Faith, Folklore, and Friends

I was privileged to review the book Beautiful Mess: The Story of Diamond Rio by Diamond Rio with Tom Roland. The book gives the reader a very detailed background of each member of the group, how they struggled to become part of a successful group, and how they all managed to be in the right place at the right time to come together as Diamond Rio. There is a chapter dedicated to each band member: Marty Roe, Dan Truman, Jimmy Olander, Brian Prout, Gene Johnson, and Dana Williams. The book is filled with black and white photos of individual members when they were children, and of the group as they became a solid and award-winning group, lasting more than twenty years together. The book chronicles the struggles, the small steps, and the joy of the first hit songs. It takes us through the group’s personal and health problems, of slumps and revivals. Several pages are devoted to the charitable work of the group. I am not a diehard county music fan, but I have always loved Diamon...

Our gift to you: http://www.holytrinitynewrochelle.org/tolstoychristmas.html May the Spirit of Christmas put down roots and grow in all of us!

Did Mary know? Surely her back was aching as she rode the donkey; maybe caused by travel weariness, maybe the first contractions, faint at the beginning. For months she had known she was the chosen one. She had felt and watched the baby grow inside her. Surely her young skin was riddled with stretch marks, her feet swollen. As she continued mile after mile, did she wonder if there would be a resting place for her tonight, if there would be a place of welcome? Did she know that this was the last day; the last day the Savior, our blessed Jesus, would reside in her womb? Did she know that by tomorrow, she would be different, the world would be different, all time and eternity would be different? Could her heart and mind comprehend spiritual things so glorious? For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

We never forget where we came from. There is within every living thing an instinct to go home, the place where they began, the place where they belong. We hear stories of lost dogs returning home, worse for wear, after traveling for miles and miles, across rivers and busy interstates, after weeks of being lost. Banding hummingbirds has proven that some return to the same feeders in the spring, after they have wintered in South America, hundreds of miles from the plastic red feeder that feels like home to them. Each year, the swallows return to Capistrano. Pacific salmon return to the stream where their life began. The circle of life sometimes ends where it began, and somehow, we find comfort in that. Some terminal patients, knowing that their days on this earth are few, beg to leave their hospital beds and go home, to their place, to spend their final hours. Wounded soldiers on blood-drenched battlefields write of their desire to just make it home, to be surrounded by family, to be bur...

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” Luke 1:46-47 Who do we praise? The Mighty King, the Great I AM, the Lord God Almighty, our Savior! What do we praise? His love, his salvation, his mercy, his goodness; all his beautiful gifts! Where can we praise? Anywhere we breathe. When is the proper time to worship our Savior? Anytime we breathe. How do we praise and worship? Genuinely, from the heart, spontaneously, knowing what He has done for us, from a child's heart. In his book Experiencing God Day by Day , Dr. Henry Blackaby writes: 'You should never have difficulty thinking of reasons why God deserves your praise... As you contemplate the boundless love and mercy God has shown you, you will want to sing His praises as Mary did. Spontaneous praise is authentic praise. It does not have to be manipulated or orchestrated. It is a real and personal expression of a grateful heart and wonder-filled life that has encountered Holy God....

When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs? ~G.K. Chesterton 226. New friends 227. A car with everything working 228. Grandchildren wondering about gifts under the tree 229. The way the smell of oranges triggers Christmas memories 230. Rest for the weary 231. Hub bringing me coffee in bed 232. Apple cider 233. Laughing 234. Making new Christmas traditions 235. Remembering old Christmas traditions 236. Mountain music 237. Glasses 238. Handmade baskets 239. Pipes that never freeze 240. Goals met 241. New goals set 242. The beauty of silence 243. Caramel apples 244. Christmas mugs 245. Wrinkles with wisdom 246. Warm shelter 247. Flannel pajamas 248. Kitchen makeovers 249. Christmas cookies 250. Promises set in stone When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace tha...

I am an avid book lover. From the time I learned to read, there has been one close to me. My bedside table is piled high with the ones I just have to read next. Here are some of my favorites: In 2000, Sam Venable of Knoxville published this beautiful book. I was privileged to meet the author at the fall festival held each year at the Museum of Appalachia. Since then, I have read the rest of his books, but this one is still my favorite. Our country is blessed with an abundance of wildflowers. I have enjoyed and appreciated the ones in Alabama with the help of this book and some good teachers! Sharyn McCrumb is another author from Appalachia that I adore. Her stories transport you to the mountain peaks and hollows and the life contained there. Her Rosewood Casket book is good enough to read over and over. What can I say? I'm a Southern girl. This book should be read at least every decade. James Michener is one of the great American authors. I have devoured his books, Alaska, Chesape...

Born in Scotland in 1699, Alexander Cruden loved words. Well-educated, Cruden was more than a little eccentric. He took on the self-proclaimed title of Corrector, and made it his mission to safeguard his nation's spelling and grammar. He habitually carried a sponge, and effaced signs and inscriptions that he thought incorrect or immoral. (Oh, how I would love to do this!) Alexander Cruden was laughed at by his society. He was not at all popular with the nobility that he criticized for using their power for immoral acts. Throughout his lifetime, he was in and out of mental institutions, although some think it was just a way for him to be silenced. He wouldn't be silenced. Working alone, without SpellCheck, Cruden produced the most consistent and complete concordance of the Bible available before the introduction of computerised indexing. Cruden's Bible Concordance can be found today just about anywhere people study the Bible. There is a well-used copy next to the dictionary ...

We are never alone. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you.” Isaiah 43:2-3 The Word is full of promises that we will never be left alone. Promises hard to remember when the night is long and friends can't be found. Promises we must remember with spiritual hearts. No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you. Joshua 1:5 It is impossible to foolishly choose to be alone, to run away from everything that hurts. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:7-10 Thank you, Father, for hugging us with loving arms when the world is heavy and we can't find our way.

She sings. In the cold, with crowds passing, most ignoring, she keeps singing. Singing of a manger, of a star, of a promise, of prophecy fulfilled, of love divine, of holiness. You see them everywhere during the Christmas season. Salvation Army bell ringers, who stand in the cold, ringing to draw attention to their big red kettles, the kettles that holds dreams of gifts, food, and shelter for some. Bell ringers are paid minimum wage for standing several hours per shift, ringing their bells. Among them are the retired, the unemployed, those who are able to prepare Christmas dinner with their wages. Some stand silently, eyes glazed to the turmoil around them. Some, obviously bored, yawn and pace back and forth. Some greet shoppers as they pass. But this one sings. Standing in front of a huge warehouse store, red apron atop the layers of bulky clothing, she sweetly sings to all who pass. She may never sing in a choir or catch the ears of a music producer, but she's okay with that. She...

Who among us is wise? Is it even possible to be wise? Wisdom is a scary word, usually not used concerning "regular" people. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To Him belongs eternal praise. Psalm 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7 Earthly wisdom is education, life experience, sweat equity. Earthly wisdom is very desirable and we work hard to earn it. It makes our lives, and the lives of those around us, easier and more productive. Unfortunately, it is temporary, and sometimes very difficult to acquire. Heavenly wisdom, that which comes from God, the Word, and prayer, is spiritual. Heavenly wisdom is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, impartial, sincere, full of mercy and good fruit. Heavenly wisdom is never a surprise; you won't find it if you don't seek it. Wisdom, like all good gifts, comes from Abba Father. Dani...

“The more gratefully we fix our minds on the Supreme when good things come to us, the more good things we will receive, and the more rapidly they will come; and the reason simply is that the mental attitude of gratitude draws the mind into closer touch with the source from which the blessings come” . . . . Wallace D Wattles 201. The honor of seeing another sunrise in the Great Smoky Mountains 202. Seeing old friends 203. Spending time just looking at nature's offerings 204. Mountain streams 205. Hugs 206. Christmas bells tinkling 207. Christmas lights shining 208. Sisters, although I don't always know their names 209. Hot vegetable soup on a chilly day 210. Safe trips 211. Young hands raised in praise 212. The Christmas story, always new 213. Young legs dancing 214. Feet jumping for joy 215. Wrapping gifts 216. Sweet emails that encourage 217. When the doctor's report is good 218. The smell of pine 219. A warm scarf in cold wind 220. Beauty everywhere 221. Winter afternoons...

We wait in lines, at work, at school, in traffic. Always waiting, our vaporous time on this earth dictated by clocks, buzzers, lights, ringing. Life around us constantly flowing, everyone about their business, everyone running and waiting. Isaiah waited for a Savior while preaching of His majesty, His healing. David waited as he sang psalms and adored the one he had not seen with fleshly eyes. They knew the promise. The Messiah was coming. We celebrate the Advent, this season of anticipation, and we imagine that we are tending sheep in cold silence, wondering about the star in the east, wondering when this promise will walk among us. The Word, which always was, took on flesh, flesh that laughed and cried, flesh that needed food and water, flesh that felt cold and heat. Flesh that awoke, worked, rested, slept. Flesh that walked among us. Divine flesh that died for our redemption. Two thousand years later, we wait. We know the promise. The Messiah is coming...

My little dog was lost. I prayed for God's help in finding him, feeling selfish. After all, wars are waging all over the planet. The rain hasn't come to come areas, and the people are starving. Earthquakes have shaken towns and villages, causing mud to cover lives. Terrorists are plotting, training for evil, and must be watched. Disease spreads daily. Presidents and leaders are struggling with economics, immorality. God, our Father, the High Priest, has this blue planet to care for,in the midst of a dynamic universe that listens to him and does what he says. Why would I think that Abba Father would care that my dog was lost? If it matters to me, it matters to Him. Before the creation of the world, He knew me and had plans for me. I am his heir. I am eternal, a holy priest for this generation. He loves me, knows when I hurt, knows when I am weak. What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it-we're called children of God! That's who we really are. Bu...

In this season of waiting, anticipation, I am reminded of the gifts I have already received..... 176. Family games around the dining table 177. Grown men yelling at a pigskin 178. Christmas dinner parties 179. Praise songs 180. Thanks from a student 181. Satellite radio 182. Christmas bears 183. Completed repairs 184. Frost sparkling like diamonds 185. Cards in the mail 186. Homemade gifts 187. Truth 188. Blackberry jelly 189. Charles Dickens 190. Quiet mornings 191. UPS truck in my driveway 192. Mistletoe 193. Flowers in winter 194. Tender hearts 195. Directions 196. Those who never give up 197. A wonderful semester finished 198. Courtesy 199. Old music that is forever new 200. Smells of Christmas You hem me in-behind and before; you have laid you hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Psalm 139:5-6

Celebrate this cold Saturday by enjoying your old homemade ornaments, or making some new ones. Bits of glue, cloth, string, and paper joined together to brighten your Christmas tree and your heart. Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. Ecclesiastes 11:6