Scripture and a Snapshot - December 14, 2014

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Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."

And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

~Matthew 1:1-2, 9-11~

Scripture & a Snapshot is hosted by A Glimpse of Our Life.

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Teaser Tuesdays - December 9, 2014

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

 Corporate worship is all about Jesus, and if it is not about Jesus, it is not Christian worship.
We do not go to church to hear helpful living tips, nor do we go to church merely to serve or merely to exercise our spiritual gifts.
We go to church to look at Jesus.
~Look and Live by Matt Papa, page 128


I opened the shutters. It was a glorious night, the sort made for lovers and thieves, and I stood at the window for a long time, smelling the heady scent of the jasmine that bloomed under my window.
Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn, page 137


 Soon enough we were inside the Great Hall of Darnley House, beneath the disapproving stares of my ancestors, whose portraits lined the walls. "I do wish you had managed to arrive earlier," my mother said. She gave every appearance of having the goal of dispensing as many disapproving stares as possible while she was still alive, undoubtedly so they could be accompanied by disparaging comments that were beyond what any portrait could communicate.
 Star of the East: A Lady Emily Christmas Story by Tasha Alexander, 6% on Kindle

     

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Scripture and a Snapshot - December 7, 2014

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Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel"

(which means, God with us).
~Matthew 1:18-23~

Scripture & a Snapshot is hosted by A Glimpse of Our Life.
The Weekend Brew is hosted by My Freshly Brewed Life.

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Weekend Reflections - Ornamental Grass

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A reflection of the dried ornamental grass dressed up the garage door this week.

This post is linked at Weekend Reflections.

Reflection = An image given back by a reflecting surface

Post a photo taken by you that contains a visual reflection (water, glass, metal, eyes, etc - be creative! Reflections can be found almost anywhere!) and link up at the Weekend Reflections blog from Friday 11am through midnight Sunday each weekend. Comment on other Weekend Reflections participant's blogs.

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

WWW Wednesdays - December 3, 2014

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Should Be Reading hosts this weekly update on what we're reading, what we recently finished reading, and what's next. 

• What are you currently reading? I have been working on Look and Live: Behold the Soul-Thrilling, Sin-Destroying Glory of Christ by Matt Papa - it's one of those books that I need to read a little at a time so I can digest it better. I am also reading Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn, and got started on Star of the East: A Lady Emily Christmas Story by Tasha Alexander.  I have just barely started Growing Up Social: Raising Relational Kids in a Screen-Driven Worldby Gary Chapman and Arlene Pellicane. 

      

   

• What did you recently finish reading?   I finished three books since I last did a WWW Wednesday two weeks ago: The Counterfeit Heiress: A Lady Emily Mystery by Tasha Alexander; Waiting for Summer's Return by Kim Vogel Sawyer (Read my thoughts about these books HERE and HERE.); and Love Unexpected (Beacons of Hope) by Jody Hedlund (my review still to come!).

   

• What do you think you'll read next? I'd like to get started on Ticker by Lisa Mantchev. I've also got a stack (figuratively speaking) of Christmas-themed novels I'd like to read, including: A Highlander for Christmas by Jamie Carie; In Time for Christmas by Heather Blanton; The Santa Society by Kristine McCord; The Carpenter by D.L. Maynard; and of course, the classic A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (which I read every holiday season!). 

     
    
    

What are you reading? Anyone can join in this link-up by answering these three questions. Visit Should Be Reading for this week's link-up.

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Teaser Tuesdays - December 2, 2014

This post may contain affiliate links.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

The question underneath everything is this: Do we believe God is good?
If we did, we would obey Him. Joyfully.
~Look and Live by Matt Papa, page 99



He took a step back, breaking the connection, probably not even noticing. "Emma." He traced the mug's handle with his thumb. "Why don't you call me Patrick? Now that we're married and everything."
~Love Unexpected (Beacons of Hope) by Jody Hedlund, 19% on my Kindle

 ©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/