Holidays 2010

One of my daughters commented today that I haven't been putting many pictures on my blog. I asked her if she was looking for pictures of her or just pictures in general. Another daughter snapped this picture...

Be careful what you ask for!!!

BTW, she is getting her hair highlighted

Out with the old

In with the new, as in a Keurig, single cup coffee brewer

One of my all-time favorite things is a great cup of coffee. This was given to our family today for Christmas.

It does hot chocoate, coffee, tea, iced coffee and iced tea. As I write, my husband is

sipping a cup of hot chocolate. He has tried to drink coffee a couple of times in is life.

Makes his nose wrinkle he says. Not sure what that's about, you may have to ask him!

Thanks for the gift, you know who you are.

Thankful Ginger is "under" the tree and not "in" it

Consider Him

WOW, I hit the ground running as I returned home from a restful, relaxing and warm vacation in sunny Arizona. I flew into central New York with the lake effect snow machine going at full blast. For those of you who are wondering, we now have 67 inches on the ground, just a couple of inches short of the record for December.
Getting home early enough to unpack, look through the mail, snuggle with my daughter I had not seen in a week, I fell into bed to get ready for the next day, which was yesterday.

Back to work...groceries...picking up our cat...shoveling snow...writing Christmas cards...getting Mostacolli on the stove to simmer all day...put groceries away...fix lunch...bake cookies...welcome home one daughter from college...dinner...put up Christmas tree...decorate Christmas tree...fall into bed...pray for a friend...drift off to sleep...

In the midst of all the business of this time of year, I must confess I fail far too often to "consider Him..."

"Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart, for CONSIDER what great things he has done for you."

1 Samuel 12:24

I love Christmas. The decorations, cookies, music, celebrations, giving gifts, our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. But I love my Lord more, so I am praying today that God would continue to speak to my heart, mind and soul so I may consider the great things he has done for me. The greatest event of all time, that God came in human form as a baby, born in a manger, probably in a cave. He came to die for my sins, taking them to the cross, and applying his blood and righteousness to my dark and wicked heart. What a reason to celebrate.

"...that Christ died for our(my) sins..."

1 Corinthians 15:3

Nativity

(Re-post from 2008)

We have a beautiful nativity given to us by dear friends. It is a ceramic, all white, shiny set. Every year it has a special place, up out of the way where it won't get broke, but still visible for all to see.
 Although the donkey no longer has ears to hear.
This year that space was taken, so I set it on our coffee table, making sure Jesus is at the center, Mary and Joseph at his side, with all the animals, shepherds, and wisemen worshipping him.
Wouldn't you know, I have to rearrange this several times a day, because of all the traffic in the living room, people putting their feet on the coffee table next to my beautiful nativity. 
A constant reminder that I should not be worrying if baby Jesus will get broke or the animals are in their rightful place, rather God is using it to help me put Jesus at the center of my life, treasure him above all other gifts, with everything else finding their rightful place.

2010 update: It is again resting nicely on our coffee table. No worries except for our cat, Ginger, we acquired earlier this year. As I set it up Thanksgiving night, I had every piece in its rightful place just as my husband said, what about Baby K? He is the two year old I watch during the week. Would he stay away from it?
No problems with him, just the cat who has snagged her claws on the cloth underneath the nativity, almost pulling it all on the floor. I was not a happy camper. But again, God has used it to remind me what I need to focus on this time of year. I guess if my nativity ends up with no ears and baby Jesus shattered on the floor I will have to buy a new one. But realizing God never changes, He is steadfast and His Word is eternal.

Behold I Am A Servant of the Lord

"And Mary said, Behold I am a servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your Word."

Luke 1:38

As I read the Christmas story again in Luke I was struck by Mary's response. Although she was greatly troubled, trying her best to figure out what was going on, the answer to the angel was on her lips immediately. Yes, she was troubled and perplexed, but her obedience came without anymore questions.
"Mary is an example of true discipleship, submitting to God's Word and promise. God often uses people who are not great in the world's eyes to work his great purposes on the earth."

(ESV study notes)

I think of the demands I place on my children, especiallly when they were  much younger and I was trying to teach them obedience. I wanted instant obedience, no questions asked.  But the demands or discipline I required of them, lovingly of course, were the same demands I didn't follow when it came to my relationship with the Lord. He also wanted obedience, but was I willing to obey with all my heart trusting He knew what was right? Do I trust in God and HIs goodness obeying because I know He loves me just as I love my children?
How quickly do I obey in what God shows me everyday even when I'm not sure what that obedience will look like today, tomorrow or in nine months?

Everlasting Love

Re-posted from Christmas '09

Lydia (not her real name) as far as I know was born in the church. Her father was a deacon and her mother sang in the choir. Baby Lydia was dedicated to the Lord by her parents spending many hours of her young life at church. From the very beginning she heard Jesus Loves Me This I  Know believing it with all her heart. She wanted the whole world to know or at least her little part of it that she was following Jesus, so at a tender young age she was baptized dying to sin and being born again, a new creature in Christ. As a teen she went to Sunday School, was on the quiz team, and did what she thought was all the right things to do as a follower of Jesus. As she graduated from high school her heart's desire was to be a wife and mom, God granted that desire to her, following in the footsteps of her mother, raising children and keeping a beautiful home for her family, worshipping and working in her church.
And yet...


many, many years later when visited by her pastor she would repeat over and over: "O pastor, I hope I make it to heaven when I leave this nursing home." I'm just not sure I will see Jesus when I leave this body behind."


How sad for Lydia, who had lived her life, coming to the end of it, not sure if she would be with her Savior.

Makes me wonder if she had not heard that God's love and faithfulness is everlasting.

"Thus says the Lord...I have loved you with an everlasting love;

therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you."

Jeremiah 31:3

Building my hope on Jesus' blood and His righteousness, as I worship the newborn King.

Christmas Breakfast

Re-posted from last Christmas

On my list of favorite things to do is eat breakfast out. I love to eat omelets and toast with  my mom when I visit her, I love to linger over a cup of coffee with friends, and I love to find out of the way diners to have a quaint breakfast, again an omelet, toast, hashbrowns and a hot cup of black coffee that is warmed every few minutes.
I was able to have a leisurely breakfast yesterday without having to rush somewhere. I met with one of my very first friends of Lafayette. We don't have many opportunites these days to spend much time together, so early Monday morning was a treat.
Our discussion always heads for our favorite topic, Jesus, our love for him, how to continue to bring him into focus and how to tell others the good news of Jesus come as a baby in a manger to save us from our sins.
We agreed there is always something during this special time of year that satan is going to use to try and distract us from the real reason for this season.
Whether it is family that won't all be together, a health issue such as a cancer diagnosis, or only $5 in the bank, or a recent loss that is magnified at Christmas, or, or, or. You fill in the blank. It will always be something that threatens to bring our focus off Christ as we look forward to his coming.
Yes, circumstances that bring us pain can definitely be magnified during the holidays. 
This time of year I make it my goal to preach the gospel to myself--that Christ died for my sins in accordance with the scriptures(1 Corinthians 15:3) that God loves me,

 and Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

(Isaiah 9:6)

Tetherball Anyone

Listening to the radio this week a voice from God spoke,(not really) but God used this radio program to show me what my heart, mind and soul loves. I do make it my goal to love God with all my heart, with all my mind and with all my soul and to love my neighbor as myself. Is that goal accomplished everyday? You should probably ask my husband, children and Ginger, our cat. The question that pulled my ears closer to the radio?

"Is my heart tethered to the Word of God?"

Tethered =" the utmost length to which one can go in action; the utmost extent or limit of ability or resources." (Dictionary.com)

I think of the tetherball pole and ball I used to play with my sisters for hours in our backyard. The ball is attached with a rope with the rope attached to the pole. The goal  is to hit the ball to the person standing on the opposite side, trying to get the ball past that person.

The ball is tightly fastened to the pole so it cannot go anywhere but round and round.

The question I have been asking myself this week?

Am I so tethered to the Word of God affecting my words, actions, thoughts?

 

I can teach Sunday School, women's Bible studies and counsel from the Word but God sees my heart and am I convinced God's Word is not only true but truth? The only truth?What do I fill my mind with or watch on tv or the computer? Do I look forward with great anticipation to reading and studying His Word? The same excitement that wells up in me when I think about my loved ones,or my next shopping trip or vacation? Is it God's Word that comes to mind when there is a decision to be made or a problem to be solved? Am I convinced the Bible is all I need for life and godliness? Tough questions? 

Questions I am asking myself  as I once again look forward to the celebration of Christ's coming when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Merry Christmas

I put Kelsey to work, we only had a few hours to decorate, the house looked like a tornado had gone through it.

The ornaments waited patiently while the tree was being put in its place!!

Kelsey did a beautiful job decorating the tables, Rob got the tree to stand up straight, Lauren decorated

Amazing what a few dollars at the Dollar Tree can do to a room, great job Kelsey, we had a great time hosting together, looking forward to doing it again.

I Pledge Allegiance

With Christmas festivities and celebrations come thoughts of family as we gather to celebrate and worship the newborn King.
It is my goal to center my celebrations around Jesus just as we did when we set up our white ceramic nativity a couple of nights ago, putting Jesus at the center of the nativity. 
God continues to reveal my heart to me and where my treasure is. I've given much thought to a verse I read early in my college days that was disconcerting to me:

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me."

Matthew 10:37-38

I wondered what God was trying to tell a young woman who had lived with her family in one house for 18 years, had extended family within miles of her, and loved the security of growing up in one place her entire life. I had to ask myself at that time if I loved my family more than Christ.

Fast forward to today when I've moved several times, left family, church family and good friends to follow Christ in ministry and this verse in Luke hit me between the eyes:

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."

Luke 14:26

I've had to find the answer, for those of you who know me very well, you know my relationship with family members is the most important one after my relationship with Christ.

These passages along with others tell us to count the cost of following Christ. Jesus does not encourage us to abandon our family responsibilites, but wants "unqualified allegiance to God and His Kingdom. Our love of God must take precedence over every other human relationship."

(ESV Bible Notes).

"Unqualified allegiance" will look different for me than it does for you. This is where the rubber meets the road(what does that mean exactly? :) )
Praying God continues to point my heart toward Him this Christmas which then helps me to love others whether family, friends or neighbors.
Where does my allegiance lie this Christmas?

Pointing To Jesus

I can't believe today is the beginning of our last month of 2009. It seems I was just getting last minute wrapping paper and tape at the grocery store and here we are twelve months later.
Our Christmas music began a few days before Thanksgiving, I put away all my fall decorations last Friday and Lauren is itching to take the boxes out of the garage so we can start decorating. Not sure when we will get our tree, Justin usually does it for us, and we want to have it up and looking good  when he is home around the first of January.
I start my baking today with some goodies for the elder's meeting at church tonight. Saturday we will be putting together goody baskets for shut-ins, our senior saints, and those who need some extra cheer this time of year. Baking looks to be in my future for the next few weeks.
Our family loves Christmas and we celebrate with music, food, decorations and parties. We remind ourselves along with Noel Piper(John Piper's wife):

"May our decorations, gifts, and festivities--or lack of them--never block our view of him but always point us toward him.