mele kalikimaka!

so, christmastime. i think of peppermint sticks, pine trees, hot cocoa, dirty santa, scarves, ice skating downtown, besides the obvious. i want to celebrate the season for what it truly means...

one of my favorite christmas songs is "mary, did you know?" mainly because i try to picture a young girl, holding this precious baby, knowing that God favored her and blessed her with a son who would reign over the house of David, his kingdom never ending. 

mary, did you know...

that your baby boy will one day walk on water

that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters

that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man

that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand

that your baby boy has walked where angels trod

that your baby boy is the lord of all creation

that your baby boy will one day rule the nations

that your baby boy is heaven's perfect lamb

when you kiss your baby boy, you've kissed the face of God

mary had great faith, she sang about her joy in the Lord, giving credit to him, acknowledging his mercy extended to those who fear him. the Lord kept his promise to remain faithful to israel, thus preserving the line of christ. 

it's only because of the lord's promise and those faithful to carry on in obedience that we can be adopted into the line of christ! i look forward to that kingdom never ending...

joy the explorer

my mom, the world traveler. she has officially been to 6 of the world's 7 continents. she has seen more of the world than most. i received this text message from my mom on my parent's most recent travel adventure through cairo: "

we just went on a camel ride and saw the sphynx!"

not fair, mom and dad! take me next time!

watch your thoughts; they become words.
  watch your words; they become actions.
watch your actions; they become habits.
  watch your habits; they become character.
            watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
- frank outlaw

jackpot!

so how likely is it to win the lottery? how likely is it to win a contest of any sorts? this is a question i've been asking myself recently. see, there was an advertisement in the newspaper the other day that they are giving away a new vw jetta on november 27th. so i click on the link, enter my information, and "thanks for entering..." so really, come on, what are the chances of me actually winning this stupid car? i've found myself going back to this site and plugging in my info as often as i think about it. so, despite the actual statistical chance of me winning, somebody wins. this somebody that wins is gonna be thinking, "wow, i didn't think i'd actually win this!" so what if that somebody was me? i guess we'll see...

wedding season

well it seems like it's been wedding season for awhile now. i look back as many of my close friends and my brother have gotten married recently, and it's exciting to see how God draws his people together. when two can serve together better than one can serve alone, God is glorified.

at my brother's wedding, the pastor officiating took the time to explain the vows more in depth and the promises you are making when you repeat the vows on your wedding day. "i, _____, take you ______, to be my wedded husband/wife. to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'till death do us part. and hereto i pledge you my faithfulness." these vows are not to be taken lightly or in rash judgment.

the symbolism of christ's love to the church is a model for how a husband and wife should live out their relationship. now we are nowhere near perfect, but when our love gets tired, christ gives us strength. when our love grows impatient, christ gives us understanding. when our love is tested, christ refines us with fire to become pure and holy before him. a new picture of christ's love is evident in marriage, and i pray blessings for my newly married friends. may you see your spouse through the love of christ!

brett and claire, cayce and efren, jill and bj, cory and cole, abby and chase, dacia and toby.

do you ever get jealous...

there's so many things here on this earth that i don't understand. in his creative plan, God brought one of his servants home. a young man was killed earlier this week in india. he had flown there with a group of others from here in america to go to this distant land that is full of a harvest needing workers. this team of believers responded in obedience to the command to go and make disciples of all nations.

so why would God bring him home? it's hard to find reasons why a perfectly healthy young man, in the middle of his work for the Lord would leave this earth. in hebrews 11, it talks about the nation of israel that lived and died before the fulfillment of scripture through Christ's coming to the earth. they acted in faith, "saw it from a distance and welcomed the promises of God." they were obedient because they were looking forward to "a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a heavenly city for them."

justin's life is a challenge to all of us. when we respond in obedience, God is not ashamed to be called our God. when we respond in obedience, he prepares a heavenly homeland for us. do you ever get jealous of those that are already there? i know that this earth is not my home. i want to respond in obedience, so i can join those who have gone before me. i want to sit in the presence of my king. i get a little jealous sometimes...

rocky

"isn't it weird how just a little puppy can add so much pleasure to someone's life?" my dad and i were just watching rocky play around with his new little chew toy, and he topples off the porch and rolls over his big belly, giving us a good laugh. he barks and tries to get back up, but the step is just a little too high for him to jump up.

rocky was "rescued" from under a car by my dad's office. he was just wandering around without his mother's supervision, and at only 6-7 weeks old, we figured he needed a little TLC. he had fleas, worms and this weird parasite that he got a shot for at the vet. but now he's flea-free and ready to cuddle!

i had been wanting a puppy, but just didn't want to shell out the big bucks. you know how when you want something, you start seeing it everywhere? i was thinking about how i wanted a puppy a couple weeks ago as i was sitting on my front porch, and i swear, like 30 people starting walking their dogs right then. haha! it was so funny!

so rocky's a little blue heeler. apparently they are very loyal to their owners. they like to herd things, including people. they're very smart dogs and protective of their owners. they are very active dogs and love to go for long walks on the beach. haha. he's pretty mellow and gets really shy in public places, and when he falls asleep in my lap, he's just the cutest thing ever!

it is weird how just a little puppy can add so much pleasure to my life!