Advent(Dec. 3): God is Looking for You

 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

Genesis 3:6-9

"The snake sneaked up to Eve, wrapped his own lie tight around her, and hissed his poison right into her heart: 

"God doesn't really love you."

"God doesn't really give you good-enough things."

"God doesn't really give the gift of love all the time."

Eve fell for it. She ate the fruit. She swallowed the lie - this is the painful lonliness that we call 

"the Fall."

"When we've fallen and when we're lost, God comes with one question:

(Not, "Why did you do that?" or "What did you do wrong?")

The very first God-question of the Bible, is a love question howling out of God's heart...

"Where are you?"

"God's love never stops looking for you, trying to find you, and gently draws you back close to Him."

"God refuses to give up on you!! God looks for you when you're lost. He calls out for you when you are ashamed, broken, and hurting. He doesn't run down the rebel, strike the sinner, or flog the failure."

Mary Geisen just posted on her own blog(Passages Through Grace) a very timely verse...

"Never doubt that your story was meant to be part of God’s plan even before you were born"(Mary Geisen)

What a perfect reminder to us how desperately He wants a relationship with us. He is always looking, always searching, always seeking to know us and wants us to know Him.

"Really wise men and women never stop looking for God. And because your really wise God is love, "He never stops looking for you."

Come back tomorrow, as I share Day 4 of the Advent Calender...

in the book, "Unwrapping the Greatest Gift".(All quotes listed are from the book, unless indicated.)

From December 1st to December 25th

I will be sharing each story in this beautiful book, as well as some of the breathtaking pictures. Won't you join me? Stop by each day to see the stories shared. If you would prefer I email you each days post, please leave your email in the comments section or send me an email at apop12341@hotmail.com 
and let me know. I will make sure each post is sent to you.

To view the whole series on one page, go HERE

You may find me linking up at any of the blog parties listed on the left sidebar.(or go to my blog party page link, below)

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Advent(Dec. 2): Created By Love

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.  God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

 So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:1-5, 26-27

"God the Father gathered close with God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit, and all the glory of the Trinity gathered close when They imagined the masterpiece of you.

The whole world was made by God's word. But God's children alone were made by all of God's love.

No matter what happens in the world, the truth is always this: you were formed by Love...for love."

"Wowed by His uncontainable, unending, unconditional, unbeatable, unfailing, unwrappable love...we can unwrap His gift to us by opening our eyes to His creation!

...to let His love make us glad --

The whole blue marble of the world spins happy right now with the gladness of His love."

I have always loved this song! It reminds me just how much God really loves me...love you...loves us all!

This season, may we dwell on what is important - His Love...the perfect Gift!!

Come back tomorrow, as I share Day 3 of the Advent Calender...

in the book, "Unwrapping the Greatest Gift".(All quotes listed are from the book, unless indicated.)

From December 1st to December 25th

I will be sharing each story in this beautiful book, as well as some of the breathtaking pictures. Won't you join me? Stop by each day to see the stories shared. If you would prefer I email you each days post, please leave your email in the comments section or send me an email at apop12341@hotmail.com 
and let me know. I will make sure each post is sent to you.

You may find me linking up at any of the blog parties listed on the left sidebar.(or go to my blog party page link, below)

Favorite Blogs Parties where I Link-up 

Advent(Dec. 1): The Place Where Love Grows

Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—

yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.

And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

In that day the heir to David’s throne

will be a banner of salvation to all the world.

The nations will rally to him,

and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.

Isaiah 11:1-2, 10

"Out of the stump came one tender branch that would grow right into a crown of thorns, right into a rugged cross, right into a ladder - your ladder back to God. Out of the stump of Jesse's family - of every family tree - comes the shoot of Jesus' forever-love. Jesus would go to impossible lengths to rescue you(and me)."

"When we slow down and bend down and see small, wondrous, impossible things - no stump(no family tree) is ever just a stump.

"It is always just a place for love to grow, this small unfurling of miracles."

Prayer:

Pray for those who are less valued in the world. Look for simple ways to help people this December. Ask God to use your small actions to produce great results.

Here is a great example how we can help others less fortunate than us.

 Look for opportunities to share"random acts of kindness" or ask your church what you can do to help people in the community who are struggling financially. There are many community programs that offer special activities to get involved in and/or to donate financially to.

Come back tomorrow, as I share Day 2 of the Advent Calender...

in the book, "Unwrapping the Greatest Gift".(All quotes listed are from the book.)

From December 1st to December 25th

I will be sharing each story in this beautiful book, as well as some of the breathtaking pictures. Won't you join me? Stop by each day to see the stories shared. If you would prefer I email you each days post, please leave your email in the comments section or send me an email at apop12341@hotmail.com 
and let me know. I will make sure each post is sent to you.

You may find me linking up at any of the blog parties listed on the left sidebar.(or go to my blog party page link, below)

Favorite Blogs Parties I Link-up with

Advent: Unwrapping the Greatest Gift

Last December I bought a book that is like our own larger-than-life Advent Calendar, opening up to 25 wondrous stories that tell the family tree of Jesus, from Creation to His Coming.  

 Written by none other than Ann Voskamp.(One of my favorite Christian authors) Over the years, she has shared many thoughts, ideas, and traditions that celebrate the Advent season. One she shared a few years back turned into a hot chocolate party...well I love hot chocolate, but love vanilla Chai even more. So, this year I've decided to start my own version of this celebration. 

 "...because, sure, who of us doesn’t need to be warmed straight through with His Love? Who doesn’t need to unwrap Light? Who doesn’t want the excitement again of unwrapping the Greatest Gift 

And then there’s taking that pen and  scratching it down, a poem — “A Night Before Advent” — that’s this crazy take on the “Night Before Christmas,” a quirky old tradition that could become it’s own new tradition of Light."

Sometimes you just need a tradition that somehow changes your condition.

We’re on the cusp of the tradition of Advent — and this changes the conditions of everything: He is coming.

"It’s impossible for all the darkness in the world to smother out the light of a single candle in the hand. You can’t snuff out hope, you can’t smother out hope, you can’t stamp out hope — because He is Coming.

 to the child in us …. still seeking the wonder of Christmas even for us….

25 Day Advent Calendar, this Unwrapping the Greatest Gift, each of the 25 readings pointing to those  25 Gospel-telling

 — because this is the gift we all want."

From December 1st to December 25th

I will be sharing each story in this beautiful book, as well as some of the breathtaking pictures. Won't you join me? Stop by each day to see the stories shared. If you would prefer I email you each days post, please leave your email in the comments section or send me an email at apop12341@hotmail.com 
and let me know. I will make sure each post is sent to you.

You may find me linking up at any of the blog parties listed on the left sidebar.(or go to my blog party page link, below)

Favorite Blogs Parties I Link-up with

Grace and Gratitude

Grace:

God’s unmerited favor or kindness, we don’t deserve. There is nothing we have done, nor can ever do to earn this favor. It is a gift freely given from God. 

That favor gives us access. It gives us the legal right to access the power of God for everything we need. None of us deserves access to God and His power (Rom. 3:10, 23). Because of sin, we all deserve an everlasting hell. Yet God has given us access to all He is and all He has.Everything Comes Through GraceWe are saved by grace. Without the grace—the favor—of God, we could never have access to the mercy of God.Gratitude:Gratitude is more than saying, "Thank you," when someone gives you something. Gratitude is more than an action which we decide to do by an act of will power.What it takes to turn the words, "thank you," into gratitude is the real genuine feeling of gratitude. Gratitude is a feeling that arises uncoerced in the heart. It cannot be willed into existence directly if it is not there. Gratitude is a form of delight.. And it is a good. It is part of happiness, not misery. Gratitude directed toward a person for giving you something good. It is a happiness that comes not merely from the gift, but from the act of giving. What in the world, in a world of certain loss, is grace? How do you know how to sift through a day, a life, and rightly read the graces, rightly ascertain the curses? What is good? What counts as grace? What is the heart of God?We have the opportunity to turn to God, the only begetter of grace, and there find all the fullness of joy.(source)
This Was Grace

 This is what we call the ugly-beautiful… d’un beau affreux. What the impressionist painter, Paul Gauguin, encapsulated as, “Le laid peut-etre beau…” Translation: The ugly can be beautiful…..(Get Closer to the Ugly)

The Link Between Grace and Gratitude

Gratitude flourishes in the sphere of grace.  

Since the feeling of gratitude usually rises in our hearts when someone does us an undeserved or uncalled-for favor, the expression of thanks will at any time communicate humility 

Therefore, gratitude wells up in the hearts of those who "receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness" (Romans 5:17). When the grace of Jesus penetrates the human heart, it rebounds back to God as gratitude. Christian gratitude is grace reflected back to God in the happiness we feel toward Jesus.A life that gives glory to God for his grace and a life of deepest gladness are always the same life. And what makes them one is gratitude.Source

#1767 - God's grace, which by all are justified freely through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). https://revphil2011.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/

#1772 - The anticipation of seeing our son over Thanksgiving weekend.
#1773 - Programs/websites online that tell the truth about current events, instead of the lies of media/government officials. "Living Waters", "InfoWars"

#1774 - Peace of mind through the Lord in a world of chaos and evil.

#1775 - For faith, hope, and love. Because those things are free, irreplaceable, and the only things that last a lifetime

#1776 - Running into and old friend/former teacher of my son.

#1777 - First snowfall of the year.

#1778 - The beauty of snow, stuck to the branches of trees and and morning fog on the lake.

#1775 - Safety on the road, driving on icy roads.

May you have a blessed Thanksgiving, full of God's grace and that you will find many things to be grateful to the Lord for this season.

Care to count the good, the bad, and the ugly-beautiful as all grace? Consider joining the Gratitude Community! Just jump in with your own counting!
How to begin your own 1000 Gift List ::: How Gratitude Can Change your Life

You may find me linking up at any of the blog parties listed on the left sidebar.(or go to my blog party page link, below)

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Thankful in Difficult Times

I've posted on the subject of "ugly-beautiful" gifts...or being thankful in difficult times, many times here on my blog over the years.

The truth is, I seem to always be struggling with this kind of gratitude. I know in my heart that the Lord never wastes any experiences I go through, whether easy or difficult. But my mind keeps arguing with that understanding and I often end up pleading with God, "Lord, how is this going to turn out for the good?" I start to lose patience and my faith, that is being tested, fails. 

I'm so thankful, that God understands my weaknesses and when I falter, He only loves and forgives.  Whenever I feel vulnerable or angry, time and time again, He comes to me in the Bible and bring me back to gospel-sanity. How I praise Him for the counsel and consolation of His Word; the grace and power of the Scriptures; the truth and authority of the Bible.

Paul writes in Colossians 1:11, “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.” So even when we face the storms in our lives, God will always strengthen us and give us the endurance and patience with joy that we need. What a blessing that is!

It does seem like we grow the most in our walk with Him when times are difficult, though. When times are good, we rarely grow; isn’t that sad but true? When the marriage is good, the family is good, work is going smoothly, the car is not breaking down, and we still don’t have to paint that side of the house yet, when things are going good, how many of us grow in our faith and trust in Jesus Christ? Not many. Yet, when times of stress and hurt and difficult challenges come is when we tend to grow more and become more like Jesus Christ; that’s His purpose in our lives, that we look like Him. 

In the midst of these difficult circumstances, God wants us to be not only confident but He wants our faith to be refined—to be pure. In I Peter 1:6-7, Peter describes all the wonderful things that happen to a Christian: 

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

That is part of what is going on when difficult times come into our lives; we are being purified, refined, and tested so that we can know for sure and praise God in how we respond; we know that our faith is genuine and real.

Continuing to list the many gifts, including the "ugly-beautiful" gifts the Lord provides:
#1767 - ugly: out of control arguments... beautiful: turning to the Lord(then the other person) to seek forgiveness. Then reading His promises in the Bible that there will be reward for my faithfulness.

#1768 - ugly: stepping out of my comfort zone and getting involved in a ladies Bible study group at church.  beautiful: meeting with all the wonderful sisters in Christ, who uplift my heart and soul and freely give encouragement.

#1769 - ugly: rainy, dreary weather... beautiful: More time to spend communing with the Lord and in the Word.

#1770 - ugly: listening to mom talk about how she feels so trapped/between a rock and a hard place. beautiful: An opportunity to bring comfort to her and let her know I love her, no matter what she does/doesn't do.  

#1771 - ugly: giving my boss at work a final date. beautiful: knowing that soon I will be able to see mom just about every day.

Sometimes it seems like the beautiful comes first:
#1772 - beautiful: making the connection with my sister-friend in the Lord, who is seeking the same thing my mom was seeking. ugly: finding that my siblings refuse to discuss and check out the possibility...causing friction at every turn.(but offering no other possible options)

"'give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

… without ceasing, O Lord my God, I will give You thanks for ever….~Ps. 30:13

Care to count the good, the bad, and the ugly-beautiful as all grace? Consider joining the Gratitude Community! Just jump in with your own counting!

How to begin your own 1000 Gift List ::: How Gratitude Can Change your Life

You may find me linking up at any of the blog parties listed on the left sidebar.(or go to my blog party page link, below)

Favorite Blogs Parties I Link-up with