Thursday Pearls ~ Welcoming the New Year...

I read these beautiful words this morning in the back of my little book, The Quiet Place by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, which a very dear friend of mine sent to me earlier this year...  

I thought I would share them with you this morning for Thursday Pearls as I think they are wonderful to ponder on this day, the last day of 2015...  

May Jesus guide you all in this coming year and may you grow closer to Him and become all He created you to be...

 

O Lord,

I launch my bark on the unknown water of this year,

with thee, O Father as my harbour,

thee, O Son, at my helm,

thee, O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.

Give me thy grace to sanctify me,

thy comforts to cheer,

they wisdom to teach,

thy right hand to guide,

thy counsel to instruct,

thy law to judge,

thy presence to stabilize.

May thy fear be my awe,

thy triumphs my joy.

Length of days does not profit me

except the days are passed in thy presence,

in thy service, to thy glory.

Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour,

that I may not be one moment apart from thee,

but may rely on thy Spirit

to supply every thought,

speak in every word,

direct every step,

prosper every work,

build up every mote of faith,

and give me a desire 

to show forth thy praise;

testify thy love,

advance thy kingdom.

Amen.

The Valley of Vision, adapted.

"So let us leave the old year with gratitude to God for its mercies..."

~ JR Miller

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With love and joy in Jesus,

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil."

~ Ephesians 5:15-16

Christmas Celebrations…

And so another delightful Christmas has passed, and I am truly happy to say that it was a special day…relaxed and simple which is just what we like!  {{smiles}}

Our Christmas dinner consisted of lovely salads and a few cuts of cold meat…

My sisters were a wonderful help to me, and we had such a special time of fellowship as we prepared our meal…I am cherishing these precious moments, as I know how quickly seasons change…

 

Beth and I baked adorable little loaves of white bread, dusted with flour…Beth and Mom then wrapped each baby loaf with lace and hessian twine for added charm…  They placed a loaf at each person’s place setting.

  New baby potatoes harvested from the garden…with parsley, garlic and butter…

 Herby marinated vegetables with roast beef and Basil…

A simple green salad…

Courgette and carrot salad with homegrown piquante peppers and rolled leg of lamb…

We also made our traditional Christmas crackers…this was our fourth year making them now.

Each person got chocolate balls in theirs, along with a little gift – Nancy and I got some pretty ribbons and the little girls got magnetic bookmarks or stickers…

Homemade Christmas Fruit Cake which Nancy and I decorated to match our tablecloth of gold stars…

Christmas Eve we enjoyed our traditional homemade pizzas, whilst watching the new Celtic Women DVD…  This is probably our favourite Christmas tradition, and there is always such a festive atmosphere in our home on Christmas Eve!

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I do hope your Christmas was just as lovely as ours, dear friends… 

How special to celebrate the birth and coming of our Lord and King who would eventually die in order to atone for our sins…what a Saviour!

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Blessings to you, and I pray you have a wonderful, blessed New Year!