Things I haven't blogged about lately...

This is my catch up list! (with very fancy bullet points)

- I sent Maggie off on a mission trip. Our youth group went to Oakland/San Francisco, California to help clean up a neighborhood and be Light to the people there. They have some wonderful stories too!
- Sent Charles off to Phoenix (you are seeing a trend here I assume) to perform a wedding and to pack up our outdoor furniture, grill, chiminea, lawn mower, weed whacker, and assorted other outdoorish things. We didn't have room in our original moving truck for these things and have been begging and borrowing lawn mowers and eating only indoor cooked foods since we moved here so...YAY! We've also broken every folding camping chair we had except one because we sit on our deck so much. Love having our furniture set again. Love having a mowed lawn and grilling food outside.
- I flew to Phoenix 2 days after Charles to attend Hannah's wedding shower at her sister-in-law-to-be's house. Then we went whirlwind shopping to try to find a bridesmaid dress for Emma which was unsuccessful but fun. Then I met Charles at the church, where the wedding he reception he was involved with was wrapping up, hopped into the small moving truck drove with him back to Albuquerque (from which I flew away early that same morning). We arrived somewhere around 3:30am, bleary eyed and almost in an altered state! ;)
- Youth mission team arrived back on Monday night but without Maggie. Her sisters picked her up as they drove through Flagstaff and she has been in Phoenix visiting ever since. She helped with our former church's Vacation Bible School this past week and left yesterday to go to youth camp with her old youth group until Tuesday. She will be home Thursday, when my sister will drive up to visit for a few days.
- I have found that life around here is either full steam, barreling ahead or it's completely quiet and peaceful until your ears are ringing. Maggie described it that it's like being dropped in honey....every. thing. slowwwwwws. doooooown. Meditate on this for a while. It's taken a while to get used to but we are enjoying it now. I think it's healthy and was needed. And now imagine floating in honey without a Maggie in the house. You've gone from honey to molasses in January. I am cracking up because that is exactly what it was like for a week or so. .....and then the barreling starts.
- In one long weekend we volunteered at a field day for the community center's children's summer recreation program. I manned the dart game.....with real darts with one inch stickers on the ends. (Yes, that was as intimidating and stressful as it sounds when you are assisting keyed up K-6th graders with dangerous weapons) Sunburn number one happened.
- The very next day, our church put on a block party. Our church does a block party every summer as a way to get to know the community better. But this year we also did it as a fund raiser for a neighbor of ours named Steve. On Memorial Day weekend, our neighbor 7 houses down the road lost his house in a fire. Sometimes it takes something tragic to bring people together and we have seen how God's used this tragedy to bring our neighborhood closer. No one was hurt in the fire, but he lost everything. As a single dad, he's been blown away by the community's concern and help for him. We had tons of help at the block party, but with prep, set up, greeting and visiting with dozens of new people, helping an out of town youth group get set up and know what to do, and standing for 7 hours, hooo, baby, I was wiped out. We didn't feel it until we hit our front door. It was a great day, full of energy and neighbors becoming friends, and people pouring out money and concern for Steve.
- Had the out of town youth group over for the afternoon after the block party while they did their debriefing and finished their blog and photo booth projects. Fed them tacos. (Thankfully they cleaned up my kitchen afterwards! Very cool.) Then they left for the next leg of their mission trip and we basically collapsed into a heap. :)
- Sunday was youth led worship and service. They all gave testimonies about their mission trip and what God did in their own lives. Leadership team meeting after church until almost 6pm. I did not contribute much, just kind of sat there and tried to stay focused and take notes for the newsletter.
- This week, I demanded Charles actually take a day off. He was very willing after that busy weekend. So we decided to tour northern New Mexico. We drove up to Taos, visited a place he wants to take our young adult group for a retreat in a month and drove home that evening. It was beautiful weather and scenery. This is a spectacular place with a lot of unspoiled wilderness and natural beauty. There is not even a big highway that goes up there, you have to take little state highways and figure out your route carefully to get where you want to go.
- The forest fires here are mostly out now and the rain has finally been falling....almost daily! It's like everything in our yard has come back to life and the trees of our field are clapping their hands in delight of moisture and blessing. It's refreshing to the human soul as well.
- I've been getting curriculum and classes lined up for Maggie because we are going back to homeschooling this year! She is done with dramatic drama in schools and is ready to focus on school and enrichment studies without the anxiety. She auditioned for a concert choir in a homeschool enrichment studies program and made it in. And in a week she will begin driver's education class at a school in Albuquerque. Our last girl to start driving. I find it is one of the most stressful times in my life, when my kids start driving. But God uses it to grow my faith and trust in Him every time! I will have to write on that in another post.


God is good. He is giving us vision and showing us where to join in with Him in this community....where our church fits in and how we can be effective here to show His love and be His Light. 

- ETA: The men's breakfast was held in my house this morning, giving me time to hide out in my room and write this post. Last night I told someone I wasn't going to come out of my room until the kitchen was clean. And it was! Thank you to the guys! My husband made bisquits & sausage gravy, scrambled eggs and orange juice ...another man brought bacon. And now my kitchen is all clean and Charles is out mowing the lawn while I was adding some Miracle Grow to my gardens. Everything is growing great now that the air has a little moisture in it and it's been raining each day. I will try to post a picture soon. 

Finding treasure

Here is something that happened while I wasn't blogging!

Our daughter Bethany got married in October. Her sisters were all bridesmaids and it was a wonderful celebration with friends from far and wide. We are so proud of her and our new son in law!

And they seem pretty happy too. :)

 

I wish I could give you a number on how many times we heard the phrase, "Well that's one down, three to go!" I'm sure it was more than a dozen times. 

I would only hope that they all find such a wonderful match 

and that their weddings are just as lovely and happy!

The man who finds a wife finds a treasure,
    and he receives favor from the Lord.

Psalm 18:22

(we have a little market going on treasures too!)

What!

Strange times in Arizona today.

The only road between Flagstaff and Page (between the Grand Canyon and Lake Powell) fell down the hill. Oopsie ADOT! (they left a comment once when I talked about them on my blog....I know this road collapse not really their fault--pun?--I am just baiting for comments)

And it snowed in Phoenix! Well...we are saying it snowed. It looks like snow. The weatherman said it's not actually snow. It's graupel. Uuuuuh.....okay. I think some weather people are spoil sports! So did the news anchor. After the weather report, he said they were not going to say the word graupel again.

I agree! Although now all the songs with the word snow in them are going through my mind with the word graupel in them. I don't think it will catch on.

Crabby Abbey

Just finished watching the finale of season 3. This is the only way to make sense of it.

pfft!

Thank you, November 3!

I'm so thankful, I'm giddy in fact, that the elections are OVER!

It's not about who won or who didn't win, it's that they aren't calling me 10 times per evening and hurling accusations and slander all over my evening television.

Aaah, now this is better.

hello

I guess I have nothing left to say.


*pffft* just kidding....this is the longest blogging break I have taken since I started the nest back in 2005 though. And I barely thought about blogging the whole month. hmmm, I say.   My friends here are starting to mention it. I dunno. I guess I haven't felt like sharing much lately. 


Well, here is my eclectic collection of thoughts tonight.....

I am husbandless for a few days while he is visiting his mom in Oklahoma. It was a planned visit, but it sure did come at a good time. He's had a very intense week.  A 21 year old boy from our church died while on a mission trip in Africa. The feeling of being stunned is still hanging around for all of us....it is hard to process.


...the heaviness of the past week has left me it seems....maybe that is because all the services and details are over and taken care of now.  I am glad the anxiety I was feeling for everyone and for things to go right is gone for now. whew! There is just sadness mixed with an eternal longing left in my head after it's all said and done. More about this later....too tired to put it all out there tonight.


My preschoolers are naughty little punks lately! It makes 6 hours each day feel like torture. 


And I ate ice cream....and feel guilty....I was doing so well in that area too.

My dog just put herself to bed. This is only the second time she's ever done that. She just climbed in her crate and sighed. Goofy thing. She was all mad last night because Charles was packing a suitcase. I don't think I mentioned it before on here, but she got a crazy short haircut a few weeks ago. Charles dropped her off (I'm thinking this may have something to do with it). I asked him to get her trimmed short. I should have been more specific. I did want her to have a little bit of hair. I didn't really want to see her skin and all of her freckles so ummm, unobstructed. The worst part was that they also shaved her ears. She is a bichon/poodle mix. She is supposed to have fluffy ears, but it was shaved off, leaving her looking very pathetically chihuahua-ish, bulging eyes and trembling and all. And though it looks absolutely ridiculous, it's kind of cute in a freakishly funny way. I will have to take a picture soon. 

And lastly, because I'm starting to ramble, I like air conditioning. Weather that flirts around in the 90's calls for air conditioning....it calls loudly and in a screechy, whiny voice like it's in menopause, yes it does. ....even if it is still April. 

Scoopish

(Photo is from the Livesay Blog)

And here is the scoop. E-mom commented on my Winter Stress post with some interesting links. I wanted to share them. First is an interesting article on how common it is to feel blue in January.

She also shared a link to The Livesay Weblog, which is a blog by a missionary family in Haiti. They have been sharing what is happening down there and it is not sensationalized as are the reports in the news these days. I have put it on my blog lines subscription. I hope you will keep up with it too and pray for what is really going on in Haiti.

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4

I am praying that the people of Haiti can one day live peaceful and quiet lives again and come to the knowledge of the truth.

Winter stress

Wow, half of the month went quickly by and I barely thought about writing. This is not a good start to 2010 for my little blog here. I will try to get it into gear here at the nest.


January has been a little roller coaster. I went back to work after the holidays thinking, as I was told, that I'd be working longer days, more hours and I was glad of it. The first day back I found out that 2 of our children had dropped out of the preschool, so we were too low on enrollment to have 2 workers in the class. Thinking positively, the boss kept me on just working once a week until we possible got more kids in February.

I came back the next week, which had been full of seriously pondering whether I should keep this job or go back to unemployment and look for another job, but she told me they had 4 more children sign up in that one week. Yay team! (you see the roller coaster idea, big wide climbs and dives) I can barely take this, you wouldn't believe the anxiety it brought on, although I think my hair seems to have a lot more gray since Christmas. Is that possible??

I also helped out at our college group's retreat. Very fun, very relaxing. My job was to keep the food coming and it was all pretty easy to prepare. So it turned out to be a lot of down time, relaxing, keeping the fires stoked in the cabins and watching movies with my sister, who went with us because it was her cabin they were using. ;)

Friends of mine this month have been going through cancer treatments, children's serious conditions and surgeries, deaths of loved ones and job loss, divorces, addictions and marital strife so serious that there is police involvement.

Then the other day I was using Facebook when I saw a post about the earthquake in Haiti. A friend's daughter had a roomate who was on a mission trip there and they wanted prayer for her safety. So I looked it up on the web and then each day the news about Haiti's disaster grows more and more horrific. My husband turns on the news each evening as I am preparing dinner and it's almost too much to hear about, especially while cooking our dinners from a large store of food in our home.....and water to spare.

How do we even help our minds and hearts to comprehend such ups and downs and all arounds from the month? There is only one Source of comfort and peace in such times.

4-5Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

6-7Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

8-9Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. Philippians 4:4-9 (The Message)

Anticipation

You could not imagine the feeling of relief I had yesterday upon waking. It was December 26. The holiday was over and the relief and peace of a stress-free mind was overwhelming. I ended up spending a lot of time just sitting in my bed with my heating pad, watching a movie or surfing the net, or talking to my dog. (she is such a good listener) At long last I didn't have to think about what menu I was to prepare for, gifts I needed or wanted to buy, the little pile in my closet of things to wrap or events to attend. My day, my week in fact, was free. I like that. I also like planning and attending and buying and wrapping, but only to a certain extent. When it is a constant thought in the back of my mind, it is almost like a slave-master.

Today a Christmas carol came on as I was driving home from church and I remembered the beginning of the season, when anticipation filled the air and we looked forward to bustling busyness and preparation. How then, as the anticipated holiday approaches, do I get so stressed and driven? We lose the anticipation and joy in our busyness.

Immediately after that thought crossed my mind, I compared it with the feeling of anticipation of Heaven. This all happening during one Amy Grant Christmas song, mind you. Charles had just preached about eternal life and we had sung songs about the Hope of Heaven. We sang Better is One Day and On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand and cast a wishful eye to Canaan's fair and happy land, where my possessions lie.....

In morning Bible Study we ended our study on Christ's birth and talked about what to study next. Ann suggested the end times signs and what is happening in the world to fulfill the prophecies. That really got people's attention. Someone else wondered if we should, because of all the bad things that are to happen. And that reminded me that Scripture tells us to encourage each other as the day of His return approaches.....with the Hope that He is coming again and we will be with Him. It is encouraging to remind each other of Jesus' return, of our Hope of eternal life with Him. It makes us 'cast a wishful eye' toward our future Hope.

Sometimes we get bogged down with life. There is a lot of stress in the world and it filters down to our very own lives. Jobs are lost, sickness invades, crime is more rampant. Yet we are filled with Hope and longing when we let ourselves think of God's promises and the mysteries of His return during the end times. Just like looking forward to Christmas, sometimes we forget about the fun, the mystery and wonder of it and get bogged down in the details of surviving it. We hear a Christmas carol on the radio or drive by Christmas lights on the way home and remember the wonder momentarily. The 'spirit', the joy, of Christmas fills us again when we're reminded.

And here is a thought. Can you imagine the wonderful, indescribable joy, rest and peace when that Hope is finally realized. Kind of like December 26 magnified to infinity!

So let's keep reminding each other of the Hope.....the Day....the Messiah who will return and I don't think it will be long.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25

On Jordan's stormy banks I stand
And cast a wishful eye
To Canaan's fair and happy land
Where my possessions lie

All o'er those wide extended plains
Shines one eternal day
There God, the Son forever reigns
And scatters night away.

I am bound, I am bound,
I am bound for the Promised Land
I am bound, I am bound,
I am bound for the Promised Land

No chilling wind nor poisonous breath
Can reach that healthful shore
Where sickness, sorrow, pain and death
Are felt and feared no more

I am bound, I am bound,
I am bound for the Promised Land
I am bound, I am bound,
I am bound for the Promised Land

When shall I see that happy place
And be forever blessed
When shall I see my Father's face
And in His bosom rest

I am bound, I am bound,
I am bound for the Promised Land
I am bound, I am bound,
I am bound for the Promised Land

Refuge

Sunday was a break through day for me.

We have been the church of a number of international people lately. The apartments in our part of the city are being used by the government to place refugees for a while so that they can settle into American society and try to find jobs. (more on this at another time, it's extremely hard for them to find work) We have people coming from All over Africa, from Burma, Iraq, and some other places I can't remember. Some have lived in refugee camps for most of their lives. Some have been through wars and abuses and have been separated from their families.

The language issue is such a huge barrier. I have not made near the effort I should to talk to these people because I find understanding them very taxing. Oh me, I am so selfish if 'feeling taxed' is such a huge burden when these people are desperate to make friends and to be incorporated into our society and our church, I have to admit.....confess.

Sunday after church we had a Family to Family potluck lunch. A lot of our families are teaming up with a refugee family to be their friend, to help them practice their English by visiting with them and helping them know where to go to get basic help and how to do things in our society. If they need rides we can help with that or take them on errands or invite them over.

So we all came in nodding awkwardly at each other, sat by our families we've been matched up with and ate each other's strange foods. (they feel the same way about our food that we do about their food we have found out) We ate, we talked, we nodded. Then Charles got up and introduced each refugee. They each stood before us and in their best English, told us their story. I can't count how many times my stomach lurched or my eyes filled with tears listening to each one tell of their harrowing experiences of wars and beatings and running away and looking to America for refuge.

One man lived in a refugee camp for 14 years before his name came up to go to America, one woman talked and broke down about her experiences of war and abuse and beatings that she still has nightmares and wakes up screaming from. Another woman told us about how her children were separated from them and they didn't see their sons for 3 years. They just recently found their daughter again after 7 years. She is only 15 years old. So half her life they did not know where she was....which turned out to be American foster care homes. Another man from Burma is trying to raise money and make the effort to bring his wife and children over to be with him here. They escaped to Malaysia and then India, where they wait for him.

I can see these people as individuals now and feel a deep ache for each one as I know their stories. Each one has a deep faith in Christ too. They all gave strong testimony of how they depended on God for help as they ran, waited or were separated.

I wish everyone in our church had been there and could meet these brave people who left their homelands for the security we take for granted here in America. It is precious to them. The next time you come across someone from a different land, give them a second look, a knowing nod or a handshake. Some of them are in such desperate times. They need work, but it is hard to find if you are foreign and do not speak the language well yet.

Pray for our refugees and be on the lookout for jobs you see available or help for them in any way. Let Christ be a refuge for them through you. And when you look at them this Sunday, SEE them.

Tabernacles!

Okay, e-mom has a great little synopsis of the Feast of Tabernacles up on her web-zine. I love studying the Jewish feasts and their Messianic meanings. Also called Sukkot and Feast of Booths, it will begin on October 2 this year. This is one of the feasts that has not been fulfilled yet and is widely thought to represent the return of Christ.

Birthday events

Thank you for all the birthday wishes by phone, by email (thanks Tay), and by facebook! That was fun reading those in my mailbox first thing today....and getting my birthday wake up call from Laurie Luker very first thing!

My children are all home for a couple of weeks, with the recent return of Hannah, so we are laughing a lot, there are squeals of happy late night talking from Bethany's room, and watching lots of Gilmore Girls. I am about to get a pedicure from Bethany while we watch Martha Stewart. Tonight Charles and I are going out with friends and tomorrow I will get together with my mom and a couple of my sibs.

I am happy.

I did a 'what celebs do you share a birthday with' quiz on facebook/wikipedia and came up with:

1. Louis Armstrong
2. Billy Bob Thornton
3. Barack Obama
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Cole and Dylan Sprouse (Suite life of zack and cody kids)

And this morning I turned on Regis and Kelly and it's also GILMAN'S birthday. WILL the coinkidinks never cease? haha Actually Barack, Gilman and I were all born in the same year, same day too. I am wordless.

whoopee! (which is not an actual word, but in interjection)

Eternity

Celebrities are dropping like flies today. People's first reaction to Michael Jackson's death was interesting. I saw a lot of them on facebook. From calling it a publicity stunt (I had that first reaction too) to cynical remarks about how strange he was....and he was. And Farrah Fawcett's very unglamorous end....another 'interesting' celebrity. I know they were real people, they both had families and friends who are grieving, but it's not really personal for most people (unless you're a fan). So we are free to gawk at the evening specials on their lives (I did too) and give our opinions. (I am too apparently) To us they were almost caricatures of humanity, an image, a modern day freak show. Whether celebrities are exploiting themselves or are unfairly exploited is up for debate, but it's all kind of a parade of the most immoral and egotistical eccentrics in our society. Yet this day their eternity was made for them. It's all so empty and strange feeling when you ponder it.

Personally we've had to deal with a friend's death this week too. He was a deacon and a good friend at our last church. Randall absolutely loved life, loved his wife, his children and God. He rode a Harley Davidson and yet would snuggle with and talk sweet to his little yorkie with abandon. It made you laugh, but it was real humanity, not plastic or contrived. He was down to earth and lived his life for God and family, not for the public. When his time came he said, "I'm home...I'm home. Praise God, praise God." Then he breathed his last. Hearing it reminded me of when I'd come home from school, as I would come through the door, calling out to my mom, "I'm home! I'm home!" Cool image....hmm.

My own father's death was similar except he couldn't talk at the end. We could tell that he was keenly tuned in to us, tried to respond when he heard my brother or his sister on the phone. He was more himself than he had been for months Having dementia takes you away before your body is ready, but I think his spirit overcame his mind for a while at the end. He knew what was happening up until the last hour or so of his life.

It was August 21st and there was a storm gathering. We sat with my dad, singing hymns, talking to each other remembering old family stories and jokes. We were holding dad's hand, giving him water on a sponge because he was breathing hard and his mouth was dry. Then the summer storm blew in and raged for a while. I opened the window because my dad LOVED a good summer storm. He would go outside and watch them blow in and through whenever he could, even climbing up on the roof sometimes to watch the lightening (yeah, I know). So for a while we listened to his labored breathing while thunder crashed and rain came down in sheets. When it was over we kept vigil for another hour or so, then he opened his eyes, after having them closed for days, too weak to focus on anything I imagine, and his eyes were bright and focussed up in a corner of the room and there was an energy in his eyes, it wasn't just a look, it was a gaze. It made me actually turn and look as if I would see what he saw. But I couldn't (one day I hope to). I don't know what he was seeing, but I have a very real sense that it was another realm of reality. His breathing which was rough, labored and loud started calming and becoming very shallow and then very intermittent. The storm between death and life was blowing through and we knew it would soon finished. He had been focusing mentally on Heaven a few days before he died and now it was as if he saw it. And his spirit never focussed on us again. He was already stepping over and it was a privilege to be there with him while it happened. He took a few deep breaths and then he didn't breath again. And then, in our hearts it began to rain. But it was a very cleansing, sweet rain.

Death is something we don't often see and have to be there for in our society. But it is a very real part of life. I've been wanting to write of my father's death since the evening it happened, 3 years ago, but it never seemed like the right time. I think in the age where you see celebrity icons dying and we are so far removed from it, but still feel it so deeply, it's good to hear of more personal experiences, something unexploited that gives hope and not just sorrow. Something normal and natural and spiritual. After going through that with my father, I am not afraid to die. I never thought I was afraid, but it was a precarious thought, something far off and surreal. Now I know it is just a transition. I've seen it and envy it a little. Can you imagine stepping over with God and reaching your Home that is more familiar and real somehow than the ones we've lived in here on earth? I'm closer to being able to imagine it now.

"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:3-4

I got bombed today (with get well cards)

*singing* I got out of the house today.

It was good for my mental health I think. My sister took my mom and me to lunch and then we went to visit my other sister whose little smidge of a boy was sick. (he just turned 3!)

When I got home, Maggie was there and handed me a big envelope. She said her teacher gave it to her to give to me. I told her to put it on the table and she said, "No you're going to want to open this." So I did. Here is what was inside.



I think I've been love-bombed by second graders!!! I read each one, got all teary, and fought the urge to correct spelling or grammar or spray them with Lysol.

What's your WOTY for 2008?

Oxford's word of the year for 2008 is Hypermiling (getting really good gas mileage....so green yet so boring)

At Miriam Webster it is bailout. ehn
Runners up at Miriam Webster were:
2. vet
3. socialism
4. maverick
5. bipartisan

At Webster's New World Dictionary we have: oversharing. How can you OVER share, really? Let's do the kindergarten lesson redo....the Golden Rule and all that.

So....nothing good this year. Last year's WOTY was w00t....much less of a yawn factor.

C'mon people, start using (or looking up online) some more exciting words!

A good way to boost that vocabulary: Free Rice

See how much He loves us?

Here is something fun. We were gathering Sunday night for a class at church when Kelly comes prancing (yes, she was) and saying God had a surprise for us, come quick!

Knowing Kelly like we do (and we love her) we just looked at her blankly. "Come on! You have to come and SEE it!"

We obeyed and it was so cool. Venus, Jupiter and the crescent moon had portrayed a brilliant smiley face in the sky! I immediately thought of the SHMILY story. If you haven't read it, click the link. It's a very good story.

In short, it is a love story of a couple who were elderly but who still played a little game with each other. They would write SHMILY in different places, to surprise each other. It stood for "See How Much I Love You".

See how much God loves us?

Advent....conspiracy?

The Advent Conspiracy. Have you heard of it? Curious? Watch this....

The story of Christ's birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love.

So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists.

And when it's all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas?

What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?

The Advent Conspiracy.

In a nutshell:
Worship fully
$pend less
Give MORE
LOVE all

Are you in?

Just get it over with...

I am so tired of this campaigning 'blah blah blah'. I wish November 4th was over already. Maybe we should just turn off the television......

Although I have to say, the chaos and rage going blah blah blah on our television is nothing *NOTHING* compared to election fighting in other parts of the world.

Breaking the silence

As I wrote yesterday my two teenaged daughters did a Prolife Day of Silent Solidarity. For a whole day, they did not speak. They each carried a sign for people to read which explained that they were making a statement for those whose voice will never be heard. And they each had a homemade t-shirt with slogans and an explanation on it too. Emma, my 16 year old high school junior, reported that most people responded positively when she was doing her day of silent solidarity in protest of our liberal abortion laws. She had a sign she held up to her teachers as she came to class that explained that she wasn't speaking today in honor of those who will never have a voice. All of them but one responded well. One of them kind of sighed and was outwardly kind of put off by it, but she didn't say anything negative. Her band friends responded well and were even asking her more about it today. One girl told Emma that she wanted to join in the silence, but didn't. (maybe next year) It is always on October 23.

Over 4,000 children have their lives taken each day in the name of choice.

Over 4,000 women are emotionally damaged every day.

Emma did say that one girl kind of put her head down and acted like she was uncomfortable when she was talking to someone about it. So we talked about how you never know who has had an abortion or might be thinking about having one. I told her she might want to include in her discussion about why she did it that it is not to condemn or judge those who have had an abortion, but to keep an awareness out there that it is must be stopped. Abortion is as bad for the women having them as it is for the unborn child. It ruins both of their lives. The guilt, shame and feeling of loss after an abortion is never discussed unless you go to a crisis pregnancy kind of place where they will be honest with you on the effects it has on your emotional health.

I'm really proud of them for doing this. I have to say that I did not have a thing to do with this protest. They did this on their own and I don't even know where they got to information to do this. They just do this on October 23rd, wearing their t-shirts and holding their cards or signs and I'm like, 'oh goody, you're not gonna talk today!' I have my own selfish reasons for appreciating this day too. ;)

Well Bethany is at work until 10pm I think, so I will have to post her thoughts tomorrow. I will add on to this post with hers.

ps: I talked with Bethany today and she said no one gave her a hard time or applauded her silence. She didn't really think people took notice or ummm, cared. So goes community college. Not the most proactive crowd apparently. Still she took a stand and did her part. It is not an in your face kind of protest....just a quite statement in a world that seems not to have time to care either. When an 18 year old will do that and make it a priority I think there is a lot of hope left for her generation.

God is still God...no worries

"Dow plummets record 777 as financial rescue fails" - do you think that's a sign? I just saw this headline tonight on an AP news release. 777? I honestly think that the Lord is humbling us as a nation, as families, as the Church. Look at the very clear signs of the times and put your trust and faith where it should only and always be. In the hands of God, who holds the future but also cares for His people as a Father for his wayward children. Thank Him for the Hope He gives us and ask how we can communicate that Hope to all the people who are beginning to be consumed with worry about their financial 'security'.

And God help us all as we go through this.

Psalm 4

3 Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
the LORD will hear when I call to him.

4 In your anger do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
Selah

5 Offer right sacrifices
and trust in the LORD.

6 Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?"
Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.

7 You have filled my heart with greater joy
than when their grain and new wine abound.

8 I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.