Belle’s Neighborhood

We walked in our snow shoes for an hour and ten minutes this morning.

Here's what we saw from our bedroom window when we arose:

Bedroom View of Snow

Last Christmas we gave each other snow shoes as a gift. We used them several times.

Here's a scene along Wilson Avenue:

Snow Scene along Wilson Avenue

Here is a photo my wife took of me, next to a flag waving in the wind:

Proud to Be an American in Snow

We also walked the length of the Hanover Trolley Rail Trail. Here's a scene along the trail:

Hanover Trolley Rail Trail in Snow

Here's what our new house looks like in the snow:

Our house in snow

Here's our Garden Flag in the snow:

Our December Garden Flag

I have been writing a series of posts about Bible verses I wrote on our cement floor, before our new home's floors were covered with carpet or vinyl.

Here's today's verse, found on the furnace room floor:

Furnace Room Verse

Here is a view of the city park in Nickerson, Kansas. The city permits bicyclists to camp in the park as they pass through. It looks like a warm, friendly place.

Nickerson City Park

On the TransAmerican Trail, on my virtual walk across America, I am just 10 miles away from Nickerson, Kansas.

Since I started walking west from Yorktown, Virginia, I have walked 1,800 miles on my way to Florence, Oregon.

If you would like to join in the virtual walk across America, go to:

http://exercise.lbl.gov/user/userHome.htm

It’s fun and easy to sign up. As you walk, you can input your miles on your very own page and see a photo of where you “are” along the TransAmerican Trail.

Here is a buck spotted in Kansas. On the TransAmerican Trail, on my virtual walk across America, I am just 2.8 miles away from Buhler, Kansas, just east of Sand Hills State Park.

The Buck Stopped Here

Deer are found in Sand Hills State Park, a 1,123 acre natural area, which has been preserved for its sand dunes, grasslands, wetlands, and woodlands.

There are 14 miles of trails which weave in between 10 to 40 feet high sand dunes, through grasslands and trees, and around ponds.

Since I started walking west from Yorktown, Virginia, I have walked 1,787.1 miles on my way to Florence, Oregon.

If you would like to join in the virtual walk across America, go to:

http://exercise.lbl.gov/user/userHome.htm

It’s fun and easy to sign up. As you walk, you can input your miles on your very own page and see a photo of where you “are” along the TransAmerican Trail.

Well, in the past two days, I've taken you inside the front door of our new home, and into the living room, so today, we enter the dining room.

Here's the verse I wrote on the cement floor of that room before the vinyl flooring went down over it:

Dining Room Verse

I began a series yesterday on "Standing on the Promises of God."

We wrote verses on the concrete floor of the rooms of our new house, before they were covered with carpet or vinyl flooring. Now when we walk around the house, we are standing on the promises of God, literally!

That's what we are doing at "Hallowed House," the first house we have ever owned. It's in the borough of Hanover, York County, Pennsylvania.

I call our house "Hallowed House" because we moved there on October 30th, a day before All Hallow's Eve. Hallowe'en is also known as Reformation Day and I know it well as my own birthday, too!

Yesterday I showed you the verse inside the front door of Hallowed House. Here's another verse, found on the concrete floor (later covered with padding and carpet, after all, it's a living room!):

Living Room Verse

Before the floors in our new house were covered with carpet or vinyl flooring, I wrote a Bible verse on each room's floor.

Now, when we walk about our new house, we are literally "Standing on the Promises of God."

Here is the first verse I would like to share with you.

Front Door Verse

In the first chapter of the gospel of Luke, verses 67-79, Zechariah, the new father of John the Baptist, sings a song.

He was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, in song.

Reading his song is not the same as listening to it.

I wish I had been there when he sang his prophecy:

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.

His song begins with praise and announcing Good News, present and past tense, "has come" and "has redeemed."

That's how it is with prophecy--time shifts from the present to the past. In God's time, it is already done. The way we view time and the way God views it is qualitatively different. I like that about God.

His song continues:

He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.

Thanksgiving has just been celebrated in the past month of November. A common scene on dinner tables is a cornucopia, a horn of plenty.

To me, Zechariah is saying, in the birth of our Savior, we have a horn of plenty, and it's salvation filling it.

God is the one who picks up the horn of salvation and holds it up for all to see. He's a proud father, as is his servant Zechariah.

A Poinsettia Blooms

My wife Chris had a tea party today at our new house. We have lived here for five weeks. She works with these women at a local counseling center.

Tea Party

A few of them brought colorful teapots and extra cups.

Tea Party 3

A good time was had by all. Chris really enjoyed hosting this tea party.

Tea Part 2