Great Anticipation

Another year done. All in all it was good. There is some dissatifaction with some areas of life and a lot of the time we feel like we are just on the treadmill of life....always running but never getting anywhere. But that is not true!! My spiritual life has grown deeper and my relationship with husband more sweet. The kids are making good choices in life (except for those younger 2....they are still in the frisky years!)

I've been reading Dave Ramsey's new book and from his point of view we are doing well financially (although it still feels like we are living paycheck to paycheck). Also been reading a devotional book by Elisabeth Elliot and how God can be trusted in ANY and ALL circumstances and how not to doubt when trials come and test us and purify our faith (really good and deep stuff).

So, here is to the old year and looking forward to the new with great anticipation!!

Blessings to all who read this blog.....may you approach your new year with great anticipation as well!

The Jesus Gift

I've been pondering the real Gift of Christmas. So often I've just focused on His arrival....the meager circumstances....the young parents, etc. This year, however, I've been looking through the glass of Christmas the other way. Where He came from....the sacrifice of coming to us....maybe even how the angels guarded His birth and the preciousness of the gift from the Giver. It was a HUGE gift....a gift that was thought of for a long time and how expectant God must have been when it was given. Then I think of the vulnerability of Jesus as a baby. Totally dependant on Mary and Joseph to protect and nurture him....WOW!!

So here is to expectant giving....May I do more of it in 2009!!

Merry Christmas to all who visit me here! Mary

Thoughts

I have this little desktop calendar with the daily flip pages. I am not usually good at keeping up with those kind of things but todays was nice....
"In the presence of hope -
faith is born.
In the presences of faith,
love becomes a possibility!
In the presence of love -
miracles happen!" by Dr. Robert Schuller

I like it!

Play Day

Today is a day of feeling bored. Life is feeling stagnant....just the same old routine. Usually this starts a whole lot of "what if"...like "what if husband earned double the money and I could then work something more fun?". Then I have a tendency toward feeling depressed.

I think that I need a play day! You know, the kind of day where I just slack and not really be responsible for anything. Perhaps if I (or we as a family) were better at taking a weekly sabbath rest then life would be better. Hmmm...something to think about.

Living forward....mary

I was watching and thinking of the youth at our church yesterday. It seems that there is a lack of vision among the middle-age or older group about mentoring the youth that is within their own walls. What is the deal?! There are so few older people willing to take on a Sunday School class and be a resource to young parents. They are planning a program for next week and as I sat in on rehearsal (I was asked to sub for one of the teachers) there just seemed to be no leadership or enthusiam. The person running the show (who just graduated from high school last year) is just depending on the kids to read their scripts (it is to be a reader's theater show) and it's just not very well done. I think that parents would be so blessed if there more mentors out there for their kids and for them as well. Even the nursery is pretty much run by families..where are the "grandma's"?

The next issue is the youth group for jr/sr high kids. the leader and her family are preparing to leave as missionaries to Belize and will be one the road after the New Year to meet churches and raise support. They are the only other consistant family in the church. My kids are already wondering about church after they leave because there is just no LIFE among the other youth. The group has really fallen apart over the last year and it is usually our kids and the leader's kids on any kind of regular basis. They do get a great turn-out if there is a activity/special event but nothing otherwise. We are really wondering what to do. Husband and I don't feel that we should take it over so we are beginning to pray for a new leader. the church is going to hire another youth leader so we are praying for someone who has a thirst for the Lord and a desire to reach those kids that are on the fringe.

I just see such apathy in the churches of our denomination. So very lukewarm. We have considered changing churches but really feel that we need to stay and be a voice there.

Ah....the challenges of life!!

Mary

Reflecting

Thanksgiving is over and it went very nicely!! I'm glad that I had obsessed about a lot of the details because it made it special. I still wished that my family would have stayed overnight and we could've had breakfast together but after watching my brothers and one sister-in-law drink excessively at the hotel....it was probably better that they didn't. I really don't know why they need to drink so much...it really was never done at my home growing up. Dad would occassionally have a beer but never more than one. I guess one really needs to consider what they are role-modeling....because the next generation might take it to excess.

Anyway, it is now on to Christmas. It is truly one of my favorite times of year. I have been reflecting about my salvation some 21 years ago and how I now view Christmas. What a beautiful gift that was given to mankind. Such an innocent way to enter world. But trying to keep that focus when the world is screaming "Buy stuff to show love" is challenging. I'm sure that anything given will be received with excitement but will the kids SEE the real Christmas gift of Jesus?

Living forward in Christ....Mary