Life’s mirror reflects
Past sorrows filled with heartache—
Today writes new page
Positivity
Lights candle in one more soul—
Love and kindness glow
Hopeful and ready
Discovering more than one—
Life’s next open door
One of the important qualities that I think is often overlooked is just energy. It’s vitality, and sort of a life force that some people have and others don’t.
Whatever it is that you do, if you have that passion and desire for it, that’s the most important thing.
Doris Kearns Goodwin (born 1943) is an American biographer and historian. In 1995, she received the Pulitzer Prize for History from her work on a biography about Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt during World War II. She has also worked as sports journalist.
Photo by fauxels on Pexels.com
Jesus gathers up His apostles from humble ground
Making up God’s team, their witness shall abound
God’s Word oversees the performance of this team
Standing as chief executive, seeing holiest theme
The Holy Spirit earmarks the hearts and brains
Serving as the binding glue, better than chains
Returning to the beginning of God’s creative time
Transforming a land, His Word continues to climb
The Creator conceives of a perfect place for man
Placing Adam and Eve in Eden, always His plan
But, Adam and Eve journey on a sin-filled path
Leaving the ample garden, under God’s wrath
From this moment, God’s team stumbles and wanders
Facing estrangement from God, His people squander
Jesus comes to bridge what separates us from God
Sitting at the right hand, coaching a humbled squad
God establishes His expectations, perfectly high
Faltering and imperfect mortals, will never satisfy
The team continues to collapse over and over again
Forgetting God’s Commandments, sin seems to win
Many teams measure success by the flashy show
Works by themselves, will never add much glow
But, Jesus shepherds His team on a brand new track
Following by faith alone, Jesus always has their back
He reminds us to always love our God in Heaven’s seat
Loving each other as you have loved Me, always repeat
A bloody, criminal’s Cross summons all to take a knee
Accepting Jesus as Savior, teammates look up to see
Our Father orchestrates, with infinite patience and love
Creating and molding, the Great I Am looks from above
Jesus remains alert at the Creator’s side
Carrying keys to eternal life, all bona fide
As team members, we must trust, follow, and abide
Playing for Jesus, His coaching is forever our guide
Originally published January, 2020.
Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.
From Galatians 5:22-23, 25: “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.”
Barbara Johnson (1927-2007) was an American author. Much of her writing reflected a strong Christian faith.
From Genesis 1:1-5: “When God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then 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.”
Scripture’s Holy verses
Breathing with His sacred love
Even before Creation acts
Father’s grace looks down from above
Planet’s vast emptiness
Moving from darkness to light
Eternity wakens with love
Father’s mercy always in flight
Favored, luscious garden
Inviting twosome to walk
Sinfulness spreading life’s darkness
Yet, Father’s love becomes faith’s rock
Harsh wilderness called home
Searching for His promised land
Israel waiting in exile
Father’s love forges plan so grand
Divine patience shares gift
Choosing Bethlehem stable
Greatest love story now proclaimed
Father’s peace sets Heaven’s table
From 1 John 4:9-12: “God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.”
Jesus did not tell parables to confirm well-known truths, but rather to shatter well-known truths.
From John 8:31-32: “Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him, ‘If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.'”
John Newton (1725-1807) was an English pastor who also was a writer of several hymns, including the beloved “Amazing Grace.” His early life is filled with contrasts, when compared to his later life. He served as a ship’s captain during the slave trade, but later renounced his work after his conversion to Christianity. He became an outspoken opponent of the slave trade later in his life.
December, 2022 will be one to remember for most of the United States. A poet’s reflections fill these verses while looking out a kitchen window. Always glad to be inside and staying warm when the wind chill plunges to -30 degrees.
Weather predictions hold true
More winter, never seems through
Cold, Arctic air sets up camp
Long-forgotten, frigid scamp
“Real” winter arrives in strength
Transmitting on all wavelengths
Morning light arrives, dark gray
Sunshine hiding this Friday
Landscape shivers under white
Every creature taking flight
Freezing wind never lets up
Wintertime’s polar holdup
Wind gust rocks home’s foundation
Turning on weather station
Snowy drifts growing deeper
Frosty, trusty doorkeeper
Barren trees bend against squall
No longer standing so tall
Life scatters, seeking shelter
Winter storm’s helter-skelter
Visibility nearly gone
Snow heavier than chiffon
Quiet roads, traffic withdrawn
No orders from Amazon
Keeping each home’s fire burning
Warming hearts, day keeps churning
Cup of cocoa, not enough
Snowing outside, rough and tough
Grabbing pair of heavy socks
Thawing frozen toes’ icebox
Sitting at writing table
Poet ready and able
Candle’s light dances like wind
Framing this coldest weekend
Perhaps this cup of hot cocoa will do the trick . . . along with extra marshmallows!
This informative post will be posted on Saturday along with my usual writing. You are invited to participate with the opening question.
The 22nd and 24th U.S. President had the same parents, but they were not brothers. How could this be?
(answer found at the end of this post)
Today’s post features six of my favorite Christmas movies. They will be listed in chronological order from the oldest to the most recent. If you feel like sharing your favorite Christmas movie, please leave a comment for other readers to see. Merry Christmas!
Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
An angel was summoned to save George Bailey, a frustrated businessman. The director was Frank Capra, and this film was one of his favorites. The screenplay was based upon a short story, “The Greatest Gift.”
Starring: Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O’Hara, John Payne
The setting was New York City, and Macy’s Department Store became the center of much of the film’s story. A very young Natalie Wood played the six year-old daughter. Of course, Santa stole the show in the end.
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Wendell Corey
This romantic-comedy followed the life of a young widow and her son as she must choose between her “boring” attorney and a down on his luck vagabond. The screenplay was based upon the story, “Christmas Gift.”
Starring: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen
A successful song and dance duo assisted two sisters in saving a failing Vermont Inn as Christmas approaches without any snow on the ground. Bing Crosby sang the classic Irving Berlin song of “White Christmas” as the film’s finale, but he had previously sung the song in two other films: “Holiday Inn” (1942) and “Blue Skies” (1946).
This made for TV movie was the first attempt of cartoonist George Schulz to bring his characters to life on the silver screen. Most of the children’s voices were those of real children.
Starring: Ed Asner, John Newton, Alice Evans, Lois Nettleton
This modern-day Hallmark movie brought an American soldier to a small town, guided by an inspirational Christmas card. The movie was filmed on location in Nevada City, California and Park City, Utah.
Below are single images from each film (courtesy of Pinterest). Starting from the left and going clockwise: Donna Reed and Jimmy Stewart, Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood, Janet Leigh and Robert Mitchum, Bing Crosby joined by Rosemary Clooney with Vera-Ellen and Danny Kaye, the Peanuts cast, and John Newton and Ed Asner.
They were the same man–Grover Cleveland, the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms.
Laughter survives . . . it has to survive.
No particular race is the enemy. Ignorance is the enemy.
George Lopez (born 1961) is an American comedian and actor, who has starred in several situation comedies for television as well as doing stand-up comedy.
Hallelujah!
Wonderful, Counselor
God with us
Hallowed Prince of Peace
Everlasting
Hallelujah!
Blessed Savior
Eternal life’s gift
Journey away from darkness
Inexhaustible
Hallelujah!
God’s goodness
Peace and grace
Kneeling at one cross
Undefeated
Big Sky Buckeye 