Merry Christmas to All

What a joyous Christmas season it has been and now we are here at Christmas Eve.  I love Christmas Eve as much as Christmas Day.  This is the day that Eddie and our kids always go and fix the candles for our Christmas Eve service...they have been doing that ever since we came here.  That's something they have always loved doing and such a service gesture.  Usually that gave me time to do the mom thing  but this year I have been invited to join them.  There's less mom things to do as kids are older now so I think I will join in.  Since I will be doing that I still needed just a bit of time to myself so I headed out for just a bit to browse a few stores and witness the madness...praise God I'm not participating in the madness this year...and drive around just with some Christian Christmas songs playing and some clear the mind and heart time.
I'm grateful that when I woke up this morning every room was full of sleeping bodies and I came down to my husband who had the coffee brewing and a fire blazing...like I said it's been a joyous season.  I admit I've spent some of these seasons in the past trying to "buy peace" and now to His glory it's all about His peace and looking forward to all that money can't buy.  Yes, there will still be plenty of gifts for all and food to feed an army but it really is a wonderful thing to have total peace of mind and heart and just being thankful for the people that fill up my house rather than the stuff that fills it.
I've thought a lot about my favorites of the season lately and it really is all my favorite cause I'm just such an idiot about this time of year.  I do have to say that other than the Christmas Eve candlelight service and our kids still running down the stairs on Christmas morning and the excitement that brings, one of the things that stands out as a fave is watching them give to one another.  Some years it was a $3 gift, but to watch them as they watched the others opened what they were giving to them has brought much joy through the years. Isn't that really it anyway...not so much what we are getting but what we get the priviledge of giving.  Thank you God for giving to us more than we would ever deserve as You gave Your Son that 1st Christmas.  May we spend the rest of our lives giving back to you in love, service, time, effort, energy.  May we give You to others as we refuse to hoard You to ourselves but tell others about You...may that be an all through the year gift back to You.  Thank You for the silent nights and the peace and the joy that can't come from anywhere else or anyone else.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Monday Morning Perspective

I know it's Sunday afternoon for MMP but it's a great time to blog and I've been pondering the sermon a lot already so I just went ahead.  It's such a winter-like day weather-wise, all the Christmas lights are twinkling, John's playing basketball and Eddie's preparing for tonight and ready to leave for deacon prayer time so it's extremely quiet.  Looking forward to my college kids coming home, Jessica tomorrow and Stephen Tuesday.  It won't be this quiet again for a while.
Continuing our study in Ephesians today we were learning more about being imitators of God and what exactly that means.  We know first of all that we are called to live a life of love.  Reminded me of a quote Eddie has used lots before talking about how we billy goat love.  We say "we love so-and-so but... and then we butt em all over town".  God have mercy with us over that kind of love.
We also saw that we are called to live a life of purity.  That purity involves a lifestyle of purity and fleeing immorality.  It also involves purity with our lips.  Amazing how the tongue gets the bad rap but it's just the messenger boy for the heart.  What we say to people and about people reveals so much of our character, who we really are on the inside, not what we want people to think we are because we spend so much time fixing up the outside.  Eddie spoke of how often those who are hyper-critical are those with bitterness and hatred and anger on the inside and are unhappy with themselves.  Those qualities certainly don't look like the life of Christ.
We had dinner with a group of ministers the other night and one spoke of how being on the front lines of ministry opens you up to all kinds of criticism when people don't like you, agree with you, or your choices don't benefit them.  He said that cannot be where our focus is and he is so right. It used to bother me a lot because I wanted people to be happy and love everybody but it didn't take long to realize that was far from reality and Jesus faced the same abuse many times.  I have learned much about focusing on Him and doing what He's called me to do and let Him handle the criticism.  He handles it beautifully and I know that I don't.  He is our Great Defender anyway and my job is to keep my own heart pure so that my tongue doesn't send a message of anger and hatred and bitterness.
What a message the body of Christ could send if we loved the way we are called to, lived a life with morals and purity, and as Beth Moore says "deal with our stuff" so that our tongues can send messages of love and  encouragement rather than tearing everyone else down.

Tis the Season

Just had to get on here quickly before some much needed house projects are started and say I had an absolute blast last night!!  It was our staff Christmas dinner at Myabi and then the evening completed with a stop by Krispy Kreme.  We have the best time when we are together.  Everyone's so busy with ministry and family that we don't get these times nearly enough (gonna be more intentional to make it happen) but when we do it is just the best.  We go from serious meaningful conversation to rolling in laughter, it's just the way this staff fam is.  I shared with the deacons wives recently how often Eddie and I look at each other and just say wow, what a great group we are serving with right now.  God has blessed way beyond measure!!  Other than my own family, this is the bunch I wanna hang with...nothing quite like them.  Every single one of them has such a huge passion for ministry and a heart for Jesus that compares to nothing I've seen.  Thrilled to death that God has brought them into our life for such a time as this.  Their different personalities and abilities and gifts give an awesome glimpse into the body Christ has called us to be.  Monday morning is my normal time of focused prayer for them and their families but must say before my feet hit the floor this morning, they were on my mind and in my prayers.  Praying God will get much glory from their lives and ministry!!