Simeon & Anna

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy 

Spirit was upon him.  And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.  and he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peach,

according to your word;

for my eyes have seen your salvation 

that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory to your people Israel."

And his father and mother marveled at what was said about him.  And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."

Luke 2:25-35

The Angel's Song

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 in 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!"

Luke 2:8-14

Zechariah's Song

And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Luke 1:68-79

Mary's Magnificat

And Mary said,

"My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

And his mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

he has brought down the mighty from their thrones

and exalted those of humble estate;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

as he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his offspring forever."

Elizabeth's Song

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb.  And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!"  And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.  And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

Luke 1:41-45

Fruitful in the Place of Affliction

Today, like most days, I was listening to Revive Our Hearts with Nancy Leigh DeMoss.  The episode was called Fruitful in the Place of Affliction.  It was so fabulous I just felt I really wanted to share some of the highlights.  May they bless your hearts as they did mine.

"If you're a child of God, God has already redeemed and delivered you from the worst possible outcome that anyone from sin, from Satan, from hell, from eternal damnation and condemnation, from the wrath of God. You have been delivered."

"You may be in a storm. You may be in some other kinds of chains, but you've been delivered in the ways that matter most for all of time and eternity."

"A soul redeemed demands a life of praise."

"If you've been redeemed, if I've been redeemed, it is unthinkable that we should live lives of anything other than unceasing, unending praise and thanksgiving and worship."

"We lift our eyes up to heaven into the light of His face. Up from our darkness and we say, "Oh, God, I choose to believe that You are good, that Your steadfast love endures forever. I give You thanks that I have been redeemed."

"And let me say to those with prodigal children or friends, husbands, important word here, all of those women who were crying in the aisles last night? Be willing to let God be God in that person's life. And be willing to let God do whatever He knows is needed in their life to make them desperate for Him."

"Know that whatever discipline God brings about in our lives or those we love, He can also with a word restore."

"Wherever you're going, He will go with you. He will go in you, and He wants to make you fruitful even in the place of your affliction."

"You can experience fullness, freedom, and fruitfulness in Christ as long as you keep abiding in Him and letting Him have His way, letting him be God, trusting Him with what you can't understand, not demanding answers, not demanding fixes. Yes, crying out, and then trusting God to deliver in His way."

"Not only does God want to turn some of the desert places where you are in His way and time into fruitful places, but for generations to come the fruit of your walk with Christ will be experienced in the lives of coming generations."

"Joy is the presence of Christ with me, in me, through me in the midst of the storm and the pain."

"You say, "Yes, it's bad out there, but it's true in my world where I live, in my workplace, in my family. There's so much evil." I want to tell you one day as you walk with Him through this, all wickedness will shut its mouth."

"You don't have to perform to be loved by Him. You don't have to fix your own life. Cry out to Him, and believe Him to come and do by His grace what you could never do."

"Crying out to the Lord shouldn't be just something we do when an invitation's given. It's something we ought to be doing all the time."

"That daily connection to biblical truth is so important for all of us we seek to thrive in Christ."

The scripture used for this message was taken from Psalm 107.

Oh give thanks, to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.  Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.  Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.  He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.  Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!  For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.  

To read the rest of Psalm 107, click here.

  

Decisions! Decisions!

It that time of the year again.  Yes, it's Christmas time.  It's a time giving and sharing, BUT how do you handle it.  There are SO many opportunities to give.  It seems like every time you turn a corner, someone is collecting for some needy cause.  All good causes mind you.  I love giving, but a person can only do so much, right?  So, what is a girl to do?  

For years, I would feel guilty if I didn't give to everything.  That's crazy, I know.  So, my wise husband suggested we focus our giving to our local church.  We've done the Angel Tree, Operation Christmas Child, food bags to our local food pantry, gift boxes called Gifts of Grace, adopted families, etc.   The opportunities in the church are limitless.  It's not that we never give outside of our church, but it is primary.  Now, I can walk pass the bell ringer with a clear conscience.  I am actually ok with it.   Here are some reasons we've decided to focus our giving to the church.

1.  It simplifies giving.   I'm not running here and there to drop off donations.

2.  We know the causes are legitimate causes.  We trust our church and the discernment of the leaders.

3.  I can open the mail or go to town without feeling pressured because we are, in fact giving.

4.  All gifts are given in the name of Christ.  This is my favorite reason.  Not only will recipient hear the Gospel, but they see it in action.

So there you go, folks!  Free yourself from the guilt.  Remember, we can't give to everything, but we can give where it does the most good.  Relax.  Enjoy the season.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."  

John 13:34-35

The Lord's Day

"What creation teaches us about the use of time. What is a year? A year is the measurement of the amount of time that it takes the earth to orbit the sun; alright?—simple enough. What is a month? A month is a unit of time corresponding approximately to one cycle of the moon’s phases. What is a day? A day is a unit of time corresponding to one cycle of the earth’s rotation on its axis.

What’s a week? A week is the only unit of time that does not correspond to the cycle of any heavenly body—no moon, no sun, no stars. A week is an ecclesiastical measurement of time that only makes sense in light of the creation account in Genesis. It’s the only reason we have the concept of a week—Genesis 2:1-3. So, the Lord’s Day and the pace of life—“Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days, you shall labor and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord, your God. On it, you shall not do any work—you, your sons, your daughters, your male servant, your female servant, your livestock, or the sojourner within your gates. For in six days, the Lord made the heavens and earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, because of what God did in creation, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

So, what does this teach us? What does this concept teach us? This is not about how you observe the Sabbath; okay? We can have discussions about that, but that’s not the point right now because, regardless of where you are theologically on that, this still matters. It teaches us the balance of work and life. It teaches us the balance of work and life. That’s written in the creation and written in the Scripture. It teaches us the priority of worship. One day in seven; one day in seven; one day in seven. It always comes, and it’s always His. We’re always reminded that it is the center point of our lives.

In fact, in the New Testament—it’s a very interesting point here. In the New Testament, you don’t find days of the week. In the Greek New Testament, you won’t find the names of the days of the week; okay? It is: first day of the week, second day of the week, third day of the week. So, what happens is—the Lord’s Day becomes the center of all time. Everything else is measured by its distance from the Lord’s Day—the priority of worship—this teaches us the sovereignty of God."
Pastor Voddie Baucham

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.  And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.  So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. 

Genesis 2:1-3

Role Reversal

I've been doing this Bible study with my daughter, Grace.  The was part of our reading tonight.  It was so good I just wanted to share.

"You see, when God created male and female, He provided an object lesson-a visible testimony-to His entire plan of redemption (Ephesians 5).

History started with God creating a man and a woman and uniting them as husband and wife because it will end with the marriage and spiritual union of Christ the bridegroom and His Bride, the Church.

God had the end in mind before the beginning.  He had the marriage and union of Christ and the Church in mind when He created gender.

Manhood, womanhood, marriage, and sex are images that exist for the express purpose of pointing us to something else.  They are mini lessons that tell the amazing story of the gospel!

The cosmic love story is so magnificent that God chose to put it on display permanently.  Everywhere.  Men were created to reflect the strength, love, and initiatory self-sacrifice of Christ.  Women were created to reflect the character, grace, beauty, and responsiveness of the Bride He redeemed.

Imagine that!  YOUR womanhood was created to tell the spectacular story of what a love relationship with Jesus is all about!"

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.  "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."  This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.  However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.  

Eph 5:22-33, ESV

Becoming God's True Woman...While I Still Have a  Curfew
page 121

The Other Side of Modesty

Here is a great article addressing modesty in men.  Remember, modesty is a heart issue so it relates to both men and women.   Enjoy!

http://therebelution.com/blog/2013/06/the-other-side-of-modesty/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rebelution+%28The+Rebelution%29&utm_content=Google+Reader#.UccKCPm1HVs

Merry Christmas

"Star of Wonder,

Star of Night,

Star with Royal Beauty Bright"...

It's Christmas Eve;

Delight in the Joy to come.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

Preparing For Marriage

Free Ebook offer from Desiring God.

Preparing well for marriage means asking hard questions.

Getting to know that special someone includes learning about family and friends and schooling and athletics, favorite pastimes, books, movies, life's best moments and worst, the brightest places in our background and the darkest.

But what about theology?  Ever think to ask about that?

Our (Desiring God) hope is that a few couples, whether dating and considering marriage, or engaged and preparing for marriage, would find some benefit here, get to know each other better in some of life's most significant matters, and be more fit to discern God's leading for their lives.

Click here for free ebook.

Blessings,
MissyLou

A Modern Day Hannah

I had the privilege of meeting a modern day Hannah.  Actually, I already knew this precious lady.  She is our family physician.  She and her husband have been blessed with a baby girl after 10 years of prayers!!!  Ten years!!!  That must have seemed like a lifetime during the midst of it all, but now it must seem to have been  worth the prayers, tears, struggles, etc.  When I heard the news, I rejoiced through tears with her, praised God with her and immediately thought of Hannah and how faithful our God is.

She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.  And she vowed a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head."  1 Samuel 1:10-11

And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, "I have asked for him from the LORD."   1 Samuel 1:20

These Inward Trials

I asked the Lord, that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek more earnestly His face.

I hoped that in some favored hour
At once He’d answer my request,
and by His love’s constraining power
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel
the hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry powers of hell
Assault my soul in every part.

Yea more, with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

‘Lord, why is this?’ I trembling cried,
`Wilt thou pursue Thy worm to death?’
`This in this way,’ the Lord replied,
`I answer prayer for grace and faith.

These inward trials I employ
From self and pride to set thee free;
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thou mayst seek thy all in Me.’

John Newton

Boys, Math & Video Games

"In 1992 we began to see a very significant academic decline in boys.  You might remember that before that boys were king of the math world. Girls ruled in the English department, but boys were king of the math world. And they had a rather strong work ethic in their academics. But we saw a significant decline in that beginning in 1992.

Well, you have to ask yourself what transpired right prior to that to make that happen. In the 1970s, in 1971 exactly, the very first computer game came out, but it took a warehouse to store it. When they finally got it down small enough, the only thing they could do was to put it in a public place. So some of you may remember visiting something called an arcade? It took them a few years after that and they came out with a pretty archaic system. Some of you might remember playing asteroids or pong. Blip! Blip! Blip, blip! That was a fast one.

It wasn’t until the early 1980s that we had a viable home system called Nintendo. And computers began to be created specifically for game use including the Commodore 54, Macintosh, and PC Compatibles. By the early 90s, we saw that significant decline. We saw boys who became so concerned about fighting epic battles that were virtual, that they no longer cared about the real world around them.

Today the average boy will spend thirty-five hours in front of his PlayStation or X-box console or in front of the computer playing games. Most of them by the eleventh year of their life will have been introduced to pornography."

Dannah Gresh

Modeling For Our Children

"If your children learned about submission from the way you submit to God-ordained authority, how would they submit? What are the attitudes of the adult generation toward authority? Are we quick to berate or badmouth anything from the President to the pastor to the husband to the schoolteacher? What is our attitude toward authority? I have watched parents skirting the law, lying about the kid's age to get into an amusement park. That's rebellion against authority. Then you have a mom who rolls her eyes when it comes to her husband's authority and is a disgruntled wife, then wants her children to obey with a happy heart and a good attitude. I think when the younger generation sees us honoring authority, and they see the blessings and the rewards of that in our lives and the peace that that brings, to me that's going to be more compelling than just saying, 'You need to come under authority'".

Nancy Leigh DeMoss

submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Eph. 5:21

For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king." 1 Samuel 15:21

The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will. Proverbs 21:1

The Story of Ian and Larissa

Meet Ian and Larissa Murphy.  

Their story is a beautiful one of a godly marriage and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Ladies, grab and tissue and be blessed :)

Their story:

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/why-we-got-married

Their blog:

http://prayforian.blogspot.com/

Ian's company:

http://vinegarhillcreative.com/

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Rom 8:28

Go Science 6-Vol DVD Collection

In the exciting world of science and God's creation, textbooks and tests have their place.  But sometimes children need to see the wonders of science demonstrated in real life to fully grasp how science works and how amazing our Creator truly is.

Can you tell if an egg is raw or not by the way it spins?  Can water boil in a paper cup?  What is a centripetal force?  If you don't know the answers, you'd better find out fast--because your children are about to learn all that and more!

Recommended for ages 6-14.

Titles in this series:

• Motion: Discovering the Laws of Gravity and Motion
• Simple Machines, Sounds, and Weather
• Magnetism, Electricity, and Engineering
• Chemistry, States of Matter, and Life Sciences
• Air and Flight
• Water, Space, and the Solar System

Are Your Sons Prepared?

A couple of weeks ago, I listened to a series of messages, from Family Life Today, about preparing sons.  Now, I don't have any sons, but I still enjoyed these messages.  Occasionally I listen to messages directed towards boys/men.  Why would I do that?  I find it gives me a different perspective that helps me be a better wife and helps me to prepare my daughter.  So, I encourage you to listen to these.  You will be blesseds

Are your sons fair game for the girls?  Dennis Rainey addresses the very real problem of sexually aggressive girls.  Rainey explains that, due to the rise of absent fathers today, many young women are looking for their emotional gas tanks to be filled by young men, and doing whatever it takes to get a boy's love and attention. Find our how to teach your sons how to deal with aggressive girls in the Aggressive Girls series below.

http://www.familylife.com/audio/topics/parenting/essentials/raising-boys/aggressive-girls/20120416-protecting-our-boys

Dennis Rainey talks honestly with parents about protecting their sons from overly aggressive girls.

http://www.familylife.com/audio/topics/parenting/essentials/raising-boys/aggressive-girls/20120417-warning-bad-girls-ahead

Would your son know what to do if he was propositioned by a member of the opposite sex?  What about a member of the same sex?  

http://www.familylife.com/audio/topics/parenting/essentials/raising-boys/aggressive-girls/20120418-equipping-your-sons-for-battle

Does your son attract girls like bees to honey?  Dads need to be proactive in a son's life by having some meaningful, intentional conversations with them about various topics including: the value and application of godly wisdom, how to handle sexual temptation, God's design for sex in marriage, and the characteristics of an adulterous woman.

http://www.familylife.com/audio/topics/parenting/essentials/raising-boys/aggressive-girls/20120419-careful-conversations-to-share-with-your-son

What does your son know, and believe, about women?  Topics to discuss with your sons in order to prepare them for relationships with the opposite sex.  Some topics include: rejecting passivity, the benefits of initiating, and the value of boundaries.  What can moms do to help...raise girls who aren't aggressive.

http://www.familylife.com/audio/topics/parenting/essentials/raising-boys/aggressive-girls/20120420-getting-him-ready-for-the-opposite-sex

Can We Please God?

The Bible teaches that since the original sin of Adam, all humans are spiritually dead and morally incapable of submitting to God in faith and obedience.  By nature we have a mindset that cannot submit to God.  "The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed it cannon.  Those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:7-8).  The reason for this moral inability is given in Ephesians 2:1-"You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked."  And therefore, we are "sons of disobedience" and "children of wrath"...

John Piper,
Bloodlines