Friday, December 25, 2009
It's Snowing!
All the rain we've been getting has turned to snow today. We got a white Christmas! A Florida kid's dream.
Merry Christmas!
Luke 2:11
"For there is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2:14
"Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
Isaiah 9:6
"For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government shall be upon His shoulder,
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 60:1-3
"Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the LORD will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you,
The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising."
Isaiah 53:4-6
"Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
John 6:37
"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."
John 14:6
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'"
John 1:1-4
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."
John 1:10-14
"He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
Romans 5:8
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us."
1 John 4:10
"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
Psalm 118:25-29
"Save now, I pray, O LORD;
O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
God is the LORD,
And He has given us light;
Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will praise You;
You are my God, I will exalt You.
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever."
Revelation 5:9-10
"...You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth."
Revelation 5:12
"...Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!"
Revelation 5:13
"...Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"
Psalm 27:4
"One thing I have desired of the LORD,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to inquire in His temple."
Jude 24-25
"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever,
Amen."
"For there is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2:14
"Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
Isaiah 9:6
"For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government shall be upon His shoulder,
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 60:1-3
"Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the LORD will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you,
The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising."
Isaiah 53:4-6
"Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
John 6:37
"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."
John 14:6
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'"
John 1:1-4
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."
John 1:10-14
"He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
Romans 5:8
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us."
1 John 4:10
"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
Psalm 118:25-29
"Save now, I pray, O LORD;
O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
God is the LORD,
And He has given us light;
Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will praise You;
You are my God, I will exalt You.
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever."
Revelation 5:9-10
"...You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth."
Revelation 5:12
"...Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!"
Revelation 5:13
"...Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"
Psalm 27:4
"One thing I have desired of the LORD,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to inquire in His temple."
Jude 24-25
"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever,
Amen."
Thursday, December 24, 2009
The Best Things About Christmas
All the twinkling lights and glittering decorations….I love all that.
The excitement of the kids.
Christmas carols, the fun and the serious ones. Have you noticed, though that our Christmas hymns focus little on how we feel and much on who God is and what He has done? Some of our Christmas hymns are also some of our most deeply doctrinal songs, focusing our attention on the glory of God. That’s what makes good worship music….
Wassail, Christmas cookies that I only make at this time of year, egg nog, candy canes (especially melted in hot chocolate).
Jingle bells.
Finding just the right gift for someone you love.
Giving to others.
Christmas choir musicals.
But the absolutely best part of Christmas to me is the way we are so encouraged to reflect and ponder on the wonder of the Incarnation, the Word made flesh, God With Us, our Emmanuel. The best thing about Christmas is that it gives us time and opportunity to really focus on the Gospel, not just the Baby in the manger, but the reason the Baby was born. I’ve started preparing for our Bible study which will start in January, in which we will be using Nancy Guthrie’s book Hoping for Something Better to take a 10 week look at the book of Hebrews. To say I am getting excited about this study is probably an understatement. I am so looking forward to the encouragement to see and savor and grow in love for Jesus, to grow in awe for who He is and what He has done. Because, as the author shared in the introduction to the book, the something better we long for is actually Someone better, none other than Jesus Himself.
If you’ve been reading here for a long time, you probably know how squeamish I feel about portrayals of Jesus through acting and portraits, and I’m not going into all that now. But this year during our Christmas musical, while the characters in the drama were discussing the meaning of Christmas using a little manger scene the Grandpa and Grandson were setting up, on center stage a live manger scene was slowly unfolded, and it was really effective. Mary, Joseph and the baby were played by a real husband and wife and their new little baby, and it was powerful because it really made me think about how very real these people were. On Saturday night, the baby started to fuss a little and the mom handed her (yes, we had a little girl playing the role of the Baby this year), to her husband and I couldn’t sing anymore for a minute because I just got so overwhelmed with thinking about what it must have been like for the real Joseph and the real Mary to hold the Baby Jesus, knowing that this was God’s promised Messiah, the One all the prophecies pointed toward, the Lamb who would take away not just the sin of the world, but their sin as well.
What must it have been like for the shepherds to have the stillness and darkness of that night (and yes, I am aware it was probably not a December night) by the light of the angel telling them the good news of a Savior born in Bethlehem. What wonder as they were able to be among the very first to see the One who is the Great Shepherd for all we who have gone astray.
I love the account of Simeon and Anna when Jesus was presented at the Temple and their joy at seeing the Consolation of Israel. Faithful people who had waited for God’s promised Messiah, His promised Salvation, and who knew the Scriptures well enough to know the time was right. God graciously allowed them to see Him and recognize Him and trust in what He came to do. If you’ve never read it, you can find it in Luke 2:22-38.
Christmas is a holiday of hope because it shows us God’s love and kindness and mercy and grace toward us. It doesn’t stop at the manger but goes all the way to the Cross and the empty tomb. May I never lose the wonder of the One we celebrate. May I seek to know Him more, and to continue to see Him as the something better that my heart yearns for. And as a Gentile, who is eternally grateful to have been grafted in to the faith, my heart sings with Simeon as he says this:
“For my eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
Luke 2:30-32
The excitement of the kids.
Christmas carols, the fun and the serious ones. Have you noticed, though that our Christmas hymns focus little on how we feel and much on who God is and what He has done? Some of our Christmas hymns are also some of our most deeply doctrinal songs, focusing our attention on the glory of God. That’s what makes good worship music….
Wassail, Christmas cookies that I only make at this time of year, egg nog, candy canes (especially melted in hot chocolate).
Jingle bells.
Finding just the right gift for someone you love.
Giving to others.
Christmas choir musicals.
But the absolutely best part of Christmas to me is the way we are so encouraged to reflect and ponder on the wonder of the Incarnation, the Word made flesh, God With Us, our Emmanuel. The best thing about Christmas is that it gives us time and opportunity to really focus on the Gospel, not just the Baby in the manger, but the reason the Baby was born. I’ve started preparing for our Bible study which will start in January, in which we will be using Nancy Guthrie’s book Hoping for Something Better to take a 10 week look at the book of Hebrews. To say I am getting excited about this study is probably an understatement. I am so looking forward to the encouragement to see and savor and grow in love for Jesus, to grow in awe for who He is and what He has done. Because, as the author shared in the introduction to the book, the something better we long for is actually Someone better, none other than Jesus Himself.
If you’ve been reading here for a long time, you probably know how squeamish I feel about portrayals of Jesus through acting and portraits, and I’m not going into all that now. But this year during our Christmas musical, while the characters in the drama were discussing the meaning of Christmas using a little manger scene the Grandpa and Grandson were setting up, on center stage a live manger scene was slowly unfolded, and it was really effective. Mary, Joseph and the baby were played by a real husband and wife and their new little baby, and it was powerful because it really made me think about how very real these people were. On Saturday night, the baby started to fuss a little and the mom handed her (yes, we had a little girl playing the role of the Baby this year), to her husband and I couldn’t sing anymore for a minute because I just got so overwhelmed with thinking about what it must have been like for the real Joseph and the real Mary to hold the Baby Jesus, knowing that this was God’s promised Messiah, the One all the prophecies pointed toward, the Lamb who would take away not just the sin of the world, but their sin as well.
What must it have been like for the shepherds to have the stillness and darkness of that night (and yes, I am aware it was probably not a December night) by the light of the angel telling them the good news of a Savior born in Bethlehem. What wonder as they were able to be among the very first to see the One who is the Great Shepherd for all we who have gone astray.
I love the account of Simeon and Anna when Jesus was presented at the Temple and their joy at seeing the Consolation of Israel. Faithful people who had waited for God’s promised Messiah, His promised Salvation, and who knew the Scriptures well enough to know the time was right. God graciously allowed them to see Him and recognize Him and trust in what He came to do. If you’ve never read it, you can find it in Luke 2:22-38.
Christmas is a holiday of hope because it shows us God’s love and kindness and mercy and grace toward us. It doesn’t stop at the manger but goes all the way to the Cross and the empty tomb. May I never lose the wonder of the One we celebrate. May I seek to know Him more, and to continue to see Him as the something better that my heart yearns for. And as a Gentile, who is eternally grateful to have been grafted in to the faith, my heart sings with Simeon as he says this:
“For my eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
Luke 2:30-32
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Pet Peeve
Have you noticed that “Christmas” seems more a taboo word than ever this year? Why is it okay to name other holidays around this time of year, but Christmas has to become “holiday” even when we all know we really mean “Christmas”? I get depressed when I buy a box of cake mix that has red and green sprinkles and green frosting with Christmas trees and red sprinkles and it is called “Holiday” cake mix. We all know we mean Christmas. If I were making a cake for, say, Hanukkah, I doubt I’d pick up the red and green box, so let’s just call things what they are. It bothered my son so much that he took a Sharpie marker and crossed out “Holiday” and wrote “Christmas” on the cake mix box and frosting tub sitting on my kitchen counter.
Yesterday I was in the grocery store across the street, and in the bakery section there is a table with blue and white cakes and cookies and breads with a pretty blue balloon cheerfully wishing us a Happy Hanukkah. Cool, they didn’t say “Happy Holidays,” I thought. Then I saw the table next to it with red and green cookies, cakes, etc. and a covered dish with samples and a note that said, “Holiday cake…please taste a sample.” Also cheerful, but, in my opinion quite hypocritical. Why is it okay to actually say, “Hanukkah,” but on the next table where we all know the red and green signify Christmas, we have to say “Holiday” lest anyone might just be offended. I am not offended by the word, “Hanukkah,” so why is everyone so afraid to say the word, “Christmas”? If you are going to name one holiday, just bite the bullet and acknowledge all of them. If you can’t name one, don’t name any of them. To me, to name one but call the other “Holiday” even though we all know what that euphemistically means actually draws more attention to it rather than less. It just comes across as odd and overly sensitive.
I’ll tell you why people are so skittish about “Christmas” and not any of the other “holidays”. It’s because once you acknowledge Christmas you start thinking about the Christ of Christmas and Jesus Himself told us that one cannot be on the fence about Him. You’re either with Him or against Him, and I believe that deep down inside of us, we all have a sense of that, whether we consciously acknowledge it or not (Romans 1). So, the world has a vested interested in forgetting, pushing aside, ignoring the real reason for the celebration of Christmas.
I know that many people don’t celebrate Christmas, and many who do celebrate it do so in such a secularized, Santa-worshipping way that it isn’t really Christmas anymore anyhow, so really to get bent out of shape about whether people say the word “Christmas” at all is kind of like swatting at a pesky fly. The secularized celebration probably is better suited as “Happy Holidays” anyhow, because it has nothing to do with Christ anymore. For example, I found the movie, The Polar Express, to be very depressing. If that’s all there is to Christmas, no wonder so many people are depressed at this time of year. For me, Christmas is about worship, but for many, many people today it isn’t at all. I get depressed watching secular Christmas shows where much is made of the decorations and Santa and presents and all that part of Christmas, but the majesty and wonder of the real reason we have to celebrate is completely forgotten. This is one reason we don’t “Santa” at our house. Not because we think it is bad or wrong, but because I just don’t see the point in focusing on the fairy tale when we have something so much better and so much more exciting to talk about!
And that, my friends, is why people are afraid of the word “Christmas” and feel such a compulsion to change it to “Holiday” in order to take out the offense. Because it is real. The One we worship at Christmas is real, and holy, and He commands our attention and repentance and worship. Because Christmas does not stop at the manger but goes all the way to the cross and the empty tomb. The cross is the reason the manger happened. One day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Every eye will look on Him, and there will be no denying then Who He is and that He is absolutely worthy of worship. And because of that, the world system will continue to try to deny and suppress the knowledge of God that is evident, and we will continue to hear “Happy Holidays” when we really mean “Merry Christmas.” So, I don’t get all bent out of shape about “Happy Holidays,” or make a stink about it or an issue of it, or even get in anyone's face with a snarky "Merry Christmas" when they insist on the less offensive greeting, but I do find it extremely hypocritical and annoying, all the same.
Merry Christmas, ya’ll.
Yesterday I was in the grocery store across the street, and in the bakery section there is a table with blue and white cakes and cookies and breads with a pretty blue balloon cheerfully wishing us a Happy Hanukkah. Cool, they didn’t say “Happy Holidays,” I thought. Then I saw the table next to it with red and green cookies, cakes, etc. and a covered dish with samples and a note that said, “Holiday cake…please taste a sample.” Also cheerful, but, in my opinion quite hypocritical. Why is it okay to actually say, “Hanukkah,” but on the next table where we all know the red and green signify Christmas, we have to say “Holiday” lest anyone might just be offended. I am not offended by the word, “Hanukkah,” so why is everyone so afraid to say the word, “Christmas”? If you are going to name one holiday, just bite the bullet and acknowledge all of them. If you can’t name one, don’t name any of them. To me, to name one but call the other “Holiday” even though we all know what that euphemistically means actually draws more attention to it rather than less. It just comes across as odd and overly sensitive.
I’ll tell you why people are so skittish about “Christmas” and not any of the other “holidays”. It’s because once you acknowledge Christmas you start thinking about the Christ of Christmas and Jesus Himself told us that one cannot be on the fence about Him. You’re either with Him or against Him, and I believe that deep down inside of us, we all have a sense of that, whether we consciously acknowledge it or not (Romans 1). So, the world has a vested interested in forgetting, pushing aside, ignoring the real reason for the celebration of Christmas.
I know that many people don’t celebrate Christmas, and many who do celebrate it do so in such a secularized, Santa-worshipping way that it isn’t really Christmas anymore anyhow, so really to get bent out of shape about whether people say the word “Christmas” at all is kind of like swatting at a pesky fly. The secularized celebration probably is better suited as “Happy Holidays” anyhow, because it has nothing to do with Christ anymore. For example, I found the movie, The Polar Express, to be very depressing. If that’s all there is to Christmas, no wonder so many people are depressed at this time of year. For me, Christmas is about worship, but for many, many people today it isn’t at all. I get depressed watching secular Christmas shows where much is made of the decorations and Santa and presents and all that part of Christmas, but the majesty and wonder of the real reason we have to celebrate is completely forgotten. This is one reason we don’t “Santa” at our house. Not because we think it is bad or wrong, but because I just don’t see the point in focusing on the fairy tale when we have something so much better and so much more exciting to talk about!
And that, my friends, is why people are afraid of the word “Christmas” and feel such a compulsion to change it to “Holiday” in order to take out the offense. Because it is real. The One we worship at Christmas is real, and holy, and He commands our attention and repentance and worship. Because Christmas does not stop at the manger but goes all the way to the cross and the empty tomb. The cross is the reason the manger happened. One day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Every eye will look on Him, and there will be no denying then Who He is and that He is absolutely worthy of worship. And because of that, the world system will continue to try to deny and suppress the knowledge of God that is evident, and we will continue to hear “Happy Holidays” when we really mean “Merry Christmas.” So, I don’t get all bent out of shape about “Happy Holidays,” or make a stink about it or an issue of it, or even get in anyone's face with a snarky "Merry Christmas" when they insist on the less offensive greeting, but I do find it extremely hypocritical and annoying, all the same.
Merry Christmas, ya’ll.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Status Report December 2009
Lisa’s status report format is a fun way to encourage blogging for those of us who find we are more and more sporadic about posting and more and more in need of a boost for post ideas. She graciously shares the idea, so I’m borrowing it again today. Hers are always fun to read, too.
Sitting….in my dining room/living room listening to Boo watch Emmett Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, a childhood favorite of mine. I was so excited when I found it on DVD a couple of years ago, and now I get to share it with my guys. Boo has a stuffed otter named Baby Otter, and she’s enjoying these Muppets.
Drinking…..coffee, mostly decaf with just a tad of regular and lots of hazelnut creamer and Splenda.
Thankful….for a heated house. It was 13 degrees this morning. That’s beyond cold. I didn’t have to convince anyone to wear a coat today! The extreme cold spurred an interesting discussion with the boys as we shivered our way to school wishing the heater in the car would crank up sooner. We were talking about how hard it must have been on the pioneers and settlers when winter came here. So bitterly cold. Then we started talking about how hard it must have been in the hot summer, too. We came to the conclusion that we are quite spoiled and extremely thankful for what we have.
Anticipating….an evening at “Star Wars in Concert” with the boys tonight. They are so excited. This is part of our Christmas gift to them, and a cool benefit to living in a real city where these kinds of things come in concert. Boo gets an evening with her favorite babysitter, and she’s excited, too.
Thinking….that I am not going to do Christmas cards or a letter this year. Maybe I’ll try to do something early in the year instead. I just let it go too long, plus it will cost an arm and a leg on postage and copying.
Needing…to get a picture of the kids made. My mom gave Boo the cutest little Christmas dress, and I need to get them photographed together. Sure would be nice if my camera hadn’t died. Guess what I’ve requested for Christmas.
Ready….for our Christmas musical this weekend. My 11-year-old son is in the drama and I’m singing in the choir. J is doing a great job with his part, and our youth pastor has written a sweet play to go with the music we’re singing. Last night was our first practice with the stage and props and it looks like it’s going to be very nice and I love that the focus is on worshiping Jesus. Last year, Drew had moved up here the first of December and I and the kids came after school let out the week before Christmas. I came up to visit him before bringing the kids and our stuff, though, and that week we visited our church for the first time. It was the week of the Christmas musical, and we never felt the need to visit anywhere else. This church has really become home and we love our church family here. I’m amazed how quickly St. Louis, and especially our church, has become home, and at the tight friendships we’ve formed. We really needed that after the desert of the past few years.
Planning….to do a bunch of baking next week. I want to do several different cookies and mini cranberry bread loaves to give to people. Looking forward to it.
Working….on a goal to go from being a couch-potato to being able to run 3 miles in 30 minutes. I found a plan that I’m following and so far I’ve stayed with it better than I ever have before. Also working to lose about 20 pounds. Hoping the baking next week doesn’t put a damper on my resolve. Moderation….
Reading….The Jesus You Can’t Ignore by John MacArthur. Good stuff. I had to not check out anything else from the library, though, so I could focus on finishing it because Drew wants to read it next and he keeps mentioning that he really would like to read it soon. Also reading Because the Time is Near by John MacArthur because I got to Revelation early in my through the Bible in a year reading plan and I have been wanting to read this verse by verse look at Revelation.
Preparing….for our January Bible study, Hoping for Something Better by Nancy Guthrie. Planning to start today to really focus on our first meeting’s reading. Looking so forward to digging into the book of Hebrews with the sweet ladies who meet together on Tuesdays!
Enjoying….our little Charlie Brown tree this year. We decided not to spend the money on a real tree this year and, besides, we don’t have much room in this apartment. We’re using the little tree Drew put up last December to make our furniture-less apartment more cheery when we moved in the week before Christmas and had to wait until after New Year’s for our furniture. While decorating it the other night, it fell over as we were putting the ornaments on. It's because our floor is slanted. Drew, my hero, was able to stuff some paper under one side of the pot it's in and evened it out so it at least won't fall over anymore. Memories….
Reminiscing....as we watch favorite Christmas movies with the kids....Charlie Brown's Christmas, the Grinch, A Christmas Story. And we have a new favorite read-aloud book that we're going to read together: The Shepherd, The Angel and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog by Dave Barry.
Also enjoying...reading through an Advent devotional with the kids in the evenings as we seek to make the Christmas season worshipful.
Time….to end this post and go get some work done.
Sitting….in my dining room/living room listening to Boo watch Emmett Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, a childhood favorite of mine. I was so excited when I found it on DVD a couple of years ago, and now I get to share it with my guys. Boo has a stuffed otter named Baby Otter, and she’s enjoying these Muppets.
Drinking…..coffee, mostly decaf with just a tad of regular and lots of hazelnut creamer and Splenda.
Thankful….for a heated house. It was 13 degrees this morning. That’s beyond cold. I didn’t have to convince anyone to wear a coat today! The extreme cold spurred an interesting discussion with the boys as we shivered our way to school wishing the heater in the car would crank up sooner. We were talking about how hard it must have been on the pioneers and settlers when winter came here. So bitterly cold. Then we started talking about how hard it must have been in the hot summer, too. We came to the conclusion that we are quite spoiled and extremely thankful for what we have.
Anticipating….an evening at “Star Wars in Concert” with the boys tonight. They are so excited. This is part of our Christmas gift to them, and a cool benefit to living in a real city where these kinds of things come in concert. Boo gets an evening with her favorite babysitter, and she’s excited, too.
Thinking….that I am not going to do Christmas cards or a letter this year. Maybe I’ll try to do something early in the year instead. I just let it go too long, plus it will cost an arm and a leg on postage and copying.
Needing…to get a picture of the kids made. My mom gave Boo the cutest little Christmas dress, and I need to get them photographed together. Sure would be nice if my camera hadn’t died. Guess what I’ve requested for Christmas.
Ready….for our Christmas musical this weekend. My 11-year-old son is in the drama and I’m singing in the choir. J is doing a great job with his part, and our youth pastor has written a sweet play to go with the music we’re singing. Last night was our first practice with the stage and props and it looks like it’s going to be very nice and I love that the focus is on worshiping Jesus. Last year, Drew had moved up here the first of December and I and the kids came after school let out the week before Christmas. I came up to visit him before bringing the kids and our stuff, though, and that week we visited our church for the first time. It was the week of the Christmas musical, and we never felt the need to visit anywhere else. This church has really become home and we love our church family here. I’m amazed how quickly St. Louis, and especially our church, has become home, and at the tight friendships we’ve formed. We really needed that after the desert of the past few years.
Planning….to do a bunch of baking next week. I want to do several different cookies and mini cranberry bread loaves to give to people. Looking forward to it.
Working….on a goal to go from being a couch-potato to being able to run 3 miles in 30 minutes. I found a plan that I’m following and so far I’ve stayed with it better than I ever have before. Also working to lose about 20 pounds. Hoping the baking next week doesn’t put a damper on my resolve. Moderation….
Reading….The Jesus You Can’t Ignore by John MacArthur. Good stuff. I had to not check out anything else from the library, though, so I could focus on finishing it because Drew wants to read it next and he keeps mentioning that he really would like to read it soon. Also reading Because the Time is Near by John MacArthur because I got to Revelation early in my through the Bible in a year reading plan and I have been wanting to read this verse by verse look at Revelation.
Preparing….for our January Bible study, Hoping for Something Better by Nancy Guthrie. Planning to start today to really focus on our first meeting’s reading. Looking so forward to digging into the book of Hebrews with the sweet ladies who meet together on Tuesdays!
Enjoying….our little Charlie Brown tree this year. We decided not to spend the money on a real tree this year and, besides, we don’t have much room in this apartment. We’re using the little tree Drew put up last December to make our furniture-less apartment more cheery when we moved in the week before Christmas and had to wait until after New Year’s for our furniture. While decorating it the other night, it fell over as we were putting the ornaments on. It's because our floor is slanted. Drew, my hero, was able to stuff some paper under one side of the pot it's in and evened it out so it at least won't fall over anymore. Memories….
Reminiscing....as we watch favorite Christmas movies with the kids....Charlie Brown's Christmas, the Grinch, A Christmas Story. And we have a new favorite read-aloud book that we're going to read together: The Shepherd, The Angel and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog by Dave Barry.
Also enjoying...reading through an Advent devotional with the kids in the evenings as we seek to make the Christmas season worshipful.
Time….to end this post and go get some work done.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Random Wednesday Thoughts
The weather outside is.....cold. The automatic door on my van did not work this morning because the rain yesterday turned to ice on my van during the night and froze the door shut. Nothing a little extra pulling couldn't handle, but, baby, we're not in South Carolina anymore. Twenty-two degrees and snowing and I STILL have to tell my 11-year-old to wear a real coat. Otherwise he would have left the house this morning wearing his flimsy sweater/hoodie thing that he's been wearing every day since it got colder. It's been driving me nuts that he refuses to wear a heavier coat. I put my foot down this morning, though. He actually did not argue much. It is just plain cold out there. Do you think we could find the gloves I carefully collected when the weather warmed up at the end of last winter season when we needed them this morning, though? One pair is missing altogether, and the other was lost by my 8-year-old within minutes of getting them out this morning. Go figure. Same kid who paid his brother $16.00 to clean his room and then allowed it to get right back into a very sad state within a day and a half. The really mysterious thing is, though, that I cannot find those gloves anywhere. I'm wondering if he really had them this morning at all or if he's remembering some other time when they were in his possession. Very likely. Boo has her gloves, though, so we're averaging one out of three being organized, but that's only because I have more control over the youngest one, I think.
While cleaning the bathroom this morning, there was a loud knock on the door. I turned off my iPod to see if I truly heard a knock and Roscoe the hyper dog was growling at the door. I opened the door and there was a package the mailman had left in the box. Christmas season has begun at the Sweet Tea house. Anyway, Roscoe slipped past me and joyfully raced toward the friendly mailman. I ran out in my sweatpants and shortsleeved shirt (thankfully I had shoes on) to catch him and Boo tried to follow me with her bare feet. It's COLD out today, remember? The mailman kindly stopped and let me chase my dippy dog, who would run right to me and then feint left or right. Both the mailman and I were telling Boo to go back inside. Thankfully Roscoe the hyper dog decided that while it's cold enough to feel really spunky, it was better to be in the warm house so he followed Boo back in the front door. If he had not made that very wise choice right then, I would have had to leave him out and take Boo inside and put on her shoes and coat and my coat on before attempting to catch him. I am very glad he chose the warm house.
By the way, cleaning success today! My bathrooms smell clean!! I finally found a way to erradicate the smell left by boys who cannot aim, seem to not know the function of the flush handle and a 3-year-old girl who is STILL potty training and manages to get potty everywhere in the main bathroom. Bleach is too hard to work with when cleaning the messes because it affects my breathing and ruins my clothes. So, after watching a Mythbusters episode about removing skunk odor, I figured that what worked for them would surely work on my potty smells. I have this really sensitive sense of smell, and it seems that I can never get rid of the smell completely. Well, I took the Mythbusters remedy and tweaked it a little and it seems to have worked. I combined a cup of hydrogen peroxide, a cup of vinegar, a squeeze of liquid dish soap, and a sprinkle of baking soda. Caution: if you try this at home, use a really big bucket. Otherwise you'll have a foaming explosion. The vinegar and baking soda have a fun, sudsy reaction - I was amazed how high it foamed in my bucket. Anyway, then I proceeded to scrub all the toilets, every inch of them, and the floor around them. The result, quite fresh-smelling bathrooms. At least for the moment. The boys are still at school....
Studied AWANA with Boo this afternoon and she learned to say, "Trust in the LORD." She's ready for her class tonight. She wanted to go yesterday, but I told her she had to wait until Wednesday.
It's flurrying again outside. I'm thankful for a heated house. I think we need to look into weather-proofing the windows, though. It was super windy over night (there are trees and branches down along the road), and when I came downstairs this morning, I heard a loud gust of wind. I looked over at the glass door, and the blinds were moving slightly. That was some wind.
One more funny thing then I'm done for now. The UPS man just knocked at the door with a package for us. Boo asked what it is, and I told her it's a present for her and I need to wrap it and put it under the tree. She looked at this plain brown box (she can't read the writing on the side, but I can) and hugged it and said, "I love it! A present for me!" Now she's walking around singing, "Happy birthday, to me...." Three is such a fun age.
Which reminds me of one more thing. Last Wednesday when we were driving home from church the rain that had been falling all day had turned into the first snow of the year - not much, but substantial flurries. I told Boo to look at the snow, and she was really excited. When we parked the car and were walking across the parking lot to the house, she all of a sudden lay down on the wet pavement and started moving her arms and legs. I looked at her for a minute and wondered what in the world was wrong with her when I realized she was trying to make snow angels. I started laughing so hard I almost couldn't tell her to get up because you can't make snow angels on wet pavement when all we've had are flurries. It was so funny. Poor baby. She's really looking forward to the snow.
Okay, that's all the randomness for now. Happy Wednesday.
While cleaning the bathroom this morning, there was a loud knock on the door. I turned off my iPod to see if I truly heard a knock and Roscoe the hyper dog was growling at the door. I opened the door and there was a package the mailman had left in the box. Christmas season has begun at the Sweet Tea house. Anyway, Roscoe slipped past me and joyfully raced toward the friendly mailman. I ran out in my sweatpants and shortsleeved shirt (thankfully I had shoes on) to catch him and Boo tried to follow me with her bare feet. It's COLD out today, remember? The mailman kindly stopped and let me chase my dippy dog, who would run right to me and then feint left or right. Both the mailman and I were telling Boo to go back inside. Thankfully Roscoe the hyper dog decided that while it's cold enough to feel really spunky, it was better to be in the warm house so he followed Boo back in the front door. If he had not made that very wise choice right then, I would have had to leave him out and take Boo inside and put on her shoes and coat and my coat on before attempting to catch him. I am very glad he chose the warm house.
By the way, cleaning success today! My bathrooms smell clean!! I finally found a way to erradicate the smell left by boys who cannot aim, seem to not know the function of the flush handle and a 3-year-old girl who is STILL potty training and manages to get potty everywhere in the main bathroom. Bleach is too hard to work with when cleaning the messes because it affects my breathing and ruins my clothes. So, after watching a Mythbusters episode about removing skunk odor, I figured that what worked for them would surely work on my potty smells. I have this really sensitive sense of smell, and it seems that I can never get rid of the smell completely. Well, I took the Mythbusters remedy and tweaked it a little and it seems to have worked. I combined a cup of hydrogen peroxide, a cup of vinegar, a squeeze of liquid dish soap, and a sprinkle of baking soda. Caution: if you try this at home, use a really big bucket. Otherwise you'll have a foaming explosion. The vinegar and baking soda have a fun, sudsy reaction - I was amazed how high it foamed in my bucket. Anyway, then I proceeded to scrub all the toilets, every inch of them, and the floor around them. The result, quite fresh-smelling bathrooms. At least for the moment. The boys are still at school....
Studied AWANA with Boo this afternoon and she learned to say, "Trust in the LORD." She's ready for her class tonight. She wanted to go yesterday, but I told her she had to wait until Wednesday.
It's flurrying again outside. I'm thankful for a heated house. I think we need to look into weather-proofing the windows, though. It was super windy over night (there are trees and branches down along the road), and when I came downstairs this morning, I heard a loud gust of wind. I looked over at the glass door, and the blinds were moving slightly. That was some wind.
One more funny thing then I'm done for now. The UPS man just knocked at the door with a package for us. Boo asked what it is, and I told her it's a present for her and I need to wrap it and put it under the tree. She looked at this plain brown box (she can't read the writing on the side, but I can) and hugged it and said, "I love it! A present for me!" Now she's walking around singing, "Happy birthday, to me...." Three is such a fun age.
Which reminds me of one more thing. Last Wednesday when we were driving home from church the rain that had been falling all day had turned into the first snow of the year - not much, but substantial flurries. I told Boo to look at the snow, and she was really excited. When we parked the car and were walking across the parking lot to the house, she all of a sudden lay down on the wet pavement and started moving her arms and legs. I looked at her for a minute and wondered what in the world was wrong with her when I realized she was trying to make snow angels. I started laughing so hard I almost couldn't tell her to get up because you can't make snow angels on wet pavement when all we've had are flurries. It was so funny. Poor baby. She's really looking forward to the snow.
Okay, that's all the randomness for now. Happy Wednesday.
Sunday, December 06, 2009
And On Earth Peace, Goodwill Toward Men
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:10
"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:10
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Lies Women Believe - Finally Getting A Blog Post Written
We’ve been reading Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss in our Sunday night ladies’ group at church, which is on break until January. I have been wanting to blog about it for a while now, but I haven’t gotten it done until now. I must say, I find it challenging and oh, so good. I really, really, really wish every woman I know, or don’t know, could read this with an open heart and glean from the wisdom shared by honestly examining her own patterns of thinking and believing.
In our last section we dealt heavily with different lies surrounding the seriousness of sin – especially the idea that we are very prone to think our sin is not really all that bad. We also looked a good deal at the lies behind the thinking that we can’t help the way we are. Here’s a quote that sent an arrow into my own heart: “We see things about ourselves we wish were different or that we know are not pleasing to the Lord. But rather than accept personal responsibility for our own choices, attitudes, and behavior, we have 101 reasons for why we are the way we are…” and then she lists examples of the kinds of reasons we often give to excuse away our bad choices, attitudes and behavior. Later, Nancy says, “This lie – “I can’t help the way I am” – makes us into helpless victims of other people and outside circumstances……..........The truth is that we do have a choice. We are responsible for our own choices. We can be changed by the power of God’s Spirit. Once we know and embrace the Truth, we can break free from the chains of our past, our circumstances, and even deeply ingrained habit patterns.”
We also dealt with a related lie, “I am not fully responsible for my actions and reactions.” In this lie, we tend to blame circumstances or the actions of others for the reason we are in a predicament rather than owning up to our own part in the problem because of actions and choices we’ve made. In that section, Nancy quotes another author and this quote, again, struck me: “Sin is the best news there is, the best news there could be in our predicament. Because with sin there is a way out. There’s the possibility of repentance. You can’t repent of confusion or psychological flaws inflicted by your parents - you’re stuck with them. But you can repent of sin. Sin and repentance are the only grounds for hope and joy.” Like I said, challenging, convicting and freeing.
I’ve been thinking about what we’re reading a great deal, obviously. For one thing, the world’s way of counseling and analyzing our problems inevitably is feeding into the lies we believe. When counseling isn’t based on a biblical understanding of the human predicament, well-meaning people feed these lies because what we are left with is a kind of psychoanalyzing of why we do what we do and it ends up causing us to put blame on others and on our circumstances rather than getting us to realize that, at the end of the day, though it may be very, very difficult, we are the ones responsible for the choices we make and how we choose to act. I do think there are things in life that influence how we think and how we see things, but, ultimately, we choose how we act and react on a given day, in a given situation. The more we are aware of the things in our past and the things that influence us, as we surrender them to the Lord, we ought to be growing in victory in making the right choices in spite of our past, our circumstances, what others may have said or done to us or how we feel on a given day.
No one is saying this is easy. But if we buy into the victim mentality and the lies that we are constantly bombarded with by the secular way of thinking that says that we are determined by our circumstances, our past, how we feel, etc. then we will not ever learn to take the responsibility for our choices and we will live in defeat and continue in sin. It is only when we surrender our ‘right’ to be hurt, our ‘right’ to be angry, etc., or our belief that we can’t help the way we are, or all the other lies that are feeding our poor choices and bad attitudes that we will begin to have victory over those poor choices and bad attitudes and wrong reactions. I am convinced that a Spirit-filled life is one that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, takes the responsibility and learns to recognize sin for what it is and for how serious it is and does the hard heart work of owning up and confessing that sin and choosing to walk in the Light and stop blaming others or circumstances for why we do what we do. Hard, hard teaching. But what freedom can result!
I confess, I needed, needed, needed the blunt teaching I’ve found so far in this book, and slowly it seems, I’m learning to shed the lies I didn’t even realize I was believing and walk in the truth.
One thing that has struck me in this first part of our reading is how great a disservice we do to the Gospel when we downplay the sinfulness of sin and call it “wrong choices,” “mistakes,” “personality flaws,” or when we focus on “felt needs” at the expense of the real need at the core of all those surface troubles, which is sin. This is one of my biggest concerns with the seeker type movement and the Purpose Driven Life movement. They do not adequately tell the truth. They do not go deep enough. We do not need to add Jesus to our life, we need to surrender our life to Him. Subtle difference, but a vital one.
We are all sinners. We all fall short of the glory of God. We all willfully choose our own way. All we like sheep have gone astray, there is none righteous, no, not one. That is the awful truth. Ultimately, I am not really the way I am because of something that was said or done in my past, but I am what I am because I am a sinner. We need a Savior. Praise God that in Christ my sin is washed clean by His blood, shed for me. Praise God that I can come to Him in repentance when He opens my eyes and my heart to my desperate need for forgiveness and He freely offers that forgiveness to everyone who repents and believes that He is Lord. When we know the Son, we are free, indeed. Free from blaming others for our faults, free from living as a victim to those faults, and free to walk in His light.
I highly recommend this book. Be prepared to have your toes stepped on and to be uncomfortable when you begin to see lies you’ve believed that you maybe didn’t even realize you had been believing. But that’s not a bad thing.
In our last section we dealt heavily with different lies surrounding the seriousness of sin – especially the idea that we are very prone to think our sin is not really all that bad. We also looked a good deal at the lies behind the thinking that we can’t help the way we are. Here’s a quote that sent an arrow into my own heart: “We see things about ourselves we wish were different or that we know are not pleasing to the Lord. But rather than accept personal responsibility for our own choices, attitudes, and behavior, we have 101 reasons for why we are the way we are…” and then she lists examples of the kinds of reasons we often give to excuse away our bad choices, attitudes and behavior. Later, Nancy says, “This lie – “I can’t help the way I am” – makes us into helpless victims of other people and outside circumstances……..........The truth is that we do have a choice. We are responsible for our own choices. We can be changed by the power of God’s Spirit. Once we know and embrace the Truth, we can break free from the chains of our past, our circumstances, and even deeply ingrained habit patterns.”
We also dealt with a related lie, “I am not fully responsible for my actions and reactions.” In this lie, we tend to blame circumstances or the actions of others for the reason we are in a predicament rather than owning up to our own part in the problem because of actions and choices we’ve made. In that section, Nancy quotes another author and this quote, again, struck me: “Sin is the best news there is, the best news there could be in our predicament. Because with sin there is a way out. There’s the possibility of repentance. You can’t repent of confusion or psychological flaws inflicted by your parents - you’re stuck with them. But you can repent of sin. Sin and repentance are the only grounds for hope and joy.” Like I said, challenging, convicting and freeing.
I’ve been thinking about what we’re reading a great deal, obviously. For one thing, the world’s way of counseling and analyzing our problems inevitably is feeding into the lies we believe. When counseling isn’t based on a biblical understanding of the human predicament, well-meaning people feed these lies because what we are left with is a kind of psychoanalyzing of why we do what we do and it ends up causing us to put blame on others and on our circumstances rather than getting us to realize that, at the end of the day, though it may be very, very difficult, we are the ones responsible for the choices we make and how we choose to act. I do think there are things in life that influence how we think and how we see things, but, ultimately, we choose how we act and react on a given day, in a given situation. The more we are aware of the things in our past and the things that influence us, as we surrender them to the Lord, we ought to be growing in victory in making the right choices in spite of our past, our circumstances, what others may have said or done to us or how we feel on a given day.
No one is saying this is easy. But if we buy into the victim mentality and the lies that we are constantly bombarded with by the secular way of thinking that says that we are determined by our circumstances, our past, how we feel, etc. then we will not ever learn to take the responsibility for our choices and we will live in defeat and continue in sin. It is only when we surrender our ‘right’ to be hurt, our ‘right’ to be angry, etc., or our belief that we can’t help the way we are, or all the other lies that are feeding our poor choices and bad attitudes that we will begin to have victory over those poor choices and bad attitudes and wrong reactions. I am convinced that a Spirit-filled life is one that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, takes the responsibility and learns to recognize sin for what it is and for how serious it is and does the hard heart work of owning up and confessing that sin and choosing to walk in the Light and stop blaming others or circumstances for why we do what we do. Hard, hard teaching. But what freedom can result!
I confess, I needed, needed, needed the blunt teaching I’ve found so far in this book, and slowly it seems, I’m learning to shed the lies I didn’t even realize I was believing and walk in the truth.
One thing that has struck me in this first part of our reading is how great a disservice we do to the Gospel when we downplay the sinfulness of sin and call it “wrong choices,” “mistakes,” “personality flaws,” or when we focus on “felt needs” at the expense of the real need at the core of all those surface troubles, which is sin. This is one of my biggest concerns with the seeker type movement and the Purpose Driven Life movement. They do not adequately tell the truth. They do not go deep enough. We do not need to add Jesus to our life, we need to surrender our life to Him. Subtle difference, but a vital one.
We are all sinners. We all fall short of the glory of God. We all willfully choose our own way. All we like sheep have gone astray, there is none righteous, no, not one. That is the awful truth. Ultimately, I am not really the way I am because of something that was said or done in my past, but I am what I am because I am a sinner. We need a Savior. Praise God that in Christ my sin is washed clean by His blood, shed for me. Praise God that I can come to Him in repentance when He opens my eyes and my heart to my desperate need for forgiveness and He freely offers that forgiveness to everyone who repents and believes that He is Lord. When we know the Son, we are free, indeed. Free from blaming others for our faults, free from living as a victim to those faults, and free to walk in His light.
I highly recommend this book. Be prepared to have your toes stepped on and to be uncomfortable when you begin to see lies you’ve believed that you maybe didn’t even realize you had been believing. But that’s not a bad thing.
Friday, December 04, 2009
Practical Mom's Dictionary Installment #11
Serendipity: When you are wandering around your kitchen wondering what you can substitute to satisfy a raging chocolate craving when there is no chocolate in the house, and then you suddenly remember the partial KitKat bar you were saving in a secret hiding place for just such an emergency.
Necessary Forethought: Remembering to buy a small amount of chocolate to replenish the secret stash when it gets low.
Necessary Forethought: Remembering to buy a small amount of chocolate to replenish the secret stash when it gets low.
Practical Mom's Dictionary Installment #10
Dilemma: It is quite cold out today, and I was planning to drive up and meet my boys so they wouldn’t have to walk home in the cold. My 3-year-old who has virtually given up naps but who is habitually in a cranky mood in the evening because of the lack of nap just fell asleep in my lap, and it is just about time to leave to meet the boys. So, do I let them walk home in the cold in the hopes we can keep the princess from being crabby today, or do I risk the wrath of the cranky 3-yr-old, which has been exhausting lately, and wake her right now? What to do, what to do?
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