My good friend Carolyn--with a Master's in English, Drama and the Arts--keeps me straight when I misspell or use a wrong word.  I am grateful.  Because even though I go back over what I have written at least twice, I make mistakes.  Yesterday I used "iconic" for "iambic".  I read the entire blog three times and didn't catch it.  And I know the difference.

Mistakes are a part of life.  What we should never do is make one on purpose.  That is what God's Word is for.  An instruction manual for coming to the end of your life with a minimum of regrets.  It is also a guarantee  of God's promises to bless us throughout our days if we follow Him.  And he has our best interests at heart.  He loves us and has a plan for us.  Following His plan is in your own best interest.  You can't fulfill God's plan if you are reading the wrong texts.

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.  They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."  Jeremiah 29:11  I certainly don't need any more disaster in my life.

Another translation puts it this way:  "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, said the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

You may not be thinking about Him, but He is thinking about you.  And you can only follow him if you know what He wants from you.  You have to read the instruction manual.

The most popular book of all time is the Bible--but people don't read it.  They buy it and put it on a shelf.  I don't get it.  What's the point?  The Creator of the universe is speaking.  It might be a good thing to listen, because  He certainly isn't trying to hoodwink you.

I bet most of you think I am serious all the time.  Not so.  I got a giggle today when I was going through a stack of paper from at least forty years ago.  Papers that I had put off sorting.  I didn't know what all was in the stack, so I didn't think I could just toss it.

Turned out it was poems etc. that I had written in a Creative Writing class in college.  Since most of my classes were science or math related, I took this class just for fun.  The teacher was quite elderly, but the college retained her to teach this one class every semester because of her ability to inspire.  She certainly inspired me.  I had always been rather rigid.  This class changed all that.  She said we had to let the cat out of the box.  We had to imagine.

She would give us a topic, tell us to write in iambic pentameter, haiku, or some other style, then turn us loose.  It was one of the most fun classes that I ever took.   Here is the poem I wrote that made me giggle.

There was a green tube of tooth pastey,
Which somone squeezed out much too hastey.
It split on the side,  And a gooey green tide,
Ran all down the sink, what a wastey.

I once knew a frog named Magastor,
Who fed upon old oil of Castor.
He lived in a slue, A real good thing too,
Since the next day was quite a disaster.

There.  That was creative.  Aren't we glad God gave us the ability to think.  There are three other stanzas.  If you don't make fun of me, I might share them.

I was awakened this morning a little after 5:00 by an earthquake.  Mag. 4.3 with an aftershock of 3.4 centered in Edmond very, very close to my house.   Haven't felt one that big since I left California in the sixties--and there, earthquakes were common--usually weekly.  It knocked a few pictures and a shelf off the wall and made a lot of noise.   It was the loud noises of things falling off the wall that woke me up.  The noise was worse than the shaking.

Freezing rain, gale force winds, tornadoes and earthquakes--all in a week.  Must be Oklahoma.  All we need is a hurricane or a volcano.  It sure isn't boring. 

Luke tells us that Jesus said: "Whosoever comes to me, and hears my sayings, and does them, I will show you to whom he is like:  He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock."  Luke 6:47-48.   That rock is Christ.

1.  Comes to me...
2.  Hears my sayings...
3.  And does them...

"Doing" what Christ said to do is necessary.  When we build our life on him, nothing will shake us.  Not even an earthquake.

Don't tell me what you are thinking...show me what you are doing.  Then, and only then will I know who you really are.

I started praying yesterday that my power lines won't break.  After 60-70 degree weather over Christmas week, we have been hit with another blizzard.  High winds, freezing rain, then sleet and now snow.  Freezing rain is the worst.  It collects on the power lines, becomes heavier and heavier until they snap.  I feel for all the linemen out there working to restore power.  God bless them.

This has been the craziest December in terms of weather that I have ever experienced.  Most days I didn't even have to wear a coat.  A friend in Pryor posted a picture of the water flooding Pryor.  They have had a lot of rain.  I have never seen water that high there in my life.  And tornadoes.  That's not supposed to happen until March.

My power lines are still working.  The house is warm.  This is all supposed to be over by tomorrow.  I do not like cold weather.  I do not like Oklahoma wind.  I especially don't like them at the same time.

When things go wrong here, I am reminded of the poor unfortunate people living in countries where staying warm, having enough to eat, clothing to wear, and medicines in times of sickness is a luxury that they can't afford.  We are so blessed.  God has been so good to us that sometimes we forget to thank him for our daily bread--and all the rest of his blessings.

Isaiah 55:10  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater."

You have to love King James:  "cometh, returneth, watereth, maketh..."  I usually change those words to modern day vernacular, but every now and then, when the wind is howling like it is right now, its nice to wrap up in a blanket and read the old text and be thankful for modern translations and a warm house. 

The packages have been opened.  The paper trash has been collected.  The food has been eaten.  The children have already broken something they received.  (I remember one Christmas that Becky pulled the string out on her "Chatty Cathy" doll and cut it off.  It only took her ten minutes.  No more chat.)  And everyone is stretched out somewhere wondering why they ate so much.  It must be Christmas.

For weeks we have been looking for that special gift--for that special someone.  We've been baking cookies, making candy and wrapping presents to go under the tree.  And now the day is almost over.  And God willing, we will do it all again next year.

I am sure that in your family of friends and acquaintances that there are some who have real needs.  I am also sure that you helped them in some way.  We must remember the poor--especially at this time of year.  The time of  year when we focus on giving.

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38  

I told Becky last night that she always does everything to excess.  She does.  Cooking, travel...and that includes giving.  She is always giving someone something.  Instead of one package of Turkish figs--which I adore--she gave me four.  And five or six other presents.

^"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”  Acts 20:35

Merry Christmas.  God bless you every one.

Christmas Eve.  A world changing event happened 2015 years ago and we mark time by that date.  A child was born that would change the world.  No other person in history has had the impact that Jesus Christ has had.  AD and BC.  All time is recorded from that day.

He never wrote a book.  He never raised a family.  He never owned a house.  As far as we know he didn't even have a change of clothes--the soldiers cast lots for his robe when he was dying.  He had no place to sleep.  Of worldly things, he had nothing.

And yet.  He lived a life that the world, millions of people try to emulate.

Born to die.  Dying to save.  Raised from the dead to give us eternal life.

Oh, come let us adore him.

I don't know why I said that Jennifer was in Syria.  Probably because I had been watching the news and had it on my mind.  She is in Saudi Arabia.  I wonder how she is going to celebrate Christmas.  Christmas is not on the list of celebrations in Saudi.

Christmas.  Some people would keep the baby in the manger.  It is much more appealing than the grown man on the cross.  But God came to earth to die for us.  He took pity on us.  He humbled himself and became a man--limited in every way as we are.  Going through every stage of life just as we have.  "And (God) being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Philippians 2:8

Some people would say that  Jesus lived a perfect life because he was God.  That it was easy for him.  But he faced every temptation that we do--yet without sin.   He chose to face every temptation.  "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. "  ‎Hebrews 4:16  When Philippians 2:8 says that he became a man--it means just that.  In every sense of the word.

The thing He had that other people didn't have was God within the body of a Human.  The Holy Spirit.  But once Christ saves us--by grace--he gives us his Spirit.  So we have the power to live the life.  We are regenerated.  We are restored.  We no longer are what we once were.  Our "want-to" has been changed forever.

God has written on our hearts.