New Year

well this year has been a full year. I started the year in Bismark, and am now living in Wilmore Kentucky, where I have three semesters left. going back to school is great. I love being at school, i have made new friends and have learned lots of stuff.

one of my resolutions from last year was to read the book of Mormon all the way through. that one I failed. I didn't even get through the first book. life got busy. i am not sure i want to add this one to my list again this year for the sake of being able to focus on my class work more.

1. Last year i made some resolutions, Like getting 104 posts on this blog... well i missed it by 12 posts, so I think that one could be counted as close enough to count it as good, but far enough from my goal that i think i can keep this a resolution for next year.

2. my last resolution last year was to work out more. and i did a pretty good job of this for the first half of the year. then i went to Florida, and then moved to Kentucky. things went good again till about November when life got a little stressful. so i will keep this resolution for another year, although i will specify this one a little. my goal for next year is to be running an average of 3 times a week, by the end of the year of course.

a few new ones that i will be adding this year are:

3. restart my prayer journal. i loved this when i did it but sadly i haven't kept a journal sense i left Bethany. I don't really know why except maybe because i got all journaled out on my internship, took a break and got out of practice i guess.

4. this kind of goes under my write more resolution from last year but that one had to do mostly with my blog. this year i will be joining an online writers critic group in hopes that Maybe by next Indiana writer's convention i will have something a little more perfected to show to the editors and agents there.

5. I also want to finish the Merecat's Character designed 101. i have started this thing twice and never finished it.

So that is it, i could go into detail on most of them but for the most part that is it.

advent five, 1st day of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas my TrueLove gave to me a partridge in a pear tree. The Partridge is Go figure, Christ. this is in reference to when Jesus cries over Jerusalem.

"Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem You who kill the prophets and stone those who sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, butyou were not willing."

the partridge is in the pear tree because the whole point that Jesus came to eath as a child was to be the sacrifice that he was on the cross.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:
The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son,
and will call him Immanuel.

Is 7:14

2nd day of Christmas

on the 2nd day of Christmas my TrueLove (God) gave to me two turtle doves. These 2 birds which fly together in the sky in some kind of aerial dance are representative of the Old and New Testament, also known as the old and new covenant.

because we identify one as the old and the other as the new sometimes people think that the Old Testament is irrelevant. there are many people who ignore the Old Testament and even refuse to read it. this is very sad because it is in the Old Testament that we get the context for the New Testament. without the old covenant there is no purpose for the new. the Old and New Testaments are one story. a narrative which begins with the beginning and ends with the coming of the new kingdom and the end of sin. the bible is one story in which thousands of people have come in contact with become a part of. we are all part of the story of salvation and we should remember that this and read the New Testament in light of the Old Testament.

1. The Old Testament
2. The New Testament

3rd day of Christmas

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 3 french hens...Or as Paul said:

And Now these three remain,

1. Faith
2. Hope
3. Love

4th day of christmas

On the 4th day of Christmas My TrueLove (God) gave to me, Four calling birds.

these song birds represent the four gospels, or the four evangelists as they are sometimes called. and it is fitting no that the writers of the gospels are memorialized as four birds which call out to those who pass. the four gospels are the witness to Christ's life. Their message goes out into the world much like the song of these calling birds do.

1. Matthew
2. Mark
3. Luke
4. John

Advent week four:Joy

Then the eyes of the blind will be opened
And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.
Then the lame will leap like a deer,
And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy.
For waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the Arabah.
The scorched land will become a pool
And the thirsty ground springs of water;
In the haunt of jackals,
its resting place,
Grass becomes reeds and rushes.
A highway will be there,
a roadway,
And it will be called the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean will not travel on it,
But it will be for him who walks that way,
And fools will not wander on it.
No lion will be there,
Nor will any vicious beast go up on it;
These will not be found there.
But the redeemed will walk,
And the ransomed of the LORD will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
With everlasting joy upon their heads.
They will find gladness and joy,
And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Is 35:5-10

5th day fo christmas

on the 5th day of Christmas my TrueLove (God) gave to me, Five Golden Rings. rings made out of the pure and valuable element Gold. these five golden rings are the five books of the Torah, also known as the Pentateuch, or the books of the law.

1. Genisis
2. Exodus
3. Leviticus
4. Numbers
5. Deuteronomy

6th day of christmas

on the 6th day of Christmas my TrueLove(God) gave to me 6 geese a laying. These six geese represent the 6 days of God's labor as he created the world and everything in it. Just as these 6 geese are creating new life God Created the world in 6 days.

1. the Light
2. the Firmanment
3. the Land, the Sea, and Plants
4. the Sun, Moon, and Stars
5. the Birds and Fish

6. The Land Animals and Man

the 7th day of christmas

On the seventh day of Christmas my TrueLove (God) gave to me, Seven Swans a swimming. what do swans do they swim along in an eligant and graceful mannor. looking quiet content to just glide along in the stream or across the lake. so peaceful, so Tranquil. Of course under the serface is a whole nother issue. i saw a poster that once said, be like a duck, cool and collect on top, but underneith paddiling like crazy. the same can be true of these graceful creatures.

So what might these seven swans be? They are the seven gifts of the spirit:

1. Wisdom
2. Understanding
3. Council
4. Fortitude
5. Knowledge
6. Piety
7. Fear of The Lord

wait wait wait, I have been in the church most my life, I went to bible school, I am currently in seminary, these were not listed in the answer key on the spiritual gift exams. Perhaps these are gifts that are meant for all belivers to have, like the fruit of the spirit. Maybe these gifts manifest themselves at different times at different maturity levels as the saint goes threw they're lives.

seven swans, all swimming in the lake of life, cool calm tranquil in aperence, but just under the serface these seven gifts propell the saint through life.

8th day of Christmas

On the eight day of Christmas my TrueLove (God) gave to me 8 maids a milking.
these Hard working girls Represent the 8 Beatitudes found in the sermon on the mount Found in Mathew 5. These 8 beatitudes turn the world on its head by giving us a glimpse of what the kingdom of God is going to be like.

1.Blessed are the Poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God
2. Blessed are those who morn, for they will be comforted
3. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for Righteousness for they will be satisfied
5. blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy
6. Blessed are the pure of heart for they will see God
7. blessed are the Peace makers for they will be called the children of God
8. Blessed are those who are Persecuted for Righteousness sake for Theirs is the kingdom of God.

Advent three: Peace

The wolf will live with the lamb,
The leopard will lie down with the goat,
The calf and the lion and the yearling together;
And a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
Their young will lie down together,
And the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,

And the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.

They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,

For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

9th day of Christmas

On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 9 ladies dancing.

These 9 ladies are some what similar to the 10 leaping lords. the Lords were the gift of the 10 commandments from God. these ladies are the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit, according to Galations 5.

and the Fruit of the spirit is:

1. Love
2. Joy
3. peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self-Control

against such things there is no law!

10th day of christmas

On the 10th day of Christmas my truelove (God) gave to me, ten Lords a leaping.

very odd don't you think, but wait these ten lords are not some strange group of men in tights flocking around. not these lords would probably be better displayed as well men like Moses, Aaron, or Joshua. these ten lords are none other then the Ten Commandments.

if that is the case why do they seem so joyful, I mean they are leaping about, and leaping seems to imply some measure of Joy and mirth. One of the things that made the God of the Jews so different from the other religions of the time is that their God loved them enough to tell them what was good and what was bad.

Most other religions went through hoops hoping that they were doing what their god expected of them so that they would receive the blessing of their gods or goddesses. The Jews always knew what their God expected of them.

1. I am the Lord your God You shall have no other Gods
2 You shall not create any graven images
3. do not take the Lord's name in vaine
4. Remember the sabath and keep it holy
5. honor your mother and father
6. do not commit adultery
7. do not murder
8. do not steal
9. do not bare false hood
10. do not covet your neighbor's wife or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

advent two: love

The spirit of the sovereign lord is upon me,
because the lord has appointed me to bring good news to the poor.
he has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to announce that the captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed
he has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the lord's favor has come,
and with it,
the day of God's anger against their enemies.
to all who mourn in Israel
he will give beauty for ashes,
joy instead of mourning,
praise instead of despair.
for the lord has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory.

the 11th day of Christmas

On the 11^th day of Christmas my Truelove (God) gave to me, 11 pipers piping.

These 11 pipers are the 11 faithful disciples. It is fun that they are pipers because when a piper plays people dance. The disciples play the tune which announces that they experienced the risen Lord Jesus. Their song is trustworthy because they were there, they saw and touched Him. They play the tune of the history of the GodMan.

Peter

James

John

Thomas

Andrew

Philip

Mathew

Thaddeus

James the less

Simon

Bartholomew

The 12th Day of Christmas

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love Gave to Me, Twelve Drummers drumming.

who hasn't sung this old time song and wondered who in the world would want these gifts for Christmas? Relent K had it Right when they asked "what is a partridge, what is a pear tree, I don't know so please don't ask me. but i can beat these are terrible gifts to get."

It is said that this Christmas song was actually used by the Catholics to keep the key points of their catticism with them when they were not alowed to practice Catholicism.

The 12 Drummers Drumming are the twelve points of the Apostle's Creed:

1. Belief in God the Father
2. Belief in The Son
3. belief in the Holy Spirit
4. Jesus christ was Born of the Virgin Mary
5. Made man
6. Crucified
7. Died
8. He arose on the third day
9. that He sits at the right hand of the Father
10 He will come again.
11. the resurrection of the Dead
12. Life everlasting.

Not a bad gift from our True love God the Father.