Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Romans 15:13

Hey! You can now listen to clips from “Purpose and Passion” in my store! Sound good?:)

Luke 2

1. And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2. ([And] this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5. To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12. And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

It’s so easy these days, with schedules and agendas and plans, to cease to ABIDE in Christ. We are very good at just striking out on our own, never stopping to pray, never thinking to consult the One who holds tomorrow, never observing His Word or taking counsel in His Truth. We just start running the course that seems good and profitable in our eyes. The problem with my course is that it usually comes to a dead end. I’m left confused and frustrated and angry that I missed something….I told God about it, and He didn’t stop me, so He must have been alright with it. But no, what I failed to do was ABIDE. We separate ourselves from the Vine, the source of Life, without realizing it, until there is no more strength, weak faith, cynical hope. I’ve found that if I just ABIDE in Him, even though many questions are left unanswered, and the future not very clear, and staying put for a while longer is not what I desire, in the long run I’m a happy girl! Happy in rest and confidence in my Saviour. I’m so glad that Mary, the mother of Jesus, trusted and obeyed. What a Word she received! That she would give birth to the Son of God!  She could have run away or said, “No way,not me!” But she instead chose to ABIDE. Through the hard times, persecution, bitter struggles of life, she chose to stay within the vine. That’s all the Lord asks of you and I, that we stay close to Him. Plant your feet firmly in His way! Embed your will concretely in His will. ABIDE in Him and He will see that you bear the fruit!

A LOT of baking goes on at my house during the hoildays. We love it! My mom has probably already made 25 cakes to give as gifts and for folks who have “put their order in”! I love to bake cookies and this is my favorite recipe this year, from a Southern Living cookbook. I use the chocolate chips instead of the lemon!! Yummy:)

~Cream Cheese Cookie~
Use the smallest holes of a grater to grate lemon rind; be careful not to get the bitter white flesh that’s underneath the yellow skin.

Yield
Makes 4 1/2 to 5 dozen

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Stir together butter and cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth; stir in sugar and remaining ingredients. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 350° for 13 to 15 minutes or until light brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

NOTE: For easier stirring, allow cream cheese to soften at room temperature for 30 minutes, or unwrap and microwave for 15 to 20 seconds at HIGH.

Cream Cheese-Chocolate Chip Cookies: Omit lemon rind, and add 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels. Bake as directed.

Southern Living, OCTOBER 2002

I receive encouraging e-mails and devotions from a friend almost every single day. What a sweet blessing! I believe the Lord has a hand in it as well, because the words are so incredibly timely! Today’s word was all about leaving the past in 2008 and having the right spirit position in 2009. I don’t know about you, but no matter what the world looks likes and how we feel about the future, I’m expecting great things from my God next year! I’m shaking off the past and ridding myself of my dependence on people. Only our Lord can make us whole and straighten our paths.We grow when we are totally dependent on His rain and manna:)  I’m so thankful that He’s going before me and that I can trust Him with another year. It’s always calming to remember that He knows the way….He knows every twist and turn and detour the road will take….He is always prepared! Do not be afraid!  Are you excited about the new year or does the thought bring fear and anxiety? Put it in God’s hands and determine that 2009 will be awesome because you are going to walk in his will and NOT in the world! Don’t let the past control your future!

Isaiah 43: 18. Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. 19. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, [and] rivers in the desert.

Welcome, all, to my new site! I’m so excited about this:) AND here, for the first time, you can pre-order my new cd, Purpose and Passion! I’ll be writing a lot and posting lots of pics so come often and let me hear from you…Proverbs 3:5-7

Please join me for an exciting night of worship Dec.31! I will be  ringing in the New Year with our friends and family  at Okahola Baptist Church in Purvis, MS! The fun starts a 7:00. Mark it down!!

Dom dom da dom…….the first post of my new blog!!!!! Woo Hoo!!Whew!!! It’s been crazy busy around my house for the past week and it’s showing no signs of slowing up!!! Lots going on, but God is so good. We had TWO Thanksgiving dinners at my house this year!  I enjoyed this Thanksgiving with family sooo much. We’re a fun and rowdy bunch…hahaha. The after lunch Yahtzee tournament is always a hoot. The McRae side of the family is wild! We get REAL loud…and we always have WAY tooo much food….so we just eat it til it’s gone and that’s why I’m having a hard time fitting into anything without elastic! My little granny had to go to the emergency room Friday night and gave us quite a scare, but it turned out to be nothing serious. We were all thankful for that!! My Sis and bro in law, Kelly and Ricky, came to spend a few days with us and we had a ball!! The girls went shopping and the guys went hunting and we had our favorite “BIMBO’S” pizza….twice! We wrapped it all up Sunday night after church by watching our fave Christmas movie, A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott. It HAS to be with George C. Scott or it doesn’t count. LOL And we’ll do it all again in a few weeks!