Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day, in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”
And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. ~ Luke 2:8-20 NKJV
As I am telling you now.
“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Angel of the Lord visited the shepherds and informed them of Jesus’ birth, Bethlehem, Church at the Shepherds’ Fields
You may have noticed recently that like many other bloggers I’ve been on a holiday break the last few days, and I wanted to let you know that this will continue over the coming week as well. She Who Must Be Obeyed has informed me that we will be on the road over the next week visiting locations in multiple states for the holidays…
That takes care of the general ‘housekeeping’; there is a matter of urgency I wanted to mention:
You’re not going to believe this, but yesterday morning I was listening to the news on the radio and I heard that there is going to be a local event today (December 23) in a certain town. I don’t recall what the event was, sadly, because my mind was blown at the way they gave the date. Did they say “Saturday” or the…
Counting down the days until Christmas morning? Today I decided to pretend that every day is Christmas Eve. That way, I can just relax and let the season roll over me. I do not intend to let the world steal my Christmas Joy. In remembrance of our Savior, Christ’s birth …
Christmas Frost
And she (Mary) brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. ~ Luke 2:7 NKJV
The yard looks Christmassy. Every window facing the street is strung with blue, white, and multi-colored LED. The timers are functioning perfectly. The lights come on and go off right on schedule. I sit in the dark looking out of the festive windows of my living room and ponder what my life would be like if Jesus had not come to save me. Indeed, what would the entire planet be like by now without Jesus?
There’s one last thing I need to do with Dad’s New Testament Bible. It’s time to put it away. Dad’s testimony is posted in several articles on this blog and will hopefully be read by many people in the coming years. It hurts my heart, but the binding is pretty much shot.
If I do this now, perhaps Dad’s great-grand kids will be able to investigate the message Dad left inside before the pages disintegrate. It sure surprised me when I found it.
Sorting out the loose pages, I decided the last thing for me to do is the old-fashioned remedy – no, not duct tape! A hair band will do fine –
at least for now. God’s Word lives on inside its covers and it is up to my Father in Heaven whether to use this relic as a witnessing tool in the future – or not.
The last thing left now is what some call closure. I just chalk it up to another crying day in a tough but victorious year in our Lord Jesus:
“Thank you again, Dad. The last thing you accomplished posthumously with your little Bible was this quote from page 381”:
For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before Him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. ~ Hebrews 4:12-13
Dad’s New Testament Page 381
So hey! It looks like God is still using Dad’s Bible to send His message out; and it’s not the last thing.
My daughter found this painted stone at Red Rock Canyon last week. Soon it will be placed far, far from Nevada – for someone else who needs inspiration.
What is going on? A project is trending about leaving a stone of inspiration for another person to find. The message painted on the rock is meant to inspire that person who in turn leaves it in another location for the next person to find and so on; a paying it forward project, so to speak.
My daughter found a Proverbs 3:5 Inspiration Stone:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; ~ Proverbs 3:5 NKJV
If you are somewhere in Alaska, you could be the next person to find this rock:
Flipside ~ Laugh Love Live
Proverbs 3:5 is a precious message. Isn’t it miraculous how God’s Word ties us all together and binds us to Himself with a painted rock? You know what is even more amazing? This rock may have been created by God millions of years ago in order to be picked up and lovingly painted by someone living now; left in some random location for another special someone to find, who may be blessed in a personal way just by finding it. Think of the journey of this one little stone. This rock is about the size of a large egg and look what it can do! God is using it as a witnessing tool to spread His love message to a vast number of people.
WOW! What can you do compared to a rock? Hmmmm …
I love the next verse:
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. ~ Proverbs 3:6 NKJV
I believe God is doing a mighty work with this project by directing the paths of individuals all over the planet to read and to think about His Word; and to share in being God’s witnesses. I like the word “laugh” painted on this rock. I laughed when I realized how God keeps everything so simple for us. He makes it so easy to witness for Him that sometimes it’s fun.
Have you found one of these rocks? Be on the lookout – Evidently, they are all over the place!
Sometimes we would like to participate in God’s work, but don’t know how. In this case, I didn’t find the rock – my daughter did. She was inspired to bring it to me so that I could tell you the story and then place the rock in a location frequented by lots of people. So easy. Praise God, I became part of all this, even though I didn’t go anywhere or find anything.
What can you do? Suggestions:
If you know an “inspiration found” story, you can share it or post the link here in comments.
If you are God-favored and find an inspiration rock, please tell us!
Share this article and see who else knows about this.
Find a group doing this and join up. Paint your own inspiration stone. Get it circulating.
I am leaving this Proverbs 3:5 Rock somewhere in Alaska this week. It will be found and another story will unfold. Another person will be inspired – and another – and another …
If you need more inspiration, here is a link to my article, What Can You Do?
Importantstuff.Live
(If you don’t find a stone of inspiration, don’t worry. The Bible is full of God’s messages to you. The same important stuff is all in there. Read it. Live it. Share it.)
importantstuff 