SALE

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

(linking up at Andrew's place while Kate is on leave)

Word prompt--SALE

Five minutes to free-write about it

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When I saw this week's prompt it made me think of how grateful I was for all the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales that enabled me to buy Christmas gifts for my grandchildren and great-crandchildren at greatly reduced prices. That was what I started writing about.

However, the flow of my thoughts was abruptly interrupted by an unrelated passage of scripture that popped into my mind. It was about Simon the Sorcerer who offered money to the apostles when he saw them laying hands on believers, and the believers receiving the Holy Spirit through their touch (Acts 8:9-24).

"Give me also this ability," he said, "so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit (v. 19)."

The apostle Peter rebuked him for thinking it was a gift that could be bought--"May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money (v.20}!"

God's gifts are freely given. They are not for sale, nor can they be earned by our good works. They can only be received by faith.

How quickly my thoughts turned from gratitude for the great sales that enabled me to buy some great gifts, to Jesus, the greatest gift of all. Jesus, who willingly took on human flesh and was born into this world to die for our sins so we could be forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life. 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. -- (John 3:16, NIV)

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. -- (Romans 6:23, NIV)

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. -- (Acts 4:12, NIV)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. -- (1 John 1:9, NIV)

For it is by grace you have been saved. through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. -- (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

PRETTY THINGS

 

The Cover of my 2026 calendar.

An unexpected gift outside my door.

A Christmas cactus full of buds. 

CHRISTMAS SWEATER

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

(linking up at Andrew's place while Kate is on leave)

Word prompt--CHRISTMAS SWEATER

Five minutes to free-write about it

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Just wondering how the tradition of calling Christmas sweaters "ugly Christmas sweaters" came about. I've had several Christmas sweaters over the years, but never considered any of them ugly. I don't even think this picture of a Christmas sweater Andrew posted is ugly. To me it looks colorful and festive.

Anyway, that led to a totally unrelated thought of a post I had written a very long time ago on a now defunct blog. It was about a big old turkey vulture I had spotted sitting on top of a roof. I had added the word "ugly" to my description of it, and one friend commented that she bet his mama didn't think he was ugly, and another, that all God's critters are beautiful. They were both right.

Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. It's all a matter of perspective.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

TUESDAY THOUGHTS

Two statements I've been pondering lately:

"We live by demands when we should live by priorities."

"To put your trust in human resources is to lean on a shaky crutch."

I know there's a message in there for me (and maybe you as well?).

TURKEY

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

(linking up at Andrew's place while Kate is on leave)

Word prompt--TURKEY

Five minutes to free-write about it

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One of my granddaughters hosted Thanksgiving this year, and my grandson cooked the turkey. It was a tasty turkey, but like Andrew, given a choice between turkey and something else, I probably would have opted for the something else.

There were 19 of us this year, so we sat at two different tables, and it made me sad that even though we were celebrating Thanksgiving, no one brought up the topic of what we were all grateful for. And then after I got home I felt really convicted and remiss for not having brought it up either.  

My list of gratitudes is long.

I am grateful for the gift of one more Thanksgiving, and for the loving family that surrounded me.

I am grateful that everyone was healthy, with not even a runny nose among the kids.

I am grateful for the gift of becoming a grandmother and a great-granny, a miracle I would never have dreamed possible back in the day when I was a young widow with two small children and a scary experience led to an irrational fear that I would not live long enough to see them grow up. And yet I did. And I've seen their children grow up as well, and been blessed with 7 grandchildren, and 7 great-grands. 

I am grateful for a most amazing daughter who I surely don't deserve, and for the unexpected healing and restoration of the estranged relationship between me and my son. 

I am grateful that God is longsuffering and patient, and never gives up on me, even when I would long have given up on myself, and I am grateful for His unconditional love and His promise to never leave me or forsake me.

Most of all I am thankful for Jesus and for His gift of salvation. 

I am thankful that the Lord is my shepherd who walks beside me even through the darkest valleys, and that I can trust that He is always in control.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

PENGUIN

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

(linkup at Andrew's place while Kate is on medical leave)

Word prompt--PENGUIN

Five minutes to free-write about it

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Interesting prompt this week. Curious to see what my fellow FMF participants come up with.

All I can think of is that they really do look as though they are wearing tuxedos. 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY