Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool—how much worse lying lips to a ruler!
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
The earth is filled with your love, Lord; teach me your decrees.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Whoever would foster love covers over an offense,
but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
22 Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.
23 A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—
and how good is a timely word!
A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Those who disregard discipline despise themselves,
but the one who heeds correction gains understanding.
A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
[Re: Super Bowl ads]
DSC: This is one of the best ads I’ve seen in a long time. Highly relevant to the U.S. right now.
Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.
Psalm 18:1-2
For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:
1 I love you, Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield[b] and the horn[c] of my salvation, my stronghold.
But I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.
4 For the word of the Lord is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
5 The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.
9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
1 Listen to my words, Lord,
consider my lament.
2 Hear my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.
23 The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.
…that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
21 Lord, do not forsake me;
do not be far from me, my God.
22 Come quickly to help me,
my Lord and my Savior.
Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
From DSC:
Over the last year, our church has been heavily focused on the topic of prayer. Much of that has to do with a book given to our leadership team called, “Sailboat Church: Helping Your Church Rethink Its Mission and Practice written by Joan S. Gray.
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Gray does an incredible job packing a lot of material into a very concise book. In it, she describes the difference between a rowboat church (which relies on human efforts) and a sailboat church (which relies upon the LORD to guide it, resource it, and empower it). She asserts that the main purpose of a sailboat is to leave the dock and set out on the waters of life to achieve what the LORD guides us to by His Holy Spirit. And prayer is a key element of this book and this process.
May the LORD bless your reading of it, as you seek to deepen your relationship — and your communications — with Him.
Luke Chapter 1 and Luke Chapter 2 give a nice background to the birth of Jesus.
Also, The Chosen team has a two-day Christmas marathon of their Christmas episodes on YouTube. It started at 9am EST on 12/24 and goes through midnight on Christmas Day. See: https://www.youtube.com/live/0Ru59RASbhw
To watch The Chosen video series, see:
Psalm 16:1
A miktam[a] of David.
Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.
The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
Simon Laveuve’s Scaled-Down Tableaux Reveal Post-Apocalyptic Lifestyles — from thisiscolossal.com by Simon Laveuve and Kate Mothes
Bringing High School Students and Kindergartners Together to Make Art — from edutopia.org by Cory Desmond
A look at how teachers can have students collaborate across grades on an art project that promotes creativity and teamwork.
What happens when high school students and kindergartners collaborate? Art. Innovation. Growth. And so much more.
Inspired by illustrator Mica Angela Hendricks’s collaborations with her 4-year-old daughter—in which Hendricks would begin by drawing a portrait and then have her daughter add to it—I formalized the concept into an inter-grade art lesson. It’s a replicable, three-stage project based on vertical collaboration. This model bridges the creative and social gap between students, weaving together technical skill and imagination through methods based in social and emotional learning (SEL).
It operates by passing a structured project back and forth, compelling older students to engage with empathy, relationship maintenance, and responsible decision-making. Simultaneously, it empowers younger students, giving them significant creative autonomy through their own responsible choices. By breaking down the separation between age groups, cross-grade collaborations cultivate essential skills in ways that isolated classrooms typically can’t.
In this article, I’ll provide a flexible framework for vertical collaboration—a blueprint that teachers can adapt for their own cross-grade collaborations.
34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.
“Come now, let us settle the matter,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.
4 Blessed is the one
who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
5 Many, Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.
