Tradition!

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!

 

Spinning Plates

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!

 

Being a Mary in a Martha World

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…

 

Oh, help!

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” Hebrews 10:38

 

One of my favorite moments in “The Sound of Music” comes when Maria’s perky “I Have Confidence” song suddenly ends at the sight of the Von Trapp mansion. She gulps and just manages to squeak, “Oh, help.”

  

This last week presented me with some similar moments, as I got off the proverbial bus and discovered this road is not (at least at this point) what I expected or am familiar with. 

 

Feeling lonely

So I’m finally moved. I’ve met so many wonderful people. I’ve been surprised, really, how kind everyone has been (particularly because this is the Northeast, afterall!). But, nevertheless, I find myself feeling down. Once again ministry has placed upon us the decision to uproot and move to a “foreign land.” This is the 7th new town I’ve lived in since my husband and I entered the ministry years ago.

 

Ah-yi-yi!

It’s July 20-something, right? I’ve been so overwhelmed with moving these last few weeks, that I’ve really let my blogging go. I hope you can forgive me! Now I’m trying to decide what to do about education for my kids.

 

Facing the Sometimes Difficult Realities of Life (Part 1)

They say that “you get what you expect.” But what do they know anyway??

 

Debbie, Rachel, Miriam, Angela, and Becky expected to live happily ever after…’til death do us part. But they didn’t.

 

Jennifer and Kendra expected to give birth to bouncy beautiful babies. But they couldn’t.

 

Michelle planned to live a long and happy life with her wonderful husband Steve, and their two babies. She died unexpectedly of a brain aneurysm just before Christmas this year.

 

Pam expected her two sons to go to college, start careers, and live fulfilled lives. Instead neither went to college, and both are struggling to sort out the world they live in.

 

Both Amy and Abbie felt like their lives fell apart when their father walked out on their mother.

 

There is a recurring theme among the women in my daily existence, and the ones I meet during my travels: life is not what I expected it to be!

 

Helping your kids in hard times

As most of you know, we’re in the process of relocating. Zion Bible College, where my husband and I are in ministry, has been blessed by the gift of a new campus. Consequently, as a family, the 5 of us – and the Zion family, we’re in transition.

My oldest daughter, Anna, is the only one of our kids who is old enough to understand the ramifications of what is commencing. And, understandably, she’s having a bit of a tough time.

 

Heaving a big sigh…

My middle daughter was the source of a lightbulb moment for me the other day. We were in the house and she was bee-bopping around playing by herself when I heard her heave a great, big, obviously overdone sigh. I stopped what I was doing and asked, “what was that sigh for?” Her response [with much animation]: “This is the sigh school. I’m teaching you how to sigh BIG.” I stood and looked at her for a minute, then asked, “Why would I want to sigh like that?” To which she responded, “Well, that’s how you sigh, momma.” Hmmmm –

 

Longevity & obedience to God

I met a woman this weekend while I was in Vermont ministering. Her name was Karen. She shared with me how she and her husband came to be in Vermont. They were originally from New Jersey and in the early 80’s felt God call them to move. They felt sure God had promised that they would be able to have children once they arrived in Vermont. Having tried unsuccessfully for many years, this promise was reason enough to obey.