Go, Tell it on the Mountain

 

Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born.

While shepherds kept their watching
Over silent flocks by night
Behold throughout the heavens
There shone a holy light.

Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born.

The shepherds feared and trembled,
When lo! above the earth,
Rang out the angels chorus
That hailed the Savior’s birth.

Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born.

Down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born
And God sent us salvation
That blessèd Christmas morn.

Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born.

God's Minute

December 24

His ears are open unto their prayers.--1 Peter 3:12

AROUND this, our family altar, we come, O God, to seek Thy face. Keep us today, sheltered in the light of Thy countenance. Help us to do only the things that please Thee. At every step may we be conscious that Thou art at our side.

We seek Thy very best, both for ourselves and for those, our loved ones, absent from our altar of prayer. As parents, may we guide our household aright; as children , may we walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.

Mid the darkening shadows, keep us walking in the light; may our hearts be garrisoned with peace. Fill us, O God, with the knowledge of Thy will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; make us fruitful in every good word and work. As we bow around this family altar, O Lord, help us to comprehend the atoning efficacy of Thy death, the keeping power of Thy life, and the blessed hope of Thy coming.

We ask Thy presence with us during the day; we dare not walk alone. The tempter is too subtle, the pleasures of the world too luring, and the lost of riches too strong. Lead us, O Lord, in the train of Thy triumph; make us more than conquerors in Thee.

Amen.

Rev. R. E. Neighbour,
Athens, Georgia

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt: Lines

 

I have always been fascinated with writing. The fact that lines on a paper can communicate not only words but thoughts and ideas and emotions and most importantly, truth is amazing to me. These lines I have chosen communicate the rich resources available to us in God's Word.

Psalm 119:89-90 Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations.

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt

Theme: Lines

Next week's theme: NEW

Check out the new images for the Photo Hunt for 2007!

Quote of the Week

Luke 2:8-14 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a 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. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

God's Minute

December 23

They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth forever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people from henceforth even forever. For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity. Do good, O Lord, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts.--Psalm 125:1-4

OUR gracious Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the light this morning. Endue our hearts with gratitude and love for the blessings of the past week, and direct our converstation and daily walk through the coming week. May all we do be acceptable in Thy sight. Grant that we may render Thee service that will not only give us joy and comfort, but that our example and influence will lead others to love and serve Thee. God grant that we may realize and appreciate every day of our lives that we own all to Thee and that all the good things of life come from Thy mercy and gracious kindness. All this we ask for Christ's sake.

Amen.

George T. Jester,
Corsicana, Texas

God's Minute

December 22

I have loved thee with an everlasting love.--Jeremiah 31:3

OUR Father in Heaven, we would praise and magnify Thy Holy Name. Thy love watches over us, protecting us from every kind of danger, and provides for our every need. Thou dost never fail us. We trust in Thee.

We have sinned against Thee in thought and word and deed, but we come with contrite hearts, confessing our unworthiness, and pleading for Thy forgiveness, through the merits of the shed blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

We thank Thee for all Thy good gifts to us, and we pray Thee to accept us and to use us as Thou canst. Bless each of us as we need Thy blessing. And, with us, bless all the ill, the sorrowing, the discouraged, the sinning, and all Thy needy ones. We would pray also for all those engaged in lowly or great tasks for the extension of Thy Kingdom in the hearts of men everywhere.

And now do Thou be with us in our daily task of hand or mind. May we be workmen in things material and spiritual of whom Thou needest not to be ashamed. Gather us home after while, without one missing. We ask it in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Rev. Stewart Winfield Herman,
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

God's Minute

December 21

I will magnify Him with thanksgiving.--Psalm 69:30

GOD of all mercies, Saviour and Sanctifier of men, we worship Thee, the Triune God, and call upon our souls and all that is within us, to praise and magnify Thy Holy Name.

We confess our sins, but rejoice that they are constantly being blotted out by the blood of our blessed Lord, and because He is righteous, we who have our lives hid in Him are also righteous.

We come to Thy mercy seat with joy and thanksgiving, as we count our innumerable blessings, knowing that no good thing shall be withheld from those who love Thee and put their trust in Thee. As Thou hast delivered us from all perils, sorrows and trials in the past, so we are assured that Thou wilt keep that which we commit to Thee for the future. Enrich our hearts with Thy Word, that we may lead clean, holy lives, and have power to be winners of souls for our Master.

We pray for Thy rich grace to be upon our beloved in our home and elsewhere, and for the world which lies in sin, that Thy Kingdom may come, and Thy will be done, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

J.H. Jefferis,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Perspectives

From the TV listing:

"Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first woman she meets and then teams up with three complete strangers to kill again."

Would you be likely to sit down and watch a show like this? Me, either. Sounds like a gruesome sci-fi made-for-TV movie, doesn't it?

However, I think I can safely say that in all likelihood, 100% of my readers have not only watched this movie, but most would even say they love it.

You see, it's all in the perspectives.

When my computer crashed, it seemed a very bad thing to happen--inconvenient, expensive, and time consuming. All those things are true, but it hasn't been all bad. Having to re-build the computer (or at least pay someone who knows what he is doing to re-build it) and then re-install programs and hunt down documents and passwords and re-set preferences may seem bad, but having the necessity opportunity to pick and choose and set things up in a more user friendly way is proving to be worth the effort. It's all about how you choose to look at it. An expensive computer emergency or an opportunity to reclaim space and speed and set up proper recovery and backup systems so that this never happens again. Not something I would ever have chosen, but something I, or at least my computer, needed.

That's the way it is in life, too. Sometimes the things that God brings into our lives seem painful, inconvenient, and not at all what we would choose for ourselves. But, with time and perspective, it's always just what we need, just when we need it.

Oh, and the movie?

 

Like I said, it's all in the way you look at it.

God's Minute

December 20

He shall save the children of the needy.--Psalm 72:4

O LORD, our Heavenly Father, we praise and magnify Thy Holy Name for all Thy loving kindness and Thy tender mercy which Thou hast bestowed upon us. Thou hast opened Thy hand and supplied all our wants. We thank Thee, O Lord, that when we were without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly, that He might ransom our souls from sin and death, and give unto us eternal life. Grant, O Lord, that each one of us, now in Thy presence, may receive Christ Jesus as our eternal Saviour. We praise Thee, O God, for the gift of Thy Holy Spirit, Who tabernacles in our hearts, and Who takes of the things of Jesus and reveals them unto us day by day, moment by moment.

Grant Thy blessing, we beseech Thee, upon every member of this household, and upon all our loved ones, wherever they may be at this hour. We thank Thee that "in Jesus' keeping we are safe, and they." Remember in mercy, O Lord, any who are in distress at this time, in mind, body or estate. Comfort all who mourn. Let all the earth remember and return to Thee, O God; let all the kindreds of the nations worship Thee, in spirit and in truth. Grant unto us the forgiveness of all our sins, in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Rev. Charles George Smith B.D.,
Belleville, Ontario, Canada

God's Minute

December 13

With my spirit within me I will seek Thee early.--Isaiah 26:9

OUR Father in Heaven, we call unto Thee because we have called before and Thou didst hear us. Come unto us, Lord, when all is dark, and when trouble weighs us down. Lift us up again, that we may praise Thee and smile in our hearts. For the labors of this day, give us free grace; for the hard road, the iron shoes of good resolution; for the hour that casts us down, calm us and lift us up again. Make us gentle, Lord, with our loved ones. May we never give way to harsh words or unjust thoughts. Lord Jesus, listen to our prayer as we confess our sins before Thy Holy Cross. May we meet the Man of Sorrows now while we bend before Thee, so shall our sins fade away, and our hearts rejoice with a new joy. May we be resigned to Thy will, no mater what we must yield. Gather this little family about Thyself as doth the bird when the storm falls. Cover us with Thy love, and protect us in the hollow of Thy hand. O Lord, give us the power to pray aright, for we pray in Thy might. At last, Gentle Shepherd of our home folks, gather us all to Thyself in the dear Homeland, when the morning breaks and the shadows flee away. And this we ask in Jesus' name.

Amen.

C.H. Woolston, D.D.,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

God's Minute

December Eighth

Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.--Luke 6:37

Our Heavenly Father, we turn for a little while at the threshold of this new day to be with Thee. Refresh us with a new vision of Thy face. Speak to us Thy will that we may do it. Make all the day cheerful by Thy presence and fellowship.

We thank Thee for life and work in such a beautiful world. Give us, we beseech Thee, that due sense of all Thy mercies that our hearts may be thankful, and that we show forth Thy praise not only with our lips but in our lives. Perfect us in love, that we may conquer all selfishness and learn how to pardon as we pray for forgiveness.

May our home life be sanctified today, and all the days, by the presence of the divine Guest. As we go out among men to do our work, touching the hands and lives of our fellows, make us friends of all--true representatives of Thine. Ballast our activities for the day with high purposes. Show us how to fill it with enriching service, that night may bring a peaceful pillow. Bless the home life of our nation, and all the nations. Let every palace, mansion and cottage in the whole earth become the house of God and the gate of heaven.

Amen.

Bishop H.H. Fout, D.D.,
Indianapolis, Indiana

God''s Minute

December Seventh

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if they be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:2

OUR Father, we thank Thee for Thy goodness to us during the night. Thou hast watched over us whilst we slept. Now we pray Thee to guard and guide us through this day. May Thy presence be with us. As our day, so may our strength be.

May Thy love be in our hearts and manifest in our conduct. Enable us to resist evil, to endure trial, to overcome difficulties, and in all things to do Thy will. Whatsoever our hands find to do, may we do it with our might.

Keep us from becoming discouraged. May Thy joy be our strength. May we not grow weary in well-doing. May Thy word be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Keep our hearts and minds. May we think of the things which are pure and lovely and of a good report. Supply all our needs this day. Make all things work together for our good. We ask in Jesus' name.

Amen.

David McKinney, D.D.,
Cincinnati, Ohio

God's Minute

December Sixth

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.--Philippians 4:6-7

OUR Father, we bring home and hearts to Thee this day for the blessing which Thou hast planned for them. May there be in us nothing to hinder Thy coming, nothing to cloud the vision of Thyself, nothing to deaden the sound of Thy voice. We would open the ears and eyes within us to hear and see Thee; we would open the whole soul that Thou mayest come in. Come in, Father of us all, into our home, into our hearts.

Many things we need this day. One thing, best of all, is all that we ask; we ask for Thyself, and having Thee, we have all. Bless the home with Thy presence, and the sun shall shine through the darkest clouds of the sky; bless our hearts with Thy love, and no burden shall be too heavy for us to bear for Thee.

And then, out of a home where Thou dost dwell, may we take Thee in our hearts, in our lives, to bless our brethren wherever we go. In Thy name.

Amen.

Bishop Theodore S. Henderson,
Chattanooga, Tennessee

"Frango" Fudge

Those of you who live in the Chicago area know that Marshall Fields Christmas candy, Frangos, is legendary. Smooth, melt in your mouth minty chocolate fudge--heavenly.

I stumbled on this recipe by happy chance. I was making regular good old chocolate-with-walnuts fudge. I had the butter, sugar and evaporated milk boiling away on the top of the stove and all the rest of the ingrediants ready to go once I removed the pan from the heat--or so I thought. I had neglected to retrieve my chocolate chips from my baking stash. I pulled down my container of assorted chips and to my amazement, I had no semi sweet chocolate chips. I had every kind of morsel you could imagine: caramel swirl, raspberry swirl, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, red and green swirled Holiday chips and mint chocolate chips. I had to make a quick decision because a hot pan of sugar and milk was quickly cooling on the stove. I chose the mint chocolate chips. But there was a small problem. The recipe called for a 12 ounce bag and the mint chip bag only had 10 ounces. So, I added 12 milk chocolate Hershey Kisses to make up the difference, left out the nuts, and finished the fudge. And it was a hit. Tom took two or three plates to his office and they disappeared.

Here's the recipe:

3/4 c. margarine or butter (I use unsalted butter)
3 c. sugar
2/3 c. evaporated milk
10 oz. bag Nestles Mint chocolate chips
12 milk chocolate Hershey Kisses
1 7 oz. jar of marshmallow creme
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix butter, sugar and milk in large, heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a full boil, stirring constantly.

Continue boiling and stirring for 5 full minutes over medium heat. (or until candy thermometer reaches 235 degrees). Remove from heat.

Gradually stir in chips and kisses until melted. Add remaining ingrediants and mix well.

Pour into a greased 9X13 pan. Cool and cut into small squares. Makes three pounds.

This is all that's left (well, except the piece I swiped after I took the picture!)

God's Minute

December Fifth

For now I am ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I hve finished my course. I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.--2 Timothy 4:6-8

OUR Father, we thank Thee for the revelation of Thyself in Jesus Christ our Lord. We thank Thee for Thy kindly care over us. We pray that the Holy Spirit may lead us into the light of truth. Give to us a larger vision of Thy glory and make us more faithful to Thee and to the needs of our fellow men. Teach us how to pray.

Give us more faith and love. Give us clearer vision to see the deeper meaning of Thy Truth. Bless our land, and Thy Church in all lands. Bless the young, the aged, the sick and the troubled. Fill our hearts with sympathy and hope. Let us live to be of service to Thee, and to our fellow men. Thine shall be the kingdom, the power and the glory, for we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

William M. Anderson, D.D.,
Dallas, Texas

My morning route. . .

 

 

. . .is no longer the shortest distance between my side of the bed and the coffee pot. It now starts with plugging in the Christmas lights. Sunroom tree, dining room tree, office tree (turn on computer), front porch tree, kitchen lights, coffee pot.

I'm getting good at finding the receptacle by feel because I like to plug them in in the dark and then, VOILA! Lights!

I tried to take a few pictures of the trees without a flash this morning. They didn't turn out great, but I'm sharing one with you anyway.

God's Minute

December 4

My grace is sufficient for thee.--2 Corinthians 12:9

OUR Heavenly Father, we Thy children would bless Thee for the dawn of this new day, for we regard it as Thy gift to us. Help us, we humbly pray Thee, to use it wisely and well; conduct ourselves through all its hours that to some extent we may prove ourselves worthy of such a gift, and in it do something worth while, so that at its close we may feel we have not lived it in vain. For all the difficulties that may confront us, give us grace sufficient; for all the questions we may have to decide, give wisdom; and for all the temptations we may have to meet, give us overcoming power. Keep us all the day conscious of Thy companionship, and of the realities of the things unseen; may we increase in the knowledge of things that matter most, and understand better the things we now only know in part. Reveal Thy will more clearly to us, and may this day see that will better fulfilled in us. For all bound to us by the ties of nature, faith and love we pray; enrich their lives with every good, and use them in the furtherance of Thy most gracious will on earth. And very earnestly do we pray for the hastening of the day when among all peoples on earth Thy kingdom will come, Thy will be done perfectly. Hear us, we pray Thee, gracious God, for we pray in the name of Thy blessed Son, our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Rev. Lewis C. Hammond,
Cincinnati, Ohio

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

Come, Thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of ev’ry nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child, and yet a King.
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious Kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit,
Rule in all our hearts alone.
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Written by Charles Wesley, 1745

Music by Rowland Prichard, 1830 

God's Minute

December 3

I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.--John 10:10

LORD Jesus Christ, our Saviour and our God, we thank Thee that as the day comes it opens our eyes to our consciousness of Thee. This is the deep, abiding joy of our life. We shall be satisfied, when we awake, with Thy likeness. The beholding of Thee brings to our sin-darkened hearts all the change from night to morning; brings to our dumb, dulled souls all the change from slumber to conscious life.

We would live this day as the children of light. We would be fully awake to the abundance of power which in Thee and through Thee is open to our faith in Thee. We would draw upon the full promises of Thy Word. Help us to know that the rich grace we now have from Thee constitutes only the first fruits of all Thou art ready to give. Wilt Thou thus supply us fromThy fulness in temptation, distress, difficulty, and arduous tasks. We would see Thee and live in Thee more fully.

We pray for all who know Thee not. Cause our lives to bear clear testimony for Thee and in all things to glorify Thee only. For Thy Name's sake.

Amen.

F.H. Knubel, D.D.,
New York, New York

Quote of the Week

Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world - stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death - and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love? Then you can keep Christmas.

--Henry Van Dyke