We Wish You a Verrry Merry CHRISTMAS!!!!!

I sit here in the early morning....the house is still quiet. The welcoming lights from the Christmas tree beckons me nearer into this whole Christmas celebration...I am surrounded with faith and family (my sister which is married to my husband's brother are at our house for the holidays with their four precious kids.) Oh the good times! I know it won't be long and this whole house will become alive as the kid's run downstairs to the smell of sausage, eggs and toasted English muffins..Course the savory aroma of coffee might draw the adults to the kitchen too. Both of my parents have finished the race God put them on in this life and are even now experiencing that "Gold Cup:). But I have to think how they left a precious part of themselves here with us. My daddy was an old drunk in his younger years but God changed his life and took resident inside him. My mom followed my dad that same night in her commitment to their Christ. I serve that same Christ now and because of the steps my parents took and the choices they made, spared me a lot of heartache (actually I never would have been born as my mother was preparing to leave my dad 11 years before my birth). But God seeks to save them which are lost! I Praise Him!! Christmas always increases the coziness of what I actually have in Christ. This time of year it's a treasure to see the kids' faces light up over and over again a they experience everything this season has to offer...stories, lights, Christmas cookie bakes, setting up our Christmas village, decorating the tree (even carrying the tree in the house is an awesome thing!! As they take turns heaving the 6 foot Frasier! Mommy even has to pose for the camera as they eagerly draw me into their excitement! The music and Christmas movies, candies~it's all fun!! The secrets too...just yesterday after Church Mike kindly stopped at the local Christian bookstore because our 8 year old Cameron, all on his own, thought of something for mommy...I know I will treasure it forever, whatever it is...I caught him smiling the night before and upon questioning him, he replied something like this, "I'm just thinking about the present I am going to get you." Now that is precious!! Jesus must do that often and if we would see His smile and ask Him about it, He would probably, thinking of the grandness and greatness of Heaven,  reply, "I'm just thinking about the present I have for you." This is something to get excited about!!! What if I met people in Walmart and they asked me about the contagious smile on my face and I reply, "I'm just thinking about the gift God has for you!" That would have to pique their curiosityy!! I love it!!!~Cause I love Jesus!! And I want others to know and love Him too!

"While I'm Waiting"

"Thankfulness"

I am thankful for the inspired Word of God. An unchanging God, who is still our
all in all and our everything we need in this our modern day...for our salvation,
and the promise of heaven someday...

...that my little boys have a daddy in their life story...

...for life in the country..

...family camping trips or other outdoor excursions...

...Christmas stories around the campfire on chilly nights...

...all my handymen in the household...

...that our boys love and dare to be boys...

...country girls...

...raising our boys to be men of courage...

...the smile of kids...

...the awesome sweetness of opportunity to raise our daughter to appreciate true
feminine beauty as God planned...

...big brothers who are protectors of their siblings...

...our kids...

...that God gave us a gift of each other...

...our wrestling boys...

...the laughter of a child...

...the warmth of home, of music...

...a basket of flowers...

...our daily bread...

...crisp mornings in God's outdoor sanctuary...

...nature...

...hot chocolate chip cookies, spiced candles...




...Christmas! Jesus' Birthday celebration and celebrating our love for each
other...

...Thanksgiving~a special day to express our gratefulness...




...kid's sharing a story...

...the gift of "Love"...and to be able to share God's love with you...
...and many, many more blessings!...

A little late for a Thanksgiving blog? I don't think so. After all, as we told our kids, Thanksgiving is a special day to remember all the rest of the year where we experienced thankfulness. And that it wasn't always for experiences that we would have chosen had the choice been ours. But where our will surrendered to God and we allowed Him to teach us how to have a thankful heart. It isn't hard to be thankful and really excited when life is going just as we would have it, but it's the trials that God sometimes ask us to walk thro'. When He says, "Can I trust you to portrait Me in this tough situation"? I want to be glorified says my King! Will you bring Me glory as you walk a path that will bring pain to yourself? Maybe it's rejection and our hearts ache within us...can I bring My King Glory due His awesome Name?! That is Thanksgiving to me~when I find myself thanking my God for the pruning He's done in my life. But when I try to measure the tough times on a scale with  the times of peace that is beyond our understanding and the joy filled laughter, I have to say our joy comes out on top. Thank You Jesus!! But sometimes it's choosing to be grateful when I'd rather sulk about something! When I finally tell myself, "I don't want to be strong. I want to go back to bed and pull the covers over my head". But I can choose in that moment to represent Christ to our kids looking on. I feel an urgency to pass the test. I sense the future of our kids at stake spiritually. Can I walk this path with joy? Can we portray to these lil' human blessings that God is not tuned out but possibly He's chosen us as He did Job, when He asked satan, "Have you considered my servant Job?" Now, before I go further, our life is not what Job experienced but we can still choose to respond in Job's fashion in whatever situation God takes us through. Our desire is to live a poured out life for our King who chose to make us a part of His royal linage. Wow! I thought of the song the other day, "I Can Only Imagine" and part of it says will we dance, bow in awe, etc when we see our Savior for the first time? Well my immediate thought was, I would definitely dance!! But.... at this moment I think I would bow in complete awe of the Saviour who is the very definition of "Love". However it's going to be we want our little family to be a part of the grand Heavenly celebration!!