JWalking: The Blog

We have received so many wonderful cards, photos (the wreath is spilling over with them today!) and newsletters. We love ALL of them! This style of card tree is new this year. May have to get a bigger tree, the way the mail's been coming in!) A new bell-ringing angel wind chime. She says, "Those who believe are blessed." The rest of the angels are singing on high in the playroom (definitely on high!). Our snowman shelf display, which stays up through the end of February. RJ2 made the orange-cinnamon pomander. Our sea life tree.... started after our honeymoon to Vancouver 18+ years ago. We loved seeing the seals at Stanley Park. Sea life includes friends like penguins and even egrets (from Florida). One of my sisters made the painted glass balls. RJ2 made a gingerbread house at school. Her preschool teacher thought CJ would like to make one, too, so she gave her all the "fixin's" and CJ made one that afternoon. RJ2 with the "stuffed"...

T oday was the last day of school, and CJ brought home a neat in-class assignment. Her class was given a sheet of paper that listed different questions related to writing a story—"Who are you?" "Where are you?" What is your problem?" etc. Then, they rolled two dice, added together the two numbers showing, and found the corresponding number answer to their questions in each category. With all their questions answered, they could begin to craft a story. (This may be a blog meme for the New Year!) Here are her answers: Who ? Santa Claus Where ? At Santa's workshop What do you have ? A package of Christmas cookies Whom or what do you meet ? Prancer and Comet What is your problem ? You must find a cure for the Christmas blues * * * A Christmas Cure by CJ I was up at The Pole, listening to the radio, when I heard the news. Good news, because I got to travel at a time othe...

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; Snow had fallen, snow on snow snow on snow, In the bleak midwinter, long ago. —In the Bleak Midwinter Do you like winter? Perhaps it depends on where you were raised. I grew up, went to school and spent 14 years working in climates where winter is a significant season. Now, as a central Virginia transplant, I'm still trying to understand why winter is fussed over the way that it is. No one can drive or go to school when it snows. It's fascinating to me, but I'm starting to get used to the idea. Christina Rossetti's poem, from which we get our hymn In the Bleak Midwinter , paints quite a vivid picture of the harshness of winter in her opening lines. 'Moan,' 'hard as iron,' 'like a stone'—it all sounds very painful, or should I say 'bleak.' When we carry out our sinful lives, without recognition of a Savior, we create a similarly bleak pictu...

It's that time of year, When the world falls in love , Ev'ry song you hear seems to say: "Merry Christmas, May your New Year dreams come true...." —The Christmas Waltz (emphasis mine) When are folks most likely to hear about Jesus? Well, today's church would probably suggest either at Christmas or Easter, when the "Christmas/Easter visitor" is most likely to attend a church service. And the church goes all out to make those visitors welcome, with special programs and services built around the Scriptures but with elements to appeal to a non-church attendee. The goal? To introduce someone to Christ with the real goal that he or she "falls in love" with Him. Surely, those who know Jesus would like nothing more than for all the world to know and proclaim Him as their Lord and Savior. But, if you've ever fallen in love before, you know that it involves falling, and not everyone is prepared to do that for everybody, and certainly not for Jesus. W...

T his child now weak in infancy Our confidence and joy shall be. The power of Satan breaking. Our peace eternal making. —Break Forth, O, Beauteous Heavenly Light He may have entered the world as a fragile baby, but Jesus had within Him His Father's awesome power. For those who make the Christian journey, we can know that same power—the power of Christ, working within us. Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing...." —John 15: 4 & 5 When Jesus shared this teaching, He was speaking to groups who understood about agricultural concerns. Today, speaking to commercialized holiday shoppers, His analogy might read something like this: Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No bulb can bear light by itself; it must remain in th...