Just time for a quick note you might enjoy. Ryan and I were driving past one of the new apartment complexes in our area over the weekend. He noticed that their community pool, unlike most others in our area, was not covered. He said very matter of factly, "Those people who live there must be penguins"! I didn't have the heart to tell him it was a heated pool.
More later.
C
Monday, January 28, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
To my great, great, great grandchildren
One of my resolutions this year is to get back to working on my scrapbooks. I am not very artsy or creative, but I can copy great layouts and love to see all the pictures put together with memoribilia; I even try to journal. I have enough Creative Memory supplies to be a consultant, a space in the spare room dedicated to scrapbooking; now what I need is a Nike conviction: Just do it!! It was --easier with just one child--obviously she would inherit the albums, but we have two precious children so now I need to do double books--for a person who is creatively challenged this requires serious commitment! I think it is important and hopefully will be appreciated long after I am gone. I have only a few pictures of my parents when they were young and virtually no pictures of my grandparents. I would have liked to have had some of this history; there are some things that should be passed down. Lately I have been reminded of some other things that that should be passed down.
For Christmas my sister gave me the Sara Groves CD Conversations. It is not her newest, but it has some really great songs which I am learning to appreciate. One of my favorites is the cut, Generations. In this song she recounts the effect that Eve's decision has on all of us and applies that to us. The chorus and bridge are this:
Remind of this with every decision,
generations will reap what I sow.
I can pass on a curse or a blessing
To those I will never know
To my great, great, great granddaughter:
Live in peace
To my great, great, great grandson:
Live in peace
Not only is this a lovely song, but a great and convicting truth. So I am amending by resolution. I do want to get a few albums completed this year so I can give my children and grandchildren some tangible family history, but more importantly I want to carefully weigh my decisions so that I can bless them now and for generations.
For Christmas my sister gave me the Sara Groves CD Conversations. It is not her newest, but it has some really great songs which I am learning to appreciate. One of my favorites is the cut, Generations. In this song she recounts the effect that Eve's decision has on all of us and applies that to us. The chorus and bridge are this:
Remind of this with every decision,
generations will reap what I sow.
I can pass on a curse or a blessing
To those I will never know
To my great, great, great granddaughter:
Live in peace
To my great, great, great grandson:
Live in peace
Not only is this a lovely song, but a great and convicting truth. So I am amending by resolution. I do want to get a few albums completed this year so I can give my children and grandchildren some tangible family history, but more importantly I want to carefully weigh my decisions so that I can bless them now and for generations.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
It's Snowing in North GA!!
Yes, it is January 16th at 8:10 pm and it has been really snowing for about 2 hours. (As opposed to not really snowing like what it did over the holidays when we had a houseful of company, and snow came down but did not stick). Now it is sticking--the ground is covered with white snow and it is looking like school will be cancelled tomorrow--woo hoo!
Rachel went to work this evening and they closed early so Edgar has gone to bring her home, Ryan is in bed, but thinking about being home from school tomorrow and working on his Titanic model with dad, and I finally nailed the chicken pot pie recipe--it was really good. If you want the recipe let me know, I have already typed it up, yum, yum.
As i am watching Deal or no Deal, I just saw the greatest trailer for a new show. Teens who have declared they want to have children, are allowed to "borrow" kids for a period of time to test their skills. The few clips we see depict the kids screaming and the teens having meltdowns. The best part is the final line, "it's not TV, it's birth control"!!
Well, I hope you are all having a great evening. We are going to sit in front of the fireplace and view the snow continuing to fall for as long as we can.
Blessings
Rachel went to work this evening and they closed early so Edgar has gone to bring her home, Ryan is in bed, but thinking about being home from school tomorrow and working on his Titanic model with dad, and I finally nailed the chicken pot pie recipe--it was really good. If you want the recipe let me know, I have already typed it up, yum, yum.
As i am watching Deal or no Deal, I just saw the greatest trailer for a new show. Teens who have declared they want to have children, are allowed to "borrow" kids for a period of time to test their skills. The few clips we see depict the kids screaming and the teens having meltdowns. The best part is the final line, "it's not TV, it's birth control"!!
Well, I hope you are all having a great evening. We are going to sit in front of the fireplace and view the snow continuing to fall for as long as we can.
Blessings
Friday, January 11, 2008
A Sense of Accomplishment
We have had a whirlwind week and I can say that as I am ready to retire for the evening I can do so with a sense of great accomplishment. With the addition of bluemountaincoffee.com we are packing a lot coffee these days. One of my best Christmas presents is the addition of our first ever regular employee. She is a delightful college student who is the daughter of one of my friends from church, and she is a real God-send to us. Amanda learns very quickly and is willing to do anything we need done. Today she and I organized and packed away all of our Christmas decorations. Together we have re-organized the office, set up new office policies, and are in general buzzing circles around Edgar--he loves it, though. Robbie came over and got all my computers working in tip top condition, and I even finished the laundry this evening--is it even possible to FINISH laundry??!! All in all 2008 is looking to be a year of organized efficiency--just the way I like it.
Even with all of the feeling of accomplishment, it has also been a week when my heart has been heavy. Two local college girls have died in the last few days, one was murdered and the other one's cause of death is still undetermined. I was reading Psalm 10 yesterday morning which begins, "Why, O Lord do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?" I understand how David felt, but how grateful I am that he goes on to write, "The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord is on his heavenly throne." (Ps 11:4)
As a mom I have found myself feeling over protective of my children. I want Ryan to feel free to play in the back yard where it is fenced AND in the front yard where it is not, but I am not so confident. I want Rachel to enjoy time with her high school friends, but I find myself a little uneasy when she is away. Then with all of this locally, we are most concerned about the political climate in Kenya right now. Rachel is still planning to go back to Kenya this summer and we are trusting God with those plans, I must admit, I am a little nervous.
So what does all this mean? It means I am increasingly thankful to have such a loving, merciful, omnipotent Heavenly Father who is completely in control and who knows the future. He is neither surprised nor afraid of what is happening and all He asks is that I trust Him completely. Perhaps that is how I can be the most efficient and accomplish all that is on His agenda for me this year.
Blessings
Even with all of the feeling of accomplishment, it has also been a week when my heart has been heavy. Two local college girls have died in the last few days, one was murdered and the other one's cause of death is still undetermined. I was reading Psalm 10 yesterday morning which begins, "Why, O Lord do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?" I understand how David felt, but how grateful I am that he goes on to write, "The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord is on his heavenly throne." (Ps 11:4)
As a mom I have found myself feeling over protective of my children. I want Ryan to feel free to play in the back yard where it is fenced AND in the front yard where it is not, but I am not so confident. I want Rachel to enjoy time with her high school friends, but I find myself a little uneasy when she is away. Then with all of this locally, we are most concerned about the political climate in Kenya right now. Rachel is still planning to go back to Kenya this summer and we are trusting God with those plans, I must admit, I am a little nervous.
So what does all this mean? It means I am increasingly thankful to have such a loving, merciful, omnipotent Heavenly Father who is completely in control and who knows the future. He is neither surprised nor afraid of what is happening and all He asks is that I trust Him completely. Perhaps that is how I can be the most efficient and accomplish all that is on His agenda for me this year.
Blessings
Monday, January 7, 2008
So we have survived the holy days--15 overnight guests , 4 celebration dinners, 3 Christmas programs, 32 loads of laundry, 894 coffee orders, 87 Christmas cards, and numerous games of SkipBo! Tomorrow the last of the overnight guests leave, the kids return to school, the Christmas decorations get packed up and life returns to normal. . . . . .Oh, I do hope not.
What have I learned over the last few weeks with all of this activity? What will be different in the weeks to come? Did we honor the Lord with our activities, and our celebrations, and our worship? While we spent time enjoying the company of our loved ones, did we spend enough time in His presence? Was He pleased with how we spent our days, and nights? . . . . . I pray so.
Each year I try to do something different to focus my attention on the amazing miracle of grace that we celebrate at Christmas. This year my mind kept returning the the fact that there was no room in the inn. Our home was filled with people, but we had room for everyone, that night so long ago no one could find room for God's Son. Isn't it interesting that God often chooses to visit us when it is most inconvienent? When our schedules are packed, when people need us most, when our "to do" list is too long to even read--that is usually when God shows up in an interesting and often unconventional way. For me, this year, He showed up Christmas Eve.
With all of the additional coffee work this year, Thank you Jesus, I simply ran out of time to fully prepare for the 'big day'. After spending endless hours putting together "Santa toys", straightening up for the inth time, and finishing a couple of loads of laundry, I decided that the only way to finish all the cooking necessary for Christmas dinner was to cook for the remainder of the night--so I did. Amidst the baking of pumpkin pies, baking sour cream pound cake, and preparing the turkey for roasting, I began to think about God's preparation of the 'big day'.
I remembered one of my former Sunday School teachers, when asked to tell when he was saved, said, "In the mind of God I was saved before the foundations of the earth were laid, but I came to the saving knowledge in 1961." I have often thought about the truth of that statement--God was preparing for Christmas before He created us. He loves us so much, He wanted to provide a way for us to be with Him forever, before we even existed. As I was making preparations to simply feed my guests, I was thinking of the fact that God spent all of eternity preparing for me. I am the reason we have Christmas--of course you are too, but this is my blog.
Christmas Day was great, as were the following days as we celebrated family with family. As we move on and begin thinking about the New Year, I want to remember all the preparations that were made so we could not just celebrate Christmas, but so that we could begin a new year, a new life, an eternal relationship with Him. I pray that I will take the time to prepare my heart daily to receive all that He wants to continue to give. I do not know what the 2008 journey will be, but I am so thankful that He has already prepared for me all I will need.
With great Expectations,
C
What have I learned over the last few weeks with all of this activity? What will be different in the weeks to come? Did we honor the Lord with our activities, and our celebrations, and our worship? While we spent time enjoying the company of our loved ones, did we spend enough time in His presence? Was He pleased with how we spent our days, and nights? . . . . . I pray so.
Each year I try to do something different to focus my attention on the amazing miracle of grace that we celebrate at Christmas. This year my mind kept returning the the fact that there was no room in the inn. Our home was filled with people, but we had room for everyone, that night so long ago no one could find room for God's Son. Isn't it interesting that God often chooses to visit us when it is most inconvienent? When our schedules are packed, when people need us most, when our "to do" list is too long to even read--that is usually when God shows up in an interesting and often unconventional way. For me, this year, He showed up Christmas Eve.
With all of the additional coffee work this year, Thank you Jesus, I simply ran out of time to fully prepare for the 'big day'. After spending endless hours putting together "Santa toys", straightening up for the inth time, and finishing a couple of loads of laundry, I decided that the only way to finish all the cooking necessary for Christmas dinner was to cook for the remainder of the night--so I did. Amidst the baking of pumpkin pies, baking sour cream pound cake, and preparing the turkey for roasting, I began to think about God's preparation of the 'big day'.
I remembered one of my former Sunday School teachers, when asked to tell when he was saved, said, "In the mind of God I was saved before the foundations of the earth were laid, but I came to the saving knowledge in 1961." I have often thought about the truth of that statement--God was preparing for Christmas before He created us. He loves us so much, He wanted to provide a way for us to be with Him forever, before we even existed. As I was making preparations to simply feed my guests, I was thinking of the fact that God spent all of eternity preparing for me. I am the reason we have Christmas--of course you are too, but this is my blog.
Christmas Day was great, as were the following days as we celebrated family with family. As we move on and begin thinking about the New Year, I want to remember all the preparations that were made so we could not just celebrate Christmas, but so that we could begin a new year, a new life, an eternal relationship with Him. I pray that I will take the time to prepare my heart daily to receive all that He wants to continue to give. I do not know what the 2008 journey will be, but I am so thankful that He has already prepared for me all I will need.
With great Expectations,
C
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
The Holy Days are Here!
Well, again it has been awhile and although I am tempted to write about all the many events over the last month, I shall refrain. Have you ever wondered why the two busiest holidays of the year are a month a part? I want to enjoy my Thanksgiving decorations a little longer, but. . . .
Thanksgiving was very nice; it is good to pause and reflect on the many blessings we have. It was lovely to have many of our friends and family in our home to share a meal and make sweet memories. We serve a Mighty God who is ever faithful.
We are officially in the season of Advent. This is the season of expectant waiting to celebrate the birth of our Savior. I love having the house decorated--I don't really relish the job of decorating, but I do love the end result. I love all of the reminders of the holiness of the season. I love putting new candles in the advent wreath, I love setting up the many Nativity sets I have collected over the years. Ryan has already found 3 of the 5 children's sets I have and he has been 'playing the story' for days. I love the fact that the first thing we put on our lighted tree is a very large nail and we hang it in the front, near to top to remind us why He came. I love the Christmas music--sacred and secular, vocal and instrumental, old and new. I love surfing the net for a 'treasure' I might find for someone dear. I love imagining what Mary and Joseph were thinking and feeling four weeks before Jesus was born. I wonder if they were excited or just terrified?
Most of all I love being reminded that not only is His name Emmanuel,God with Us, but He is also the King of Kings, and Prince of Peace. I love Christmas, and I am most grateful.
With great Anticipation,
Christine
Thanksgiving was very nice; it is good to pause and reflect on the many blessings we have. It was lovely to have many of our friends and family in our home to share a meal and make sweet memories. We serve a Mighty God who is ever faithful.
We are officially in the season of Advent. This is the season of expectant waiting to celebrate the birth of our Savior. I love having the house decorated--I don't really relish the job of decorating, but I do love the end result. I love all of the reminders of the holiness of the season. I love putting new candles in the advent wreath, I love setting up the many Nativity sets I have collected over the years. Ryan has already found 3 of the 5 children's sets I have and he has been 'playing the story' for days. I love the fact that the first thing we put on our lighted tree is a very large nail and we hang it in the front, near to top to remind us why He came. I love the Christmas music--sacred and secular, vocal and instrumental, old and new. I love surfing the net for a 'treasure' I might find for someone dear. I love imagining what Mary and Joseph were thinking and feeling four weeks before Jesus was born. I wonder if they were excited or just terrified?
Most of all I love being reminded that not only is His name Emmanuel,God with Us, but He is also the King of Kings, and Prince of Peace. I love Christmas, and I am most grateful.
With great Anticipation,
Christine
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Of Celebrations and Convictions
One thing about blogging is that it gives one an opportunity to be completely opinionated--actually I think that is expected in a blog. I find it easy to be opinionated, but have tried to temper my comments as it is not my intent to offend or alieante, but time has come to make an exception.'Why now you say?", because today is October 31 and I am finding it increasingly difficult to remain silent on a subject about which I do have such strong feelings.
Most who know me already know--we don't celebrate Halloween, we try to be very consistent and to our knowledge do not celebrate any occultic holidays--but it is very hard to ignore this one. From mid August through the end of October, one cannot go into any retail store without being bombarded with jack-o lanterns, tombstones, black bats, spiders with webs, and of course, witches. Most of my family and friends do celebrate this holiday, "innocently" with thier children--how it is possible for any of this to be innocent is beyond my understanding, but I think I know what is meant. I "innocently" celebrated it for years. When Rachel was very young, a Godly Christian teacher began to lovingly challenge me to learn more about Halloween--not just its origins but how it is celebrated today. Her real challenge was to me as a new mother and what I would do to protect my child. So I began to read more and what I found is that Halloween is a celebration of death that is sacred to modern day witches.
Now let me slow down as I know that some of you reading this now are becoming defensive. The fact that we do not celebrate this is not to say that I condemn anyone else who does. What I do believe is that this is a personal, spiritual conviction and I know many strong Christians who do not share this conviction. The fact is that in our culture witchcraft is becoming more and more popular and Wicca is recognized religion that is spreading like wildfire. As a religion, it is having a stong, be it subtle impact on our culture. As a mother, I am concerned that my children are taught that Halloween is simply a harmless and fun holiday. I certainly do not have a problem with costumes or pretending, my issue lies in the problem of association. A friend of mine many years ago stated it this way--"there is nothing wrong with draping oneself in bedsheets and marching down the middle of the street, unless of course the Klu Klux Klan is active in your community."
Last week I asked Ryan's school if the children wore costumes to school or if they had Halloween parties, because if they did he could have stayed home. I was told they did not; however, when he came home today, he had language and math papers with Halloween themes, a spider from the cupcakes a classmate brought to share, and an orange and black necklace he made in art class. (Of course Ryan was so proud that he made a tiger necklace--orange and black :)!!). I am not so niave as to believe he has been scared for life, but I do believe we Christians have accepted a double standard--Halloween is a religous holiday and all the symbols of this holiday are widely accepted. Why is is a nativity or a cross is banned when witches and bats are welcomed?
If you celebrated Halloween tonight, we prayed for your safety, we think no less of you, and we hope you think no less of us. Should you desire to read a little more about my conviction, I will share two good websites. (Someone please show me how to reference these in my blog so you can just click on them): www.theselittleones.com/evenachild/editorials/htm and www.lasttrumpetministries.org/tracts/tract10.html
Great news--tomorrow is All Saints Day--Let's Celebrate!
Most who know me already know--we don't celebrate Halloween, we try to be very consistent and to our knowledge do not celebrate any occultic holidays--but it is very hard to ignore this one. From mid August through the end of October, one cannot go into any retail store without being bombarded with jack-o lanterns, tombstones, black bats, spiders with webs, and of course, witches. Most of my family and friends do celebrate this holiday, "innocently" with thier children--how it is possible for any of this to be innocent is beyond my understanding, but I think I know what is meant. I "innocently" celebrated it for years. When Rachel was very young, a Godly Christian teacher began to lovingly challenge me to learn more about Halloween--not just its origins but how it is celebrated today. Her real challenge was to me as a new mother and what I would do to protect my child. So I began to read more and what I found is that Halloween is a celebration of death that is sacred to modern day witches.
Now let me slow down as I know that some of you reading this now are becoming defensive. The fact that we do not celebrate this is not to say that I condemn anyone else who does. What I do believe is that this is a personal, spiritual conviction and I know many strong Christians who do not share this conviction. The fact is that in our culture witchcraft is becoming more and more popular and Wicca is recognized religion that is spreading like wildfire. As a religion, it is having a stong, be it subtle impact on our culture. As a mother, I am concerned that my children are taught that Halloween is simply a harmless and fun holiday. I certainly do not have a problem with costumes or pretending, my issue lies in the problem of association. A friend of mine many years ago stated it this way--"there is nothing wrong with draping oneself in bedsheets and marching down the middle of the street, unless of course the Klu Klux Klan is active in your community."
Last week I asked Ryan's school if the children wore costumes to school or if they had Halloween parties, because if they did he could have stayed home. I was told they did not; however, when he came home today, he had language and math papers with Halloween themes, a spider from the cupcakes a classmate brought to share, and an orange and black necklace he made in art class. (Of course Ryan was so proud that he made a tiger necklace--orange and black :)!!). I am not so niave as to believe he has been scared for life, but I do believe we Christians have accepted a double standard--Halloween is a religous holiday and all the symbols of this holiday are widely accepted. Why is is a nativity or a cross is banned when witches and bats are welcomed?
If you celebrated Halloween tonight, we prayed for your safety, we think no less of you, and we hope you think no less of us. Should you desire to read a little more about my conviction, I will share two good websites. (Someone please show me how to reference these in my blog so you can just click on them): www.theselittleones.com/evenachild/editorials/htm and www.lasttrumpetministries.org/tracts/tract10.html
Great news--tomorrow is All Saints Day--Let's Celebrate!
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