Francine Rivers's Blog, page 33
December 23, 2011
Merry Christmas!
Dear Friends,
I send each of you this greeting with my heart full of thanksgiving for God's indescribable gift of His only begotten Son Jesus, the Messiah, our Redeemer and Lord.
This Christmas, as we think about all the wonderful things that have come to us through Jesus, God's perfect gift, let us remember we shall one day see Him face to face. What a day that will be! The joy and blessings we experience now in Him are but a hint of all the awesome things yet to come.
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say, Rejoice!
December 15, 2011
Christmas Cookies
I've made -- and eaten -- all kinds of cookies over the years, but my personal favorites, as many of you may already know, are chocolate chip cookies. My mom baked them on a regular basis when I was growing up. Later, when I had children of my own and we all went north to visit my folks in Oregon, Mom made sure the cookie jar was full. As soon as the car was in park, we'd stampede into the house and head for the kitchen.
December 3, 2011
Christmas Boxes
There are so many people living on the streets these days; young, old, vets, people who have lost their homes. Each has a story, a family, hopes and dreams. The needs seem overwhelming, but we each can do something to brighten the lives of those around us.
Rick and I make Christmas boxes each year. We had no idea what to put in them when we started, and so we asked a few with first-hand experience of being homeless. Here are the suggestions offered:
November 18, 2011
Insecta-Palooza
When I saw the ad, I couldn't resist going to a bug fair. How many times do you get to handle creepy-crawlies? My daughter, Shannon, was game and so were her two children. So off we went to the local college campus to get up close and person with insects. Unfortunately, most turned out to be in specimen jars or photographs, but we did meet an Australia praying mantid. I couldn't wait to get my hand on, or rather under, it. It was BIG, too; the full length of my hand, and beautiful in a bizarre alien sort of way. I'm sure Aussie Mantid wondered
November 11, 2011
The 180 Movie
If you haven't seen this movie, I hope you will jump to www.180movie.com and watch it right now. It is one of the most powerful films I have ever seen, and only 30 minutes long. Ray Comfort interviews eight people adamantly pro-abortion, and changes their minds. The questions Ray Comfort asks change hearts and minds. Over 200,000 copies have been given away to 100 universities across the nation, and this film is going viral. I hope you'll be the next person to watch it and let other people know about it.
November 4, 2011
Addiction
Upon our return from the Panama Cruise, Rick and I learned someone we love dearly had disappeared. We knew what that meant and our hearts sank. Some knew where he was out there in the night going through his own private hell. All we could do was wait and pray and hope the turn-around would come quickly and he wouldn't die this time.
October 25, 2011
Bible Study on the High Seas
When we first boarded the Island Princess, we wondered if we'd be able to connect with other Christians while onboard. As it turned out, others wondered the same thing. One couple asked for a place and time to meet, and requested an announcement appear daily in the Patter, the on-board daily activities calendar. We expected our fifteen day cruise to take us to exciting, new places to see, but we did not expect it to have a spiritual retreat feeling as well.
October 23, 2011
Aruba
Ah, the hot steamy air of Aruba, shopping only a block from the dock, so convenient. I was on my usual quest for postcards and coins, and found both quickly. Rick and I pant in the heat, our clothes sticking to us. Jewelry stores line both sides of the street. If one is in the market for diamonds, tanzanite, pearls, and emeralds, Aruba is the place to find them.
October 21, 2011
Cartagena, Columbia
We only had a half-day in Cartagena, but we made the most of it with a walking tour of the Old City. We saw the fortress built to stop the repeated plundering of Cartagena by English and French pirates, a Catholic church where canonized priest Peter Claver evangelized thousands of black slaves from Africa, and side streets lined with buildings painted red, yellow, blue and lavender with balconies spilling hot pink bougainvillea. Ladies in tiered skirts and ruffled tops of sherbet pink and yellow carried baskets of tropical fruit on their heads.
October 19, 2011
Panama Canal
After a night in the Bay of Panama within sight of Panama City, the Island Princess lined up for her turn to go through the Miraflores Locks. Rick and I spent most of the day hanging out and over our balcony, snapping pictures of the ingenious lock system of the Panama Canal. A fully loaded freighter was in line for the lock beside our ship. We could see how the lock doors opened, the "mules" (powerful engines with ropes fore and aft to the ship) pulled the ship forward into the lock, the doors close and the water rises. The ship moved from one level to the next, lik
