Be Encouraged

 

May each of you enjoy the peace, joy, and comfort of knowing Jesus.

I will see you in the new year.

From My Journal

 TODAY IS: 18 December 2023

AROUND ME: The rain started last evening while we were at church for our Christmas fellowship dinner and has continued during the night.  We have 6-10 inches of snow forecast for our area from some point this morning until tomorrow morning.  I'm so thankful that it has been held off so that we could attend our church services yesterday.

I AM PONDERING:  this quote by John Stott, "We should not ask, "What is wrong with the world?" for that diagnosis has already been given.  Rather, we should ask, "What has happened to the salt and light?"    

AMONG MY FAVORITE THINGS:  Last week I shared about the German Lebkuchen tins that I put out every year and mentioned that I had two large ones and a middle sized one that I would share at another time.  Today I will share the one that started the entire collection.

Our daughter and son-in-law were missionaries in Mexico City for a number of years.  There was a shop at the end of their street that was owned by a German who was married to a Mexican lady.  Our grandson loved going to this shop because as he once told me, "Gramma, he makes the best hamburgers in the whole world."  :) Lutz kept this large tin high up on a shelf and kept it filled with German goodies to give out to the children who came into his shop.  One day, he took it down while our daughter and her family was there and held up a cookie and said to our daughter, "I bet you don't know what this is."  She replied that yes she did know...it was Lebkuchen.  He asked her how she knew that and she told him about our heritage and that her mother made them every year for Christmas.  

At one point when our family was going to the border, Lutz presented this tin to our daughter and asked her to please take it to her mother from him.  Our dear daughter rode all the way to the border with that tin on her lap.  If I remember correctly, this is the tin that I posted about originally with the back story that I presented to you last week, along with how I became the owner of it.  It was that post that my German friend who lived in Alabama saw, shared it with her husband and before I knew it was sending me the small Lebkuchen tins that I shared last week.

The unique thing about these tins (including the small ones that I featured last week) is that you will notice that all along the sides of the tin are different scenes from the town where they were made.  The top depicts something special about the town...perhaps an outstanding feature of the town, but definitely gives a bit of history about it.  Also, on the bottom of the tin is stamped the name of the company and town where the Lebkuchen was produced.  You may notice on the front of this particular one that it says Schmidt...it was the bakery.  

Thanks to Lutz, this particular tin went from Germany to Mexico City, to the U.S. It was a world traveler! 

 At the time that I started pricing Lebkuchen tins shortly after receiving this one, (and this was almost 20 years ago now) the small ones like I featured last week were $25-$30.  It's the reason I looked at thrift stores for them.  

BOOKS I'M CURRENTLY ENJOYING:  Heaven and Nature Sing (an Advent Devotional) by Hannah Anderson, and Seasons of Sorrow by Tim Challies, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs, and Babette's Feast by Karen Blixen.

I AM THANKFUL FOR:  friends who share the ways in which God is working in their lives.  It's always an encouragment!

NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN:  a new recipe.  I have trouble getting my banana bread to not be too dry.  I tried a new recipe and did them in six little mini loaf pans so I can share them with some folks.  I'm pleased with how they turned out.

Also just a side note from "never too old to learn" post from last week about how to load cattle onto a trailer more easily.  On our way to church yesterday morning, the farmer was in his field with his stock trailer and was preparing to load up his cows.  When we came home the field was empty so we know it worked well for him...especially with him being the only one in the field with the cattle, which meant he needed no help getting them in the trailer.

FROM THE KITCHEN:  grilled chicken tenders, brussell sprouts, and sweet potatoes "baked" in the Instant Pot.

SOMETHING I REALLY ENJOY:  sweet art work of young children enjoying life.

A QUOTE TO REMEMBER:  "Having a grateful heart isn't the same as saying thank you."  Dustin Crowe

TO DO LIST FOR TODAY:  Launder the bed linens, plant care, and clean.  Also starting a jigsaw puzzle today at some point.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom."

Psalm 90:12

Be Encouraged

 

This is Strongheart's latest creation that he made for me.

I thought it was quite appropriate for this season.

It rests beside the manger on the library table.

From My Journal

 TODAY IS: 11 December 2023

AROUND ME:  The house is quiet.  Strongheart left with his muzzleloader around 5:30 this morning.  There's a very light dusting of snow on the ground.  The clock is ticking away the minutes.  Very peaceful.

I AM PONDERING:  how great the love of God is and the fact that, according to Scripture, He loves me with the same love that He loves Jesus.  

AMONG MY FAVORITE THINGS:  These "angel" post cards were handmade for me many years ago, shortly after I started blogging.  They were made by a lady in Germany named Doris.  They are made of fabric and she wrote on the backs of them each year and mailed them to me.  

BOOKS I AM CURRENTLY ENJOYING: God's High Calling for Women by John Mac Arthur and the Advent devotional Heaven and Nature Sing  by Hannah Anderson.  I finished all of the books from last week, with the exception of the Advent devotional.

I AM THANKFUL FOR:  traditions that my mother started and that are carried through in our home to this day.  She had a strong German heritage and one of the ways she kept that in the forefront was by making Lebkuchen, a German spice cookie, every year at Christmas.  Once I married and we had children of our own, I carried on with that tradition.  In addition to making Lebkuchen, I started collecting Lebkuchen tins.

When I was blogging before, I met a German lady who lived in Alabama.  I did a post similar to this and when she read it, she was so moved that she regularly added to my collection.

The two that are pictured in the first photo on the surface of the hutch are actually music boxes.  My German friend presented me with one and the other one I found in a thrift store locally.

This particular tin is the most precious from her.  It belonged to her grandmother at one time.  What a treasure!

This same lady made trips back to Germany on a yearly basis to visit with her mother and grandmother and other family.  Each year upon her return to America, I would receive a package from her with the traditional German spices for the Lebkuchen.

NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN:  Just yesterday on the way to church, I learned how to get cattle to go on to a trailer if you wanted to move them.  Simply park the trailer in the field where they are and begin feeding them out of the back of the trailer.  They will get used to getting their food from the trailer and will be much easier to get them loaded.  So, there you have it, if you needed to know how to do that. :)

FROM THE KITCHEN:  leftover steak, gravy, mashed potatoes and peas.

SOMETHING I REALLY ENJOY: This Christmas season when I have time to slow down and enjoy focusing on the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

  

A QUOTE TO REMEMBER:  "Remember the mercies of God.  Do not bury them in the grave of ingratitude.  Let them glisten in the light of gratitude."  Charles H. Spurgeon

TO DO LIST FOR TODAY:  Launder the bed linens, plant care, making some Croatian Bishop's Bread to put in the freezer for our Christmas dinner fellowship at church on Sunday.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom."

Psalm 90:12

Be Encouraged

This week's "Be Encouraged" post is a bit different than they have been, but I trust that you will still find it to be encouraging AND thought provoking.

Each Friday Ligonier Ministries has a $5 sale and I recently took advantage of that by ordering a few books.  One of them was by one of my "far away mentors"  R. C. Sproul.  

For those of you who may not know him, you can read about him here.

In Are These the Last Days? Dr. Sproul expounds on the Olivet Discourse found in Matthew 24, all dealing with the disciples asking Jesus how they will know and what the signs will be of the last days.  It's a good read and will perhaps cause you to delve into the Word to give reason for what you believe.  But for me, the very last paragraph of the book, found on page 53, is both an encouragement and a challenge of sorts.  I trust that it will be the same for you, the reader.

"So the obvious question is, What will you be doing when He comes?  Will He find you faithful? Not casually or occasionally, but all the time?  Christ has bought us for Himself, and He has given us a task to perform whether we can physically see Him or not.  May He find us faithful when He comes."

"His master said to him, well done, good and faithful slave.  You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master."

Matthew 25:23 LSB

From My Journal

  TODAY IS: 4 December 2023

AROUND ME:  Although it isn't raining at the moment, we are predicted to have another rainy Monday! :)  It's all good.  We did our shopping the middle of last week, the house is decorated for Christmas, and we can just sit inside and enjoy the coziness that a rainy day brings with it.

I AM PONDERING:  this article by Jacob Crouch on Dead Orthodoxy.  It's so worth a read!

AMONG MY FAVORITE THINGS:  A day of shopping with my sweet husband.

BOOKS I AM CURRENTLY ENJOYING: I finished The Grumbler's Guide to Giving Thanks by Dustin Crowe.  What a wonderful book! 

gilead by Marilynne Robinson.  I've had a slow start to getting super interested in this book, but now that I'm further in, I'm enjoying it.  I've found places that make me tear up because of the tenderness with which this man is writing to his son and then there are times when I have to chuckle...especially when he shares stories of his parents and his grandparents.  

I'm also currently reading Sticks and Stones by Susan Meissner.  This is a sequel to Widows and Orphans that I read previously.  Rachel is a lawyer and while I enjoyed the first book, this second one is moving at a faster pace and is filled with suspense.  

How Does God Change Us?  by Dane C. Ortlund is the "condensed version" of Deeper by the same author.  I already have Deeper...real change for real sinners and it is an excellent book.  Both of these are put out through Union Publishing (Union School of Theology where Michael Reeves is President and Professor of Theology in the UK). 

 Last but definitely not least is Heaven and Nature Sing by Hannah Anderson.  It's an Advent devotional and I am thoroughly enjoying it.  I've read several of Hannah's books and none have ever disappointed.

I AM THANKFUL FOR:  memories that take my heart and mind back to times spent with loved ones who are no longer with us.  I put up our little Christmas tree last week and with the exception of three ornaments, the tree is totally decorated with my grandma's Christmas ornaments...the old Shiny Brights by Christoper Radko. 

 I also put out the nativity that my dear mother and I worked on painting.  I'd commented to her one time that I would love to one day own a Lenox nativity and before I knew it, she had found a source where we could paint and have fired one that, in my humble opinion, is just as beautiful as the Lenox one.  Plus I have the memories of the two of us sitting at my kitchen table late into the night working on it.  My brother recently gave me the manger that Mother had always used...so that made it even more special.  The runner that is pictured was a Christmas gift to me that my oldest granddaughter made.

God is so kind to give us memories!

NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN:  Joy to the World wasn't written as a Christmas hymn primarily.  The birth of Christ certainly is much to cause heaven and nature to sing, but the focus behind the hymn actually has to do with Christ's second coming. An aspect that I have enjoyed focusing on during this Advent season is because we have the opportunity to think on His first coming, as a babe in a manger Who came to die and bring us redemption,  we also who believe are able to look ahead at the Advent of His second coming!  As the hymn says, "Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!"  What a glorious time that will be.

FROM THE KITCHEN: Chicken Soup...I feel a cold coming on.

SOMETHING I REALLY ENJOY:  We met with some friends for lunch last week.  They surprised us with this beautiful decoration.  I know the picture won't do it justice, but it is so pretty in person with the lights inside the glass.

  

A QUOTE TO REMEMBER:  "When meaningful reflection rather than mindless ritural describes our thanksgiving, we know God in deeper ways."  Dustin Crowe

TO DO LIST FOR TODAY:  Launder the bed linens, plant care, work on labeling and making cloth lid covers for the jars of jam I made for our church family.  I want to take them to church on Sunday to make certain everyone has opportunity to have some.  With the holidays some will be traveling.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom."

Psalm 90:12

Be Encouraged