Friday, December 28, 2012

Holy Innocents

I have to admit this is a really
horrible hand!
It is supposed to be the 
But then he was writing till he was very old.
So this is a picture of his old, gnarled hand.

John - apostle of love
It was St. John's feast day yesterday.
He wrote in his gospel,
"We are writing this so our joy may be complete."
When JOY is shared,
it is completed.
When Joy is kept to ourselves,
something is lacking!
Take time to share JOY 
this Christmas season!
And who better to share it with
than children!

Today, December 28,
is the Feast Day of the Holy Innocents.
King Herod had hundreds of 
innocent children massacred
ostensibly to save his throne.

Macrobius (ca. AD 400), 
one of the last pagan writers in Rome,
in his book Saturnalia, wrote:
"When it was heard that,
as part of the slaughter of boys
up to two years old,
Herod, king of the Jews,
had ordered his own son to be killed,
the Emperor Augustus remarked,
"It is better to be Herod's pig than his son."

Massacre of the Holy Innocents
Ironically today 
countless, innocent unborn children
are being slaughtered legally.

Guido_Reni_014.jpg
It was better to be a pig
than Herod's son
because Herod was a Jew 
and killing a pig was not kosher!
Today it is better to be an endangered animal
than a fetus in the womb!
Endangered animals are more protected,
aren't they?

Proverbs 4 says:
"Keep your heart with all diligence;
for out of it are the issues of life."

I thought it was time for a
Christmas Giveway.
Here's an ATC I made
and the design was made into a necklace.
Would you like to win the ATC and the necklace?

Every week I choose one wonderful visitor
who leaves a comment
to receive an ATC from me.

This week, random.org chose
#4, Sharon Evans of 
Sharon is from New Zealand 
and is my type of lady-
she uses her art to inspire and encourage!

I know it takes so much time and effort
to leave a comment
and I appreciate it so much!

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

WOYWW: Ordinary People doing Extraordinary Things

A blessed Christmas from my desk to yours!
but a season which culminates 
with the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus?
  
This is my floor which I will have to take care of, but not yet!
Christmas Day was a busy one for me and my family.
It started with a text message 
that said one of our employees
lost everything in a fire.
Thankfully none of her family was hurt,
but everything was burned.
They even had to escape by climbing to their rooftop, 
and using a ladder to escape out of their compound.
Thank you for that ladder!
Who put it there?
No one knows,
but many lives were saved 
because a ladder was there!
So my husband Luigi, our guest from the US
and I went to the community hall where our
employee and her family took refuge
to give her money, clothes, blankets and towels
to help tide them over.


Then we brought our guest for a tour of Intramuros,
the oldest part of Manila.
Luigi knows many things and was an able tour guide.
We walked around some part of the massive stone walls
and fortifications.
Then we bought Lechon for dinner.
Lechon is roasted pig, 
and one of my husband's favorite dishes.
This is usually what filipinos like 
to serve during festive occasions.

December 26 is the Feast Day of Saint Stephen.
He is the first martyr and was stoned to death
because the Jews got infuriated with the wisdom
of his words! 

St. Stephen is an example of an 
ordinary man who did
extraordinary things because 
he followed Jesus day by day.
He just started out as a "waiter",
as he was appointed a deacon 
by the early church.
His job was to serve food 
to the widows and orphans,
and I suppose help the apostles 
with other menial duties.

Let us stay close to Jesus,
and go about our menial tasks with 
a heart full of praise and thanksgiving.
We too can be ordinary people
doing extraordinary things if we 
keep our hearts focused on the Lord! 

Proverbs 4 says:
"Keep your heart with all diligence;
for out of it are the issues of life."

I thought it was time for a
Christmas Giveway.
Here's an ATC I made
and the design was made into a necklace.
Would you like to win the ATC and the necklace?

Every week I choose one wonderful visitor
who leaves a comment
to receive an ATC from me.

This week, random.org chose
#4, Sharon Evans of 
Sharon is from New Zealand 
and is my type of lady-
she uses her art to inspire and encourage!

I know it takes so much time and effort
to leave a comment
and I appreciate it so much!

Joining the lovely Julia for a 
peek at desks and projects!
I love blog parties!
Won't you join us?

Sometimes I put on my best pajamas 
and party here:




Monday, December 24, 2012

May our Heart be His Manger!

These words are from Word Among Us:

Mary's "Yes" was momentous for the world,
but don't diminish the importance of the 
"Yes" you can say to God each and every day.
This day before Christmas is a
special opportunity to welcome Jesus
into our hearts
and to be transformed by His presence there.

"Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you
by the Lord would be fulfilled."
Luke 1:45

We are able to say our "Yes!"
to God every day
if we have His word in our hearts
and believe it!

"He will establish a house for you."
2 Samuel 7:11

These words were said to King David
by the Prophet Nathan.
"I have been with you wherever you went.
I will establish a house for you.
Your house and your kingdom
shall endure forever..."

When we give our Yes to God,
we are part of the kingdom that endures forever!

This Christmas, we are all innkeepers.
We can say yes or no to Jesus
staying in our heart.
Do we say, "Yes, Lord Jesus, come in!"
and let our heart be His manger?

A blessed Christmas to all my wonderful friends
both near and far!

Proverbs 4 says:
"Keep your heart with all diligence;
for out of it are the issues of life."

I thought it was time for a
Christmas Giveway.
Here's an ATC I made
and the design was made into a necklace.
Would you like to win the ATC and the necklace?

Every week I choose one wonderful visitor
who leaves a comment
to receive an ATC from me.

This week, random.org chose
#4, Sharon Evans of 
Sharon is from New Zealand 
and is my type of lady-
she uses her art to inspire and encourage!