Laura V. Hilton's Blog, page 190
December 22, 2011
12 Days of Christmas day 10
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved
writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,
Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as
each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during
this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form}
and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450
value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only
open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and
see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that
help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing
a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of
the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
Simple or Sparkle?
by Tracey Eyster
It's a simple ornament made of thin cheap metal and it looks quite out of place
on our CHRISTmas tree. But each year I lovingly and safely nestle it amongst
its expensive and sparkly peers, without a care as to how unglamorous it
appears.
Many of our CHRISTmas ornaments have a story and an uncanny way of
welling up emotion in me, but this certain one causes an intense stir.
You see the ornament is engraved with the name of my grandmother, Sara,
and was given to me by my mother, who ordered it from Hospice, after
Grandmama's death. Yes, the months leading up to her death carry memories
of a frail and failing grandmama, but that ornament carries my thoughts to
sweet CHRISTmas memories of the past.
CHRISTmas Eve dinners in her home, laughing, singing, gathering and
celebrating a year filled with blessings as we remembered the birth of our
Savior. CHRISTmas mornings, she was always there participating with glee,
in our raucous CHRISTmas happiness. Her gifts were always bank envelopes
gently tucked into the pine needles of our CHRISTmas tree, fresh cut from the
property she grew up on.
All memories of my Grandmama make my heart swell. You see she was my
Jesus with skin on. She lived her life full of joy, serving others and approached
life selflessly with an attitude of, "What can I do for you?"
Just months before she left us, even as the Alzheimer's was robbing her mind
she shared her love of Jesus with a sweet little old lady friend, who came to
know the Lord – a divine appointment. The very next day that little old lady
silently slipped away to meet in person the One Sara introduced her to just the
day before.
At the time I wept, realizing that regardless of our own frailties and failings,
God can still use those of us who are willing to do His work and are well
practiced at hearing His voice...no matter our lack of sparkle in comparison to
others.
A simple life lived for Him, a simple ornament in memory of Sara...a simple
truth for you to ponder.
***
Tracey Eyster wife, mom, relationship gatherer and Creator/Editor of
FamilyLife's MomLife Today is a media savvy mom making a difference
where moms are, on-line. Through speaking, writing and video interviews
Tracey is passionate about encouraging, equipping and advising moms on
every facet of momlife. Her first book, Be The Mom will be released August
2012. You can connect with Tracey at www.momlifetoday.com, her personal
site www.traceyster.com or www.twitter/momblog.com.
December 21, 2011
12 Days of Christmas Day 9
Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved
writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,
Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as
each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during
this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form}
and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450
value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only
open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and
see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities
that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider
purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one
of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
Family Traditions: A Glimpse into Christmas Future
by Tricia Goyer
Have you ever thought about family traditions? As I helped my 1-year-old
place ornaments on the Christmas tree this year I imagined her doing the same
thing with her children—and maybe even grandchildren—one day. Traditions
are beliefs and customs handed down through generations. By sharing
meaningful moments with your kids you're sending yourself into the future.
How amazing is that?
Sharing family traditions cause us to slow down from the busy, adult world for
a while. We ignore the laundry to set out the nativity set with our kids. We set
aside time in our schedules to drive around and look at Christmas lights.
Holiday traditions aren't only fun, they also help strength family bonds.
Through traditions kids trust in the security of family unit. They think, "This is
our family and this is what I do." Of course, the most important thing to share
isn't just what we do ... but why. Why do we put out a nativity? To remind us
the real meaning of the season—Jesus coming to earth. What do the Christmas
lights represent displayed on homes and on trees? They represent the Light of
the World, Jesus.
Using traditions to bond our families and share our faith isn't new. I love
these two Scriptures that talk about that very thing.
Exodus 12:25 says, "When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as
he promised, observe this ceremony."
Psalm 78:4 says, "We will not hide them from their children; we will tell
the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the
wonders he has done."
What are you're traditions? Here are a few of ours:
Baking a Birthday cake for Jesus
Buying a new ornament every year for each child
Acting out the Christmas story (with props!)
Praying together before opening presents
What are your traditions? Write a list and appreciate them in a new way this
year. Then ask, "If I could add one new tradition this holiday season, what
would it be?" I'd love to hear what you choose! It also makes me smile to think
of your children's grandchildren doing the same.
***
Tricia Goyer is a CBA best-selling author and the winner of two Americanjavascript:void(0)
Christian Fiction Writers' Book of the Year Awards (Night Song and
Dawn of a Thousand Nights). She co-wrote 3:16 Teen Edition with Max
Lucado and contributed to the Women of Faith Study Bible. Also a noted
marriage and parenting writer, she lives with her husband and children in
Arkansas. www.triciagoyer.com
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved
writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,
Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as
each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during
this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form}
and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450
value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only
open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and
see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities
that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider
purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one
of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
Family Traditions: A Glimpse into Christmas Future
by Tricia Goyer
Have you ever thought about family traditions? As I helped my 1-year-old
place ornaments on the Christmas tree this year I imagined her doing the same
thing with her children—and maybe even grandchildren—one day. Traditions
are beliefs and customs handed down through generations. By sharing
meaningful moments with your kids you're sending yourself into the future.
How amazing is that?
Sharing family traditions cause us to slow down from the busy, adult world for
a while. We ignore the laundry to set out the nativity set with our kids. We set
aside time in our schedules to drive around and look at Christmas lights.
Holiday traditions aren't only fun, they also help strength family bonds.
Through traditions kids trust in the security of family unit. They think, "This is
our family and this is what I do." Of course, the most important thing to share
isn't just what we do ... but why. Why do we put out a nativity? To remind us
the real meaning of the season—Jesus coming to earth. What do the Christmas
lights represent displayed on homes and on trees? They represent the Light of
the World, Jesus.
Using traditions to bond our families and share our faith isn't new. I love
these two Scriptures that talk about that very thing.
Exodus 12:25 says, "When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as
he promised, observe this ceremony."
Psalm 78:4 says, "We will not hide them from their children; we will tell
the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the
wonders he has done."
What are you're traditions? Here are a few of ours:
Baking a Birthday cake for Jesus
Buying a new ornament every year for each child
Acting out the Christmas story (with props!)
Praying together before opening presents
What are your traditions? Write a list and appreciate them in a new way this
year. Then ask, "If I could add one new tradition this holiday season, what
would it be?" I'd love to hear what you choose! It also makes me smile to think
of your children's grandchildren doing the same.
***
Tricia Goyer is a CBA best-selling author and the winner of two Americanjavascript:void(0)
Christian Fiction Writers' Book of the Year Awards (Night Song and
Dawn of a Thousand Nights). She co-wrote 3:16 Teen Edition with Max
Lucado and contributed to the Women of Faith Study Bible. Also a noted
marriage and parenting writer, she lives with her husband and children in
Arkansas. www.triciagoyer.com
December 20, 2011
12 Days of Christmas Day 8
Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved
writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,
Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as
each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during
this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form}
and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450
value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only
open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and
see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities
that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider
purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one
of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
Let The Baby Grow Up This Christmas
By Shellie Tomlinson
When I was a little girl, Christmas seemed to take forever to make its way
back to our little house on the end of a dirt road called Bull Run in northeast
Louisiana. We kids started counting down the days before the leaves ever
began turning. Sure, the adults said it came once a year but I wasn't so sure.
Once Santa Claus left our humble abode it seemed like light years before he
found his way back to the Delta.
That was a child's perspective. I imagine it hasn't changed all that much for
today's kids. On the other hand, I'm operating under a completely different time
frame these days. It seems like it was just yesterday when I pulled the boxes
down from the attic and began pulling out the nativity scene, the miniature
lights, and the keepsake ornaments. And now, just that fast-- Christmas Day
is right around the corner. Soon the tree will be striped naked and the piled up
presents will all be distributed. After a few more day it'll be hard to remember
who got what from whom, and once again, I'll start packing all the decorations
away for another year.
I was thinking about how bare and cold the house always looks after the
holidays when I realized that, sadly, this scene would play itself out in many
hearts as well. A lot of people will have had expectations that weren't filled
and many of those same souls will be left with hurts that don't seem to heal.
Unless this year is remarkably different from past seasons, my bet is, the New
Year will bring magazines full of articles on combating depression and the talk
shows will have experts on offering ways to fill the long days ahead and cure
the winter blues.
I'm no expert, dear readers, but I'd like to offer you a suggestion that will go
far beyond the creature comforts of a nice warm bath or a delicious bowl of
hot soup. Your heart doesn't have to be bare and naked after the holidays. Do
you want to know the real secret? It's simple, really. Don't pack up Christ with
Christmas! As beautiful and special as the Christmas story is, it's only a part
of heaven's miracle. The Christ child grew into a man and the man became a
Savior.
This year, may we be determined to let the babe from Bethlehem live on in our
hearts. If we'll allow Him to become the Messiah He was born to be, the joy of
Christmas can be ours all year long.
***
Shellie Rushing Tomlinson is an author, speaker, and radio host from
Louisiana. Her latest release Sue Ellen's Girl Ain't Fat, She Just Weighs
Heavy was endorsed by Jeff Foxworthy as "laugh out loud funny!" You can
find Shellie's weekly southern features, podcasts, video chats and more at
http://www.allthingssouthern.com/ Make sure to get by the blog and read
about the Super Christmas Giveaway Shellie is hosting for her readers and
secure your chance to win a Mort Kunstler print valued between $700 and
$1400. www.allthingssouthern.com
POST 6 Monday 12/19 HTML – Shellie Tomlinson
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved
writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,
Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as
each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during
this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form}
and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450
value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only
open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and
see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities
that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider
purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one
of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
Let The Baby Grow Up This Christmas
By Shellie Tomlinson
When I was a little girl, Christmas seemed to take forever to make its way
back to our little house on the end of a dirt road called Bull Run in northeast
Louisiana. We kids started counting down the days before the leaves ever
began turning. Sure, the adults said it came once a year but I wasn't so sure.
Once Santa Claus left our humble abode it seemed like light years before he
found his way back to the Delta.
That was a child's perspective. I imagine it hasn't changed all that much for
today's kids. On the other hand, I'm operating under a completely different time
frame these days. It seems like it was just yesterday when I pulled the boxes
down from the attic and began pulling out the nativity scene, the miniature
lights, and the keepsake ornaments. And now, just that fast-- Christmas Day
is right around the corner. Soon the tree will be striped naked and the piled up
presents will all be distributed. After a few more day it'll be hard to remember
who got what from whom, and once again, I'll start packing all the decorations
away for another year.
I was thinking about how bare and cold the house always looks after the
holidays when I realized that, sadly, this scene would play itself out in many
hearts as well. A lot of people will have had expectations that weren't filled
and many of those same souls will be left with hurts that don't seem to heal.
Unless this year is remarkably different from past seasons, my bet is, the New
Year will bring magazines full of articles on combating depression and the talk
shows will have experts on offering ways to fill the long days ahead and cure
the winter blues.
I'm no expert, dear readers, but I'd like to offer you a suggestion that will go
far beyond the creature comforts of a nice warm bath or a delicious bowl of
hot soup. Your heart doesn't have to be bare and naked after the holidays. Do
you want to know the real secret? It's simple, really. Don't pack up Christ with
Christmas! As beautiful and special as the Christmas story is, it's only a part
of heaven's miracle. The Christ child grew into a man and the man became a
Savior.
This year, may we be determined to let the babe from Bethlehem live on in our
hearts. If we'll allow Him to become the Messiah He was born to be, the joy of
Christmas can be ours all year long.
***
Shellie Rushing Tomlinson is an author, speaker, and radio host from
Louisiana. Her latest release Sue Ellen's Girl Ain't Fat, She Just Weighs
Heavy was endorsed by Jeff Foxworthy as "laugh out loud funny!" You can
find Shellie's weekly southern features, podcasts, video chats and more at
http://www.allthingssouthern.com/ Make sure to get by the blog and read
about the Super Christmas Giveaway Shellie is hosting for her readers and
secure your chance to win a Mort Kunstler print valued between $700 and
$1400. www.allthingssouthern.com
POST 6 Monday 12/19 HTML – Shellie Tomlinson
December 19, 2011
Eight Ways to Beat the Blues at Christmas
Eight Ways to Beat the Blues at Christmas
By Poppy Smith
Instead of a houseful of kids and their little ones running around laughing, crying, playing with toys and sneaking treats, this year my husband, Jim, and I will be home alone for Christmas. My automatic reaction is to feel sad—but I am glad that all of them will be celebrating the coming of Jesus with their in-laws. After all, we are usually the ones who get that privilege!
But—it's easy to be sucked down into a "poor me" mindset and play the blues, unless we decide to change our perspective. So here are eight simple ways to help you enjoy the holidays whether you're physically or emotionally alone. Why not join me and let's beat those blues which aren't where God wants us at this special time of the year—or at any time!
Sing. Play music. Listen to the words and join in praising God. Singing is a guaranteed mood lifter and perspective changer. "Sing for joy to God our strength" Ps.81:1.
Smile. Smile at little children. Their harried moms. The older shoppers who are trying to find just the right present. Make smiling your chosen expression (not through gritted teeth, however!). It will make you feel so much better and maybe lift up another lonely soul.
Invite. Is there someone you haven't had time for this past year? Could you suggest meeting for coffee, lunch, or even over to your home? Perfection isn't needed—only a loving heart that looks beyond it's own world.
Rest. Remember all those too early mornings when you longed to just stay in bed? Now's your chance. Take time to read a book of the Bible or several psalms. Choose a special book, magazine, or television program. Make or buy some once in a year yummy treats and ENJOY this gift of time!
Give gifts to others. Go online and look for simple Christmas recipes. Make peppermint candy or a cranberry loaf and go drop it off at a homeless shelter or place that serves those without a home. Change your perspective from looking inward to looking outward—as God our Savior did when He gave us the most amazing gift of love any one can receive.
Write a list of your blessings. Think back over this past year. Even if it has been one of the most difficult you've experienced, ask God's Spirit to show you where He was present, loving and supporting and guiding you through. He will show you something and lift your heart.
Go to a Christmas Eve Service. Even if you're by yourself, don't miss the presence of God amidst the beauty of this celebration. Let your senses feast on the beauty, your ears delight in the music, your heart be moved to new heights of gratitude and love.
Pray about your dreams for 2012. What do you want to see happen in the coming year? Have you thought about changes you want to make? New paths to walk? Write out what comes to mind when you think of taking better care of yourself physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. (See my video: Take Care of Yourself, …….. or check my website on the media clips page).
May your "Home Alone" Christmas fill you with joy and a fresh awareness that Christ is with you, whether you're surrounded by people or peacefully alone.
Author Bio
Poppy Smith
With her fun personality and passion for communicating life-changing truths, Poppy Smith inspires believers to thrive spiritually and personally. Poppy's practical how-to messages (in print or in person) uses colorful examples from her own struggles to be more like Jesus. She encourages women (and men, at times) to grow in every kind of situation—whether joyful or painful! Poppy is British, married to an American, and has lived in many countries. She brings an international flair seasoned with humorous honesty as she illustrates Bible truths. A former Bible Study Fellowship Lecturer, Poppy's teaching challenges women to look at their choices, attitudes and self-talk. As a result, God's speaks, changing hearts, changing minds, and changing lives.
Sign up for Poppy's THRIVE newsletter at:
http://www.poppysmith.com/newsletters...
By Poppy Smith
Instead of a houseful of kids and their little ones running around laughing, crying, playing with toys and sneaking treats, this year my husband, Jim, and I will be home alone for Christmas. My automatic reaction is to feel sad—but I am glad that all of them will be celebrating the coming of Jesus with their in-laws. After all, we are usually the ones who get that privilege!
But—it's easy to be sucked down into a "poor me" mindset and play the blues, unless we decide to change our perspective. So here are eight simple ways to help you enjoy the holidays whether you're physically or emotionally alone. Why not join me and let's beat those blues which aren't where God wants us at this special time of the year—or at any time!
Sing. Play music. Listen to the words and join in praising God. Singing is a guaranteed mood lifter and perspective changer. "Sing for joy to God our strength" Ps.81:1.
Smile. Smile at little children. Their harried moms. The older shoppers who are trying to find just the right present. Make smiling your chosen expression (not through gritted teeth, however!). It will make you feel so much better and maybe lift up another lonely soul.
Invite. Is there someone you haven't had time for this past year? Could you suggest meeting for coffee, lunch, or even over to your home? Perfection isn't needed—only a loving heart that looks beyond it's own world.
Rest. Remember all those too early mornings when you longed to just stay in bed? Now's your chance. Take time to read a book of the Bible or several psalms. Choose a special book, magazine, or television program. Make or buy some once in a year yummy treats and ENJOY this gift of time!
Give gifts to others. Go online and look for simple Christmas recipes. Make peppermint candy or a cranberry loaf and go drop it off at a homeless shelter or place that serves those without a home. Change your perspective from looking inward to looking outward—as God our Savior did when He gave us the most amazing gift of love any one can receive.
Write a list of your blessings. Think back over this past year. Even if it has been one of the most difficult you've experienced, ask God's Spirit to show you where He was present, loving and supporting and guiding you through. He will show you something and lift your heart.
Go to a Christmas Eve Service. Even if you're by yourself, don't miss the presence of God amidst the beauty of this celebration. Let your senses feast on the beauty, your ears delight in the music, your heart be moved to new heights of gratitude and love.
Pray about your dreams for 2012. What do you want to see happen in the coming year? Have you thought about changes you want to make? New paths to walk? Write out what comes to mind when you think of taking better care of yourself physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. (See my video: Take Care of Yourself, …….. or check my website on the media clips page).
May your "Home Alone" Christmas fill you with joy and a fresh awareness that Christ is with you, whether you're surrounded by people or peacefully alone.
Author Bio
Poppy Smith
With her fun personality and passion for communicating life-changing truths, Poppy Smith inspires believers to thrive spiritually and personally. Poppy's practical how-to messages (in print or in person) uses colorful examples from her own struggles to be more like Jesus. She encourages women (and men, at times) to grow in every kind of situation—whether joyful or painful! Poppy is British, married to an American, and has lived in many countries. She brings an international flair seasoned with humorous honesty as she illustrates Bible truths. A former Bible Study Fellowship Lecturer, Poppy's teaching challenges women to look at their choices, attitudes and self-talk. As a result, God's speaks, changing hearts, changing minds, and changing lives.
Sign up for Poppy's THRIVE newsletter at:
http://www.poppysmith.com/newsletters...
12 Days of Christmas Day 7
Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved
writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,
Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as
each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during
this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form}
and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450
value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only
open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and
see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities
that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider
purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one
of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
The Snowflake Party
By Deborah Raney
The first snow of winter hasn't fallen yet, but in our kitchen tonight we're
doing a pretty good imitation. The whole family is circled around the huge old
oak table. The snip, snip, snip of scissors is background music as tiny scraps of
white paper float down, making our floor look like a giant brownie sprinkled
with powdered sugar.
Tonight has turned out to be the night for our annual Snowflake Party, a
tradition that began when our children were toddlers. There has never been
a date blocked out in red on our calendar, but one day we wake up and the
brisk autumn air has turned bitter cold. Naked tree branches trace their stark
calligraphy on a dull grey sky and we need a taste of the joyful promises of
Christmas and snow. It's the perfect time for a party.
On such a day, one of the kids will fly in the back door, fresh home from
school, and declare "Hey, Mom! Tonight would be a good night for the
Snowflake Party!" First we round up every pair of scissors in the house. This
is one time when sharing is not a virtue. While the kids search for scissors, I
cut white paper into squares and fold them caddy-corner multiple times. The
resulting triangles are artfully arranged in a basket, awaiting the beginning of
the party.
Later, while the supper dishes dry on the counter, I recruit a volunteer to help
me stir up a big pot of hot cocoa. For the next hour it will warm on the back
burner, tantalizing us with its aroma.
Now the fun begins with careful cutting and snipping, shaping plain white
paper into intricate works of art. Each snowflake we create seems as unique and
spectacular as the genuine variety created by God himself. As each masterpiece
is unfolded, collective oohs and aahs go up.
When the last dregs of our creative juices are drained, Dad oversees the
vacuum patrol while I pour cocoa into generous mugs. We spread our
handiwork on the floor around us and sit, quietly admiring our work while we
dunk marshmallows and sip rich chocolate.
With empty mugs piled up in the sink, it's time for the judging to begin. There
will be awards for 'prettiest', 'most unusual', and as many other categories as
we need for everyone to be a winner. Dad is the judge because he studied art in
college. He also usually wins one of the top prizes––because he studied art in
college.
Snowflakes deemed runners-up might be pasted in scrapbooks or hung on the
refrigerator. A few even "melt" into the trash that very night. But the winners
are taped proudly to the picture windows in the living room for passersby to
enjoy while they long for the day when genuine snowflakes will color the
world clean and white.
Our oldest daughter went away to college last September. She called just after
Thanksgiving to tell me that her dorm window was covered with snowflakes.
No, not the real thing, but the ones she remembers from her childhood––paper
ones that she spent an entire evening cutting and snipping while sipping hot
cocoa.
That's the neat thing about traditions: They go with us no matter how far
from home we travel.
***
DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide
Pictures film of the same title. Her books have since won the RITA Award,
ACFW Carol Award, HOLT Medallion, National Readers' Choice Award,
Silver Angel, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. After All, third in
her Hanover Falls Novels series will release next spring from Howard/Simon
& Schuster. Deb and her husband, Ken Raney, enjoy small-town life in
Kansas. Their four children are grown now and having snowflake parties with
their own children––and they all live much too far away. Visit Deb on the web
at www.deborahraney.com.
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved
writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,
Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as
each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during
this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form}
and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450
value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only
open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and
see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities
that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider
purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one
of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
The Snowflake Party
By Deborah Raney
The first snow of winter hasn't fallen yet, but in our kitchen tonight we're
doing a pretty good imitation. The whole family is circled around the huge old
oak table. The snip, snip, snip of scissors is background music as tiny scraps of
white paper float down, making our floor look like a giant brownie sprinkled
with powdered sugar.
Tonight has turned out to be the night for our annual Snowflake Party, a
tradition that began when our children were toddlers. There has never been
a date blocked out in red on our calendar, but one day we wake up and the
brisk autumn air has turned bitter cold. Naked tree branches trace their stark
calligraphy on a dull grey sky and we need a taste of the joyful promises of
Christmas and snow. It's the perfect time for a party.
On such a day, one of the kids will fly in the back door, fresh home from
school, and declare "Hey, Mom! Tonight would be a good night for the
Snowflake Party!" First we round up every pair of scissors in the house. This
is one time when sharing is not a virtue. While the kids search for scissors, I
cut white paper into squares and fold them caddy-corner multiple times. The
resulting triangles are artfully arranged in a basket, awaiting the beginning of
the party.
Later, while the supper dishes dry on the counter, I recruit a volunteer to help
me stir up a big pot of hot cocoa. For the next hour it will warm on the back
burner, tantalizing us with its aroma.
Now the fun begins with careful cutting and snipping, shaping plain white
paper into intricate works of art. Each snowflake we create seems as unique and
spectacular as the genuine variety created by God himself. As each masterpiece
is unfolded, collective oohs and aahs go up.
When the last dregs of our creative juices are drained, Dad oversees the
vacuum patrol while I pour cocoa into generous mugs. We spread our
handiwork on the floor around us and sit, quietly admiring our work while we
dunk marshmallows and sip rich chocolate.
With empty mugs piled up in the sink, it's time for the judging to begin. There
will be awards for 'prettiest', 'most unusual', and as many other categories as
we need for everyone to be a winner. Dad is the judge because he studied art in
college. He also usually wins one of the top prizes––because he studied art in
college.
Snowflakes deemed runners-up might be pasted in scrapbooks or hung on the
refrigerator. A few even "melt" into the trash that very night. But the winners
are taped proudly to the picture windows in the living room for passersby to
enjoy while they long for the day when genuine snowflakes will color the
world clean and white.
Our oldest daughter went away to college last September. She called just after
Thanksgiving to tell me that her dorm window was covered with snowflakes.
No, not the real thing, but the ones she remembers from her childhood––paper
ones that she spent an entire evening cutting and snipping while sipping hot
cocoa.
That's the neat thing about traditions: They go with us no matter how far
from home we travel.
***
DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide
Pictures film of the same title. Her books have since won the RITA Award,
ACFW Carol Award, HOLT Medallion, National Readers' Choice Award,
Silver Angel, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. After All, third in
her Hanover Falls Novels series will release next spring from Howard/Simon
& Schuster. Deb and her husband, Ken Raney, enjoy small-town life in
Kansas. Their four children are grown now and having snowflake parties with
their own children––and they all live much too far away. Visit Deb on the web
at www.deborahraney.com.
December 18, 2011
12 Days of Christmas Day 6
Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved
writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,
Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as
each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during
this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form}
and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450
value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only
open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and
see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities
that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider
purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one
of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
Why I Decorate for Christmas
By Elizabeth Goldsmith Musser
An old cassette tape of Christmas carols—received in a package twenty years
ago when we had first arrived in France as missionaries—fills our den with
delightful piano music as I place one more ornament on the already over-laden
Christmas tree. This one is a little white wooden rabbit with pink ears that
move back and forth. It actually doesn't look much like a Christmas ornament,
but I bought it for our baby Andrew when my husband Paul was in seminary,
and I was working for less than minimum wage in the library. This ornament
was literally all I could afford.
As I hang it on the tree today, I get goose bumps and then a rush of
warmth. And that's why I decorate for Christmas. Not to impress but to
remember. I remember those lean, lean years, and God's faithful provision for
us.
There are the cross-stitched ornaments I made our first year in Montpellier—
for the boys (for by now we had two sons) and Paul and me. How I ever had
time to do that, I don't know. I remember our puny little tree—the kind they
sold in France back then—in a pot so that it could be replanted later. We
perched that tiny tree on a small table out of baby Christopher's reach. I guess
I watered it too much, because about halfway through December, it started
smelling and then stinking, and it rotted there on Christmas Day!
I smile with these memories.
I look at the other ornaments on the tree. Many were purchased—one for each
boy—when we attended conferences around Europe, and that makes me smile
too. Getting to travel on a missionary's budget to exotic places! There are the
waxed red bear and red baby carriage from Wales, the brightly painted clay sun
and moon from Portugal, the blue and white porcelain windmill and wooden
shoes from Holland, the hand-blown glass Snoopys sitting on gondolas from
Venice, and the delicately decorated eggs from Prague.
Other ornaments include the little pinkish shiny ball ornament with Paul's
name written in glitter—I think he made it when he was about six , and the
little red velvet bows, bought at Michael's after Christmas one year for a
dollar. They bring a unifying theme to the tree. I say this, smiling, because
our tree is, and has always been throughout the years, a hodge-podge of
our life. And I like it that way. I don't think I could ever have a 'theme'
tree. Mine is a 'memory' tree.
The music plays softly in the background and I smile through tears,
remembering God's incredible faithfulness to call and keep us here in France
for so many years. Heart-breakingly hard years, overwhelmingly joyful
years—the same years, the same amazing God, our keeper.
Before we left for the mission field, I memorized Psalm 121 in English and in
French, and over the years I have held on tight to those last beautiful words of
the psalm: The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this
time forth and forever. (NASB)
Of course He will. He is God with us.
We decorate to remember Christmases past, our lives, our legacy, and mostly,
for those of us who have embraced Christ, we decorate to honor and praise Him
for coming to us—Emmanuel! We make our homes ready to receive the Christ
Child, with soft music and candles burning and the sweet flickering of angel
wings on an over-laden evergreen.
***
ELIZABETH GOLDSMITH MUSSER, an Atlanta native and the
bestselling author of The Swan House, is a novelist who writes what she
calls 'entertainment with a soul.' For over twenty years, Elizabeth and
her husband, Paul, have been involved in missions work with International
Teams. They presently live near Lyon, France. The Mussers have two sons and
a daughter-in-law. The Sweetest Thing (Bethany House, 2011) is Elizabeth's
eighth novel. To learn more about Elizabeth and her books, and to find
discussion questions as well as photos of sites mentioned in the stories, please
visit www.elizabethmusser.com and her Facebook Fan Page.
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved
writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,
Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as
each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during
this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form}
and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450
value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only
open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and
see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities
that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider
purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one
of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
Why I Decorate for Christmas
By Elizabeth Goldsmith Musser
An old cassette tape of Christmas carols—received in a package twenty years
ago when we had first arrived in France as missionaries—fills our den with
delightful piano music as I place one more ornament on the already over-laden
Christmas tree. This one is a little white wooden rabbit with pink ears that
move back and forth. It actually doesn't look much like a Christmas ornament,
but I bought it for our baby Andrew when my husband Paul was in seminary,
and I was working for less than minimum wage in the library. This ornament
was literally all I could afford.
As I hang it on the tree today, I get goose bumps and then a rush of
warmth. And that's why I decorate for Christmas. Not to impress but to
remember. I remember those lean, lean years, and God's faithful provision for
us.
There are the cross-stitched ornaments I made our first year in Montpellier—
for the boys (for by now we had two sons) and Paul and me. How I ever had
time to do that, I don't know. I remember our puny little tree—the kind they
sold in France back then—in a pot so that it could be replanted later. We
perched that tiny tree on a small table out of baby Christopher's reach. I guess
I watered it too much, because about halfway through December, it started
smelling and then stinking, and it rotted there on Christmas Day!
I smile with these memories.
I look at the other ornaments on the tree. Many were purchased—one for each
boy—when we attended conferences around Europe, and that makes me smile
too. Getting to travel on a missionary's budget to exotic places! There are the
waxed red bear and red baby carriage from Wales, the brightly painted clay sun
and moon from Portugal, the blue and white porcelain windmill and wooden
shoes from Holland, the hand-blown glass Snoopys sitting on gondolas from
Venice, and the delicately decorated eggs from Prague.
Other ornaments include the little pinkish shiny ball ornament with Paul's
name written in glitter—I think he made it when he was about six , and the
little red velvet bows, bought at Michael's after Christmas one year for a
dollar. They bring a unifying theme to the tree. I say this, smiling, because
our tree is, and has always been throughout the years, a hodge-podge of
our life. And I like it that way. I don't think I could ever have a 'theme'
tree. Mine is a 'memory' tree.
The music plays softly in the background and I smile through tears,
remembering God's incredible faithfulness to call and keep us here in France
for so many years. Heart-breakingly hard years, overwhelmingly joyful
years—the same years, the same amazing God, our keeper.
Before we left for the mission field, I memorized Psalm 121 in English and in
French, and over the years I have held on tight to those last beautiful words of
the psalm: The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this
time forth and forever. (NASB)
Of course He will. He is God with us.
We decorate to remember Christmases past, our lives, our legacy, and mostly,
for those of us who have embraced Christ, we decorate to honor and praise Him
for coming to us—Emmanuel! We make our homes ready to receive the Christ
Child, with soft music and candles burning and the sweet flickering of angel
wings on an over-laden evergreen.
***
ELIZABETH GOLDSMITH MUSSER, an Atlanta native and the
bestselling author of The Swan House, is a novelist who writes what she
calls 'entertainment with a soul.' For over twenty years, Elizabeth and
her husband, Paul, have been involved in missions work with International
Teams. They presently live near Lyon, France. The Mussers have two sons and
a daughter-in-law. The Sweetest Thing (Bethany House, 2011) is Elizabeth's
eighth novel. To learn more about Elizabeth and her books, and to find
discussion questions as well as photos of sites mentioned in the stories, please
visit www.elizabethmusser.com and her Facebook Fan Page.
December 17, 2011
12 Days of Christmas day 5
Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved
writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,
Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as
each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during
this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form}
and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450
value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only
open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and
see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities
that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider
purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one
of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
Where is Comfort and Joy Found?
By Sandy Ralya
The year 2006 ushered unwelcome emotions into my life. My husband was
unhappy in his job, two of my grown children were making poor choices, my
mother-in-law was showing signs of Alzheimer's, extended-family issues were
surfacing, and I was writing a book. Things only got worse. Much worse.
Early in 2007, I was asked to represent the mentoring ministry for wives I
founded, Beautiful Womanhood, and lead a women's conference in Uganda,
Africa. My husband wasn't sure if traveling to Africa was a good idea, so
we committed it to prayer. While we were listening for an answer, I sensed
God asking me to fast from spending, except for groceries, for thirty days.
Sometimes you know that you've heard God's voice because you'd never
have come up with those words on your own. This was one of those times.
I'd never heard of a fast from spending. Tom needed no convincing that a fast
from spending came directly from the mouth of God. He still gets excited just
thinking about it!
During the fast, it became clear I had used spending as a way to gain a comfort
fix. When I was spending money, I felt carefree and lighthearted. Instead of
dwelling on the unpleasantness in my life, I was thinking of my purchases and
how they would bring me pleasure. Not until I stopped spending did I realize
how short-lived the fix really was. During the fast, when I felt the urge to
spend—to anesthetize my pain—I pictured myself running into the arms of
Jesus, the Great Comforter. Oh, what comfort I received!
One night, I told good friends my experience of gaining comfort through the
power of the Holy Spirit rather than money. I exclaimed that I had never felt
so comforted. One friend then told us about a dream he'd had shortly after
hearing about the invitation from Uganda. After the dream, he had awoken and
recorded the following thoughts:
". . . this is for Sandy. Christ's redemption of women is beautiful. Beautiful
Womanhood is a result of redemptive wholeness. The visuals the ministry uses
on the books, etc., are like a piece of beautifully veneered furniture. There is
something going on with the ministry to the brokenness of abused women. In
Uganda, there are hurting, abused women, and something is connecting their
need and Beautiful Womanhood. Though there is nothing wrong with veneer, it
is only the topping—the covering, and without good structure it is shallow and
will not hold up. It is time to add a new depth to the ministry."
Then these verses came to my friend's mind:
All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of
every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles
so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to
give them the same comfort God has given us. You can be sure that the more
we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through
Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NL
When my friend was finished sharing, everyone in the room broke down in
tears, praising God for His work in my life. I'd learned to listen and God had
spoken. I'd obeyed, and He'd acted. When He acted, I was changed.
Needless to say, I packed my bags and experienced some of the best days of my
life in Uganda—offering God's comfort to His troubled women.
***
Sandy and her husband Tom have been married since 1980 and live near
Grand Rapids, Michigan. They have three adult children and a growing
number of grandchildren. When not writing and speaking, Sandy enjoys
shopping at yard sales for vintage clothing, cooking, travelling, and drinking
really good coffee (black is best) with her husband. For more information,
contact Sandy at sandy@beautifulwomanhood.com. Subscribe to Sandy's blog
at www.beautifulwomanhood.com/blog. Find Sandy on Facebook at Beautiful
Womanhood. Follow Sandy on Twitter @MentoringWives.
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved
writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,
Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as
each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during
this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form}
and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450
value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only
open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and
see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities
that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider
purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one
of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
Where is Comfort and Joy Found?
By Sandy Ralya
The year 2006 ushered unwelcome emotions into my life. My husband was
unhappy in his job, two of my grown children were making poor choices, my
mother-in-law was showing signs of Alzheimer's, extended-family issues were
surfacing, and I was writing a book. Things only got worse. Much worse.
Early in 2007, I was asked to represent the mentoring ministry for wives I
founded, Beautiful Womanhood, and lead a women's conference in Uganda,
Africa. My husband wasn't sure if traveling to Africa was a good idea, so
we committed it to prayer. While we were listening for an answer, I sensed
God asking me to fast from spending, except for groceries, for thirty days.
Sometimes you know that you've heard God's voice because you'd never
have come up with those words on your own. This was one of those times.
I'd never heard of a fast from spending. Tom needed no convincing that a fast
from spending came directly from the mouth of God. He still gets excited just
thinking about it!
During the fast, it became clear I had used spending as a way to gain a comfort
fix. When I was spending money, I felt carefree and lighthearted. Instead of
dwelling on the unpleasantness in my life, I was thinking of my purchases and
how they would bring me pleasure. Not until I stopped spending did I realize
how short-lived the fix really was. During the fast, when I felt the urge to
spend—to anesthetize my pain—I pictured myself running into the arms of
Jesus, the Great Comforter. Oh, what comfort I received!
One night, I told good friends my experience of gaining comfort through the
power of the Holy Spirit rather than money. I exclaimed that I had never felt
so comforted. One friend then told us about a dream he'd had shortly after
hearing about the invitation from Uganda. After the dream, he had awoken and
recorded the following thoughts:
". . . this is for Sandy. Christ's redemption of women is beautiful. Beautiful
Womanhood is a result of redemptive wholeness. The visuals the ministry uses
on the books, etc., are like a piece of beautifully veneered furniture. There is
something going on with the ministry to the brokenness of abused women. In
Uganda, there are hurting, abused women, and something is connecting their
need and Beautiful Womanhood. Though there is nothing wrong with veneer, it
is only the topping—the covering, and without good structure it is shallow and
will not hold up. It is time to add a new depth to the ministry."
Then these verses came to my friend's mind:
All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of
every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles
so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to
give them the same comfort God has given us. You can be sure that the more
we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through
Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NL
When my friend was finished sharing, everyone in the room broke down in
tears, praising God for His work in my life. I'd learned to listen and God had
spoken. I'd obeyed, and He'd acted. When He acted, I was changed.
Needless to say, I packed my bags and experienced some of the best days of my
life in Uganda—offering God's comfort to His troubled women.
***
Sandy and her husband Tom have been married since 1980 and live near
Grand Rapids, Michigan. They have three adult children and a growing
number of grandchildren. When not writing and speaking, Sandy enjoys
shopping at yard sales for vintage clothing, cooking, travelling, and drinking
really good coffee (black is best) with her husband. For more information,
contact Sandy at sandy@beautifulwomanhood.com. Subscribe to Sandy's blog
at www.beautifulwomanhood.com/blog. Find Sandy on Facebook at Beautiful
Womanhood. Follow Sandy on Twitter @MentoringWives.
December 16, 2011
Twelve Days of Christmas, Day 4
Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved
writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,
Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as
each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during
this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form}
and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450
value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only
open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and
see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities
that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider
purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one
of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
Where is Comfort and Joy Found?
By Sandy Ralya
The year 2006 ushered unwelcome emotions into my life. My husband was
unhappy in his job, two of my grown children were making poor choices, my
mother-in-law was showing signs of Alzheimer's, extended-family issues were
surfacing, and I was writing a book. Things only got worse. Much worse.
Early in 2007, I was asked to represent the mentoring ministry for wives I
founded, Beautiful Womanhood, and lead a women's conference in Uganda,
Africa. My husband wasn't sure if traveling to Africa was a good idea, so
we committed it to prayer. While we were listening for an answer, I sensed
God asking me to fast from spending, except for groceries, for thirty days.
Sometimes you know that you've heard God's voice because you'd never
have come up with those words on your own. This was one of those times.
I'd never heard of a fast from spending. Tom needed no convincing that a fast
from spending came directly from the mouth of God. He still gets excited just
thinking about it!
During the fast, it became clear I had used spending as a way to gain a comfort
fix. When I was spending money, I felt carefree and lighthearted. Instead of
dwelling on the unpleasantness in my life, I was thinking of my purchases and
how they would bring me pleasure. Not until I stopped spending did I realize
how short-lived the fix really was. During the fast, when I felt the urge to
spend—to anesthetize my pain—I pictured myself running into the arms of
Jesus, the Great Comforter. Oh, what comfort I received!
One night, I told good friends my experience of gaining comfort through the
power of the Holy Spirit rather than money. I exclaimed that I had never felt
so comforted. One friend then told us about a dream he'd had shortly after
hearing about the invitation from Uganda. After the dream, he had awoken and
recorded the following thoughts:
". . . this is for Sandy. Christ's redemption of women is beautiful. Beautiful
Womanhood is a result of redemptive wholeness. The visuals the ministry uses
on the books, etc., are like a piece of beautifully veneered furniture. There is
something going on with the ministry to the brokenness of abused women. In
Uganda, there are hurting, abused women, and something is connecting their
need and Beautiful Womanhood. Though there is nothing wrong with veneer, it
is only the topping—the covering, and without good structure it is shallow and
will not hold up. It is time to add a new depth to the ministry."
Then these verses came to my friend's mind:
All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of
every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles
so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to
give them the same comfort God has given us. You can be sure that the more
we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through
Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NL
When my friend was finished sharing, everyone in the room broke down in
tears, praising God for His work in my life. I'd learned to listen and God had
spoken. I'd obeyed, and He'd acted. When He acted, I was changed.
Needless to say, I packed my bags and experienced some of the best days of my
life in Uganda—offering God's comfort to His troubled women.
***
Sandy and her husband Tom have been married since 1980 and live near
Grand Rapids, Michigan. They have three adult children and a growing
number of grandchildren. When not writing and speaking, Sandy enjoys
shopping at yard sales for vintage clothing, cooking, travelling, and drinking
really good coffee (black is best) with her husband. For more information,
contact Sandy at sandy@beautifulwomanhood.com. Subscribe to Sandy's blog
at www.beautifulwomanhood.com/blog. Find Sandy on Facebook at Beautiful
Womanhood. Follow Sandy on Twitter @MentoringWives.
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved
writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,
Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as
each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during
this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form}
and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450
value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only
open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and
see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities
that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider
purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one
of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
Where is Comfort and Joy Found?
By Sandy Ralya
The year 2006 ushered unwelcome emotions into my life. My husband was
unhappy in his job, two of my grown children were making poor choices, my
mother-in-law was showing signs of Alzheimer's, extended-family issues were
surfacing, and I was writing a book. Things only got worse. Much worse.
Early in 2007, I was asked to represent the mentoring ministry for wives I
founded, Beautiful Womanhood, and lead a women's conference in Uganda,
Africa. My husband wasn't sure if traveling to Africa was a good idea, so
we committed it to prayer. While we were listening for an answer, I sensed
God asking me to fast from spending, except for groceries, for thirty days.
Sometimes you know that you've heard God's voice because you'd never
have come up with those words on your own. This was one of those times.
I'd never heard of a fast from spending. Tom needed no convincing that a fast
from spending came directly from the mouth of God. He still gets excited just
thinking about it!
During the fast, it became clear I had used spending as a way to gain a comfort
fix. When I was spending money, I felt carefree and lighthearted. Instead of
dwelling on the unpleasantness in my life, I was thinking of my purchases and
how they would bring me pleasure. Not until I stopped spending did I realize
how short-lived the fix really was. During the fast, when I felt the urge to
spend—to anesthetize my pain—I pictured myself running into the arms of
Jesus, the Great Comforter. Oh, what comfort I received!
One night, I told good friends my experience of gaining comfort through the
power of the Holy Spirit rather than money. I exclaimed that I had never felt
so comforted. One friend then told us about a dream he'd had shortly after
hearing about the invitation from Uganda. After the dream, he had awoken and
recorded the following thoughts:
". . . this is for Sandy. Christ's redemption of women is beautiful. Beautiful
Womanhood is a result of redemptive wholeness. The visuals the ministry uses
on the books, etc., are like a piece of beautifully veneered furniture. There is
something going on with the ministry to the brokenness of abused women. In
Uganda, there are hurting, abused women, and something is connecting their
need and Beautiful Womanhood. Though there is nothing wrong with veneer, it
is only the topping—the covering, and without good structure it is shallow and
will not hold up. It is time to add a new depth to the ministry."
Then these verses came to my friend's mind:
All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of
every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles
so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to
give them the same comfort God has given us. You can be sure that the more
we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through
Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NL
When my friend was finished sharing, everyone in the room broke down in
tears, praising God for His work in my life. I'd learned to listen and God had
spoken. I'd obeyed, and He'd acted. When He acted, I was changed.
Needless to say, I packed my bags and experienced some of the best days of my
life in Uganda—offering God's comfort to His troubled women.
***
Sandy and her husband Tom have been married since 1980 and live near
Grand Rapids, Michigan. They have three adult children and a growing
number of grandchildren. When not writing and speaking, Sandy enjoys
shopping at yard sales for vintage clothing, cooking, travelling, and drinking
really good coffee (black is best) with her husband. For more information,
contact Sandy at sandy@beautifulwomanhood.com. Subscribe to Sandy's blog
at www.beautifulwomanhood.com/blog. Find Sandy on Facebook at Beautiful
Womanhood. Follow Sandy on Twitter @MentoringWives.
December 15, 2011
12 Days of Christmas day 3
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved
writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,
Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as
each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during
this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form}
and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450
value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only
open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and
see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities
that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider
purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one
of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
Advent By Sibella Giorello
Consider the bride's walk down the aisle. We all know where that woman in the
white is going but somehow waiting for her to arrive at the altar is an essential
part of the ceremony. In fact, the waiting is so essential that even cheapskate
Vegas chapels include wedding marches.
Why?
Because the wait adds meaning to the moment.
At Christmas time, we tend to forget this essential truth about anticipation.
We're lost to shopping malls and checklists, rushing toward December 25th so
quickly that we forget the quiet joy of the month's other 24 days -- and then we
wonder why we feel so empty on the 26th, amid ribbons and wrapping paper
and our best intentions.
Because the wait adds meaning to the moment.
And that is why Advent is so important to Christmas.
I'm as guilty as the next harried person. This Advent was particularly tricky
because just six hours before it started, I was still trying to finish a 110,000-
word novel that was written over the course of the year -- written while
homeschooling my kids, keeping my hubby happy, and generally making sure
the house didn't fall down around us.
It's an understatement to say my free time is limited. But waiting adds
meaning, and Advent is crucial to Christmas, so I've devised several
Advent traditions that are simple, powerful and easy to keep even amid the
seasonal rush.
When my kids outgrew the simple Advent calendars around age 7, I stole an
idea from my writer friend Shelly Ngo (as T.S. Eliot said, "Mediocre writers
borrow. Great writers steal." Indulge me.)
Here's how it goes: Find 24 great Christmas books, wrap them individually
and place then under the tree. On the first day of Advent, take turns picking
which book to open. When we did this, we would cuddle under a blanket and
read aloud -- oh, the wonder, the magic! We savored "The Polar Express,"
howled with "How Murray Saved Christmas," and fell silent at the end of "The
Tale of The Three Trees" (note: some of the picture books I chose were not
explicitly about Christmas but they always echoed the message that Jesus
came to earth to save us from ourselves and to love us beyond our wildest
imagination. In that category, Angela Hunt's retelling of The Three Trees
definitely hits the Yuletide bull's eye).
This Advent tradition lasted for about five years. It gave us rich daily
discussions about the season's real meaning, without being religious or
legalistic, and it increased family couch time. But like the lift-the-flap
calendars, my kids outgrew the picture books.
Because the wait adds meaning, and Advent is crucial, I prayed for another way
to celebrate anticipation of Christmas. By the grace of God, last year I found an
enormous Advent calendar on clearance at Pottery Barn. Made of burlap, it has
large pockets big enough to hold some serious bounty.
But my husband and I didn't want the kids focusing only on the materialist stuff
for Advent -- we already fight that on Christmas day. We decided to fill the
daily pockets with simple necessities and small gift cards. We also printed out
the nativity story from Luke 2:1-21 in a large-sized font and cut each verse out.
From Day 1 to Day 21, there is one verse to read aloud. The kids memorize it,
then get to open their present (again, on alternating days for each person). Then
we tape the verse to the wall in order. By Day 22, all the verses are on the wall,
in order, and the kids now try to recite the entire nativity story from memory.
That's not as difficult as it sounds because they've been memorizing one verse
each day. Still, the entire recitation -- verbatim -- usually requires Day 23 and
Day 24. Whoever does memorize the entire thing -- without mistakes -- earns a
bonus gift of $25.
Does that sounds extravagant?
It is.
Because we want our kids to understand that God came down and humbled
himself and taught us about love right before He suffered and died on behalf of
the undeserving -- which is every one of us.
"That's" extravagant.
And in the waiting, we find even more meaning.
***
Sibella Giorello writes the Raleigh Harmon mystery series which won
the Christy Award with its first book "The Stones Cry Out." She lives in
Washington state with her husband and children, and often wishes there were
36 hours in a day.
POST 2: Thursday 12/15 TEXT – Sibella Giorello
style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">[image error]
border="0" src="http://christenkrumm.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/7.jpg" /></
div>
Welcome to
the 12 Pearls of
Christmas!
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's
(Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and
more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt
stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this
simple {
target="_blank">form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl
necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on
1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
/>
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In
short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in
the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering
Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products</
a> (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
Advent
By Sibella Giorello
Consider the bride's walk down the aisle. We all know where that woman in the white
is going but somehow waiting for her to arrive at the altar is an essential part of the
ceremony. In fact, the waiting is so essential that even cheapskate Vegas chapels include
wedding marches.
Why?
Because the wait adds meaning to the moment.
At Christmas time, we tend to forget this essential truth about anticipation. We're lost to
shopping malls and checklists, rushing toward December 25th so quickly that we forget
the quiet joy of the month's other 24 days -- and then we wonder why we feel so empty
on the 26th, amid ribbons and wrapping paper and our best intentions.
Because the wait adds meaning to the moment.
And that is why Advent is so important to Christmas.
I'm as guilty as the next harried person. This Advent was particularly tricky because
just six hours before it started, I was still trying to finish a 110,000-word novel that
was written over the course of the year -- written while homeschooling my kids,
keeping my hubby happy, and generally making sure the house didn't fall down around
us.
It's an understatement to say my free time is limited. But waiting adds meaning, and
Advent is crucial to Christmas, so I've devised several Advent traditions that are simple,
powerful and easy to keep even amid the seasonal rush.
When my kids outgrew the simple Advent calendars around age 7, I stole an idea from
my writer friend Shelly Ngo (as T.S. Eliot said, "Mediocre writers borrow. Great writers
steal." Indulge me.)
Here's how it goes: Find 24 great Christmas books, wrap them individually
and place then under the tree. On the first day of Advent, take turns picking which book
to open. When we did this, we would cuddle under a blanket and read aloud -- oh, the
wonder, the magic! We savored "The Polar Express," howled with "How Murray Saved
Christmas," and fell silent at the end of "The Tale of The Three Trees" (note: some of
the picture books I chose were not explicitly about Christmas but they always echoed
the message that Jesus came to earth to save us from ourselves and to love us beyond
our wildest imagination. In that category, Angela Hunt's retelling of The Three Trees
definitely hits the Yuletide bull's eye).
This Advent tradition lasted for about five years. It gave us rich daily discussions about
the season's real meaning, without being religious or legalistic, and it increased family
couch time. But like the lift-the-flap calendars, my kids outgrew the picture books.
Because the wait adds meaning, and Advent is crucial, I prayed for another way to
celebrate anticipation of Christmas. By the grace of God, last year I found an enormous
Advent calendar on clearance at Pottery Barn. Made of burlap, it has large pockets
big enough to hold some serious bounty.
But my husband and I didn't want the kids focusing only on the materialist stuff for
Advent -- we already fight that on Christmas day. We decided to fill the daily pockets
with simple necessities and small gift cards. We also printed out the nativity
story from Luke 2:1-21 in a large-sized font and cut each verse out. From Day 1 to
Day 21, there is one verse to read aloud. The kids memorize it, then get to open their
present (again, on alternating days for each person). Then we tape the verse to the wall
in order. By Day 22, all the verses are on the wall, in order, and the kids now try to
recite the entire nativity story from memory. That's not as difficult as it sounds because
they've been memorizing one verse each day. Still, the entire recitation -- verbatim --
usually requires Day 23 and Day 24. Whoever does memorize the entire thing -- without
mistakes -- earns a bonus gift of $25.
Does that sounds extravagant?
It is.
Because we want our kids to understand that God came down and humbled himself and
taught us about love right before He suffered and died on behalf of the undeserving --
which is every one of us.
"That's" extravagant.
And in the waiting, we find even more meaning.
***
Sibella Giorello</
a> writes the Raleigh Harmon mystery series which won the Christy
Award with its first book "The Stones Cry Out." She lives in Washington state with her
husband and children, and often wishes there were 36 hours in a day.
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved
writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,
Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as
each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during
this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form}
and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450
value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only
open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and
see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities
that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider
purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one
of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
December 14, 2011
Twelve Days of Christmas, Day 2
Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved
writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,
Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as
each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during
this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form}
and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450
value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only
open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see
what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help
women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a
copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl
Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
A Christmas of Kindness
By Suzanne Woods Fisher
"You can give without loving, but you can¹t love without giving." Amish
proverb
I do it every year.
I plan for a simpler, less stressful Christmas season and, every year, by
Christmas EveŠI'm exhausted! After our delicious and very-time-consuming-
to-make traditional Swedish meal to honor my husband¹s relatives (think:
Vikings), it's time to head to church. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but the last
few Christmas Eve's, I have sent my husband and kids head off without me.
The pull to spend an hour of quiet in the house feels as strong as a magnet.
It's odd. My children are young adults now. Wouldn't you think that Christmas
would be simpler? Instead, it's just the opposite. Jugging schedules to share
the grandbaby with the in-laws, trying to include our elderly parents at the
best time of day for them, dancing carefully around recently divorced family
members whose children are impacted by the shards of broken relationships.
The thing is: you can simplify your to-do list, but you can't really simplify
people. We are just a complicated bunch.
Here's where I borrow a lesson about simplicity from the Amish. It's easy to get
distracted with the buggies and the bonnets and the beards, but there's so much
more to learn from these gentle people if you're willing to look a little deeper.
Yes, they live with less "stuff" and that does make for a simpler, less cluttered
life. But it's the reason behind it that is so compelling to me: they seek to create
margin in their life. Not just empty space‹ but space that is available to nourish
family, community, and faith. Their Christmas is far less elaborate than yours
or mine, but what they do fill it with is Š so right.
oh
Christmas comes quietly on an Amish farmhouse. There is no outward sign of
the holiday as we know it: no bright decorations, no big tree in the living room
corner. A few modest gifts are waiting for children at their breakfast place
settings, covered by a dishtowel. Waiting first for Dad to read the story of
Christ's birth from the book of Luke. Waiting until after a special breakfast has
been enjoyed. Waiting until Mom and Dad give the signal that the time has
come for gifts.
Later, if Christmas doesn't fall on a Sunday, extended family and friends will
gather for another big meal. If time and weather permits, the late afternoon
will be filled with ice skating or sledding. And more food! Always, always an
abundance of good food. Faith, family, and community. That is the focus of an
Amish Christmas.
And it's also how the story begins for A Lancaster County Christmas, as a
young family prepares for Christmas. A winter storm blows a non-Amish
couple, Jaime and C.J. Fitzpatrick, off-course and into the Riehl farmhouse. An
unlikely and tentative friendship develops, until the one thing Mattie and Sol
hold most dear disappears and thenŠ Ah, but you¹ll just have to read the story
.
to find out what happens next. Without giving anything away, I will say that
I want to create a Mattie-inspired margin this Christmas season. Mattie knew
inconveniences and interruptions that come in the form of people (big ones and
little ones!) are ordained by God. And blessed by God.
Creating margin probably means that I won't get Christmas cards out until the
end of January, and my house won't be uber-decorated. After all, something
has to give. But it will mean I make time for a leisurely visit with my dad at his
Alzheimer's facility. And time to volunteer in the church nursery for a holiday-
crowded event. And time to invite a new neighbor over for coffee. Hopefully, it
will mean that my energy won't get diverted by a frantic, self-imposed agenda.
Only by God's agenda‹ the essence of true simplicity.
And that includes taking time to worship Christ's coming at the Christmas Eve
service. You can hold me accountable! This year, I will be there.
***
Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting,
The Search, and The Keeper, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish,
including Amish Peace. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly
traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order
German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne
is a Christy Award nominee and is the host of an internet radio show called
Amish Wisdom and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in
California. www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.
POST 1: Wednesday 12/14 HTML – Suzanne Woods Fisher
style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">[image error]
border="0" src="http://christenkrumm.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/7.jpg" /></
div>
Welcome to
the 12 Pearls of
Christmas!
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's
(Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and
more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt
stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this
simple {
target="_blank">form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl
necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on
1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
/>
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In
short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in
the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering
Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products</
a> (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
A Christmas of Kindness
By Suzanne Woods Fisher
"You can give without loving, but you can¹t love without giving." Amish proverb
I do it every year.
I plan for a simpler, less stressful Christmas season and, every year, by Christmas EveŠ
I'm exhausted! After our delicious and very-time-consuming-to-make traditional Swedish
meal to honor my husband¹s relatives (think: Vikings), it's time to head to church. I'm
embarrassed to admit it, but the last few Christmas Eve's, I have sent my husband and
kids head off without me. The pull to spend an hour of quiet in the house feels as strong
as a magnet.
It's odd. My children are young adults now. Wouldn't you think that Christmas would be
simpler? Instead, it's just the opposite. Jugging schedules to share the grandbaby with the
in-laws, trying to include our elderly parents at the best time of day for them, dancing
carefully around recently divorced family members whose children are impacted by the
shards of broken relationships.
The thing is: you can simplify your to-do list, but you can't really simplify people. We are
just a complicated bunch.
Here's where I borrow a lesson about simplicity from the Amish. It's easy to get
distracted with the buggies and the bonnets and the beards, but there's so much more to
learn from these gentle people if you're willing to look a little deeper.
Yes, they live with less "stuff" and that does make for a simpler, less cluttered life. But
it's the reason behind it that is so compelling to me: they seek to create margin in their
life. Not just empty space‹ but space that is available to nourish family, community, and
faith. Their Christmas is far less elaborate than yours or mine, but what they do fill it with
is Š so right.
oh
Christmas comes quietly on an Amish farmhouse. There is no outward sign of the
holiday as we know it: no bright decorations, no big tree in the living room corner. A few
modest gifts are waiting for children at their breakfast place settings, covered by a
dishtowel. Waiting first for Dad to read the story of Christ's birth from the book of Luke.
Waiting until after a special breakfast has been enjoyed. Waiting until Mom and Dad give
the signal that the time has come for gifts.
Later, if Christmas doesn't fall on a Sunday, extended family and friends will gather for
another big meal. If time and weather permits, the late afternoon will be filled with ice
skating or sledding. And more food! Always, always an abundance of good food. Faith,
family, and community. That is the focus of an Amish Christmas.
And it's also how the story begins for A Lancaster County Christmas, as a young
family prepares for Christmas. A winter storm blows a non-Amish couple, Jaime and C.J.
Fitzpatrick, off-course and into the Riehl farmhouse. An unlikely and tentative friendship
develops, until the one thing Mattie and Sol hold most dear disappears and thenŠ Ah, but
.
you¹ll just have to read the story to find out what happens next. Without giving anything
away, I will say that I want to create a Mattie-inspired margin this Christmas season.
Mattie knew inconveniences and interruptions that come in the form of people (big ones
and little ones!) are ordained by God. And blessed by God.
Creating margin probably means that I won't get Christmas cards out until the end of
January, and my house won't be uber-decorated. After all, something has to give. But
it will mean I make time for a leisurely visit with my dad at his Alzheimer's facility.
And time to volunteer in the church nursery for a holiday-crowded event. And time to
invite a new neighbor over for coffee. Hopefully, it will mean that my energy won't get
diverted by a frantic, self-imposed agenda. Only by God's agenda‹ the essence of true
simplicity.
And that includes taking time to worship Christ's coming at the Christmas Eve service.
You can hold me accountable! This year, I will be there.
***
Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, The
Search, and The Keeper, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including
Amish Peace. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her
grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist
Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Christy Award
nominee and is the host of an internet radio show called Amish Wisdom and
her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California. www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.
POST 2: Thursday 12/15 TEXT – Sibella Giorello
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved
writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,
Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as
each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during
this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form}
and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450
value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only
open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see
what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help
women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a
copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl
Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
A Christmas of Kindness
By Suzanne Woods Fisher
"You can give without loving, but you can¹t love without giving." Amish
proverb
I do it every year.
I plan for a simpler, less stressful Christmas season and, every year, by
Christmas EveŠI'm exhausted! After our delicious and very-time-consuming-
to-make traditional Swedish meal to honor my husband¹s relatives (think:
Vikings), it's time to head to church. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but the last
few Christmas Eve's, I have sent my husband and kids head off without me.
The pull to spend an hour of quiet in the house feels as strong as a magnet.
It's odd. My children are young adults now. Wouldn't you think that Christmas
would be simpler? Instead, it's just the opposite. Jugging schedules to share
the grandbaby with the in-laws, trying to include our elderly parents at the
best time of day for them, dancing carefully around recently divorced family
members whose children are impacted by the shards of broken relationships.
The thing is: you can simplify your to-do list, but you can't really simplify
people. We are just a complicated bunch.
Here's where I borrow a lesson about simplicity from the Amish. It's easy to get
distracted with the buggies and the bonnets and the beards, but there's so much
more to learn from these gentle people if you're willing to look a little deeper.
Yes, they live with less "stuff" and that does make for a simpler, less cluttered
life. But it's the reason behind it that is so compelling to me: they seek to create
margin in their life. Not just empty space‹ but space that is available to nourish
family, community, and faith. Their Christmas is far less elaborate than yours
or mine, but what they do fill it with is Š so right.
oh
Christmas comes quietly on an Amish farmhouse. There is no outward sign of
the holiday as we know it: no bright decorations, no big tree in the living room
corner. A few modest gifts are waiting for children at their breakfast place
settings, covered by a dishtowel. Waiting first for Dad to read the story of
Christ's birth from the book of Luke. Waiting until after a special breakfast has
been enjoyed. Waiting until Mom and Dad give the signal that the time has
come for gifts.
Later, if Christmas doesn't fall on a Sunday, extended family and friends will
gather for another big meal. If time and weather permits, the late afternoon
will be filled with ice skating or sledding. And more food! Always, always an
abundance of good food. Faith, family, and community. That is the focus of an
Amish Christmas.
And it's also how the story begins for A Lancaster County Christmas, as a
young family prepares for Christmas. A winter storm blows a non-Amish
couple, Jaime and C.J. Fitzpatrick, off-course and into the Riehl farmhouse. An
unlikely and tentative friendship develops, until the one thing Mattie and Sol
hold most dear disappears and thenŠ Ah, but you¹ll just have to read the story
.
to find out what happens next. Without giving anything away, I will say that
I want to create a Mattie-inspired margin this Christmas season. Mattie knew
inconveniences and interruptions that come in the form of people (big ones and
little ones!) are ordained by God. And blessed by God.
Creating margin probably means that I won't get Christmas cards out until the
end of January, and my house won't be uber-decorated. After all, something
has to give. But it will mean I make time for a leisurely visit with my dad at his
Alzheimer's facility. And time to volunteer in the church nursery for a holiday-
crowded event. And time to invite a new neighbor over for coffee. Hopefully, it
will mean that my energy won't get diverted by a frantic, self-imposed agenda.
Only by God's agenda‹ the essence of true simplicity.
And that includes taking time to worship Christ's coming at the Christmas Eve
service. You can hold me accountable! This year, I will be there.
***
Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting,
The Search, and The Keeper, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish,
including Amish Peace. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly
traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order
German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne
is a Christy Award nominee and is the host of an internet radio show called
Amish Wisdom and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in
California. www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.
POST 1: Wednesday 12/14 HTML – Suzanne Woods Fisher
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Welcome to
the 12 Pearls of
Christmas!
Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's
(Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and
more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt
stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this
simple {
target="_blank">form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl
necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on
1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
/>
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In
short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in
the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering
Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products</
a> (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
***
A Christmas of Kindness
By Suzanne Woods Fisher
"You can give without loving, but you can¹t love without giving." Amish proverb
I do it every year.
I plan for a simpler, less stressful Christmas season and, every year, by Christmas EveŠ
I'm exhausted! After our delicious and very-time-consuming-to-make traditional Swedish
meal to honor my husband¹s relatives (think: Vikings), it's time to head to church. I'm
embarrassed to admit it, but the last few Christmas Eve's, I have sent my husband and
kids head off without me. The pull to spend an hour of quiet in the house feels as strong
as a magnet.
It's odd. My children are young adults now. Wouldn't you think that Christmas would be
simpler? Instead, it's just the opposite. Jugging schedules to share the grandbaby with the
in-laws, trying to include our elderly parents at the best time of day for them, dancing
carefully around recently divorced family members whose children are impacted by the
shards of broken relationships.
The thing is: you can simplify your to-do list, but you can't really simplify people. We are
just a complicated bunch.
Here's where I borrow a lesson about simplicity from the Amish. It's easy to get
distracted with the buggies and the bonnets and the beards, but there's so much more to
learn from these gentle people if you're willing to look a little deeper.
Yes, they live with less "stuff" and that does make for a simpler, less cluttered life. But
it's the reason behind it that is so compelling to me: they seek to create margin in their
life. Not just empty space‹ but space that is available to nourish family, community, and
faith. Their Christmas is far less elaborate than yours or mine, but what they do fill it with
is Š so right.
oh
Christmas comes quietly on an Amish farmhouse. There is no outward sign of the
holiday as we know it: no bright decorations, no big tree in the living room corner. A few
modest gifts are waiting for children at their breakfast place settings, covered by a
dishtowel. Waiting first for Dad to read the story of Christ's birth from the book of Luke.
Waiting until after a special breakfast has been enjoyed. Waiting until Mom and Dad give
the signal that the time has come for gifts.
Later, if Christmas doesn't fall on a Sunday, extended family and friends will gather for
another big meal. If time and weather permits, the late afternoon will be filled with ice
skating or sledding. And more food! Always, always an abundance of good food. Faith,
family, and community. That is the focus of an Amish Christmas.
And it's also how the story begins for A Lancaster County Christmas, as a young
family prepares for Christmas. A winter storm blows a non-Amish couple, Jaime and C.J.
Fitzpatrick, off-course and into the Riehl farmhouse. An unlikely and tentative friendship
develops, until the one thing Mattie and Sol hold most dear disappears and thenŠ Ah, but
.
you¹ll just have to read the story to find out what happens next. Without giving anything
away, I will say that I want to create a Mattie-inspired margin this Christmas season.
Mattie knew inconveniences and interruptions that come in the form of people (big ones
and little ones!) are ordained by God. And blessed by God.
Creating margin probably means that I won't get Christmas cards out until the end of
January, and my house won't be uber-decorated. After all, something has to give. But
it will mean I make time for a leisurely visit with my dad at his Alzheimer's facility.
And time to volunteer in the church nursery for a holiday-crowded event. And time to
invite a new neighbor over for coffee. Hopefully, it will mean that my energy won't get
diverted by a frantic, self-imposed agenda. Only by God's agenda‹ the essence of true
simplicity.
And that includes taking time to worship Christ's coming at the Christmas Eve service.
You can hold me accountable! This year, I will be there.
***
Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, The
Search, and The Keeper, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including
Amish Peace. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her
grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist
Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Christy Award
nominee and is the host of an internet radio show called Amish Wisdom and
her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California. www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.
POST 2: Thursday 12/15 TEXT – Sibella Giorello
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