The Grace Story: A series for December

Not exactly an Advent Countdown.

Not a series of Christmas devotionals.

Not just about His birth.

Just a way for me - and hopefully for you - to pause during this time which is inevitably so busy and so full.  To pause and really savor the most wonderful story of all.

You may be (or get) tired of Santa Claus and Jingle Bells and inflatable snowmen and shopping malls.

You may be just plain tired!

You may not celebrate Christmas, and Jesus probably wasn't born on December 25th.  (I'm not here to argue opinions.  If God thought it was that important for us to know, He'd have told us, right?)

This isn't about The Christmas Story.

This is about Grace: A story that starts before the world was even made.  A story that is still being written today.  Thirty-one days will hardly do it justice, but there's still a lot we can gain from reflecting on what God has done.

I do hope you'll join me here Just Life Along the Way for a month of pondering and celebrating God's grace.

Dear _____,

Cosmos... You really are hearty plants, aren't you?  You've graced our backyard for months, and it looks like you'll still be blooming in December!

December... How did you possibly get here so. soon?!  Well, you're not here just yet, but...in a few days.

Scented candles... Yum!  You smell like Fall.  (Not that Fall has really has its own scent, but that's beside that point.)

Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals... I know you think you're irresistible.  But I knew what I wanted and wasn't going to lured into buying oodles of things I don't need, just 'cause you kept showing up in my inbox.





Wind and rain beating against the windows... You are music to my ears.

Pumpkin pie... You have always been a favorite of mine.  You also seem to have stolen my sister's heart.  She said you were the reason for her existence.  Basically, you are welcome in our home at any time.

Four-inch spike-y heels... My feet hate your guts.  I wore you on Sarah's wedding day, but I'm giving you the boot.  (No pun intended.)  I will sell you to someone who prefers fashion over comfort.  I want you out of my closet.  My feet hurt every time I look at you.







Leaves... Lookin' pretty snappy this year!

Flavored coffee... You make me happy.

Crazy dog who got all excited when I put my shoes on... Settle down!  I have to take something out to the mailbox.  Do you think I'd take you for a walk in weather like this?!

Books borrowed from a friend... You are perfect for this time of year.  Nothing like a cold, rainy day to read a book!

Nephews and niece... I know I've said it before, but you melt my heart every time I see you.



Far-away friend... We miss you!  Yay that you're coming home for Christmas!

If you feel like shopping...

...for totes, pillows, or scarves...

Check out my new Etsy shop.  More items to be added soon.  If you don't see something you'd like, feel free to use the "request custom item" option to let me know what you have in mind.

I'm sitting here listening to The Piano Guys.  The song playing now reminds me of my cousin Sam.  Somehow I can just picture his hands flying all over a piano playing this tune.

We had pasta and red sauce (with Italian sausage - yum!) for dinner.  The house still smells like it.

It's going to be another cold night, I think.  Time to bring the space heater back to my room again?  Maybe.  We'll see.

Twinkle Lullaby is playing now.  I'd like to say it's making Tephra drowsy, but that's pretty much her normal state.  Drowsy.

I want to Joann's this evening and was in the store for at minute, perhaps.  It wasn't a shopping trip, that's why!  I dropped off an application.  Yup.  Looking for a job again.  Seriously, how fun would it be to work at Joann's?!  I'm pretty sure it would be awesome.  BUT...it's more than likely that I'll fill out a lot more applications than just that.

It's in God's hands.

I know that.

Sometimes I guess I act like certain things might be too hard for Him, though.

In the back of my mind, I'm thinking, I was looking for a job for almost a year before I got the one at the Summer camp.  Will I even find another one before I'm supposed to leave for West Africa?

I know He wants me to trust Him with all the details.

And much as I'd like to be done with that lesson, I'm not.  I still don't trust Him perfectly.  He keeps giving me chances to practice trust.  He's wonderfully patient!

---



She was here for the weekend and it was fabulous.

She's so much fun!!  More than that, she is a real encouragement.



She brought projects to work on.  I pulled out some of my own.



Like cutting up dozens of little squares from scrapbook paper.

For crafty projects.  (You don't think I'd waste my time cutting up itsy-bitsy pieces of paper for no reason whatsoever, do you?)

Cards, maybe?

Or decorating gifts?

I'm not sure yet.

I just know I'll use them.



There was also a stack of made-from-magazine-page envelopes to finish gluing.



It made a good backdrop for hours of conversation.



Not to mention making us productive!



I realize now that I didn't take pictures of her handiwork - doilies, for one.  I should have.

Well, it's late and though I could say a lot more -

It was a positively delightful weekend.

I'm so glad you came, my sister-friend, and thank you for everything.

---

Now good night, y'all.

Michelle is coming for the weekend!  Yipeeeeee!!!!!!

Thanksgiving 2012

Pretty sweet colors for the West Coast!

---

The Gathering:

(Sorry...no nice, official-looking pictures of the turkey or of everyone sitting at the table.)



They are awesome.  I typed that, then thought, That needs an exclamation point after it!

They are awesome!

They really are.  We are blessed to have them as family.



With his favorite Auntie Becca







My Merry-girl



LOL!



Building lego towers on heads...



Legos are the go-to toys when they come over.

With legos, they are engineers.

They are story-tellers.

They are comedians.

They are also hard to take pictures of!  Too fast for me.  I must improve my skills.



After several goofy, blurry shots, I said, "Now, how about a nice one, Jeremiah?"

He readily agreed...and the above picture was what I got.



Looking at pictures from the wedding





Clowning around...



A good time was had by all.

Raindrops and sunshine

This place has been a bit quiet the past month-and-a-half or so.  Life hasn't been so much.

Until I get back into a more normal rhythm of writing, I'll rely more heavily on pictures.  (Like I have been doing...)

These are from earlier today.  After a morning of rain, the sun popped out and everything was sparkling.  The backyard was shouting my name.  Well, mine and my camera's name.

Not that my camera has a name.  (See why I haven't been writing much lately?!)

Anyway, here are the shots.







Happy Thanksgiving Eve!  ;)

Family News

[This post originally appeared on my NTM blog.]

My youngest sister, Sarah, just got married this month.  The wedding was held at our church, and it was so cool to see the love and effort that our church family put into making the day special.  They were definitely a clear reflection of Christ!

The day went without any real glitches – something of a miracle for a wedding, I suppose!  Most of our extended family was able to join us, along with friends we hadn’t seen for a long time.  It was fun to have them with us for the celebration.

– – –

Enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend, everyone!

The quilt

Hand-sewing the binding on



Tephra took a liking to the quilt.  (Silly dog.)





Close-up of the quilting.  I'm really happy with the job that the lady at the quilting shop did.



Ta-da!



The back: I'm a big fan of pieced backs.  It's just more fun to have a pop of color than plain ol' white.  And it's a good way to use up scraps.

Proactive Purity: A few thoughts

For the past several weeks, I've been going through a study that covers many areas of our relationship with God and with others.  One of the subjects this week was Walking in Moral Purity.  I'd like to share some of the things God put on my heart.

"It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable..." (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4)

One word jumped out at me: learn.  This implies that purity doesn't just happen.  It also means that it isn't enough to content myself with, "Well, I'm not doing x, y, or z, so I'm okay."

We need to be proactive in our attitude towards purity.

The Bible commands us to flee immorality, but purity is much more than just avoiding the "bad stuff".  Purity is actively honoring God with our bodies and our minds.  Studying what He has to say about purity in His word.  Renewing our minds with His truth.  Seeking friendships with other believers in which we can encourage and be encouraged to walk in the Light.  Pursuing a deeper relationship with the Lord.

Someone has wisely said we rarely fall into immorality; it is usually better described as a slide.  Satan is very deceptive in this area and it is foolish to think that we are immune to his traps.  If we are content to simply avoid the overt sins, we may find ourselves slowly growing complacent, even lazy.  This is a dangerous place to be!

You know something else that caught my attention?  This passage from Ephesians:

"But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.  Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving." (Ephesians 5:3-4)

Thanksgiving is set in contrast to impurity in all its various forms.  Thanksgiving is fitting for God's children, and it is a powerful antidote to immorality.  Isn't that an interesting thought?

Finally, purity is a reflection of Christ.  It part of who He is.  The closer our relationship with Him grows, the more His purity will be evident in our lives.

Snapshots

A prayer

Shared by a friend:

"May you always be overwhelmed by the grace of God rather than by the cares of life."

Fall leaves

God could have made everything black and white, but...He didn't.  He made hundreds and HUNDREDS of different colors. Talk about creative!  (And He gave us eyes that can see more than just black and white, so we could enjoy His creativity - unlike a lot of animals.)