Jesus

John 14:15-20 "If you love me, you will obey my commandments. I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper who will be with you forever. That helper is the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it doesn't see or know him. You know him, because he lives with you and will be in you.

"I will not leave you all alone. I will come back to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. You will live because I live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father and that you are in me and that I am in you. "

Thank you Jesus, for your Indescribable Gift.

Homemade- Play dough

In sharing with you some of the things that my family (I should say my BOYS) enjoys to make for keeping and giving, is play dough. They will play with this stuff all day long. I give them a table cloth on the table and a plastic spoon and some cookie cutters and they are set! I don’t have to be afraid that if this falls on the floor that my baby will eat it. Because if it does end up on the floor, it will not hurt him. All ingredients are baking ingredients that won’t hurt him.

So here is the recipe. And don’t be afraid to let your kids help you!

Homemade Playdough

• 2 C. Water


• 1 C. Salt


• 4 tsp. cream of tartar


• 4 Tbsp. vegetable oil


• 2 C. flour

For coloring: use a packet of koolaid (this also smells really good!)

In a large pot, begin with water, koolaid, oil, salt and cream of tartar. When mixture is warm, add flour and mix well. This may be slightly lumpy- but keep stirring until it forms a ball and pulls away from the sides. Remove from pan and let cool.

This is fun to play with while it is warm too, especially on a cold day! Store in an airtight container. Will keep for a long time!

Like I said this is great to give as gifts to kids.

Here is a Spring Idea for you: Take the bags that you use to pump frosting on to decorate cakes with ( you know the cone shaped bags), and fill with some orange play dough. Tie off the top with a green piece of fabric or ribbon. Cut off access bag. This makes a very cute looking carrot!

Coming Soon!

Gift from God, Part 3

Luke 2:1-20 At that time Emperor Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Roman Empire. When this first census took place, Quirinius was the governor of Syria. Everyone, then, went to register himself, each to his own hometown.

Joseph went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the town of Bethlehem in Judea, the birthplace of King David. Joseph went there because he was a descendant of David.

He went to register with Mary, who was promised in marriage to him. She was pregnant, and while they were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have her baby. She gave birth to her first son, wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger---there was no room for them to stay in the inn.

There were some shepherds in that part of the country who were spending the night in the fields, taking care of their flocks. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone over them. They were terribly afraid, but the angel said to them, "Don't be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David's town your Savior was born---Christ the Lord!

And this is what will prove it to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great army of heaven's angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God: "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!"

When the angels went away from them back into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and saw the baby lying in the manger.

When the shepherds saw him, they told them what the angel had said about the child. All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said.

Mary remembered all these things and thought deeply about them.

The shepherds went back, singing praises to God for all they had heard and seen; it had been just as the angel had told them.


Can you imagine? Place yourself in this story. In the place of a shepherd. Looking after your sheep on a cool dark night. Then the sky suddenly lights up, a singing, loud singing, is heard. I think I would nearly pass out!

And Mary. As all of these miracles were unfolding around her, she thought deeply about them. She marveled in how God does all that He says He will! He can do the impossible!

Thank you Jesus, for coming as a baby, in such humble conditions. Thank you for enduring our human stupidity firsthand, in order that You would save us! Thank you for not giving up on us, no matter what, so that we will be with You one day in heaven.

Praise be to Your Holy Name. ~Amen


May everyone have a happy and safe Christmas. We will see you back in a few days!!!

Gift from God, Part 2

Luke 1:39- 55 Soon afterward Mary got ready and hurried off to a town in the hill country of Judea. She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby moved within her. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and said in a loud voice, "You are the most blessed of all women, and blessed is the child you will bear! Why should this great thing happen to me, that my Lord's mother comes to visit me? For as soon as I heard your greeting, the baby within me jumped with gladness. How happy you are to believe that the Lord's message to you will come true!"

Mary said, "My heart praises the Lord; my soul is glad because of God my Savior, for he has remembered me, his lowly servant! From now on all people will call me happy, because of the great things the Mighty God has done for me. His name is holy from one generation to another he shows mercy to those who honor him. He has stretched out his mighty arm and scattered the proud with all their plans. He has brought down mighty kings from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away with empty hands. He has kept the promise he made to our ancestors, and has come to the help of his servant Israel. He has remembered to show mercy to Abraham and to all his descendants forever!"


I love Mary's words to Elizabeth here. She first of all is so thankful to have been remembered by God.

And because God remembered her, people will now call her happy! How many times has God remembered you in your life? And do people call YOU happy? I know maybe nothing a great as bearing the Son of God, but He has done some great things in your life. I know He has. So do people call you happy?

I want people to call me happy!

And the next part, God has scattered the proud with all of their plans. Wow. God gives faithfully to those that the world gives up on! The poor, the might, the hungry...

As I was expecting to read the "Christmas Story". I read more. God is so merciful. And Mary's testimony is nothing short of awesome!

Thank you God, for using the unexpected.

Gift from God Part 1

In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth. He had a message for a young woman promised in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of King David. Her name was Mary.

The angel came to her and said, "Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you!" Mary was deeply troubled by the angel's message, and she wondered what his words meant. The angel said to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!"

Mary said to the angel, "I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God's power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God. Remember your relative Elizabeth. It is said that she cannot have children, but she herself is now six months pregnant, even though she is very old. For there is nothing that God cannot do." "I am the Lord's servant," said Mary; "may it happen to me as you have said." And the angel left her. ~Luke 1:26-38

What an awesome example of God's power. There is nothing that God cannot do!!!

With the economy going down hill, we all need to be reminded of this. God can do ANYTHING. Do you believe it? ANYTHING! And after the angel came to Mary, what did she do? She accepted it, she accepted the gift of God. She didn't know the plan. She didn't have any part of planning this. It was planned for her, by God.

Why do we struggle with the plans that God has for us? God wants to give us all the gift of eternal life, and what do we try to do? Take over!

"No, God. I don't think that could happen! That is pretty much impossible. There has to be another way..."

Is that YOU??? I know that sounds like me most days... Why can we not just give it up to Him?

I want to accept God's gift of His only Son, with open arms. I want to have the life that HE wants me to have. I want Him to lead in my life. I want His protection and guidance. I want Jesus to know that His birth, short life and death on the cross was not in vain! I accept it, and I long for the day when I can look Him in the face! Oh, what an awesome day! I can hear the angels singing praises to Him now! And to hear Him say my name... and "Well done, My good and faithful servant..."

Do you accept His gift?