Hat and Gloves

Mighty Hand

 

Thank you for visiting Love Come to Life. Maybe you found the gloves or the hat
that was left for you... Winter has definitely made it's arrival and it's nice
to have protection from the harsh cold weather. 

That reminds me of another story of some harsh conditions... remember the
Israelites?  They were slaves in Egypt and the Lord guided them out of that land
and into Canaan.  The Lord told them to have a seven day ceremony and on the
seventh day to hold a festival, but for those seven days they had to throw away
all their yeast!!  That means instead of PB&J on whitewheat, they were partying
with peanut butter crackers. And in place of those buttery yeast rolls, they
were eating saltines...  But why??  The Lord said on this day tell your son 'I
do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.'  For the
Lord brought us out of Egypt with his Mighty Hand!!   (Exodus 13) The Lord
wanted them to stop for a moment ( or 7 days) and celebrate His faithfulness! 
It wasn't easy to trust God to leave Egypt but they had backstage passes to some
pretty amazing miracles. 

2012 is almost over and we all have something to celebrate!  What has the Lord
brought you and your family out of with his Mighty Hand?? What can you do to
remember the faithfulness of God so that when someone asks you why , you can
tell them, ' I do this because of what the Lord did for me...' 

We would love to celebrate with you, if you have a testimony of God's
faithfulness in your life please post a comment below. 

Merry Christmas

Merry CHRISTmas!!!

I absolutely love Christmas time.  I love all the lights, I love wrapping presents, I love Christmas songs, and most of all I love reflecting on our Lord and Savior's birth!  I could go on and on about Christmas.  I could talk about so many different parts of the birth of Jesus, but for this entry I want to just zone in on one thing.  NO ROOM.  When Mary and Joseph traveled all the way to Bethlehem, there was no room for them anywhere.  Jesus, the King of Kings, was born in a manger because there was no room for his pregnant mother to lay down and rest.  Many people hold this sign over their hearts.  They won't allow God into their hardened hearts so that he may give them unconditional love.  Having a heart that has this NO ROOM sign on it will lead to alot of dead ends.  Opening your heart to the love of Christ will bring an eternity of hope, love, and a relationship with the Lord God Almighty.  If you have had this sign up over your heart, I urge you to take it down.  Let there be a vacancy in your heart for Jesus.  Let him come and penetrate you with the best Christmas present of all!  Revelation 3:20 says:  Jesus said "Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will go in an eat with him and he with me." 

I leave you with an exert from Luke chapter 2........Merry Christmas!

 

The Birth of Jesus

2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone 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 about.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Candy Cane



 

I am so glad you found the candy cane that we left for you!!! Those candy canes were made by the precious hands of our VBS children this year!!! I don’t know about you but I LOVE CANDY CANES!!! They are so festive for the Christmas Holidays and very historical too. Candy canes are dated back more than 350 years ago. I am a history nut, so I love to surround myself with anything historical!!! So yes, they are all over my house and Christmas tree!!!

I also think it is amazing how something as small as a candy cane can point us to Jesus and there is nothing more historical in the world that I would like to surround myself with, than Jesus!! There are so many different ways I have seen the candy cane represented in a Christian way, but the poem below is my favorite….

Look at the candy cane,

What do you see?

Stripes that are red

Like the blood shed for me

White for my Savior

Who’s sinless and pure!

“J” is for Jesus,

My Lord, that’s for sure!

Turn it around

And a staff you will see

Jesus my shepherd

Is coming for me!

-author unknown

I want to challenge you after the Christmas season is over, after all the Christmas decorations are put up and the house is “back to normal” until the next Holiday, leave a candy cane out….just one is all you need….put it somewhere you look every day…your bathroom mirror, the kitchen sink, in your car….to remind you of what Christ has done for you. God sent his son to die for you, so you could eternally be saved, loved, shown grace, and most importantly of all, to spend eternity with the most important historical person of all, your Heavenly Father. Thank you for reading….wishing you a blessed and happy Christmas and a God filled 2013.

Star Ornament

How many stars are in the universe??  Astrologers and scientists have
been studying stars for hundreds of years and no one can agree on one answer. 
As technology and exploration efforts improve, we discover new heights to the
heavens and the immeasurable expanse of the universe.  Whether its a million, a
billion or 1000 trillion, we will never be able to count them all.  Only the One
who created and placed the stars, the One who calls them by name, the One with
infinite wisdom, knows how many stars there are!!!
    Psalm 147:4, 5 states , "He determines the number of the stars and calls
them each by name. Great is our Lord and MIGHTY in power; his understanding has
no limit."
      I love being reminded of who I am in Christ.  Have you ever read the book
of Job?  Job pleaded with the Lord to respond to him and when the Lord does
respond, He speaks out of a raging, violent storm.  In a magnificent display of
His power and wisdom, the Lord offers Job rhetorical questions that he can't
possibly answer.  Here are a few from Job 37-38: " Where were you when I laid
the earths foundation? Who marked off its dimensions? Who shut up the sea behind
doors? And said 'This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud
waves halt.'  Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its
place?  Have you entered the storehouses of the snow? Or seen the storehouses of
the hail?  What is the way to the place where the lightening is dispersed?  Or
the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?" 
     I am completely humbled by our Mighty God!  All I can do is offer my
praise... A few years ago I heard a man telling a story of him praising God.  He
was driving down a street and noticed that even the trees raise their branches
in praise.  So next time you are traveling down a road and you see a starry
night, remember the marvelous works of His MIGHTY hands and Lift your hands in
Praise to the Lord.....

Candy Cane

Candy Cane Facts

• The original candy cane had a shape different then the modern day design. It was straight, all white, and hard.
• A candy cane turned upside down reveals the letter J, which many believe represents Jesus.
• National candy cane day is celebrates on December 26 in the United States.
• The first candy cane was made over 350 years ago.
• The first historical reference in America to the candy cane dates back to 1847. A German immigrant from Wooster, Ohio decorated his Christmas tree with candy canes.
• The red and white striped candy canes were first made around 1900.
• The traditional candy cane flavor is peppermint, however, it is also made in a variety of other flavors and colored stripes.
• Over 1.76 billion candy canes are made each year.
• The biggest candy cane ever made was 36 feet 7 inches.
• Candy canes are sometimes as a topping for foods such as ice cream or as an additive to drinks such as hot chocolate. They are hung as decorations on Christmas Trees.
• Nearly 2 billion candy canes will be sold in the four weeks before Christmas and Hanukkah.

I can't believe there are this many facts on a piece of candy!!  I typed in candy canes in google and I got alot of stuff.  This is all from one website (candycanefacts.com) but I was really shocked at the number of candy canes that are made each year.  1.76 BILLION!!!!  That is alot for one sweet symbol for Christmas!  Attached to the candy cane that you received was a little story of the history of the candy cane and what it represents.  Keep this paper with you!  Why?  Reread it and anytime you see someone with one of those 1.76 billion candy canes, tell them the meaning behind the candy cane.  Tell them about this Jesus man who lived a pure and sinless life only to die a cruel death to save US/Me/YOU from hell!  Jesus was our living sacrifice so that if we believe in Him, we could have eternal life. 
John 6:40
For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

Don't let opportunities pass you buy when it comes to God's Kingdom!  There are so many people searching, so let one of those 1.76 billion pieces of candy help you tell them about the Almighty God and how following and developing a relationship with Jesus Christ is the only way to true fulfillment!