Merry Christmas!

When we lived in Arizona, good friends of ours had a tradition of a Christmas Eve open house.  We spent several of those together eating chowder, reminiscing about the year, and taking a look at the tree ornament they had chosen for that year of life.  As recently marrieds, their collection of nearly 20 ornaments was inspiring to us, and we decided to begin collecting ornaments to represent our life together.  While many of you are too far away to actually stop by, there's nothing stopping us from having a virtual Christmas Eve open house.  :)  

Welcome to our humble abode!  As you come up to the front door, you'll pass our only outside decoration.  This year, we decided to keep things simple ~ though we LOVE driving by the houses of all of you who get great joy out of decorating to the hilt ~ no judgment here  :)  .  The stable is new, and made out of the old baby crib.  Sort of fitting, don't you think?   Watch your step, we still need to clear off the front steps.  Don't look too closely in the corners, and if you write a message in the dust, make it a nice one.  :)

Inside, you'll pass by our Christmas tree, nestled in against the windows.  I'll probably point out our  curtains from God behind the tree.  This year we scaled back the ornaments, including just our very favorites.  If you look closely, you'll see one from the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix from our first year of marriage.  A friend had given us tickets to their Las Noches de la Luminarias as a wedding present, and we'll always remember walking the candle lit trails in the chilly December air listening to music at different stations set up throughout the garden.  Another ornament, a blue velvet star, is more bittersweet, as its beads shine in memory of our children awaiting us in heaven.  Thomas the train, Cinderella, and various other ornaments were chosen by our 6 year old and 4 year old.  And I'll show you  this year's ornament, a simple word:  Joyful.   What a joy-filled year it has been, even in the midst of challenges.

Under the tree the kids will point out the gifts to Jesus.  This is new for 2011, and hopefully will become a part of our Christmas celebration.  We've wrapped up reminders of ways that we have been the hands and feet of Christ in this past year:  feeding the hungry, donating for orphans, sending clean water, packing shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, etc.  Come Christmas morning, those will be some of the first presents that we open, along with the stockings.   Then after church and our daughter's baptism(!), they'll tear into their own gifts.



Yummy sights and smells beckon from the dining room.  Frosted sugar cookies are a tradition from my childhood.  The rounded green trees with little sprinkles as ornaments, yellow stars sprinkled with glistening sugar crystals ~ those are memories from my childhood. When I was a newlywed I was on a quest to find the exact cookie cutters in antique stores to continue the tradition.  This year the girl child chose pink frosting to decorate her hearts and mittens, and the boy child decorated a train.  To the green trees, we've added saguaro cactus-shaped cookies, in memory of our life in the desert.  You didn't happen to bring some tamales, did you?   :)

On the side table you'll see a collection jar, with a picture of a church.  Not long ago, the Mr. was convicted to begin getting rid of some of our excess . .   selling it off . . . and using the money to help the poor build a church.  Build a church?  Surely not, God.  But yes, confirmation came from Scripture that this is indeed part of what we are being called to do.  Maybe Abigail is part of this bigger project?  So in faith we are beginning our collection jar. where penny by penny, dollar by dollar, God will bring His idea to fruition.  We don't yet know where, or when, or how, but are trusting that He does.  However it ends up happening, it will definitely by God who gets the glory, because of our own efforts alone, this would definitely not be possible.  (Sound familiar?)  Fitting enough, the first pennies given were from our oldest child.



If you're here at the right time tonight, you can join us in our Advent reading (written by a dear friend for our church).  This year's readings have been just perfect for going through with little ones and help to keep the focus on Jesus.  We'll talk about how you see God working in your life and what a faithful God we serve.  We'll talk, laugh together, shed a few tears, sing Christmas carols (a bit off-key, unless you're the musical one), listen to small children playing in the other room,  and add a few more links to our chain of friendship.

Too quickly, you'll tell me that you have to leave, and the house will empty out.  Once everyone has left, and the house is quiet and dark, I'll probably shed a few tears and thank our God for sending such wonderful friends into my life.  For friends that have been woven into my life over the years, and for those that God has recently sent my way. I thank God for you!

Merry Christmas to you, my friend.  May this year ahead bring a life of joy even in the midst of the hard, may it bring you ever closer to Jesus, and may you find peace in all circumstances.  Would you leave a comment letting me know that you stopped by, so that I can be praying for you on your journey?  And if you need prayers for something specific, send me an email.  It would be a blessing to be able to lift you up in prayer.

 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.  I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.   Psalm 9:1-2

Joyfully awaiting

In this season of Advent, I have found many parallels with our waiting journey.  Preparation of hearts and meditation on His word while awaiting the fulfillment of a promise.  The season began with experiencing a Sabbath meal and day of rest (part of our homeschool curriculum).  My daughter helped bake the challah and we lit the candles, remembering that Jesus is the light of the world.  As we broke the bread and blessed the wine grape juice,  we remembered His words at that first Lord's supper.

An evening of celebrating our church's anniversary followed, as we enjoyed good music, laughter, and fellowship.  We spent the next day in worship, study, and a meal with our church family.  As daddy used some of his down time to get the stable ready, inside we worked on the tree.  The first two ornaments hung were a sparkly star and a scroll with the words "Mighty Counselor, Prince of Peace" that our two children had made that morning in Sunday school.  We set up the nativity scene under the tree, ready for little hands to begin acting out the story.

As night fell, we went out to take in the scene, Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus.  A humble birth, simple surroundings, but oh-so-filled with love and life.   For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.  Luke 2:11

  
We mourned the passing of my husband's grandfather in the midst of family from near and far.  But through the clouds, God's light broke through.  That same weekend, our daughter went forward to declare her belief in Jesus as her Savior and request baptism.  Life ending, new life beginning.

Our family ornament for this year (the third of the so far only three on the tree) captures our life right now well:  Joyful.  Joyfully awaiting.  Joyfully submitting.  And the verse that was included on it will serve as a reminder of when we received our promise.  2/11 .  . . February 11, 2011.  Our Christmas is more humble this year, more mindful of the fact that we're not celebrating our birthdays, but the birth of our King.  Rejoice!




When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.  Matthew 2:10-11

God's macro perspective

This morning we had our first snow.  One of my favorite things to do on a snowy day is to grab my little point and shoot camera and put it on digital macro setting, then head outside to try to catch some of the ornate wonder hidden there.

From a distance, it just looks like a white blanket, but when you get to looking closely, the flakes can be seen as separate crystals.  Then zooming in, the real beauty shows up:

Each one slightly different, but beautiful.  Perfect hexagons, simple six-pointed crosses, or ornate designs, tucked among the fibers of a scarf or glove.  Beauty even in those that have been marred in the fall. 

The world sees humanity as the mass of bodies, some 7 billion potential consumers.  It's tempting at times to think that we don't matter ~ what's one more voice or one more set of hands?  What difference will my decisions really make in the midst of so many.  But God, He sees us each with perfect vision, zoomed in close.  Amidst the chaos and busyness, His perspective of us is perfect and focused.  And in His perspective, we find the truth of who we are.  Created by God to bring Him glory.