The Reason For The Season (by Carolyn Marshall)

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD almighty will accomplish this.”

Isaiah 9:6-7



There are many scriptures throughout the Bible, in both the old and new testaments, that tell of the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. No matter what the scripture, the message is always one of hope, joy, peace, love … salvation. But the message isn’t just about the birth of a baby in a manger. It begins there, but is hardly the whole story. For without the birth of the baby Jesus and His life here on earth, there would be no crucifixion and death on the cross. Without the crucifixion and death on the cross, there would be no burial and resurrection. Without the resurrection, there would be no redemption for us and no salvation. And without redemption and salvation, there would be no life everlasting with God and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

So, this December 25 (the day we have chosen to celebrate Christmas), remember the whole story of why this birth was (is) so special. And after that day has passed and all the trees, ornaments, and gifts have been put away, remember that the most important gift of all, the one from heaven above, can be enjoyed and celebrated 365 days a year. Don’t tuck it away in a box somewhere not to be pulled out again until next December comes around. Keep it open in view of all. It was meant to be shared with everyone.

God bless each and every one of you as you celebrate Jesus!

The Reason For The Season

Christmas is a season filled with laughter and good cheer,

A time to visit family and friends that we hold dear.

Trinkets dress our tree and pretty tinsel makes it bright.

An angel placed on top will keep us safe throughout the night.

The children are so happy that the day is almost here

To see what Santa brings them dressed in red and long white beard.

Excitement fills the air, and almost everywhere you go,

You’ll see the celebration with the houses all aglow.

But let us not forget on Christmas day so long ago

A child was born in Bethlehem and wrapped in swaddling clothes.

His bed was in a stable, just a manger made with hay.

And one bright star up in the East would help to lead the way.

Three wise men and some shepherds heard the news and left that night.

With gifts in hand they traveled far to see the Holy Light.

This baby boy was Jesus, sent to us from God above.

His only child, from virgin birth, would live with perfect love.

The reason for the season is the best gift God could give.

He loved the world so much He gave His son so we could live.

A gift of life eternal with the Father and the Son.

The reason for the season is the gift of God’s pure love.

Carolyn Marshall

© 12/16/04

Reward For Obedience (by Margaret Duran)

©2010 Carolyn Marshall, Living Life Photography

“Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for He acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”       Psalm 91:14-16 (NIV)

God's gift to us for our obedience, worship and praise is so great. When we make time to sit alone with Jesus, there are great rewards that we know not of. Here are just a few of the many ways we are blessed:

Ø      Peace that passes all understanding;

Ø      Joy that fills our hearts to overflowing;

Ø      Rivers of living water will flow through and from us to everyone we meet;

Ø      Financial needs are met;

Ø      Our life begins to come together.

When we love someone, we want time alone with them, and so does Jesus. We must show Him that we love Him through our obedience.

 “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.” 1 John 5:3 NIV

Our purpose in life is to give Him love and praise. That is why He created us … a real, personal relationship. It's time now to test our hearts because Jesus is coming again. Will our lamps be filled with oil so we will be ready when the Bridegroom comes?

Reasons To Rejoice (by Carolyn Marshall)

Do you ever get up in the morning and think that you just aren’t sure how you are going to make it through the day? I can remember a time in my life when I dreaded going to bed at night because sleep would pass fast and then I would have to face the inevitable “tomorrow”.



© 2010 Carolyn Marshall, Living Life Photography

The people of our world are facing some very difficult times now. Regardless of whom we are, where we live, or how much money we make, at some point in our lives we all face times when we are afraid, sad, lonely, rejected, or poor (not necessarily in an economic way but, rather, poor spiritually) . Some find it difficult to cope because they feel there is no way out of their situation and that there is no hope for things to get better. But there is always hope, and there is always reason to be joyful. Here are just a few that Jesus gave us when he was speaking to His disciples:

“Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: ‘Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.” Luke 6:20-23

The bible is full from beginning to end with reasons for us to be full of hope and joy. If you are tired of running in never-ending circles; if you’re ready to say “goodbye” to the lies of the world, and “ Thank You, Lord!” for the promises of our Savior, then:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Now … REJOICE!

Are We Falling Away? (by Margaret Duran)

“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:11-12, 14 (NIV)



© 2010 Carolyn Marshall, Living Life Photography

So often the cares of this life become more important than our relationship with Jesus and we become stagnant. We fail to grow and we are out of God’s will. It takes quality time with Jesus daily to grow and become disciples able to teach others the way to salvation. It is my hope that the following poem will touch your heart and bring you back to your first love for Jesus.

Determined To Hear God’s Voice

Please meet me in the garden, Lord,

That peaceful, quiet place,

And let me linger on Your lap

To gaze upon Your face.

I long to hear Your gentle voice,

Soft whispers in my ear;

With loving tugs upon my heart,

I feel You draw me near.

Too many times, in weakened state,

I let the world close in,

When all I ever need to do

Is trust my one true Friend.

Surrendered heart I give You, Lord,

And wait on bended knees,

Determined now to hear Your voice,

O God, please speak to me.

(© 12/08/09 Carolyn L. Marshall)

His Yoke Is Easy (by Carolyn Marshall)

“A man was carrying a heavy basket. His son asked to help him. The father cut a stick and placed it through the handle of the basket so that the end toward himself was very short, while the end toward the boy was three or four times as long. Each took hold of his end of the stock, and the basket was lifted and easily carried. The son was bearing the burden with the father, but he found his work easy and light because his father assumed the heavy end of the stock. Just so it is when we bear the yoke with Christ; He sees to it that the burden laid on us is light; He carries the heavy end.” (John T. Faris)



© 2010 Carolyn Marshall, Living Life Photography

 There isn’t a man, woman or even a child living who doesn’t have “issues” that need to be dealt with every minute of every day. Those of us who have surrendered our lives to Christ do not get a “magic pass” to escape all of our burdens as some people may think, either. We struggle the same as everyone else, and sometimes more. Because now, as children of God, the adversary (Satan) has to work even harder to try to pluck us out of God’s hands. “Try” is the operative word here, because once we surrender our lives to God, we are forever His. Praise God! But it doesn’t stop him from trying.

You don’t have to be up to date with current events in the newspapers, on the radio, television, or Internet to know that we all deal with our burdens in different ways, either. Just open your eyes to the people around you - depression, alcoholism, suicide, divorce, bankruptcy, abortion, murder are on the increase at an alarming rate. As human beings, we tend to want to take control and deal with problems in our lives in our own way. In the beginning, we think we are strong enough to handle whatever life may toss our way because we are “tough”. Some may be able to hold on longer than others but, eventually, they will reach the end of the rope of “their own strength”. They will have to make a decision to keep struggling with their problem or let go and give it all to God.

So many times, we suffer needlessly because we don’t give our burdens to the Master problem solver, our heavenly Father. We read in Matthew 11:28-30:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

And, oh, what peace we find when we do surrender! We can come before God as His “child” and sit in His lap. Picture yourself laying your head on God’s shoulder, looking up into those beautiful all-loving eyes. Feel His arms wrapped around you. I can’t think of a better place to be. Can you?

Let's Dance! (by Carolyn Marshall)

We all get a lot of email forwards in our mailbox, I know I do. A lot of it isn’t of any use so it gets put in the trash pretty quickly. But, occasionally, a message comes through that really makes you think; one that blesses your heart and makes you smile and say “thank you, Lord!” The following was one of those messages that I received. I would love to give credit to the writer, but there wasn’t a name attached to it. So, if you’re reading this and know who wrote it, please leave a comment for me so that proper credit can be given. In the meantime, I hope this gives you a smile in your heart and causes you to lift your eyes to Jesus with Joy!



© 2010 Carolyn Marshall, Living Life Photography

“Guidance . . . When I meditated on the word GUIDANCE, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other. My eyes drew back to the word GUIDANCE. When I saw "G," I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i."  "God, "u" and "i" dance – God, you, and I dance!" This statement is what guidance means to me. As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead. My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies be upon you and your family on this day and everyday. May you abide in Him as He abides in you. Dance together with God, trusting Him to lead and to guide you through each season of your life. Prayer is one of the best gifts we can receive, so let’s continue to pray for one another. I hope you dance!”