Peace on earth

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:10‭-‬11

Some of my favorite verses to read at Christmas are Luke 2:8-14. Jesus is our Hope – I have come to know Him as mine over the years – and He will bring peace at last, whether here or in the life to come. No more fear. No more pain. Just, no more.

To some, this may sound like escapist mentality. But in reality, the good news of Jesus and salvation are not here to merely provide an “escape” from the ills of this world, although in many seasons an escape may be necessary. He came to earth to walk with us and talk with us, and, thankfully, to experience life through our eyes. His humanity is why we can trust that He hears us and sees us and that He understands at every turn. His divinity is why we can trust that He will make a way of escape when it becomes necessary; and, when it is not, He will give us the strength we need to walk the hard road and to grow from it.

I need peace this season, especially with some of the things in the news these days. I bet you do too. So here’s a song for all of us, because sometimes you have to say it – or sing it – to see it. Let there be peace on earth.

JC ©2018

Jesus will be with me – Collaboration with Following Him beside still waters

Sharing this today for anyone who might need it. God’s got you.

Hayley Boden

I’m so excited to share this very special song with you all. My lovely friend, Grace, from Following Him beside still waters wrote a beautiful poem and shared it on her blogpost ‘Jesus will be with me’ on Sunday. I asked if I could put a melody to these inspiring words and turn it into a song and Grace said yes! Here are the words from Grace’s poem.

Verse 1:

When I go through water’s deep,
Jesus will be with me

When billowing waves overtake,
With me, He will still be

Chorus:

For without Him I would drown
In brutal waters deep

If He were not with me, I know
Water would overtake

For without Him, when I lay me down
Fears would keep me from sleep

If He were not with me, from sleep’s hold I would never wake

Verse 2:

When at night I fall fast asleep,
Jesus…

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A brave love

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.  He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

John 10:11-13

Love, true love, makes you brave. This is the thought that came to mind when I read these verses this morning. It made me think of David’s bravery as a shepherd, which we heard nothing of until he recounted his experiences to Saul while preparing to face Goliath. He said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Goodness! I have never faced a lion or a bear – but I can tell you that if I heard they were even within 10 miles of me, I would be long gone! Oh, I would definitely try to alert and possibly save my family too but oh brother!

A song in the night

By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
Psalms 42:8

JC ©2018

Old Friends

So heartwarming.
I wish this for all my friendships someday 🙂

Mitch Teemley

I had dinner yesterday with an old high school friend, Jeff. We reminisced about our teenage years, and then went on to talk about the times we’ve gotten together since. I couldn’t help smiling because when I was 17, thinking about our “long” 2 1/2 year friendship, I’d written,

“Old friends sit and talk about the good times they used to have. But really old friends sit and talk about the good times they used to have sitting and talking about the good times they used to have.”

It took a few decades, but that youthful prophecy finally came true. ;>)

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Making God Famous

Today, go. Make God famous!

The Focused Heart

Making God famous, what’s that like?

You see, God needs no introduction. Trust and believe, His creation knows who He is.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.”

Psalms 19:1-3

Making God famous is not so much about God being unpopular, especially in today’s society. It is that we have the rare opportunity of getting to know this King on a personal level, and then being able to tell the world what He is like.

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Launched!

Earlier this week, I launched a t-shirt line: Focused Heart Apparel.

Please feel free to stop by the website and purchase any items you love. I have posted just a few photos below for your viewing.

JC ©2018

#Juxtapose