Prayer....

God has placed a heavy burden on my heart today. Please join me in praying for our military men and women, specifically those in combat zones. Pray for the whole military, including their families....but today, I feel a special need to pray for those in combat zones. They hear and see things most of us can't even imagine. They have to make split second life or death decisions. They risk their lives for our freedom. They leave their families to defend our nation. Pray for wisdom, safety, God's army of angels to protect them. And however else you feel led to pray.

Thank you.

Pray with me, please

Hi all,

Thanks for your tips, suggestions and thoughts on the whole issue of school. It's been helpful. I will continue to pray about it and see where God leads.

Today, I am praying specifically for fast, forward movement of our adoption file / dossier. I am asking God to protect every single piece of paper and to guide it all through the system. I am so thankful for the fast forward movement we have had so far, and pray God allows it to continue. I am also praying for God's provision as to the remaining adoption expenses.

Will you pray with me?

Thank you.

School-looking for input...

I would like to get your thoughts about school.

As I see it the options are:

public/neighborhood school
charter (tuition free public school, but smaller)
homeschooling
private (Christian) school
??

are there other options? Those are the ones that come to my mind. I can see pros and cons to each of the above scenarios.

Tell me what you've done or considered and why. How did you make your decision? How do you feel about your decision.

I don't believe there is one right answer for every family, or for every child for that matter. However, I am intrigued by the possibilities and God is directing me to find out more...so that's what I'm doing.

Thanks friends.

Happy Birthday JB!!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Messy Christmas!

Not too long ago, I happened to catch an episode of a show that I don’t watch very often. It’s a sit-com. And in this episode the youngish, rich, good looking, ladies man tries to get the girl who happens to be a single mom of a young baby. The bachelor tries to act mature and that he’s up for fatherhood as he’s pursuing the single mom, and yet, in one scene, the mom can hear him on the baby monitor freaking out over a stinky messy diaper. There’s even a classic moment of the bachelor holding the baby out at arms length due to the smelly-ness of the diaper. All in all it is clear that the bachelor is not ready for instant fatherhood and all the responsibility that goes with it.

Here's part of that episode....



And for some random reason, this television show started me thinking about the Christmas story. Jesus. God with us. Jesus giving up His place in heaven, coming to earth and being born, putting on flesh. A baby. I love babies. But babies are messy. And dirty. And they spit up. And they drool. And let’s not even talk about what happens on the other end.

Shortly after seeing this television show and having these random thoughts about what Jesus coming to earth and being born a baby really means, I came across this post. It is a MUST READ. Carrie writes about a stable near her home and challenges my commercialized / American / cleaned up account of the Christmas story.

And it made me think even more about the sacrifice Jesus made by coming here to the mud and the muck and the mess.

When Jesus heard this, he told them,
"Healthy people don't need a doctor--sick people do.
I have come to call sinners,
not those who think they are already good enough."

Mark 2:17 NLT

I also recently heard a message preached on the Christmas story, with a special focus on the first 17 verses of Matthew which is the lineage of Jesus. He paid particular attention to the five women mentioned in the lineage. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, Mary. Interesting to note that women were mentioned in the lineage of Jesus. These women have some, um, interesting messes in their lives. Some of the highlights: alcohol abuse, incest, prostitution, adultery. And that's just a few of the messes...there's more.

Wow. Sounds like family dysfunction. Sounds messy. Jesus left His place in heaven, and came into our mess. To save us from our mess. And our mess is our message.

Something to think about. Your mess is your message. My mess is my message. Hmmmm.....

Have yourself a Messy Christmas!

Enjoy it and keep your focus on Christ, the best gift of all, and the real reason for the season.

Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them,
and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them.
They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them.
"Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news of great joy for everyone!
The Savior--yes, the Messiah, the Lord--
has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David!

Luke 2:9-11 NLT

Our Family

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Haitian Nativity

You must read this post by Angela.

I have this Nativity set....and when ever I set it up, I wonder about all the players.

I do have Stabby McGee too.