The Song That Grows Without Asking

The elders say
Creation begins where listening is gentle.
Nothing is forced to open—
It happens when patience is complete.

I was taught that care is a sacred act.
a way of tending what is fragile
until it remembers its own strength.
This is how harmony survives.

Some beauty is born quietly,
asking only for respect,
for the courage to nurture
without claiming ownership.

Life moves in shared breath—
one giving, one receiving—
each trusting the other
to keep the balance whole.

So I walk with gratitude in my hands,
offering what I can,
taking only what is needed,
knowing that growth is a prayer
answered not by demand,
but by devotion to the living circle.

Artist and storyteller: Dorothy Sep

Isaiah
Chapter 27

1 In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.

2 In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine.

3 I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.

4 Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.

5 Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me.

6 He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.

7 Hath he smitten him, as he smote those that smote him? or is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by him?

8 In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it: he stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind.

9 By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.

10 Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof.

11 When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour.

12 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.

13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.

Brethren, it is human nature to desire honor. We wish to be first, to be important, to sit at the head of the table. Yet Christ tells us, “When you are invited…sit at the last place” (Lk. 14:8-10). Then the one who invited you will have opportunity to say, “Friend, move up higher” (Lk. 14:10).

This is a lesson in humility. Many times over Scripture exhorts us to be humble; for Christ showed the ultimate humility in laying aside His glory in taking on flesh to sacrifice Himself for us. So we are instructed, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phil. 2:3-4).

We are admonished, “God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble” (Jas. 4:6). We are encouraged, young and old alike, to clothe ourselves with humility toward one another (1 Pet. 5:5). And most importantly, we are commanded to humble ourselves before God and, like the one making invitation in Luke, He will exalt us at the proper time (Jas. 4:10; 1 Pet. 5:6).

Dear Christian, do not allow pride to bring you down. Instead, humble yourself, and God will give you wisdom and honor (Pr. 11:2, 29:23).

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Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, December 23

"Friend, go up higher." Luke 14:10

When first the life of grace begins in the soul, we do indeed draw near to God, but it is with great fear and trembling. The soul conscious of guilt, and humbled thereby, is overawed with the solemnity of its position; it is cast to the earth by a sense of the grandeur of Jehovah, in whose presence it stands. With unfeigned bashfulness it takes the lowest room.

But, in after life, as the Christian grows in grace, although he will never forget the solemnity of his position, and will never lose that holy awe which must encompass a gracious man when he is in the presence of the God who can create or can destroy; yet his fear has all its terror taken out of it; it becomes a holy reverence, and no more an overshadowing dread. He is called up higher, to greater access to God in Christ Jesus. Then the man of God, walking amid the splendours of Deity, and veiling his face like the glorious cherubim, with those twin wings, the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ, will, reverent and bowed in spirit, approach the throne; and seeing there a God of love, of goodness, and of mercy, he will realize rather the covenant character of God than His absolute Deity. He will see in God rather His goodness than His greatness, and more of His love than of His majesty. Then will the soul, bowing still as humbly as aforetime, enjoy a more sacred liberty of intercession; for while prostrate before the glory of the Infinite God, it will be sustained by the refreshing consciousness of being in the presence of boundless mercy and infinite love, and by the realization of acceptance "in the Beloved." Thus the believer is bidden to come up higher, and is enabled to exercise the privilege of rejoicing in God, and drawing near to Him in holy confidence, saying, "Abba, Father."

So may we go from strength to strength,
And daily grow in grace,
Till in Thine image raised at length,
We see Thee face to face.

Video - Robert Scott Bell who I host on Radio America Usa, Defending #ReligiousFreedom, Dr. Mitchell Fleisher, Integrative #Medicine, Odette Wilkens, #EMF Safety, #Cholesterol Myth https://rumble.com/v73ccw4-defending-religious-freedom-dr.-mitchell-fleisher-integrative-medicine-odet.html

Brethren, be strong, but realize our strength comes not from within. We can do all things, but we do them through Him who strengthens us (Phil. 4:13). God says, “I will strengthen you” (Isa. 41:10). Therefore, let us not fear, nor be anxious (Isa. 41:10).

At times we may feel weak, but this is when God’s strength is able to shine through. Paul explains this when he in his own weakness writes, “He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9-10).

Let the power of God dwell in you (2 Cor. 12:9); let Christ live through you (Gal. 2:20). Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might (Eph. 6:10). Do not rely on your own strength, but humble yourself before God, and let Him exalt you when the time is right (1 Pet. 5:6).

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Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, December 22

"I will strengthen thee." Isaiah 41:10

God has a strong reserve with which to discharge this engagement; for He is able to do all things. Believer, till thou canst drain dry the ocean of omnipotence, till thou canst break into pieces the towering mountains of almighty strength, thou never needest to fear. Think not that the strength of man shall ever be able to overcome the power of God. Whilst the earth's huge pillars stand, thou hast enough reason to abide firm in thy faith. The same God who directs the earth in its orbit, who feeds the burning furnace of the sun, and trims the lamps of heaven, has promised to supply thee with daily strength. While He is able to uphold the universe, dream not that He will prove unable to fulfil His own promises. Remember what He did in the days of old, in the former generations. Remember how He spake and it was done; how He commanded, and it stood fast. Shall He that created the world grow weary? He hangeth the world upon nothing; shall He who doth this be unable to support His children? Shall He be unfaithful to His word for want of power? Who is it that restrains the tempest? Doth not He ride upon the wings of the wind, and make the clouds His chariots, and hold the ocean in the hollow of His hand? How can He fail thee? When He has put such a faithful promise as this on record, wilt thou for a moment indulge the thought that He has outpromised Himself, and gone beyond His power to fulfil? Ah, no! Thou canst doubt no longer.

O thou who art my God and my strength, I can believe that this promise shall be fulfilled, for the boundless reservoir of Thy grace can never be exhausted, and the overflowing storehouse of Thy strength can never be emptied by Thy friends or rifled by Thine enemies.

"Now let the feeble all be strong,
And make Jehovah's arm their song."

Get er Done!

A whole lot of talking but not one bit of walking = politics - Poly (Many) Tics (Parasites)

"Frankly, I'm inclined to agree with Mr. Dayen; sauce for the goose applies. If Congress is banned from trading, I have no issue with the president and vice president being likewise banned. But that's not the point here; the point is that thanks to this action, the chamber is split, and now there won't be any bill at all.

Nobody will ever convince me that Rep. Jeffries doesn't know this. And members of Congress are growing very wealthy indeed through this practice, with Nancy Pelosi at the top of the heap."

https://redstate.com/wardclark/2025/12/20/now-hakeem-jeffries-is-sabotaging-a-bipartisan-stock-trading-ban-n2197330

Robert Scott Bell, who I host on Radio America USA - A Sunday Conversation With Robert and Super Don – #Faith, Curiosity, and Seeking #Truth Beyond #Belief Systems https://rumble.com/v73af38-a-sunday-conversation-with-robert-and-super-don-faith-curiosity-and-seeking.html

"Shada’s Case: Rape and Trafficking with Child Welfare as the Pimp?"

"Part 1
Shocking news for them. Is our beloved Norway starting to resemble a country we don’t like to compare ourselves to? A banana republic where almost anything is possible? If you have the right connections and wield the necessary power, any crime can be concealed. Who are these people, and why is it so important to protect them—pedophiles with ties to the highest levels of Norwegian public life?"

https://x.com/Herr_Bowen/status/1963211778541646174

What happens when former industry heads are allowed to head up a regulatory agency?

We get regulations that put corporations ahead of the people!
Corporations First instead of Americans First!

"Last week, in a highly unusual move, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) embraced that approach in announcing that it is revising an assessment of the health dangers posed by formaldehyde, a widespread pollutant that causes far more cancer than any other chemical in the air. Working on that effort were two of those former industry insiders, who are now top EPA officials."

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/health/epa-wants-to-nearly-double-safe-limits-of-formaldehyde-despite-known-links-to-cancer

Everyone Is Guilty As Charged Except The Guilty Who Orchestrated It – Even When #FBI Informant #RayEpps Admits To Being The Orchestrator - https://sonsoflibertymedia.com/everyone-is-guilty-as-charged-except-the-guilty-who-orchestrated-it-even-when-fbi-informant-ray-epps-admits-to-being-the-orchestrator/

Christian, there are some who believe salvation is a tenuous proposition, and that there are ways in which, once obtained, it may be lost. Do not be shaken by such belief, as it aligns neither with God’s character nor His word.

Jesus stated as much when He exclaimed of His own, “I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (Jn. 10:27-29).

Paul with assurance of his security in Christ proclaimed, “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6). It is God who begins the work in us, and it is God who completes it. How then can it fail?

Jesus is able to save “forever” those who come to God through Him (Heb. 7:25). He is able to make you stand in God’s presence blameless (Jude 1:24). You were sealed with His Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13, 4:30) who is a pledge of our salvation. Who can come between us and Christ? Who is able to evict His Spirit from our hearts?

Take comfort my brethren, and be joyful! Your salvation is not dependent upon you and your effort, but on God who is the giver of this great gift. God did not save you to because of your effort, but because of His mercy (Tit. 3:5), how then shall we lose it? For our salvation “does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy” (Rom. 9:16).

Therefore, let us rejoice, and each of us remember of God, as said King David, “He has made an everlasting covenant with me” (2 Sam. 23:5).

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Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, December 21

"Yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant." 2 Samuel 23:5

This covenant is divine in its origin. "HE hath made with me an everlasting covenant." Oh that great word HE! Stop, my soul. God, the everlasting Father, has positively made a covenant with thee; yes, that God who spake the world into existence by a word; He, stooping from His majesty, takes hold of thy hand and makes a covenant with thee. Is it not a deed, the stupendous condescension of which might ravish our hearts for ever if we could really understand it? "HE hath made with me a covenant." A king has not made a covenant with me- that were somewhat; but the Prince of the kings of the earth, Shaddai, the Lord All-sufficient, the Jehovah of ages, the everlasting Elohim, "He hath made with me an everlasting covenant." But notice, it is particular in its application. "Yet hath He made with ME an everlasting covenant." Here lies the sweetness of it to each believer. It is nought for me that He made peace for the world; I want to know whether He made peace for me! It is little that He hath made a covenant, I want to know whether He has made a covenant with me. Blessed is the assurance that He hath made a covenant with me! If God the Holy Ghost gives me assurance of this, then His salvation is mine, His heart is mine, He Himself is mine- He is my God.

This covenant is everlasting in its duration. An everlasting covenant means a covenant which had no beginning, and which shall never, never end. How sweet amidst all the uncertainties of life, to know that "the foundation of the Lord standeth sure," and to have God's own promise, "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." Like dying David, I will sing of this, even though my house be not so with God as my heart desireth.

I Am the Bear

I do not rush.
The world can wait.

I was born from seasons,
from snow that remembers footsteps,
from fire that teaches when to rest.
My strength is not loud.
It is patient.

I stand where fear slows down.
Where breath becomes honest.
Those who meet my eyes feel it
the weight of being seen without judgment.

I carry the dark the way earth carries roots.
Not to hide them,
but to hold them steady.

When anger comes, I do not chase it away.
I let it pass through my chest
until it learns its true name:
Grief is asking to be protected.

I know when to fight.
I know when to sleep.
That knowing is my power.

The ancestors speak to me in long silences.
In caves.
In winter.
In the moments when the heart stops pretending to be small.

If you feel drawn to me,
It is not because you need more strength.
It is because you are ready to stand still
and trust it has already grown.

I am the Bear.
I do not follow the path.

I become it.

Isaiah
Chapter 23

1 The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.

2 Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.

3 And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.

4 Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins.

5 As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre.

6 Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle.

7 Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.

8 Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth?

9 The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.

10 Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish: there is no more strength.

11 He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the LORD hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strong holds thereof.

12 And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest.

13 Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, till the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness: they set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof; and he brought it to ruin.

14 Howl, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste.

15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.

16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.

17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.

18 And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.