The Blossom Trail, started in 1988, maps out 62 miles of roads that wind between the multitude of orchards and vineyards that still — despite all the new construction — blanket the east side of the valley. Many have been owned by the same families for over 100 years.

I was visiting my sister during blossom season, so we decided to drive the Blossom Trail one Saturday afternoon. We meandered through mile after mile of fruit trees and vineyards, all springing forth with new life after months of lying dormant in preparation for spring.

As we witnessed all this bursting into new life, I thought how it demonstrated our new lives when we accept Jesus as our Saviour and die to our old life. We are now empowered by the Holy Spirit to blossom and be set free from the power of sin, and to think about the things of heaven.

2 Corinthians 5:14b-15,17 – Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (NLT)

Romans 6:13b – Give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. (NLT)

Have you found this new life? If not, click on this link to find out how to get it. If you have found it, how can you blossom so others will also find it?

Prayer: Lord, I want to use my whole body as an instrument to do what is right for Your glory. Help me to be a trail for others to follow so they, too, can find this new life. Amen.

Fearfully, I peeked around the edge of the phoropter. She quickly said, "No cheating!" but I didn't care, I needed to reassure myself that I could still see — and thankfully, I could. Then, she looked at the lens and discovered it was smudged. As soon as she cleaned it, all was well.

Seeing clearly is a blessing not to be taken for granted. I've worn glasses since I was 11 years old, and I clearly remember how well I could see after I got my first pair. But even more important than clear physical vision is clear spiritual vision. The psalmist wrote, "Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions." (Psalm 119:18 NLT)

What's the prescription for clear spiritual vision? It is simple: take our focus off ourselves and put it on God's Word.

• Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. (NLT)
• 2 Timothy 3:16 – All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. (NLT)
• Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. (NLT)

Most of us are pretty faithful to have our eyes checked on a regular basis, but how often do we check our spiritual vision? Is our spiritual lens smudged? Let's use God's Word to bring our life into focus. Then we will be like the blind man Jesus healed at Bethsaida: "his eyes were opened … and he could see everything clearly." (Mark 8:25 NLT)

Remember, "No eye has seen … what God has prepared for those who love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT)

Prayer: Lord, thank You for the physical sight You give us. Help us to focus our spiritual sight, that we may see everything clearly. Amen.

I've always heard that in modern China, religion of any sort is suppressed, yet the Amity website claims they've distributed more than 200 million Bibles in China. This sounds encouraging, until I read:

Chinese Bibles printed by Amity Press … are ONLY available to registered Christians in Three-Self (government-approved) churches. The 60 million or more house church believers that we [Asia Harvest] serve are strictly forbidden from getting a single crumb of them. … The Communist party has now slashed the quota they allow Amity to print domestically to about 1/3 of what it was a few years ago, so even the registered churches are facing a huge shortage of God's Word. (asiaharvest.org)

I wondered if the Chinese could access the Bible online and found this:

After banning the online sale of Bibles and Christian materials, the Chinese government has … tightened the control of religious content online … meaning that sharing about faith on social media will be declared illegal while the creator or sharer of the post may face punishment. (opendoorsuk.org)

When King Henry VIII created the Church of England in 1534, he declared that Bibles could be printed in English. Then in 1604, King James I approved the development of the King James Version. Since then, many translations and paraphrases have been created and are readily available both in print and online. Many of us have several Bibles in our homes and one or more Bible-reading sites bookmarked on our computers or phones. And, unlike the people in China, we have unlimited access to those Bibles. But how often do we take advantage of that access? How often do we stop to think that, not only in China, but in other countries as well, there are many who could lose their lives if found with a Bible? Do we truly believe, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105 ESV) and that "Man shall … live … by every word that comes from the mouth of God"? (Matthew 4:4 ESV)

Remember the children's song? "The B-I-B-L-E, yes that's the book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E." Let's make that our pledge.

Prayer: Lord, help us to treasure and use Your Word, the Bible. Amen.

• I miscalculated the credit card purchases for a remodelling project in my daughter's home and discovered that I will have to pay off an additional USD 1,000 (CAD 1,440) at the end of the month.
• My garbage disposal died, so I had a new one installed. Afterwards, I discovered my icemaker and reverse osmosis water dispenser weren't working and I couldn't figure out why.
• I had a new microwave installed. While washing dishes several weeks later, I heard an ominous noise and looked over to see the microwave dangling about four inches below the cabinet, held up only by the brace on the wall. Thankfully, I was able to prop it up while calling for help.

None of my issues that week were major or unsolvable, but they added up to a sense of unease, making me feel like I didn't have control of what was going on in my life. In fact, they all were fixed or repaired, so I wrote these two paragraphs:

But if I'd focused instead on my blessings that week, I'd remember: our ladies' Bible study started and the group quickly melded together, our family remodeling project is going well, I'm sleeping better and have more energy, and, unlike the rest of the United States, we have sunshine and easy-to-deal-with temperatures.

The next Sunday, my pastor closed his sermon with this: "Jesus knows the heart of every man. This is why His spirit works to draw us to Him. He knows us. He knows it all. His heart is for us to desire eternal things in real life and to come to Him, living each day in belief and faith in Him, living not by our own ambitions or anything in this world, but feeding on Him and His Words, His grace, moment by moment and day by day. Do we trust in Him or are we desiring some lesser blessing?"

Then, a week later, I discovered that I didn't have any hot water. As I write, my son-in-law is installing a new water heater. Meanwhile, I turned on a light switch in the kitchen: no power — a faulty, and expensive, 100-amp circuit breaker. Today is another aggravating day. Now, I'm rereading what I wrote earlier this month and learning the lesson all over again!

If we let them, small things can add up and take the joy out of our lives. Instead, let's focus on the eternal things in real life, living each day in belief and faith in Him.

Philippians 4:12b,13 – I have learned the secret of living in every situation … with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (NLT)

Prayer: Father, give us the strength for daily, and sometimes troubling, issues, and help us see them in perspective, choosing instead to trust in You and to desire the eternal blessings in life. Amen.

This car comes with a variety of safety features that take some time getting used to. For instance, pressing a certain button enables a feature that keeps track of where my car is between the lines on the road. If I stray too close to a line on either side, it beeps. Not only that, but it actually pushes my car back into the centre of the lane! I've had the car almost three weeks, and it still startles me when the steering wheel involuntarily moves under my hand.

This button also enables a feature that somehow keeps track of whether or not I'm paying attention to my driving. If my hands are off the steering wheel too long or the car appears to be wandering, I'll hear a warning tone. It keeps track of when I last took a break and may even display a cup of coffee on the screen to let me know that it's time to stop.

These features, and others built into the car, are forcing me to drive more safely. Sometimes, I'm careless about making lane changes without signalling, especially if no one is nearby. But I've found that if I turn on my blinker each time, the steering wheel will stay under my control and I won't hear that beep. I'm also more careful about staying alert, as those beeps can be irritating.

James 1:22 – But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. (NLT)

Those safety features on my car are for my protection. So is God's Word, the Bible. It gives us warnings about dangers we may face, so that we won't disobey Him, like the Israelites, who "did whatever seemed right in their own eyes." (Judges 21:25b NLT) Through His Word, He can figuratively "take the wheel" and guide us back into the right path. He can help us heed Peter's advice:

1 Peter 5:8 – Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. (NLT)

Psalm 32:8 – The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." (NLT)

Let's take advantage of all that is offered in God's Word and pay attention to the warnings and guidance God gives us.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your Word that gives us guidance, commands, encouragement, and comfort. Help us not only to read it, but also to do what it says. Amen.

The pressure is intense, but she decided to start each day by recording five blessings and five prayer requests. We hold Bible study at her house so she can be near her mom, and she told us last week that this practice has made a huge difference in her attitude and thought patterns. She looks back in her journal and sees how she has been blessed and how prayers have been answered, especially as her daughter continues to fight the cancer.

One such answer had us all laughing. She hasn't been able to go to church because she has to be with her mom, but a neighbour offered to watch Mom on Sunday. She announced that God had sent her a person who attends church on Saturday so she could go to church on Sunday! God also provided the means to pay for a caregiver five mornings a week so she can run errands and visit her daughter who lives nearby.

After she told us about this, I decided to start the same practice. Each morning, I think about the previous day and what blessings occurred. Some of them are small, like finally getting the right paint colour for touching up my walls. Others are larger, like the great sermon my pastor preached on Sunday. Then, I record requests for friends' healing, support for family members or myself, or any other need that has crossed my path. It forces me to think in different patterns.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (ESV)

Philippians 4:6 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (ESV)

Recording our blessings and requests is a powerful tool to help us grow in our faith. Since it's private, we can be honest with God. Also, writing keeps the mind from wandering. And as we write, other blessings and requests will come to mind. There's something about putting pen or pencil to paper that helps the mind to think.

Whether in a fancy journal, a simple notebook from the dollar store, or a file on a computer, let's commit to starting this new year recording our blessings and requests. Just think what a wonderful time we'll have at the end of 2025 looking back at how we have been blessed and how God has answered our prayers!

Prayer: Father, thank You that You listen to us as we pour out our hearts to You. Amen.

While it's odd to see a man carrying a lamb in the throng of tourists in Venice, it's not hard to visualize the shepherds carrying one of their lambs, perhaps a newborn, in their arms as they hastened to see the Baby "wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger." (Luke 2:12b NLT) They had been peacefully guarding their sheep when an angel announced the "good news that will bring joy to all people. The Savior — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born today in Bethlehem!" (Luke 2:10b-11 NLT) With the angel's description in mind, they hastened to the village to see Him.

Why was this glorious event first announced to lowly shepherds? They had no power, influence, or fabulous gifts to bring, like the Magi did.

• Some speculate that these shepherds were the ones who guarded the animals intended for temple sacrifice, pointing to Jesus, as "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29b NLT)
• The Israelites had a shepherding heritage, starting with Abel, the son of Adam and Eve. The patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had huge flocks. During the Exodus, the Israelites brought "great flocks and herds of livestock". (Exodus 12:38 NLT) David, the future king, started as the shepherd of his family's flocks.
• Isaiah points to Jesus as one who "will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart." (Isaiah 40:11 NLT)
• Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep." (John 10:11 NLT)

However they were chosen, the shepherds responded to the angel's message and came willingly and joyfully to see Jesus. All they had to bring was their praise and worship as an offering. Then, they "told everyone what had happened." (Luke 2:17a NLT)

Romans 10:14b,15b – And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!" (NLT)

As we celebrate His birth this season, let's follow the shepherds' example, coming to Jesus willingly and joyfully, and then, spreading the good news of His love for us.

Prayer: Lord, help us, like the shepherds, to tell others about You. Amen.