Comfort and Encouragement for You This Christmas

December 6, 2022 by 2 Comments

*I am taking a blogging break the rest of the month. God bless you and yours this Christmas season!

For some of you Christmas may be different this year. Some of you are hurting. Physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, financially. I pray my words today will be a balm to your spirit and soul this Christmas season. And never forget—God sees you. He loves you and sent his Son to be your Savior and ever-present Friend.

And now, from my heart to yours:

I’m thinking of you this season, friend,
Knowing your heart must ache,
While others fill their homes with cheer
You must be struggling to just feel normal.
Life’s changes hit fast and hard sometimes
And often knock us to our knees,
It’s okay to take time to rest and heal
It’s okay whatever you’re feeling.
While in the midst of heavy-hearted days
May the joy of Christmas come through at times,
May Christmas peace surround and support you
May you notice things to be grateful for.
And with these thoughts I’m sending love
And hoping both offer some comfort and peace.
May God’s tender touches be yours this season, my friend.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given . . . And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NIV

*Feel free to share with those you know who are hurting this Christmas but please include attribution “written by Cheryl Barker.” God bless one and all!

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, comes out in early February. Sign-up is free! Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*Flickr photo by mseckington, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: challenge, change, Christmas, comfort, encouragement, Friend, grief, help, holidays, life, love, peace, poem, stress Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Wedding Guest Book Photo Booth Idea

October 4, 2022 by Leave a Comment

Mother of the Bride, is your daughter looking for something fun or especially memorable to do instead of a traditional wedding guest book? Here is an idea that may just be an answer to her bride-to-be prayers: a guest book featuring photo booth photos of your wedding guests!

A photo booth wedding guest book provides not only a super fun visual record of those attending the wedding, but it gives the guests a chance to include a personal message as well. As opposed to the formal feel of the traditional sign-your-name-on-the-line-provided guest book we usually see at weddings, a photo booth guest book takes on an almost yearbook feel. Fun and memorable!

Photo booths for reception fun are great, too, as they allow the guests to take memories home with them, but the photo booth for the wedding guest book will be for the benefit of the bride and groom.

The bride and groom are so distracted on the big day (imagine that!) that many times they don’t have solid memories of those who attended. After the newlyweds have returned from their honeymoon and things have calmed down a bit, the photo booth guest book will allow them to review who was in attendance and to notice details they may have missed on their wedding day.

So go ahead and mention this clever guest book idea to your daughter, MOB. She may decide it’s one of your best ideas yet!

*You might also like to read Providing Photo Booth Fun for Wedding Guests, Wedding Guest Book Ideas, and Guest Book Idea: A Guest Tree.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride check out my Books/My Work page.

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out in early November. One lucky subscriber will receive a $15 gift card to Starbucks and a signed copy of my book to use personally, give as a gift, or donate to a library. Sign-up is free! *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*Flickr Photo by paperladyinvites, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: books, bride, celebrate, creation/creative/creator, family, Friend, fun, groom, joy, memories, Mother of the Bride, new thing, opportunity, photo fun, preparation, treasure, variety, wedding Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Do It On the Basis of Love

September 6, 2022 by Leave a Comment

“. . . I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love.” Philemon 9 NIV

Have you ever been asked to do something that the world might call crazy or naïve? Many times as believers we are called to do just that.

The apostle Paul’s words of appeal above come from a letter he wrote to his dear friend and fellow worker Philemon. Philemon’s slave Onesimus had apparently stolen from him or wronged him in some way and then run away. After that, Onesimus met Paul and became a Christian and was then ready to return to Philemon and make things right between them.

This is where Paul came in. He acted as an agent of reconciliation, appealing to Philemon to welcome Onesimus back as if he were welcoming Paul himself (read the short book of Philemon for the entire beautiful story told in just twenty-five verses.)

In other words, Paul said, if you love me, forgive and welcome him. More than that, the implication here is also an appeal to act out of love for Christ—to extend the love that Christ himself would extend.

I wonder if there are any situations in our lives right now where the Lord might be saying, “I appeal to you on the basis of love . . .” Has someone wronged us or someone we love? Or maybe a person noted for bad or even criminal behavior has recently come to know Christ. Many times our first reaction is to say, “Yeah, sure.”

But what would the Lord have us do? I think his message to us would be the same as the one Paul sent to Philemon so many years ago—if you love me, forgive and welcome him.

How can we do any less than offer forgiveness when the Lord has extended unconditional love and forgiveness to each of us? Let’s do what he wants us to do. And let’s do it on the basis of love.

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13 NIV

*Who will you forgive on the basis of love today?

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early November. Sign-up is FREE. *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride check out my Books/My Work page.

*Flickr photo by qthomasbower, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: behavior, challenge, enemy, fellowship, forgive, Friend, grace, kindness, life, love, mercy, unity, Word of God Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

God Gets in the Boat With Us

February 2, 2021 by 2 Comments

“Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down.” Mark 6:51 NIV

Are you familiar with the boat story that took place after Jesus fed the crowd of five thousand?

When everyone had had their fill, Jesus told his disciples to get into a boat and go on ahead of him so he could have a private time of prayer. Later on that evening when the boat was in the middle of the lake, Jesus saw the disciples straining at the oars because it was so windy. He decided to walk out on the water to them. When they saw him, they were terrified. They thought he was a ghost. So he identified himself at once, told them not to be afraid, and then climbed into the boat with them. The wind died down—and I imagine the disciples’ fears did too.

Just as the disciples had a Savior who came to them and climbed into their boatload of fear and struggle, we too have a God who gets in the boat with us. He comes to our aid when the winds of life are beating us down. He enters our lives and our pain. He gets right in the middle of our trials and struggles and brings peace. So let’s not be afraid. We have a God who gets in the boat.

“. . . do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 NIV

*Our daughter Kelli was diagnosed with breast cancer recently and God has definitely gotten in the boat with all of us. When has God gotten in the boat with you?

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out today. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*Flickr photo by Richard Clark (Digimist), Creative Commons License

Filed Under: bravery, burden, comfort, disaster, encouragement, faithfulness, fear, Friend, help, life, peace, protection, trial, unfailing, Word of God Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wedding Photography: Candid Shots of the Guests

August 18, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Wedding photography is not complete, Mother of the Bride, without some great candid shots of the guests. All brides, grooms, and their families want to remember who joined their wedding day celebration. Asking the photographer to capture photos of the guests as they naturally interact with one another is the perfect way to do it.

The photo above is a super sweet shot of Rob and Kaden, our neice’s husband and son (now a recent high school graduate!), and the one below shows a loving moment between our nephew Aaron and his wife Monica. It’s one of my favorite candid shots from our daughter Kristin’s wedding. As Monica places her hand on the back of Aaron’s neck, he reaches out to touch her as well, wrapping his hand around the back of her leg. I love how the photographer spotted this moment of mutual love expressed and immortalized it for us.

So, MOB, in addition to all the standard photos the photographer will be taking, ask him or her to capture lots of candid shots of your guests as well. Hugs, laughter, surprise, and special moments of all kinds will abound that day. Try to make them a permanent part of your daughter’s wedding day story.

*You might also like to read Wedding Day: Sweet Family Moments in Store and Wedding Day Tip: A List For the Photographer .

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride check out my Books/My Work page.

*The current issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out earlier this month. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*Photos by Chris Humphrey Photographer

Filed Under: Above and Beyond, advice, blessing, bride, celebrate, family, Friend, fun, groom, joy, laughter, life, love, memories, Mother of the Bride, photo fun, variety Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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