Merry Christmas!

As we have celebrated today, my prayer is that the real reason why we celebrate Christmas will not be taken out with the wrapping paper, down off the tree, or off to shelves, wallets, or respective homes.

Praise be to God who did not see fit to let us stay forever separated from Him due to our sinfulness. Thank you God for sending Jesus to come as a lowly human, to live a perfect and blameless life, to suffer all sorts of pain and sorrow and separation for you by taking our penalty, and to defeat death by coming to life again. Glory to God for His mercy and grace, that all we must do to be reconnected to Him is to accept the gift we celebrate now at Christmas... His Son...that whoever believes in Him will not be eternally separated, but will have abundant and eternal life as God's adopted heirs.

Now for a Christmas wish for you and yours (derived from a favorite song and the prayer of St. Patrick)

Christ be with me and within me
Christ behind me and before
Christ beside me and to win me
Christ to comfort and restore
Christ beneath me and above me
Christ quiet or in danger
Christ in hearts of all that love me
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger

Christ in every heart that's broken
Christ in every joy and pain
Christ in every word that's spoken
Christ in sun and mooon and rain

Christ in resting and in rising
Christ the Lord of all my life
Christ to guide me and to seal me
Christ protecting me in strife

Merry Christmas to you all! And to Him be the glory in 2008 and forevermore!

Football Rivalries Part 2

Many Fridays ago, I posted a funny video on college rivalries. I meant to post this next one on Thanksgiving, but somehow that whole week and time since then have been a blur. Here you go, and enjoy!

There's no place like...

HOME for the holidays!

Yes, we're celebrating that our travels will be cumulatively shorter this year (we'll be heading to First Monday territory to see Scott's family) because we now live in the other location to which we usually travel! While living near family was never our intention, nor do we associate God's calling on our life with how close geographically we are to loved ones, it's an unexpected blessing that the Lord chose to lead us here!

But, there is a dual meaning in my post title...

We closed on our house this past Thursday. That, in part, is the reason for my absence from the blogosphere this week! We've been cleaning carpets, wiping down cabinetry, and painting prior to unpacking the storage unit full of our belongings that have been waiting patiently for us for five months! Since we've hit the ground running with ministry every time we've moved, it's another blessing that we've lived with my parents while we were seeking out whether the Lord intended to keep us here. Now, since they're in no hurry to see the kiddos less than what has become normal(and us too, I guess) , we are at liberty to move in one room at a time!

I'm obsessed about organization, but I've found that as we've moved and hit the ground running, our family has grown, our schedules become packed, and opportunities for ministry abound, it's become increasingly difficult to start out organized. I'm so excited about the chance to BEGIN organized instead of playing that dreadful game of catch up.

Oh, and for those of you who may be wondering, here are some specs on our new house...what a blessing!

It is three bedroom, two bath, but has a fourth room which is just smaller than the master. That bonus room has no closet, so it cannot be called a bedroom. However, we're excited to use that room for now as an office/craft room... Sewing and Scrapbooking anyone?

We have a large open livingroom, breakfast area, and kitchen. I'm thrilled that the utility room has space to move around and even room for ironing. We also have a formal dining room, which we will use as a study/sitting area, since the breakfast area has the exact dimensions of the dining room. The patio is stamped concrete and is covered, and there is enough space in the backyard for a swingset. I'll try to post some pictures as we progress with moving in.

We were praying and looking for a home with enough space to comfortably host life groups and other ministry events, and we're so thankful that despite the craziness that ensued with the sellers, we were able to make this house our own (and the bank's, in effect).