Christmas Recap

Hang on to your seat!

We're taking a look back at our Christmas season!

Rhett got to hang the first ornament on the Advent calendar this year since he'll be away at college for most of December next year.  Thanks for the goofy face!

We went to my parents house to trim their tree and a few other things.

Experts at work!

The finished tree.

Tara (center) sang in my children's choir for the Homeschool Christmas CoOp concert.

My handbell group performed three Christmas pieces.

We cut down our own Christmas tree this year...

then had to drag it FOREVER to the barn to pay.

(The only one complaining was the mom taking pictures. Hm.)

Time to trim our tree at home. 

Grandpa and Rhett hammed it up with their "manly" ornaments - a teddy bear and angel.

Tinsel and Garland, Man!

We dig it!

Baking Day -  with a snitch getting caught in the picture.

Love Pinterest!

Made the cutest name placards out of candy canes.

Best Gift EVER!

When I was a small girl

I loved to play Pegity at my grandparent's home.

I inherited the game, but the game board was falling apart so sometime this fall I offhandedly mentioned to my son how cool it would if he made me a wooden board to replace it...someday.

Then I promptly forgot about the suggestion.

He spent the two weeks before Christmas in the basement (with Dad and Mark as helpers) designing and creating the gameboard with drawer underneath (to hold the pieces).

I do have a picture where I'm blubbering like a fool, but I have a little too much pride to share it. :)

Since our 9 month old puppy loves to chew,

we enjoyed watching her chew off the wrapping of her new toy!

Tara got an American Girl doll...

and Katie got an IPod!

Mark got a pitchfork and then posed as the stoic farmer icon that he is. Ha!

Dad and Mom loved my tears over the Pegity game on Christmas Eve so they pulled out all the stops on Christmas Day and gave me two of my Dad's old toys - a play hospital ...

(The name on the front is Plasticville Hospital. Love it!)

and his Viewmaster (from the 1940's).

It works great and I love looking at the retro reels!

Lots of memories!!

None of us lacked in the present department, especially Katie.

But the best present of all was having Ashley home with her new hubby, TJ!

Hope your Christmas was a memorable one!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Mark Sings

Proud wife time! Mark's worship group sang for two of our Advent posts on December 18th and 19th. They did a great job! (My man is the one on the far right.) Enjoy!


(the 19th's post)


Good Christian Men Rejoice from McLean Bible Church on Vimeo.
(the 18th's post)

Just Jesus

I have a friend-of-a-friend who has been on my prayer list for almost 18 months now. Missionaries to a closed country in Asia, they came home for a break in the summer of 2010. They took their 7-year-old daughter to the doctor because she had been having several small symptoms that would come and go, like unexplained fevers, leg pain, and fatigue. Their world was turned upside-down when sweet Adah was diagnosed with leukemia. They spent last Thanksgiving and Christmas in the hospital, wondering if it would be their last with her. We all praised the Lord together when Adah's treatment and bone marrow transplant worked. She is still getting tested monthly, but all the tests return normal and Adah's mommy is thrilled to be facing another Christmas season with both of her girls, Adah and Claire. I'm sure you can imagine how precious this time is for their family. She recently wrote this:

Our living room looks like some nomads decided to camp for the night. Quilts and blankets hang over the couches and chairs, and a fire is slowly dying in the fireplace. The girls are snuggled into their tents, cozy. As I passed through just now, I paused to eavesdrop, unseen, on their conversation.

"But is he a baby now?" asked Claire.

"No. He grew up. Just like you used to be a baby and now you're three." (Adah replying)

"I am baby Jesus?"

"No, Claire. But you were a baby. Jesus was, too. Now he is grown up."

"But what is his name now?"

"Just Jesus."

"What does he look like?"

"I don't know. I never got to see him." (long pause) "He looks like Daddy. Except he has hair."

This mom was relating a cute conversation between her little ones, but I was struck by the simple answer, "Just Jesus." Obviously, Adah was pointing out that Jesus still had the same name, but in light of their circumstances, I thought about the significance of His name! Just Jesus - nothing more, nothing less. His name didn't change; He never changes. He is faithful, no matter the circumstances - always there, always upholding His children. In good times and bad, He is Just Jesus - all we need. May you allow Jesus to be all you need this Christmas.

Celebrating Advent

This year my church, McLean Bible Church, has put together a daily advent email. Each day I eagerly check my inbox for the email where someone from our music department sings (my hubs later in the month) or plays a traditional Christmas song followed by a written devotional. The music has been so good and the devotionals, even better. Since we're still early in the season, I wanted to give you a chance to celebrate Advent with us. You can sign up for the emails here.

If for any reason you'd prefer not to participate this way, I will be sharing some of the devotions on my blog as we go along.

May you have a Blessed Advent Season.

G.O.S.P.E.L.

Every December I get a little "fired up" about the coming celebration of Christ's birth. Emmanuel, God with Us, is one of my favorite names because it implies how great His LOVE is for us.

That He would Come
to Earth,
His Creation
to Redeem.

How?

The following video shares the message in such a dynamic way.

 Enjoy!                                                                                                                                             

A New Day

I have some audacious goals for the month of November!
They are BIG and scary. :)

I'm not quite ready to share them with you yet, but I realized that the bottom line of anything I want to accomplish is really all about God. He controls my days; He directs my steps and to act differently (accomplish BIG goals) means that I will need to fully rely on Him!

Does this mean that any audacious goal is really just partnering with the Divine and offering my complete surrender? I know I can't establish new patterns of behavior without the Holy Spirit.

I was reading in Psalm 62 and found these verses encouraging.
(v 5-8)

My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.
In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength
And my refuge, is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.
Selah.

My expectation is from Him...I LOVE that!

A Down Day

It's raining.

Again.

Sorry, Texas, but I'm really sick of the rain.

The dog needs some exercise, but won't go out in the rain. Don't blame her.

I've been sick since Sunday. I hate being sick. My week has been wasted with tissues and cold medicine. I'd like to be well soon.

I don't know if I like the farm. (Remember, it's raining and I'm sick; I might like it tomorrow.) Certainly the farm doesn't feel like home. It somehow feels like a vacation, but I still need to cook, clean, school, and do all the other routine tasks that make a house a home, but I am struggling.

I've spent some time thinking about why I'm on-the-fence about the farm. I enjoy the quietness and it is definitely picturesque, but the house isn't our home.

I'm still rearranging furniture, which I hate to do.

Nothing has my stamp of creativity on it. It's beige walls with our stuff inside. Blech.

I need to "nest," but don't really want to dig into any process. It's as if I don't want the farm to become our home.

Hmmm.
I hope that's just sickness talking.

  

God is With Us

When I returned from vacation and checked my email, I got the news of two deaths, one cancer treatment and one birth. Life. One death was of a good friend who birthed a still-born son, which as a mom touched my heart deeply. I knew my friend would be second guessing herself, asking the "why" questions and struggling. Of course, she is, but her faith is strong and she is walking through this dark time trusting in the Lord. When I thought about each of these emails, I just kept thinking of Hebrews 13:5,

5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”

6 So we say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?”

In context, Hebrews 13:4-6 reminds us that God gives/takes away in regards to our possessions, that no matter the circumstances, He is with us and we don't have to be afraid.

Of course, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" are the two phrases that kept coming to mind, reminding me that all of these people, the ones dealing with death, cancer and an additional child to nuture all needed the comfort this verse gives. As I meditated on this partial verse, I wondered if the Lord was trying to say two different, yet complementary things or was it repeated for emphasis. I think a little bit of both is true.

In Webster's dictionary leave meant: to go away from or to fail to include or take along. Forsake meant: to renounce or turn away from entirely. Not only is the Lord staying with us, but He is also going to include us. We can't do anything, as believers, to make Him renounce us or turn away from us completely.

If I were going through dark times right now that would bring me comfort, but it also speaks to my heart in the calmness of today. He's going to include me. The sin that I repeatedly struggle with is not going to wear Him out so that He wants to give up on me. Today, He is with me. If/when I acknowledge His presence in my life moment by moment He is there to faithfully guide. He will never leave; He will never forsake. Our God is faithful!

May you find all you need today in His presence.

Peace

Recently I had a prayer request that was potentially life-changing for our family. It was regarding a job. When I shared the request with a fellow homeschool mom, she stopped and prayed with me. Her prayer was centered around me knowing the Lord's will by the peace He would bring as He revealed the answer.

I was able to go away with friends to a cabin in West Virginia where I had plenty of quiet time to ask God to show me His answer. He actually used a secular book, plus Proverbs to answer my prayer, but I kept thinking back to my friend's request, that I would know His PEACE. I had a strong sense of peace to not make any big changes. When I got home and shared with my husband and my mother, both agreed.

Of course, Philippians 4:7 kept coming to mind: And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Do you have anything right now in which you need to know God's mind/will? Pray for the answer to be revealed in His Word and with an overwhelming (can't understand it!) peace. He wants you to have it!

My prayer for you this week is Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."