Merry Christmas

Merry CHRISTmas to all!  I know we've all heard this Bible story many-a-times, but I wanted to share it since today is when we celebrate HIS birth. 

Luke 2:1-20 (KJV)

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.  (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)  And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.  And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.  And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.  And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.  And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.  And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.  And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.  But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

I wish everyone a wonderful day of fellowship with family and friends and remembering what the true meaning for the season is... Christ. 


Blessings in Christ,

 

Christmas Traditions

A fellow blogger recently posted on the Christmas traditions of her culture, the Hutterites.  Here is her first post, and then second post.  It is actually quite interesting. 

I hope to be able to post again in the next few days or so.  But for now, I hope that some of you may find these Hutterite Christmas traditions interesting!
Blessings in Christ,

 

White Chili

Tis' the season for hot home-cooked meals :)  One of my favorites is chili, the traditional kind and the white chili kind.

White Chili
1 - 48 oz jar of Northern Beans
24 oz. jar mild salsa
8-10 oz. shredded monterey jack cheese
1/4 t. cumin
1 pound cooked chicken cubed

Combine all ingredients into a pot, simmer until cheese is melted and all ingredients are blended.  Serve with toritilla chips. 

At home we would always leave the chicken on the side because my sister is a vegetarian, and that was good too!

Blessings in Christ,

 

Caramel Dip

This goes wonderfully with apples :)

1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 t. vanilla

Combine all ingredients except for the vanilla in a sauce pan.  Bring to a rolling boil and let thicken.  (225 degrees if using a thermometer). 

Add vanilla, stir and let cool. 

You can store this in the fridge or on your counter. 

Enjoy!!

Blessings in Christ,

 

Are Christmas and Easter...

...pagan or religious? In talking to someone I had just met, I learned that she does not celebrate Christmas or Easter because of their pagan and "occult" roots. I asked her to explain herself, and most of what she said went over my head. So I decided to see what I could find about the roots of both Christian holidays.


From what I can find, it appears that the time of year is what is pagan. Not the meaning behind the holidays. I think though, as Christians, we can focus on what the meaning of the holidays are rather than the fact that the day may not be the specific day that Jesus was born on. Just because we do not have a specific date given to us by the authors of the Bible, does that mean that we should not celebrate His birth?

Should we not celebrate His resurrection after He was so cruely crucified to save us from our sins? With Easter, we do know that He rose from the dead on "the first day of the week" (John 20:1). Typically the first day of the week is recognized as Sunday, although some might argue that Monday is really the first day of the week.

I know some people do not feel we should celebrate His birth on December 25th and I guess my thought on that is that we do not know the exact date He was born. The Bible does not tell us that. I do not mind celebrating His birthday on a date declared by humans while recognizing that it may not be His actual birthday. Nor do I mind celebrating His resurrection and the gift which He gave us all on a date that is not the actual date (especially since the date of Easter changes year to year...). I feel better to celebrate those two significant events rather than not celebrating and remembering them at all because we do not have a "right" date to put on the calendar.

What do you believe?

Blessings in Christ,

 

What pertainiths to a man?

I often wonder what God sees as pertaining to a man...wardrobe wise.  We are instructed that a woman should not wear anything which pertains to a man and a man should not wear anything pertaining to a woman in Deuteronomy.  This scripture is one that I am most often told as an explanation/reason for why women should wear skirts or cape dresses. 

I wonder if women should wear button-up dress shirts, or t-shirts because both of those were worn by a man first. 

I wonder if it is okay to wear clothing as long as it is bought from the women's department.

I was told by another woman that we should not wear anything that splits the legs, even under our skirts.  She gave shorts as an example saying that God can see under our skirts and He doesn't like when we wear something pertaining to a man even under skirts.  I started wondering then if tights/nylons would be included in that.  Tights are something that I definately wear during the winter, otherwise I would freeze!!  In the summer, I wear shorts under my skirts.  But I do not have a problem with it because I'm not showing that to the world for all to see. 

I think there is a balance there.  I am not convinced that as women we should not wear shorts, leggings, tights, etc, when it is concealed by a skirt.  I personally feel it is okay as long as that item is not visible to the world.  But I am still unsure about the button-up shirts and t-shirts.  Those are both things that I wear a decent number of, because they are easily made modest.  But I wonder if God sees those as pertaining to a man...  So far I don't have a conviction either way on that, but I do wonder...

Blessings in Christ,