MANY SERMONS, bible studies and even Sunday School lessons have been written so that we may know God. Every Theologian has studied this subject and walked away still scratching their heads. Faith is the key to every aspect of God. Faith is the key to every aspect in knowing His Son, Jesus!
WHEN I MARRIED Jim, I did not know him! My Mother said you never know a man until you are married to him! Of course that has merit, because until we live with someone day in and day out we would never get to know their behavioral patterns, or their temperament. Their real likes and dislikes. During the courtship smiling days we both were on our best behavior. However, thru the years, we began to know each other very well. But even today, Jim surprises me and I realize there is still a lot of things about him that I do not know.
PAUL ADDRESSES the Saints in Rome with a prayer of thanksgiving for them, and then lays it upon them, that all gentiles are guilty before God. “For what can be known about God, is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature, namely, His eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made.” Romans 1:19-20 If I can still be learning about my husband after 54 years of marriage, everyday I can still seek to know more about God!
GOD has many names and each name tells something about Him. The world has no respect or even fear of God. They use His name to damn other’s and they use His name to show disgust and even hatefulness. They are quick to swear by the name of God when they want others to believe them! They have no clue as to the importance of His name! They do the same with His Son’s name! They use His name with guile. They are not respectful nor concerned about what His desires are. I believe the world is in for a rude awakening! All will be face with the reality of God and His Son. All will be face with Gods power, His glory and His promises!
IN THE STORY where Moses is confronted by the burning bush and is given his walking papers to return to Egypt, Moses asks God; “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘what is his name? What shall I say to them?” Exodus 3:13 Remember the Israelites were afraid to call God by His name. They would call Him; Yahweh or Jehovah! The following verse is one of my favorites! “I AM, WHO I AM!” God gave this name to Himself! This name tells us that He is all and in all! Makes me quiver inside! Sets my pulses racing! Makes me ask the question; “who am I that God should send His Son to save my soul?”
WHEN we are one with Him, we have all we need! Yet we search to know more and more! Paul did also! He wanted to know God not only in big happenings in his life, but in the small things also. The interesting thing is that God wants to know us also, not only in our big accomplishments but also in the small things. He desires intimacy with us!
DOES GOD bring about coincidences in our lives or does He respond and answer our prayers? Do we live by chance or does God come to our aide? I can not tell you how many times God has helped me to find that which was lost. When I needed to know if I was on the right track, God provided me with evidence that caused me to give sighs of relief. Because we know the name of God and we know of His power and might, along with His intimate knowledge of us, we know that God always keeps His promises, and is there even in our darkest hour!
“AND THEREFORE, I suffer as I do, But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am sure that He is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.”
2 Timothy 1:12 Hell shudders at the name of Jesus! Jesus is what He is! He will be what He will be! God has said; “I AM, WHO I AM!” Do not be afraid! Jane Ann Crenshaw 12/26/15
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Saturday, December 19, 2015
FIRSTS! 12/20/15
IN OUR LIFE time we have experienced many firsts, haven’t we? First birthdays; first day of school; first day on the job; first in line; first tooth; first pair of glasses; first time behind the wheel; first bank account; first child and the list goes on and on and on! Coming from a large family of 14 children, each time I lose a sibling, it is like the first time because each one of them were unique. They came packaged entirely different in every way! This last year I lost my oldest sister Jean. She would have been 92 this month!
MOST TIMES we are only concerned with how we feel the first time we experience Christmas without someone, whom we have cherished and loved. Most times we feel their absence more during the Christmas celebration than we thought we would. When considering the promises of God, we should feel a little excitement about the possibility, of their first Christmas in heaven!
I HAVE TO ADMIT I never thought of my loved ones spending Christmas in heaven. I just knew they experienced their first day in heaven! Could there be any difference? Since there is no morning or night; everyday in God’s presence seemed good enough to me. To ponder Christmas in Heaven caused me to look on the internet. Many others thought about this and even wrote about it. One was by a 13 year old boy named Ben who died from a brain tumor in 1997. The other was by Anonymous who obviously was a seasoned Christian with maturity. Both were filled with glorious insights into the promises of God.
IT IS ALMOST SIX years since my brother Lynn passed away. At that time I asked Jim to write something that I could use in my blog; this is what he wrote:
CHRISTMAS IN HEAVEN!
“There’s a birthday party in the heavenly realms, where the saints of God and the angels dwell. They’ve gathered around the King of Kings where they listen to the heavenly choir sing.
They sing the songs about the birth of Christ, they sing the songs about eternal life and the message they sing is one of love; that is sent from God above.
They celebrate the birthday of the Son of God, the day they call Christmas, where He once trod. Merry Christmas they say on the earth below, but they’ve seen nothing till they see the show, when the angels sing and choir joins in for the One who saves mankind from sin.
It’s Christmas in heaven and for some it’s the first; who recently lived their last day on earth. What a joy for them, they’ve been set free; to dwell with Jesus eternally. Along with Him, there’s Peter and Paul and John and James, and that’s not all; there’s brothers and sisters who’ve gone before; also husbands, wives, Moms and Dads, who’ve entered the door.
What a joy for them, those newly arrived; to sing to Him who gave them life. And best of all, they’ve all been given, the joy of their first Christmas in heaven!”
“HE WILL WIPE away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away. And He who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Revelation 21:4-5a
I read a commentary at the end of this passage; “The Bible opens with man in the Garden of Eden in happiness and contentment. It ends with man in the new Jerusalem where he is again happy and content!
WE WEEP because we love; we sob because we miss; we look toward the heavens in anticipation; because we know we will meet again! Meanwhile, let’s remember to enjoy those who still surround us with their love. Let’s remember Christ did not come to cause us sorrow, but to bring us happiness from above. God bless you all as you remember the birth of our Lord!
Jane Ann Crenshaw (Blog from 12/17/10 updated ) 12-7/15
MOST TIMES we are only concerned with how we feel the first time we experience Christmas without someone, whom we have cherished and loved. Most times we feel their absence more during the Christmas celebration than we thought we would. When considering the promises of God, we should feel a little excitement about the possibility, of their first Christmas in heaven!
I HAVE TO ADMIT I never thought of my loved ones spending Christmas in heaven. I just knew they experienced their first day in heaven! Could there be any difference? Since there is no morning or night; everyday in God’s presence seemed good enough to me. To ponder Christmas in Heaven caused me to look on the internet. Many others thought about this and even wrote about it. One was by a 13 year old boy named Ben who died from a brain tumor in 1997. The other was by Anonymous who obviously was a seasoned Christian with maturity. Both were filled with glorious insights into the promises of God.
IT IS ALMOST SIX years since my brother Lynn passed away. At that time I asked Jim to write something that I could use in my blog; this is what he wrote:
CHRISTMAS IN HEAVEN!
“There’s a birthday party in the heavenly realms, where the saints of God and the angels dwell. They’ve gathered around the King of Kings where they listen to the heavenly choir sing.
They sing the songs about the birth of Christ, they sing the songs about eternal life and the message they sing is one of love; that is sent from God above.
They celebrate the birthday of the Son of God, the day they call Christmas, where He once trod. Merry Christmas they say on the earth below, but they’ve seen nothing till they see the show, when the angels sing and choir joins in for the One who saves mankind from sin.
It’s Christmas in heaven and for some it’s the first; who recently lived their last day on earth. What a joy for them, they’ve been set free; to dwell with Jesus eternally. Along with Him, there’s Peter and Paul and John and James, and that’s not all; there’s brothers and sisters who’ve gone before; also husbands, wives, Moms and Dads, who’ve entered the door.
What a joy for them, those newly arrived; to sing to Him who gave them life. And best of all, they’ve all been given, the joy of their first Christmas in heaven!”
“HE WILL WIPE away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away. And He who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Revelation 21:4-5a
I read a commentary at the end of this passage; “The Bible opens with man in the Garden of Eden in happiness and contentment. It ends with man in the new Jerusalem where he is again happy and content!
WE WEEP because we love; we sob because we miss; we look toward the heavens in anticipation; because we know we will meet again! Meanwhile, let’s remember to enjoy those who still surround us with their love. Let’s remember Christ did not come to cause us sorrow, but to bring us happiness from above. God bless you all as you remember the birth of our Lord!
Jane Ann Crenshaw (Blog from 12/17/10 updated ) 12-7/15
Saturday, December 12, 2015
"O CHRISTMAS TREE!" 12/13/15
CHRISTMAS carols; Christmas classics’ and Christmas bells are ringing. Most are taking part this season, singing, chanting, playing instruments or ringing the bells. Can’t help but stop to listen or to take part in this joyous time of the year by filling the halls, and the night air, with Christmas music. I love it; don’t you?
MY SISTER Joyce, was born in the early part of January 1941; just after Christmas. My mother use to sing a Christmas carol that both Joyce and I remember but can not find it, even on the internet. We always imagined Mom gave her the middle name of Carol because of this little song. It goes like this; “Carol O Carol, Christmas is here; gladdest of birthdays of all the year; gladdest of birthdays of all the year!” Funny how songs and music helps to remember seasons; times; celebrations and especially Christmas!
WE PICKED UP our tree this afternoon. I like a flocked tree! Helps to manage the needles. We thought about buying a manufactured tree, but finding a flocked commercial one is hard! They look so fake! I know there is one out there, so we will just keep looking. Perhaps one is waiting just for us,and it will be on sale next month.
SOME YEARS AGO a discussion came up as to whether we should put a tree up in the Church. We all had trees in our home, but in the Church it would be sacrilege. In the 700's, a monk named Boniface wanted to prove, the belief that oak trees were sacred or magical was not true. He wanted people to understand that the creator of trees was to be worshiped, not the tree!
ONE CHRISTMAS, Boniface became frustrated with the pagan rituals and so he went out and chopped a large oak tree down in his anger. The mighty oak fell and crushed everything in its path except for a tiny fir tree. Boniface felt it was a miracle that the baby tree survived. Many years after that the people planted little saplings to celebrate Christmas, eventually decorations were added. Traditions followed with taking the trees indoors and even putting candles on them, which is also an interesting story how lights came about at Christmas time.
I CAN”T HELP being excited about the gaudiness of Christmas. Even just a little bit sets me off, but when it is out of the box, oh how my heart responds! The Christmas Tree song, “O Tannenbaum”, that we sing during this season, came out of Germany by an unknown composer. The melody is an old folk song. When it was translated into English it became known as “O Christmas Tree”. Did you know that the Fir Tree branches are unchanging?
THE SECOND verse says; “Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, you fill all hearts with gaiety. Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, you fill all hearts with gaiety. On Christmas Day you stand so tall, affording joy to one and all. O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, you fill all hearts with gaiety.” No two Christmas trees are alike! A decoration? Absolutely!
WHILE SHEPHERDS were tending their sheep at night a miraculous event happened. “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone over them. They were terribly afraid, but the angel said to them Don’t be afraid! I am here with good news for you which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David’s town your Savior was born - Christ the Lord! What will prove it to you is this; you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:8-12 Talk about extravaganza happenings! We decorate to the hilt and God fills the skies with angels and choirs and music to bring us news of great joy!
WE CONTINUE to celebrate Christ’s birth even today - the announcement the Angel gave, is still being given to all, except the child grew to be a man. He is no longer in the manger but fulfilled His mission bringing us the good news. His death, His burial and His resurrection! Thanks be to God I can still celebrate my Savior’s birth by giving Him the honor, the glory and all the praise that is due Him! Jane Ann Crenshaw 12/12/15
MY SISTER Joyce, was born in the early part of January 1941; just after Christmas. My mother use to sing a Christmas carol that both Joyce and I remember but can not find it, even on the internet. We always imagined Mom gave her the middle name of Carol because of this little song. It goes like this; “Carol O Carol, Christmas is here; gladdest of birthdays of all the year; gladdest of birthdays of all the year!” Funny how songs and music helps to remember seasons; times; celebrations and especially Christmas!
WE PICKED UP our tree this afternoon. I like a flocked tree! Helps to manage the needles. We thought about buying a manufactured tree, but finding a flocked commercial one is hard! They look so fake! I know there is one out there, so we will just keep looking. Perhaps one is waiting just for us,and it will be on sale next month.
SOME YEARS AGO a discussion came up as to whether we should put a tree up in the Church. We all had trees in our home, but in the Church it would be sacrilege. In the 700's, a monk named Boniface wanted to prove, the belief that oak trees were sacred or magical was not true. He wanted people to understand that the creator of trees was to be worshiped, not the tree!
ONE CHRISTMAS, Boniface became frustrated with the pagan rituals and so he went out and chopped a large oak tree down in his anger. The mighty oak fell and crushed everything in its path except for a tiny fir tree. Boniface felt it was a miracle that the baby tree survived. Many years after that the people planted little saplings to celebrate Christmas, eventually decorations were added. Traditions followed with taking the trees indoors and even putting candles on them, which is also an interesting story how lights came about at Christmas time.
I CAN”T HELP being excited about the gaudiness of Christmas. Even just a little bit sets me off, but when it is out of the box, oh how my heart responds! The Christmas Tree song, “O Tannenbaum”, that we sing during this season, came out of Germany by an unknown composer. The melody is an old folk song. When it was translated into English it became known as “O Christmas Tree”. Did you know that the Fir Tree branches are unchanging?
THE SECOND verse says; “Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, you fill all hearts with gaiety. Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, you fill all hearts with gaiety. On Christmas Day you stand so tall, affording joy to one and all. O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, you fill all hearts with gaiety.” No two Christmas trees are alike! A decoration? Absolutely!
WHILE SHEPHERDS were tending their sheep at night a miraculous event happened. “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone over them. They were terribly afraid, but the angel said to them Don’t be afraid! I am here with good news for you which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David’s town your Savior was born - Christ the Lord! What will prove it to you is this; you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:8-12 Talk about extravaganza happenings! We decorate to the hilt and God fills the skies with angels and choirs and music to bring us news of great joy!
WE CONTINUE to celebrate Christ’s birth even today - the announcement the Angel gave, is still being given to all, except the child grew to be a man. He is no longer in the manger but fulfilled His mission bringing us the good news. His death, His burial and His resurrection! Thanks be to God I can still celebrate my Savior’s birth by giving Him the honor, the glory and all the praise that is due Him! Jane Ann Crenshaw 12/12/15
Saturday, December 5, 2015
SHOPPING, SHOPPING, SHOPPING! 12/6/15
SHOPPING is not one of my forte’s! Don’t get me wrong I love buying gifts for others and preparing for festive gatherings. But to always have something in mind to buy is hard to do! I do love to window shop and when I spy something I think someone would like to have, I usually don’t have any money on me to buy; not even the window! Now my Jennifer listens and looks for things that she thinks the person she is buying for, would really like. She starts early and this year has been wrapping and checking her list. However, she gets right into giving. Not only family, but children from the Christmas tree at the bank. The shoe boxes that are filled and sent to third world countries!
JIM and I sang in the Chorale a few years back for a Christmas concert. One song that I would love to say Jim loved, but actually he didn’t, but remembers well. One line that the base sang along with the whole choir; “shopping, shopping, shopping ‘but don’t forget the cinnamon’!” We still laugh about that! I remember, it was a fun song to sing! So when we are shopping I never forget the cinnamon. I have three small bottles on the shelf!
BELIEVE it or not; I am almost done with my shopping. I did start wrapping but haven’t kept up with it. It looms over me like a black ugly cloud. I know I need to do it! I know it needs to get done! I know that I still have time! Tomorrow is always there! But today, I am decorating. I am putting old decorations into new places, since we have moved from where we were to where we are now. Happy days are here again! Life is good! Christmas is coming and the Christmas CD’s have been dusted and set out.
MUSIC has always been an important part of our lives! We have Christmas CD’s galore, and usually don’t have time to listen to them except when decorating the tree. This year we have been listening to Christmas music in the car, in our living room, and it thrills me! Yesterday I dusted off a huge book called “Readers Digest” Merry Christmas Songbook, that Jennifer gave to me many years ago, and I played out of it for the first time! So much fun!
I THANK GOD for Christmas and I thank Him for His Son of whom the day is named after; and the story of His birth! Without Jesus, the Christ child, this day would never have occurred! Without Jesus we would not be remembering the babe in the manger! Without Jesus we would not have heard the story of the shepherds or the wise men coming from the East! There would not have been the star, the innkeeper, the story of the Angel Gabriel or have heard about John the Baptist! We would never know how courageous Mary and Joseph were and how much Jesus loves His Father and how much they both love us!
I OFTEN THINK about those who shared Jesus with me when I was a child and about those who have taught me thru the years. Where would I be today if they had not loved me enough to teach me of His saving grace. Where would I be today if I had not been encouraged to study His Word and to teach others. It is thru others that I met Jesus, where would I be without Him! I hate to think about the alternatives because the evidence surrounds all of us!
MY LIFE AND YOURS would be completely different. We would be products of the world filled with envy, strife, anger, bitterness, evil desires, filthy words, hate and the list goes on and on. We love to quote Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil to give you a future and a hope.” Israel’s exile was brought about because of sin, but when sin was forsaken by the people, God’s purposes in mercy would then be realized. Even in days of old when God’s people sought Him whole-heartedly, they would find him. So it is with us today; “seek Him with all your heart and He promises you will find Him!” His plan for us is set, it is up to us to continually seek Him! I belong to Jesus, He has set me free; PRAISE GOD, He belongs to me! Jane Ann Crenshaw 12/5/15
JIM and I sang in the Chorale a few years back for a Christmas concert. One song that I would love to say Jim loved, but actually he didn’t, but remembers well. One line that the base sang along with the whole choir; “shopping, shopping, shopping ‘but don’t forget the cinnamon’!” We still laugh about that! I remember, it was a fun song to sing! So when we are shopping I never forget the cinnamon. I have three small bottles on the shelf!
BELIEVE it or not; I am almost done with my shopping. I did start wrapping but haven’t kept up with it. It looms over me like a black ugly cloud. I know I need to do it! I know it needs to get done! I know that I still have time! Tomorrow is always there! But today, I am decorating. I am putting old decorations into new places, since we have moved from where we were to where we are now. Happy days are here again! Life is good! Christmas is coming and the Christmas CD’s have been dusted and set out.
MUSIC has always been an important part of our lives! We have Christmas CD’s galore, and usually don’t have time to listen to them except when decorating the tree. This year we have been listening to Christmas music in the car, in our living room, and it thrills me! Yesterday I dusted off a huge book called “Readers Digest” Merry Christmas Songbook, that Jennifer gave to me many years ago, and I played out of it for the first time! So much fun!
I THANK GOD for Christmas and I thank Him for His Son of whom the day is named after; and the story of His birth! Without Jesus, the Christ child, this day would never have occurred! Without Jesus we would not be remembering the babe in the manger! Without Jesus we would not have heard the story of the shepherds or the wise men coming from the East! There would not have been the star, the innkeeper, the story of the Angel Gabriel or have heard about John the Baptist! We would never know how courageous Mary and Joseph were and how much Jesus loves His Father and how much they both love us!
I OFTEN THINK about those who shared Jesus with me when I was a child and about those who have taught me thru the years. Where would I be today if they had not loved me enough to teach me of His saving grace. Where would I be today if I had not been encouraged to study His Word and to teach others. It is thru others that I met Jesus, where would I be without Him! I hate to think about the alternatives because the evidence surrounds all of us!
MY LIFE AND YOURS would be completely different. We would be products of the world filled with envy, strife, anger, bitterness, evil desires, filthy words, hate and the list goes on and on. We love to quote Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil to give you a future and a hope.” Israel’s exile was brought about because of sin, but when sin was forsaken by the people, God’s purposes in mercy would then be realized. Even in days of old when God’s people sought Him whole-heartedly, they would find him. So it is with us today; “seek Him with all your heart and He promises you will find Him!” His plan for us is set, it is up to us to continually seek Him! I belong to Jesus, He has set me free; PRAISE GOD, He belongs to me! Jane Ann Crenshaw 12/5/15
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