Posted by Posted in adventures, Bible characteristics, Jesus, me, missions, Pioneer living, ready to adventure, words

My Big Passions

First off, I am sorry that I have not done a post in almost a month. That is a long stretch from my three posts a week promise. But I am back with a post about passion!

Passion is a gift that God has given us. He gives each of us a different passion because we are all special and unique. Passion for a certain people, project, subject or skill is the fire that gets stuff done. Don’t ever lose your passion for Jesus and His work.

Below I have about a paragraph about a few big passions of mine. Feel free to comment below and tell me what you are passionate about.

Passion for Jesus
First, I just want to say, if you profess as a Christian, this should be your first passion ever. Jesus. The one who came and incarnated and died on a cross for you. He saved you for himself. Now you are free, but to live in Him. And that is exciting. Jesus is my friend, redeemer and Lord. I gave my life to Him and that is the best thing I ever did. I love my Jesus.

Passion for Missions
I grew up reading and re-reading missionary stories. That is what I always wanted to do. Be a missionary. God planted a love for His lost people in my heart. When I went on a missions trip to Mexico when I was 13, I came alive. I knew that serving others and showing the poor and lost the love and joy that Christ brings was what He made me to do. And I am passionate about that. I jump on any opportunity to be a part of international missions work.

Passion for the Outdoors
God planted in me a love for His world. I love to hike, canoe, climb, run and bike in the beautiful nature that surrounds me. I love the sun, the wind, the grass, trees, mountains, dirt, sunsets and fresh air. I look at the glory of nature and I “sing for joy at the work of His hands”. (Psalm 92:4- my life verse) I am passionate about the outdoors. A burst of energy and excitement curses through me as I gaze at a beautiful sunrise or a breathtaking view.

Passion for Pioneer Living
Half of my childhood I wore a pioneer dress. I loved learning about the pioneers in the prairies with the covered wagons and Indians and all the excitement back then. I loved pioneer living. I would rather toil over handmade candles then flip on a lightswitch. I would rather spend two hours making bread then five minutes at the grocery store. I love homesteading. I got chickens and started a big garden and as we move we hope for more animals and a bigger garden. God gave me this love for whatever you would call it. Farming, homesteading, pioneer living, going off the grid, sustainable living. Those excite me. I love cooking and pie making and trying my hand at homemade cheese. God made me a farm girl.

Passion for Literature and Music
I started piano lessons at about nine years old. Soon I wanted to play those long, epic piano scores from the Lord of the Rings book, so I did. I have a passion for beautiful music. It is a way that I can worship the Lord and give glory to His name. I also have a passion for reading. I literally devour books. When I was four, I started reading. I taught myself. From then on, it is history. I read with intentsity, soaking up every word. When I go into a bookstore I get that shiver of excitement up my spine and making book lists is like a hobby for me. I love reading and music.

All of these passions are loves that the Lord has put in me. I don’t say these things to boast but as an example of how God has made each of us passionate. He made me in a specific way to specifically love certain things so I could specifically serve Him in a specific way. He did the same for you too. So tell me, what are your big passions? Comment below!

Priscilla Joy

Posted by Posted in Jesus

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all who read this!

As we celebrate the Christmas season it is easy to get caught up in the lights, the snow (or rain in my case), presents, finding the perfect present (aka lots of shopping), putting up the tree, Santa Claus and whatever other things make you busy and distracted.

Let us keep our focus on Jesus this season. In a quiet moment by yourself read and dwell on the Christmas story. Below I have verses for you to read and cry at, enjoy, laugh, sing for joy at and smile in your heart.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary has 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 name him Jesus, for he shall save his people from thier 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.”

Matthew 1:18-23

“And Mary said:
My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
For behold,from now on all generations will call me blessed;
For he who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is his name.
His mercy is for all who fear him
From generation to generation
He has shown strength with his arm
And scattered the proud in the thoughts of thier hearts.”

Luke 1:46-51

“Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!”
John 1:29b

“For to us a child is born and a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting, Father and Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6

Have a Merry, Merry Christmas! Celebrating Christ’s birth!
Priscilla Joy

Posted by Posted in Family, God, holidays, Jesus

Movie Review: The Nativity Story

It’s Chrstmas time! I sit and listen to Celtic Christmas CD as I write this post. There are some Christmas movies we like to watch as a family. Last night, we watched “The Nativity Story”. Here is my movie review on it!

Rating: PG for some violent content

Age: 12 and up could watch the whole movie. My little brother (7) watched it, he just covered his eyes in some parts.

Things to watch for: The first scene in Herod killing the babies, it doesn’t actually show a baby being killed but it gets pretty close. There are also two births (Mary and Elizabeth). Mary’s birth scene is pretty mild but the one with Elizabeth is a little more vivid (again, nothing too bad). The last thing to watch for is it does show John (the Baptist) getting circumcised but it is not too vivid.

I really liked the movie. It is not biblically correct on every point but I think it does capture the nativity story very well. Joseph might be my favorite character. He was really portrayed as a noble, strong man who thought of others before himself. When he, and Mary are traveling to Bethlehem he takes good care of her, protecting her and keeping her safe.

The scene where Mary has Jesus is very sweet and special… It might make you cry. 🙂

Mary’s character was overall played well. The one thing I wished is that she would have been more joyful in some parts. But I think the scene when she tells her parents and Joseph she is pregnant with Jesus she shows lots of character and stands strong in her faith even though it might mean her death.

I also liked how they showed how the townspeople shunned Mary and Joseph after finding out about the baby. I don’t usually think of that part.

The wisemen were good. They added just a touch of humor to the movie but not enough to take away from the beauty and seriousness of the story.

In all I think it was a great movie and it really brings the story to life. Perfect for Christmastime!

Merry Christmas!
Priscilla Joy

Posted by Posted in Bible, faith, holidays, Jesus

3 Things To Help You Celebrate CHRISTmas

Remember to focus on Christ this busy holiday season.

Remember to focus on Christ this busy holiday season.

It’s not about the lights or the presents or the snow….blah blah blah. We say that but what are some real, practical ways to celebrate Christ during the Christmas season? It is easy to get distracted with Christmas parties, gift giving and holiday busyness. Below I have three ways for you to celebrate CHRISTmas.

1. Bible reading leading up to Christmas
So instead of just reading the Christmas story start reading things leading up to it in the month before Christmas to give you a big picture of what God was doing. This year I am reading the book of Isaiah and then I will read the Matthew, Luke and John version of the Christmas story. I picked Isaiah because that prophet foretold a lot about Jesus’s birth. Below are some other ideas.

-Isaiah, then the Matthew, Luke and John version of Christmas story.
-Genesis, then Christmas story (from the beginning of time look for promises like the “He will bruise the serpents head” passage and others.)
-Revelation, then Christmas story (look at the mighty lamb slain for us)
-A gospel read the whole way through then double back and read the Christmas story again. (See how Jesus came with the purpose to die)
-1-2 Kings then Christmas story. (Look at the different kings and then look at King Jesus born in a manger)
-Psalms (selected) then Christmas story (Find psalms that point to His birth and read in a poetic style)

With any plan you do try to look for the truth about Jesus coming as well as the promises of His coming.

2. Give your time (and money)
This time of year there are so many opportunities to serve and give so take them! Here are a few ideas:

-serve at a Soup kitchen or homeless shelter serving a Christmas dinner.
– volunteer at the Operation Christmas Child processing center
-order something from the Samaritans Purse, or Food for the Hungry gift catalog
-buy gifts for needy kids/families (I have heard good things about hopematch.com or a local project works well)

Just remember to focus on giving not getting and look to Jesus’s example-He gave His life!

3. Enjoy some good ol’ Christmas carols
Christmas carols are awesome. They proclaim the truth of Jesus’s birth and the gospel. So dwell on that truth. Below are some ideas:

-Go Christmas caroling with friends
-Learn Christmas carols on an instrument if you play one
-Listen to Christmas CDs. (Chris Tomlin and Andrew Peterson’s are some of my favorites-very worshipful)
-Go to a Christmas concert and enjoy the music (We went to a Celtic Christmas concert this year- what a treat!)

I hope you found some good ways to keep your eyes focused on Jesus during the holiday season!

Merry Christmas!
Priscilla

Posted by Posted in Bible, Books to Read, Jesus

Book Review- Titus: Comrade of the Cross

First of all some background on this book, Titus: Comrade of the Cross by Florence Morse Kingsley. This is a Lamplighter book, which means it is an ooold book and was re-published by Lamplighter publishing. Check out their books…. they re-publish old gems. 🙂

This book had been sitting on the shelf in our home and I finally picked it up and started reading it. What a treat! It kept me reading waaay past my bedtime a few nights and was a gripping page-turner, it was written beautifully and contained some awesome lessons.

Rating: ***** 5 out of 5 stars!
Age to read: It would make a good family read aloud or read on your own as a pre-teen or teen.
Would I recommend? Yes, yes, yes!!!

The overall gist- The life of Jesus through the eyes of Titus and Stephen (mostly). Titus was stolen as a boy from Caiaphas and grew up as the son of a drunk, Greek man. Stephen is Titus’s brother (son of the Greek) and is a cripple. This book gave a new look on that old story. When reading this I noticed lots of Scripture throughout so it is very intune with what the Bible says in the Gospels. An amazing account of Jesus’s life. I was impressed.

(This next paragraph will have spoilers so read only if you want to!) There were lots of twists in the plot. Like I said above it was very intune with the Bible but it had a story all of its own. It gave a great glimpse into Jesus working miracles and the heart behind those who were healed like Stephen (the cripple) who crawled to the city to plead for the life of his little friend and then Jesus heals him! You will see the characters show up in places in the story of Jesus like Damachus (the Greek dad) is the one who wants to make Jesus king after he feeds the five thousand. And Titus and Damachus are the ones who are hung on the cross on either side of Jesus. (Titus goes with Him to paradise).

(the spoilers are over) Lots of excitement. It really made the story of Jesus’s life come alive. Gripping, beautiful and well written!

Hope you enjoy!
Priscilla 📚