April Desktop Wallpaper

Device wallpaper for April 2025. Click on the picture for a full-sized version.

Spine Labels - Set 87

spine labels
noun (plural) - a collection of odds and ends that are as random as reading spine labels in a bookstore

Gold plated book lovers enamel hair pin set

50+ vintage floral botanical book pages for junk journals paper ephemera

Handcrafted Animal Thumb Page Holders

Sense and Sensibility and Setting

My Adventure passport holder

Mason Jar Succulent Planters

A Narrowboat Holiday on England’s Canals

25+ Easy Origami Flowers To Make

Adventures In Paris Black and Oolong Blend Loose Leaf Tea

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What does it look like to follow Jesus? I’ve written a book that walks through the Letter of 1 John and offers practical guidance for spiritual growth. Buy it here!

Looking for some encouragement in your walk with Jesus? I’ve written a devotional book designed to remind you of God’s abundant grace.

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Melanchthon’s German Catechism - Part 2

The Apostles’ Creed with a Short Explanation
by Philip Melanchthon
translated by Laura Glassel from the German edition (Supplementa Melanchthoniana, Werke Philipp Melanchthons Die Im Corpus Reformatorum Vermisst Werden) published by Verlag von Rudolf Haupt in 1915

I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth:

The confession teaches how one should recognize and call on God as well as how he gathers to himself his own church from among all human families. These will live with him in eternal wisdom, righteousness, and joy, will thank him, and will praise him. It is well to notice that we Christians in all our invocations should consider the difference between true godly majesty and idolatry.

We should also in our hearts and minds speak to this true God who has revealed himself with certain clear witnesses (such as the resurrection of the dead and other wonders), has sent his Son to deliver us, and has earnestly commanded us that we should believe and trust. He receives us for the sake of his Son and listens to us through grace without our merit. This realization, faith, and trust should shine in your heart when you begin to speak these words. Your heart should also certainly expect God’s gifts, which are mentioned in these words.

The first speaks of the creation of all creatures. Here you should understand that not the Father alone, but the Father along with his eternal Son and the Holy Spirit created all creatures and still preserves them day in and day out. God gives life and nourishment; you should also ask him for and expect these gifts.

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, dead, and buried:
He descended into hell;
The third day he rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

The next section speaks of the salvation of mankind through the Son of God. All sections point to the last one: I believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the flesh, and eternal life.

Namely, not on the basis of our merit, but through the intercession and suffering of the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ, born of the virgin Mary by the wonderful counsel of godly majesty, became an offering for us, and propitiated on our behalf the serious and terrible wrath of God. You must, however, comfortingly accept this by faith and sincere trust and conclude that this has not only happened to others but also to you for your benefit. God does not only forgive the sins of others but also yours and desires to accept you for the sake of his Son Jesus Christ.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;
The holy Catholic Church;
The Communion of Saints;
The Forgiveness of sins;
The Resurrection of the body,
And the Life everlasting.
Amen.

The third section speaks of the Holy Spirit whom the eternal Father and the Son Jesus Christ send, through whom by the office of preaching the good news of Christ (as laid out in this section) is proclaimed and preached to assemble a church. The Holy Spirit also works in hearts that hear the good news, recognize that God is truly angry over our sins, and accept by faith the comfort that the good news presents.

These should firmly believe that God desires to graciously rule them by the Holy Spirit. God also desires to begin eternal life in them. This section of the church’s statement adds to comfort all believers, for we know, regardless if the great, worldly kingdoms fall into heaps and many are scattered, that God still now and always will retain a remnant on earth until the resurrection. This remnant is his church. The voice of the good news of Christ remains in it. God will be correctly recognized and called upon. He gives this remnant refuge so that the youth can be taught, the office of preaching can be upheld, and the people of the church may come together openly and honestly.

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What does it look like to follow Jesus? I’ve written a book that walks through the Letter of 1 John and offers practical guidance for spiritual growth. Buy it here!

Looking for some encouragement in your walk with Jesus? I’ve written a devotional book designed to remind you of God’s abundant grace.

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As the Bridegroom to His Chosen

As the bridegroom to His chosen,
As the king to His realm,
As the keep unto the castle,
As the pilot to the helm,
So, Lord, art Thou to me.

As the fountain in the garden,
As the candle in the dark,
As the treasure in the coffer,
As the manna in the ark,
So, Lord, art Thou to me.

As the ruby in the setting,
As the honey in the comb,
As the light within the lantern,
As the father in the home,
So, Lord, art Thou to me.

As the sunshine in the heavens,
As the image in the glass,
As the fruits up in the fig tree,
As the dew upon the grass,
So, Lord, art Thou to me.


- by Johannes Tauler, translated by Frances Bevan

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What does it look like to follow Jesus? I’ve written a book that walks through the Letter of 1 John and offers practical guidance for spiritual growth. Buy it here!

Looking for some encouragement in your walk with Jesus? I’ve written a devotional book designed to remind you of God’s abundant grace.

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Shadows

Shadows.
Between light and darkness.
Twilight. Dawn. Gloaming. Shifting shadows.

There is something about the end of day,
The start to a new day.
Transitions can be hard,
But we experience this transition twice a day.
As our planet furiously rotates around itself,
We mark the passing of time.
Day in, day out.
Sunrise, sunset.

Dusk and dawn.
Not quite day yet, not quite night.
Here in the in-between, we pause.
We remember to count our days.
We remember to be grateful for the breath we draw.

As our planet hurtles on, so do we.
But for a moment, we paused in the shadows.

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What does it look like to follow Jesus? I’ve written a book that walks through the Letter of 1 John and offers practical guidance for spiritual growth. Buy it here!

Looking for some encouragement in your walk with Jesus? I’ve written a devotional book designed to remind you of God’s abundant grace.

Connect with me on Instagram, Substack, and Pinterest.
My reading recommendations. My merch store. My Etsy store.

March Desktop Wallpaper

Device wallpaper for March 2025. Click on the picture for a full-sized version.