Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to post for awhile because my computer’s on the fritz. It crashed over Christmas while I was trying to install my wonderful new ipod. And ever since…it’s been only have half working.

HOW have we become so reliant upon technology?? Specifically, our computers. (Sigh) I just don’t have an answer. This much I know, tho – my posts will be fewer and farrer (is that a word? Probably not…) between until this machine can see a doctor.

My family has been so sick. I mean, probably sicker than we’ve been…ever. It’s gone through every single person living in this household, and even my holiday visitors (I’m still pleading forgiveness for that!). And when, on the third straight night of 3:00 a.m. laundry loads and cleaning up my kids’ throw up – I raised my head to heaven and said (out loud), “Lord, I’m done! PLEASE heal my family,” I realized something. 

I don’t know if I ever actually voiced that request to God in the first several days of sickness. And really, I do that alot. Why do I just assume that God knows that’s my desire – this time for healing, other times for other things? Why do I NOT voice my needs and prayer requests to God, just expecting Him to know what I’m wanting? I understand that He knows our inner most desires. I understand that He knows our thoughts before we even think them, and yet…we need to ask. It’s not because He doesn’t know what you want until you tell him. He just wants to hear it from your mouth. We simply need to ask…

Think about this:

• Martin Luther was born into a family of trading class (middle class) background.  On October 31, 1546, Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral sparking the beginning of the Reformation – the beginning of Christianity becoming the people’s religion.
• John Wycliff is known to be the major translator of the Bible from its once elite translation of Latin, usable only by the most educated priests of the church, to the language of the common people, making it readable by all who could read, giving us the priviledge to read God’s word for ourselves.
• Rosa Parks is called the “Mother of the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement.” At the height of segregation, Parks refused to give her seat on a bus up for a white man to sit. This simple act became a major motivator in the fight against racism in the South.
• A 19 year old girl heard about a Buddhist man recently diagnosed with terminal tuberculosis. She determined to visit him and pray for him. As she told him about Jesus and knelt to pray with him he was touched and gave his heart to Jesus, converting from Buddhism. Today this man, David Yonggi Cho, pastors the world’s largest congregation, Yoido Full Gospel Church, in Korea.

These people performed seemingly simple acts of conviction, all of which significantly changed the course of history and had great eternal value.

What about you? What seemingly insignificant acts have you engaged in lately? Are you doing the little things that might make an eternal change in someone’s life?

Are you dreaming that your life will leave a legacy and consequently dreaming or trying to be involved in BIG things?

Matthew 25:34-45 says,

34. “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, my Father has blessed you! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35. I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me into your home. 36. I needed clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ 37. “Then the people who have God’s approval will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or see you thirsty and give you something to drink? 38. When did we see you as a stranger and take you into our homes or see you in need of clothes and give you something to wear? 39. When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40. “The king will answer them, ‘I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you did for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant [they seemed], you did for me.’ 41. “Then the king will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me! God has cursed you! Go into everlasting fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels! 42. I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. 43. I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me into your homes. I needed clothes, and you didn’t give me anything to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t take care of me.’ 44. “They, too, will ask, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or as a stranger or in need of clothes or sick or in prison and didn’t help you?’ 45. “He will answer them, ‘I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you failed to do for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant [they seemed], you failed to do for me.’

 

btw-Thanks, Heath, for preaching an excellent sermon that still has me thinking!

Okay…I finally have power (specifically: heat) back! It’s been a grueling start to the winter season for us in our new hometown of Bradford, Massachusettes, which is north of Boston. We had an unexpected ice storm on Thursday which quickly piled up on the trees causing them to fall and knock out the electricity. I’m not completely convinced but I’m pretty sure that sleeping in my living room, huddled around the fireplace, drinking lukewarm coffee (yuck!) ’cause it cooled down as soon as I poured it into a cup, playing every board game we own at least 40 times each (and we’ve got A LOT of games), wearing 5 layers of all of our warmest clothing without regard for fashion, and not showering for several days (because lets just be honest nobody was sweating, and, therefore, creating any body odor, and who in their right mind would climb into an ice cold shower in an ice cold house?!?!), all the while getting to church every  night because my daughter and I are in the church Christmas play and the show must go on(!) is on my list of Top Ten Things to Make Sure To Do Again.

But anyway…I’m all that much more grateful for my home tonight after roughing it for 3 days. Thankfully, it wasn’t 3 weeks! Whew! Welcome to the Northeast!

I LOVE Christmas! Who couldn’t really. It’s especially fun with my kids. We’ve been hard at it decorating our house. We feel particularly blessed this year since we’re finally in an actual house and not crammed into an 800 sq ft apartment like we’ve been the last three years. I can’t believe I really have the room for a big tree, and that I have a real fireplace mantle. I have an actual dining room to entertain in, and an outside to decorate too – it’s funny what becomes a big deal when you go without for awhile.

Most important to our Christmas season is our traditions. I’m a huge proponent of having traditions with your family. Specifically, realistic ones that can be maintained. Because ministry has always kept us away from our family, we determined early that regardless of whether we had family with us or not, we would always maintain our traditions. And in our home Christmas is chock full of them, starting with Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving dinner is the beginning of our season. I make the full dinner, turkey, cranberry sauce, homemade rolls, etc. And we pull out our fine china. My kids even eat on the china (with a lot of, “please be careful!”). Then after our requisite Thanksgiving afternoon nap, we always go as a family to the movie theater to watch a Christmas movie. (There wasn’t a very good one this year, I must admit.)

We don’t often do too much to support Black Friday. I refuse to give up an extra minute of sleep just to fight the crowds at any store or shopping center. Instead, we do stockings on this morning, rather than Christmas morning. And then we spend the rest of the day decorating our house, both inside and out.

The last big tradition we do on a yearly basis is our Jesse Tree. Using our Jesse Tree ornaments, we learn the Old Testament background for the New Testament story of the birth of Christ. We have a devotional book which includes daily Scripture readings that we use as family devotions.

If you’re trying to change the way your family celebrates Christmas, think about starting some traditions. Here is a link to a calendar of activities that you could pick from or it might spark some ideas of your own. Whatever the case, make sure that you refocus your time and attention on Christ this Christmas season. Help your kids to understand why we celebrate this time of year. And most importantly, make sure that you are focused upon Jesus Christ our Savior and Redeemer. Many blessings!

1. My husband and children – they’re all so CUTE!
2. My extended family – mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews
3. My home – particularly my fireplace and big kitchen!
4. My weight loss (50 pounds! woo-hoo)
5. Cool friends near and far
6. The call of God upon me and my family
7. The freedom I have to post this because I live in the US
8. The endless journey I am on in my quest for understanding God
9. God’s answers to my prayers – although not always what I asked for, always the right answer
10. The enduring love of my Savior and King, Jesus Christ

1 Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,praise him with the harp and lyre, 4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, 5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.

Ever been to one of those stage shows where there is someone trying to get as many plates spinning at one time as possible? Usually those plates are on top of gravity-defying poles, or stacked taller than a human. Watching those shows leaves you breathless and wondering how they do it? How do they keep up? How do they get them all balanced correctly? How often do they drop a plate?

I have to admit – I’m a plate spinner. No – not an actual plate spinner. If I tried it for real my husband would be miffed at the number of plates we were replacing. But I am a spinner of plates metaphorically. Most days leave me breathless, wondering how to do it? How to keep up, stay balanced, and hoping not to drop anything. Can I get a witness??

Mark 6:30-32 (NIV) says,

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

Being a plate-spinning woman can be a real challenge. When my job requires a lot of attention (most days) I have to have my cup of coffee to keep up (at least that’s my excuse). Even more, when my kids want my attention, they don’t want me to be spinning 2 other plates while talking to them. They want undivided attention. Whatever the case, there never seems to be enough hours in a day to get everything on the “to do” list accomplished, nor enough hours at night to get sufficient rest.

In Mark we read that the apostles were busy, busy, busy, too. So busy, in fact, that they hadn’t even taken the time to get a meal (boy, do I know about that one!!). In response, Jesus encouraged them to get away. To take some time to rest and rejuvinate. That same invitation is extended to you and me.

God wants us to pause our plate-spinning and be his captive audience for a minute. He wants you to dwell in His presence (Ps. 84:4), be still in his presence (Ps. 46:10), to worship Him in Spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:24), to be found by His grace (1 Cor. 15:10) - to find rest (Mt. 11:28). He wants your full attention. Just as my kids don’t want me to spin several plates at the same time that I’m spending with them, neither does our Heavenly father.

My prayer today is that God would be your peacegiver, your place of rest, and your sustainer. Take some time to read Psalm 103 and be blessed!

I hosted my first real dinner party at my house last night. You know, the kind where you get out the nice dishes and sit in the dining room? ( Sorry to anyone who’s been to my house recently…you didn’t get a real dinner party, I guess ).

I have to admit, though, I was nervous. Not about what we would talk about, whether my children would be obnoxious or break a dish, or whether my food would taste okay (…well, maybe a little about that). I was mostly nervous about whether anyone would fall off our crumbling chairs that are part of our crumbling dining room set. So the pie in the sky dream is that I could go out and buy that brand new set I’ve been mooning over online for many months now. But, the reality is that I just can’t do it. And there’s no hope of it happening anytime soon, either.

So I was forced to make a decision: should I, then, not invite guests over or should I just deal with my aging, innefficient set that left some sitting on metal folding chairs and my kids at a separate table? My decision, obviously, was the latter. Why?

Because it seemed to me that this scenario was a little like the Mary & Martha scenario found in Luke 10. These women had the privilege of hosting Jesus in their home. Martha busilly scurried around trying to make everything perfect, while Mary simply sat at the feet of Jesus soaking in her time with him. I realized that I could scurry around trying to make everything perfect, or worse yet, not even have guests over. Or I could do my best to prepare for them, and then just enjoy the opportunity to bless people who were new and struggling to meet people.

I’m glad my pride didn’t get in the way of a wonderful night. I’m thankful that my food didn’t burn, that my kids were (mostly) well behaved, and that no one fell off a chair! I think I’ll do this again, metal chairs and all…

1. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” 3. For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper. And from the deadly pestilence. 4. He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. 5. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; 6. Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. 7. A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you. 8. You will only look on with your eyes And see the recompense of the wicked. 9. For you have made the LORD, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. 10. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent. 11. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. 12. They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone. 13. You will tread upon the lion and cobra, The young lion and the serpent you will trample down. 14. “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known my name. 15. “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 16. “With a long life I will satisfy him And let him see My salvation.”