Let It Snow!

 

He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes. ~Psalm 147:16

Yes!  We finally get snow!  Our last decent storm occurs in 2017.

In 2020, we do get enough of the white stuff for granddaughter, Virginia, to enjoy for a while, but it melts away all too quickly.

This time, our snow is predicted to begin falling around 7:00 a.m. Friday of last week.  I'm an early riser, so Danny insists that I wake him should this forecast be accurate.  For once, the weather gurus get it right!  Watching the snow descend softly, silently, and witnessing its rapid accumulation is magical, indeed.

This last daytime shot is what our driveway looks like.  We are at home for the long haul!

At night, Danny captures the wonder of icicles clinging to branches, illuminated by outdoor lights.

Saturday, the cloud cover and low temperatures keep melting to a minimum.  Sunday, however, the sun makes its return, and oh, how the ice-coated trees glisten and gleam gloriously.

As I write this on Sunday afternoon, I can hear the persistent drip, drip, drip of ice and snow as the sun travels in its arc across the clear blue sky.  Our fabulous snow days may not have lingered long, but our amazing memories of it will.

Amen!

Your Grace is Enough

 

For by grace, you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. ~Ephesians 2:8-9

Do you choose a word for the year, or does the word choose you?  I find the latter to be true for me.

Beginning of Christmas Eve, my husband, Danny, develops cold-like symptoms, but is able to make it through the candlelight service as we are scheduled to sing at church.  His symptoms don't improve over the next several days, and we find ourselves at a reliable urgent care facility where he has gone previously.

The doctor runs several tests while we're there.  Even though Danny has no fever and his oxygen levels are good, the test comes back positive for Covid.  Oh, great!  Now, I'm worried that I should be tested, too, but the doctor reassures us that she has seen lots of married couples over the years where one will get it and the other won't.  Even though I'm having some drainage and a slightly runny nose, I decide to wait it out and see what happens in the subsequent days.

As we turn the car out of the medical office to head home, I spot a stand-alone store front with two large, eye-catching words in bright red:  GRACE CHURCH.  A retail establishment that once conducted worldly business is now inviting people into doing God's business on earth.

The word "grace" jumps out at me and gives me pause:  Could this be my word for the year, Lord?  I decide, as I do with the Covid test, to give it some time.  But I can't help but notice how often the word turns up in the first days of the new year.

My daily devotional for the year is New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp.  On January 1st and 3rd, this is what Tripp says about grace:  He (God) did this (sent Jesus) so that you would not only be forgiven for your allegiance to your own glory, but have every grace you need to live for his.  And - The God of eternity grants you his eternal grace so that you can live with eternity in view.

And sandwiched in between, on January 2nd, Pastor Bill Grandi who blogs at Living in the Shadow writes the following: The best gift ever given was God's redeeming grace.  Sin loses its power when stacked against that.

Coincidence?  I think NOT!  Grace is precisely the word God wants me to ponder throughout 2025.  I can't earn grace.  I don't deserve it.  None of us can or do.  But we can all rejoice each day, giving God the glory, knowing His grace is enough.  Always!

Great is your faithfulness, oh, God

You wrestle with the sinner's heart

You lead us by still waters and to mercy

And nothing can keep us apart.

So remember Your people

Remember Your children

Remember Your promise, oh, God

Your grace is enough, Your grace is enough

Your grace is enough for me.

~Matt Maher

 

Let Your Light Shine!

 

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. ~Matthew 5:16

I know, I know.  Many of you have already dismantled your Christmas decorations and stowed them safely in their designated bins and boxes until next year's Advent.  You are all set to welcome the New Year this evening at midnight, or if you are like me, you will turn in at your usual bedtime, as if tomorrow is simply another day.  Whichever you choose to do, that's entirely up to you and fine by me!

We enjoy seeing our Christmas lights and decorations through Epiphany.  They are such a gracious reminder of the time when the Light of the World, Jesus, came to earth as one of us.  And seeing this warm illumination at the darkest season of the year gives us hope, purpose and assurance that we, too, can shine the light of the Lord each and every day.

So, here's to wishing all of you, dear friends, no matter how you choose to celebrate, the happiest, healthiest and blessed New Year in 2025!  May you greet the turning of the calendar with optimism, joy and anticipation of all that God will bring your way.

And let your light ever shine for God's glory and honor.

Amen!

Christmas Joy!

 

From our house to yours,

Merry Christmas!

And may joy, health and peace

abound in the 

New Year.

Love and blessings,

Martha and Danny

Kittie Cat Christmas

 

For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. ~Romans 8:22

Rocky and Riley are the two fortunate kitties that my daughter, Sarah, and her husband, John, adopt after they lose their beloved Henry in January of this year.  They hope that these new additions will help their girls, especially Virginia, who thought of Henry as her best friend, begin to heal the gaping holes Henry's passing leaves in their hearts.

Their strategy works!  Whenever we FaceTime, we can count on one of the girls carrying the nearest cat to the phone so we can see them, too.  They have become fast friends with these sweet pets.

After Thanksgiving, Sarah and John decide to set up their Christmas tree.  This is the first Christmas for the young kitties.  While no one thinks they will anything more than curl up under it, just as Henry used to, they are in for an unexpected surprise.

Riley is a climber!

Seeing her innocent face peeking out from amidst the branches warms everyone's hearts.  She isn't destructive in the least, and it seems to us that she wants to embrace the Christmas spirit with her new "furever" family.  As for Rocky?  He seems content to stay grounded in the glitter below.

All of God's creatures, I believe, rejoice in their own way as we look forward to our celebration of our Savior's coming into the world, knowing Jesus will return one day to establish his kingdom on earth.  They seem to know, too, with the changes happening in their once-familiar environment, something special awaits on the horizon.

And yes, indeed, that is truer than true.

Amen!

~

As promised, here is an update on Alexandra:  Her surgery to remove her tonsils and adenoids is successful!  The doctor told John and Sarah that there was a lot of scarring, so it was past time to have this done.  Although she is still hurting, and has to take some pain medication, Sarah tells me that her voice now has a higher pitch than it did before since she isn't so stuffed up.  Prayers for her complete healing are so appreciated, dear friends.  Thanks most sincerely for all the prayers you've lifted already.  You are the best!

Alexandra with Daddy all smiles and set to go into surgery.  

Prayer Request

 

Alexandra displaying the war paint from her birthday cake last July

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Our youngest granddaughter, Alexandra, is what my mother would have called a "pepper tail."  She is ever spunky, and full of good-humored mischief and daring-do.  No challenge is deemed beyond her capability as she always tries to compete with her two older sisters, Virginia and Savannah, in high-spirited fashion.  Alexandra, with her unruly brown hair, so NOT blonde like her sisters, and a penchant for adventure, never lets anything get her down.

Until now.

She is facing surgery to remove her tonsils and adenoids this coming Friday.  Her parents, John and Sarah, know this procedure is inevitable after trips to the doctors and rounds of antibiotics fail to move the needle.  No one wants Alexandra to continue to suffer, but at the tender age of nine, she is daunted by the unknown, not able to fully understand that the surgery she will undergo will alleviate the awful throat and ear pain with which she's been afflicted.

And no child wants to be sick at Christmas.

We will have a FaceTime this week with Sarah and the girls, especially Alexandra.  Her Papa wants her to know that when he was little, he had to have the same procedure done as did her Uncle Giovanni.  He hopes this will reassure her, and give her comfort, that everything being done is for her own good health and happier days in the future.

Sounds a lot like what our loving Father in heaven wants for all of us, doesn't it?

I know this is a crazy, busy time of the year, but could you all add Alexandra to your prayer lists at home and at church?  Your prayers are so needed at this critical juncture in her young life.  And I thank each and every one of you for caring enough to do so.

My heart's desire is to see Alexandra's vim and vigor restored fully before Santa comes down the chimney.  With your prayers, and God's presence, I have every confidence that the Lord will come through for her and the entire family.

May God bless you in this season of Advent and beyond!

Amen!

Watching and Waiting

 

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.  See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.  You also be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. ~James 5:7-8

Advent is here once again, ushering in perhaps the most fruitful season of waiting in the church calendar year.  When we reflect upon waiting, in and of itself, we are often barraged by negative reactions in our minds of the places we find ourselves in the inescapable grips of having to wait.  At the doctor's office.  Caught in snarled traffic.  Endless lines at grocery and department store check outs.

We grow frustrated.  Angry, even.  We feel our blood pressure waxing and our patience waning.  On the commercial side of these holidays, we can be tempted to exude none of the good tidings and great joy the season promises with every carol and bell resounding over the store's speakers.

But Advent signals another type of waiting altogether.  This is waiting with a purpose.  A holy purpose.  The heavenly promise fulfilled that night in a lowly stable.  The promise that Jesus, the Lord and Savior of all, will return one day to redeem the entire world, once and for all.

This time, we're not having to wait; we are wanting to wait.

With joy and eager anticipation of His coming again.  Establishing our hearts, making ample room for Him to feel welcomed and adored.

I do hope and pray, during this wondrous season of watching and waiting, that each of you will do so with patience and expectation, knowing that the best gift ever given is close at hand.  And let the joy of Jesus, the Light of the World, to shine through to others, even and especially when you find yourself in a having-to-wait situation.

Amen!