and some more fun stuff....

more fun stuff

AND more cookies...

okay so we got a little silly...

cookies in full swing!

...cookies...yum...

The Lion Heart and Me!

MORE cookies!

It's my note...I decided it's a G

George and me with our holly cookies!

It's Frosty and a Flake....LOL...bad joke...never mind.

The Lion Heart and me with COOKIES!

COOKIES!

COUSINS!!

Getting ready to do cookies....

The Lion Heart Mixing Colors

the lion heart and me with our coffee toffee cookies!

Eyes of Faith to Even Notice...

Here is an e-mail sent to me by a dear friend in the wake of the Christmas holiday - I would like to share it with you. It's an interesting thought. And I can't really sum it up any better than with the words the Lord gave her, so I'll just let you read it!

You can ask any of my friends, mum's the word for me when it comes to opening up to people most of the time but your sweet compliments and kind words don't go unheard. sometimes its good to just know you're there for me, even if i don't seem like I'm taking advantage of it, my heart is often encouraged.

I tend to run much more easily than talk about myself. In fact, I had a conversation with the Lord about it a couple months back. I've always wanted to be good at running and, unfortunately in my view, I never was much good at it. The Lord showed me how much my tendency is to run already, in my thoughts, in my heart, in distancing myself from people who might see to much of my tender heart and strangely enough He knew; He knew that if I was physically a good runner I wouldn't run to Him as my Rock in the same way. (that was a long sentence, I know). I would do what so many other people are, in my view, blessed to be able to do: run it off. How well He knows my heart...in my lack of being born a physically good runner I have run to my heavenly Father much more readily. Only He knows what closeness I would have missed out on. Running is not an ability you lack...but maybe there is something you have long been envious of, and perhaps the Lord wants you to know how much closer He has held you because of what He did not "bless you with".

His insight is beyond ours by so much. His trains of thought are not like ours; to be born humbly - as Ben pointed out to us tonight He really mapped out His life. And He chose humility as His pathway, so often we point to the cross or His birth for pictures of humility, as they are, but I believe there are so many steps He walked in humility. The Bible does not speak of accomplishments of Jesus apart from the work of the Father. He sought Him in prayer so continually.

I hope that you might find in your life, (as we think of His humble birth...), a place that perhaps has caused you some humility or an unanswered prayer. Only, you will find that He has met you so many more ways than your path would have led to. He met the world in little Bethlehem, and His meetings with you are not always at the end of an answered prayer, sometimes they are so unexpected it takes the eyes of faith to even notice them...

If nothing else makes sense in this e-mail: Jesus is Sovereign King

love, lo

I Celebrate the Day

I Celebrate the Day by Relient K.

With this Christmas wish is missed
The point I could convey
If only I could find the words to say to let you know
How much you've touched my life because
Here is where you're finding me
In the exact same place as New Years Eve
And from the lack of my persistency
We're less than half as close as I wanna be

And the first time that you opened your eyes
Did you realize that you would be my Savior
And the first breath that left your lips
Did you know that it would change this world forever
And the first time that you opened your eyes
Did you realize that you would be my Savior
And the first breath that left your lips
Did you know that it would change this world forever

And so this Christmas I'll compare
The things I've felt in prior years
To what this midnight made so clear
That you have come to meet me here

To look back
And think that
This baby would one day save me
And the hope that
That you give
That you were born so I might really live
To look back
And think that
This baby would one day save me…

And the first time that you opened your eyes
Did you realize that you would be my Savior
And the first breath that left your lips
Did you know that it would change this world forever
And the first time that you opened your eyes
Did you realize that you would be my Savior
And the first breath that left your lips
Did you know that it would change this world forever

And I
I celebrate the day
That you were born to die
So I could one day
Pray for you to save my life
Pray for you to save my life
Pray for you to save my life

"Making Room..."

It's Christmas.

Today is the day we celebrate Jesus' birth.

Last night I finished Redeeming Love.

I had to. I wasn't going to be sulking around on Christmas in despair. It was 12:30 before I finished it. I couldn't let Angel, the name given to Sarah once she was sold into prostitution, live without knowing and understanding what freedom, true freedom was.

Free from the past.

Free from the ugly soul inside you.

Free from the voices demeaning your worth.

Free from guilt.

Free from the lies that say you can never be anything else.

Free to believe that Christ's love completes you and cleanses and changes everything.

Free to be grasp that if we are vulnerable to His love we will be forever safe.

Free to understand that we are undeserving of everything good; but that He gives it anyway.
After all thats what today is all about - isn't it?
Years ago on a moonless night stars shone so brightly - the air smelled strangely sweet and thick. There was something there, out there, somewhere. People from around the world came to the humble town of Bethlehem, a small town, their home town. Weary travelers came looking for places to lodge, inns filled quickly. The lit candles that were put in the windows to beckon drained sojourners for lodging were quickly snuffed out; there was no room.

Not only was Bethlehem a small town, but in this small town in the humblest of dwellings is where God said, "this is where I choose to become a man." God, the Maker and Creator of the universe chose to come to a humble town and stay in the humblest and dirtiest places; a stable.
A place for animals. It smelled, it was dirty, and it was cold. Yet He chose to come there - He chose to hang there, He chose to come here; my heart. My heart - in me! As dirty and filthy as I am - He chose to come to me.

But am I willing? Will I light the candle in the window and say yes come in Jesus, there is room for You? Will I be willing to become open and vulnerable so He can come in? Angel wouldn't. She wouldn't open her heart and love, in fear of letting someone in, you could get hurt. But when she didn't the darkness taunted her; demeaning her, feeding her lies and making sure her defeats had been known.
But at last - last night in the wee hours of the morning as I read of California in the late 1800s, Angel made room, for once she opened the door, lit the candle in the window and ask for God to come in and minister to her hurting soul. He did. He came. He came in and where He is no darkness can be. Nothing to taunt her, degrading her - Sarah was free when she let Him in - Angel found true freedom for the first time. Because He came.

I want to be free - I want to believe. I want the taunting to stop, the lies to go away and the darkness gone. I will make room - I will hold my candle high and say, "Jesus there is room for You here!" I will chose to live forgiven and free.
And today I celebrate that He came.
In a manger, in a stable, in a humble town, to a gruesome cross, a cold grave and alive again. And in my heart.

Thank you Jesus for coming so many Christmas' ago. Come into my heart once more and make me Yours; because Jesus, there is room here!

Merry Christmas and Blessings on your New Year!

- In Him

"Redeeming Love"

Redeeming Love.
I looked at the cover.
I do not want to read this.
Last I heard someone teach on Hosea, I sobbed. I haven't even been able to read Hosea for the past three years since. I wasn't going to be vulnerable, and I for sure wasn't going to let myself get hurt. No way was I gonna read that!
Well, days have rolled by and we been doing lots of errands - I was getting just a tad board. I saw the book and though a second moment about it - well, at least it will be better than sitting and being board out of my brain. So I picked it up. We hadn't left yet so I opened it - my mind half thinking about the book and half thinking about everything else that needed to be done. I studied the cover - and opened the pages.
I read the dedication; to all those who hurt and hunger. I twinged.
I turned the next page and read the title of the set of chronicles; child of darkness. That didn't really want to make me read it more. I flipped to the next page - and started to read the prologue. I felt like I was about to step into her dark world and I was afraid.
Truthfully, I didn't even know who "she" would be. Except, I knew she was hurt, lost and felt used and worthless and didn't dare trust the one man who could save her.
Below the prologue title there was a quote, it was of Shakespeare; "the price of darkness is a gentleman."
I read the first couple sentences; I found that "she" was Sarah. I read two more sentences. I was in Sarah's world for just a few moments. I looked up and we were leaving. I left Sarah in the first pages of the prologue and clutched the book close to my chest and walked out into the snow. I looked at the cover again. I was afraid to open the pages - to go back into her dark world. I felt sick to my stomach. I took a deep breath. I would join Sarah on her journey - I would dare to be a on-looker; watching transparent lives, come to life on these pages.
There was a point in this book.
A lesson to be learned from the characters.
A dear hope woven through the words and pages by the author.
Would I get it though?
Would I grasp the love of God for once in my life?!
Or would I just become bitter and hard, and guard my heart even more?
Why couldn't things just stay the way they are? I've made it this far, and I really didn't want to dig up the things that I've kept deep and buried - then I heard His voice sweetly speak, "Because then you'll miss the wonderful things I have in store for you. And there are places I won't take you until you know my love and understand what that makes you; it makes you Mine, and it makes you free. And that is what makes you special."

"Prologue"

I'm sitting in the living room - enjoying the heat of the wood burning stove and drowning out the dull humming of the fan.
I can hear my family talking in the other room.
You can't see out the windows of the west wall because it's dark. But you can see the reflection of all the Christmas lights and candles scattered about the house.
It's beautiful.
It's good to be home.
I was even daring enough leave to ALL my school books back in the Valley. Okay, not ALL my books - I brought my medical encyclopedia, dictionary with me; you'll never know when you might need that! As I was packing to come home for Christmas Laura, my host sister, said I should bring a book with me; the one that she had put on my desk which had been sitting there past two months. "I know you'll be home with your family - but you should take it. Make an effort. For me; just take it with you, you might get around to it."
I looked at the book. I had been avoiding it the entire term; but I smiled at Laura and grabbed the book and put it in the box. I'm not going to read that. I thought to myself. I won't even have the time. Besides my folks will want me spending time with the family, not wrapped up in some book. That's it - it will be a good excuse. I looked up and smiled at Laura.
It's not like I don't like to read...I love reading. I'm a book-a-holic! I could walk in a book store as long as if not longer than my favorite clothing store - and that's sayin' something!

I sort of forgot about the book when I got home, until my Mama asked about it. I said I brought it back with me and that Laura had wanted me to read it, but I didn't want to. My Mama inquired why.
"I don't know, it's kidna got an interesting story line. It's based off of the book of Hosea."
She just looked at me - it's not like she didn't know what Hosea is about. It was more like that 'what did you learn in Sunday school and tell me about it' type look. "It's about a harlot, a prostitute and how a godly man marries her as a word from the Lord and loves her no matter what. To show her what true love is - kinda of a type of Christ with us, you know?"
"Hmmm."
"But because of the content I didn't know if I really wanted to read it." I was sure this would get me off the hook.
"I'll skim through it for you - and let you know."
"Yeah that would be great - let me know what you think."
Well she read it - and said "Well it's not one that you can "skim". I don't think its a easy read, especially for someone like you and me. I'm not sure why, but understanding and accepting God's love is just hard for us. But I think it would be a really good read. Especially with the recent events, Sarah. And I think you should read it here at home, where you can kinda let your guard down and really take it as it is."

Great. I thought - there is still no way I'm reading it. It's Christmas, I have tons to do helping around the house, because Em can't this year - I'll totally have my hands full. Besides, who wants to go through all that "stuff" when it's Christmas time?

more snow....

SNOW

Here are some pictues of us at home in the snow!

Merry Christmas!

The Lion Heart and Me

George and The Lion Heart

...back that cart up

So if flying home wasn't crazy enough - flying back, or the lack there of, has been the worse. When I went to the air port to fly out - little did I know that for the last three days flights have been canceled into the local airport. (the one I NEED to fly into) Oh boy....

So tonight we are going try this one more time! I've made a couple calls - some say "yah" some say "nay" and it's looking like the "nays" just might have it. The fog has been so bad - that flights haven't been coming and flights haven't been getting there. There is a chance that the flight could take off, but there is a better chance that the flight might be re-routed. That would be a bummer. The LAST thing I wanna do is fly into a city at midnight trying to get home - I would rather drive....which we might just do!

Time to head out....where I'm not sure. Well the airport - but we might just turn around and come back home!

Lord Bless
- In Him