Cookies For Santa!

The boys & I started baking our cookies for Santa today. I thought I'd share a picture post of our baking adventures. This is the plate we use every Christmas eve to set out Santa's cookies. Traditions are fun, aren't they?

This is our first batch of peanut butter kiss cookies straight out of the oven. Super easy!

We added some red & green sprinkles to make them look a bit Christmas-y.

This is my 3 year old. He is our cookie toucher tester. He is always happy to stalk help me while I bake.

And, then on to the really fun stuff... candy cane cookies!!! This is my "middlest" son crushing real candy canes because the grocery store was totally out of peppermint candies. Crushing big candy canes was probably more fun anyway! And, we have candy canes leftover to stir our hot chocolate with. Now that I think about it, that grocery store mishap was a SCORE for the boys!

This is my {almost} 12 year old. He wasn't going to miss out on the candy cane demolition fun.

Meanwhile, I got our red, green & plain cookie dough ready & we threw some of those candy canes in there to make our picture pretty.

And, this is where the boys have to exercise patience... you have to let the dough chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours so that it is firm enough to work with to roll those candy canes up. Of course, we only waited an hour, :) so our shapes will come out a little better tomorrow. But, alas... we did accomplish the task!

Somehow cookies always seem to taste better when they are served on a snowman plate & paired with marshmallows & hot chocolate! And, they get even yummier when it is snowing outside, and you sit by the fire!

Now, to clean up the baking mess! And finish wrapping up presents for my 3 little snowmen. I'm looking forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus with our church family at a candle light service tomorrow night, and to a great dinner at my folks.

We will be heading to the Smoky Mountains the day after Christmas for a family get away. I will probably not be very bloggy for a few days. I wish you all a very MERRY & JOYOUS Christmas dear friends!!! It is a true JOY to share the passion, pursuit, and love of Christ with all of you.

Praise the LORD... Christmas is here! Come, Lord Jesus, come!!!

Joyfully,

The Apollo 8 Christmas Eve Message

I just received a precious Christmas card from a friend that included the awesome story of the three crew members of the Apollo 8 space mission, who made history by becoming the first humans to leave Earth's orbit and travel to the moon.

This card reminded its readers that in a year filled with political and social turmoil, the broadcast from outer space from the crew of Apollo 8 on Christmas Eve of 1968 brought the world back together for a moment of awe and inspiration. What an incredible blessing that the passages these men took turns speaking to a listening world were God's Sovereign words of creation from the book of Genesis.

It is astounding to imagine that we now live in a world where the sharing of God’s word is controversial to so many who oppose it. A world where people fight to have God taken out of their government, out of their schools, off of their money. A world where wishing someone a merry Christmas in itself can be an offense.

For a beautiful moment, an event happened in our history from the reaches of outer space that is so extraordinary, it amazes me that anyone could deny the existence of our Sovereign Creator. God's word, freely shared by His people to His people, brought unity, and hope to millions of hungry hearts. It is breathtaking to realize that while so many people question our creation, our Creator, and our history - that history itself belongs to Him. Thank You Lord, for eyes that see, ears that hear, and hearts that believe!

William Anders:

"For all the people on Earth the crew of Apollo 8 has a message we would like to send you".

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness."

Jim Lovell:

"And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day."

Frank Borman:

"And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good."

Borman then added, "And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you - all of you on the good Earth."

May God bless all of us on the good Earth indeed!

Joyfully,

Here Comes Santa Claus!

I am so thrilled that my boys are out of school, and that we are enjoying Christmas vacay and fun family traditions! I took some pics at a children's Christmas party that we have attended every year since our oldest son was in Kindergarten. Each year we have our picture taken with the most gorgeous Santa in town! This is one I snapped while the photographer was prepping the boys for the "real" picture...

One of the fun things about this party is the crafts, and balloon making. Look at this amazing Santa balloon that was made for my 3 year old! FUN!

And then, of course the "big boy" version of balloon fun involves bows and arrows...

I am so thankful to settle into some sweet days of annual traditions, and making memories with my family. This party is one that kicks off the celebration each year for our kids. It is fun to see the joy of Christmas through their eyes. To be a part of memories they will cherish forever.

I pray that you are feeling the peace of Christ as you savor these sweet days of His birth, and the traditions your families share in during this season. May the joy of the Good News of His saving grace abound in your hearts, and homes. God bless you precious friends!

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:14

Joyfully,

Tidings of Comfort and Joy!

I went to bed last night, and woke up this morning singing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." It was a bit random, as this song isn't my favo Christmas song or anything. Still, the tidings of comfort and JOY were being written on my heart...

God rest ye merry, gentlemen let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy ~ O tidings of comfort and joy...

I realized that God was speaking comfort and joy into my soul. The Lord was preparing my heart to lay down the worldly pressures of Christmas, and to rest in the Christ that it is all about. More than any other Christmas, I have felt the enemy working to get my focus off of Christ. I have asked Jesus to pray for me during the warfare, and I have felt His peace, comfort and joy.

The Lord has reminded me that I am seated with His Son in the heavenlies, far above the power of the enemy. And friends, I am strapping in my seat belt, because Greater is He who is in me, than he who is in the world!!! HALLELUJAH, AMEN, and Praise the LORD!!!

"Fear not then," said the Angel, "Let nothing you affright,
This day is born a Saviour of a pure Virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in Him from Satan's power and might."
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy!

As you settle into the weekend before Christmas, I am praying comfort and joy upon you. I am so thankful for this time to spend with my family, and loved ones. But, most of all, I am thankful to the One who makes it all possible. And, I cannot wait to spend focused time with Him. I pray that you will embrace the holy tide of Christmas, and the precious, precious moments with our Savior. May you rest in His comfort and joy!

Joyfully,

Experiencing God

I am preparing to lead a spring women's bible study of Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. I want to share one of the life changing principles from this truly annointed study, that has been leading believers into a deeper walk with the Lord for years. Dr. Blackaby urges believers to watch to see where God is working. He explains that God is always at work around us, but we must be still enough to recognize the Father’s work, and then be willing to be used, and join God in His activity. In John 6:44, Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” When we witness faith at work in people’s lives, we are witnessing the very Spirit of the Father at work within them.

Dr. Blackaby uses a biblical example from Luke 19, which reveals to us that Jesus was always watching to see where the Father was working. Even as Jesus passed through crowds, he watched for evidence of His Father’s activity. As Jesus was passing through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem, we are told that a wealthy tax collector named Zacchaeus, wanted to see Jesus. Zacchaeus was short, and the crowd was large, so he ran ahead and climbed up a tree to lay his eyes upon Jesus.

As Jesus reached the tree, he looked up, and told Zacchaeus to come down immediately. In verse 5, Jesus said, “I must stay at your house today.” In verse 9 we learn that salvation came that day to the house of Zacchaeus. Jesus recognized His Father at work in a sinner who was led to climb a tree to see a Savior. Because Jesus walked directly in the center of His Father’s will, he understood immediately that the Father was drawing Zacchaeus to Him. Always responsive in joining in his Father’s activity, Jesus immediately halted the journey to the cross in Jerusalem, in order to do His Father’s will.

This morning the Lord led me to Matthew 9:36, which says, When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like a sheep without a shepherd. God showed me, once again, that in order to have compassion, and join in His activity, we must be watching with eyes that see people as Jesus sees them. When we are focused on self, and focused on the world, we only see life as it pertains to us, and therefore we can only serve ourselves.

I am pondering in my heart the idea that if I watch a world where God is always at work, if I see past myself, and see people as Jesus sees them, I will always see the Father at work. When He knows I am watching, He will clearly reveal the activity He is inviting me to join. In the past few days, I have responded to activity around me that I may have formerly overlooked. With these thoughts stayed on my mind for several days, I have clearly seen God working around me, and have quickly responded. I understood with a fresh revelation that it was the Spirit of God at work.

I am praying for eyes that can see through the crowds like Jesus did, and recognize the Father’s work. I am praying for a willing heart that responds obediently to God's invitation to join Him in His work around me. I am pressing on toward the goal.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Phil 3:12-14

Joyfully,

Christmas cards!

Bloggy friends I have missed you! Computer issues had me offline for a couple of days, but the upside is that I got my Christmas card made while I've been gone! Last Sunday, in between church, and our AMAZING youth Christmas presentation, I took this picture of my boys. And, voila... Christmas card 2009 was made! Well... it was ordered!

Getting Christmas cards made {especially photos!} can be stressful, but isn't it fun to Shout out some Joyful Christmas Noise? And, isn't it a blast to receive cards, and see how families have grown, and hear how the Lord has moved, and worked miracles in people's lives?

I am so thankful for our precious boys. More than anything, I am thankful that all three of them love Jesus. Seeing God work in the lives of our two oldest boys as they came to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior was an amazing grace experience. I will never forget the joy on my middle child's face as he was being baptized in Christ. You could tell that he already had all he would ever need, because he had fallen head over heels in love with his Savior.

I love the steady walk of my oldest son, and how he understands with his heart that God's word is the plumb line by which to measure his days. And, I love listening to my 3 year old pray. Last night he prayed, "Lord Jesus, thank you for my mommy." Then he pointed to me {yes, I was peeking} and said, "That's my mommy!" Just to make sure God knew who he was talking about. His prayers don't make a lot of sense, but as his precious Sunday school teacher, Miss Gayle says, "Honey, God knows what he's saying." Amen!

See, Christmas cards are fun, and they make me reflect about the people in the photos, and the friends they are from. It's a God thing. So, it's a good thing. Merry Christmas precious friends! Let me know how your Christmas card fun is going, and if you are having blast sending, and receiving Christmas joy this year!

Happy, & Merry, & Joyfully reflecting,

Shining Stars

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life. Php 2:14-16

We are taught by the apostle Paul that we are to continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. This good word reminds us that it is God who is working within us - to will, and act according to his good purpose. Believers {who come out to be separate from the world}, shine like stars to the creation, and the Creator, who wait in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.

I not only tremble at the thought of the ancient eyes of El Roi {the God who sees}, that are ever watching, but my heart is moved to tears at the unmerited grace of the living gift of the Sword of the Spirit. We are blessed with the Amazing grace invitation to hold up the Rod of God, and shine our light before men, so that they will praise our Father in heaven. He allows us to shine like stars so that He can shine through us. "Through you, I will show them... I Am."

God told Abram to look up at the heavens, and count the infinite stars that would become his offspring. I cannot look at the stars without thinking of the glory of God's creation, and promise. I think of the men of wisdom who followed these same stars thousands of years ago to a manger in Bethlehem. Glory is marked by the stars, and we are marked. We shine as co-heirs with Christ through God's promise to Abraham. We are the descendants of promise! We are the generations of shining stars. God told Abram to walk before him, and be blameless. We also should walk blameless before our God, and fall facedown before our El Shaddai. He summoned us, and changed our name, too!

I had lunch with a precious sister in Christ yesterday, and we talked about how our walk is like a multi-layered, ever peeling onion. God takes us from glory to glory as He refines us, and strips away the layers of strongholds, confusion, and lies of the enemy. The God of clarity removes our impurities to make us into His image. We are a work in progress, a never ending masterpiece of love to the Master, that will not be complete until we are in His very presence. We are to continue working out our salvation with fear and trembling. Always trusting the ancient eyes that watch our walk. Assured that He works for the good of those who love him, and have been called according to his purpose.

We do not run or labor in vain. We press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in His Son. With all of the pressures the world demands we yoke ourselves to during the holiday season, it is a good time to be still, and to remember that He is God. That He is good. And that we are precious, and shining in His sight as we hold up the Rod of God, and hold out the word of life that became flesh to save us. Let us fall on our knees, and rejoice!

I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me!
Php 2:17-18

Joyfully,