Merry Christmas!

We hope you all had a Merry and Blessed Christmas!
This month marks the six-month anniversary of our blog,isn't God good!

Lenses

Lenses. I'm used to standing behind them. I like taking pictures, and lenses are important parts of picture taking. If a lens is dirty, smudged, or broken it is difficult to take good, or even decent pictures.

As people, we are all born with busted lenses. Our view of the world is distorted. We can only see but so much through the the cracks and dusts we have received. Try as we might to wipe the dirt away ourselves or cover them, the defects are unavoidable and unremoveable. Left to our own devices, we would navigate the world as the rest of humanity, through messed up lenses.

But there is a Master Repairman. He's renown everywhere. He can fix your lenses for free, because His Son paid the ENTIRE cost for, not ONLY you but the WHOLE world, so you could get to go see Him. Knowing your great need for clear vision, the Master Repairman has given you an invitation to come into His workshop. However, this invitation is not mandatory, it's voluntary. There is few who choose to come and many who do not.

The few who accept and enter into the workshop are greeted warmly, as if they were family. Their lenses are taken out gently, and replaced with a clean and clear lens fitted especially for them. Along with that, they are given a protective covering for their lens to protect from any damage. Before they leave, they are given a life time guarantee to return to have additional cleanings and or repairs.

With new lenses in, stepping out of the workshop,one sees everything differently. What had once been blurry is now precise and clean cut. What one thought wasn't there, now is. Those who haven't been to see the Master Repairman think those who have are ,to be perfectly honest, crazy. But to the eyes of those who have been changed, being called crazy is perfectly okay. They would rather be called that then sane, if crazy is what they are. Returning to their prior lenses would seem more backwards then anything. They cherish the lenses they were given and the Master Repairman that gave them. And nothing anyone could possibly say or do will change that. For, if you haven't figured it out already, this is a story about US.

God is the Master Repairman. He can fix,alter or change ANYTHING or ANYONE. His Son, obviously is Jesus, who payed the ultimate price(His own death) for us to come to His Father. Those of us who went to the Master Repairman's shop are those of us who are Christians. Those of us who didn't, are the non-Christians.

I've found it interesting the different points of view of the two groups. And just how differently we see the world in comparison. Often we tend to think everyone thinks the same thing we do,or something similar to it. What we need to remember is that everyone is seeing the same thing differently. It would do good to investigate and try to understand others view points so as to get a glimpse into their own lenses. Then so after doing,compare those to a Biblical standpoint and discuss the differences between the two worldviews.

Thanksgiving

We, the Set-Apart Staff, as not only authors of this blog,but also as friends, have a lot to be thankful for during this holiday of Thanksgiving, and here are somethings, in no particular order, off the top of our head things we are thankful for:

Savannah
- I'm thankful that this is the second Thanksgiving I get to eat what everyone else is eating.
- I'm thankful for my grandparent's taking the time to drive up from FL to be with us.
- I'm thankful for getting my driver's permit.
- I'm thankful for the growth that has taken place in my relationship with the Lord.
- I'm thankful that my whole house is healthy.
- I'm thankful that our house is clean.
- I'm thankful for the Lord's loving kindness to me and my family.

I could go on and on about what I'm thankful for but these are the biggies.



Heidi
* I'm very thankful for my wonderful Savior, Jesus and His saving work in my life.

* I'm thankful for my Sister being home this week.

* I'm thankful for my family.

* I'm thankful for God's grace when I need it most, every moment of every day.

* I'm thankful that God holds tomorrow, that I don't have to worry about what I'll do after graduation, or what will happen.

* I'm thankful for good health.

* I'm thankful for amazing friends who help me see my weaknesses and encourage me.




Annie

I'm thankful that God put the idea for this blog in Heidi's mind and heart, and that she shared it with me, and both of us together, with the addition of Savannah, created this blog.
I'm thankful God can work through us through our writings.
I'm thankful for the people who read this blog.
I'm thankful that God has been SO faithful to continue to teach me new things.
I'm thankful that I've survived, and prospered in my first ever college class, with God's obvious help, because, I'm pretty sure without His assistance, I wouldn't have done it.
I'm thankful for the church family God has provided for me.
I'm thankful for all of my friends, who have,and still do, challenge me in my walk with God.
I'm thankful,and humbled by the fact,that even though I totally don't deserve it, God loves me.




Psalm 100:1-5

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing!

Know the the Lord, He is God! It is he who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name!

For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever; and His faithfulness to all generations.