Our December

Basketball games!
Megan showing school spirit.

The first snow!
Scooby dressed to play outside.

Our 2nd annual trip to the Spaghetti Factory!

Shopping downtown!

Brian's first trip to the Superhero Museum!

Look at all the Batman stuff!
I love the expression on his face - like a kid in a candy shop!

Cornerstone Christmas Dinner!

Patch the Pirate Club Christmas Program!
Lauren and Jenny singing Silent Night.

Christian - "Upon this rock I will build my church."

Lily - J is for Jesus

Joy to the World



Tabernacle Christmas Program!
The Ambassadors singing For Unto Us a Child is Born.



Joel - best page turner ever!



High school choir and junior high choir



All girls ensemble singing Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus.



Steak and Shake after the concert!



In the car - where we usually are!

What Will We Give Him?

Shopping, wrapping, baking . . .
more shopping, more wrapping, more baking . . .

It dawned on me this morning that although I say Merry Christmas, have Merry Christmas on my Christmas cards, and I wish people Merry Christmas - I too have been taking Christ out of Christmas.

Too busy shopping, wrapping, and baking
to meditate on His Word.
Too busy thinking over my grocery lists, gift lists, and menus
to worship Him.

Then while I was baking cookies, I found myself humming a song that the kids' ensemble sang last night.

What will be give Him when He comes?
What will we give the Promised One?
We can feel the time is near.
What will we give Him when He first appears?

Kings will bring Him precious gifts; incense, myrrh, and gold.
Shepherds will bring Him simple things His tiny hands can hold.

We will give our hearts to Him;
we will give our love.
That is what we'll give Him -
when at last He comes.

I put my lists aside and my cookie dough in the refrigerator and redirected my heart and mind. No longer the "stressed out kitty" - I am now putting Christ back in Christmas!

So now I will go on with my shopping, wrapping, and baking - but being careful to keep it in perspective.

Ouch!

Joel's head bounced on the gym floor tonight like a ping-pong ball. It's a sick feeling watching that happen to your child - I'm sure it was even a sicker feeling for Joel.

It was during the JV came tonight. Joel was going after a loose ball and so was a guy from the other team. They collided, and Joel hit the floor hard with the back of his head - then the guy landed on his face.

He got up on his own. I don't believe he actually lost consciousness, but he was pretty dazed. His nose was bleeding pretty badly and he left a trail of blood as he was helped to the locker room.

Damage assessment: one banged up nose, one busted lip, and one walnut size lump on the back of his head.

Because he doesn't remember much from right before or after hitting his head, I will be waking him up at midnight and 2am to make sure he's okay.

Needless to say, he didn't get his book report written when he got home from the game.

I don't know about you - but I celebrate Christmas!

Twas the month before Christmas,
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying, Nor taking a stand.
Why the Politically Correct Police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a "Holiday".
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod, something was changing,
Something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty, are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace.
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate "Winter Break" under your "Dream Tree"
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, not Happy Holiday!

I didn't write this - it was a forwarded email I received,
but I thought it was worth posting.

"That strengthened my faith"

The kids always love it when Bro. Kendrick preaches in chapel. I love it when the they get home from a full day of school and practices and the first thing they want to tell me about is the chapel service from that morning. Today was one of those days.

Bro. Kendrick and his wife served in Africa as missionaries for many years. I don't know how old he is, but he is getting up there in years and yet he can still hold captive a group of teenagers.

Megan said his message today dealt with faith - he would tell stories from his years as a missionary and then end them with "and that strengthened my faith."

Tears ran down my cheeks as Megan retold one of the stories from Bro. Kendrick's message. I will do my best to retell it.

While Bro. Kendrick and his wife, Nina, were serving as missionaries in the jungles of Africa, their baby son developed a severe eye infection. There were no doctors around and no medicine either. They didn't even have any baby aspirin. Nina tried everything available to her - warm compresses and diluted aspirin.

Every night they would rock him to sleep. It was only with sleep that he would quit crying.

One night after the baby had been in bed for a little while, they heard a blood curdling scream coming from his room. Bro. Kendrick ran into the baby's room, ripped open the mosquito netting, and grabbed up the baby. As he looked at him, he couldn't believe what he saw.

In utter desperation to stop the pain, the baby had literally stuck his finger into his eye and his finger was entirely behind his eye ball. Pus and blood ran down the baby's check as he screamed uncontrollably.

Bro. Kendrick yelled for Nina to come quickly. They had no idea what to do, but Bro. Kendrick said he found himself feeling led to go outside with the baby. With the child in their arms, they ran out of the house into the dark of night.

The nearest hut on the compound belonged to an African pastor, and it was over one and a half football fields away. As they ran toward the house of this pastor, Bro. Kendrick was screaming for this man to come help them.

The Pastor ran to meet them outside. When he saw the baby's eye, he cried out that it was utterly destroyed. This Pastor then began to pray a loud and the Kendricks prayed - not just any prayer, but a prayer of desperation. The Pastor called out to God and beseeched him to heal this baby.

After several minutes of prayer, Bro. Kendrick felt the baby push against him and tug and pull at him - but they kept praying. After several more minutes, they responded to the pushing and pulling of the baby and held him up to look at him - they saw two perfectly healthy, normal eyes looking back at them.

Bro. Kendrick cried out in amazement that the baby's eye was healed. This African pastor calmly replied, what did you expect?

"That strengthened my faith," said Bro. Kendrick today.

I want faith like that. I want to pray expecting and anticipating God to intervene.

I want to pray for rain and bring my umbrella.

The same

Me 2007 and c. 1971

Brian says I sometimes still act the same too!
I think he was referring to our discussion about a new couch.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It's Christmas at our house!

I love our new Christmas tree!
It is a pencil pine. As our tradition, we decorated
the upstairs tree in gold to represent Heaven.

Brian, who loves all things 3-D, found these cool
3-D glasses at Cracker Barrel. When you look at Christmas lights,
they make the lights look like snow flakes.

I decided to use my year round pines in a Christmas tree collage.
As our tradition, we decorated the basement tree/trees with our
family ornaments.

I think Scooby is dreaming about what might
be under the tree for him!