Snow Day!  It has been cold this week in Texas.   Granted, I know some of you are much colder and have a lot more snow-but I will take what I can get.   
It is such a rare opportunity here to photograph birds in the snow so I had fun behind my camera.  I posted several of my shots on Facebook on the Tuning My Heart page.  (I do not know if the link will work for you, if not click on the facebook link on the right side of this webpage.)

My look at Psalm 119 continues:
Psalm 119:129-136
Psalm 119:137-144
Psalm 119:145-152

Freebie Thursday-It's all about Redwork this week on the Quilt Blog
Happy New Year:Part 3-the conclusion to my photo journey of our anniversary trip.

Preach the Word: Because It Makes the Ministry Dependent on God-I have been enjoying John MacArthur's series Preach the Word.  What he has to say is not just relevant to pastors, but for all of us.  This particular one struck me as I continue to consider the ministry of my life as a blogger.  "By contrast, a ministry that centers on the preaching of God’s Word is a ministry that is, by definition, wholly dependent on God. Rather than relying on gimmicks or ploys, it relies on God Himself for both its content and direction."

Judges Judging US-This is a great look at the book of Judges I saw it in a new light after reading this post by Jesse Johnson.  "Plainly and practically: the church is not defeated (or threatened) if a court case about marriage goes this way or that way. The church does not lose if there are, say…gay marriages at the Grammy’s, or if abortion is funded by tax dollars. Those things are sinful, obviously, and are signs of God’s judgment on our country. But the danger for the church is always compromise being allowed on the inside. We are not responsible for what happens in the world, but we are responsible for what happens in our heart and in our flocks. That is where defeat and danger are seen. We should lament the culture’s run into sin, but also understand that the real battlefield is not the culture war, but the war for the purity of our hearts, our homes, and our churches–culminating in evangelism. "

Dear Donald Miller-There is an interesting conversation going on in the blogosphere about whether Christians should attend church or not.  Many young people are looking for a way out of the inauthenticity they see in their local church.  The results have been very interesting and worthy of consideration by all of us.

Blessings!
Deb

My series on Psalm 119 continues:
Psalm 119:105-112
Psalm 119:113-120
Psalm 119:121-128
Thursday Freebies-more great free patterns I have gleaned from around the web.


This week found me dragging with a cold.  Sometimes I wonder which is worse, the cold symptoms or the effects of the medicine we take to counter them.  We have had some very cold temperatures for Texas and that makes birdwatching at the feeders more lucrative.  It also means I have a hard time keeping the feeders filled.  Glancing out the window to our pond yielded my first glimpse of a seasonal visitor: the spotted towhee.  There were two of them splashing in the shallows of the bog that had not yet frozen over.  That is where they usually make their appearance, not at the feeders, but the water features in the yard.  

If you are interested in learning more about this bird click on the photo and you will be taken to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website.  It is my favorite birding site.

It's not a cold--it's cancer  -Aaron Armstrong with a thoughtful post on sin.

The Shortest Ever Commentary on the Whole Bible-Ben Myers did a twitter series where he wrote a commentary for each bool of the Bible.  It has now been compiled on his website. Twitter limits you to 140 characters, quite a challenge.  A couple of my favorites:
Amos: Hallelujah! The Lord is here! Run for your lives!
Titus: Don't adapt the gospel to your life. Adapt your life to the pattern of the gospel.

Authenticity, Honesty, and the Stay-At-Home Mother-Thought provoking post by the Christian Pundit.

Evangelicals and Hollywood Muck-Trevin Wax started quite a conversation about the choices we make in this area.  He states near the end, "I do not claim to have this all figured out. But one thing I know: our pursuit of holiness must be the mark against which our pursuit of cultural engagement is measured."

Fatherless Daughters and Wayward Desires: Black Women as Portrayed by the Alluring and Maddening Olivia Pope- I have appreciated the writings of Thabiti Anyabwile ever since I came across this pastor of a church in the Cayman Islands.  

How to Jesus Juke a Justin Bieber Story- okay this was was just funny-we do need to lighten up sometimes.  And in case you do not know what Jesus Juke means (it was new to me too) you can read how the term came to be here.

********************************************************************************************
Winter in Texas can be interesting.  Yesterday we had a sunny high of 83 degrees.  Tomorrow we are not expecting to get above freezing and there is a wintry mix in our forecast as well.  You just never know around here.  
Whatever the weather in your part of the world, and I know some of you are having a pretty rough time, I wish you a restfull weekend.

Deb