Joy or Happiness?

    How many times have you had a "bad day," when everything seemed to be against you? You get up to find your favorite shirt dirty. So you put on a less-beloved top and head to the kitchen. You end up burning your bacon because you're so busy cleaning up the milk you spilled all over the table. Then, as you go to put on your shoes, you stub your toe on that wall that came out of nowhere. Finally, you discover that your shoes are wearing out, and the soles are coming loose. That's the last straw! Grumbling, you take your frustration out on whatever is handy, excusing your actions with "I'm having a bad day."

   Who else has experienced this? I know I'm not the only one who has had those weird days where, the second you crawl out from under your bed covers, you know today is already ruined. 

   When those days come, I'm not happy. The day is ruined; therefore, I have the right to be unhappy. Maybe even grumpy the entire day. It's just not fair to expect a person who's having a bad day to just pretend everything's okay and go about their merry lives without a word of complaint, right?

   Wrong. It is so easy to pity oneself into making up excuses for our attitude. Trust me, I know. But . . . it's so tiring to be unhappy. I mean, when you're feeling okay and bad things come, it makes you frustrated. But when you're already grumpy and bad things come, it makes you angry. At least, that can happen to me. But after grumbling all day, you feel kind of tired. If it's so tiresome to grumble our ways through our trials, why do we do it?

   The truth is that I'm not absolutely sure . . . but it just might have something to do with the fact that we want our own way. We don't want to have to go through trials and frustrations. Who would want to? That's nonsensical! If someone told us to be happy about the trials we have to go through, we'd probably either retaliate or laugh, wouldn't we? Be happy about trials and persecutions and even the little tiny things that frustrate us so much? Absurd!

   The real question is: what does God say about it and how do we respond to it?

Well, James 1:2-4 has God's answer:

Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

   Hold on! Have joy when we encounter trials? Are you serious? Why in the world should we joy when we go through trials? That doesn't make any sense!

   Hm. It actually does, if you take a second to think about it and read the passage again. Why should we consider it all joy when we go through challenges? Because the testing of our faith produces endurance. If you are a Christian–a true, born-again believer in Christ–God is using various trials to test and therefore strengthen your faith in Him! The trials (even the tiny ones, like spilling tomato juice on your favorite white shirt) produce endurance! 

   I personally don't have much endurance in certain activities, like running and swimming. Sometimes I wish I did. How wonderful for your endurance to be strengthened in a favorite activity! Well, for a Christian, what's more important than his walk with Christ? Who wouldn't want more endurance and a stronger faith in Christ? Even at the cost of "various trials?"

   One more thing to notice: the verse did not mention happiness one iota! It never mentioned being happy or pretending everything's okay. Did you catch what it said? "Consider it all joy!" He didn't say, "Work up a joyful feeling," either. Know why?

   Joy is not based on circumstances like happiness. Being joyful is a choice.

   We're happy if things are going great, if we get what we desired, or if something happened just like we wanted it to. But joy, true joy, is not based off of whether things are going well for us. Joy is a choice!

   We must choose to be joyful. And true joy comes from Christ. So even when we start having a "bad day," we can stop and remember what Christ has done for us. And we can stop and remember that God told us to choose joy! Huh! That's not just a saying that you see on a t-shirt, after all!

   Don't just take it from me. I'm not writing this post to preach at you or guilt-trip you into anything. I'm merely writing about a topic God placed on my heart over the past few weeks. Don't assume I'm an authority on the subject; I've got to work on this topic a lot myself. Go read the Bible! God's Word is the way He speaks to us. Go and listen to what He has to say.

   

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

    

      I love Christmas. It's one of my favorite holidays. But Christmas, in which a tiny baby boy was born in Bethlehem, finds both its peak and its conclusion in Easter, in which the baby became a man and did something no other person in the history of time has ever done. This man is Jesus.

  He lived a sinless life, was sentenced to death out of spite and hatred, and suffered an agony deeper than any of us can comprehend.

Because His Father, who loved Him so much, turned His back on His Son and laid on Jesus the punishment we deserve . . . in fact, the Father was pleased to crush His Son, putting Him to grief (Is. 53:10)! 

   Let's face it–we don't like to be blamed for something we didn't do. We try to avoid taking punishment that does not belong to us. Why wouldn't we? The person who does the wrong should be the one disciplined for it . . . not some innocent bystander. It takes a lot of courage to take someone else's condemnation on ourselves . . . and a lot of love.

   Jesus Christ loved–and loves–us very much. He loves His Father. But why would He want to take on our punishment if it's just what we have merited?

   He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening [that is, punishment] for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed (Is. 53:5).

   Quite simply . . . that is why Christ had to die. That is why Christ took on the worst agony this world has ever seen.

Because we need Him.

   Without Him, we are lost in our sin. And trust me, you will not find any other hope for salvation except through the blood of Jesus Christ. Many people think they can. But the simple fact is that no one can obtain eternal salvation unless it be through the Lamb of God. 

   Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday evening. Keep the true celebration in mind. The celebration of the event at Calvary. The death of Christ. 

And the triumphant victory of death when Jesus rose from the grave three days later!  

 

He is alive today!

10 Days of Christmas #10: Finale & Giveaway

 

      Well, we've come to the final day of our 10 Days of Christmas! I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I have, and thank you so much for participating. I'd no idea how this would turn out, seeing as how I'd never hosted a blog party of any sort before, but you all have been amazing. We'll see what happens, but maybe I could make this an annual thing. Of course, there's so many other Christmas blog parties that go on this time of year, and that's why I say "maybe." What do you think? Should I do this again next year?

And now onto the winner of the giveaway! Drumroll, please . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Abigail H., you have been crowned the winner! Congratulations! 

   And for the rest of you as well, I'd like to wish you a very Merry Christmas! Have a blessed day and a joyful rest of your year. And as we go into the next year, keep in mind that nothing that happens is out of God's control.

Merry Christmas!!

Ten Days of Christmas #9: Scripture

   Hello everybody, and welcome to the Ten Days of Christmas blog party! I'm very excited to be participating in this. This blog event will be posted every two days. Specifically, December 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, 20th, and 22nd. On each day but the last one, the theme will be associated with a certain letter of "Christmas." At the end of the event (the 22nd), the winner of the giveaway will be announced.

With that brief overview out of the way, let's get started!

Today's letter from C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S is "S" for

   

*Let it be known: because there's so many good points to mention, this may be a bit longer of a post. Please stick with me, though!*

   According to the dictionary:

scripture |'skripture|

noun

(often Scripture or Scriptures) the sacred writings of Christianity contained in the Bible

   I just wanted to start this off with that description of this word. Alright, so how does Christmas relate to scripture? What does the Bible have to do with a holiday about gifts and trees and red and green? Well, it has everything to do with Christmas, it turns out. In fact, those other things --gifts, red, green, etc.-- are the things that were added by man to what many see as the "meaning" of Christmas. But if we look into the true meaning of Christmas, which is a holiday technically made by God, not man, we will see that Scripture holds the story of the foundation for Christmas.

Luke 2:1-3

   Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all the people were on their way to register for the census, each to his own city.

   Pause! Now, why am I putting in this seemingly random fact into the story? Well, because it's crucial to what happened; that's why. If God had not put the Roman Empire into place, this decree never would have been sent out! And if the decree hadn't gone out, the entire Christmas story, in a sense, would be for naught, because . . . well, let's keep on, and you'll see.

Luke 2:4-7

   Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was betrothed to him, and was pregnant. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

   Wow! Besides being beautifully written (by the way, who else agrees that God has got to be the most amazing writer ever???), that was loaded with some interesting facts! Did you catch them? Okay, let's review what we have so far: 

(1) As I mentioned before, it's crucial that the decree be passed. Why? Because it made it necessary for Joseph to travel to Bethlehem with Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus. Why is it so important that he go to Bethlehem? Because it fulfilled the prophecy that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. 

   In Micah 5:2, it says: "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity." 

   This means that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, he fulfilled the prophecy about it from many, many years before!

(2) This made Jesus, through Joseph, from the lineage of David! Why is this fact so significant? Because it fulfilled the prophecy that Jesus would be in David's lineage. 

   In Acts 13:22-23, it says: "After He [God] had removed him [King Saul], He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, 'I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.' From the descendants of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus . . ." 

   As I said, this means that when Jesus's earthly father was Joseph, He became of David's line and thus fulfilled an old prophecy! How could men from years before Jesus's time know this . . . unless God had revealed it to them because He already knew it was going to happen?

(3) Joseph was from Nazareth, and later, Jesus spent a his childhood in that place, too! Why is it so important that Jesus be from there? Because it fulfilled the prophecy that Jesus would be a Nazarene. 

  In Matthew 2:23, it says: " . . . And [Joseph] came and settled in a city called Nazareth. This happened so that what was spoken through the prophets would be fulfilled: 'He will be called a Nazarene.'"

   Again, "what was spoken through the prophets" was spoken a while before Jesus came. What amazing wisdom and foresight God had!

   Okay, let's keep going with the story. I'm going to skip over to Matthew for a moment, because all the gospels fit so beautifully together and tie the story of Jesus's birth together so well. This is actually kind of a "preface" to what we just read in Luke.

Matthew 2:18-25

   Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call his name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

   And look carefully at the next part. Isn't it astounding how perfectly God laid out His plan even before it came to pass?

(Continued from verse 22) 

   Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means, God with us." And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

   Who here is continually amazed by how p-e-r-f-e-c-t-l-y God wove Jesus's birth, His ministry, and the prophecies about Him together? *raises my hand* As an aspiring writer, I've got to say: that is the best plot I've ever read in my life; it corresponds so well. Also, the word "behold" is such a perfect touch. Just . . . beautiful.

   Okay, let's keep going. I'm jumping back to the Gospel of Luke now.

Luke 2:8-14

   In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." 

   Okay, a few things here. Um, first, I definitely would be TERRIFIED if an angel suddenly stood right in front of me on a dark night! It's no wonder that, time and time again, we see angels in the Bible saying "Do not be afraid" to the people they appear to. 

   Secondly, did you notice it said "which will be for all the people?" That means anyone, no matter their state, background, or former religion, can still come to Christ. I mean, God saved Saul (better known as Paul, the author of most of the New Testament epistles), and Saul had been a fervid persecutor of the Christian church. Read Acts 22 for the story of his conversion. 

   I'd keep going, and read through the whole continuing story of the shepherds, Kind Herod, the Magi (or wise men, as they're also called), and the flight to Egypt. But that would literally take probably the rest of the day, so I'll leave you with this and urge you to read the first few chapters of Luke and Matthew for the rest of the Christmas story.

   Just remember: it isn't about good food. It isn't about giving and receiving earthly gifts. It isn't about shopping. It's ultimately about the birth of Jesus, the Son of God Who came to earth and took on the body of mortal man so He could eventually die on the cross to take the punishment for our sins upon Himself. 

   That's what CHRISTmas is really all about. This is not to say that giving gifts to others, spending time with friends and family, eating a delicious Christmas meal, and decorating in reds and greens is bad, because it isn't. Just so long as we keep the focus on Christ and not on ourselves or even each other. This holiday is called CHRISTmas, not "me-mas" or "others-mas." :)

   As someone said just today: the Gospel is the only gift that "keeps on giving."

   It won't wear out, break down, become irrelevant, or cease to exist. It's not like our earthly gifts --though those aren't bad in and of themselves. But they don't last. They don't bring about ultimate salvation. 

   But the gift of God does. It does last, stays sound, remains relevant, doesn't disappear, and does bring about salvation for those who would receive it.

   So as you go about your business these few days before Christmas, keep the Greatest Gift in mind. The gift God Himself gave to us in love.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

 Visit Little Blossoms for Jesus, Culinary Scribbles, and Rebekah's Reading Room to see the coordinating posts from the other participants, and don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Happy Thanksgiving!

     Hello, and Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Wow, we've had an interesting year, haven't we? There's been a lot of confusion and a lot of dissension over various things. But I pray and hope you all haven't lost sight of all the blessings we've been given. I'm so thankful, and He's continually reminding me of how good He is. 

I'm thankful for family.

I'm thankful for friends. 

I'm thankful for all you people who take time time to read my little blog. 

I'm thankful for warmth.

I'm thankful for cozy blankets, hot cocoa, spiced apple cider, soft jackets, my crazy cats, and that God has saved me from eternal separation from Him.

And . . . I'm thankful for affliction.

   Yes, you read that correctly. It's a hard decision to choose to be thankful amidst COVID, quarantine, spiders, seaweed, and all the other things that our plans get most frustrated from. This is something I've been learning myself. It's a lot easier to forget all the good things God's given us because everything seems so complicated. But the Bible says:

Psalm 119:71-72

It is good for me that I was afflicted, so that I may learn your statutes. The Law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

Psalm 106:1

Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy is everlasting.

And this one is literally entitled as a psalm for thanksgiving:

Psalm 100

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.

Serve the Lord with jubilation;

Come before Him with rejoicing.

Know that the Lord Himself is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving, 

And His courtyards with praise.

Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting

And His faithfulness is to all generations.

   This is not to say that things won't be hard. Things are hard. But remember this: Jesus suffered the hardest affliction imaginable. He was perfect, the Son of God, and His Father crushed Him for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5). In fact, when Jesus died on the cross, not only was He taking the weight and punishment for every person's sin, but in Matthew 27:46, it also says that God, Jesus's Father had forsaken Jesus. Because that's what we all rightfully deserve for our sins. To be eternally separated from God. 

   But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses [sins], made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 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. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:4-10)

So let's give thanks with a grateful heart and remember all the things God had done for us. Because no matter what happens . . .

In Prayer

    I noticed something very interesting some time time ago when doing my Bible reading, and I thought I might share it with you all. 

   Psalm 109:1-5 says:

God of my praise, do not be silent! For they [the enemies] have opened a wicked and deceitful mouth against me; they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, and have fought against me without cause. In return for my love, they act as my accusers; but I am in prayer. So they have repaid me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

   Did you catch that? All five of these verses are filled with descriptions of how he [the speaker] has been hated, fought against, lied about, and accused. Yet in the midst of all that oppression and mocking, five little words describe what he is doing. See it? Psalm 109:4b: . . . but I am in prayer.

   What? He's being persecuted on all sides, and what does he do? He prays. He cries out to God about it. He asks for help, and as you will see if you go to that psalm and keep reading, he pleads with God to bring the evildoers to justice. 

   This is a good reminder for me. (I'm trying to work on this myself.) We humans like to talk, do we not? We tell others of our trouble; we ask others for aid. . . but how often do we turn to the One Who is ultimately capable of saving and helping? 

   Think about it.

Dewdrops and Spiderwebs

    Happy Saturday, all! This morning, when reading my daily Scripture passage, I was reminded to be thankful in all the little things. When you consider all God's made, you are astounded that God has so much love He even cares about the birds of the air (Matthew 6:26), even when they are but seemingly insignificant specks in this great big universe. He cares about even the smallest things. 

   I was turning this concept over and over in my brain this morning when I opened the front door and breathed in the crisp, fresh air of a new day. Fog hung low over the trees, and rainy mist fell from the heavens and kissed the dewy ground (I know, that probably sounded kind of silly, but I'm a poet, so . . . *wink*). I hung around outside, admiring the tiny delicate droplets on the blades of grass and the spiderwebs. The many spiderwebs. Random question: why do all the spiders wait until it rains to make their webs? When I went outside this morn, I counted over three of them on one tree. If I remember correctly, I think I saw about ten webs within the scope of the front yard. Where do they all come from?? 

   To get back to the point, it struck me that even among the chaos, unrest, and complications of this world, there's still plenty of little joys --intricate displays of jeweled webwork, so to speak-- if only you take time to notice and appreciate them.

   I have a "dewdrops and spiderwebs challenge" for any of you who have a blog. Call it an unofficial tag (it's similar to the "simple things" tag) or what you please; it's for anyone who would care to take me up on it. 

Rules:

1. Give 3+ examples of "dewdrops and spiderwebs" . . . little things you like that don't get noticed much (if at all).

2. Include pictures . . . or don't. Whichever you prefer.

3. Include a passage from the Bible that talks about something "insignificant" being taken care of by God. (I know you can do it. Can't find a passage? Look in Psalms!)

4. Tag at least one person (? I don't even know it this is a real tag. I just made it up).

4. Include this graphic (if you want to). 

Well, there you go. Can't wait to see if anyone accepts the challenge. I've never made a tag of any sort before. For the record, if this becomes a real tag, you can choose to attribute it to me or not. I don't mind either way.

Notable Events

    Hey, I'm back! Many apologies for waiting so long, but the obligations of school have begun their annual consumption of time. That said, maybe I should try to write up multiple posts during free time and then schedule them for the weekdays?

   Not many things have happened recently . . . except a funny story which took place this last Lord's Day (yesterday). The church we are going to is holding their  services outside (legally, of course). The rain had been holding off, but a foreboding chill was in the air, promising that it would not remain dry for long. 

   And, well, it didn't. I had noticed some small stray droplets falling here and there, so I can't say I was really surprised when a sudden downpour startled people into opening umbrellas, flipping up their jacket hoods, or holding up a book or board of some kind above their head. A few people rushed to cover the equipment, while a few hardy souls sat calmly in their chairs, watching the commotion and making no move to shield themselves from the wet onslaught. I was among those who calmly retrieved an umbrella . . . though my doing so was mostly because I just wanted to hold one, not really because I cared so much about getting wet. I love rain. The other day, it was pouring at our house, so I ran outside in bare feet and began splashing the water in the puddles every which way, not minding that my hems were being soaked. (Yes, that's me. *grin*)

   Did you know that the Bible speaks of rain numerous times, and not just during its recounting of the Great Flood? Psalm 135:5-7 says:

For I know that the Lord is great and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps. He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; Who makes lightnings for the rain, Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries.

   If you are like me, you do not like high winds, nor are you very fond of lightning. Big winds, especially, make me nervous. But this verse says God makes the lightning and the wind is from His treasuries? You know, I don't think I've really thought about that verse until right now, as I am typing this. Hmm. God is in control of the winds, because they come from Him. I need to remember that next time I'm in bed listening to the wind!

What's been happening with you? Do you like rain? What about wind? (Haha.) And could you help me out bit? For those of you who do follow/read my blog, do you have any extra suggestions for blog posts? I figure I have a generally wide variety of posts, but if you've got another idea of what you'd enjoy seeing, maybe I'll add it to the list!

Signed,

Martha 

Take Me Out to the Campground

    I'm back! We've been busy (which I'm sure you all can relate to) and I've been gone for a bit of time, too . . . at the one of the most glorious places one can go on a short vacation. I happen to have just thought of my own rendition of a song that is perfect to describe it.

The Campground.

(Read this with the "Take Me out to the Ball Game" tune in mind.)

Take me out to the campground,

Take me out to the woods;

Let's set up the tents

And get out the s'mores.

I don't care if they burn; 

I'll get more.

For it's camp-camp-camping for me,

And if it rains it's a shame,

Yet I'll stay, stay, stay out there

All the same!

   

   Anyway, yeah, that's where we've been. (And by the way, I don't prefer a rainy camping trip . . . but it sounded effective, so . . .) And I've brought back more than pictures with me; I've brought stories. Okay, let me tell you about them before I unleash the photographs.

(1) I was sitting innocently in front of the camp fire in the deepening twilight when I took note of some random bird that wouldn't stop flapping around over our campsite. Crazy bird, go to sleep. Oh ho. That just went to show the fact that I obviously hadn't been paying any attention, or I could've distinguished the difference between the chirp of a bird and the squeak of a bat. Now, I'm going to up and say it: I do not like bats and they make me uneasy. I know they won't hurt me unless I try to touch them or something (which I certainly would not do of my own free will), but they strike me as kind of weird. Oh well. Maybe it's just me?

(2) We went swimming in a nearby lake. The shallow end, which basically came up to just over my waist, was refreshing and pleasantly warm. I thought I might need to wear sandals if the bottom was rocky, but as it turned out, once you got past the shore (and the rocks were smooth anyway), it was delightfully sandy. 

I headed out to the buoys, growing more pleased as I learned that this was indeed a very pleasant spot for a swim. Well, that was until I tried venturing past the "shallow end" buoys into the deep end . . . which did have buoys, too. (Don't worry; I wasn't breaking the rules.) I thought it might be fun to swim for "real". 

Ha ha. Little did I know that I was going right into a patch of my sea-faring arch-enemy: seaweed. After a few dramatic events, I came to the decision that the shallow end was perfectly fine and certainly fit for me. I'm not too fond of swimming in super deep water anyway. I like to be able to feel or at least see the bottom. But anyhow, I learned a lesson: seaweed does not care how you feel about it, and it will not move out into the middle of the lake and away from the designated swimming area just cause you don't like it. *sigh* Inconsiderate plants. *laughs*

   Alright, after all that, maybe you would like me to pause my rambling and show the pictures now? Great idea; I was just thinking the same thing! Well, here you go:

                       Got a little visitor in our campsite!

   Our puppy's first camping trip! She leaps away when we splash her with water at home, but she showed her true colors when she soaked herself at the beach in her attempts to eat the waves breaking on the shore. Silly girl.

   Yep, that's all. Of course, I am glad when we get home after camping trips, but it's fun while it lasts. The first day is the most fun because you know you have a whole camping trip to have fun, and the last day is most sad, because it's all over now. Smelling campfires, roasting s'mores (or burning them, if you're like me), and hearing the quiet murmuring and rustling in early mornings, accompanied by the sound of zippers zipping and unzipping. Snuggling in the cozy jacket or hoodie, watching the flames flicker in the ring, and wondering how in the world the Lord did it. 

   He made all this, no matter what anyone else says. It wasn't evolution; it wasn't the big bang. No, the Creator of all this is even more incredible than anything man could dream up. It is impossible to explain away God's patent that He placed on all his creation. It is obvious that only an infinitely wise, all-powerful God could have made all this out of nothing, for He needed nothing but His word. Even nature itself testifies to His role as Creator and Lord. 

   Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all it contains; let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord, for He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness. 

Psalm 96:11-13

Signed,

Martha

As the Deer

    Just today I noticed something I hadn't thought of as much. I was reading the Bible and came across Psalm 42:1, which says, As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. That verse struck me in a way I don't think I noticed before.

   I think deer are fascinating. Picture it. Majestic bucks, with their great antlers. The gentle doe, whose sole purpose is to care for her young with all the diligence she possesses. And young fawns, so shy and vulnerable. Wobbly legs and white spots. Hiding in the grass and waiting for its mother to return for it. Ah, but I digress. 

   We all know animals need water. Water is necessary. It's essential for life. Without it, we would die; cease to be ourselves. The mental image of a deer panting for the life-giving liquid reflects our need for the Savior . . . my soul pants for You, O God. Just as the deer needs water to live, so do we need God. Were it not for Him, we could not live. He is the one Who sustains us, keeps us whole.

There's a song, As the Deer, which goes:

As the deer panteth for the water,

So my soul longeth after Thee;

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship Thee.

-----------------

Chorus:

You alone are my strength, my shield,

To You alone may my spirit yield.

You alone are my heart's desire,

And I long to worship Thee.

------------------

You're my friend

And You are my brother

Even though You are my King;

I love You more than any other,

So much more than anything.

I want You more than gold or silver,

Only You can satisfy.

You alone are the real joy giver

And the apple of my eye.

Honestly, this song is probably one of my favorite hymns. Only You can satisfy . . .

Only God can satisfy our need. He is the One who said that: "Everyone who drinks of this [normal] water will thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14).

I'm sure we all know how it feels to be really thirsty. The great longing to feel cool, refreshing water slide down our throat. When we do drink water and quench our thirst, we are satisfied. But it is only temporary. We will get thirsty again and will need to drink water again . . . and again . . . and again. But those who drink of Jesus's offered spiritual water will never thirst again, for it is eternally satisfying. He is the only One who can offer this kind of life-giving water that makes a person's life eternal, should the person accept it.

". . . but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

Signed,

Martha

It is Finished

   This July I have been participating in an online writing camp. The King's Daughters Writing Camp, to be specific. It's been a wonderful experience and such an encouragement to meet likeminded ladies who share my belief and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. He was the One who gave me my talent and love for writing, and it has been so nice to make new friends who feel the same way. 

   I have had the pleasure of being in this camp for about a month, and what an adventure it's been! 

   And now I am very excited to announce that I met both my goals for the writing camp! And I look forward to joining this lovely group again in the future, God willing!

  

   But all good things --even this writing camp-- must come to an end, right? Well, yes, this camp is, sadly, drawing to a close today, along with the end of this month. However, not all good things come to an end! And the focus of this camp has been on that unending joy we have. It's been on that blessed hope we have that will never draw to an end, never expire, and never dim.

   And that hope is in Jesus Christ. The One who cried "It is finished" on the cross (John 19:30) as He took the price for all our sins upon Himself (Isaiah 53:5) and provided a way of salvation to all those who would believe, turn from those sins they no longer need to be enslaved by, and put their trust and hope in Him (Romans 10:9). What a wonderful message! And this hope does not change.

   This is the One who had gifted me with my ability to write, and I will use my talents for His glory!

Signed,

Martha

A Poem

Hello all! I am doing a fairly short post this time. I am simply sharing a poem I just wrote . . . literally, like five or ten minutes ago. I love to write poetry, and ones with true Biblical themes are wonderful! With that said, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. As always, please do not copy it without my permission. *smile*

The Ocean’s Master

      (Job 38:10-12) 

What on earth has the eye seen 

That is more vast can sight can tell,  

And mightier than the ocean’s fury, 

With its every wave and swell?

Who measures the water’s limits

And sets boundaries for its place?

What one can fathom the size

Of its every occupied space?

What being can prevent its reach

And set against it bars and doors?

Who bids its proud waves stop, 

Unfazed by the sea’s roars?

There can only be one answer,

Only one capable of such might;

That One is the same being 

Who commands the day and night.

The One who stretches out the heavens,

Who teaches the dawn to know its place;

And commands the sun to reveal itself

And pour its rays on the earthen face.

This Master has unfathomable power ,

And commands all with His rod,

For He is the Creator of everything,

The one and only God.

I hope to post again soon about . . . well, you'll see what it is when I post it.

Signed,

Martha

My Very First Blog Post

   Hello there, anyone who reads this! This is my first time ever posting on a blog, so I won't be putting up anything too magnificent yet. *smile* I will, however, share a poem I've written. 

        A Christian's Journey

   Though through the days we toil

   Upon this weary, trodden soil,

   We know that beyond this dust,

   There is a joy in which we trust.

   So through trials we persevere

   Even when our end is near;

   For while we leave and things grow dim,

   We still look forward to sight of Him.

   Then we no longer laboriously trod

   For we've been united with our God.

                        

              

   Signed,

   Martha Abilene