Christmas musings #4

...one of our all-time favorite ornaments. We bought several when we found them because we had been looking for something like this. It really helps us remember that Jesus is the center of it all - the only reason we have hope. It allows us to look at our tree and see His name...celebrate the name that is above every name. It helps our children to focus...they love to read it! Abby even 'reads' it!

"Happy Birthday, Jesus!"

Christmas Musings #3...

This is the first ornament that Michael and I had as a couple...it is a Hallmark Keepsake ornament from 1996...the year we were engaged to be married. His mom bought it for us because we became engaged at Christmastime. It was a really special time and we had a lot of hopes and dreams for our future together. We had been "Close-knit Friends" for many years prior to dating and becoming engaged, so the sentiment behind the ornament has meant alot to us over the years. We are so incredibly blessed to have an awesome friendship and it is neat to see this ornament from the '90s come to life on our tree each December.

You know, Michael and I have been able to experience a great life together...we have had so much fun together the last (almost) 12 years. I'd rather be living with him under a rock somewhere than to be miserable in the finest home in Kentucky! We are incredibly blessed with two wonderful careers, three great kids and great opportunities ahead of us in Christ! And, we continue to ACTIVELY pursue the simple things intentionally - friendship, time with each other, date nights, church-focus, missions, being spirit-filled, pursuing God's Word wth passion and not becoming part of the world - but setting ourselves apart from it. I hope that Michael and I are always "Close-knit..." as the ornament reflects...like-minded in Christ....pursuing the same goals and dreams that are planted on our hearts and minds by the Spirit of Christ. I could have more that the world has to offer. I intentionally choose to be different...to be simple...to chase after the fruit of the spirit in my relationships and my walk with God...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Yes - I said pursue! I have not arrived, but when you see the fruit in my life, you will know that it is not I, but Christ who lives within me! Goodnight and Merry Christmas!

Christmas Musings #3...

These sweet ornaments hold a lot of sentimentality in our home. Michael always makes sure that they are hung front and center on our tree. They belonged to his maternal grandparents and he remembers them hanging on their tree when he was little. AND, his mother remembers them when she was young as well. Mike remembers playing with the Santa and Mrs. Claus as if they were ice skating around the room before his granny would put them on the tree. He says one of the biggest highlights of Christmas at his Granny and Papaw's house was playing in all the wrapping paper in the floor after the gifts were opened! One year, his Papaw bought all of the grandsons a police car that lit up and made loud siren sounds. He said it was a special Christmas and that they had so much fun making all of the sirens go off at one time! If you are any good at math at all, you can see that these ornaments are probably well over 40 years old...and we just adore them. It means so much to me that my mother-in-love shared them with us and trusted us to take care of them. The boys look forward to seeing them on the tree every year and we always hang them side-by-side...very sweet, Christmas memories and traditions.

Christmas musings #2...On This Sunday, We Are Thankful For...

This morning, we wanted to share two ornaments that are on our tree in memory of our son and daughter, Allison and Andrew. They are bitter sweet, of course, as we hang them on the tree. But, they remind us of the many blessings that God has given us and the journey of life God has chosen for us. We miss them...

"1999 Allison's First Christmas - We miss you"
"2000 - Homeward Bound"

Yes...for this, we are very thankful...and God is so incredibly good!

Christmas musing #1...plus some various ramblings...

As we move closer to the day that we, as Christians, celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, I thought I would share a small part of our family celebration with you...our family Christmas tree. I will attempt every day to share a different ornament with you and it's significance to our family's celebration of the most wonderful birth of the Saviour. As we look at our tree, it reminds of us of the things we hold dear, the significance of the Biblical account of history of the birth of Christ, and allows us to have alot of fun with our children as we celebrate and decorate for that special day...hope you enjoy!

This is a picture of the star that has topped our tree for years. Mike and I wanted to find a tree topper that adequately reflected our love for Jesus and symbolized for us the life of Christ...so we went on a search for a wooden star. For us, it reminds us not only of the stable, but of the cross. We have surrounded it with sprays of red to remind of the blood he shed on the cross...you see, the Christmas story is not just about the birth of Christ...it is just the starting point...it takes us straight to the cross. We place several of our tree lights in the star to remind us of the star that the wise men followed...and that Jesus is the light of the world!

Now, just to catch everyone up to speed on our recent shinanigans...

1) Mike finished his last research project in his Intro. to World Missions seminary class at 4:30 a.m. this morning! It was about reaching the Unreached People Group of the Khmer in Cambodia - the place our oldest son was adopted from in 2002. Now, he gets a two week Christmas break and starts classes back in January.

2) Melisa went to a friend's last night for an ornament exchange party...it was fun!

3) We got a little snow yesterday...it was beautiful.

4) Granny and Papaw are coming over to see our Christmas tree and spend time with the kids tonight so Mike and I can finish up last minute Christmas shopping.

5) Mike participated in his first funeral this week by reading the obituary of a precious elderly church friend this week. He was highly honored.

6) The boys have their annual school musical Christmas play at school this week on Friday. Melisa is taking 1/2 day off to go and spend time with them. They have the best music teacher in the world - THEIR DAD!

7) Happy Birthday, Papaw, on December 12! We love you - from Isaac, Jonah and Abby (mommy and daddy, too.)

Hope everyone has a blessed week!

Gingerbread Casa

Tonight, Michael, Isaac and Jonah had the privilige of travelling with the Boy Scouts to a local nursing home to deliver homemade cards and to do Christmas caroling. They were very excited to go and seem genuinely comfortable in that particular environment because they have been so exposed to it through my work at another nursing home nearby. They came back telling me all kinds of stories of the people they met and the songs they sung. I am so proud that they had such a great time sharing with others.

While they were gone, I had a couple of girlfriends (one who is fluently bilingual in Spanish/English and one who only speaks her native Spanish) over for Christmas cookies, fellowship and making a Gingerbread Casa. You see, my friends are not originally from this country and therefore are not completely familiar with the family traditions that often surround the advent Christmas season. It was great fun and we did alot of laughing at ourselves as we baked cookies, drunk diet Pepsi, and attempted our 1st Gingerbread Casa. Prior to attempting the Gingerbread Casa, I sat the girls down in the living room fllor and read the Christmas story to them out of the book of Luke in Spanish. I told them that although the story was a serious one and I took it very serious, that I wanted them to enjoy my attempt at reading it to them in Spanish. They girls chuckled at my reading from time to time - because I mispronounced many words...but they actually understood the whole thing and at the end told me that it meant so much to them that I would go to such an effort to reach out to them in their own language.

We then had a blast making the Gingerbread Casa. It was so much fun. It was a great way to involved our children and we didn't have to be able to speak the same language to complete it together. Enjoy the pics of a fun night...

B & S trying to figure out how to put icing on the roof.

"Oh, come on girls, just slather it on..."

Who needs to speak the same language on earth...Christ's love is a universal language!

Abigail had a blast making her 1st Gingerbread Casa with S & B.

Gracias, las amigas. Let's do it again, soon...Te amo.

Stranger in the Manger

We were so pleased with the Christmas play at our church tonight. The boys enjoyed their role as shepherds for the 2nd year in a row. They were very confident and seemed to completely enjoy their participation with the other children. It was quite the production and I am quite sure that the Lord looked down with pleasure on these delightful little ones who put their minds and hearts fully into their rendition of the Christmas story this night.

Isaac and Jonah proudly displaying their shepherd's costumes.

Michael dressed in his Wise Man costume. He mesmerized us all with his "Walking Like A Wise Man" Dance he had to perform to our utter surprise (and dismay!)
Posing backstage...

Enjoying time together before the play began...

...And last, but not least, a bad blurry picture of Abby singing with the children's choir this morning (sorry for the poor quality.) She was so proud to sing with the children as they promoted the Christmas play this morning in morning worship. She sang her heart out!

Thanks to Nana and Poppy for coming to share this special night with us!