ByGrace

  Christmas Credo Let us keep Christmas softly ~ Apart from crowds and noise and vain display; Let us hang garlands fresh of prayer and praise, All love-entwined, in glad array, In the deep chambers of the heart, where He, The Holy Child alone may see And gladdened be. Let us in silence wait Before His altars 'til we see the Face Of the Most High ~ That we may worship truly in the secret place. He will give peace and joy; and as we sing Our carols, let us give ourselves an offering Of love to Him, our Saviour-King. Then let us seek the lonely and the sad, And make them glad  That Christ is born this day, That He in yielded lives holds sway. So shall we keep the Day of Days all softly and know well His coming to our hearts anew to dwell: Our glorious Lord, Emanuel, Emanuel! ~~ Lillian Imhof Robinson ~~ Day 24 Scripture: " And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said...

   "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, good will toward men." Luke 2:13,14 photo credit: Infomastern via photopin cc

Welcome to another week of Worth the Read ! We're getting close to the end of the year, and most of us are setting goals and making plans for 2014. Today I'm offering some links to focus on preparing for the New Year . . . 5 Accountability Sources To Help You Reach Your Goals   Accountability is not mandatory to reach your goals, but it sure does help when you know someone will be checking up on you!   10 Practical Ways to Stay Focused For the Coming Year   Stay focused this year instead of failing within the first three months. 5 Ways To Stop Wasting Time Surfing the Web   Does anyone else get sucked in like I do? I sit down to check "just one thing" and look up an hour later. Here are ways to learn balance in using your online time. Ten Tips For the Next Ten Days   Not ready for the new year quite yet? Here are ten tips for enjoying Christmas week Bonus: O Holy Night Free Chalkboard Printables   Beautiful printables based on one of my favor...

  I'm joining Susanne at Living To Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five . Each week, we share five blessings we've enjoyed during the past week.Hop over and take a look at others' blessings, then share some of your own! 1.Yet another Christmas party , this one for my Patch the Pirate Club students. We didn't have a lesson, practice a song, or listen to a story, but we had treats, games, and a craft. And now we have a break! We're taking the next two weeks off from Patch Club - and this teacher is grateful! 2. A Christmas quilt. I found this quilt at the thrift store last spring. I love the colors in it (they match my craft room ), so I've been using it on the bed in there until this week, when I realized it would look great hanging over the back of the love seat in our living room. I'm really enjoying seeing it all through the day as I work around the house. 3. Pain relievers . A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with rotator...

I loved this poem when I first read it, because it echoes a belief that I hold dearer the older I get: the joys of life - the jewels, if you will - are the little, everyday things that make up each day, if we will just see them. Take time to see life's jewels this Christmas! Jewels The jewels of life are not rare stones To be cherished and hidden away; They are not the diamonds deep in the earth, For which men labor each day, They're the little things we seldom note, That we carelessly pass by . . . The song of the birds that herald the dawn, The stars in the midnight sky. They're the fragments of a robin's egg That we find in the emerald grass, The crystal of the dewdrops That vanish when morn is past; They're the silver of the moonbeams, Too fragile for hand to hold,  Yet all of these jewels are there to see,  If we only pause to behold. They're the perfume of the flowers That rises like incense above, The tender kiss of a little chi...

My friend Barbara of Stray Thoughts wrote a new Christmas meme (pronounced "meem" to rhyme with "cream") last week. What's a meme, you ask? In bloggy terms, it's a list of questions about a topic which one blogger asks on her blog, and other bloggers copy and answer on their blogs. I've answered a wedding meme , a Thanksgiving meme , a kitchen meme (when we lived in North Vancouver), a Meet My Bible meme, an Eight Questions meme , and another Christmas meme , among quite a few others. I enjoy doing them, and I enjoy reading them on others' blogs, so if you choose to do this one, let me know and I'll come read it! Just be sure to give the credit to Barbara , ok?! Photo from Stray Thoughts What is your favorite Christmas song?   My favorite Christmas hymn is O Holy Night; my favorite secular song ( since I'm not a kid anymore !) is All I Want For Christmas Is You, the older version. Favorite Christmas special/movie? I love A Charl...

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." John 1:14 photo credit: Waiting For The Word via photopin cc

  This has been a good week! We got to put our feet up a little after two parties and being out of the house every night last week. Yay! Thursday evening, Wes and I got coffee and rode around for about an hour looking at Christmas lights in a different area of town than we went during our church Christmas party. I love doing that - he knows how to make me happy! ;) Also on Thursday night, Beth went to the college Christmas banquet. Here she is with her date, Caleb. And, of course, being goofy . . .   Now for this week's links worth reading . . . 20 Tips For Personal Devotions in the Digital Age Great advice here, especially with a new year about to begin. I think I found this link at Stray Thoughts . Thanks, Barbara! The Rewards of Living An Organized Life by Laura at I'm An Organizing Junkie   Another good article for a new year. I should read this every day. Making the Most of Christmas: 10 Ways to Enjoy an Effective Christmas Season   ...

  I shared some of my fondest Christmas memories in a previous December Daily post. When I was a child, Christmas was a thrilling time to me, just bursting with anticipation and excitement! And part of the excitement was listening to Christmas music. My uncle had given me his old record player (which I wish I still had!), and somewhere along the way I got the Gene Autry Christmas album Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer . Oh, my! I was in heaven when Christmas rolled around that year! Not only did I have my own record player, I had my very own Christmas record to play! My favorite song from that record was Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)  - because I loved Santa Claus! I would listen to that song and just imagine Santa coming "right down Santa Claus Lane." I actually believed in Santa Claus longer than most kids! Here are the lyrics to Here Comes Santa Claus (which I find slightly scandalous now!) . . . Here comes Santa Claus, Here comes Santa ...

Some Pieces of Wood Some pieces of wood our Master held, And His form was of a child. My Lord! Some pieces of wood our Master held, And His hands with slivers filled. My God! Some pieces of wood our Master held, With arms nailed firm and fast. My King! A Child! A Man! A Crucified King! It all began at Bethlehem when angels came to sing. My Lord! My God! My Living King! Some pieces of wood did hold! Ole Winter Day 11 Scripture: "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." Micah 5:2 photo credit: 50 Prime via photopin cc

Have you tried Starbucks' Cranberry Bliss Bars ??? They are heavenly! A couple of years ago, I found a recipe to make these bars - and so I did. And they're even better homemade!!! It's become my little tradition to take these to our church Christmas party. Cranberry Bliss Bars Recipe from Food.com Cake 1 cup butter, softened 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed 3 eggs 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla or 1 1/2 teaspoons orange extract 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup diced dried cranberries 6 ounces white chocolate, cut into chunks Frosting 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 3 cups powdered sugar 4 teaspoons lemon juice or 2 teaspoons orange extract 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/4 cup diced dried cranberries Drizzled Icing 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 tablespoon milk 2 teaspoons vegetable shortening orange zest, garnish (optional) Directions : Preh...

"Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." ~~ Luke 1:34, 35 ~~ photo credit: Will Humes via photopin cc

  Worth the Read is a feature I want to bring back to the blog - I just have to remember to collect articles that I read through the week! Here's this week's collection of links I feel are Worth the Read: When You Feel Forsaken - Many people feel forsaken at Christmas. This article by Alicia Reagan can be an encouragement to find your security in Jesus. For some reason, I feel that the Lord would have me share this one today. The Key to Contentment - At this season that seems to feed discontentment, Terrie Chappell gives us one of the keys to being content in an excerpt from her book It's a Wonderful Life . Choosing Joy - Many of our problems are caused by the choices we make. In this article, Jenny Navarette tells us how to choose joy. The Clock is Ticking Down - Pastor Jack Trieber of North Valley Baptist Church encourages us to prepare for the new year in four of the most important areas of our lives. The Stewarding Life Planner - This is a 2014 dai...

Photo and recipe from Taste of Home This recipe was one of the first Christmas recipes my husband requested our first Christmas together. I have to admit, I haven't made them often in the 29 years since then, but he still loves them. Maybe I'll throw a batch together for him this Christmas!   Pecan Thumbprints 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1 egg yolk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 egg white, lightly beaten 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts ...

I found this old Christmas hymn in the American Annual of Christmas Literature and Art ,Volume 36, published in 1966.   On A Day On a day, when men were counted, God became the Son of Man; That his name, in ev'ry census  Should be entered was his plan. God, the Lord of all Creation, Humbly takes a creature's place; He whose form no man has witnessed, Has to-day a human face. On a night, while silent shepherds Watched their flocks upon the plain, Came a message with its summons Brought by song of angel train: Lo, in Bethlehem's little village Has arrived the Shepherd King, And each shepherd to his Master Must his sheep as offering bring. When there shone the star of David In the spangled eastern sky; Kings arrived to pay their homage To the Chrst, the Lord most high. Yet not all, for lo there soundeth Through the streets a fearful cry, For a king who will not worship Has decreed that Christ must die. Yet it'...

  Welcome to December Daily 2013! Every day through Christmas Day I will include a Scripture passage related to Christmas  at the end of each post. On Sundays, the Scripture for that day will be the December Daily post for that day. So I begin this year's December Daily with a Scripture, which is very fitting, don't you think?! "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:" ~~  Isaiah 40:3,4  ~~ photo credit: State Farm via photopin cc