamon.  Doesn't it feel like your soul just got hugged by an old friend?  It's easy to find joy in the little things in this season that give us a temporary lift. And then we turn on the news.   Joy zapped.   Last blog we talked about how we can fight the battle of losing our joy by using our gifts God gave us to bring a little cheer to others.  I hope you thought about some ways you could incorporate that into your daily life.  Your gifts are yours, and others need you to use them.  I have benefited this past week by gifts some of my friends & family have used - listening to me, challenging me to act on some intellectual pursuits, thinking of me with texts, encou...