Category: Holidays

Happy Father’s Day

~ jesusluvsall ~ 11 Comments

It is Father’s Day in the USA today. I would like to wish the fathers who follow my blog a Happy Father’s Day. My your day be blessed.

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When Father’s Day comes around, it is a time many people want to honor their fathers. Many people are blessed with good dads. For those of us who are not or in my case were not, there are bible verses about our Heavenly Father that I would like to share. They are encouraging for all who believe in Jesus.

Romans 8:14-15 tells us that we do not receive a spirit of fear but of adoption as God’s children. Yes we need to respect God, but be afraid of him striking us, no.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.  The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

James 1:17 tells us that God the Father does not change, does not vary. in his love and that every good gift comes from him.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 

Matthew 6;8 lets us know that God our Father knows what we need before we ask. God knows all about us.

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

There are many wonderful verse in the bible about God Our Father. They can be of comfort for those who have lost a father or who did not have a good father.

Happy Father’s Day. Thank you for reading. God Bless.

By Faith- Hall of Fame Moms

~ jesusluvsall ~ 24 Comments

Hebrews chapter 11 is often referred to as the Faith Hall of Fame because it lists people from the Old Testament who by faith in God saw amazing things happen. Apart from how God chose to work through them, one thing that escapes our attention is that they were ordinary people, ordinary people God did amazing things through. The focus of the people mentioned is either on those in the genealogical line of Jesus or who are significant in the history of Israel. If we read their stories in the Old Testament, we will see their failures and flaws, but God does not focus on those in Hebrews 11.

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God continues to do amazing things through ordinary every day kind of people. For those who respond in faith to Jesus, wonderful things can happen. Instantaneous miracles tend to grab our attention, but what about responding in faith daily while serving Jesus?

Moms come to mind when I think about people who respond in faith day in and day out as they nurture the young souls entrusted to them. Moms who carry their babies inside them dealing with all the discomfort. Moms who unable to conceive adopt children and love them. Moms who understand that reading those silly stories with little ones lead to the development that later results in college degrees. Moms who love their children with Downs Syndrome, Autism or other developmental disabilities. Moms who care their for their sick children some battling serious illness.

So please allow me to make a Hebrews 11 type of list for some moms whose blogs I follow. There are so many to choose from, so if I mention you, please tag other moms that come to your mind. If I listed all of the moms whose blogs I follow who follow Jesus, this post would be a book, so in the interest of brevity here is an abbreviated Moms Hall of Fame ala Hebrews 11 style.

Temi of christianmommas.com. By faith Temi came to the USA from Nigeria, served in the U.S. Army, got married, got her degrees, and is raising her two little boys along with her husband.

Dawn of drawingclosertochrist.com. By faith as a single mom, Dawn raised an amazing daughter who is bilingual speaking English and Spanish. By faith she has risen in life to not only be working but also working on her Masters Degree.

Patty of hesaidwhatks.blog. By faith Patty loves and cares for her son who has Autism and Epilepsy. Patty loves her son Aaron and cares for him.

Euyadeen of quietmomentswithgodblog.wordpress.com. By faith Euyadeen cares for her children including one who lives with serious chronic illnesses. By faith Euyadeen serves God as a chaplain.

Viv of godswhispersoftruth.wordpress.com. By faith she is parenting her children while they all grieve the loss of Viv”s husband, her children’s father. By faith she lives for Jesus while living with MS.

Hannah of choosinghope.live. By faith Hannah loves her children and spends time with them while dealing with a terminal illness hoping for life with her children to continue.

Ruth of plantedbylivingwater.wordpress.com. By faith Ruth cares for her family, homeschools her children all while living with chronic illness.

As I mentioned earlier, this list could go on. There are so many moms whose blog I follow and am blessed by. To all of you moms. I wish you a Happy and Blessed Mothers Day.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Starting A New Year- Who Knows?

~ jesusluvsall ~ 25 Comments

“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,” he used to say. “You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

Those were the words of advice from Bilbo Baggins to Frodo in Lord of the Rings. I love it for a New Years Day quote.

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If the past two New Years Days have shown us anything, it is that we have absolutely no idea what will happen in a coming year. The illusion that any of us can anticipate what will happen in a new year is gone.

Case in point New Years Day January 2020 I had no clue that everything would shutdown including my school and we would switch to online to finish the school year. I had no clue of all the things that would happen because of the pandemic. I had no clue that cities in the USA would be destroyed by rioters.

Another case in point New Years Day 2021 I had no clue that my colleague I had worked with for 7 years would retire last May and how intense the past semester would be because of it. I also had no idea that I would finally get diagnosed with what I had suspected for years.

On a more positive note I had no inkling that I would meet new people who would become my friends or colleagues at work. I had no idea that the Lord would bless me in the midst of the pandemic with a good year.

None of us has a clue what will happen in the coming year. The difference is the veil of illusion about that is gone, which in my mind is a good thing. Why?

Jesus is eternal. He does not have the boundaries of time, so he is with us now and in the future at the same time. He knows what will happen in the coming year including our own individual lives. Even better, he loves us deeply.

So my dear readers, the only advice I have about this coming year, no matter what it brings, is to look to Jesus.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

You Know I Had To Do It

~ jesusluvsall ~ 17 Comments

You know I had to do it one last time for this year. Yes, this afternoon I went to the coffee shop. The mug they gave me this time has an old house. I am not sure if it is more like the house for George Bailey in It’s A Wonderful Life or more like the house for The Munsters. 🙂

Yes I was able to bless people with a few jokes. I wanted them to end the year on a good note. 🙂

We are expecting a snowstorm later tonight. It is supposed to hit my area after midnight, but supposed to when it comes to weather where I live means little. lol. Either way, it is looking more and more likely that I will ring in the New Year by watching Lord of the Rings. Love that play on words -Ring in the New Year with Lord of the Rings. 🙂

Tomorrow will be cold and snowy, so a perfect day to sit at home, drink coffee, spend time with Jesus, listen to worship music, and relax. There might be a nap involved too.

After I finish the series from John in the New Testament, I am thinking about doing a series on Acts. But the last three chapters of John have so much in them, it may take three more months to finish. The books I have for studying through Acts have been sitting ready to use for a few months. They sit on top of my small file cabinet reminding me each day to crack them open. I may take a peek tomorrow. The series on Acts is another project for 2022. 🙂

Have a safe and blessed New Years however you celebrate.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Goodbye 2021-My Wish List Project for 2022

~ jesusluvsall ~ 37 Comments

Time to say goodbye to 2021 or perhaps you want to say good riddance. For me it is a mixed bag. The Lord blessed me in the midst of another COVID year for which I am so grateful. But that does not mean it has been easy. I do not have a New Years Resolution mostly because I know how those go. So instead, I have a few ideas I hope to try. But if the past few years have shown us anything, it is to BE FLEXIBLE.

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One is a mini project for my apartment. I want to get the old furniture out of my living room and turn it into a blogging/online teaching/other projects center. My plan is to buy some of those light weight folding tables and a decent office chair. If I can afford it sometime in the coming year, a decent video camera.

Another idea is to perhaps do a weekly podcast and see how it goes. The thing to figure out is should I do humor, bible study, or devotional. The comic in me wants to do humor.

Why a video camera? Good question because I have a face for radio. 🙂

It is similar to the podcast idea. Maybe start vlogging and see what happens.

I will be super busy the first quarter of the year because dummy me agreed to fill in for two evening courses. I will be teaching Monday to Thursday evenings. But the extra money will be put to my projects.

Do you any resolutions, plans, or hopes for the coming year?

Oh yes, and by the way, Happy New Year to all of my readers even though I feel cynical about it. 🙂 lol

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Merry Christmas

~ jesusluvsall ~ 36 Comments

I would like to wish my followers a Merry Christmas. May you experience the joy of the presence of Jesus in your lives. When I think of Christmas, I think of the wonderful truth Jesus spoke in the famous verse John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

It is my privilege to share the love of God in Jesus with the world such as refugees and immigrants from all over the world living in my city. It has been my privilege to share that love with people in Brazil, France, Mexico, and Romana in person. It is a blessing for me to know that people from many countries read my blog posts.

Merry Christmas. May you experience the love of God today and every day.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Christmas Eve- What Are You Worth- O Holy Night

~ jesusluvsall ~ 22 Comments

Do you ever doubt your worth? Feel less than others? Struggle with memories of past failures, mistakes, or trauma?

I love the lyrics of O Holy Night

It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices

Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.

You are worth so much to God, he values you so much, that Jesus left heaven to come to earth as a human baby to grow to become our Savior. God loves, values, you so much that you are worth it all to him. He spared no expense to rescue us.

That is what we celebrate on Christmas Eve remembering the night our Savior Jesus was born.

So I share this version of my favorite Christmas Song, O Holy Night, with you in hopes of encouraging you that God loves you.

Thank you for reading. God Bless. Merry Christmas.

For Unto Us- Mighty God

~ jesusluvsall ~ 9 Comments

A few weeks ago we looked at the prophecy of Isaiah about a virgin being with child who will be called Immanuel in For Unto Us- The Birth of Jesus Foretold 700 Years Before. Last week we looked at how he would be called Wonderful Counselor in For Unto Us-And He Will Be Called-Wonderful Counselor. Isaiah 96 reads:

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

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Jesus being God the Son is the Mighty God, but set aside his glory in heaven to come to earth born as an infant for a purpose. He came to die for our sins to become the Savior of all humanity. He laid down his life and took it back through his resurrection just as he said in John 10:17:

The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.

Jesus took what we fear the most, death, and defeated it thus giving us the promise that we too can be resurrected if we come to place our faith in him. While in his earthly life, Jesus displayed his power through many miracles but his resurrection topped them all.

Everything was created through him. Step outside at night at gaze at the stars. He created them all. Fly over the oceans on earth, or climb the highest mountains, he created it all.

Jesus is our Creator, Savior, and wants us to be with him forever. That is why he came 2,000 years ago. The is also why he till return one day.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Depression During the Holidays

~ jesusluvsall ~ 16 Comments

The songs of Christmas can cause most people to feel joy and look forward to the holidays. Songs like I’ll Be Home for Christmas or The Happiest Time of the Year. The problem with those songs is that they put the focus on the holiday as if there is something magical about the holiday.

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Toss on those overly romanticized movies where Christmas miracles happen such as finding true love and the whole thing is magnified.

The holidays can cause some short term sadness for some. But what about people who struggle with depression? When everyone around you is happy to celebrate holidays, it can make a person feel even more depressed.

As someone who has depression due to living with Chronic Illness, what has helped me the most is to focus on the person Christmas is about not about the holiday that is overly commercialized.

Christmas is a time to remember the birth of Jesus our Savior. That is what it is really all about. It is not some magical time of year where all problems are solved. The person Jesus said things like in John 16:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

That is so realistic. This world, this life, is full of problems. Jesus did not say he will wipe the problems away. Yes, he can do that, but what he said is to take heart because he has overcome the world.

Jesus also said in Matthew 11:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest’

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He invites anyone who has struggles in life to come to him promising rest for weary souls. That would include those are feeling alone during a holiday, those who struggle with depression, and anyone who just plain is struggling in life.

So my only advice is to focus on the person Christmas is supposed to be about, Jesus, and not the holiday which has no power to do anything.

One more thing I would say is that if you are struggling, it is not only okay but important to ask for help.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Are You Ready?

~ jesusluvsall ~ 10 Comments

Are you ready? That simple three word question that at times can be annoying such as being asked are you ready repeatedly about evening plans. That simple question can cause anxiety such as when I ask students if they are ready for a test.

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The same question may elicit various responses when someone asks- Are you ready for Christmas? It is only 26 days away from Christmas. Christmas the holiday that tends to bring out the best or the worst in some people. Christmas the holiday that some people go crazy shopping for.

For me it is easy. I simply go online and order things for people. I don’t decorate since I live alone. I am usually invited to a friend’s home for dinner and no one ever wants me to cook which is hard to understand since I have mastered the popcorn setting on my microwave, 🙂

Christmas is the time we celebrate the 1st coming of Jesus when he was born as a human baby to become our Savior. That brings up another question which is about his 2nd coming.

One day, a day no one knows when it will be, Jesus will return to earth. That day will be a most wonderful day for those who believe in Jesus. For those who don’t it will not be a wonderful day. So my simple question is- Are you ready for Jesus’s 2nd coming?

The way things are going it seems to be getting closer each day. For me, it is a day I look forward to. It is a day that will mean the end of war, disease, and so many other problems in this world.

Are we ready? We can become ready by placing our trust in Jesus as our Savior, by believing he is God the Son who died for us and defeated death for us. The good news is that he wants ALL people to come to him voluntarily and receive eternal life just as that famous bible verse John 3:16 says:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.