Here's what occurs to me today....We Like Sheep Bags.  

Check this out for uniquely beautiful handmade bags and Bible totes made by my dear sister in Christ, Ellen Loomis.  Nothing like them in any store, and they make the perfect gift, or even a treat for yourself.  Don't miss out!

All Hallows Eve

Here's what occurs to me today....is that Halloween was originally known as All Hallows Eve.  "Hallow" is not a commonly used word in our contemporary lexicon.  Though we do say it in The Lord's Prayer..."hallowed be Thy name."   President Abraham Lincoln used it in his Gettysburg Address when he said that "we cannot hallow this ground."  Only God and the blood of soldiers could do that.  "Hallow" means "holy" which means "sanctified" which means "set apart for special purposes by and for God Almighty."

Centuries ago, All Hallows Eve may have been special for Druid pagans, but for Christians, it was a time to celebrate the lives of the saints who had gone on before them to Heaven.  All Hallows Eve was the night before All Saints Day.  Fires were lit within and without homes and castles, jack o' lanterns and gourdes were carved and burned oil or tallow candles for both outdoor and indoor light, and the poor and indigent of the rural and village communities would go door to door begging for alms.  An outdoor lit jackolantern indicated the residents of a home would be generous to beggars.

There is much mixed history on this topic, and I simply offer one of several Christian perspectives.  I very much can do without halloween, but always look forward to All Saints Day....a high holy day in the church wherein we remember great saints who served their Lord Jesus Christ with great love and abandon.  We ask their prayers as they are near the throne of God, and we trust in their faithful intercessions for us, as we hope to one day join them at the throne of the Holy One, where we will lay down our crowns of victory before Him and sing, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord!  God of power and might!  Heaven and earth are full of Your glory!  Hosanna in the highest!

Will you be there?

Joined to the Lord

Here's what occurs to me today....what a marvelous thing, a truth indeed, that we are joined to the Lord!


  In I Corinthians 6:17, good St. Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers "But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him."


  At the moment of our belief in Jesus' sacrifice for our sins and acceptance of Him as Lord over our life, the Holy Spirit comes to reside in us.  Through the Holy Spirit's residence, we are together, joined, married (in the spiritual sense) to God the Father forever.  Is it not like our loving God to think of, create, and make every provision for us to be in complete union with Him?  How much greater a love could we discover?  None!


  This is not like a 3-legged race in a gunny sack where we are joined in a sack and try to run along, stumbling, bumbling, legs coming out, and the race is lost.  No!  It is a joining of hearts, of souls, of spirits, that strengthens us for the race that we complete without hitch, all because God has enabled us to be in union with Him!  This makes Him constantly available to us....24/7.


  Isn't that a complete blessing to enjoy and think upon?

Marvelous things without number

Here's what occurs to me today....that the prophet Job was so correct in saying:  "But as for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause--Who does great things, and unsearchable, marvelous things without numbers."  Job 5:8

  Looking all around me outside, the sun is making the colors or the autumn leaves gleam....

  How many leaves are there on all the trees in the world?
  How many ants are busy working in the soil?
  How many stars light the night sky?
 
  So many questions!  May we never know all the answers, because then we would no longer be awed by God, and by His great and manifest works of creation!

  What are you marveling about today?