A Christmas in His Presence

Your present is still untouched,
On your plate there is no food.
The Season that you cherished
Is cheering every mood.
And though, I wrap and carol,
And am truly filled with cheer.
All parts of me are wishing,
That you were still so near.

I used to be too busy to pause,
And indulge you with a hug.
Now, all those embraces,
Don't seem to have been enough.
And though I feel a little sad,
and just a tiny bit alone.
I know that you are celebrating,
with the Master on His throne.

What an envy I am feeling,
Whenever I imagine.
The joy of having Christmas,
with Savior in Heaven.
Though I miss our celebration,
at this time of year,
The grief is always softened,
because I know you're there.
I can not wait to carol with you,
One not-far Christmas Day.
When I come to join you,
At His feet to stay.

How joyful it must be,
Face to face to sing to Him.
Who came to give Goodwill,
To earth and peace to men.
I can not wait to join you,
For a family Holiday.

My Grandparents,
Cal & Leota in WWII

Once again with you to worship,
Some glorious Christmas Day!

Dedicated to the Memory of Leota Mary "Ellis" Eastwood. Who went to be with her Savior the day after Christmas, the holiday she loved, in the year 2002.

The Humility of Christ!

I've always been taken aback by the humility of my Lord. The Omnipotent God of the universe who hung the stars and fashioned the seas would care enough for me that he would lower himself by coming here! To this flawed and filthy world!
However, since becoming a mother I've been even more impressed by the sacrifice my Lord has made! Have you ever noticed how completely helpless newborns are? They have no freedom, no power, no privacy!
When my daughters were born they literally relied on me for everything, if they were uncomfortable, they couldn't get up and stretch their legs, they had to wait for <i>me</i> to move them. If their dinner didn't agree with them, they spewed it out and sat covered with their own stomach contents until <i>I</i> cleaned it! When they removed waste from their body they would have to sit in it until <i>I</i> removed it for them!
Now, for a moment, imagine yourself as a grown until being made to submit to such a lifestyle! It's a degrading, upsetting thought isn't it?
We typically don't mind that others had to care for us when we were newborns because we can't remember it, and we didn't know what we were missing at the time. But, can you imagine that the Almighty willingly submitted himself to such a life?  To me just that he would be willing to subject himself to the first two months of a human life cycle is unimaginable! He was so humble and <b>loved</b> us so much! Praise the Lord for the Christmas season when we can reflect on His amazing love and incomparable mercy!!!!

Christmas at the Zoo!

I've already written about our trips to the Indianapolis Zoo. You can check that out here!
The Indy Zoo has an awesome light display each Christmas Season! I love to see Christmas lights! (Honestly, I think being a mommy is my perfect career, because I've never grown up!)
We have the opportunity to enjoy this with our girls because we have a membership. My husband has admitted that he wouldn't have gone if we didn't have one. To come for just a few hours is not worth the cost.
This year we had so much fun watching the tiger. He came right up to the glass almost nose to nose with Tabby & her friend! I've never seen two three-year-olds jump so fast!

Cleaning a DVD

Why do I never think to take before & after pics!!!!???
Maybe because I don't think about posting a blog until after I've completed my amazing feat!
This morning I decided to let my girls watch Frosty the Snowman. We haven't gotten to it this year, and I make a point of watching as many Rankin/Bass Christmas specials as possible. We put the dvd in the tray, and waited for it to load...and waited...and waited...but, instead of the delightful sounds of Jimmy Durante, we were greeted by the dreaded words, "INSERT DISC" on our screen. NOOOOOOO!!! Don't you hate it when you put in a beloved dvd and the player can't read it? It always makes me sad. I tried turning on and off the player and taking the disc out and in again. Finally, I turned the disc over and discovered the problem. It looked as if it had been candy coated.
Sticky hands are just a part of a three-year-old world, and, I suppose, there will be victims of said stickiness. One of those victims was my Frosty movie. This is unacceptable!
I searched a few quick dvd cleaning articles and only found the toothpaste method (which is for scratches) and using purified water and a microfiber cloth. I had the microfiber cloth, but no purified water.
I grabbed my glasses cleaning cloths (my microfiber cloth) and thought, "Glasses cleaning cloth, perhaps, glasses cleaner?" So, I did it! I washed the dvd with glasses cleaner! It worked perfectly...
In fact, I just heard, "I hate red thermometers."
I love corny, classic, children's, Christmas movies! Don't you? Which was/is your favorite?

How Can I be "Sanctified"

If you've read anything I've posted before you've probably realized that I'm rather found of the twelfth chapter of the book of Romans. I've frequently quoted the first two verses on this blog.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
These verses are a constant reminder to me not to let myself become entangled in this world, and, I don't know about you but, I need reminded.
I think, though, that Christians are fond of just quoting the first two verses and we often ignore the treasure trove that is the rest of the chapter. The Lord isn't in the habit of leaving us hanging, and, so, when he gave us the command to not be conformed to this world, he also gave us the methods to use to avoid such a circumstance.

"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness." - Verses 6 - 8
Serve!!! We need to be serving in the ministry. You don't have to be a pastor or evangelist or even have a Bible College degree, you have been commanded to serve!

"Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good."
I love the phrasing used in this verse! When I think of the word "cleave" I picture someone hanging from a precipice tightly gripping a rope. Basically, "holding on for dear life."

"Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
If our close friends aren't Christians, we're probably not filling our lives with proper influences to assist our sanctification.

Power of Baking Soda

I am so excited about baking soda!
Seriously, it costs less than $0.50 & yet, it's uses are endless:
Baking Soda sprinkled on a sink or tub and drizzled with just a little dish soap makes an awesome scrubber.
I've also found that it's great for scrubbing tough baked on "gunk" on pots and pans. (Use it alone or with dish soap.)

I have a stainless steel topped kitchen cart! I love it as a prep surface. However, I sometimes find that I've left something wet on top and...Uh-Oh I have little rust spots. Not a problem! Just sprinkle a little baking soda on top of the stain, and gently rub with your fingertip (or soft-bristled toothbrush) with the grain. Voila, the stain is gone!
Baking soda isn't limited to cleaning your kitchen, you can also use it for a beauty treatment.
Wet your face and gently rub baking soda on it for ten minutes. Do this once weekly for ten weeks and you have a cheap, but effective microderm abrasion treatment.
Heavy product build up in your hair? Mix a tablespoon of baking soda with one cup warm water, and gently pour over your hair. Shampoo (no-sulfates remember!) as usual, when you get out of the shower, you'll immediately notice the difference!
Here's a treatment I haven't been brave enough to try:
Teeth whitening- Instead of your traditional mouthwash, use hydrogen peroxide, rinse your mouth. Next, brush your teeth with a baking soda/toothpaste mixture. You'll want to do this once a week until you reach the whitening level you desire.
- I must say that I'm not crazy about tasting hydrogen peroxide, but I may muster the courage to try it.
These are just a few of the uses of baking soda.
Hey, did you know you can use it to cook too...

The Debt We Owe

My husband and I have always been very intentional when it came to creating, maintaining & using credit. We've wanted the freedom of a good credit score, but not the bondage of being in debt. Believe it or not, but no matter how hard anyone tries, everyone is deeply indebted.
I don't mean a financial debt. You see, we've all run up a sin debt. And, even if you don't believe in a God, you've still been charging away like it's Black Friday at the Sin Emporium.
I can't even imagine how much debt I could have accrued over the years of my life. I can almost hear the dial tone of those slightly outdated credit card machines every time I think of all the "little white lies" or unkind words. In fact, I think I could put the U.S. government to shame when I think of just the debt I've accumulated with my unkind words.
My husband and I try never to spend more than we have, but we've been known to do it... i.e. our mortgage. We didn't have that kind of money lying around, but we did feel sure we had the money to pay it back. We, as sinners, are not even that smart. We sin and sin, and sin, and, yet, we have absolutely nothing with which to pay for the sin.
Here are the facts:
You are a sinner, and have accumulated a debt.
The payment for that sin will come due.
"For the wages of sin is death;..." -Romans 6:23a
However, imagine if you will that a benevolent benefactor decided to pay off my mortgage?! That's exactly what Christ did, he paid what we owed with His death!
"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." -1 Peter 2:24
Even if you don't believe, you owe. I prayerfully encourage to accept the merciful gift of payment in full that Christ is offering you!
"...but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." -Romans 6:23b