Merry Christmas 2023!

 "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.'"
Luke 2:10-14

What Child is This?

 "And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him after the custom of the law, then took he Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel." Luke 2:25-32

Ten Things—A Blogging, Writing, Singing, & Life (somewhat!) Update

Photo Source

I apologize profusely ahead of time for this extremely long post!

My poor neglected blog! For over twelve years now, it has existed. Its history is quite a story in itself. As I think back over it, I realize it has weathered many seasons and served many purposes. God has always been at the helm, controlled the content (I hope!), and directed the frequency of posts. I have never been a blogger who committed to posting in a particular rhythm. I admire bloggers who are able to keep up with a certain blogging schedule, but that has never been the case with me, and I am content with only posting when I feel inspired.

Today, I had a bit of free time and felt a God-nudge to just sit down with each of you and chat about a few things on my heart.

"Daddy's Hands"

 "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear Him."
Psalm 103:13

I mentioned in my last post that I worked on a song video recently that brought back a tsunami of memories and I promised to share about it soon. So, here goes.

Kneel at the Cross

 "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise Him."
Psalm 28:7

When Kevin and I first started getting to know one another, one of the things I was most pleasantly surprised by was our mutual deep love for bluegrass music. I mean even in 1987, it was a rarity to find a young person anywhere who even knew what true bluegrass was, let alone someone who loved it as much as I did. 

I'll never forget the day we were chatting, and how shocked I was

A Graduation, A Special Birthday, A Miracle, & Three Songs

                      

"The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it."
Proverbs 10:22

So many blessings to thank God for today!

A Graduation

Just a few days ago, our dear boy, Zach, graduated with his two-year degree from Bible College! We are beyond proud of him and the way He loves Jesus and has a desire to spend his life serving Him. I don't mean to brag by what I am about to say, but I say it to bring glory to God—

Jesus, Draw Me Ever Nearer

 "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you."
James 4:8

Through the years, I have found so much encouragement in listening to the music of Keith and Kristyn Getty. One of my favorite songs they sing and Keith co-wrote is "Jesus, Draw Me Ever Nearer." I remember when the Lord brought it across my path several years ago and the measure of comfort the lyrics brought to me—then and each time I have heard it since. 

We Have Three Winners!

 "I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify Thy name for evermore."
Psalm 86:12

Congratulations to our three winners of one bag of coffee from Mama Java!

Coffee Giveaway!

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." Psalm 103:1,5 

On March 21, 2022, I published this post, explaining how I have said goodbye and good riddance to mainstream media and other sources of negativity, and in that post, I also included a few YouTube channels with which I have replaced them. One of my favorites on that list is The Mennonite Mom. I really appreciate Jeannine and her family, and each time I watch her videos, I am comforted in knowing there are still godly families who dress modestly and raise their children in the fear of the Lord. Watching Jeannine reminds me that there is still normalcy in this upside-down world, and I always feel edified, encouraged, and refreshed in spirit as I leave her channel. Kevin and Zach even watch her videos with me from time to time

So, recently when Jeannine and her husband, Nolan, launched their own coffee business called Mama Java, I knew I wanted to support them in every way I could. One of the ways Kevin, Zach, and I want to do that is by introducing you to their brand and offering a giveaway! But, it gets even better!

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

 "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
Matthew 6:34

The longer I walk hand in hand with Jesus, the more I love Him and the more tender my heart grows toward Him. To be honest, I can hardly hear the mention of His name these days without tears coming to my eyes. He just means the world to me. 

And the more He means to me, the more I crave to read and absorb the red letters in my Bible. Knowing that we have HIS words written down, available for us to pick up and read any time we wish, is an immeasurable blessing.

"My Cross"

 "And He said to them all, 'If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.'" Luke 9:23

Source

Looking back over my life and all the seasons I have walked through with the Lord, I would have to say that I was in one of the most difficult, challenging ones I ever faced when I wrote a song called, "My Cross."

"The Broken Ones"

 "When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

"Choices" & A Giveaway

 "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say, 'I have no pleasure in them.'" Ecclesiastes 12:1

When I was young, I took a walk with a boy through the woods of a church campground, and he offered me drugs. I remember feeling so shocked that he and some other young people were daring enough to do drugs right there on the church campground. I remember how appealing he made it sound and how I was somewhat tempted because he was a few years older and considered "cool," and I guess I was a bit flattered that he was interested in me. He knew nothing of the tug-of-war that raged within as we walked side by side.

Another time,

"Rank Stranger"

" And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
Revelation 21:4

One of the many bluegrass songs that impacted my childhood was the song "Rank Stranger," written by Albert E. Brumley and made famous by the Stanley Brothers. It would be impossible for me to say when I first heard it. All I know is that it has been there, in my memory bank, for as long as I can remember. I absolutely love this song. So did Mom and Dad.

"More Than Ever"

 "From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher
than I."
Psalm 61:2

When I am going through hard trials, my dear Mom often comes to mind, along with the things she used to say and do to encourage me. She always had a way of snapping me out of discouragement and coaxing me to pull myself up by the bootstraps and keep pressing on. One of the main ways she did that was by quoting Scripture to me. If I had a dollar for every time Mom reminded me of the following three passages, among many others, I would have quite a nest egg.

We Have a Winner!

 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:16

Today is the day for our 

Homemade Soap & Mug Giveaway 

winner to be chosen!

Homemade Soap & Mug GIVEAWAY!

 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such, there is no law."
Galatians 5:22,23

I first "met" Valentine through her sweet comments on our Mountain Hope Band YouTube channel. She has encouraged my heart so many times and has been a constant supporter, and now I want to return that love by sharing with you about her family's new soap business, For His Name's Sake! These soaps are unique in that they are imprinted with the names of the nine fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22,23.

Happy New Year, Overwhelmed with Gratitude, & My Word for 2023

 "Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?
I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."
Isaiah 43:19

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I am so thankful to be alive and well to see another new year! This past year was difficult in many ways, but praise the Lord, He is ever faithful and brought us through. 

Over Christmas, I kept telling my dear husband and son how grateful I was to be alive. I just praise the Lord from the depths of my soul that we are all three still here, that all is as well with us as it is, and that God has bestowed such abundant mercy on us. My mind often goes to the lines of a song that says,