O Holy Night by Pla­cide Cap­peau, 1847

Born: Oc­to­ber 25, 1808, Roque­maure, France.

Died: Au­gust 8, 1877, Roque­maure, France.

Cappeau, who lost a hand in a fire­arms ac­ci­dent at age eight, was a wine mer­chant and may­or of Roque­maure. He wrote po­e­try for his own en­joy­ment.

This song was originally written in French and translated to English by John Sullivan Dwight.

This is said to have been the first mu­sic ev­er broad­cast over a ra­dio.

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend!
He knows our need—to our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His Name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy Name!
Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!

To my smallest Patriots fan...

I couldn't think of a better birthday gift than this....

Patriots 34
Steelers 13

Happy Birthday to Jamison, my littlest man (12/9)

My dear sweet Jamison,

You are one year old. I can't believe how quickly this past year has flown by. And now, my baby is ONE!

You are such a happy boy...always ready for a smile. It won't be long until you are walking, and your mommy is filled with pride as she watches you learn and grow.

Last night you were sick. My little boy had his first real bout with sickness on his birthday. I hate to see my boys not feeling well. You clung to me as I held you. You laid on me as you rested and your stomach settled. You were so tired and went right to sleep. You didn't struggle to be freed. Those are the moments that a mommy treasures.

I thank God for you, my Jamison Tyndale. May He always protect you and keep you. May you always know that mommy and daddy love you very much.

Happy First Birthday!

Love,
Mommy

Our First Picture together

And my life began as a mommy to four....

My boy's Christmas pictures

I decided this morning to try to take a decent picture of my boys for our Christmas card. There were many outtakes...especially as Jamison tried to crawl away after each picture!

I was able to get some cute ones though....which I won't show you...cause if I know you, you will likely be receiving it in a Christmas card :)

Here are some cute ones that just didn't make the cut....cute, but just weren't as good as the one I got.

The one I got has two very necessary things. Firstly, everyone is looking at the camera...miraculous! Secondly, no one is crying...also very miraculous! Who would have thought two miracles would take place simultaneously?!?

Two Library Totes

For my nephew Mark:

And my niece Cosette:

A quote

"The cross is not a sign of our great worth, but of our great depravity... that we were so evil that the only way we could be saved is by God's Son being crushed under the full force of the wrath that was due us."

-Paul Washer

Nicodemus, Part 1

John Piper has posted the first of his advent poems on the Desiring God Blog. You can read, watch, or just listen to the reading.

Nicodemus, Part 1

When Satan Hurts Christ’s People by John Piper

Reflections on Why Christians Suffer Losses

December 5, 2007

When huge pain comes into your life—like divorce, or the loss of a precious family member, or the dream of wholeness shattered—it is good to have a few things settled with God ahead of time. The reason for this is not because it makes grieving easy, but because it gives focus and boundaries for the pain.

Being confident in God does not make the pain less deep, but less broad. If some things are settled with God, there are boundaries around the field of pain. In fact, by being focused and bounded, the pain of loss may go deeper—as a river with banks runs deeper than a flood plain. But with God in his firm and proper place, the pain need not spread out into the endless spaces of ultimate meaning. This is a great blessing, though at the time it may simply feel no more tender than a brick wall. But what a precious wall it is!

As a father, I want to help our twelve-year-old daughter Talitha settle some things with God now, so that when little or big losses come—and they will come—her pain will be bounded and will not carry her out, like a riptide, into the terrifying darkness of doubt about God. So as we read God’s word together twice a day, I point out the mysterious ways of God.

Two days ago, we read this from the lips of Jesus to the church at Smyrna in Revelation 2:10:

Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

I asked Talitha, “Is Jesus stronger than the devil?” “Yes,” she said. Indeed, I added, ten million times stronger. It’s not even close. In fact, as Mark 1:27 says, “He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” So all Jesus has to do is say to the devil, “You shall not throw my loved ones into prison,” and the devil will not be able to do it. Right, Talitha? Right.

So, Talitha, why does Jesus let the devil do this? Why does he let the devil throw his precious followers in jail and even kill some of them? She shook her head. I said, well, let’s read it again slowly, and you tell me the reason that the Bible gives. Slowly, “Behold the devil is about to throw some of you into prison . . . that . . . you . . . may . . . be . . . tested.” So why does Jesus let this happen, Talitha? “That they may be tested.” That’s right.

And what is being tested? The answer is given in the way Jesus describes what passing the test looks like. He says, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Faithfulness to Jesus is being tested. Will his loved ones keep trusting him? Will they keep believing that he has their best interest at heart? That he is wise? That he is good? That he is stronger than all?

So, Talitha, there are a thousand things that God is doing every time something painful happens to you. Most of these you do not know or understand. Job, Joseph, and Esther did not know what God was doing in their losses. But there is always one thing you can know God is doing when pain comes into your life. This is something you can settle with God ahead of time. He is always testing you.

If the test leads to your death, as it did for some of the Christians in Smyrna, Jesus wants you to know something ahead of time. “You will receive the crown of life.” That means he will raise you from the dead and will crown you with the kind of everlasting joy in his presence that will make up for your loses ten-thousand-fold. “Crown” signifies majestic, royal restoration and exaltation.

James says the same thing:

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Passing the test means loving God to the end.

So settle it, Talitha. Loss and pain are coming into your life, but Jesus is infinitely stronger than the devil. So even if the devil is causing it, as he did in Smyrna, Jesus is letting it happen. And he always has his reasons—more than we can know. One of those reasons is always testing, namely, the testing of our faith and our love for him.

We cannot answer every why question. But there is always this answer: My faith is being tested. And our Lord never wastes his tests. Whether we believe this truth is, in fact, part of the test. In the mind of Jesus, the promise that he would give them the crown of life was enough to sustain the Christians in Smyrna. I pray that it will be enough for Talitha—and for you.

Trusting the wisdom and goodness of Jesus in loss,

Pastor John

3 Months of Free Tabletalk from Ligonier!

Click here for 3 months of Free Tabletalk!

There is no obligation to continue, but you can always renew it yourself after your trial :)

Freebies

Free Breathe Right Nasal Strips Samples & Coupon (USA)

Dunkin Donuts Coffee Sample

Free Delicio Gourmet Chocolate Sample (USA)
(Sample contains:One (1) Dark Chocolate Truffle, One (1) White Chocolate Truffle, One (1) Champagne Truffle, and One (1) Irish Cream Truffle)

Free Sample of Cooling Care Nursing Relief Pads (USA)

Free Cashmere Fingerless Gloves from Lucky Magazine (just enter UPC #7560901226)

Free Gift from Sutters Creek (USA)

Free computer screen cleaner

Works For Me: What Do I Fix?

This week, it's all about simplicity in the kitchen. Now, there are nights when I say CEREAL is the quickest, easiest meal you could possibly 'make' for your kids. Am I right? or am I right???

But that isn't really cooking, so I figured you would want an actual idea. Here are a few meals I came up with. All quick and easy and can be done in large quantities to ensure leftovers!

1. Goulash (aka American Chop Suey)

2 pounds hamburger
1 small onion, chopped
1 pound elbow or some other kind of pasta
1 large can diced tomatoes
chili powder to taste
garlic powder to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Brown hamburger and onion together while boiling macaroni. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until hot.

Serve with buttered bread.

2. Homeade macaroni and cheese

1 pound of macaroni or any other kind of pasta
1 pound american cheese
3T butter
1/2 cup milk
1 large can of diced tomatoes

While mac is boiling, in a bowl, melt cheese, butter and milk in microwave. When mac is done, add cheese mixture until fully incorporated, then add tomatoes. Simmer until hot.

(it's okay if this is a little loose when you first make it, the pasta will absorb some of the liquid in the fridge)

3. Crock Pot Pot Roast (I know that this one isn't last minute at 5:15...but it is something you can do quickly in the morning!)

1 large roast
a bunch of peeled and cut up potatoes
a bunch of peeled and cut up carrots
(fill up your crock pot until you can't fit in any more!)

Put roast in crock pot, surrounded by potatoes. Cover with water. Turn on crock pot...high at first to get to temp, then down low. Cook until everything is falling apart...about 6-8 hours.

Make a brown gravy from the packet.

Put some frozen rolls in the oven.

And you're done!


I hope these help! Check out the rest of the great ideas at Rocks In My Dryer!!!

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert...on Oprah yesterday

I don't watch Oprah very much.

Firstly, because the kids don't like her, and secondly, because I disagree with her so much. I watched the first half of her show yesterday, and once again, I was in disagreement.

She had a guest author, Elizabeth Gilbert, on the set. She is the author of Eat, Pray, Love. I've never read the book, so I am speaking about this just from watching the show yesterday. I was disturbed by what I saw!

The entire audience was filled with women who had read the book. There were several that had been videotaped, telling of how the book transformed their life.

It seemed like this book is all about reclaiming yourself and making yourself and your happiness your number one priority. As I watched, it seemed that this book was giving you the okay to be selfish. Someone even brought that up and asked her...how do I do this and not be selfish? Gilbert's response was...If it is beneficial for you, than it is not selfish, if it is greedy or cruel, then it is selfish.

I have an issue with this. The definition of selfish says:

devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own
interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others.

I'm not saying that Oprah was telling everyone to not be concerned with other people's welfare...but there are a lot of things that might be very beneficial to you that are completely and utterly self-centered.

Is this what the Bible teaches? That as long as you are benefiting from something, then you are not being selfish?

The next issue I had, was about how people were "finding God". There was no mention of Christ (not surprising) and a lot about meditation. I have no problem with meditating in God's word...but I do have a lot of problems when people are being misguided and think that they are "finding God" because they made an ashram in their bathroom or began a spiritual journey in India.

I found this quote most disturbing: (Gilbert was asked how she defines God)

"The perfection that absorbs," she says. "It is the perfectness of the universe which can bring you into that state where you are absorbed in that perfection, then you will know it. … I was absorbed in that perfection for a brief, glorious moment, and I knew something in that."

Is this how you would Biblically define God?

It is obvious that you can be spiritual and not be filled with THE Spirit.

I am saddened that Oprah has such a following of women that raise her up and take her word to heart more then they do their own pastors. These are women like me...that stay at home raising their families and don't even realize that she teaches a different gospel.

Should we also be most concerned with our happiness? If we don't feel completely fulfilled and happy in our marriage...does this mean it is okay to get divorced? I can't even tell you how many women on yesterday's show were single moms or single divorcee's who made that life change because they weren't happy and hadn't yet found their 'soulmate'.

This seems to be what is preached from today's culture. It is all about us. If we aren't happy, then we need to make some changes to get happy. And it's so wrong. Our fulfillment does not come from our spouse or our children. It comes from knowing that we are here to bring glory to our Creator.

God is glorified not only by His glory's being seen, but by its being rejoiced in. When those that see it delight in it, God is more glorified than if they only see it.... He that testifies his idea of God's glory [does not] glorify God so much as he testifies also his approbation of it and his delight in it.

Jonathan Edwards

A quote

"If the gospel were more faithfully preached, there would be fewer people
professing to believe it."-A.W. Pink

Cookie Monster's Famous Sugar Cookie Dough

If you're like me, you want to have a foolproof sugar cookie dough recipe. Well, here it is! It is the original Cookie Monster recipe, taken from an old book from when I was a child.

I will write it step by step the way Cookie Monster does in my directions :)

Here is what you will need:

*a medium sized mixing bowl
*Measuring cups and spoons
*a fork

*butter or margarine (soft, not melted)
*sugar
*vanilla
*all-purpose flour
*baking powder
*salt

What to do to make the dough:

1. Put 3/4 cup of butter or margarine (that's a stick and a half) into your mixing bowl.

2. Measure 1 cup of sugar.

3. Pour sugar over butter.

4. With a fork, squash butter and sugar together until blended.

5. Crack shells of 2 eggs and pour eggs over the mixture in the bowl.

6. Measure 1 tsp vanilla and pour over mixture.

7. With fork, blend everything in bowl together.

8. Measure 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour and pour over mixture in bowl.

9. Measure 1 tsp baking powder and sprinkle over flour.

10. Measure 1 tsp salt and sprinkle over flour and baking powder.

11. Nux everything together either with a fork or with your hands.

12. Put dough in the icebox to chill (at least one hour).


You can make lots of dough at once and keep it in your icebox in a plastic bag (it will last a long time). Then whenever you make cookies, just take out as much as you need.

First, take some cookie dough out of the icebox. If you all out of cookie dough (oh dear) just make some more!

Sprinkle counter with flour and put dough on it. Roll out dough flat, about 1/4 inch thick. Now come the tricky part-need to find things to make SHAPES with. Let me see...Ah! Can use GLASS to make round cookies....and those box lids make good rectangles and squares.

Me just push them down on dough and peel away dough on outside. Then me make squares and rectangles. (or whatever shape cutter you have)

Now me heat oven to 400 degrees, put cookies on ungreased cookie sheet, and put cookie sheet in oven. O.K. now come the hard part again. Me have to wait 6-8 minutes while cookies cook. What me going to eat?

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

This song was written by an unknown author, possibly in the 12th century. It was translated to English by John Neale in 1851. The original translation started: "Draw nigh, Draw nigh, Emmanuel".

The lyrics echo a num­ber of pro­phet­ic themes. The ti­tle comes from the well known Isai­ah 7:14: “Be­hold, a vir­gin shall con­ceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Im­man­u­el.” Im­man­u­el is He­brew for “God with us.” The “Rod of Jesse” refers to Isai­ah 11:1: “There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jes­se”; Jesse was the fa­ther of Da­vid, se­cond king of Is­ra­el. “Day-Spring” comes from Za­cha­ri­as, fa­ther of John the Bap­tist, in Luke 1:78: “The day­spring from on high has vis­it­ed us.” “Thou Key of Da­vid” is in Isai­ah 22:22: “The key of the house of Da­vid will I lay up­on his shoul­der,” which in turn re­fers to Isai­ah 9:6 “The gov­ern­ment shall be up­on His shoul­der.”

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Refrain

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

Refrain

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.

Refrain

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Refrain

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

Refrain

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.

Refrain

O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.

Refrain

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Refrain

Carl Trueman weighs in on The Golden Compass controversy

I am puzzled by all this hoo-hah: if The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a Christian story/movie, it teaches a woefully inadequate, if not unbiblical, doctrine of atonement (**my note: Lewis' book leans toward the "Ransom to Satan" theory of the atonement - if you don't know what that is, click here**)-- if Aslan is Christ, one might say, then he cannot save on the account given by Lewis; yet Christians were ecstatic about the movie. Pullman writes a piece that, if his critics are to believed, is very clear and direct in its anti-Christian message. So, if you're worried about leading your kids astray, which, I wonder, is more likely to confuse them??? The subtle theological deviancy or the explicit anti-Christian message? Or maybe, just maybe, Narnia and Compass are both fun movies which are subject to a range of interpretations, and our children have the sense to see them as make-believe adventures about make-believe worlds.

I don't think I had ever really heard of the "ransom to Satan" theory of atonement.

This is its definition:

Ransom to Satan: This view sees the atonement of Christ as a ransom that was paid to Satan to purchase man’s freedom from being enslaved to Satan. It is based on a belief that man’s spiritual condition is in bondage to Satan and that the meaning of Christ’s death was to secure God’s victory over Satan. This theory has little, if any, scriptural support and has had few supporters throughout church history. It is heretical in that it thinks of Satan, rather than God, as the one who required a payment be made for sin and thus completely ignores the demands of God’s justice as seen throughout Scripture. It also has a higher view of Satan than it should and views him as having more power than he really does. There is no scriptural support for the idea that sinners owe anything to Satan, but throughout Scripture we see that God is the One who requires a payment for sin.

Grandpa Jordan 1917-2007

(this picture taken in September on his 90th birthday)

I only met him a couple of times, but each time he was very warm and so thankful for our visit. His life was his testimony, as he spent many years overseas as a missionary. He was always filled with great stories accompanied by a warm smile.

We are happy to know that he is now with the Lord. It is painful here to mourn the loss of someone that has been greatly admired and loved, but it is also a joyful day as he is no longer suffering the pain of sin and is fully engulfed in his Savior's arms.

Man cold...even you men will laugh at this! (how true it is!)

I want a pair.....

The only question is: What color????

(And I'm not even a huge Croc lover, but come on! How comfy does this look???)

A very misguided quote by Max Lucado

Men will be judged on the basis of the light they had, not on the basis of a light they never saw. The person in the remote jungle who never heard of Jesus is judged differently than the person who is only broadcast or open Bible away from the gospel. Jesus explains as much with his harsh criticism of the cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida... Not everyone will be judged by the same standard. The greater our privilege, the greater our responsibilities. Chorazin and Bethsaida saw much, so much was expected of them. The gospel was clearly presented to them, yet they clearly rejected it... On the other hand, Tyre and Sidon saw less, so less was expected. They, to use the words of Christ, will "get off easier" than others. The principle? God's judgment is based upon humanity's response to the message received. He will never hold us accountable for what he doesn't tell us.

--Max Lucado (from the book Where Jesus Walked)

Matthew 11:21 says "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes."

Am I alone here in thinking that the meaning in this verse has been very wrongly interpreted by Mr. Lucado?

If God is going to hold those in the jungle, who have never heard the name Christ, less responsible than you and I....what does that mean to missions? Aren't they better off never hearing the Jesus Christ preached when there is still a chance they will go to heaven? After all, they won't be held responsible for not hearing the gospel.

What of Christ's death on the cross? Does this mean that you can be saved without Christ and a true regeneration of the heart? This cheapens His death.

I would love to hear more of your thoughts on this!