Why I LOVE Christmas

• Unplugging from the daily routine
• Admiring the hills of Tennessee
• Seeing 60+ year old people play Wii (Hilarious!!!)
• The smell of dinner cooking
• Mama’s dressing (BEST EVER!)
• Mac & Cheese (don’t care who makes it… just HAVE SOME!)
• Sleepy time (immediately following dinner… lol)
• Reading the Christmas story in Luke 2 before…
• Opening presents one… by… one…
• Watching the grandkids wait their turn… one… by… one…
• The sounds of laughter and excitement that fill the room
• Being with the group of people who know me best… and still love me most
• Remembering that Jesus is the catalyst for ALL OF IT!!

How about you?

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Birthday Bowling

Blake’s 8th birthday is coming up next week, and just like the 7 others before this one, it falls on the day after Christmas.

We’re thankful that so far every year on his birthday Blake has been surrounded by family. Evie has been intentional about having a cake and letting him open presents from family!

However, the day after Christmas is NOT the best time to celebrate with friends. Either we’re out of town, or THEY are! So every year we’ve made an effort to do something with his friends, just not ON his birthday!

These ‘special’ days are often something simple. Outside of a couple of full-blown birthday parties in November, we’ve also tried a few non-traditional things: a movie day with a few friends or a 1/2 birthday pool party in June with 3 of his buddies.

Well today is Blake’s celebration day! This year we’re going bowling with another family from church, and the cool thing is that even though today is NOT his birthday, he’ll have a BLAST! It’s just another simple way to make some memories and celebrate with friends!

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20,000 Thank Yous

Well last week my little blog got its 20,000th hit. While I’m certain there are many other blogs that get that many hits in a day (and this guy may even get that many hits in an hour), it took me a little over a year to reach this milestone.

When I started this thing a little over a year ago, I was really looking for a way to update the many friends and family God has blessed us with in so many different places. I think we’ve accomplished that! Many of our friends and family continually drop in to check up on us, and this has been a perfect avenue to reach them all at once. I’m sincerely thankful for each of you!

What I didn’t anticipate was how many new friends I would make through my little blog. People I’ve never met have dropped in for comments and some I’ve actually developed ‘online relationships’ with. (As dirty as that sounds, there is absolutely nothing immoral about that statement! lol) For these new relationships I’m extremely grateful.

Moving forward I have no idea where our little blog might take us, or for how long we’ll do it, but I’m excited about the possibilities. In NO way do I claim to have figured this thing out, but I’ve certainly enjoyed sharing my life with my few faithful readers (and you know who you are). So thank YOU! Thank you for dropping in on our lives and contributing to the conversation!

In a short while I’ll have another story to tell you. The funny thing is that if I were 8 years old again, it would probably start with, “One time on Sesame Street…”

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Merry Christmas!

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What’s NOT in the Bible

Just finished reading the gospel of John this week and some things really struck me. Not only things that were in there, but this time some things that were not.

For example in chapter 8, when the Pharisees brought a promiscuous woman to Him, what did Jesus write in the sand? In Chapter 11, just before raising Lazarus from the dead, what caused “a deep anger” (The Message) to well up within Him? Not once… but twice?

These are moments I’ve heard others speculate about, but a different one struck me on this reading. One that I can not remember hearing someone speak to. The moment is in chapter 13. After reading it I was riveted with the question, “What was it like when Jesus washed Judas’ feet?” We know that Judas had already decided to betray Jesus (v. 2). We also know that Jesus was aware of Judas’ intent (v. 11). But what we don’t know is how that moment went down.

I think about what was going through Jesus’ mind while He took Judas’ feet and wiped them clean, all while knowing Judas’ motives were filthier than a pig’s hoof on a hot summer day (if you get my drift). I think about what kind of emotions were probably displayed by Jesus who often wore His heart on His sleeve. I also wonder if Judas displayed any emotions. Mostly though, I think about what it must have been like for Jesus to bend down and serve the man He knew was about to turn on Him. And honestly I have a hard time wrapping my brain around it.

I could pontificate here or attempt to tie this post up in a nice little bow. However, I’m not sure how. (And please don’t misunderstand this brief post or its title as a defense for overlooking the countless lessons and boundless wisdom readily available in the Scriptures.) I will say that if you’re looking for them, lessons can sometimes be found from what’s NOT in the Bible. And from this specific passage, lessons for people who have been betrayed, and even greater lessons for us betrayers.

That’s the best little bow I’ve got. Any thoughts?

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One Semester of Spanish Spanish Love Song

This is just for fun… and I had A LOT of fun watching it! Hope you do. Thanks Micah for posting it!

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The REAL Reason for Discipline

Recently I spoke at our church and shared some Biblical principles for parental discipline. The talk was mostly based on scripture, but also was laced with some great, practical insight shared by Ted Tripp in his book Shepherding a Child’s Heart.

The true motive for discipline is to keep our kids in a ‘circle of blessing’. This metaphorical circle has a boundary established by our child’s obedience and honor. However, as parents, it is our responsibility to correct the child when they get out of the circle and hopefully bring them back inside.

To see the message, and many others from our church, you can click here. The message on Parenting is entitled Carnival Week 3.

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