Amelia McNeilly

Pink Patriot - My desire is to share with you the journey God has me on. Whether in joy hardship, I hope that my blog offers a place of respite, and bring joy to your heart!

Articles, Christian Living, Devotionals, Holidays

Hope a Little More in 2018

 

 

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To live is Christ and to die is gain. ~Philippians 1:21

 Hi friends! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday season. Due to infections and other health problems I am behind on writing, and it is now almost February. I’ve written a little at a time and finally have it completed. Hopefully, I will be able to go back to my previous blogging schedule soon.

I’ve been in what I call a medical fog and it has been difficult to say the least. Even though it has been rough, God continues to sustain me. Thankfully, I was able to spend lots of quality time with family during the holidays. Due to my sickness, everyone came to our house so I could be a part of the festivities. Those times are the best, and I’m grateful for family and friends who took extra time to be with and encourage me. From decorating my room for Christmas, brunches in pajamas, singing my favorite Christmas Carols — I have been surrounded by loved ones continually which has kept me going on the hard days.

We are now well into January, and the days keep flying by. One of my new year hopes for this past year was for the Lord to provide healing and allow me to be out and about again. My other New Years hope from 2017 was to write more on my blog. While healing didn’t come in the way I expected, it is a miracle and part of God’s healing when I wake up each morning and able to live.another day.

In years past I have set goals for the year but for this one I am keeping it simple. Being chronically ill, and not knowing how things will be from one day to the next has allowed me to simplify life and declutter all of my plans. Therefore, my theme for thie year is to “just live.” Over the past couple years a lot of my earthly desires, hopes, dreams, friendships, etc have been stripped away but in turn the has provided His love, comfort, and strength. I understand what Corrie Ten Boom meant when she said,

”You don’t realize that God is all you need until God is all you have.”

Those are true words and they describe my current season of life perfectly. The stripping away proxess has been hard. It has not been easy losing life as I once knew it, but Jesus provides all I need to live well in the midst of my hard.

My utmost desire is to live well in the life God has left for me, and be completely obedient to Him in every circumstance. I have cried out to the Lord for Him to deliver me many times, but whether or not He answers me in the way I prefer, but even on the hardest days my goal should always be the same – to live with the peace and joy of Christ and praise Him in all things. The Lord is good and His goodness always prevails. In closing, here is one of my favorite Bible verses, and focusing on this truth helps me get through each day. Psalm 27:13-14 states,

“I would have despaired had I not seen the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

I look orward to seeing what God does in the year ahead, and  I am confident that no matter my situation, I am not without hope. Where there is life, there is hope, and that hope comes from Jesus. He will never fail me.

I pray my blog is a place for you to come and be encouraged in your walk with the Lord throughout the year. Thanks for your continued love, support and prayers.

I thank God for each of you (Philippians 1:3).

Advent, Articles, Holidays

Better Late than Never

Due to my health problems I failed to post the last advent post that should have been published on December 24. It’s now days into 2018 but I still want to share. My prayer for each of us that we all make room for Jesus Christ his year and share His love with others in how we live each day.

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” ~John 3:16

Love. Love represents everything God is and 1 John reminds us of that for it says that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). God loved us so much that He sacrificed his one and only son Jesus Christ on the cross to pay for our sins. It all started with a loving God, an obedient teenage girl named Mary, and a baby born in a manger. This is a gift that we could never repay. However, in return God wants our heart. Our whole heart. He wants us to die to self, live for Him, and according to His Word. Luke 1o:27 commands us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself.”

As theologian Jeremy Taylor states, “Love is the greatest thing God can give us, for himself is love, and love is the greatest thing we can give to God, for it will also give ourselves. . . . The apostle calls love the bond of perfection. It is the old, and it is the new, and it is the great commandment, and it is all the commandments, for it is the fulfilling of the law.”

No matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what you’ve done — God is always ready for you to come to Him and receive His love and forgiveness. He is always there ready for us to come to Him. Only His perfect love will give the ultimate fulfillment we long for on this earth. Spouses, family, and friends may love us greatly, but Jesus’ love is the only love that will never fail in this life. As we fully accept the love of Christ, we are able to love others as the Bible commands and be the people God desires us to be.

As Christmas approaches the central focus should be on the birth of Christ and the love that He represents. It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays and lose sight of what the season is all about.

Christmas is not about me. Christmas is not about you. Christmas is not about presents or food. Christmas is about the Eternal love that was born in a manger to bring hope to the hopeless, peace to the restless, joy to the grieving, and love to the lost and hurting. It is a time to truly celebrate this baby who became our Savior, and praise Him for all He has done and will continue to do.

If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed this week, or if the holidays are a sad and lonely time for you please take a moment to remember that you are not alone. God’s love for you surpasses anything that you could ever imagine and the love of Christ is the greatest gift He has ever given so accept that love and a peace and joy that is unexplainable will fill your soul. Also, spend some time today doing something nice for someone else, and spend time encouraging them with the love of God because you never know how your act of kindness will impact their Christmas.

Articles, Daily Inspirations, Devotionals, Holidays, Tis the Season Series

Tis the Season – Jesus Christ is Born

 

I had this post ready to schedule to post on Christmas Day. However, I had to go to the Emergency Room because my stoma with the ileostomy prolapsed. They sent me home but now worse. Please pray for the doctors to agree to treat me if needed, and for my parents and I to have the wisdom and knowledge we  need. All that to say, I am especially thankful for this Christmas and even in the hard I was able to  have some quality time with the family which is a huge blessing.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this post and it helps bring joy and peace to your day. Merry Christmas and  Happy New Year to you and yours.

Holidays have always been a favorite of mine, especially Christmas. I’m thankful to have grown up in a home where my parents were an example of Jesus’ love to me every day. Over Christmas they always focused on making sure I understood the importance of the season and as I’ve matured over the years the Christmas story means more to me now than Ever.

As I’ve been pondering on the Christmas story, I am so thankful and humbled by all of the people God used to help us experience His love, forgiveness, and Eternal life. 

Each time I read the story I am always challenged and encouraged by Mary. Her willingness to obey the Lord and to trust God with the task given to her was amazing. While we do not know much about Mary, or have in depth evidence of her thoughts and actions, she was a young teenager and one can somewhat imagine what her struggles might have been. Being human I am sure she had her moments of “why me,” “what will people think,” “ how am I going to deal with this opposition, and convince Joseph and the family of my faithfulness, etc.” But regardless of the challenges she was met with, and there were many, she put God and her obedience to Him above all else. She responds to the Lord’s calling by stating, “May it be to me as you have said.” I love that statement and it has
been especially important in my life lately.

God is giving me so much comfort, peace, and joy. Being home bound there are many lonely days — days where I feel misunderstood, forgotten, or see no end in sight. But the hope of Jesus and the little ways He encourages me, agets me through the next step, then the next,etc. Those are the best gifts. Believe me the peace, strength, and joy that I am given each day from this bed is not from my strength but is all from God’s strength and healing powers.

    Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” ~Luke 2:10-13

“Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.” ~Corrie Ten Boom

 

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Articles, Holidays, Tis the Season Series

‘Tis the Season with Ellen Poston

“Mary pondered these things in her heart.” Luke 2:19
We will never know exactly what thoughts Mary had on that first Christmas so long ago.

The angel had told her that she had been chosen. She knew that the angel had appeared to Joseph, too. She had confirmation from Elizabeth, but the Bible doesn’t tell us about those months between that visit and Bethlehem.

Just because of the time in which they lived, those months were probably very difficult for Mary and Joseph. Mary was pregnant before her marriage and Joseph had accepted her and went ahead with their marriage. Then came the census and the travel to Bethlehem. Traveling by foot and donkey would have been difficult to say the least, but doing it nine months pregnant – no way!

They get to Bethlehem and it is so crowded. Realizing that Mary is in labor, they must have been frantic to find a place to stay. The only thing available was a stable.

There in that stable – Mary gives birth. While we like to think about all those paintings of a serene Mary holding a bouncing baby boy, it would not have been like that. Labor is hard and it is bloody. Mary and Joseph would have both been exhausted. They probably really needed a bath and a hot meal.

I wonder – that night – did they lose sight of the angel’s promise? The promise that this was God’s Son. My first thought is – not Mary and Joseph – they knew, they had seen the angel.

God has promised us all to be with all of us, to never leave or forsake us, but when hard times come – and they always do – it’s easy to lose sight of God’s promises. It’s easy to look around and just see cows and think “where is God in this?”

Yet, unknown to Mary and Joseph over in a field outside Bethlehem, there are some shepherds. They are just minding their sheep when an angel appears before them. The angel tells them all about Jesus and his birth. Suddenly, there’s a whole host from heaven praising God.

While Mary and Joseph are in a barn having one more difficult day in months of difficult days, over the way, in a field, the shepherds are having church!

I wonder – if Mary and Joseph had been thinking “Am I sure I got this right? The Messiah is being born in a stable with just a manger for a bed?” Then here comes this band of shepherds busting into the stable, telling their own story of angels. Just when the night seemed the darkest – God sent some shepherds!

That first Christmas night, when the Savior of the world was born and God gave us all the greatest gift – light shining in the darkness. What was Mary doing? She was pondering all those things in her heart.

This Christmas, let’s do some pondering. In the midst of difficult days, let’s remember a baby born in a manger.

About the Author –

I’m Amelia’s auntie.
I’m a wife to Lewis and a Mom to Jonathan and Greg. I’m Nena to CJ, Lexi, Emily, Harper and Stella. I’m also a monster-in-law to Jamie and Suzanne.
I love Jesus!
I love a good book and Hallmark movies!
I love a happy ending!

Articles, Holidays, Tis the Season Series

‘Tis the Season with Bethany Wester

When I was a child, my mother came up with a simple but creative way to help me count down the days to Christmas. She strung a long piece of ribbon across the fireplace within my reach and taped Hershey Kisses to the ribbon, one for each day through December 25. My excitement built each day as those shiny, red-and-green foil wrappers filled with chocolatey sweetness dwindled in number. To this day, I’ve continued the tradition, and a Hershey Kiss will always taste like Christmas to me, any time of year.
Those little Hershey Kisses were a shadow of a deeper truth. The Advent season is a time of waiting expectantly. Through all of history since the Fall, God’s people have waited for deliverance. God had promised a Redeemer since our first parents disobeyed. The prophets foretold his coming for centuries, and while those ancient promises echoed through four hundred years of prophetic silence and foreign oppression, God’s people still waited.
The silence was broken by a baby’s cry in a tiny, nondescript town in the Roman Empire. On the surface, it was ordinary. This was what they had been waiting for? Isn’t that often our response after a long period of waiting for something? When we forget God’s sovereignty, faithfulness, and love, his answer can seem disappointing because it’s not what we expected. Sometimes we even miss it or, worse, despise and discard it. After long periods of unfulfilled desire, prayer, and anticipation, we miss the glory, grace, and goodness of God’s redemptive work because it comes in unexpected packaging.
Advent teaches us to expect great things of our great God. We go about our daily routines in an atmosphere of eager anticipation for the joys of Christmas Day, and that should reflect a deeper anticipation as we look for God’s redemptive purposes in the common and unexpected events he providentially sews into our lives because we know they are part of a greater story.
Two thousand years on, the church still waits for another promise to be fulfilled, but this time the glory will be obvious. We have small tastes of it here, like those foil-wrapped chocolates, in the channels of grace he has given us in his Word, his Spirit, and his church. Although we can’t count down the days, that promise, the sure hope of his return, reminds us that when God seems silent and distant, his plan has not failed.

About the Author – 

Bethany Wester a life-long Floridian who enjoys deep conversation, good books, classic movies, traveling, and Florida State football. She is passionate about Jesus, learning the truth of God’s word beside other women, and caring for women and families involved in unplanned pregnancies. Today is her parents’ 46th wedding anniversary, and she’s indescribably thankful for them.

Articles, Books, Holidays, Tis the Season Series

‘Tis the Season – Holiday Reads

Christmas at Grey Sage-X4

About the Book:

 

Christmas at Grey Sage (Gilead Publishing, October 2017)
This Christmas, there’s plenty of room at the inn.
Nestled in the snow-covered Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Santa Fe, the Grey Sage Inn looks like the perfect place for weary travelers to escape the craziness of the Christmas season. There’s plenty to see in historic Santa Fe during the day, and the inn’s owners, Maude and Silas Thornhill, are happy to spend their evenings hosting this year’s guests from across the country.
But an unusual snowstorm throws a wrench in the festive mood. The sprawling inn becomes close quarters as stranded guests discover this Christmas won’t be the relaxed vacation they expected. Tension and fear mount as the storm worsens, and Silas, a retired doctor, is called away in the middle of the night to care for a neighbor. The snow and stress unlocks tongues–and in the unexpected conversation that follows, secrets and pasts are revealed, and hearts are healed.
In the midst of snowdrifts and fireside conversations, of tales of days gone by, the warmth of Christmas brings a renewed hope as these trapped strangers become friends–proof again that the joy, hope, peace, and love of Christmas can be experienced no matter where you are.
Learn more and purchase a copy.

My Thoughts:

I’m a sucker for Christmas books and this is no different. I’m the girl who starts reading Christmas Fiction, watching Christmas movies, and listening to Christmas music in October. This book is a delightful read and filled with a variety of characters snowed in at an inn over the holidays. It is both heartwarming and funny and is a book that can be easily read in one sitting. If you are looking for a festive book to read over Christmas break, add this to your list.

I was given this copy from Litfuse to review.

About the Author:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phyllis Clark Nichols grew up in the deep shade of magnolia trees in Georgia and weaves her Southern culture into character-driven stories that explore profound human questions. She is a classically trained musician and enjoys art, books, nature, cooking, travel, and ordinary people. After retiring as a cable network executive, Phyllis began leading mission teams to orphanages in Guatemala and now serves on three nonprofi t boards, where she works with others who are equally passionate about bringing hope and light to those who need it most. Phyllis and her husband live in the Texas Hill Country.

Find out more about Phyllis at https://www.phyllisclarknichols.com.

 

Articles, Holidays, Tis the Season Series

‘Tis the Season with Elizabeth Camden

 

When Amelia asked me to write a guest blog post about a favorite Christmas memory or story, I confess that I had a hard time coming up with an idea. Not because I don’t love Christmas, I do….. but I struggled to find the sort of undilutedhappy memory I thought she might be looking for. So I gave up and wrote what was in my heart.

Christmas has inspired its own genre of relentlessly happy movies, music, and novels. The Hallmark channel plays endless loops of cozy Christmas movies, and romance novelists are urged by our agents to crank out an annual Christmas novella.

And yet….most of those novels and movies are utterly forgettable. They are the literary equivalent of cotton candy, and just as filling. I think this is because most writers aim for the obvious when they write a Christmas story: the cozy settings, the loving family, the sentimental reunions, the adorable kids.They are light, fluffy, and predictable.

Now….I challenge you to think of a Christmas novel or story that blew you away. My hunch is that the story you picked probably had some very dark themes in it. Let’s have a look at the short list of Christmas stories that can truly be called “classics.” I think you will be able to see plenty of darkness:

It’s a Wonderful Life is about a middle-aged man whose disillusionment with his bland life has led him to the brink ofsuicide. The recent classic, Love Actually, is chock-full of broken marriages, widowhood, loneliness, and unrequited love. O’Henry’s The Gift of the Magi is about an impoverished couple struggling to show their love for one another, and Santa Claus doesn’t appear to with a bagful of goodies at the end. Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol, is about an old man reflecting on his lost humanity and wasted life.

Despite the weighty themes, all of these stories end with a radiant sense of optimism. I don’t believe you can have a truly powerful Christmas story without that contrast between dark and light. It is through enduring loss or disappointment that we appreciate the gift of light. Christmas comes at the coldest time of the year, and it’s a brief moment to gather together and celebrate what really matters. In How the Grinch Who Stole Christmas (another gloom-infused story, friends!) the villagers lose all their presents and external decorations, yet still gather to sing praise. It is a recognition that in the midst of long winter nights, hardship, and disillusionment, the gifts of humanity should still be celebrated. For Christians, we rejoice in the immeasurable gift of our Savior…. a man whose own life was one of struggle, suffering, but also joy.

So as we gather together to celebrate the good things about Christmas, it’s okay to acknowledge the dark in our lives as well. Many of us will be lonely at this time of year. We have illness, financial setbacks, and other roadblocks in our way. We can’t have a true appreciation of joy without them.

[clickToTweet tweet=”What are some of your favorite Christmas stories? And , are there undertones of sorrow in them?  ” quote=”What are some of your favorite Christmas stories? And if you look carefully, are there undertones of sorrow in them?  “]

About the Author:

Elizabeth Camden is a research librarian at a small college in central Florida. Her novels have won the coveted RITA and Christy Awards. She has published several articles for academic publications and is the author of four nonfiction history books. Her ongoing fascination with history and love of literature have led her to write inspirational fiction. Elizabeth lives with her husband near Orlando, Florida.

Elizabethcamden.com

Articles, Holidays, Tis the Season Series

Tis the Season – Favorite Holiday Recipe

Hi friends. So happy to have Angela Hoover guest posting again for me on the blog. Below is one of her favorite recipes that is perfect for the holidays:

The following recipe is from my absolute favorite the drop-dead gorgeous, decadent cook, Nigella Lawson.

I am not even a big banana person and everyone in my family LOVES these muffins.

When my son was little, (7 or 8) he tried these for the first time. When I asked him what he thought of them, he looked at me with a serious face, rolled his eyes to the back of his head, and fell back toward the wall. A success.

Whenever I make these muffins I have to make a double batch because 12 of them get gobbled up in 2 hours.

The recipe calls for butterscotch chips, (the recipe is called butterscotch banana muffins) but I use semi-sweet. These little darlings are buttery (even though there’s no dairy) and not too overly sweet. This recipe is one of the first recipes I would make with my kids. Easy to make and I usually have all the ingredients right in my pantry. Hope you enjoy.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas (they should have brown spots on them-does not taste the same if they are yellow)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Beat eggs and oil together and set aside

Mash bananas until creamy and set aside

Mix sugar, baking soda and baking powder together. Add the egg and oil mixture. Mix in mashed bananas and finally the chocolate chips.

Pour into a cupcake tin lined with paper cups.

Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Feel free to split them open and butter them up! Yum!

ameliamcneilly
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