This beginning part of my Advent series is a presentation of 11 verses overlaid on photos depicting the life of Jesus from prophecy to birth and boyhood. There are additional links at the end of each day’s topic leading the reader to credible ministries to further explore the topic of the day.
The next section (#12-16) will feature verses about the Son as an adult God-Man.
From #17-26 we will survey the Preeminence of the Son, His attributes, and His ministry.
From #27-36 we’ll look at His Resurrection, Ascension, & Return. Yes we go over 30 days into a postlude that ends before the new year.
All photos are by EPrata unless otherwise noted.
There is no better refreshment for the soul than to meditate on Him. Enjoy!
I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. (Psalm 119:15).
Today’s verse: now that Jesus has been born, and the angels had announced His arrival to the Shepherds, who went to see with all haste this thing the angels had spoken of, now Jesus must flee. So we see from the first moments of His life, hatred against Jesus for who He is and what He has come to do. And so it will be for anyone IN Christ, as well. But His flight to Egypt did not happen before others made great efforts to come and see the Babe- namely the Magi from the East. It was their gift of gold which enabled the poverty-stricken Joseph and Mary to fund their flight to Egypt. God’s providence is perfect, and so is His timing.
This picture—at once austere and tender—belongs to a series of seven showing the life of Christ. The masterly depiction of the stable, which is viewed from slightly below, and the columnar solidity of the figures are typical of Giotto, the founder of European painting. The impetuous action of the kneeling king, who picks up the Christ Child, and Mary’s expression of concern translate the biblical account into deeply human terms. Though we know from scripture that the Magi did not arrive the night Jesus was born in the stable, but saw ‘the child’ likely at a house, the act depicted of the King from the East kneeling is representative of Jesus’ stature as King of Kings, even as a baby.
GotQuestions: What Does the Bible say about the Three Wise Men (Magi)? It is a common misconception that the wise men visited Jesus at the stable on the night of His birth. In fact, the wise men came days, months, or possibly even years later. That is why Matthew 2:11 says the wise men visited and worshiped Jesus in a house, not at the stable.
Answers in Genesis: We Three Kings The original meaning of mάgoi is likely in view here—wise men who interpreted special signs. There are at least three reasons for this identification. First, they acknowledged that they were interested in signs in the heavens.
Grace To You: Who Were the Wise Men? Vincent, who has written some very helpful word studies, says in regard to this, “Many absurd traditions and guesses respecting these visitors to our Lord’s cradle have found their way into popular belief and into Christian art. They were said to be kings and three in number. They were said to be representatives of three families of Shem, Ham, and Japheth and, therefore, one of them is pictured as an Ethiopian. Their names are given as Caspar, Balthazar, and Melchior.”
I reminisce about vacations from Maine to Florida, exploring beaches from Labrador to the Bahamas. Each beach offers unique treasures—shells, sea glass, coral, and rocks—revealing the wonders of God’s creation. Blending natural history, personal reflection, and Scripture, my essay celebrates the beauty and mystery of the sea.
Even though it’s Fall and heading into Thanksgiving, Christmas, and deep winter, I never stop thinking about the ocean. During the Fourth of July long weekend, lots of families take vacations, and many choose to go to the beach. I used to as well.
Shells, sea glass, rocks, coral, barnacles, and pottery from the sea, collected from Labrador to the Bahamas. EPrata photo
I used to take a week off at Christmas and head to Florida, and the week of the 4th I’d go to my favorite spot in Maine, Lubec. If you see the map of Maine as a profile of a dog, Lubec is at the dog’s nose. It borders Canada separated only by a narrow inlet. The bridge from Lubec takes you to Campobello Island on the Canadian island of New Brunswick.
As you might guess, the beaches on the hardy, rockbound and foggy coast of Maine are wild. As a matter of fact, Dr Beach, AKA Stephen Leatherman, several years ago rated a beach near Lubec as the most wild in America.
In December, I took my vacation at Venice FL, where the sand beaches are white and the ocean is azure and gentle at the Gulf coast.
Beaches around the US and around the world all have their own personalities. Each one yields up its own treasures. At Jasper Beach in Machias Maine, the beach has no sand! There’s only smoothly polished rocks of rhyolite and jasper. I’ve taken home many smooth, glittering rocks from Jasper Beach. At Lubec’s Globe Cove, the sea yields sea glass, from the hundreds of years the fishing fleet used to throw over their glass bottles. At Venice FL, the sea yields up shark’s teeth in great numbers. At the deserted beaches in The Bahamas, you find coral washed up, bleached and in interesting twisted shapes. In Labrador, you find scallop shells bigger than your hand! All you need is one of these for dinner!
You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them. (Psalm 89:9)
And of course, there’s shells!
If you ever have headed to the beach, here are a few facts I find fascinating. As you amble along the borderline between ocean and ground, as you wade in the waters to cool your tired feet, as you shield your eyes and gaze out to the limitless blue expanse, praise God for making such a beautiful habitation, and its creatures so complex and wondrous.
My favorite shell is the moon snail. He has a lot of cousins. They all have that sweet spiral, so pleasing to the eye. Their hushed colors of slate grey or moon blue are also pleasing. In the US’s warmer waters and the tropics the shell colors are brighter. Some think this is because of the temperature of the ocean. Others think it’s because of the different food available that translates through digestion to the calcium the shells are made of. Scientists still aren’t sure what kinds of pigments the mollusks are using. The reasons for shell coloration and variation are a mystery to scientists, but God created them all. In one day! He knows why their colors and shaes are so varied. Perhaps to create a palette of beauty that glorifies Him.
Moon snails for all their delicate beauty are actually rapacious predators. The holes you see on other snail shells are made by the moon snail. He climbs on top of a shell, spits acid, uses his tongue lined with teeth to drill a hole, then spews acid onto the hapless mollusk inside. He waits for his prey to melt a little, then inserts his stomach into the hole and absorbs the prey. Ouch! Yuck!
This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the LORD Almighty is his name: (Jeremiah 31:35)
Did you know that the moon snail is hatched with a little shell attached already? That’s the point at the start of the spiral. So cool.
Moon snail, collected Maine. Prata photo
Scallops can grow into the size of dinner plates, their age shown by lines on the shell – just like the rings of a tree. I found that one in the photo at the top, in Blanc Sablon at the border of Labrador/Newfoundland, Canada.
He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— he remains faithful forever. (Psalm 146:6)
The Bahamas has been described as having the third most extensive coral reef system in the world. Did you know? Andros Island has a 140-mile Barrier Reef – and that is one of the longest coral reefs in the world.
Coral. The Bahamas. EPrata photo
Did you know?Corals are in fact animals, not plants. Coral reefs are the largest structures on earth of biological origin.
Sea glass is becoming rarer.
Did you know? Sea glass takes 20 to 40 years, and sometimes as much as 100 years, to acquire its characteristic texture and shape. Sea glass begins as normal shards of broken glass that are then persistently tumbled and ground until the sharp edges are smoothed and rounded. In this process, the glass loses its slick surface but gains a frosted appearance over many years. Naturally produced sea glass (“genuine sea glass”) originates as pieces of glass from broken bottles, broken tableware, or even shipwrecks, which are rolled and tumbled in the ocean for years until all of their edges are rounded off, and the slickness of the glass has been worn to a frosted appearance.
This article talks about the best places to find sea glass and mentions Jasper Beach in Machiasport, Maine among other beaches Downeast. That’s where you find the round and tumbled stones. Some glass can be found there, too. But if you’re going that far, drive just a bit further to Lubec, and walk the small beach at Globe Cove. That’s where even more sea glass treasure can be found.
If you spot some sea glass, salute our God who made the ocean and currents’ motion so strong that over time his waters will wear away hard glass.
See the barnacles on the scallop? Apparently in Labrador they grow ’em big! Barnacles are a sea creature that attaches to things, like they did to the underside of our sailboat. Enough of them get on there and it slows down the boat considerably, creating a lot of drag. Occasionally you have to pull the boat out of the water at a marina and scrape them off.
Barnacles on a scallop. They make it hard for the scallop to swim, too. Prata photo
Did you know that the cement barnacles use is stronger than anything man can make synthetically? How barnacles did it was a mystery from time immemorial until 2014. The US Navy has been intensely interested in barnacles, partly because of the issue of slowing the boats when barnacles grow on the hull, and also because the cement the creatures use is so sticky in salt water!!
When you’re walking on a pier and see the barnacles on the pilings, salute our God who made them so super strong.
Jasper Beach Machiasport ME. Prata photo
Whether it’s shark’s teeth, shells, rocks, sea glass, pottery, or any other treasure you find on vacation, praise God who made it all in 6 days by the power of His word and the creativity of His intellect.
Below you’ll find some resources I’ve enjoyed to help me learn more about the wonderful finds you find at the beach!
Conchologists of America, information about the shells and the animals that inhabit them. Conchologist is a shell collector.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh wrote a books of poems and thoughts called Gift from the Sea. Here is the link to the 70th anniversary edition
Boats are often mentioned in the Bible. Aside from the Ark that carried Noah and his family, a once in a history boat, there is a lot of shipping going on, much traveling on boats, shipwrecks, and references to boats. There is also the symbolism of boats. Let’s dig in.
The port city of Tyre was known for his boats, shipping, and valuable products. Ezekiel 27:3, and say to Tyre, who sits at the entrance to the sea, [ports, harbors] merchant of the peoples to many coastlands, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Tyre, you have said, ‘I am perfect in beauty.‘
1 Kings 9:26-27 also mentions not only ships, but a navy. Solomon used these ships to bring in much gold and silver. King Solomon also built a fleet of ships in Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent his servants with the fleet, sailors who knew the sea, along with the servants of Solomon.
Numbers 24:24 also mentions ships, “And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever.“
Grain boats of Egypt. Nile River. The boats used for carrying freight are built with a narrow keel, the stern and prow, as in ancient time, rising high above the water. They are usually managed by three or four men and carry what is known as the lateen sail. This is a large triangular sail. In Joseph’s day Egypt was the great granary of the world. Source: Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p. 47
In the New Testament also there are mentions of shipping and passenger travel. Famously, Paul was shipwrecked. Acts 27:14-44 describes in some detail a difficult passage, and Paul’s ship eventually wrecked.
What kind of boats were these? Seagoing merchant ships, Galilean fishing boats, slave triremes, pirate ships, ferries (2 Samuel 19:18) …all types.
In 1986 in the Sea of Galilee a boat was discovered. The drought had caused waters on this freshwater large lake to recede and a 27′ long, flat bottomed boat was revealed. They call it the “Jesus boat” not because it has any connection to Jesus but the style of boat dates it to about Jesus’ time. It was about 7 feet wide and could hold 10 passengers if used as a ferry boat. If used as a fishing boat it could hold about five crew members and a catch of 600 pounds up to a ton of fish. It had 4 rowing stations and a mast for a sail.
remnants of ancient boat called Jesus boat.
We usually think of these kind of boats but the ancients were masters of shipbuilding. Aside from camel or donkey, ships were the only other mode of travel. They excelled at finding way to construct large vessels to get goods or people where they needed to go.
In the writings of Pliny the Elder (AD 23–79), I discovered the table (below) about ships of antiquity. This documents the rapid advances the ancients made in ship-building technology in just a few centuries. The time period in the table is from about the seventh century BC to the end of the third century BC.
Jonah’s ship was large enough so he could ‘go down to the lowest part of the ship’ and fall asleep. (Jonah 1:5).
Below is a modern reconstruction of a Roman War Ship docked near Ephesus from Holy Land Photos. It is called a penteconter. You see the box-like structure along the side, that is where the oars would poke out. The holes above are for light and ventilation for the oarsmen. These ships typically lacked a full deck. “They were versatile, long-range ships used for sea trade, piracy and warfare, capable of transporting freight or troops. A penteconter was rowed by fifty oarsmen, arranged in a row of twenty-five on each side of the ship” says Wikipedia. These ships evolved into the more famous triremes.
There is a ‘ram’ at the bow just under the surface of the water.
There were skiffs, highly maneuverable smaller boats used to transport goods, rowboats, smaller sailboats… In fact the Romans were so good at shipbuilding they became experts at building piers to dock the many ships. Some of their piers are stronger than ours built today. How?
How Roman concrete became strong: (AI overview) “Roman concrete was made from volcanic ash, lime, volcanic rock, and seawater. When seawater interacted with the concrete, it dissolved components of the volcanic ash. This allowed new minerals to grow, including aluminous tobermorite and phillipsite. These minerals reinforced the cementing matrix, making the concrete stronger. This process continues over thousands of years.”
Paul used some maritime references to the faith. Though the Hebrew people were pastoral and agricultural, showing no inclination to become seafaring, they did know what these terms meant. In 1 Timothy 1:19, Paul wrote that some have rejected the faith ‘keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith‘.
Jude warns in Jude 1:12 that false teachers are like hidden reefs which would cause the ship to be torn apart from stem to stern and sink.
Newfoundland: the skiff rounds the point widely, avoiding the visible rocks and the further hidden reef under the surface. Art high tide the rocks would be covered. EPrata photo
Hebrews 2:1 reminds us that we must pay close attention lest we “drift away”. Isaiah 57:20 refers to the wicked being like the sea itself, But the wicked are like the tossing sea, For it cannot be quiet, And its waters toss up refuse and mud.
Larry Pierce said in his article at Answers in Genesis, Just because we cannot duplicate something that was done thousands of years ago, it does not mean the ancients could not do it either!
The biblical world was full of coming and going. The ancients were experts in many things, some of which we can’t even discern how they did it! Pyramids, anyone? The ancient world is fascinating, including maritime advances.
First class cabin perks can include many things, not just preferred treatment inside the plane. Travel & Leisure
When you board a plane, you have to walk through first class to get to coach. You squeeze in to tiny seats with fellow humanity. I’ve never flown first class. In my younger days when I used to fly often, I’d think of those travelers in first class that they must be important. Or really rich. Thrifty me saved my money for use in the destination, not for comfort in the travel. They even had a curtain the stewardesses would draw closed so the first class passengers would not have to even see the cattle car behind, lol.
But if I did fly first class, or private jet, it would be my personal decision. Who would care? But! What of those who live on the donations of others? Leaders of a nonprofit ministry? Is it seemly to use ministry money or money from your non-profit to fly private jet? Or first class? What are the ethics of such a decision?
It would depend on their reasons, but mostly, no. It’s not a good look for a leader of a Christian ministry to fly private plane or first class. But more on that below.
Let’s take a look at some Christian (and self-identifying Christian) leaders and their travel modus operandi. They’ve stated their reasons for making the extravagant choice or the frugal choice. What it comes down to is, a question of stewardship (time, love, energy, and money).
When John MacArthur was first starting out as a youth pastor who preached at different youth camps, he drove everywhere. He had decided to take his wife and children with him. This demonstrates both an attitude of shepherding his means wisely, and a priority of family even as the way he provided for them was distant from their home. MacArthur said,
I could take my little family on weekend things that I did, whether it was Campus Crusade, or Youth for Christ, or some conference or some deal here or there. I could take them. And in the summers, we used to go on the conference trek, the camp tour, as a family. And those were wonderful times as family. ~JMacAurthur
After he obtained his current job as pastor-teacher, MacArthur flew to conferences, within the US or outside the US, in coach. Here is a clip of the pastor-teacher relating a scene where he had witnessed to a Muslim on a long flight. It’s heartwarming. THIS is what it’s all about:
As MacArthur entered into his 80s, his heart had been giving him trouble. The church decided to pay for business class (not even first class) for the elderly preacher IF the flight was longer than 3 hours. This is so he could get up and move around. Here is Phil Johnson explaining-
Phil’s explanation of JMac’s travel arrangements: “Contrary to other noisy claims that were made by a certain angry blogger a few years ago, MacArthur doesn’t ALWAYS fly 1st class, but since he almost died of pulmonary embolism a few years ago, it’s not good for him to be immobilized in a middle seat on a long flight. So when we at GTY make his reservations for flights more than 3 hours, we do put him in business class whenever we can so that he can move around and stretch more easily. He’s in his eighties and often has to preach multiple sessions immediately after arrival on an overseas flight. It’s hardly an unreasonable expenditure”.
I agree. It sounds like the GTY Ministry is measured and careful of using the means of the people who donate to support the pastor. And it’s heartening to see that MacArthur uses the time to witness to anyone around him.
Next we have the travel strategy of Carl Hargrove. Carl Hargrove is Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministries at The Master’s Seminary. He said when he and his wife travel on a plane, she takes the window seat, he takes the aisle and whoever sits in the middle will receive the Gospel. If a woman, his wife shares, if a man, Carl shares. Tract given. It’s nice to see such careful strategy to make sure The Great Commission from Matthew 28:16-20 is adhered to.
screen shot, clip linked below
Next we turn to some others who claim to be Christians but sadly are false. How do Jesse Duplantis, Kenneth Copeland, and Beth Moore travel? What is their strategy for witnessing to those around them, reaching the lost for the Gospel when they travel?
Here are Copeland and Duplantis discussing why they need private jets to travel: First of all, flying on one’s own private jet “is a sanctuary that protects the anointing,” they said. Too many people come up to you, too many people ask you to pray for them. Copeland said, “You can’t manage that today in this dope filled world and get in a long tube with a bunch of demons.“
So, they view the lost as dope fiends and demons to be avoided.
Duplantis said that he travels so much that it would be impossible to adhere to regularly scheduled commercial flights. He is always somewhere else on the next day. He needs his private jet so he can get to his next speaking engagement quickly.
By the way, that is one problem with some itinerant preachers. They don’t attend their own church, they are away from their wives and families, and they become an island unto themselves rather than fellowship with the saints. We saw the devastating effect of itinerant preacher Steven Lawson’s travel, picking up a mistress along the way and hiding that fact for 5 years. Being somewhere else the next day allows for a lack of accountability which is harmful to the soul and one’s walk.
Another reason Duplantis said he needs his private plane to travel is that the Lord might spontaneously want to speak to him, and Jesse might want to speak back but the people around him might think he was weird. Copeland agreed, saying, “the guy sitting over there saying what the hell does he think he doing? You can’t do that [stand up and speak to the Lord on the plane], no…“
Beth Moore has flown private plane or first class since the earliest days of her ‘ministry’. When she was aligned with the Southern Baptist Convention, the SBC arm Lifeway paid for half her travel, and Beth’s Living Proof Ministries paid the other half. Sometimes a plane was provided for the diminutive bumblebee and other times it was in first class on a commercial plane.
President Beth Moore on occasion traveled by private plane to events as the ministry saw necessary. Lifeway, a partnering nonprofit, paid for 50% of the cost of the private plane, and the remaining 50% was paid by Living Proof Ministries. underline mine. LPM 2014 tax return. Open for Public Inspection.
In 2017, Hillsong Conference paid for Moore and her daughter who was also an employee of Living Proof Ministries to fly coach to Australia. Moore used her donors’ ministry money to upgrade to first class for herself and her daughter. Source
Now since Moore’s divorce from SBC/Lifeway, Moore’s ministry pays 100% of her first class travel. Source 2023 Tax return states,
“President Beth Moore on occasion traveled by first class to events as the ministry saw necessary. The cost is non-taxable and approved by the board. Beth Moore’s first class travel is specified in LPM’s Board approved Travel Policy. This policy includes travel options that helps minimized security challenges, along with extra space for in-flight work / teaching preparations.”
So… Beth Moore spends the extra money so she can work in peace. She needs that time to prepare before she gets to the venue. Like a child doing her homework on the bus on the way to school? And yes, those “security challenges” of being with, um, those people in coach, as opposed to the “security challenges” of being with first class folk? People you could pray with and for, people who may be lost and need the Gospel. Beth Moore needs security from that?
As an aside, Moore has always been hyper focused on security. I read of a woman who volunteered to help organize the venue for one of her Live speeches, and the volunteer said that Moore had a cadre of security bouncers around her and would not even let the volunteer through to speak with Moore. In another situation, Christianity Today wanted to interview Moore, but it was hard to get to her, CT said. They had to jump through a lot of hoops. This is from the 2010 article (Christianity Today)-
It was not easy to get there. Just as Moore’s stories are at once personal and private, Moore in person is intensely friendly—and closely protected by assistants who allow very few media interviews. After several interview requests from CT, her assistants allocated one hour to discuss her latest book and ask a few questions about her personal life. Each question had to be submitted and approved beforehand, I was told, or Moore would not do the interview. Follow-up interview requests were declined. I was permitted to see the ground level of her ministry, where workers package and ship study materials. But Moore’s third-floor office, where she writes in the company of her dog, was off limits.
Moore has always closely curated her public persona.
If you have a bad taste in your mouth from hearing of these jetting Christian celebs, it’s not just your imagination. Extravagances such as those are heavily frowned upon in the non-profit world. It’s seen as extravagant and unethical.
[T]he public’s perception of a nonprofit CEO flying first-class could lead to the organization’s integrity to be called into question. Supporters of the nonprofit trust it to use those funds to best support the mission, and many would view this as a breach of that agreement, writes The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University.
A nonprofit Christian corporation’s mission is to reach the lost. Deliberately separating from the lost in order to maintain personal comfort is anathema to the Christian non-profit’s mission.
“A non-profit president should typically fly economy class, even if they technically could fly first class, because doing so is considered ethically problematic and goes against the principle of using donor funds responsibly; any decision to fly a higher class would usually need explicit board approval and justification based on specific organizational needs“. Source Ethics and Nonprofits.
When I read about Carl Hargrove and his wife’s travel strategy, it was so heartwarming. It was also heartwarming to see MacArthur’s wise and economical shepherding of his means. It brought tears to my eyes to hear him relate the story of witnessing to the Muslim passenger next to him.
For the Copelands, Duplantis’, and Moores of the world, they are false teachers. The Bible says that false teachers are motivated by greed. We see their greed in pressing their people to donate for a jet, or to use Lifeway money for personal comforts that could have been used for missions.
and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (2 Peter 2:3).
“Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,” (1 Timothy 6:17-18).
Rather than make indulgent life choices, we should use our means and resources wisely, and be extra mindful if we are in a position to receive donations and support to be scrupulous in our shepherding of it.
I think we do enjoy seeing each other’s libraries and study nooks and workspaces. I know I do. So here is mine…
I’ve had 2 weeks off from school and I used it to rest and relax. Also to do a little re-organizing of my laptop files, clearing out dead links and checking bookmarks. I am mulling over the upcoming year’s books I want to read, topics to consider for blogs, and setting up what Bible Reading Plan and which devotional to follow (FYI I chose The MacArthur Daily Bible, Dustin Benge’s new Hearts Aflame Puritan devotional podcast, and Valley of Vision for the afternoon reading).
I have a nice apartment, for which I am extremely grateful. Like, grateful every day. Rents here in this rural area went through the roof in the last few years, and occupancy is almost 100%. We are adjacent to an SEC college city and our county has been ‘discovered’. Realtors call it “fast-growing.” Which practically no one likes, except realtors.
Despite being in a poverty area, our school system is in or near the top ten for the state. It’s a farming community and when I first learned of the farm gate take being in the hundreds of millions, well I was shocked. LOTS of farming, which means pasture after pasture with cows, horses, low roofed chicken houses. All that, combined with (now gone) lower cost of living, proximity to a mid sized city and the bucolic beauty all around, well, suburbia is here. Development is here.
Anyway, back to my apartment and my command central. Though there are several rooms, I spend most of my time in the kitchen at the kitchen table. Here is my command center I’ve created:
The main thing is that everything I need is within reach
The laptop is the main feature, it is my music, sermons, TV, social media, and writing & photography tool. Next to that is my agate coaster, which I switch out for a granite one. I love stone. The green larger piece of round marble is the coaster I place my teapot on.
The brown mini teapot in front of the laptop is a pencil cup. Behind that is a slightly raised up shelf of books. These are the books I am currently reading or referring to for a research into a topic for the blog. And my Bible.
To the left of the pencil-cup teapot are some practical things, hygrometer to check the humidity levels and temperature, lotion for my hands, and extra bookmarks. I have tissues on the bookshelf because I always have a stuffy nose, or for sad scenes in movies, or heartfelt prayer. Also some post it notes, notepaper, and eye drops.
The only thing I don’t like is that I have the laptop cord extending from the table to the wall which is in the way on the floor. I have a lighting problem and needed some extra light for reading at night. But I didn’t want to extend more cords on the floor.
I fixed my lighting problem by getting a chargeable lamp, and a friend bought me another one I put on the right side. And last, on the silver tray is just for beauty. Flowers, flameless tea candles, and crystal holders.
I love flowers. Just love them. If I was a rich lady with a big house that had a foyer (foy-YAY) I’d have a large round oak table with marble on the top and a huge vase of ever-changing fresh flowers. (And a butler to change them out).
I usually read here at the table, but sometimes I go over to the living room and sit in my comfy chair with a handmade quilt over my lap. Everything I need is here and within reach.
For 2025 I am planning to do the same thing I’ve done for the last 18 years, work full time, write every day on the blog, read stuff, and go to church. It’s a little life but it’s a good life.
As 2025 begins, I am reminded that the Lord has been so good to me in these past years, and He will do so again in the next year. Even if whatever happens seems bad to me, it’s good. Why? because all He does is good to those who love Him, and I do love Him.
the-end-time.org 