Quote of the Day:  Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go. from Joshua 1:9. It’s also from a Sunday School Song. Picture actions of making strong arms, wiping out the fears, and marching on with God at your side. Strong is the word for Dec. 16, 2013, in the Advent Photo A Day Project. 

I didn’t blog yesterday. I needed a little break and to spend time with my family. My big boy is home for the winter break from college, so we had some great food and good times together. We saw The Hobbit 2, The Desolation of Smaug. It got mixed reviews from the seven of us who went. Charlie, 13, has recently read the book, for the second time, and was annoyed at all the changes. The Biker Chef liked the additional characters and character development, particularly with the fight scenes with Smaug. I thought the fighting was overdone, again. The intrigue of Tolkein’s stories is the adventure, not how many characters get decapitated! I did like how the screenwriters added more plot with the elves.

Speaking of fire-breathing dragons, The Chef cooked up another delicious meal.
Thank you so much.
Put that in your Weber and smoke it!
I don’t want to skip Sunday’s word which is Rejoice. This is my favorite one for the project. Rejoice was the name of the church I attended and played music for a few years. We were a great little crew of Believers. My favorite season of the church is Advent/Christmas. I might be the only person I know, expect for my friend Pastor Erika, who has a favorite Advent song. Here it is.

I made this our Advent theme song last year.
We stopped meeting as a church at the end of January, 2013.
I miss the Rejoice Believers.
My own Advent message: Be strong, Believers, your Light will soon appear. I love Advent because it addresses the darkness, of the year, of the season, and the waiting. We relive the Christmas story every year, with hope and expectation. If we can carry that message into our own seasons of life, we can burn a small candle of hope, no matter what is going on. Through the dark days, God sends us a great cloud of witnesses to help us through, to be strong and courageous. 

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  What are your fears and expectations today?