Unwrapping Christmas Hope

It's Thursday and time for another Faith Barista Jam!  The topic for this week is my hopes for Christmas.

As a parent, my hope this Christmas is that my children will realize that it's not ALL about them and what they want.  Of course I want them to have a great holiday with all the fun it brings...lights, Santa's magic (yes, I said the S word), candy canes, eating way too much....but I want them to really KNOW that Jesus is why we celebrate Christmas.  He is the reason for the gifts and the celebration.  Without His coming to earth as a baby we'd have no hope for eternal life...

As I pondered Christmas hope, I had the thought to look up the definition of the word.  According to good ole Webster HOPE is defined as:

to desire with expectation of obtainment or to expect with confidence

Hmmmm....'expectation of obtainment'....that's a good one!  We expect that we are going to obtain what we wish for this Christmas...a realization that Jesus is the central character in the drama that unfolds this time of year.  We expect with confidence that He is going to make Himself real to us and our family by His Spirit until we see Him face to face...ah the Blessed Hope!

So at our house this year we plan to unwrap a little Christmas Hope...something that we can hold onto all year long...all eternity long.  How about yours?

'It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,  while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ... '            Titus 2:12-13

Christmas Memories

We had our office Christmas party today...we had more "balls" and dips than you can imagine...sausage dip, spinach dip, guacamole dip, cheese ball, veggie ball, sausage ball, meatballs, and the infamous orange ball (made by yours truly)...

As I was making the orange balls last night the smells took me back to my childhood.  My GeeGee and I used to make them every year.  We'd sit at her kitchen table and get out the ingredients and put our hands in the orange goo, mix, pat, roll, and eat--I mean, put in the storage container!  What a great memory...she'll be so proud that I did remember something.  She always says that she tried so hard to create memories with us, but we didn't remember anything.  That's usually true, but I do remember making orange balls...and cracking pecans!

I can't express how important it is to make memories with our children that they will remember in their adult years.  Even if they don't remember most of them there's bound to be at least one or two that'll stick with them.  But the most important thing we can teach our kid's about is our Jesus...remember that this holiday season...


The infamous orange balls (minus the coconut)





Tuesday's Unwrapped

What a cold Tuesday....winter is here!!  On this Tuesday Unwrapped I just want to take a quick minute and share a little from my bible study this morning.  I'm doing the 90 journey of the life of Paul by Beth Moore.  Today we made it to where Paul was blinded on the road to Damascus.  In search of Christians to persecute.  He was stopped dead in his tracks and a blindness overtook him.  He was completely helpless.  Couldn't see.  Didn't know what in the world had just happened to him...

Has God ever just knocked you right off your donkey?  Just slapped you upside the head and said, "LOOK!"  Paul thought that what he believed in was right.  He was sure he was doing everyone a favor by getting rid of the Christians...but God had other plans for Him.  What about us?  What about the things that we are so sure that we are doing right?  What if the path we've chosen seems like the right one, but God has other plans for us? 

Are we willing to sit up and take notice when He upsets our little world?  Are we willing to search His Word and spend time with Him to find out exactly what His plan for our life is?  When you get knocked off your donkey (as Beth says) get up, dust off your traveling robe, and take notice of what He is trying to tell you!



Marvelous Monday

It's here again...Monday.  My marvelous tidbit for this cold Monday is a little definition to get your minds unthawed! 

Ambassador:  an authorized messenger or representative. 

The beloved apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 6:19-20:

'Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,  for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.' 

So what does that mean for us on this Monday centuries later?  The same thing it meant for him as he sat in a jail in chains for His Jesus- we are HIS ambassadors.  We are His messengers to our co-workers, friends, or the clerk at the grocery store.  We are His earthly representativeses of His goodness and mercy.  It is our choice.  We can be good ambassadors or we can be bad ones.  We can show Jesus to others by our lives and our actions.  Or we can hide Him in our house and bring Him out to church on Sunday.

I choose to show Him to everyone I come in contact with.  He is my God, my Savior, my All and I will not be ashamed of Him or His Word.  I will 'declare it fearlessly, as I should.'



Our Zach declaring his love for His Jesus by serving others!



Christmas Fun

I am so excited.  The Christmas celebrations are gearing up for this weekend!  So I thought to give a run-down of what we're doing...in case anyone is looking for something to do!

To start things off, we'll be traveling to Greenwood (my old college town) to the Connie Maxwell Children's Home to enjoy the Christmas celebration.  They are their own little community and they are decked out in Christmas lights.  They also have a live nativity, singing, horse-drawn carriage rides, and so much more.  It runs tonight and Saturday night from 6-830pm. 

Tomorrow from 1-6pm we are heading to Pendleton to Timm's Mill for the annual Christmas party.  There will be milling (grits/cornmeal), grits/cider, Tugaloo Holler (blue grass band), horse back riding, and more.  This is always a great time!  One of the doctor's I work for, Dr. David Wortham, owns the mill and puts on a grand affair!  Just click on the link above for directions.

Lastly, on Sunday at 2:00pm, we'll be heading over to the Hospice House in Anderson for the tree lighting ceremony.  We've purchased a ribbon in Mimi's name as well as an inscribed bell.  Bittersweet, but we want our kid's to remember her and all she meant to us!

And I almost forgot!  Zach will be going with his Royal Rangers group from church to ring the Salvation Army bell at the Central Walmart from 2-4pm!  What a great opportunity to teach our kid's it's not all about them this Christmas!  They'll also be invading the toy department to shop for their 'Angel Child' they've adopted this year!  He is looking forward to a great time!

Get out and do something with your family this weekend!  The things I've listed are free of charge and should be a good time for all!

Unwrapping Christmas

It's hard to believe it's that time of year already, but ready or not here it is!  Bonnie over at Faith Barista has kicked off a Thursday jam today and the topic is 'your hopes for Christmas' this year.

I can honestly say that my hope for Christmas this year is rediscovery.  Rediscovery is defined as:
the act, process, or an instance of discovering (something) again.  I love that.  Discovering something again...what is your something this year?

I want to rediscover the basic's of Christmas.  The real meaning we even celebrate the holiday...JESUS.  It is His birth into this world and His eventual redemption of a people for Himself that is celebrated.  Without the birth there would have been no death...no cross...no hope for me or you.

I want to rediscover the innocence of a child's smile when they see the first grand display of Christmas lights.  I want to see their happiness when we drive through the local 'live' nativity scenes.  To see what they have gotten under the Christmas tree...

I want to rediscover the Christmas story through the eyes of a child.  The wonder of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus being born with the animals.  The wise men that came from far away to visit.  The shepherds that came running...

Take a step back this year before your Christmas gets too hectic and filled with parties and events to really see what Christmas is all about.  Share the real meaning of the holiday with someone else.  Share it with your children.  Don't leave Christ out of Christmas...make Him the center of it as He deserves to be!

'While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.'  Luke 2:6-7 

A Glimpse of Tomorrow...Yesterday

Yesterday I caught a glimpse of what my future with my sweet Sam could hold.   Most of you know that I am a nurse at a local Endoscopy center.  We had a patient come through that was soon to be 59 years old.  His mama was with him and she had to be every bit of 80 (if not more).  So sweet.  But what made it even sweeter for me was that the man had Cerebral Palsy.  His mother told me that he took care of her and she him...but that he did most of the care-giving.  They have taken care of each other for almost 59 years...

This made me think about our Sam.  I pray that he can become independent and have his own life.  My hope for him is that he will go to 'normal' school, college, marry, and have kids.  But if that is not what He has planned for our Sam then I pray we can be like the mother and son I saw yesterday.  Taking care of each other-no matter what.  I want him to know that he always has his mama.  If that is not in His plan then I pray that there is someone else who will step in for me and be our Sam's 'mama'.

Today we wouldn't dream of discarding our disabled children into an institution or 'home', but back in the 50's that was something that was recommended for some of these children.  I admire the mother who has spent her life taking care of HER son.  Not casting him off on someone else.  So admirable...I'm sure she didn't imagine her life this way as a young girl, but now as an elderly mother of a dear son--I know she wouldn't have it any other way...

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.  Isaiah 55:8