The Weekends Happenings...

Wow! What a weekend!

• Headed up north Saturday morning to the Wagners.
  
• The men folk and a few young ladies participated in a deer drive (came back empty handed) and we all enjoyed a walk (mine at a photographer pace) through the beautiful God glorifying woods and marsh land that cover our friends 120 acre homestead!
  
• Lunch was scrumptious! (venison sloppy joes)
  
• Late to the Messiah performance but all went well, Josh did fabulous and we pray that God was glorified!
  
• Afterwards we had a very enjoyable time of fellowship with church and other friends at the Wagner's therapy clinic just down the way from the church.
  
• Back at the Wagner's home most of the young people played a game outside in the dark and later in the evening we all gathered around the piano and sang a couple hymns in preparation for the next days worship service.
  
• Sunday we woke to see snowflakes drifting down to the cold ground. Bitter cold (in the 20's) we headed off to Church. Dad gave a very good sermon from II Timothy 2:13-3:13 which finishes off with the last of the five 'Faithful Saying' that Paul gives us in His letters to Timothy and Titus:
  

This is a faithful saying:

For if we die with Him

We shall also live with Him.

If we endure.

We shall also reign with Him.

If we deny Him.

He also will deny us.

If we are faithless,

He remains faithful;

He cannot deny Himself.

II Timothy 3:13

It is said that perhaps this verse was part of an early Christian hymn and that this part would have been the chorus.

Sunday afternoon/evening we are back (this time early) at the Marlette United Methodist Church for our second performance of Handel's Messiah. For this second night the church was not just packed it was overflowing!

We did get a video of it all and the church gave us an audio recording of Sunday night (though we can't quite recomend it for quality sake) and unfortunately Josiah (the designated photographer) was not able to get very many pictures from where he was sitting because of the lighting. However there is not much disapointment because the enjoyment of just being able to perform in this magnificient scriptural oratorio has as I've said before uplifted, strengthened and blessed our family in so many ways and has left us all with memories to pass down to our children!

Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth! The kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever. King of kings and Lord of lords!

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins.
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.

Isaiah 40:1-4

"Come on Eppie... I know you really want this frosted cereal treat."

The young doe followed me along the trails though her slight bashfulness kept her as a distance most of the time.

The Hunters returning!

Mothers on a walk

As Faith, Christianna, Lindy and I walked through the woods we stopped many times to inspect the different beauties of nature that, though the winter weather is upon us they were still hanging on and drinking up what little sunlight they could. Here, a small cluster of miniature pine cones (We're not quite sure what these really are) are the only things left to represent life among the cluster of bushes and brambles along side the marsh.

And the glory fo the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 40:5

O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountains! O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength lift it up, be not afraid! Say unto the cities of Judah behold your God! Arise, shine for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee! Isaiah 40:9, 60:1