Today Is My Birthday

Happy birthday to me! =)

Can it truly be twenty years ago today that I was born into this beautiful life God made for me? Just think of it -- life! I am so grateful for the privilege of living, and even more so for the awesome blessing of living in Christ Jesus my Savior!

My mommy gave birth to me twenty years ago. (Ugggh, I can't believe I'm so old!) You know, birthdays really should be a celebration for mothers, too. We usually just think about us -- it's our day, after all -- but have we ever thanked our mothers on our birthdays for going through so much pain to bring us into the world? I hereby declare all birthdays a Thank-You to Mommies Day! =)

Today truly is a happy day. But my heart is a little sad, too. My second thought this morning was, This may be my last birthday at home... with my family. I sense that this year is going to bring a lot of changes in my life. The future, as I have always known it, is no longer far away in the distance. The future is now foreseeable. The Lord is leading me distinctly, and that appears to be away, far away from my dear family. My heart feels sad, but the realization helps me to cherish the moments better. I want to make this birthday one I won't forget in my memories.

So, for the sake of my remembering what happened three hundred sixty-five days from this day, I'm going to write about every little detail of my birthday which I consider to be important. Let me share my day with you. =)

This morning my alarm clock went off at six o'clock but (lazy lady that I am) I let it continue to go off for twenty minutes. The alarm clock is located on a chest at the foot of my bed so, yup! That means I crawl out of bed every three minutes to shut it off. Ha! By the time I finish this ritual I am relatively "awake."

I basically bundle up every morning so I don't shiver during my quiet time. (chuckle) The room my sisters and I share feels like an ice box every morning. That part of the house was built over fifteen years ago and for some reason it was not insulated very well. It's also quite drafty. Thank God we have a small heater in our room!  Even so, it's still chilly, so I wear warm leggings (and sometimes sweatpants over that) underneath my skirt and a sweater (sometimes two) over a long-sleeved blouse. Then I pull on my toasty, red hand-knitted fingerless mittens. Finally, I burrow deep into a blanket. At this point I'm comfortably warm. (chuckle)

I have been working my way through a biography of Hudson Taylor, missionary to China, during my devotions. That man trusted God! What incredible trials he faced. You just can't imagine. The events of his life are so gripping, the plot so intricate, that sometimes I have to stop and think, These things truly happened to this man! The Lord is the author of our faith, Hebrews 12:2 tells us. He writes out of the events of our life to teach us to trust Him. (I'm excited to share a great many thoughts of the book as soon as I finish Part 1.)

We gathered upstairs for family devotions at around 8:15. I opened my presents -- I was given such lovely things! I sure am loved.

The first gift I opened was a gorgeous, delicate cameo brooch. I love it!

Show Me, Lord

When I place myself before
The mirror of God's Word,
Reflections of my weaknesses I see.
Am I willing to improve,
Impurities remove,
Or simply walk away, content to be?

Show me, Lord, the error of my way,
Show me, Lord, where I have gone astray,
And with Your help
And by Your grace,
I'll do Your will, Thy Word embrace.

As I daily search Your Word
The Spirit speaks to me,
Reminding me of sinfulness in my heart.
Do I heed His tender call
And give to Him my all,
Or shun His perfect will, from Him depart?

Written by Duane Nichols

Sung by Rachel Smith

Made Free by Truth

Their Eyes Are Open and the Garden Is Closed

Bro. Roman Gray

Did I ever need to hear this message today. I am certain that the Holy Spirit was in it because it definitely put me under heavy conviction about some sins in my life. Sins I struggle with on a daily basis that I have finally begun to get down to business with God about. Sins I have got to deal with God about every day from this point forward. I received three easy-to-remember points from this message which I believe will help me tremendously in the coming days of battle with this thing called self.

1. Conspicuous Absence
2. Constant Authority
3. Continuous Activity

Three Biblical principles that I as a child of God need to put to practice! Listen to the message and the Spirit might just show you how they apply to you, also.

Having an appetite for sin is a sad fact about being a descendent of Adam. However, I have this promise from the Word of God: "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John 8:36) I am not set free from sin to be left to figure out how to stay free. I am made free. He completely delivers and restores me, and my Shepherd Himself leads me to the place of victory, protection and joy. 

Every day until I reach my Heavenly Home, God and I are going to have to deal with this struggle between my flesh and God's Holy Spirit within me. Between what I want to do and what God wants me to do. Furthermore, between what I want to do and what the authority God has placed over me wants me to do. Oh, I learned so much from this powerful message that HELPED me! I have struggled long and hard with these sins and I long to be free. The only way to victory is surrender. The devil has fooled me into believing I could justify my sins (which, by the way, to my human mind seem itty-bitty, but to the Holy Spirit are a grief!) Or I have thought that I could somehow overcome sins my way and still do what brings pleasure to self. The only -- the ONLY way to victory is death to self.

I thank God for putting this message into my ears today via the MP3 player I received as gift for Christmas. It's a gift that has blessed me already. I have come to the conclusion that this flesh needs a good preaching to on a daily basis. I am going to listen to this message again tomorrow and every day consecutively until I get every helpful truth out of it that God wants to give me. By God's grace I will not be a forgetful hearer but a doer of the Word!

I don't just want to win over sin. I want to win Christ. I want to win His approval over my every doing and thought and word. I want to know my Lord in deeper, fuller, richer ways. I want to be thirty and hungry and satisfied!

Her Son, Her Savior

In the Arms of Mary by Simon Dewey

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.  

For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: 

for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 

For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; 

and holy is his name.  

{ Luke 1: 46-49 }

This painting touches my heart so much. It depicts Mary clinging so gently to her precious baby... her Savior! After nine months of carrying the Son of God in her womb, months full of fear, uncertainty and pain, she could at last see Jesus and hold Him. Oh, think of it -- she was holding her Savior! The LORD of hosts. The King of glory. A helpless infant. Born in a stable. Wrapped in swaddling clothes. I cannot conceive the poverty and glory that met on that holy night. Mary's faith -- that she would deliver the Son of God -- became sight. And oh, how her spirit rejoiced as she held her son... God her Savior.

Why There's a Christmas Day

C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S


Another Christmas favorite!



Written by Eddy Arnold
Sung by Perry Como

When I was but a youngster,
Christmas meant one thing,
That I’d be getting lots of toys that day.
I learned a whole lot different
When Mother sat me down,
And taught me to spell Christmas this way:

"C" is for the Christ child, born upon this day, 

Kissing the Face of God by Morgan Weistling

"H" for herald angels in the night,

Good News by Tom Dubois

"R" means our Redeemer, 

The Hem by Simon Dewey

"I" means Israel,

"S" is for the star that shone so bright,

"T" is for three wise men, they who traveled far,

"M" is for the manger where he lay,

"A"’s for all He stands for,

For unto Us a Child Is Born by Simon Dewey

"S" means shepherds came,

And that’s why there’s a Christmas day.

Quinhagak, Alaska | Hallelujah Chorus

This is wonderful!!! The Kuinerrarmiut Elitnaurviat fifth grade class in the little village of Quinhagak, Alaska (Bethel area) put together this AMAZING rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus. How original and honoring to the Lord it is! Thank God that the forgotten public schools of Alaska's little villages are able to get away with portraying the TRUE meaning of Christmas. Christmas carols such as Silent Night and Joy to the World are regularly sung during annual Christmas plays at my village's public school. That is unheard of in this corrupt age we live in!

I love how they shot the scenes all around their village. It's very similar to where I live! And the people -- oh, it touched my heart seeing the faces of so many people who live there. I wonder, is there a Gospel-preaching church in Quinhagak? Five hundred people in Quinhagak... how many are lost and living and dying without the Savior? Who will tell them? The pastor (located in Alaska) who shared this with us commented, "Try to look beyond the treatment of the 'papers' and see the faces. Tears will come."

The John 3:16 Story

Here's something a little different that I'd like to share today. It touches my heart every time I hear it.

Author Unknown
Narrated by Bruce Frye

A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner...

Go down the street to that big white house... 

Just say "John 3:16" and they will let you in.

John 3:16... I don't understand it, but it sure makes a cold boy warm.

John 3:16... Boy, I sure I don't understand it, but it sure makes a hungry boy full.

John 3:16... I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy clean.

John 3:16... I don't understand it, but it sure makes a tired boy rested.

John 3:16... "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 

John 3:16... I don't understand why, but it sure makes a lost boy saved.

Swaddling by Liz Swindle

He gave His only begotten Son.

The Village {Christmas Blessings}

We go crazy on lights inside our home every Christmas. They do so much to brighten things up during the dark months. Next to the cards we hang on the high beam in our living room, my mom's adorable little village is my favorite part of our Christmas decorations. (My pictures are imperfect, I fear. I wish I would've moved that container of flour out of the way. =D)

It is so easy to lose the meaning of Christmas hymns in our familiarity with them. Let's take time to dwell upon the precious truths they contain...

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

Till He appeared, and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new a glorious morn.

The Very Beginning

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: 

and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. 

Proverbs 9:10

An acorn cannot even begin to grow into a mighty oak tree until it has been planted in the soil. So, a man cannot even begin to be wise until he has learned to first fear the LORD.

The Star Carol

This is my very favorite Christmas song, I believe. It is not well known and, to be honest, I never really took much notice of it until this year. It is a beautiful song with a lot of meaning. I found a lovely arrangement and hope you enjoy it!

Long years ago on a deep winter night,

High in the heavens a star shone bright,
While in a manger a wee baby lay,
Sweetly asleep on a bed of hay.

Jesus the Lord was that baby so small,
Laid down to sleep in a humble stall;
Then came the star and it stood overhead,
Shedding its light 'round His little bed.

Dear baby Jesus, how tiny Thou art,
I'll make a place for Thee in my heart,
And when the stars in the heavens I see,
Ever and always I'd think of Thee.

Written by Simon and Garfunkle
Sung by Anna Marie Alberghetti

 The Nativity by Jon McNaughton

The Tree {Christmas Blessings}

Here are some pictures of our festive living room that I promised to share. Obviously, with our nearest tree being at least 300 miles away, we are unable to have a real evergreen tree at Christmas. We haven't had a real tree in six Christmases... but our artificial one is very nice-looking, though.

What you see through the windows is 1 PM in the Arctic. Our world brightens up to nice, cheerful navy blue around then. =D Ah, I miss the sun. It's certainly isn't the same living without it; even something as simple as mopping the floor is different without the sun shining happily into our home. (sigh) The dreary days have been passing very quickly, however, with life being so busy and fulfilling. I'm thankful! =) Still, I'm counting down the days until its glorious return (forty at the most)!

We have very few balls ornaments -- mostly figurines.

The Comfort and Joy of Herbs

Herbs bring me such happiness. They bring healing to the sick. They're beautiful in their colors and texture. They even taste delicious! God has blessed me with my own little herb office -- half of a kitchen cupboard to call my very own! =)

Just above some coffee mugs, recipe books, and a few "cattle" is my little store of gladness. I keep my reference books (as many as will fit) to the left. The Green Pharmacy. The Herb Book. Probiotics: Nature's Internal Healers. Herbal Antibiotics. I love my books! Hiding behind my books are jars of salves and oils and cotton balls. In the plastic containers are small amounts of herbs which I am to use for projects assigned by my herbology course. In the sour cream container (ahem! I need to find something more suitable...) are bottles of essential oils. Taking up the greatest amount of space are my bulk herbs (from BulkHerbStore.com) -- echinacea, yarrow, oatstraw, chamomile, peppermint, rose hips, hibiscus, cinnamon, cloves, ginger root, black and green tea leaves, beeswax... and a few others I can't recall.

Here's something else that's filled with happiness. Mom graciously let me borrow one of her beautiful tin cans to store my teas.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

I apologize for neglecting to share weekly Scripture songs in the recent weeks. To make up for the weeks I've lost (and will be losing) I'd like to share some of my favorite Christmas songs instead. May they bless your heart as they do mine! =)

(P.S. I don't like the concluding "Catholic" pictures in this video, so pretend the picture at the end of the post is the one you're seeing in the video. =)

Said the night wind to the little lamb,
"Do you see what I see?
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
Do you see what I see?
A star, a star
Dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite,
With a tail as big as a kite."

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
"Do you hear what I hear?
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
Do you hear what I hear?
A song, a song
High above the trees
With a voice as big as the seas,
With a voice as big as the seas."

Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
"Do you know what I know?
In your palace warm, mighty king,
Do you know what I know?
A Child, a Child
Shivers in the cold,
Let us bring Him silver and gold,
Let us bring Him silver and gold."

Said the king to the people everywhere,
"Listen to what I say,
Pray for peace, people everywhere.
Listen to what I say.
The Child, the Child
Sleeping in the night,
He will bring us goodness and light,
He will bring us goodness and light."

Written by Noel Regency

Sung by Bing Cosby

The Nativity by Gerard van Honthorst

Can you imagine the absolute joy and wonder of that holy night? God chose to share it with simple shepherds. I don't think anyone else could have possibly grasped the fullness of it... that God came down to earth in the form of a little Baby.

This Path's Shining Light

I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. 

The path of the just is as the shining light, 

that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 

Proverbs 4:10-11, 18

In the photo: A bird bath seen while on a walk in lovely Emerson, Iowa.

My Big Brown Home in Missouri

I was looking through some writing assignments from highschool the other day. I found this one and wanted to share it. I have so many happy memories of my big brown home in Missouri. Our yard and everything else seemed absolutely gigantic to me. I thought the road, separated by the "woods" in our front yard, must be a whole mile away.  We moved away when I was seven to serve the Lord as missionaries. Except for saying goodbye to my kitty Socks, I don't remember being very sad, just very excited. I'm so thankful for memories... I'll always think of my big brown home in Missouri, surrounded by beautiful green oaks, with a happy heart.

'96 or '97,  Me, Little Brother* & Big Sister (and Sassy under the swing)

My family’s house is big and brown, surrounded by hundreds of enormous oak trees.  Their limbs seem to stretch out like arms, as if giving our home a big hug.  It’s a warm, sunshiny day in the spring.  The snow has melted and the ground has dried.  Leaves have begun to come out of the thousands of branches of the oak trees.  Little sprouts of grass stick their pointy heads out of the brown earth, and flowers are just beginning to fill our yard with small spots of color.

I have a big sister and a little brother.  We love to play outside together, using our imaginations to entertain ourselves.  Under our little patio at the side of our house is our “kitchen.”  Our favorite thing to bake is “cookies.” We prepare them by gathering various shapes and sizes of green leaves from around our yard.  We carry them by fistfuls in our hands and place them inside our kitchen on the grassy floor.  Then we find a mud puddle and, using a stick as a “spoon,” put some “cookie dough” on a “plate,” which is a piece of rough bark from a tree.  Now having all of the necessary ingredients for making “cookies,” we proceed to stir the dough on the plate with the spoon until it is smooth.  We lay our leaves (molds for the cookies) on another piece of tree-bark, and then spoon some cookie dough onto the molds.  The dough spreads and covers the molds nicely.  Now the cookies have to harden.  While we wait, we run off to entertain ourselves elsewhere.

(Note: Once Little Brother actually ATE a "cookie"! Big Sister and I were SO scared. I think we cried. We thought he was going to die from poison! =D)

We race each other across the yard to our mom’s pretty dogwood tree, just beginning to bloom with fragrant blossoms.  Little bits of white peek through the green buds sticking up all over the many limbs.  Little Brother is too little, so he watches Big Sister and me climb the “tall” tree.  Big Sister can climb higher than me; I can only climb to the third branch.

We’re finished playing “monkeys,” so now Big Sister, Little Brother, and I go on a hunt for “lions and tigers” -- our two cats, Sassy and Socks.  We run back across the yard and sneak around the side of the house.  We creep up the front steps, crouching low, and tiptoe up to the little red wagon where our ferocious kitties slumber peacefully.  All at once, we “attack”!  We pick them up into our little arms and cuddle them, squeezing them tightly.  We carry them over to our porch swing and sit down, swinging back and forth.  We scratch their soft, furry heads with our tiny fingers and they purr happily.

We carry our kitties with us back to our kitchen under the patio, checking on our cookies.  We tap them with our fingers; they’re not hardened yet.  Thinking about food makes our tummies grumble.  We drop our kitties to the ground, deciding to go inside and ask Mom for a snack.  She gives us each a freezer-pop, then we go back outside to sit on the steps of our front porch and eat our little treat.

We play some more, staying busy all afternoon, and before we know it, it’s time to go inside to eat supper.  Big Sister, Little Brother, and I go inside and wash our hands, sit down at the table, close our eyes and thank the Lord for our food.  Mom’s home-cooked meal tastes especially good after a long day of hard playing outside in the warm fresh air.

Before we know it, it’s time for bed.  We change into our jammies and brush our teeth. Mom tucks us into bed, prays for us to have sweet dreams, and kisses us good-night.  We drift off to sleep, dreaming all over again the wonderful day of playing we enjoyed.

* I have no idea why Little Brother was crying in the picture. Judging by my pose, I was probably trying to make him stop. =D