Close Out of a Year

Whew!  Have you been able to take a moment and stop and catch your breath after the holiday "gladness"?  (I'd say "madness" but that word only fits in certain cases and not in this one :)  I've said it before...I love the holidays!  But, this week between Christmas and New Year's can be a bit of a "no man's land".  Sleeping in, eating up all the leftovers and goodies, continued visits with guests and the big decision "Do we have a New Year's party or not?".  (oops...forgot the other big question "Do I take down the tree and all the decorations, or wait until the first week of January?"  This week holds all the possibilities of getting something "done" or continuing on with celebration.  Once your family and guests leave...we are left with...what now?  


At this moment, my dear sweet and incredibly gifted, strong husband is re-rocking our fireplace (is re-rocking a word?).  We have an old grey brick front on our fireplace and have for 6-1/2 years wanted to replace it.  An unexpected "blessing" is enabling us to do this.  It was "planned" for January, but the rock came in yesterday and since Jim has a couple of free days...and yes, if you know my husband at all...it will be done in a couple of days!  My tree is still up; the garlands still hanging, and my living room looks like a rock quarry!  The questions playing in my mind yesterday (as in the first paragraph of this blog)...have now been answered.  The only thing getting "done" this week is that fireplace!  I am hiding in the bedroom!  Actually, I have been invited by two very close girlfriends to go to the coast for a couple of days...Jim was invited also, but with the arrival of the rock...well, you get the picture....I get a girls' trip away and it couldn't have come at a better time :)  When I return, all will be done, the dust and rock will be cleared (I HOPE he reads this blog :)  and I can rejoice with a lovely fireplace setting.  The Christmas clean-up will wait :)


My favorite part of this week is the quiet waiting upon the Lord to get a sense of His plan and goals for the coming year.  I always ask Him for a Scripture reference to "pray over my children" for the next 12 months.  I ask for a sense of purpose and some practical goals I can write in my journal.  I admit that I feel a bit distracted as I write this and hear banging in the next room, but I am hoping and anticipating the quiet time at the coast will give me some direction for 2012 :)   My prayer for you, my dear friends, is you will also be able to find some quiet time with no distractions to wait on God and hear His voice and His heart for you for 2012.  It brings a sense of joy and peace to go into a new year  having heard from Him.  I certainly don't get all my questions answered or have a 12-month plan, but just knowing in my heart I am being held by His hand enables me to face January with a measure of hope.  Some of us need hope for the coming year - perhaps 2011 was definitely not what you expected. Life threw some curve balls at you.  If the past twelve months is a year you do not want repeated in any shape or form...and you need hope and joy once again, take some moments in these last couple days of the year to sit at His feet and draw strength from Him.  So that "times of refreshing may come from the Lord" Acts 3:19    


And I pray the God of all peace will grant you all the strength, comfort, peace and joy your heart is needing and wanting as you close out 2011.  

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Advent Baby, Part 2

I watched a Christmas movie the other day where a children's pageant was being played out.  I was reminded of my own children in the days when they were shepherds, wise men and, yes, angels (oh they were so cute!! :)  One time as the procession was making their ascent on the stairs to the stage, the narrator proclaimed "and the wise men fell down before the babe and worshipped Him."  One wise man did just that...he tripped and fell flat down before the manger.  The crowd loved it, although it wasn't planned :)   (I think that was the moment my son decided he had acting ability :)


Can you imagine the scene....the shepherds, the wise men, bowing down before the King of kings?  All humanity worshipping before the greatest baby ever born?  

What happened to the baby?

Revelation 5...

"...Do not weep!  See the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.  He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.  Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne..."

"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with our blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.  You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."

"Then I looked and heard the voice of many nagels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand.  They encircled the throne and the living creatures and elders.  In a loud voice they sang...

"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and praise!"

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:

"To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be praise and honor and glory and power, 

for ever and ever!"

The four living creatures said, "AMEN" and the elders fell down and worshipped."

THAT is what happend to the baby :)

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Fourth Week of Advent: Where Did the Baby Go?

The anticipation and waiting....the days and weeks before Christmas are full, frenzied and can be fun as we get ready to be with loved ones to celebrate.  We are in the midst of the fourth week of advent (and yes, I missed Sunday...but never too late to ponder).


The fourth week of Advent centers on the theme of LOVE.  Not enough words or thoughts to fully grasp what love means during the Advent season.  God stuffing himself into human form....living in the flesh on our little planet to draw us to Himself...giving his life for our redemption....trading our sorrows for His joy, our pain and sickness for His wholeness.  Our past and present for His future :)


I heard a comment this week about how people try to be so much nicer and kind and giving during this time of year.  Why can't they be like that all the time?  Why do we focus on being nice and unselfish seemingly only once in 365 days?   I thought... well, given the condition of the human race, at least one time a year the entire world focuses in that direction - which I think is good.  At least once in 12 months the world thinks about Christmas and giving ....and many have the name of Jesus touching their lips.  The choruses of Hallelujah, Joy to the World, O Come All Ye Faithful....they are being sung in different languages all over the globe!  Yeah!!  At least one season a year, the entire universe (and our schools, concerts, secular singers, etc.) sing about the birth of the Messiah.  Even if the other 11 months of the year, they don't even pause to give Him thought.


I wonder...in Luke 2:21-38 we have the story of baby Jesus at eight days old being taken to the temple to be presented.  Simeon, a righteous man, awaiting the "salvation of Israel" recognizes the Messiah and praises Him (verse 29-32).  Anna, a prophetess, also thanks God and "spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Israel." (verse 36-38)  This man and woman had been "looking" for the Messiah (and I think actively seeking, not just "living religion") -  so when He came, they recognized Him.  Jesus' parents marveled about what was being said about their son (verse 33).  I imagine those in the temple that day heard something that amazed them.  Then...where did this baby go?


A step back...the shepherds after seeing the angel and going to the stable, they spread the word concerning all they saw and were told about the baby Jesus. (Luke 2:17-18)  Then what?...where did this baby go?


We read about Joseph and Mary taking baby Jesus to Egypt to escape King Herod (Matthew 2:13-15) and his return to Nazareth (Matthew 2: 19-23).  We catch up with him later in the temple at 12 years of age (Luke 2:41-51) and he grew up in Nazareth.  And we don't hear about him again until he is around thirty years of age (Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3:23, and John 1:29).  What happened during all those years?  We are told he lived in Nazareth and grew in wisdom and stature, in favor with God and man (Luke 2:51-52).


Where did the baby go which so many heard about?  Did some look for him?  Inquire about him?  Wonder where the "salvation and redemption of Israel" went that Simeon talked about that day in the temple?  There are quite a few years where I wonder...did people even think about him or what they had heard?  Again, where did that baby go? (until He shows up on the scene 30 years later and changes everything!!)


Well, not much has changed really.....we are here again in December and people are thinking about Jesus and His birthday, and singing about it in all their concerts and pageants.  We, as Christians, celebrate one of our most revered holidays.  For others, it is a winter holiday, but the season does give space and opportunity to draw hearts' in a certain direction and towards the Redeemer.  


One last thought....this time of year is not easy for some.  The holidays bring memories of pain, loss and heartache.  It is not a time of celebration for all.  As we go about our celebrating, let's extend a hand of grace and LOVE to those around us....that person who bumps you in the store and doesn't apologize; the lady who cuts in front of you in the line (or takes your parking space :) and returns a dirty look or perhaps worse; the person you smile at but he/she in turn  doesn't return the kindness.  We don't know their hearts or their life story...perhaps they need just a kind word, a favor or a smile (even a prayer on their behalf :)  Or even closer to home, that scenario where you could argue or say an unkind word out of impatience or irritation to a loved one or friend.  So much busyness and not enough hours in the day to get it all done....let's extend grace to those around us...in our homes...and in our neighborhoods.  Let's "do" grace and love - take a deep breath, and not let those small irritations ruin our day or moment.  Practice forgiveness rather than anger and bitterness.  The baby is still in our midst...here in the now and present.  Immanuel - God still with us :) Some may "forget" Him in January, but for now, let's love and be gracious!  It could make a lasting difference in the life of someone around you.

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A Chocolate Covered Christmas

This is not a serious post....


It is the middle of the month...


It is the last full shopping weekend before Christmas....


It is the fourth Sunday of Advent in 2 days....


It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas....


And...it is "National Chocolate Covered Anything" Day (it really is!  You can google American Food Holidays and find it!)  And so in honor of this day...

Frozen Peppermint Cheesecake with chocolate drizzle - you can find the recipe @ 

http://www.smuckers.com/Recipes

Cherries dipped in Belgium milk chocolate (oh please :)

 A mix of chocolate and salty...mmmmm :)

Oh, my...these are fun!

Chocolate covered waffles .... what a way to start today :)

Another way to get your servings of fruit :)

Double sweetness, but for those who adore marshmallows :)

For the Oreo lover....

Anything is possible....a bit of protein with your chocolate :)

And yes, I said ANYTHING is possible....

Okay...you don't have to go that far!

But since it is Chocolate Covered Anything Day...and the holiday season conjures up all sorts of sweets and goodies for us....chocolate has a generous part to play.  Indulge a bit today and cover something fun in chocolate :)  (and I will see you in January at the gym!!  :)  

Happy Chocolate Day!

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Third Sunday of Advent: The Amazement of a Baby

We move into the third Sunday of Advent (tomorrow).  I'm a day early, but last week I was a day late, so I am evening things out a little :)


If I were to put a thought or theme into words for this Sunday, it would be JOY or amazement....EXCEEDING JOY!  (again I know there are traditional themes for the Sundays, but this word is leaping out at me today).  Take time in the next couple of days to read the birth of Christ in Luke 2.  A story you hear every December...from the amazing moment in "Charlie Brown's Christmas" to pageants and concerts that fill our calendar days this month.  These historical words ring out all over the world....we hear them every year, yet do we stop and ponder their overwhelming significance?


Our first "witnesses" of this history altering event were the shepherds.  They were terrified and probably equally amazed to have an angel appear to them with a message.  Shepherds in first-century Palestine were a despised group.  Their very job kept them from observing ceremonial law, which at that time meant a lot to the religious of their culture.  They were not a trusted group of men and often considered unreliable, unable to even give testimony in the courts of law.  (interesting considering they probably provided food and livelihood for many of their day - what would they have done without their shepherds?)  Yet, God chose to use this dirty, outcast class to bring the very first message to the people on earth of the birth of His Son (not including the angel, of course).


And they were so AMAZED at what was told them, they hurried to Bethlehem to see "this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told them".  Imagine their excitement when they found exactly what the angel had announced.  Staffs in hand and cloaks a flying, they rushed off to tell everyone they saw.  "And all who heard it were amazed at what the (dirty, unreliable, untrustworthy, ceremonially unclean) shepherds told them" (my emphasis :)


We are missing something vital if we are not AMAZED at what the shepherds saw and proclaimed - GOOD news that will cause GREAT JOY for all people (vs. 10).


I cannot begin to fathom GOD the maker of earth, Eloiym (Creator God), Yahweh (Covenant God), El Elyon (Most High), Adonai (LORD, Master)....becoming a BABY in the flesh for us.  Our salvation.  Our redemption.


I will never forget an eye-opening moment our first Christmas with our oldest daughter.  We were attending a large Christmas dinner with about 100 others.  At the end of the meal and program, my husband gave closing remarks and a prayer.  He held up our baby and with tears streaming down his face said "Can you even imagine GOD ALMIGHTY inhabiting a baby to save us...look at this baby....can you even comprehend it?"  No, I cannot.  It is beyond what my mind and heart can understand.  But yet, He did just that.


Our very good friends' son and wife just had a baby.  Several of us went to the hospital to celebrate with the couple and their newborn.  As I held this darling infant, all swaddled in soft blankets, and I looked upon his beautiful face, I was enamored.  I could have stared into his sleeping face all day.  He was a beautiful newborn baby.  And....I was reminded of our baby Jesus.  I could stare into His face all day!


The birth of babies make our hearts burst with joy, celebration and amazement.  Their innocence, beauty and perfection bring a new sense of life, purpose and beginning.  When a couple of a new baby walk into the room, everyone runs to see the baby and want to ooh and awe and hold the darling.  That is what the arrival of a baby usually does.


"Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart" - what the shepherds told her. (vs. 19)  Oh let's ponder today, tomorrow and as we get closer to the day we celebrate the birth of the most incredible and amazing baby ever to be born upon this earth.  Every time you see a baby, ponder.  Every time you gaze at an infant, be amazed at the fact that God actually came in infant form.  

AND BE FILLED WITH EXCEEDING JOY !

BECAUSE HE CAME FOR YOU!

Josiah James

born November 29, 2011

(our newest friend :)

And you can see why I could stare at that baby face all day :)

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O Tannenbaum

O Christmas Tree O Christmas Tree

Your branches green delight us!

It's fascinating how a simple green tree adorned with lights seems to awaken a childlike excitement in us...or some of us anyway!  I love when it is time to put up the tree.  Once you get the past the figuring out which lights work, the untangling of the strings of lights and get them on the tree draping just right....it is rather enjoyable.  Like many of you, I put on Christmas music, have a hot cup of tea on hand and enjoy the tradition with the giddiness of a young child.  Even though I don't have little ones running around helping me any more, I enjoy immensely that my youngest daughter still finds time to help make this tree look incredible!  She, like me, is a visual person, so this tree has to look just right...and she is the one to make it happen!

But have you ever wondered..."why in the world do we go outside every year the first week of December in the cold and oftentimes rain, to cut down a tree, drag it home on the roof of the car, let it dry a bit, trim the branches and then comes the task of getting it to stand upright...all the while getting stuck and pricked with needles?"  My husband posed this question to me in our first year of marriage.  He is from "down under" and let's face it...a eucalyptus branch is more likely available than a Douglas Fir.  I remember a Christmas in Adelaide one year when the children were little and we were visiting family, that we found a bunch of palm-tree like branches, stuck them in a large container and decorated with paper-chains and popcorn.  It was great!!

But the non-American man in my life has always posed these questions to me - why do you Americans do what you do at holidays?  He just wanted to know why we do what we do?  My answer...I don't know...we just do!  :)   So early on in our marriage, I had to research a bit and explain why pumpkins have faces and why our floor every December is covered in dry needles from a big tree in the corner.

There's a lot out there if you Google, but one earlier version says that Martin Luther in the 1500's was walking in a forest one cold Christmas eve and was struck by the beauty of a group of evergreens dusted with snow shimmering in the moonlight.  He went home and brought a small fir tree inside and decorated it with candles to signify the light of Christ and His birth.  We attribute our decorating of a tree to Luther.

Earlier in history the Egyptians were part of a long line of cultures that worshipped evergreens.  When the winter solstice arrived, they brought green date palm leaves into their homes to symbolize life's triumph over death.  Many peoples of history - the Romans, Druids of Great Britain, Germans and Scandinavians, just to name a few, brought greenery into their dwellings to signify life, ward off evil spirits (oh great!) and show their hope of the forthcoming springtime.

The idea of the Christmas tree was most likely brought to America by the Hessian troops during the American Revolution or with German immigrants to Pennsylvania.  The custom spread slowly, however, and it wasn't until 1851 when a farmer brought a load of trees to New York City and sold them.  By 1900, one in five American families had a tree and nearly 20 years later the custom had caught on nationwide.  Christmas tree farming sprung up during the depression as nurserymen couldn't sell their evergreens for landscaping, so they began to cut them down for Christmas trees.

A quick note...artificial trees began being produced as early as the 19th century in Germany and in 1930 a U.S. based company began producing artificial trees using brushes...they used the same machinery to make toilet brushes (lovely!) and then dyed them green.  Today trees are made from a variety of material (the aluminum tree became popular in the U.S. and but in 1965 the year Charlie Brown's Christmas aired for the first time, the negative portrayal of the aluminum tree caused sales to decline in the years to follow...that's a tidbit you probably didn't know).

The tradition of a tree in living rooms around the world has held fast.  We have years of fun memories and family times that fill our hearts with good cheer.  It's the little things that accompany this time of year that I do love so much.  And now you and I know "why we do what we do" :)

I do have a confession....in the past 8 or so years, we have enjoyed our very own artificial tree...the year all the kids were "busy" and hubby and I trudged out on our own to a tree farm, cut the evergreen without all the pomp and ceremony that came with little ones...we decided something had to change.  That was the same year, due to overwatering (fear of fire and our need to see this baby live as long as possible :) and the stump of the tree being waterlogged...that our beautifully elaborately decorated piece of art fell over TWICE in the space of a week.  My daughter will only help me twice to decorate or fix a tree...after that, she told me I was on my own!  We put a rope around our "tradition" and nailed it to the wall!    

I adore Christmas trees....I love decorating....and I especially appreciate the smell.... in a matter of minutes, I assemble the tree, straighten branches and viola!  I have my tree! I have Bing Crosby crooning in the background "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas", my hot cuppa and a balsam candle burning.  I have it all!!  And I am happy!  I just await my lovely daughter to help me finish the job!  (The other day a friend of hers came over and said how Christmassy it smelled in my home....yes!  I achieved my purpose...even with an artificial tree!)

However you enjoy your tree and all the traditions of this season, do just that...ENJOY and don't miss the special moments that accompany these December days.  A favorite for me is in the evening to sit by the tree, with only the Christmas lights aglow and enjoy the peace of the night.  I hope your days and nights are filled with similar delights and memories!

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St. Nicholas Day

Hidden amongst the first days of December and the beginning of the holiday extravaganza, noise and bustle, is a holiday most Americans are unaware.  This special day, along with the Advent season, became a tradition of our days in Austria.  And is the namesake where Father Christmas and Santa Claus get their beginnings....


Nicholas was born in the third century in the small village of Patara, once a part of Greece, but now is modern day southern Turkey.  He was born to wealthy parents who raised him as a devout Christian.  His parents, however, died in an epidemic when Nicholas was very young.  His uncle, a bishop in the church, went on to raise Nicholas. This young boy spent the rest of his life obeying Jesus' words to give to the poor and needy, the sick and suffering.


There are stories and legends that follow his life.  One interesting one I found in Wikipedia:

In his most famous exploit,[18] a poor man had three daughters but could not afford a proper dowry for them. This meant that they would remain unmarried and probably, in absence of any other possible employment, would have to become prostitutes. Hearing of the poor man's plight, Nicholas decided to help him, but being too modest to help the man in public (or to save the man the humiliation of accepting charity), he went to his house under the cover of night and threw three purses (one for each daughter) filled with gold coins through the window opening into the man's house.

One version has him throwing one purse for three consecutive nights. Another has him throw the purses over a period of three years, each time the night before one of the daughters comes of age. Invariably, the third time the father lies in wait, trying to discover the identity of their benefactor. In one version the father confronts the saint, only to have Saint Nicholas say it is not him he should thank, but God alone. In another version, Nicholas learns of the poor man's plan and drops the third bag down the chimney instead; a variant holds that the daughter had washed her stockings that evening and hung them over the embers to dry, and that the bag of gold fell into the stocking.

Thus, the origins of our own Santa Claus.  St. Nicholas was a real man, however, revered amongst Catholic and Orthodox Christians.  He gets his reputation of gift-giving due to the fact that much of what he gave to the poor and needy, he did in secret (or tried to).  He died on December 6th, 323 AD in Myra, Greece.  The day became a holiday celebrating a man who selflessly gave and he is honored in many Catholic nations today as the protector and helper of those in need.

December 6th is celebrated today as a primary day of gift-giving before Christmas.  Children set out their shoes the night before and they awake in the morning to find them filled with candy, nuts, oranges, etc.  (the shoes come from another story where Nicholas used to put a gold coin in the shoes of children)  Another aspect of the "celebration" is the part where if you were not "good" you woke to find a lump of clay in your boots instead of goodies.  (that naughty or nice thing :)

I lived in a missions community during my time in Austria.  We had such fun with this day.  We would all put our shoes out at night outside our door and then take turns going around in the middle of the night to put goodies in our friends' footware.  Once we discovered our shoes in the morning, we would all celebrate with a festive brunch and the joy of being together, laughing, telling stories and singing and worshipping the God who is the ultimate Giver.  

My most memorable St. Nicholas day was the year my roommate and I got fooled.  We lived in a small room at the top of the small "castle" which was our home on Schneedorflstrasse (little snow village street :).  We had a room at the end of a very long and narrow hallway.  Only one other person lived at the opposite end of that hallway.  My incredibly fun roommate and I decided to put out not only one pair of shoes, but every shoe, boot, and slipper we owned.  Understand we are two young women in our twenties...have lived in Europe for years, and I lived in Italy for 3 years during a time when the dollar was good and leather shoes were inexpensive.  You get the idea...we had LOTS of shoes.  Out went the shoes lining the long hallway and off we went to bed.  It was so fun lying in bed and hearing the giggles and sometimes loud laughing of those who came to fill our shoes.   It was a great night.....then came morning :)  Opening our door to find our shoes filled....every last one of them with coal!  There wasn't a candy or nut in sight!   We laughed so hard and enjoyed our friends more than we could say!  Of course, we found out later who it was that took all our candy and filled the shoes.....our neighbor in the hallway lived in "fear" the rest of his days on the top floor of our little castle :)

December should be filled with celebration....there are scores of those who have gone before us that we honor for their giving and generosity.  Enjoy St. Nicholas day...maybe for the first time....and bless someone today - perhaps in secret - but give out of the abundance of your heart and an expression of the greatest Gift of all during this season. 

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Advent Peace

I know, it is Monday...the day after the second Sunday of Advent.  It was one of those weekends....lots of activity and celebration; I celebrated a birthday. Last night when finally laying head to pillow, my heart was filled with thanksgiving for my life - my family and friends and the blessings of knowing Him.  When I awoke yesterday morning I told the Lord that when I laid down at night at the close of the day, I wanted to be overwhelmed by His goodness and my eyes would see how much He had blessed me in my life.  Suffice it to say, overwhelmed was an understatement!  HE IS SO INCREDIBLY GOOD and when we ask Him to show us how good, He loves doing just that!  I had a great birthday and weekend - surrounded by the love of family and friends. I am most grateful :)


Yesterday we lit the second candle of Advent.  Looking back through my notes, each candle holds a meaning and they vary depending on who is writing the information.  As we are meditating on His birth and anticipate His coming, I don't think it matters much the order in which we process the historical data.  At our own church service, the candle signified PEACE, followed by the prophetic words:

"And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:6b

A prince...a member of a royal family, nobility; another definition says "an officer who administers the affairs of a province".  I like that....he administers peace into my affairs.  What peace it brings to my heart to know He is in charge of giving me peace when I am in need of it.  He will bring everlasting peace to our world one day.

When we need peace it is usually because we have a lack of it.  Anxiety, fear, apprehension, worry...all crowd our judgment and influences how we think and act.  There have been many times in my life when I have needed an overabundance of peace....and sometimes several times a day I can be found calling out to God for it.  One of my favorite photographers has a photo that to me, shouts out peace in the midst of turmoil....

This lighthouse, La Jument, sits on the northern coast of France.  In 1989 a storm raged for days and the lightkeeper was trapped inside.  On about the 7th day, he heard a helicopter and thinking he was about to be rescued, he opened the door to come out.

The helicopter held the photographer, Jean Guichard, who was photographing the storm and the lightkeeper realizing his mistake, was able to retreat and close the door before the wave swept over the lighthouse once again.  Yes, he was eventually rescued.

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower.  The righteous run to it and are safe." 

Proverbs 18:10

The most famous baby ever born....the Son whose government will be on His shoulders...the Prince of Peace whose birth we celebrate this holiday season and...await His second coming, He comes to give PEACE now and forever.  I hope today and this week, when you need peace, you will find it in His presence and in His promise.

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