Scholars tell us that Mary and Joseph were probably both in their teens when they were betrothed and it was discovered that Mary was going to give birth. Scripture tells us that an angel of the Lord visited Mary and gave her the news. When Mary asked how was it possible for her to give birth to a child when she was still a virgin, the angel reminded the mother of our Savior that all things are possible with God. God had promised to provide a Savior in the book of Isaiah, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign; Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son,  and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) That promise was fulfilled in Luke 1:34-35, “Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Hholy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” It is hard to imagine that Mary was able to comprehend all that she had been told. What would the future hold for her and Joseph? Mary, did you know?

What about Joseph? After all, it wasn’t his child.

What about Joseph? By law, Joseph had every right to dissolve the relationship with Mary. After all, she was going to give birth to a child that he had not fathered. Again, an angel appeared to the young husband and informed him that Mary was carrying the Son of God. Matthew 2:24 tells us “Then Joseph, being aroused for sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and to to him his wife. This is a divine picture of a young couple placing their faith in God, even when they don’t understand all that lies ahead of them. Have a blessed Christmas.

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the 10th anniversary edition of my annual Christmas Music Marathon. Each year, beginning on the Friday after Thanksgiving, I will post a new image and video celebrating Christmas. The purpose of this marathon is to give you an opportunity to take a few minutes out of your day and focus on the true meaning of the season. You will see and hear some of your favorite classic Christmas melodies and I feel pretty confident that you will be introduced to some new-to-you songs as well. So sit back give a listen and plan on stopping by each day until Christmas. I have been known to extend the celebration until the new year. One tradition within the tradition is the first song in the marathon.

Over the next few weeks all of us will be surfing the net and visiting local retailers looking for gifts for friends and family. At times, it can get pretty hectic. On that first Christmas the focus was on finding a room for the night and paying taxes. The citizens of Bethlehem and the world were unaware that their lives were about to change forever. On one night, in a stable the Savior of this world would be born and mankind would have direct access to the throne of God. Forgiveness of sin would be available to everyone, through faith. After a day of walking through malls and big box stores, pause for a few minutes and take a walk through Bethlehem. Let the celebration begin…Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving

Thankful

Like many of our holidays, Thanksgiving as evolved into a celebration of food, sports, family & friends. The day is more about celebrating than focusing on the core of the holiday. Of all the American holidays Thanksgiving is the one day that we have the opportunity to be thankful for all of the blessings that this great nation enjoys and be mindful of the source of all blessings. First we can be thankful for another day on this planet. It is absolutely awe inspiring to think that God spoke this universe into existence and we are given the privilege of living on planet earth and in the United States of America. Consider all of the places in this world where you could have been born and raised that have never been at peace, never been able to feed the population, never had adequate health care, and never had the freedom to choose the direction of ones life. Many of us believe we are the masters of our own destiny, when in reality, we had no choice in our gender, who our family is, where we were born, what native language we speak, the color of our eyes or hair, our height and the list goes on. We do have a choice in our relationship with our Creator and Thanksgiving gives us the opportunity to pause and simply say, “Thank you Lord for all that you have done.” Have a blessed day.

Aww Mondays

Tis The Season

Lucy is ready for the holiday season to begin.  Of course she is just a party going somewhere to happen and every day is filled with a few snacks or treats. But she will notice the tree and she’s not a real fan of it while assembly and decoration is taking place.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

The theme at 4M this week is Black Friday, that day when traditional Christmas shopping season begins and malls are flooded with shoppers. In the past few years many people have opted for shopping online and having their purchace delivered directly to their front door. For the past ten years I have taken the opportunity between Black Friday and Christmas Day to share at least one Christmas song per day. I try to find songs that express the  true meaning of the season and the reason for the celebration, which is the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. There will be a few traditional secular songs along the way, but the story of the coming of the King of Kings is where the primary focus of the music will be. So, you can stop by here every day during the holidays and be reminded that it’s not all about the shopping, parties, bowl games, and parades. It’s about the sweetest gift of all. So here is a preview of coming attractions.

 

Autumn Leaves

 

Aww Mondays

Me and Lucy (The House Princess)

Lucy has been a member of the family almost three years now. She was born Christmas Eve 2016 and we brought her home at 10 weeks. On the other hand, this coming Wednesday I will have survived seventy-three years on this planet.  It’s been a good life so far. I have been blessed more that most citizens of the globe and I am ever thankful for that fact. I have been fortunate enough to live most of my life in what I consider the best part of this country. Born in Henryetta, Oklahoma…I have lived in Tulsa, Dallas, Springfield MO, and NW Arkansas (for the past 32 years)s. I love the four seasons and the gracious people that have been a part of my life. The two best things that have ever happened to me in this world was giving my life to Jesus Christ and marrying my wife of over 45 years. There is no doubt that I have far more days behind me than I do ahead of me, but I am looking forward to what God has in store for this old soul. Have a blessed week.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

This week is a free choice week at 4M. Ocassionally I will turn on my computer, fire up Spotify or YouTube and just listen to whatever is playing at the time. My music choices come from such a morning. The songs are long and a couple are enriched by an all-star cast of band members. So enjoy.

Neon Cowgirl

Aww Mondays

Make America Great Again

 

Monday’s Music Moves Me

This week at 4M the theme is Native American music and artists. Growing up in Oklahoma, everyone in Oklahoma believed that they had some Native American ancestral connection. Between 1830 and 1850 Oklahoma was the resettlement destination of what was known as the Five Civilized Tribes from the southeastern United States. Time does not permit me to tell the entire story here, but let’s just say it was a series of resettlements (forced marches) that resulted in the confiscation of Indian lands and the  deaths of thousands of Native Americans. Oklahoma was designated as the new Indian Territory.  These five tribes, Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee Creek and Seminole still maintain separate governing bodies within the state. Musically, Native American artists have been involved in virtually every genre of music, so today I will feature a few, both popular and lesser known.

The first artist is Johnny Curtis. Curtis is of Apache descent and is primarily a gospel artist. In October 2008 Chief Curtis received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native American Music Association in Niagara Falls, New York. He is also two time Native American Music Awards winner.

In October 2008 Chief Curtis received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native American Music Association in Niagara Falls, New York. He is also two time Native American Music Awards winner.

Martha Redbone is an American blues and soul singer of part Cherokee, Choctaw, European and African-American descent. She has won awards for her contemporary Native American music. Her music is a mix of rhythm and blues, and soul music influences, fused with elements of traditional Native American music.

One of the most popular artists of Natiave American Descent (Cherokee) is Rita Coolidge.

The final entry in this Native American artist collection is Marty Robins (Cherokee) and his most popular song of all was El Paso. Have a blessed week.

Happy Fall Y’all!

 

Aww Monday’s

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep…

Linking to Sandee at Comedy-Plus

Blog4Peace 2019

Linking to Blog4peace.com

In 2006 fellow blogger Mimi Lennox began blogging for peace and invited the world to join her. Her thought was that if words are powerful, then this matters and if the world would spend one day thinking about peace, it might make a difference. This year the theme is climate change.

The debate over climate change has been going on for a couple of decades now. Is it real? Is it a natural phenomenon or caused by humans? If this generation lived through an ice age, would they consider it the fault of mankind or simply a natural lifecycle event in the history of the universe?

Whether one believes in climate change or not is of little consequence. The fact is that God created this universe and presented it as a gift to mankind. It is our responsibility to be good stewards of that gift and we have failed miserably. We have polluted our waters and spent trillions of dollars cleaning them up. We have hunted certain animals into extinction and removed the natural habitat of untold species for the sake of development and progress. Mankind seems to live in a constant state of crisis management. We wait until an issue becomes a crisis before we attempt to manage it. Can the effects of climate change be reversed or have we passed the tipping point and are doomed to live in a world with much more volatile weather patterns. Only time will tell, but it doesn’t alter our responsibility to take care of this planet that is God’s gift to His most precious creation, mankind.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

This week is a “Free Choice” week at 4M so in keeping with the peace theme I am going to post a couple of tunes that speak to the idea of peace. The Bible tells us that there will always be wars and rumors of wars in this world. As a result mankind has always dreamed of peace and it has been reflected in his music. The first peace song I can remember was from a folk group in in late fifties and early sixties. Blowin’ In The Wind was one of the original peace anthems of my generation.

In 1969 a music event changed music forever. It changed a generation forever. Woodstock Music Festival was billed as three days of peace, love, and music. Much of that music was protesting the Vietnam war. One of the songs that came out of that era was The Weight.

One of my favorite artists reminds us that regardless of the cause, war is war and every war looks much like the previous conflicts. Young men and women go to war and not all of them come home. None of them come home the same person as when they left.

Before peace can be universal, it must be personal and internal and that peace can only be found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. It is a peace that can be felt in every life situation but cannot be fully explained.

Finally, let there be peace. One day Christ will return and gather His church. That will be the beginning of eternal peace. Peace, out.