My Strength is in Him

Last day of the year. So many memories to treasure from the year past; so many things to look forward to in the year ahead. One thing never changes: God's faithfulness. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever! (Hebrews 13:8)

At our last women's retreat, Catherine Martin of Quiet Time Ministries challenged us to pray and seek the Lord for a special WORD and BIBLE VERSE(S) that would be our theme for the year.

For 2005, my word was "Surrender." My verse was "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved" (Psalm 46:5). Over and over again throughout the year, during trials and tribulations, this word and verse were brought to my mind. It was a source of great comfort and encouragement in time of need.

So as the year-end approached, I was eager to see what my new word and verse would be for 2006. For the past month, I've been praying about it and seeking the Lord. He is so faithful. Early on, I felt the Holy Spirit impress upon my heart that my word for the next year would be...

"Discipline."

Gulp. Are you sure, Lord? Discipline?

Nah. Has to be something else!

As I prayed, I started to see this word and theme everywhere. On my bookshelf was a book titled The Disciplined Life. What an awesome book! I had started to read it a while ago but never got past the second chapter. Why? No discipline! ~laughing~

This book has been sitting on my linen cabinet beckoning me. How it got there, I'll never know.

Then one night during our Advent read aloud time, Alan asked if I could take over the reading of Bartholomew's Passage so that he could finish some work-related business. I flipped open to that night's reading. The chapter was titled "Discipline."

And the signs kept coming.

Discipline. Okay, Lord, that will be my word for the year. How about my verse for the year?

I prayed and kept searching for one during my quiet times. So many awesome verses but none that seemed to be the "right" one. Day after day went by, and I began to wonder if I'd ever receive my verse for 2006.

Finally, this morning, on the last day of the year, I was reading Psalm 84 when verse 5 jumped out at me:

"Blessed are those whose strength is in You."

Strength in You. Not in myself. Yes.

When I went for my run this morning I prayed and received confirmation that this was indeed my verse for the year. Yes, I need discipline to accomplish His work. But I also need to rely on His strength for that very discipline. He knows how many times I've tried to depend on myself--picked myself up by my own bootstraps--only to stumble or fall. It was only when I found my strength in Him was I able to accomplish great things.

"Discipline."
"Blessed are those whose strength is in You."

Good words to live by.

Happy New Year!

"So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11

Currently...

Currently reading: The Hawk and the Dove by Penelope Wilcock (must read!!!) and Body for Life by Bill Phillips.

Currently hanging out with: The FlyLady

Currently missing: My new camera and lenses, which are at the service center for calibration. (I'll take photos with my old camera, but it's been acting up so there may not be photos for a while.)

Currently decluttering: In every room of the house!

Currently cooking: Crockpot Chili

Currently writing down: Goals, workouts and meals for my Body for Life program.

Currently praising God for: New beginnings!

What's going on currently with you?

"...If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17

Merry Christmas!

A day full of blessings, joy and delight.

A day to celebrate our family and friends.

A day to thank the Lord for His perfect gift: Jesus!

"Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." Psalm 106:1

Anticipation

Christmas Eve is all about anticipation.

Anticipating the first bite of Christmas trifle.



Anticipating the visits for "just one more drink of water" before bedtime.



Anticipating the expressions on each face during gift opening.

Anticipating the delight of finding the Babe in the manger.

Anticipating hearing, once again, the marvelous story of that First Chirstmas:

"And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

"Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

"So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them." Luke 2:1-20

May the joy of His presence be yours. Christmas blessings from our family to yours!

A Heavenly Tree

There Will Be Less Someday

There will be less someday--
much less,
and there will be More;
less to distract and amuse;
More to adore
less to burden and confuse
More, to undo
the cluttering of centuries,
that we might view again,
That which star and angels pointed to;
we shall be poorer--
and richer;
stripped--and free:
for always there will be a Gift
always a Tree.

~Ruth Bell Graham

"Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." Colossians 3:2

What We Want for Christmas

We set up our Nativity scene yesterday. Baby Jesus is not in the manger yet. He is carefully hidden until The Big Day. The kids always look forward to His arrival on Christmas morning!



While looking wistfully at the manger scene, Elizabeth said, "Mommy, do you know what I want for Christmas?"

"What would you like for Christmas, sweetie?"

"Jesus. I want Jesus for Christmas."

Amen, little daughter. Amen!

"But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." Galatians 4:4-5

On Narnia

No, we haven't seen the movie yet. But it's on our list of things to do!

I went to the MercyMe & Steven Curtis Chapman concert with my friend Sharon last weekend. SCC sang a song from the Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia CD while they showed clips of the movie. All I could say was "WOW!" If the clips were that good, I can only imagine how awesome the movie is.

Here's what I wrote last year after reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for the first time:

Into the Wardrobe

Narnia, here we come!

"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:10

For Unto Us a Child is Born

There were no five star reviews in the paper, nor were there any standing ovations. There were, however, nursing home residents who were cheered by our little Christmas play.

Joseph didn't want to stay still for photos. Mary got a little weary of carrying her baby. And the shepherd boy kept dancing around.

But they all agreed that Jesus was the star of the show.


Mary and baby Jesus


A giggling Joseph


The shepherd and his sheep ;-)


Doing the Bethlehem Boogie


O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.


A blessed, glorious day!

What Child is This

What child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste to bring him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be up on His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

The Christmas Tea

A quick blog update in the midst of a busy week. I have back-to-back commitments over the next couple of days--the Women's Christmas Tea at our church, a Christmas Play and Caroling event at the nursing home with the kids and a concert date with a friend. All this in addition to the usual Christmas busyness. You know the drill! :-)

I will be one of the hostesses for the Christmas Tea, which involves decorating a table for eight and bringing the main dish for my table. Our church will supply the salads, scones, devonshire cream, desserts, favors and tea. We will be treated to Christmas music, a message and fellowship with friends. And the men will be waiting on us! ;-) I am looking forward to it a lot!

When I went to set up my table today I saw sneak previews of the other tables. They were quite gorgeous! Here are a few of my favorites:


The gold deer centerpiece is very striking!


Lovely in lavender. The table topper is edged in feather trim.


Blue and silver elegance.

Here is my table:


I used my wedding china, which has a very simple black/gold trim. I googled "napkin folding" and learned how to fold the napkin into a rose. Elizabeth thought it was great fun. "Just like origami!"



It took me a while to decide on the main dish. The hostesses were given a little recipe book for ideas--finger sandwiches, quiche and chicken salad were a few of the suggestions. After some thought, I decided to make a favorite dish of mine that I haven't made in a while: Monte Cristo Bread Pudding. It's a yummy cross between a strata and a quiche.

The only problem was that I couldn't find the recipe.

No problem, I thought. I'll just google it. I knew it was a recipe from Bon Appetit magazine from the 90's. And if I recalled correctly, it was contributed by a Bed & Breakfast. So I typed in "Monte Cristo Bread Pudding." No success. I tried "Ham and Cheese Bread Pudding." Lots of recipes, but not the one I was looking for. I tried a dozen other search words. After going through over 30 search pages of websites, I gave up. The only reference I could find was a 2004 post on the Bon Appetit Forum by a woman who was looking for the same recipe. I wonder if she ever found it?

It was a rare instance, but Google let me down.

I prayed and continued searching. I finally found it in my recipe file cabinet! A miracle, if you saw the hundreds of recipes that are in that file cabinet. Alan corrected me: "thousands are stuffed in that cabinet." A miracle, I tell you.

Here it is for posterity's sake.

Monte Cristo Bread Pudding

2 Tablespoons butter
12 oz mushrooms
salt and pepper
18-20 slices white sandwich bread, crusts trimmed
10 oz sliced Black Forest Ham
3 cups packed grated Gruyere cheese (about 12 oz), divided
10 large eggs
3 1/2 cup whole milk
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and saute until golden, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Generously butter a 13"x9"x2"-inch glass baking dish. Line bottom with half of bread slices, cutting to fit into pan. Top with ham slices, then 2 cups of cheese, then mushrooms. Add enough remaining bread in a single layer to cover. Whisk eggs, milk, 1 T fresh thyme, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl to blend. Pour over bread. Cover baking dish and refrigerate 6-8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover bread pudding. Bake until puffed and golden, about 1 hour. Mix remaining 1 cup cheese and 1 T fresh thyme, and sprinkle over bread pudding. Bake until cheese melts, about 3 minutes. Cool slightly. Slice and serve.

If you run into a woman looking for this recipe, tell her you saw it on my blog. :-)

"She seeks wool and flax, and willingly works with her hands. She is like the merchant ships, she brings her food from afar." Proverbs 31:13-14

All Lit Up

When will they be done putting the lights up on the tree?



Hooray, they're done! Now Daddy is all mine again.

"Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord." Ephesians 5:8b-10

A Glimpse of God's Grace

is in this little face.



A precious daughter is a good reason to take a photo.
A pretty new sweater is a good reason to take a photo.
A visit to a farm is a good reason to take a photo.
A wood barn with lots of character is a good reason to take a photo.

If you're on a farm, and you happen upon a lovely wood barn, and there stands your sweet daughter in her new sweater, you simply can't let the opportunity pass by. You must shoot. Especially if your daughter flashes you her trademark grin.

Carpe Diem.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." James 1:17

Colonial Farm Life Adventure

Another history adventure awaited us at Riley's Farm. Once again, we were transported back into the 1600's. The day's adventure included learning about colonial etiquette, playing colonial outdoor games, visiting the horses and cows, examining old rifles and canons, pressing apple cider, and...


weaving,


writing with feather quill and ink,


churning butter,


and dipping candles.


"Mommy, look at the candle I made!"


Could that be....why yes, it's Logan!


Are you sure there were tractors in the colonies? ;-)

Fresh mountain air. Fall colors. Learning about our country's rich heritage. An altogether lovely day.

"And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands." Psalm 90:17