Thought for Christmas

He was created of a mother whom he created. He was carried by hands that he formed. He cried in the manger in wordless infancy, he, the Word, without whom all human eloquence is mute.

Augustine of Hippo

Thoughts of Christmas

You have come to us as a small child, but you have brought us the greatest of all gifts, the gift of eternal love. Caress us with your tiny hands, embrace us with your tiny arms, and pierce our hearts with your soft, sweet cries. Bernard of Clairvaux

What Does it Mean?

What does devotions or quiet time mean to you? I read this definition of devotional study this morning from "Six Secrets to a Powerful Quiet Time." It is a quote from Merrill C. Tenney, "Devotional study impresses the message on a believing heart. The crown of all study is devotional study. Devotional study is not so much of a technique as a spirit. It is the spirit of eagerness which seeks the mind of God; it is the spirit of humility which listens readily to the voice of God; it is the spirit of adventure which pursues earnestly the will of God; it is the spirit of adoration which rests in the presence of God." (Italics mine).



One of the verses I read this morning is from Colossians 3:16, "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you." After thinking about this verse, I decided I've taken the "diet" approach to God's Word...read it quickly, glean little so as not to eat too much and heaven forbid gain weight (spiritual or otherwise), and check it off my to-do list. Yep, definitely the diet approach. With God's help I'd like to take the rich, extravagant approach with a spirit of eagerness, humility, adventure and adoration. I've no doubt that in my weight loss minded approach, I will not be spiritually fat...I believe those adventures will keep me fit in the Lord! Physical fitness??? Well, that's another blog topic all together and I'm not going there this morning!

Quiet Times

I got together with some friends the other day and as we talked we discovered that we were all struggling with consistency in our quiet times. We all know and have experienced the benefits of starting our day in the Word and in prayer. Those days just seem to go almost flawlessly, not without issues, but we view those issues through the lens of God. They are just better days. So the question is, if we know how much better it is when we spend time with God, why don't we do it?! There's no easy answer here, probably a bit of Satan distracting us, not enough denying our own desires (sleep), etc.

I do NOT have all the answers, but as I mentioned in an earlier blog, I've been reading a book called "Six Secrets to a Powerful Quiet Time." Their website is http://www.quiettime.org/ and they offer many resources some online and some books. I've only been at it about a week or so, but it has energized my times with God. I found that I had become lazy relying too much on the study of other humans and not being in the word and studying for myself.


One idea I read yesterday was to read through Psalms and Proverbs reading one a day. If you do this, you'll read through the Psalms and Proverbs twice in a year. I think this is a great plan and one I'm praying over as I plan for 2008. Would you join me in this? Pray about it.


This morning as I was thinking about this blog entry I had a thought, bear with me because it does connect. Maryn and I were up in her room. She went to her crib and pulled out her "bluggy" (her little comfort blanket) and stuffed panda bear (from Miss Darcy). These are her favorite things she wants when going to sleep. They provide comfort and security. I got to wondering...what are my comfort items and what should they be? I prayerfully wish my comfort item to be my copy of God's word, something I couldn't live without or go a day without opening. I believe this will be one of goals and prayers for 2008!

Washing Machine Saga

I'm beginning to wonder if this washing machine saga is going to keep going until I've tested every washing machine available...this is getting old quickly. I did have a visit from the Samsung folks on Friday. The poor guy was here for quite a while and guess what...the machine never acted up, didn't do the error code thingy it's been doing for me. Go figure! He tested everything he could and suggested that if it happens again, to leave it with the error and call again. There was one loose connection that he tightened so I was hopeful that was the resolution. I put a load of laundry in and no error code when it started or ended. So far so good. I did my second load on Monday morning and guess what? Yep, I got the error code again. I tried leaving it, but you can't silence the alarm. There was no way I could tolerate that alarm going off all day. Rich and I decided that this machine is going back as well. Does anyone have a recommendation for a front loading washing machine? Help!!!!

Gift Ideas

If you're like me, you try really hard to give thoughtful, creative gifts, while trying to reign in the budget. I came across a book I have titled "Holiday Jar Mixes" from the Christmas at Home series by Andra Roberts and Wilma Teal. I have received a couple gifts like this and they are great. They look great and it'a a practical, comsumable gift. Here are a couple recipes. Let me know if you'd like to borrow the book!

Hot Spiced Tea Mix

1/3 cup instant tea with lemon

1/3 cup instant orange breakfast drink mix

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring well to mix. Spoon Hot Spiced Tea Mix ino a 1 pint glass jar. Attach recipe card with th following instructions.

Place 2 teaspoons Hot Spiced Tea Mix into a cup. Add 8 ounces boiling water. Stir and enjoy!

Cinnamon Raisin Quick Bread Mix

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped pecans

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnaon. Place in bottom of 1 quart glass jar. Layer emaining ingredents in order given. Atach a recipe card with the following instructions.

Cinnamon Raisin Quick Break

Cinnamon Raisin Quick Break Mix

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Place Cinnamon Raisin Quick Bread Mix in a large bowl, stirring to combine. Add butter, egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan before inverting onto a wire rack.

As we are planning, buying, making, wrapping and giving our gifts, let's give thanks to God for the greatest gift ever given! Happy gift giving!

Hands Reaching Up

As a mom, I'm not sure there is anything as irresistible as your child's hands reaching up to you to hold them. I know I look forward to those little arms reaching up and that precious smile each time I walk into Maryn's room. I doubt there is a mom that would walk away from that embrace which got me wondering...I know that God is quick to embrace me, to wrap me in His love, but how often do I walk the other way or even fail to see His loving arms and precious smile patiently waiting for me? Another thing to ponder...