First Sunday of Advent today!

~First Sunday of Advent~






This is the first Sunday of Advent! Light your first candle! Call me for the tune for MY Lord What a Morning I will sing it for you!



Advent Wreath Meditations
~First Sunday of Advent (November 30, 2008)





But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Keep alert, for you do not know when the time will come . . . in the evening, or at midnight, or at dawn. Keep awake. (Mark 13:24-26, 32, 33, 35, 37, NRSV)

Such amazing things happen in the sky to herald the return of the Son of Man:
. . . Jesus, coming in the clouds
. . . the sun grows dark
. . . the moon doesn't shine
. . . and stars fall from the heavens


So different from that first coming more than 2000 years ago:
. . . with angels singing of God's glory and peace on earth
. . . with the single star guiding the way to the manger
. . . with shepherds and wisemen -- rich and poor -- coming to worship.

And so we watch, and wait, and stay alert, waiting again for the coming of Jesus.
And we light a single candle in preparation for that glorious day.

[Light the first candle on the Advent wreath.]

. . . And even if the sun should grow dark
. . . even if the moon refuses to shine
. . . even if the stars should fall from the
sky…


. . . we will have Jesus, the Light of the World, to shine brightly in our hearts, lighting our way.

All: Come, Lord Jesus, come. Amen.

"My Lord, What a Morning," 719, The United Methodist Hymnal


My Lord, what a morning; my Lord, what a morning;
Oh, my Lord, what a morning, when the stars begin to fall.
You'll hear the trumpet sound, to wake the nations underground,
Looking to my God's right hand, when the stars begin to fall.
My Lord, what a morning; my Lord, what a morning;
Oh, my Lord, what a morning, when the stars begin to fall.

(Traditional African-American spiritual)

OR "Shine, Jesus, Shine," stanza 1, 2173, The Faith We Sing

I got this from Planning Helps~Advent Wreath Meditations

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Busy Times Ahead

Thursday, Thanksgiving 2008 I will be preparing a beef brisket, orange Cornish hens, spiral ham, and a little turkey (as little a turkey as I can find. You have to cook one on Thanksgiving even if no one in the family is all that fond of it.)Matthew might be bringing some venison, but I am not too sure. I had been hoping we would be cooking a hind haunch on my deer I got with my landowners permit, but so far that allusive little gal has not wandered into my path when I am holding a gun.. So if before Tuesday I am so fortunate as to bag a deer we will indeed cook some of it for our feast. I plan to have as lot of the traditional side dishes as well. But with my family, the emphasis has to be on the meat.
Friday, The day after Thanksgiving, I plan to decorate the 12 Days of Christmas tree for the TV room.
Then on the following Friday, I will be heading out to Nebraska to see Micah, Nicole, Micaiah and Nicolae!!!
Then the next weekend I will be heading down to Cabool to see Mark, Jordan and Cademon!!!
It is going to be a busy couple of weeks.

15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:15-18

Stand firm in your faith today!

In this week before Thanksgiving, let us not forget that Our Heavenly Father has given us the greatest gift of all: salvation though His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. All we need to do is repent of our sins and ask Him to come into our hearts and rule our lives. So simple, yet so few of us have done this simple thing. Pray today asking God to help you to lead another to Christ. We must all share the gift He has given us so freely. Ask His will to be done in your life so you can know His perfect peace, which transends all understanding! Stand firm in your faith today!

9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[a] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
Colossians 1:9-12 RSV

No more chickens on our Chicken Farm....

I guess since I wrote in here, all the chickens have been stolen by our predator. We now think it is a bobcat that has taken them. So we w ill spend the rest of the winter finishing the chicken coop, and making the chicken yard very secure. We will then buy baby chicks next spring and start all over again. Matthew and Joshua started to finish the back yard fence, but they got distracted, and we will keep on working on it. The dogs are looking great now! I am glad we started feeding them Purina Healthy choice, and that is the best formula for Lily. She is looking so pretty now. Boomer eats a lot more than Chowderhead did though... probably cause he is younger and has more energy. Joshua and Terry are cutting up Joshua's deer today, and then we are going to eat lunch at Kristi and Joshua's before Terry has to head back to KC. We got our church directory picture done yesterday afternoon, and so this week Terry really did not have any time to work on the property. Some weeks (most) go like that around here anymore...

I need a man to finish my coop and help me fence my chicken yard....

IT is a shame, but predators (or a predator has almost totally depleted the chicken population on our property. I fear Nicole will have no hens or roosters to take home to Nebraska with her. My barred rock disappeared yesterday ( or night before last) she was a nice bird. Micah thinks maybe it is a raccoon getting them (I think that is what he said.)