Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

A cheery hello to you and a happy merry Christmas, friends! 

I don't know about you, but I just love Christmas and all the festivity of the season that goes along with it. :) Baking, giving presents, decorating, singing Christmas carols....it's so much fun! The only thing that would make this season feel a little more Christmasy is if the weather were cooler than 82 degrees. :)
In all the hustle and bustle, it is easy to forget the real reason we're celebrating Christmas. Jesus is the reason! He humbled himself and came to earth as a servant in the form of a baby.

~~Philippians 2:6-10~~

"Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;"

Wow. Think about that. God has exalted his Son and has given him a name above every name, even above the angels. JESUS.

~~Hebrews 1:4~~

"Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they."

Because of his limitless love for mankind, Jesus, the Prince of Peace, the everlasting Father, the I Am, Immanuel (God with us), came to endure all the suffering we, as sinful fallen humans, rightly deserved. Now whoever believes on Jesus receives life everlasting from the Father. 

 ~~John 3:16-17~~

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

~~1 Timothy 1:15~~

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."

Isaiah 53:3-12 is a wonderful passage about Christ and his suffering. Let's take a look at it.

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our face from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgement: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

While reading this passage the other day, several things stood out to me. First, he was wounded for our sins, our transgressions. And because he suffered so, the sin debt is paid and we can have peace with God through his Son. Though he was sinless, Jesus was falsely accused and numbered with the sinners. But he didn't open his mouth, he didn't protest, he didn't try to defend himself. Instead, he willingly gave himself, made intercession for the sinners and bare all sin upon himself.

Salvation through Jesus is the best gift ever given, and I sincerely hope each one of you has accepted it. :)  

Ring the bells, ring the bells, let the whole world know, 

Christ was born in Bethlehem many years ago. Born to die that man

 might live, came to earth new life to give, born of Mary, born so low, 

many years ago. God the Father gave His Son, gave His own beloved 

One, to the wicked sinful earth, to bring mankind His love, new birth. 

Ring the bells, ring the bells, what a glorious morn! Men and angels 

worship Him, singing Christ is born! Born to die on Calvary, born to set 

His people free, God himself in human form, tell it! Christ is born! He has 

left His royal throne, He has come to claim His own, Christ the Lord has come

 to earth, go spread the news of Jesus' birth. Ring the bells, ring the bells, let

the whole world know Christ the Savior lives today as He did so long ago!

Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life. -Corrie Ten Boom

The son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God. - C.S. Lewis



Wishing you all a merry Christmas with Christ the center of your celebration. :)

With much joy and love in the Lord,
                      Ashley

How Should A King Come?

How Should A King Come? 

How should a King come?

Even a child knows the answer of course,
In a coach of gold with a pure white horse.
In the beautiful city in the prime of the day,
And the trumpets should cry 

and the crowds make way.

And the flags fly high in the morning sun,
And the people all cheer for the sovereign one.
And everyone knows that’s the way that it’s done.
That’s the way that a King should come.

How should a King come?

Even a commoner understands,

He should come for His treasures,
And His houses and lands.
He should dine upon summer strawberries and milk,
And sleep upon bedclothes of satin and silk.

And high on a hill His castle should glow,
With the lights of the city like jewels below.
And everyone knows that’s the way that it’s done,
That’s the way that a King should come.

How should a King come?

On a star filled night into Bethlehem,
Rode a weary woman and a worried man.
And the only sound in the cobblestone street,
Was the shuffle and the ring of their donkey’s feet.

And a King lay hid in a virgin’s womb,
And there were no crowds to see Him come.
At last in a barn in a manger of hay,
He came and God incarnate lay.

And the angels cried: “Glory! Glory to God!”
Earth was silent so heaven rang: “Glory! Glory to God!”
Men were dumb so the angels sang: “Glory! Glory to God!
Peace on earth good will to men, Glory! Glory to God!
Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

“Glory to God! Glory in the Highest!
Glory to God! Glory in the Highest!
Glory to God!”

It's nice to listen to this video as you read the words of this song.

If video doesn't load click here.

Do any of you have special plans for this Christmas? 

I'd love for you to leave a comment. :) 

Merry Christmas, friends! 

Worship Christ....O Come Let Us Adore Him

Once in royal David's city, 

Stood a lowly cattle shed,

Where a mother laid her Baby,

In a manger for His bed:

Mary was that mother mild,

Jesus Christ, her little Child.

He came down to earth from heaven, 

Who is God and Lord of all,

And His shelter was a stable,

And His cradle was a stall: 

With the poor, and mean, and lowly,

Lived on earth our Saviour holy. 

For He is our childhood's pattern; 

Day by day, like us, He grew;

He was little, weak, and helpless,

Tears and smiles, like us He knew;

And He cares when we are sad,

And he shares when we are glad. 

And our eyes at last shall see Him,

Through His own redeeming love;

For that Child so dear and gentle,

Is our Lord in heaven above: 

And He leads His children on, 

To the place where He is gone.

Joy to the world! the Lord is come; Let earth receive her King; 

Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room, And heav'n and nature sing, And 

heav'n and nature sing, And heav'n,  and heav'n and nature sing.

Thou didst leave Thy throne and thy kingly crown when Thou camest to earth 

for me; But in Bethlehem's home was there found no room for thy holy nativity. 

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for Thee.

O come, let us adore Him, o come, let us adore Him, o come, let us adore Him,

 Christ, the Lord. 

I heard the bells on Christmas day their old familiar carols play, and wild and sweet 

the words repeat of peace on earth, goodwill to men. 

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

 the wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, good will to men:"

Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ, the newborn King.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Lately....

A cheery hello to you all.
Can you believe Christmas is only 10 days away?!

A little update on what we've been up to:

+ I weeded the garden on Saturday and found 15 tomato plants growing with the weeds. There were also 5 celery plants discovered. :) 

These are the pumpkin plants. They've started producing orange/yellowish flowers.

This potato plant is doing well. I've found that used coffee grounds are good fertilizer for plants. :)

 + I made Höörnchen (pronounced Hernchen) with Grandma on Saturday. She makes them every year at Christmastime, but this was the first time I've made them. Thanks Grandma! 

Have you ever had Höörnchen?

 + Our neighbor gave us some goldfish on the 7th. Since a few have died, the rest were dumped into the pond. 

+ Also on the 7th, daddy brought home the tiniest baby turtle that he found in his shop. 

+ Sarah is arriving home from college tonight.  :)
+ Lauren and I played a duet for church on Wednesday night. Here's the piece we played.

If video doesn't load, click here.

+ And finally, here are a couple pictures I took of a dandelion. 

I hope you all have a good and godly day! Merry Christmas!

The Bible is a Gold Mine song

Hello!
For those of you who read my last post on your email, I apologize if you weren't able to list n to the song at the end...I forgot to include a link. Just click here to listen to it.

-Ashley

I'm Thankful For...The Bible ~~~ Day 30

A happy hello to you all!

I'm thankful for the Bible. 

Wow! Has November flew by or what! I can't believe this is the last day of November, and we're about to enter December. Before we know it, the new year will be here. 

Since today is the last day of the 30 days of thankfulness, I decided I would be thankful for the Bible since it's the most important and precious thing in the world.  I know it's so very easy to take the Bible for granted, since copies are readily available to us. I also know how easy it is to go about our day and not spend a minute reading the Bible. In order for us as Christians to draw close to our Father, we have to spend time with Him daily, reading the Word and praying. God cares for us more than we could ever imagine, and He desires His children to have a close relationship with Him, as an earthly father would. Sadly, sometimes we find ourselves putting off devotion time due to the busy schedule we hold, or the reason we just have more important things to do. At the end of the day, we realize that we never did make time for God or reading His Word. But if you desire to be like Christ and have true joy, we all must put Christ first in our lives.  HE has to be priority number one. 

Here's a song that I think fits perfectly with this post. :) (
If you're viewing this post on your email and the video doesn't appear, click here.)

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

I'm Thankful For...King's Blooming Rose Ministries ~~~ Day 29

I'm thankful for the King's Blooming Rose Ministries. 

King's Blooming Rose is a wonderful ministry that encourages girls and young ladies to grow in their walk with Christ. They have some great books available, as well as other encouraging resources which I encourage you to take a look at. Sarah Bryant, the founder, also produces a magazine. Although I have never received their magazine, I've heard many good things about it. The most recent article is about the siblinghood and treasuring our siblings.  This month, they had a Give Thanks x 7 challenge in which you write down 7 things a day you're thankful for in a journal. "Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments." 

~Psalms 119:164~ 

It's such a blessing to focus on thanking God for the blessings He's given us, instead of focusing on what we don't have. 

~~~~~

Count Your Blessings

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. 

Count your blessings, name them one by one;

Count your blessings, see what God hath done;

Count your blessings, name them one by one;

Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? 

Count your many blessings, ev'ry doubt will fly,

And you will be singing as the day go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold, 

Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;

Count your many blessings, money cannot buy

Your reward in  heaven, nor your home on high. 

So, amid the conflict, whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged, God is over all;

Count your many blessings, angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey's end. 

Count your blessings, name them one by one;

Count your blessings, see what God hath done;

Count your blessings, name them one by one;

Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

~~~~~

Colossians 3:15

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 

I'm Thankful For...The Pleasurable Art of Crocheting~~~ Day 28

I'm thankful for the art of crocheting.

Crocheting is something I enjoy very much. Crocheting can be time consuming, especially if a big project is in the making. But it is alot fun to create items you can utilize with your hands.  I've even invented something, which was really exciting.  ;) Here are just a few of the items I've made.

 
Do you enjoy crocheting or a different kind of craft?

I'm Thankful For...Pen Pals ~~~ Day 27

Today I am thankful for pen pals. 

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of having several pen pals, each of whom I've enjoyed corresponding with. Currently though, I only have a couple pen pals that I send letters to. Sending letters or "snail mail" to friends is such fun, and there's nothing quite like receiving a hand written letter from a friend. Though sometimes writing a letter can take quite a bit of time, I encourage you to sit down and take a little time to write a letter to bless someone's day. Kelly-Anne wrote a post about letter writing on her blog, which you can read by clicking on this link. :) 

Thank you for stopping by for a visit. I hope you have a happy day!

I'm Thankful For...Pets ~~~ Day 26

I'm thankful for pets. 

Right now, we have Lacy the dog,

 some chickens, and a pig, Cookie.  Speaking of pets, while in Pensacola, Sarah told us about this pet store called Petland. I've never been to a pet store quite like that. They had numerous animals you could hold...even puppies! :) We had a blast visiting the animals.

 Aren't these the cutest little hampsters?! If anyone knows what kind of hamsters these are, please leave a comment below. :) Here's a video of them playing on the wheel. 
If you're viewing this post on your email and can't play the video, click here.

Praying mice.   ;)

Do you have a pet? If so, what is it?

I'm Thankful For...Getting to Visit Sarah ~~~ Day 25

I'm thankful that we were able to visit Sarah. 

On the 23rd of November, our family left for Pensacola Christian College to spend Thanksgiving with Sarah. This is the first time we've been away for Thanksgiving. The college only allows the students to have Thursday off for Thanksgiving, so the students don't get to go home. There were alot more people there than usual since the College Days were going on. College days are when high-schoolers can stay in the dorm, visit classes, and experience "college days". So Lauren and I stayed in the residence halls. Thursday morning we all attended the Praise Service, and afterwards watched the Turkey Bowl, which was a soccer game between two collegians. Classes resumed on Friday, and Lauren, Deborah, and I listened in on a few classes.  We left on Saturday morning, and overall enjoyed a very nice Thanksgiving holiday with Sarah. :) 

Psalms 104:33-34
I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sign praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.

I'm Thankful For...Thanksgiving ~~~ Day 24

I'm thankful for...Thanksgiving Day. 

Did you know the pilgrims didn't institute Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday?

A lady by the name of Sarah Hale did. To read more about her, I encourage you to visit this website and read about her. Even though the holiday is over, let us not forget to count our blessings daily, and thank the Lord for all He's provided. 

Psalms 69:30

I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

Did you do anything special on Thanksgiving Day? 

I'm Thankful For...Apple Pie ~~~ Day 23

I'm thankful for apple pie!

Last night I made an apple pie for Thanksgiving.

What's your favorite kind of pie? 

I'm Thankful For...Books ~~~ Day 22

I'm extremely thankful for books. 
I'm a huge bookworm and I LOVE reading!
  “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.” ~ Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice 

"Visit many good books, but live in the Bible."

 

Speaking of books, Faith Blum, a Christian author, is having a birthday celebration for one of her Hymns of the West books. 

 

Who doesn’t like a birthday party? Faith certainly does. November 19^th was the third birthday of her debut novel, A Mighty Fortress. To celebrate, she has all sorts of fun going on. First, she’s released a newly revised version of A Mighty Fortress. Second, she has most of her published books on sale. Third, she’s releasing the box set of all five of her novels for a special discounted price. And fourth, but not least, she now has the audiobook of her AMF available! Read on for more party fun and a special giveaway.

 “Stay back!” Joshua ordered.  He kept his eyes on the scene below while waving his arm in Ruth’s direction.  “Get deeper into the woods and stay down low to the ground.”
Joshua hazarded a glance behind him.  He could no longer see Ruth and breathed a sigh of relief.  In one swift move, he grabbed his rifle and lay flat to the ground.  Extending the rifle, he aimed at the shorter man whose gun was pointed at Bradshaw. 


Joshua and Ruth Brookings are traveling by stagecoach to finally join their parents in Montana. Attacked by murderous outlaws, the teens barely escape with their lives and must survive in the barren Wyoming and Montana territories and escape the man who’s hunting them.
 
Seven years ago, Jed Stuart ran away from home and joined Tom’s gang. Jed is tired of the lawlessness and wants out. The only problem? He is the boss’s right-hand man and will never be able to leave. And what’s one more stagecoach robbery, anyway?
 
Can Joshua lean on God’s strength to keep himself and his sister alive until they find a town?   Will Jed be able to face his anger or will it consume him completely? All three are running–the hunter and hunted. What will happen when they meet?
 
Faith also just released her first box set, the complete Hymns of the West series. It’s available for a special discounted pre-order price until November 26^th and will stay at that price until November 30^th. Hymns of the West: The Complete Series
 
 
Two Families…
The Brookings family move from Illinois to Montana to start a horse ranch. Their journey to Montana has hazards of its own, as does their life in Castle City, affecting each of them in various ways.
The Stuarts have been living a secluded life in Tennessee since the matriarch of the family died. When Jed runs away, they seclude themselves even more until a letter arrives that changes their lives—one at a time—forever.
 
Two Worldviews…
One family has believes in God with their whole hearts, living out their lives to the glory of God. The other family believes in God in a general sense, but they have no commitment toward Him or His ways.
 
One Providential God.
A stagecoach robbery instigates their meeting. Two years later, they meet again. Another year and their lives cross paths again. What happens when God’s providence brings two families with two different worldviews together in ways only He could have planned?
 
Mega-Sale
Every eBook in the Hymns of the West series is on sale. A Mighty Fortress is permafree, and the other eBooks in the series are $0.99. In addition, the spin-off novella series has a book on sale as well.
 
Links:
A Mighty Fortress
Be Thou My Vision
Amazing Grace
Lily of the Valley
The Solid Rock
Hymns of the West: The Complete Series
Life and Salvation: Hymns of the West Novellas 1-3
 
Faith also has the paperbacks on sale if you buy them from Createspace with the discount codes.
A Mighty Fortress
$2.00 off (8.99) with code: MBJB3XSY
Be Thou My Vision
$2.00 off (6.99) with code: GQ3KTJYY
Amazing Grace
$1.50 off (9.49) with code:93LQLRJ8
Lily of the Valley
$2.00 off (11.99) with code: TJXAYXD2
The Solid Rock
$1.50 off (10.49) with code: 7626YZAK
Life and Salvation
$2.00 off (6.99) with code: V4Y5K46D
 

 Click on this link to enter the giveaway.

 

Faith is offering three prizes!
Grand Prize:  Audiobook of A Mighty Fortress (MP3 download)—Could be a short delay and The Solid Rock Notebook
1^st Prize: Feather Quill Necklace
2^nd Prize: eBook set of Hymns of the West: The Complete Series
 
Faith Blum started writing at an early age. She started even before she could read! She even thought she could write better than Dr. Seuss. (The picture doesn’t show it well, but there are scribbling's on the page of Green Eggs and Ham). Now that she has grown up a little more, she knows she will probably never reach the success of Dr. Seuss, but that doesn’t stop her from trying.
When she isn’t writing, Faith enjoys doing many right-brained activities such as reading, crafting, playing piano, and playing games with her family. One of her dreams is to visit Castle City, Montana, someday to see the ghost town she chose for her characters to live in. She currently lives on a hobby farm with her family in Wisconsin.
There are many ways to connect with Faith online. All of them can be found in one convenient place: http://FaithBlum.com. On her website you can find links to her various social media sites and both of her blogs.
           
Tour Schedule

November 19

Bookish Orchestrations-Tour Introduction

Author Franky A Brown-Book Spotlight

Rachel Rossano Rambles-Guest Post

November 21

Writing Dreams-Author Interview

God’s Peculiar Treasure Rae-Character Spotlight-Joshua

Zerina Blossom’s Books-Author Interview

November 22

Precious Moments-Giveaway

The Overactive Imagination-Review of Be Thou My Vision

Perpetual Indie Perspective-Book Spotlight

November 23

Frances Hoelsema– Book Spotlight

Thought of Anna S. Brie-Author Interview

November 25

With a Joyful Noise-Guest Post

Bookish Orchestrations-Candid Author Interview

Firethorn Blog-Author Spotlight

November 26

Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections-Character Interview with Ruth

Ladies in Defiance-Guest Post

November 28

Once Upon an Ordinary– Author Interview

Written Rest-Character Spotlight -Anna

November 29

The Overactive Imagination-Review of A Mighty Fortress

Jaye L. Knight– Character Spotlight-Caleb

November 30

Bookish Orchestrations-Tour Wrap-up and winner

 

 

I'm Thankful For...Cold Weather ~~~ Day 21

 I'm thankful for cooler weather.

 

It finally cooled down here a couple days ago. According to the meteorologist, tomorrow's (Tuesday) temperatures are supposed to be a high of 76 degrees and a low of 68 degrees. Then the high temperatures are supposed to rise back up to the high 70's and low 80's, but stay in the 60's at night. Ahhh....how nice the cool weather feels. :)   I wish it would stay cold for a while.

 

What's the temperature where you live?

Do you have the pleasure of enjoying snow?