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Have Some Fun and Make Some Memories
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 (NIV) Fresh off the heels of the month of gratitude comes another month to be grateful and to give praise to the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,” and newborn babe laid in a manger. Find much to celebrate during the month of Jesus’ birth. Tell the story over and over again. Read it from His Word, and sing hymns proclaiming His birthday. In addition to much fanfare about a baby born in Bethlehem this month, incorporate some of these unusual, but actual, holidays in your family festivities. National Pear Month – Work together in the kitchen to prepare this seasonal pear cobbler recipe. Stir together one cup of Bisquick mix and one cup of sugar. Add three-fourths cup of milk to dry ingredients and stir until blended. Pour one-half cup of melted butter into a two quart glass baking dish. Pour the Bisquick mixture over the butter evenly, but do not stir. Pour two and a half cups of chopped pears evenly over the top. Sprinkle one-fourth cup of cinnamon imperials candies evenly....
Read MoreThe Miracle of Bethesda
The acoustics in the Church of Saint Anne in Jerusalem are out of this world. The sound echoes and plays on the walls, transforming the music of our small group so that it sounds like a much larger group is singing. Our tour group sang the old hymn, “How Great Thou Art,” although I simply mouthed the words because the last thing this holy site needed was the horror of my singing voice amplified by these walls. My voice is enough to make even a saint faint. But fortunately our group had some beautiful voices… O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder Consider all the worlds Thy hands hath made, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed… The day we visited Saint Anne’s was a gorgeous spring afternoon, with flowers spilling over in the courtyard outside the church. The Church of Saint Anne was built in the 12th Century during the Crusader period, but tradition says it was built over the place where Mary, the mother of Jesus, was born. Anne and Joachim were the parents of Mary, so the church became known as Saint Anne’s. If this is truly where Mary was born, then it is a fitting location because if you walk...
Read MoreHappy Thanksgiving
Wishing you and your family a blessed and healthy Thanksgiving. Take lots of photos and make some memories! From all of us at Just 18...
Read MoreA Thanksgiving “What If…”
What if God limited Himself to pouring out His blessings upon us according to the thankfulness in our hearts and flowing from our lips? What if the prayers He answered were based on our gratitude from past responses to our requests? Thank you notes seem to have blown away with the winds of the years that fly by. I sometimes fear that to be the case spiritually for me—that I haven’t thanked God often enough for what He’s done...
Read MoreThanksgiving Fruit Salad
Thanksgiving is a celebration of thanking God for a good harvest and a good year. It’s the end of the season of harvesting apples, pumpkins, watermelon, and other fruits. The Bible talks about different types of fruits. Jesus taught that we are to be fruitful in good deeds. There are fruits of the Holy Spirit like peace, joy, and goodness. Make a fruit salad as a reminder of the harvest. Add in cherries that have the pits removed to...
Read MoreBut Why?
There it is again like an echo bouncing off the kitchen walls. A three-letter word that is never satisfied. “Why?” my grandson asks. A little hand pats my leg, soft but insistent. Round blue eyes search mine as if the connection somehow might supply what he needs to know. I’ve heard the question at least a billion times this morning, and as I plop myself down, exhausted by his innocent insistence, I recognize within my heart how often that...
Read MoreBurst Out in Songs of Thanksgiving
The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. Psalm 28:7 NLT Finally, some gorgeous, autumn-like weather here in south Georgia! Fall seems to take its time getting to us in the south, but that makes us appreciate the season even more. Wherever you live, make sure to enjoy everything that this time of the year offers,...
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