“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

“Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” Matthew 9:35 (NKJV)

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

“…that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.’” Matthew 8:17 (NKJV)

“…for by His wounds you were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

Jesus, You took my infirmities, You took my pains…
Through scourges and the bleeding that came from Your veins.
That blood was spilled out for my sins, well-being, and health–
A perfect redemption from God’s Son of great wealth.
There’s no point in my bearing a cruel disease–
You’ve already done so in order to please
The Father in heaven, Who gives in a loving way,
To any who come to Him in faith when they pray.
In this matter, some have been hurt by the devil’s wiles;
But Your compassion is steadfast in the midst of such trials.
To keep my words in the past tense is what You’re telling me–
“For me, the battle’s been won!” and the devil has to flee.
I’ll continue to thank You despite how I feel
And practice faith laughter since it’s a “done deal.”
In faith, through my actions, I’ll pursue any route
That, if led by Your guidance, would assist in the way out.
But “mountains” melt like wax in Your presence, oh Lord,
And the one that’s before me must yield to Your Sword.
In remembrance of You, I’ll often take
Of the covenant meal provided for my sake.
I won’t quit in giving thanks, but see myself whole,
For You didn’t just attempt–but achieved–redemption’s goal.
A message in Your Word, a message that’s true–
“He heals all my diseases”–I know You’ve seen it through.

P. A. Oltrogge

“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases….” Psalm 103:1-3

“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’” 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 (NKJV)

“My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their whole body.” Proverbs 4:20-22

“The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.” Psalm 97:5

“I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.” Psalm 139:13-15

“With a long life I will satisfy him, and let him behold My salvation.” Psalm 91:16

(If you’ve experienced doubts or even disappointment regarding healing, I pray you will cast the care of that over on the Lord and persevere, retaining faith for healing, for God’s Word is His will.)

Further scripture references:

In Deuteronomy 28:15-22, 27-29, 35-61 sicknesses and disease are listed as a curse of the Law. Galatians 3:13-14 states that “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us….”

Exodus 15:26; Exodus 23:25-26; Psalm 91:3; Psalm 91:10; Psalm 107:19-20; Psalm 118:17; Proverbs 12:18; Proverbs 16:24; Proverbs 17:22; Isaiah 53:4-5; Isaiah 55:11; Isaiah 57:19; Matthew 7:11; Matthew 8:2-3; Matthew 15:30-31; Mark 11:23-26; Mark 16:15, 17-18; Luke 18:27; John 10:10; Acts 10:38; Romans 8:11; James 1:17; 1 John 4:4; 3 John:2 and others.

See http://www.rhema.org
Look for Study Center, Articles on Healing

and http://www.awmi.net
Testimonies on Healing

And http://www.josephprince.org/blog/praise-reports

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” …spoken by Jesus in John 17:3 NKJV

“And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.”
1 John 2:25 KJV

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” 1 John 5:11 KJV

“And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and are in him that is true, even in his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” 1 John 5:20 KJV

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