God with us

In Isaiah we read the prophecy “a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14), then in Matthew’s gospel, we read of the fulfilment of this prophecy with the birth of Jesus. Immanuel means 'God with us' and it’s this meaning that I wanted to focus on this week.

Life in our house (and no doubt everyone else's house too!) is always busy in the run up to Christmas and with this being the first year I’ve been working full time since having our eldest daughter, I’ve found it difficult to adjust to the changes, and I’ve felt less ‘festive’ than I normally do. Bryan (DH) is in the midst of preparations for Christmas services and activities and the girls are busy learning their lines for the nativity plays at school and church. Yet at the school I teach at we haven’t really started thinking about Christmas because the focus has been on prelim exams for the senior pupils. It’s only really this week that the staff have started to realise that Christmas isn’t too far away! It’s for these reasons that I’ve been reading the Christmas story and taking time to reflect on it.

There’s a lot of conflict happening around the world in big and small ways. I’m thinking not just of conflict in terms of war but also in terms of the number of redundancies, financial difficulties etc that people are experiencing. People are hurting for many different reasons and many are fearful of what may happen next. The inspiring message of Christmas is that we are told, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2) God understands our fears but doesn’t want us to be controlled by them. The prophecy of Isaiah meant that Jesus birth was not unexpected. God became human just as He had promised. God became completely accessible to all of us.

I feel so privileged to know that Jesus’ birth was promised many years before it happened and that when he was born the prophecy was fulfilled. God is faithful and will keep His promises.

Pauline

Hazel

Kim


Stacy

Lythan


Mona



Julie

Thoughts for advent

One of my favourite passages to ponder on at this time of year, at the beginning of the advent season, when thoughts turn towards Christmas and the coming of Christ as a baby born among us, is John chapter 1.

Matthew and Luke give an account of the foretelling of the birth of Christ and the actual event, including those who went to visit the infant Jesus.

John doesn't give any account of the Christmas story, but he paints a far deeper picture of the incarnation when in verse 14 of chapter 1 he says: ' The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.'

What a staggering truth to ponder that the Word became flesh and lived among us. Indeed, that Word was there at the beginning of Creation - v.3: ' Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.'

May I suggest that at the beginning of this precious advent time that we reflect again upon John chapter 1, particularly the first 18 verses.

As we think towards Christmas and listen again to the nativity account, let's remember that 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning.' (John 1:1)

Christmas didn't start with the birth of the baby Jesus at Bethlehem, it started in the heart of God way back in the beginning of time - God's redemption plan for fallen mankind.

Giving Thanks - Colossians 3:17

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

On November 11, Remembrance Day in Canada, this verse was in my devotions and it really spoke to me. Having grandparents who were in the war and having lost a cousin in Afghanistan it really spoke to me - especially as a Mennonite woman who believes in pacifism. Then I thought about it and realized that NO MATTER where we are in our lives nothing is more important than what we do FOR OUR FATHER; nothing else matters. There is nothing more important in my life than knowing that everything I say and do needs to be for the praise and honor of my Lord. I am thankful to my Father every day for the life he has given me and I want everyone to know that all I do is to HIS glory. That is what my life is for - Thank You Father!


Kim

Hazel


Lythan

SNR Blog Hop Winner

We have a winner!!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the SALT blog and left such lovely comments! We were thrilled to have you and hope that you not only enjoyed everyone's artwork but that you'll be back to visit and participate in our upcoming challenges!! And now...

to announce the winner of our bag of stamping goodies....

Grace who left us this comment, "Oh wow... how wonderful! LOVE the friend one!! I'm so glad to meet you my sister in Christ! This hop as been a pleasure to hop along as well as an honor to participate in! God bless!"

Congraulations Grace! Please contact me at ksdm@comcast.net with your full contact info and I'll get a goodie bag out in the mail to you asap!!

SNR "Thankful for Friends" Blog Hop

Welcome to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine's A Faith Perspective Thankful for Friends Faith Blog Hop! Today, we're out in force on the internet -- showing our faith and giving the glory to God. United, we stand as Christian paper crafters and blog owners to make a presence on the internet for all to see. We're celebrating the theme of friends and we're happy to share our projects with you based on the verse:

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. " Ecc4:9-10a

If you're just joining in on the fun, you can find the start of the train at A Faith Perspective.

The blog hop is being supported by wonderful and generous co-sponsors: Layers of Color Stamps, Gina K Designs Stamps and Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps. Together with Scrapbook News and Review Magazine, these companies have donated some wonderful prizes for today’s blog hop.
Prizes? Oh, yeah! There will be three lucky grand prize winners for today’s event.

To enter, simply hop to the blogs of all of the participating staff members (this blog is not part of the staff, however, Kim from Paperie Petals is so visit her blog to enter the contest!!) of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine, take note of the staff member’s name, and leave a comment on their posts. Then send us an email at games@scrapbooknewsandreview.com listing each of the staff members who participated in today’s hop. It’s that easy.

All entries must be received by Monday, November 16, 2009 at 12 noon, EST and three winners will be randomly chosen to win.

What are the prizes?
-One $100 gift certificate from Layers of Color Stamps AND a 6 month subscription to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.
-One basket of goodies -- four stamp sets from Gina K Designs and a 6 month subscription to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.
-One set of digital stamps from Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps and a 3 month subscription to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.
In addition, every participating staff member of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine will offer a free one-month subscription to the magazine to one of their lucky visitors by simply leaving a comment on their blog.

That's a lot of chances to win, so let’s get to the Hop and enjoy our DT's artwork!! Leave a comment here by Monday, November 16, and the SALT team will select a winner to receive a goodie bag of stamping supplies!

The next stop on this blog hop is: Scrap of Faith

Kim Hazel

Stacy


Pauline

Psalm 46: Be still

When I really need help I often go to the Psalms as they help me to express my feelings so well. For various reasons the last few weeks have been tough and the phrase that came to mind was from Psalm 46 "Be still and know that I am God". When I looked at the Psalm I noted some other really helpful verses

1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

or from the Message
God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him.

and also
11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

I need to know that I am not on my own in all of this - that I can rest in God and he will give me strength. I wish I could follow Desmond Tutu's advice “I am far too busy to pray for less than two hours a day” I certainly need this time to reflect and create and be still with God

Hazel
Kim

Tanis (I decided to go digital this week!)

Mona

Lythan

Stacy Esther

Serving for God's Glory - I Peter 4:10

Congratulations, Ruth

I'm sure you would like to join us in congratulating Ruth on the birth of baby Mae Suan - you can see a gorgeous picture of Mae Suan here.

Serving for God's Glory

"As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another,

as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." -I Peter 4:10

I first have to once again marvel at the way that God works...I was amazed to read Stacy's comments on Romans 12:1 and how she related our need and call to serve others in the name of Christ. This has been my thought since challenging our design team with our theme "Serving for God's Glory", which was long before Stacy's post. :-)

In Peter's first epistle, he writes to encourage persecuted and discouraged Christians, exhorting them to stand fast in their faith. Thoughout the book he continually reminds them of the joys and glories of their eternal inheritance and instructs them about Christian behavior in the midst of suffering.

In verses 7-11, Peter turns to exhortation on how we are to treat others and reminds his readers to be "serious and watchful in their prayers" and to have "fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins." In verse 10 he pens our challenge verse, noted above and Matthew Henry, in his Bible commentary, draws these points from the text.

• Whatever gifts we have received, we ought to look upon them as received for the use of one to another. We must not assume them to ourselves, nor hide them in a napkin, but do service with them "one to another" in the best manner we are able.
• The talents we are entrusted with are our Lord's good, and must be employed as he directs.
• He who has received plenty and ability from God ought to minister plentifully ,and according to his ability.
• The nature of a Christian's work, which is high work and hard work, the goodness and kindness of the Master, and the excellency of the reward, all require that our endeavours should be serious and vigorous, and that whatever we are called to do for the honour of God and the good of others we should do with all our might.
• In all the duties and services of life we should aim at the glory of God as our chief end.

As I considered this verse and how I can apply it to my life, I realized that I have too frequently failed to minister to the needs of others around me. I tend to be far too self-absorbed with my own life and struggles and don't stop to look for others in need. It's too easy for my focus to be only on my circumstances and not enough on Christ, the church, and my neighbor.

There are so many who are in desperate need, either of practical help, a word of encouragement, a listening ear, or genuine love and friendship and we (at least I) have a tendency to pass them by. May God be pleased, and may we be willing, to use us to minister to those around us... not so we can pat ourselves on the back or enjoy the good feelings that come from helping someone but so that God can be glorified as we faithfully use the special gifts He has given to us.

We'd love to see your artwork, created based on this week's theme. Just leave us a comment with a link back to your blog or gallery and we'll come visit!

I also wanted to mention that the SALT team will be participating in the A Faith Perspective blog hop on November 14, 2009. The theme of the hop is "Thankful for Friends of Faith." Please stop by on the 14th for a list of participants and to see some lovely artwork created by the team!


Kim

Pauline



Lythan

Hazel


Tanis