Light of the World
by Lauren Daigle
“The world waits for a miracle
The heart longs for a little bit of hope
Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel
A child prays for peace on Earth
And she’s calling out from a sea of hurt
Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel
And can you hear the angels singing
Glory to the light of the world
Glory, the light of the world is here
The drought breaks with the tears of a mother
A baby’s cry is the sound of love
Come down, come down, Emmanuel
He is the song for the suffering
He is Messiah, the Prince of Peace has come
He has come, Emmanuel
Glory to the light of the world…”
Christmas Quotes
❤️ “Christmas is not just a day, an event to be observed and speedily forgotten. It is a spirit which should permeate every part of our lives.” – William Parks
❤️ “So God throws open the door of this world — and enters as a baby. As the most vulnerable imaginable. Because He wants unimaginable intimacy with you. What religion ever had a god that wanted such intimacy with us that He came with such vulnerability to us? What God ever came so tender we could touch Him? So fragile that we could break Him? So vulnerable that His bare, beating heart could be hurt? Only the One who loves you to death.” – Ann Voskamp
❤️ “The family tree of Christ startlingly notes not one woman but four. Four broken women —women who felt like outsiders, like has-beens, like never-beens. Women who were weary of being taken advantage of, of being unnoticed and uncherished and unappreciated; women who didn’t fit in, who didn’t know how to keep going, what to believe, where to go —women who had thought about giving up. And Jesus claims exactly these who are wandering and wondering and wounded and worn out as His. He grafts you into His line and His story and His heart, and He gives you His name, His lineage, His righteousness. He graces you with plain grace. Is there a greater Gift you could want or need or have? Christ comes right to your Christmas tree and looks at your family tree and says, “I am your God, and I am one of you, and I’ll be the Gift, and I’ll take you. Take Me?” – Ann Voskamp
Nature Retreat
“Do you think that it would come as a surprise.
That in everything there is music?
A melody, a bit of song.
Though it may not meet your ear,
if you tune your heart to hear.
You will recognize and sing along,
The song that nature sings.”
Ruth Elaine Schram
sunsets we can see from our living room.
They can bring such hope, can’t they?
“Every sunset brings the
promise of a new dawn.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
🙂 The rest of the photos are courtesy of my brother John. 🙂
Freed to Fly 
What a glorious sunset!!!! So beautiful and the nature pictures are always so good. Great Christmas quotes, too. Blessings to you, dear Trudy, and Merry Christmas! xo
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Yes, it truly is glorious, Gayl. God’s creation sings with glory and gives us hope, doesn’t it? Blessings and Merry Christmas to you, too! May the true meaning of Christmas permeate our hearts and lives every day!
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Thank you, Trudy, for this amazing Christmas gift here today. You have most certainly laced my day with joy!
Blessings, always!
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Oh, I’m so glad your day was laced with joy, Martha! We all need joy and peace in our hearts in the midst of our trials, don’t we? Blessings to you always, too! May the joy of the Lord be our strength!
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Thank you Trudy for these precious heartwarming gifts. The words and photos that you gather always stir my heart to rest in His hope, no matter what the day holds! Blessings and love to you this Christmas season. ❤️❤️
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I’m so glad your heart was warmed and stirred to rest in His hope, Bettie! Blessings and love to you, too, this Christmas season! May our hearts be awed and filled with the unfailing love and faithfulness of our Jesus!
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Trudy, it makes me happy that you can see such glorious sunsets from your living room! I hope you and Len are having a good holiday season. Love and hugs to you both!
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Me, too, Lois. 🙂 It reminds me of what a powerful God we have. No one can paint nature like He can! Love and hugs back to you! I hope you and your family are getting stronger! May God give us His sufficient grace and strength for each day!
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Blessings to you this Christmas, Trudy. I love when I spot a blue heron when kayaking on a small prairie lake. Hopefully, he/she got that fishing line off their beak. Being with a fisherman, I’ve seen how those lines can break, but thankfully it is not too often. More likely, the bait gets stolen and only an empty hook remains on the line. 🙂 Joy and wonder is what Christmas is suppose to be–so, yes and amen to being refreshed by Joy and Wonder this season!
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Blessings to you this Christmas as well, Lynn! That’s good to know it doesn’t happen too often. My brother was afraid this one may have swallowed the hook. I’m with you on hoping he’s okay. May we be refreshed in this season of Joy and Wonder!
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Lauren Daigel is one of my favorites, whatever she sings! We have a Great Blue Heron that lives around our lake and he (or she?) is always so interesting to watch. They’re very patient birds. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas, Trudy!
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There’s something about Lauren’s voice that I love, too, Lisa. 🙂 I’m so glad you get the pleasure of watching the Great Blue Heron around your lake! You have a wonderful Christmas, too! May the comfort and peace and joy of Jesus fill our hearts regardless of all the chaos and trials in our lives!
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I love the Lauren Daigle song. It’s one of my favorites. And I always enjoy the quotes you choose for us. Have a blessed and peaceful Christmas.
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I love it, too, Mary. I love her voice and the lyrics are so comforting. May you have a blessed and peaceful Christmas as well! May the miracle of Jesus coming cause us to pause and wonder!
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Merry Christmas, dear Trudy. You bring hope and light whenever you write. I am so grateful that God continues to allow our paths to cross. I hope you feel a delightful sense of His warm presence as you celebrate His birth. You are a blessing to us all.
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Thank you for your kind encouragement and warm wishes, Linda. I am grateful, too, that God connected us. May God’s precious HOPE and LIGHT fill our hearts through whatever season we’re going through!
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Merry Christmas Trudy. 🙂
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Thank you, Adele! Merry Christmas to you, too! And thank you for often refreshing my heart with your awesome wildlife photos! 🙂 May God fill our hearts with His hope!
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Trudy, I so loved this post. That sunset is amazing! God does have ways of reminding us of His majesty. Last Christmas morning, as my family and I drove to meet with extended family, God gave me the gift of a breath-taking sunrise. Thanks for sharing those quotes. And those pics of the bird with the goldfish? WOWOW!
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Thank you, Jeanne. 🙂 Those breath-taking sunrises are such lingering gifts, aren’t they? My brother really has the gift of catching awesome pics. 🙂 I’m so grateful I may share them with you. May the Light and Hope of the World fill our hearts with peace this Christmas and always!
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Trudy, that sunset is amazing! I love your message today. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Thanks so very much for sharing this with Sweet Tea & Friends this month dear friend.
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Thank you, Paula. Merry Christmas to you and your family, too! May it be filled with love and hope in Jesus!
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Lovely post. I enjoyed the wildlife and bird photographs. It’s cold here and the wildlife, except for some hungry squirrels, stay in their burrows.
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Thank you, Timelesslady. I’m glad you enjoyed them. It’s cold here in the Midwest, too, so it’s a special treat when my brother sends photos from Arizona. 🙂 May we soak in the wonders of creation and the Creator, whether in person or in photos! I enjoy your photos and I love your sign “Peace On Earth.” 🙂
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Oh thanks so much. I have it on my front door this year. It is better protected from the elements there.
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👍🏻❤️🙏🏻
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I’m sorry I missed this post before, but I’m glad I’ve found it now. I really like the lyrics of Lauren Daigle’s song and the two Ann Voskamp quotes, and that sunset is amazing! I hope 2024 has been good for you so far!
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That’s okay, Lesley. You’re always welcome, whether sooner or later. 🙂 Yes, that song and those quotes certainly speak to the heart, don’t they? And sunrises and sunsets fill our hearts with hope. This year has started out with severely cold weather. It makes one grateful we have warm homes to dwell in. I hope you have a blessed 2024! May the Light of the world lead us and guide us!
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