Photo Unsplash/Conrad Ziebland

“On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’ And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!’”
Mark 4:35-41 NKJV

Just as this night moon is full, as pictured here,
we’ve come to the end of 2018, the fullness of the year.

In the picture, the sea and the heavenly light
made me think of the time when Jesus ended the fright

of His disciples when a storm had overtaken their boat—
and “a great calm” came about, keeping them afloat.

In heading into the new year, with its uncharted waters,
remember the authority given to God’s sons and daughters.

With the Lord’s Word and the Holy Spirit, we have nothing to fear.
We, too, can speak to “the waters” throughout the coming year.

P. A. Oltrogge

“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Words of Jesus in Luke 10:19 NKJV

“Commanding Power” Booklet
by Kenneth W. Hagin
at http://www.rhema.org
($1.95)
and other books on the believer’s authority

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’”
John 8:12 NKJV

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.”
Isaiah 9:6-7 NASB

“And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And, behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end.’”
Luke 1:30-33 NASB

A blessed, Merry Christmas to you, dear reader,

from P. A. Oltrogge at
the Porch of the Lord

A dimly lit stable or cave on that long-ago, destined night,
suddenly became a hallowed place, because of the newly arrived “Light.”

Animals were resting nearby as the baby took His first breath–
He was sent from heaven to deliver this world from the snare of sin and death.

Shepherds watching their flock by night were amazed by an angelic visitation–
telling them a Savior had been born–Christ the Lord, for people of every nation.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men,”
was further proclaimed by a multitude of angels on what had taken place then.

Straightway the shepherds went to Bethlehem to worship the baby in the stall–
the One who’d been sent to live among mankind but would give His life for us all.

Death on a criminal’s cross, followed by a victorious resurrection,
were in the future of this newborn child, who would live a life of perfection.

If anything has gotten you down today, and at Christmas you’re feeling blue,
just remember that all of the love God has still shines through Jesus for you.

P. A. Oltrogge

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
Luke 2:14

“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:4

“Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

For 24/7 encouragement: http://www.bvovn.com

Photo by Jon Curnow/Flickr.com

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At Christmastime, in my old country home, a much anticipated day…
was the day on which we made cookies in a traditional, old-fashioned way.

An old family recipe for Christmas hard cookies was always the trusted guide,
while carols played on the record player, and, often, snow was falling outside.

Those cookies, to this day, are favorites, though some joke about them being too hard…enough to use them for traction under car tires, if there’s ice out in the yard!

But that joke was really a myth which, by tasting, could easily be debunked. But, if preferred, there was always fresh coffee into which the cookies could be dunked!

Rolling them out to just the right thinness, yet making sure they wouldn’t be wrinkled…was an important job, as well as the jobs of cutting them out and seeing that they were sprinkled.

Red and green sugars or candied, tiny beads were applied to angels, bells, and stars. Once cooled off from having been baked in the oven, they were packed away in tins or glass jars.

Mother, grandmother, and children were busy with the project for quite long. Some of the “workers” left for the piano to play their favorite Christmas song.

All of this was done in anticipation of Christmas Eve and the following Day, when we would be celebrating the birth of Christ, who Mary had placed in a manger on some hay.

Yes, those cookie bells spoke of ringing out the message of the Savior’s birth. The star cookies reminded of the famous star that led the wise men to the King of heaven and earth.

The angel cookies depicted the angelic hosts which rejoiced on that holy night…when shepherds were amazed to hear of the good news, despite their initial fright.

On cookie-baking day, it didn’t need to be dark to turn on the lights of the tree. It was a grand time to celebrate the Light of the World, who came and still shines today and for all eternity.

P. A. Oltrogge

“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”
John 1:5 NLT

Anise Christmas Cookie Recipe, for those interested…makes a large batch, at least eight to ten dozen, or more. The recipe can be cut in half, or the easiest is for it to be made as one fourth.

1/2 lb. brown sugar = 1 Cup
1 lb. white sugar = 2 Cups
3/4 lb. shortening = 1 1/2 Cups
1 pint Karo dark syrup
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. cardamom
16 tablespoons ground anise seed
1 tsp. soda dissolved in hot water
About 2 1/2 lbs. flour = 8-10 cups
Mix all ingredients until it gets very stiff
Roll out very thin and decorate
Bake at 350 for 12 minutes