Tag Archives: John 3:16-17

Quotes for December

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Here we are. December. The end of 2019. My how time flies. For this post I pulled together quotes for December. One for each day.

Day 1: How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon? Dr. Seuss

Day 2: “This is Christmas: not the tinsel, not the giving and receiving, not even the carols, but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift, the Christ.” ~ Frank McKibben

Day 3: “He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.” ~ Roy L. Smith

Day 4:   “The very purpose of Christ’s coming into the world was that he might offer up his life as a sacrifice for the sins of men. He came to die. This is the heart of Christmas.” -Rev. Billy Graham

Day 5: “Remember This December, That love weighs more than gold!” — Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon

Day 6: “Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!” ― Dr. Seuss

Day 7: “The earth has grown old with its burden of care, but at Christmas it always is young, the heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fair, and its soul full of music breaks the air, when the song of angels is sung.” ~ Phillips Brooks

Day 8: “The cradle without the cross misses the true meaning of Christ’s birth.” ~ Unknown

Day 9: “The hinge of history is on the door of a Bethlehem stable.” ~ Ralph W. Sockman

Day 10: “Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime.”
― Laura Ingalls Wilder

Day 11: “One cry awakened the world, one birth changed history, one life made all the difference.” ~ Unknown

Day 12: “Christmas can be celebrated in the school room with pine trees, tinsel and reindeers, but there must be no mention of the man whose birthday is being celebrated. One wonders how a teacher would answer if a student asked why it was called Christmas.” ~ Ronald Reagan

Day 13: “You can never truly enjoy Christmas until you can look up into the Father’s face and tell him you have received his Christmas gift.” ~ John R. Rice

Day 14: “My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?”
― Bob Hope

Day 15: “Christmas, my child, is love in action.” ~ Dale Evans

Day 16: “Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.”
― Charles M. Schulz

Day 17  “Once in our world, a stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.” -C.S. Lewis

Day 18: “At this Christmas when Christ comes, will He find a warm heart? Mark the season of Advent by loving and serving the others with God’s own love and concern.” -Mother Teresa

Day 19:  “Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.” -Corrie Ten Boom

Day 20: “How many observe Christ’s birthday! How few, His precepts!”
― Benjamin Franklin

Day 21: “Have I allowed my personal human life to become a ‘Bethlehem’ for the Son of God?” ~ Oswald Chambers

Day 22: “He was created of a mother whom He created. He was carried by hands that He formed. He cried in the manger in wordless infancy. He, the Word, without whom all human eloquence is mute.” ~ Augustine

Day 23: “Christmas celebrates the awesome and amazing fact that God is grander,
wiser, and more mysterious than we could have ever imagined.” ~ Dan Schaeffer

Day 24: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ~ An Angel (Luke 2:10-12)

Day 25: “Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King.” ~ Isaac Watts

Day 26: “Hark the herald angels sing, Glory to the new-born king. Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!” ~ Charles Wesley

Day 27: “Incarnate Word…You came. Softly. Barely a ripple in the course of mankind’s doings, yet a rip that reverberated through the heavenly realms and changed the balance of power for all eternity. With a battle cry that sounded to earthly ears like a newborn baby’s whimper, You set in motion my redemption. The sound heard in the heavens that first CHRISTmas moment was a victory shout that rattled the enemy’s forces and insured their defeat.” ~ Jennifer Kennedy Dean

Day 28: “May we not ‘spend’ Christmas or ‘observe’ Christmas, but rather ‘keep’ it.” ~ Peter Marshall

Day 29: “And in despair I bowed my head; “There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong, and mocks the song of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on earth, good-will to men!”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Day 30: “Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love Divine; Love was born at Christmas; Star and angels gave the sign.” ~ Christina Rossetti

Day 31: “I pray that the Lord might crown this year with His goodness and in the coming one give you a hallowed dare-devil spirit in lifting the biting sword of Truth, consuming you with a passion that is called by the cultured citizen of Christendom ‘fanaticism’, but known to God as that saintly madness that led His Son through bloody sweat and hot tears to agony on a rude Cross—and Glory!” ~ Jim Elliot

Any December quotes you care to add?

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its savior. John 3:16-17 (GNT)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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Happy Valentine’s Day

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by Sandy Kirby Quandt

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone. May understanding how much we are loved by the Creator God who knit us together in our mother’s womb bring joy to our hearts, and a smile to our face.

Because we are loved enough for God to allow his only son to die so we can have a relationship with him, shouldn’t we share that wonderful news with those who don’t know him?

Today and always, may we remember through Jesus we are:

  • Valued
  • Adored
  • Loved
  • Embraced
  • Nurtured
  • Treasured
  • Invited
  • Nobility
  • Esteemed

Now that’s what I call the ultimate Valentine.

What other words should we add?

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its savior. John 3:16-17 (GNT)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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It’s Great To Know You Are Loved

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by Sandy Kirby Quandt

It’s great to know we are loved, isn’t it? To know someone cares about us, wants to know how we feel, and how we are doing. It’s nice to have someone encourage us and stand in our corner, don’t you think?

Hopefully, we take the time to let those around us know we care about them, both by what we say and what we do. Showing concern and love to others can reach beyond the borders of our inner circles all the way out to people we’ve never met.

Two months ago Pilot and I took a four hour round trip steam locomotive ride through the Piney Woods of Texas. What fun! Seated across the aisle from us was a woman with her young grandson. The boy, dressed in his Tommy Train shirt and ball cap, was having himself a grand time, as was his grandmother.

That is … until the wind through the open window caught the toddler’s hat, and sent it flying out the window. Oh, my.

We were maybe halfway between our two stops when this disaster occurred. The poor little guy. He screamed and cried and pleaded to “go back” because his hat “fell down” over and over and over until he collapsed against his grandmother’s chest, exhausted from his crying.

Because we were aware of what happened, we sympathized. Others on the train did not. After the lady in front of us made a comment about the noise, I let her know what happened, and her tone changed to one of sympathy.

Isn’t it something how knowing the facts can change our perspective and our attitude?

When the train stopped at the depot where we would all enjoy our lunches before re-boarding for the return trip, a gentleman eagerly waited on the platform for his grandson and wife. He was there to pick them up, from their one way ride.

After Pilot and I ate, I noticed the frazzled grandmother. Her grandson was still asleep. This time in his grandfather’s arms. I told Pilot I needed to speak with the lady.

I’m sure the woman had no idea what I would say to her as she watched me approach. She may have even thought I’d make some judgemental comment. Who knows what she thought? I’m sure she wasn’t expecting me to tell her I was sorry the boy lost his hat, or how badly I felt, or that I thought she handled it all the best anyone could have.

When I told her I thought she “Did good,” she reached out with tears in her eyes, held onto my arm and said, “Thank you so much for that.”

That grandmother didn’t ask for my compassion. She never tried to explain her grandson’s actions to me. But it wasn’t hard for me to realize she loved her grandson very much, and hurt for his pain. This train ride was part of the little boy’s second birthday celebration.

The woman needed to hear a kind word, even if it did come from a stranger. And it didn’t take a whole lot of effort on my part to walk across the park and offer her my sympathy and a word of encouragement.

We know God loved us so much he allowed his son, Jesus, to come into this world as a baby and die as a condemned man for us. We know God loves and cares for us, but sometimes it’s nice to know other humans do as well.

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. John 3:16-17 (TLB)

I wish you well,

Sandy

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Do I Believe What I Write?

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If you read my blog last December, then you are aware I did not celebrate Christmas 2013 in my usual way. Nope. Christmas 2013 found me nursing a broken left hip, courtesy of a freak fall I took November 30, 2013, in a Tallahassee, Florida gas station while trying, unsuccessfully, to contain a very skittish Bear.

As a result of the fall, emergency surgery was performed at our final destination, Waycross, Georgia, December 1, 2013.

Fortunately, I had all my December posts written and in place before we started our trip.

As I sat on the couch last December and re-read everything I’d written as the posts came out, I was forced to ponder several things. Primary among the ponderings was do I believe what I write to be true?

During a season where we did not put up a tree because my walker couldn’t get around it, and decorations were very limited…presents were gift cards, because I hadn’t done my shopping before Thanksgiving…highly anticipated events — there were three big ones, several smaller ones — were missed because I just didn’t have the strength to handle them…and, I was unable to bake my favorite Christmas dessert…in light of all of this do I really, truly, believe Christmas is about the cross?

Oh, and did I mention Pilot came down with a stomach virus the second week of December, mere days after we returned home from Georgia, yet found the strength to get to the guest room to help me when I muttered to myself I’m stuck, as I floundered like a turtle on its back trying to get out of the bed?

Or tell you about the disastrous two-week dishwasher delivery that began the day after we returned?

Or tell you about the washing machine drain that backed up and gushed water all over the laundry room floor?

Or relate the tale of the two-month-long-delayed foundation repairs to our house?

For me, although I was surrounded by God’s daily mercies, no matter how hard I tried, it was a struggle not to let the disappointments that abounded sink me into a deep, dark, depression.

So I pondered…

Do I really believe what posted December 3, 2013?

Just as God heard the cries of his people all those years ago, he hears our cries today. Jesus is as real today, as he was yesterday, and as he will be tomorrow. He is our deliverer. Only he can remove our shackles.

Do I really believe what posted December 5, 2013?

What if there was someone we could hand all our problems and cares over to, and he’d take care of everything. He’d walk along beside us, and support us every second of every day. And give us peace in the process. Wouldn’t we want to be around him?

Do I really believe what posted December 12, 2013?

Just as God used these five women, he can use us. We can all be redeemed, and put back together through his grace. All we have to do is have faith enough to say yes to God, and his son, Jesus Christ.

Do I really believe what posted December 19, 2013?

God continues to use his people to accomplish his plans. We won’t give birth to the Messiah, but like Mary, we carry Christ inside us, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Once we claim Jesus as our LORD and Savior, it then becomes our responsibility to praise God for the great things he has done for us through his love, mercy and grace, and share that wonder with those around us.

Most importantly, do I believe what I penned sometime in September, 2013, that posted December 24, 2013?

Next to the manger scene I set up each December, hangs a cross, and a crown of thorns. Lest I get caught up in the presents, the baking, the decorations, and the carols, I need a reminder in front of me. Christmas is about much more than a baby, gifts, and family. Christmas is about the cross. It’s about the sacrifice, the suffering, and the Savior who died and rose again so we might live.

Yes. Yes I do believe the truth Jesus led me to write months before I stared up at the clouds from a parking lot in Tallahassee, Florida.

Even though Christmas 2013 has come and gone, and Christmas 2014 will soon be a memory, no matter where life might find us right now, I hope we all believe this Christmas and every Christmas that follows…it’s about the cross.

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.             John 3:16-17 (MSG)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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