Countless thousands of angels

But God promises profound joy

Hebrews 12:18, 22 You have not come to Mount Sinai, a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind … and terror and trembling. … No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering.

Can you imagine being part of that joyful gathering, surrounded, buoyed, overwhelmed by thousands of angel voices raised in worship of the Lamb, the Lamb who laid down his life for you?

A couple of years ago, I had a tiny taste of what this might be like. I was standing in worship in my church in Pittsburgh when all at once, I could see into Heaven. I can’t explain this; I can only tell you what I experienced. I felt goose bumps; a depth of wonder I don’t know how to describe. Awe.

And gradually I realized: the angels were singing with us. They sang the song we were singing in honor of the Lord. I wish I remembered what that song was.

The time of worship ended. The vision faded. I was so overwhelmed I had to sit down. After the closing prayer I looked around me. Did no one else see what I saw? How could I ever describe it? Was I meant to share it with others? To what end had God given me this glimpse of glory? Was it for me alone, to encourage me in a time of sadness?

I don’t fully know the answer. Tonight, I feel I am to share this with you. Perhaps you are in a moment of discouragement, wondering whether your life will ever come right. Perhaps this second-hand peek into the reality of God’s “heavenly Jerusalem” will prompt you to ask for your own deepened understanding of the joy-filled wonders that await us.

I offer this as a gift, passing on a gift given to me, Heaven touching earth. May the Holy Spirit use it to bless you as only he knows how to do.

Shutterstock: Bruce Rolff

I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne … And they sang in a mighty chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang, “Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.” Revelation 5:11-13

Worthy is the Lamb, Hillsong

The music of ordinary life, by Margaret Shearer, author and actress, Pittsburgh, PA

But God’s truth is ever present

I have been writing since I was a child.

I have always had the idea that imitating my Creator opened spiritual paths in my life to which I should pay attention. So, I began seeking that path in my daily life which led me to be more observant. There were many blessings given to me each day. They had been given throughout my life, but there were also hardships. In recalling these situations, it became apparent that there are Godly truths all around us. I began to pursue these truths. The music of my ordinary life was easy to commit to paper.

And then the Holy Spirit intervened. In 2020, when the Lockdown began, it occurred to me that I should deepen my writing and now I had the time to do so.

Each morning I sit aside the first hour of the day to pray and during this time, things I had seen or things I had forgotten would be clearly revealed, and so I put these thoughts on paper and spent most of my time writing. I can honestly say that the ideas that came to me during this time were not conscious ideas. I could use this prayerful time because I was physically alone and isolated. I have known since I was a child that the Triune Trinity is continually close.

I did not set out to write a book. As the Nation and indeed, the World became more and more secular, my concern was that the values which had been instilled in me since childhood were disappearing and perhaps all of us were bogged down with despair; confusion and depression.

But God’s Truth is ever present and everlasting. It is there in the small things and the large; in our daily encounters, in music, in relationships good and bad, in nature. In every aspect of our lives, God’s truth can be found. This book attempts to bring to our minds and our spirits the knowledge that God is always present and He reveals himself in every aspect of our daily lives! We can find the sacred in the secular.

It is worth our time to seek Him and give Him praise!

(Debbie) Read more below about Margaret’s beautiful book. You can find it here.

In troubled spiritual times in our nation, world, and in our daily lives,

we can live with hope and inspiration!

With amazing photographs to illuminate the text, it makes a great gift.

Can wonder really be found In ordinary life? If you’re stuck in thinking the path we walk is ‘merely’ ordinary, nothing could be further from the truth! Light shines through the ordinary, and inspiration can be found in its reflection. I started my search to find truth in the spiritual darkness our nation seems to be in and discovered spiritual truth beyond what I saw and experienced each day. 

I invite you to join me on this path. Once seen, I believe you will find, as I did, that the ordinary becomes extraordinary! It is there to be found.  We can lift our every-day experiences to the light and behold the ordinary as a sacred gift.

My writing includes poems, short stories and op ed columns accompanied by beautiful photographs which pertain to each subject. These are stories which illuminate the long-held American values that seem to be disappearing. Here’s a sampling:

 What’s In Your Ordinary Room
 Midwest American Values, They Do Exist
 Soul Food At The Corner Store
 How Do Single Mothers Survive
 Laughter Is Important
 There’s Richness in Solitude
 Can We Count The Steps of a Lifetime
 A Cat Teaches A Lesson In Sharing
 It’s Not Just A Game, It’s Baseball

May you be blest in your search, find your way, and become a blessing to others who may be seeking THE WONDER OF DAILY LIFE.

With love, Margaret

Margaret Phillips Shearer holds degrees in Fine Arts and Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Stephens College. As a professional actress she performed leading roles in over 150 productions in major theatres across the country including the Stratford, Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She appeared in featured roles in film and television including ABC’s six-part mini-series, Black Beauty and as Desdemona in the ABC TV National production of Othello.

In order to spend more time with her two young sons, she moved into the creative development area of film and television, and for over 25 years worked at Disney Studios, Island Pictures, Warner Brothers, Scott Free (Ridley Scott’s Production Company), and DreamWorks in Los Angeles. She was an Op Ed Columnist for the Glendale News Press, owned by the LA Times and distributed throughout the Los Angeles area, all while raising her two sons as a single mother.

Mrs. Shearer is semi-retired, is an active volunteer at her church and still appears in films and television commercials as well as being a lecturer on Shakespeare at local colleges and universities in the Pittsburgh area where she now lives. She is the mother of two sons and has two grandchildren.

Advent ABC: Word

Isaiah 40:8, 21; John 1:14 The Word of our God stands forever. … Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand? Are you deaf to the Word of God—the Word he gave before the world began? … The Word became human and made his home among us, full of unfailing love and faithfulness.

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 life to everyone.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

John 1:1-4

Adore, Chris Tomlin