The Night Before Christmas

I love these lyrics that so beautifully capture the beauty of the Holy Birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Be blessed and Merry CHRISTmas.


 

Devotion: Better Than It Was

Better than It Was

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.  

- Colossians3:23-24 (ESV) 

Today I listened to a recording on NewLife.com about procrastination. The two counselors giving advice had a good deal to say about perfectionism and the phrases and attitudes our parents had. My dad's favorite saying was, "If you can't do something right, don't do it at all." While his heart was in the right place and he meant that you need to do things properly, for me, it meant that if I didn't have time to do a task perfectly, I just needed to put it off.  And as life always has a way of getting in the way, I never could find the time to do many of the things I longed to. My ‘to do’ list got longer and longer and more and more overwhelming.

Dr. Milan Yerkovich talked about his own perfectionism and how his wife’s attitude freed him. I love Kay Yerkovich's saying and will adopt it from now on:  "It's better than it was." If I can't clean the entire house and instead, only get to one room, well, it's better than it was. If I can't write the entire devotional that I long to, as long as I can get a few words written, my book is better than it was. If I'm unable to read ten chapters in the Bible and pray for an hour a day, but have time to read a few key verses and pray with a sincere heart, then my soul will have been fed and you know what? I’m better off spiritually than I was.

Yes, in my advancing years, I’m adopting a new, less perfectionistic, and less stifling motto. I won’t be a slacker – I'll always offer my best, but my best will be all that I can do at the time with God’s help.

The Apostle Paul told the church in Corinth, “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 1:31b). I have many goals, but I’ll never accomplish anything if I wait for the perfect time and place. The key word for me is ‘Do!’ – not wait. Let’s get busy working for God’s glory.

Now where did I put that list? 

Mom Moment: For Mother's Day

I wrote a poem called Mom's Retreat and I'm certain I'm not the only mother who's ever escaped to this special place. To read it on CWAHM.com, click HERE and leave a comment there or here on this blog. Thanks!
Happy Mother's Day. - Donna

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Accused Without Cause - Devotionals by Donna (with Audio)

Today I listened to Mark 15. I have Audio Bible bookmarked and love to listen to the Bible while I work.

One verse caught my attention: "And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.” – Mark 15:3

Jesus stood before Pilate while the chief priests accused Him of perverting the nation, rousing troublemakers, creating riots and dissension. In addition, they charged Him with forbidding the payment of tribute to Rome, and teaching people to not pay their taxes. Third, and most serious, they charged Him with wanting to be king instead of Caesar. Pilate marveled at the fact that when accused of these crimes, Jesus did not speak up in a defensive manner.

Have you ever been falsely accused? I'm one of five children. When we were little and Mom couldn't get to the bottom of a story, she'd discipline ALL of us. Oh, how exasperating it was to be disciplined for something I didn't do!

To think of Jesus, Who had never sinned, having to endure the mocking and jeering crowd of accusers both amazes me and breaks my heart. He did it for me. He did it for you. Why would He do it? The only possible explanation is His compelling love.

The curse He suffered was not for His own sin, but for ours. Clearly, Pilate thought Jesus to be innocent, undeserving of the death penalty so aggressively sought by the Jewish authorities, but His accusers forced Pilate to make a decision about Jesus.

We must all decide what to do about Jesus. I hope you’ve chosen to accept Him as your King.

Our response to Christ’s suffering on our behalf should be one of gratitude. Only because of His sacrifice do we have hope for eternity.

Jesus' death was followed by His resurrection, ascension, and sending the Holy Spirit. We have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, enabling us to obey Christ and follow Him.

“The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Because Jesus gave Himself for me, I want to give my life to Him. How about you?

Oh, and I'm sure you know - sometimes I was the culprit, and my siblings were the exasperated ones!

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for Your sacrifice, and the Holy Spirit, Who helps me live for You. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

*Posted 3-25-05; Audio 4-23-11

Fun Moment: I Know Jesus Loves Me

On an Easter Sunday, to introduce my husband's sermon, I sang the song “Redeemer” written by Nicole C. Mullins. One of the lines in the chorus says, “I know my redeemer lives.” Then my husband preached an Easter sermon titled “I Know He Lives.” During his sermon, he spoke of the tremendous love of Christ.

So after church when a little girl about seven came running up to Don exclaiming, “I know Jesus loves me!” he thought she must have been paying attention to the sermon.

“I know, Honey! Jesus loves you.”

She grinned even wider, followed him a few more steps and said, “Pastor, I know Jesus loves me.”

Don turned around, patted her on the head and said, “Praise the Lord. He does!”

Finally, the little girl sighed in exasperation and said, “I KNOW 'Jesus Loves Me.' Don’t you want to hear me sing it?”
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Review Moment: Cook'n Recipe Management System

In February 2012, I posted a review of Cook'n, a Recipe Management System. My original review can be found here: http://reviewsbydonnashepherd.blogspot.com/2012/02/review-of-cookn-recipe-organizer.html

Cook'n has been the #1 recipe software program for more than 20 years, and the best way to organize your recipes. I liked the program very much, but now - a new version has been released with even more features. Are you on Pinterest? I have entire Pinterest pages devoted to recipes. I'm excited that Cook'n can even sync Pinterest recipes. Yes! 

Watch  the video for more information and visit the website for more videos and to purchase: http://www.dvo.com/. You can like Cook'n on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/Recipe.Organizer