It is usually at my house. Sometimes we divide up into houses...my family here, my brothers elsewhere...because we are just so big. All of our children now have their own families...and in-laws to accommodate, understandably. (I am hugely in favor of sharing the love and taking turns with the other sides of these marriages. It is only fair. Many a newlywed struggles with the question of how to do holidays...I figure they don't need any added pressure from their own parents. Please learn that.)
Anyway, the fun begins with the parade on tv and my brother Owen coming early to make hors d'oeuvres with his deer sausage, cheese, and olives. There are never any left over. People trickle in all morning while I am cooking. My mom used to make the dressing. Her blindness has retired her from that, but she is still there to give guidance... (She made two pans of dressing - plain and oyster) Yuk. My brothers love it though, and we girls always ask, "Which one is the good one?" Depending on who you ask, you will get a different answer.
Everyone brings a side dish or two and the food mounts to fill every flat surface in my kitchen, forcing us to set up tables. The dessert table gets the most visits. Are you surprised? Isn't that what we are supposed to do on this holiday? New recipes appear along with the tried and true. My sister-in-law makes the best desserts ever - my favorite being her banana split cake. Yum.
In all the coming and going, it is easy to forget why we gather. "We gather together to ask the Lord's blessings"...or so it goes, right? Hmm. How truly blessed we all are just to have the freedom to gather and ask the Lord anything. BE YE GRATEFUL.
We welcome non-family members as well. There is always room for one more. Is there room for one more at your house? I bet there is. Share the love with others. Just look around you and be mindful. That is all it takes for the Lord to open an opportunity for you to reach out in love and kindness. No one should be alone.
Every seat in my house is full, overflowing to the floor and some outside. Football has taken over the living room...and the front yard. Little girls do cartwheels in the grass.
I make this sound like a picnic, don't I? In all honesty, there have been years when I declared, "Never again!" at the end of that day when my feet are soaking and my house looks like a tornado went through the middle of it. Coffee cups and half full glasses decorate the living room and my calendar says, "Christmas is next!" But it's kind of like when you have a baby and forget the pain for the joy it brings. Focus on the joy. Focus on the joy. The older I get, the more important being together is and I see that I have so much to be thankful for...and it begins with family.
I have been a little introspective lately.. Looking inward only long enough to examine myself and my motives for doing what I do. Looking far enough ahead to see what I might do on behalf of others. Please do not make the mistake I have made of putting God in a box - thinking I have figured this whole Christianity thing out. He is far greater than you or I could ever imagine. His Son, His Word, and His love have all been pushed aside for earthly whatevers and personal goals. Do we think He does not see us? Do we think He turns His gaze? We need to be thankful that we are always in His sight. Let's be His hands, His feet, His mouthpiece to do and say what is right, honorable, and good...but let it all be done with the face of love on it.
Sometimes family can be the hardest to deal with...even the Bible tells us that. Maybe you are at odds with someone. Start new. Let this holiday season be one of healing. Be thankful for this opportunity to live differently. Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
If the United States Post Office Says So...
Do you remember the movie, "Miracle On 34th Street?" The story is about proving that Santa is real. (Well, whatever.) Kris Kringle has a lawyer and just when you think it is a lost cause, the mailman delivers a letter to Santa and a light bulb goes on over the lawyer's head. 'If the United States Post Office declares this man to be Santa, then it must be true, because they can't intentionally deliver mail to the wrong person.' So the federal government says this man is Santa, and the show ends happily ever after. All of this to say...
I bought stamps last week. I asked for Christmas ones and the man showed me a Madonna and Child stamp and some other one and then he pulled out one of Joseph leading Mary and Child on a donkey. He recommended that one and I agreed. (This man knew his business. I know, I know, I am getting to the point.)
Today I was gathering receipts from my purse and I saw one that said, 'Forever Holy Family.' I picked it up and stared at it. It took me a minute to figure out that it was the stamp receipt and that the Forever stamps are the ones that are good...well, forever. But to see those words...Forever Holy Family. How cool is that? So, if the United States Post Office declares that Christ is forever, then who are we to dispute it? I love it.
I bought stamps last week. I asked for Christmas ones and the man showed me a Madonna and Child stamp and some other one and then he pulled out one of Joseph leading Mary and Child on a donkey. He recommended that one and I agreed. (This man knew his business. I know, I know, I am getting to the point.)
Today I was gathering receipts from my purse and I saw one that said, 'Forever Holy Family.' I picked it up and stared at it. It took me a minute to figure out that it was the stamp receipt and that the Forever stamps are the ones that are good...well, forever. But to see those words...Forever Holy Family. How cool is that? So, if the United States Post Office declares that Christ is forever, then who are we to dispute it? I love it.
I know stamps say lots of things I would not agree with, but this time, they got it right.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
The Lion that Devours
"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8
We are in danger. Up until now, the decline of morals in our country has been a slow, but steady one. Some of the evidences are ratings on television programs and movies, images in advertising, and the information on the internet that is available to everyone...making bombs, pornography, and blatantly sinful websites that hide behind the laws we have that protect them. (It isn't that technology is bad, but there seem to be no limits on anything.) And because now people live under a microscope, we see more clearly that some of those we want to trust most to govern us, cannot be trusted at all.
Yet, I fear that the enemy we should fear most is a quiet one. He is silent and invisible. He lives among us...comfortably non-invasive. His name is Apathy and he is more dangerous than the overtly done acts of sin. The voices of reason and right are silenced by Complacency as well. We are in a battle...and the time has come to choose a side. The battle is spiritual and must be fought every day. Our weapon? God's holy word and a fiery, intentional determination to stand firmer than ever on the truth. Some things are just wrong and clearly stated as such in scripture - which never changes by the way and is pertinent for every age.
Psalm 139:13-16 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.
Romans 1:21-28 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
So, you and I are wonderfully made...we are not accidents. When you face your mirrors in the morning with doubts about that...let this verse be your mantra...and go forth.
And God's infallible word says it. Same sex marriages are just wrong.
Let the decline of our society only strengthen our resolve to stand true to our Creator. Press on. Plant your feet in the word deeper than ever, and get ready to be challenged for your faith.
Don't let Apathy harden your heart from the simplest and sweetest truths of God's word.
We are in danger. Up until now, the decline of morals in our country has been a slow, but steady one. Some of the evidences are ratings on television programs and movies, images in advertising, and the information on the internet that is available to everyone...making bombs, pornography, and blatantly sinful websites that hide behind the laws we have that protect them. (It isn't that technology is bad, but there seem to be no limits on anything.) And because now people live under a microscope, we see more clearly that some of those we want to trust most to govern us, cannot be trusted at all.
Yet, I fear that the enemy we should fear most is a quiet one. He is silent and invisible. He lives among us...comfortably non-invasive. His name is Apathy and he is more dangerous than the overtly done acts of sin. The voices of reason and right are silenced by Complacency as well. We are in a battle...and the time has come to choose a side. The battle is spiritual and must be fought every day. Our weapon? God's holy word and a fiery, intentional determination to stand firmer than ever on the truth. Some things are just wrong and clearly stated as such in scripture - which never changes by the way and is pertinent for every age.
Psalm 139:13-16 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.
Romans 1:21-28 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
So, you and I are wonderfully made...we are not accidents. When you face your mirrors in the morning with doubts about that...let this verse be your mantra...and go forth.
And God's infallible word says it. Same sex marriages are just wrong.
Let the decline of our society only strengthen our resolve to stand true to our Creator. Press on. Plant your feet in the word deeper than ever, and get ready to be challenged for your faith.
Don't let Apathy harden your heart from the simplest and sweetest truths of God's word.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Do This With Me...It Will Change Us.
I have been encouraged by a book that was given to me last April. It is called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. She was challenged by a friend to make a list of one thousand things she was grateful for. It changed her life and her outlook on everything. Her book made the New York Bestseller's List...and stayed there for many weeks...it may still be there. Imagine! A book about being grateful to God! This was something I wanted to do. I wanted to tell the Lord how grateful I am for all He has given me, done for me, and for how He sustains me and loves me.
I tried to begin my list with a fervor. The fervor died...as fervor does. Soooo, I begin again, with you.
If we just write down three things a day - JUST THREE THINGS - that we are grateful for, we will have written over a thousand in a year. You will need just two things...a pen and a notebook. You and I might also need to spend some time really looking at our daily lives and seeing that He is in the details...the tiny moments we fly passed.
S l o w d o w n. And write with me. Make it personal. I know we are starting on an odd day...in the middle of November, but no one has guaranteed us a tomorrow. It is the month of thanksgiving!
There may be days we both forget, but we will press on, right? Right!
I will do my best to post mine. Just look at the sidebar and click on Gratitude. Hopefully you will see my list grow each day. You can send me your list at junedahn53@gmail.com if you like. Otherwise I will just believe you are in this with me. Here are my first three - and my list will not be made according to love, importance, or degrees, but according to what comes to my mind at the time.
1. My eyesight.
2. Early sunsets - they mean pjs and cozy evenings.
3. Dirty dishes - they mean we have eaten that day.
I tried to begin my list with a fervor. The fervor died...as fervor does. Soooo, I begin again, with you.
If we just write down three things a day - JUST THREE THINGS - that we are grateful for, we will have written over a thousand in a year. You will need just two things...a pen and a notebook. You and I might also need to spend some time really looking at our daily lives and seeing that He is in the details...the tiny moments we fly passed.
S l o w d o w n. And write with me. Make it personal. I know we are starting on an odd day...in the middle of November, but no one has guaranteed us a tomorrow. It is the month of thanksgiving!
There may be days we both forget, but we will press on, right? Right!
I will do my best to post mine. Just look at the sidebar and click on Gratitude. Hopefully you will see my list grow each day. You can send me your list at junedahn53@gmail.com if you like. Otherwise I will just believe you are in this with me. Here are my first three - and my list will not be made according to love, importance, or degrees, but according to what comes to my mind at the time.
1. My eyesight.
2. Early sunsets - they mean pjs and cozy evenings.
3. Dirty dishes - they mean we have eaten that day.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Getting In and Out of Prison
Today I got my car out of the shop. "Why was your car in the shop?" you ask. A perfectly normal question with a complicated, but humorous answer.
On Sunday, a friend and I went to visit someone in the state jail...a step down from the state prison, but no walk in the park or anything to sneeze at, or...well,you get the picture. A jail is a jail is a jail. Anyway, I had been meaning to go for awhile now. So Sunday after church, I called my friend and we decided to make a visit to see_______.
I had been told of the ordeal one must go through in order to get in. The guards stop your car at the entrance. They search your car. You must get out and open all doors. You must pop the hood. ( I guess some people try and smuggle things in.)
I informed them right away that I had never popped the hood in my van. My friend knew what to do and so I popped the hood. They looked at the engine as if it had a message on it. One guard found an oil bottle lid. (Tommy had just had the oil changed the day before and the guys must have left it there.) Then I was told that my battery cable needed cleaning. I said that I do not do engines at all.
When they decided there was no contraband to be found, they tried to close the hood. It would not close. Really? Two grown men could not close the hood...and two women were standing there (me and my friend) with no idea of what to do. After many tries, the hood was shut and we proceeded to the jail.
Upon entering, it is much like an airport. Shoes off, pockets empty, jewelry off, possessions in a box and put though the ex ray thingy and then you must go through a scanner as well. They wand you and make you raise up your feet so they can see the bottoms. Why? I did not ask. Anyway we were cleared for take off. We checked in and they called the prisoner and we met in a room full of tables. Families on one side and prisoners on the other. Rows and rows of them.
As I watched their faces, I could not help but think of how hard it must be to visit this way. That for some of these men, this was their only contact with family and it happens once on a weekend. We had a very nice visit with our person and even though we could hug and hold hands, they had certain rules. Against the wall was a line of vending machines. My friend and I could go and buy drinks and treats, but the prisoner could not approach the machines at all. So we fed our guy and talked of future plans and the outside world. We talked of the inside world as well. He looked good..cleaned up and healthy. A good sign.
It was not long before it was time to leave. I watched as prisoner men hugged and kissed wives/girlfriends, and kids. The visitors would turn to grab their keys and the men would not let go of them. It is how we are, isn't it? Outsiders have another day to deal with and a list of things to do to keep the world turning...and the prisoner is so reluctant to let the ray of sunshine leave the room, as he must return to the choices he has made for himself. Sins and crimes affect everyone...the lonely ones leaving the lonely ones staying.
We said our goodbyes with hugs and tears and smiles as well. Whew. I did it. This was huge for me, but really, once I got passed the hullaballoo, it was just sweet sadness. Sweet sadness in all of those faces. Love and hope and sadness.
As we approached the gate to leave, we once again had to exit the car and repeat the process...only this time when they asked me to pop the hood, the handle fell off into my hand. I just stood there looking at them with this knob. I said, "I can't unlock the hood. The handle broke." (Now, really, couldn't we just leave? But, no.) Perhaps they were convinced I had a prisoner hidden in the engine. If there had been a man in there, I would have had him clean off the battery cable.
One guard got into the van and looked at the knob. Somehow he got the hood opened and they once again looked at the engine as if it intrigued them and then slammed the hood down. It was an hour before I got home and told Tommy of my adventure. He never gets mad at anything hair-brained that I do....but I forgot to tell him I was going to jail. My bad. (He was in an elders' meeting at church, so I didn't want to disturb him. Wasn't that thoughtful of me?) So he went to investigate the damage and sure enough the hood would no longer open. I got my car back today. My first visit to jail was an eventful one, but I do intend to go again. The Lord tells us to go. I figure I better start doing what He says.
Matthew 25:35-40 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
On Sunday, a friend and I went to visit someone in the state jail...a step down from the state prison, but no walk in the park or anything to sneeze at, or...well,you get the picture. A jail is a jail is a jail. Anyway, I had been meaning to go for awhile now. So Sunday after church, I called my friend and we decided to make a visit to see_______.
I had been told of the ordeal one must go through in order to get in. The guards stop your car at the entrance. They search your car. You must get out and open all doors. You must pop the hood. ( I guess some people try and smuggle things in.)
I informed them right away that I had never popped the hood in my van. My friend knew what to do and so I popped the hood. They looked at the engine as if it had a message on it. One guard found an oil bottle lid. (Tommy had just had the oil changed the day before and the guys must have left it there.) Then I was told that my battery cable needed cleaning. I said that I do not do engines at all.
When they decided there was no contraband to be found, they tried to close the hood. It would not close. Really? Two grown men could not close the hood...and two women were standing there (me and my friend) with no idea of what to do. After many tries, the hood was shut and we proceeded to the jail.
Upon entering, it is much like an airport. Shoes off, pockets empty, jewelry off, possessions in a box and put though the ex ray thingy and then you must go through a scanner as well. They wand you and make you raise up your feet so they can see the bottoms. Why? I did not ask. Anyway we were cleared for take off. We checked in and they called the prisoner and we met in a room full of tables. Families on one side and prisoners on the other. Rows and rows of them.
As I watched their faces, I could not help but think of how hard it must be to visit this way. That for some of these men, this was their only contact with family and it happens once on a weekend. We had a very nice visit with our person and even though we could hug and hold hands, they had certain rules. Against the wall was a line of vending machines. My friend and I could go and buy drinks and treats, but the prisoner could not approach the machines at all. So we fed our guy and talked of future plans and the outside world. We talked of the inside world as well. He looked good..cleaned up and healthy. A good sign.
It was not long before it was time to leave. I watched as prisoner men hugged and kissed wives/girlfriends, and kids. The visitors would turn to grab their keys and the men would not let go of them. It is how we are, isn't it? Outsiders have another day to deal with and a list of things to do to keep the world turning...and the prisoner is so reluctant to let the ray of sunshine leave the room, as he must return to the choices he has made for himself. Sins and crimes affect everyone...the lonely ones leaving the lonely ones staying.
We said our goodbyes with hugs and tears and smiles as well. Whew. I did it. This was huge for me, but really, once I got passed the hullaballoo, it was just sweet sadness. Sweet sadness in all of those faces. Love and hope and sadness.
As we approached the gate to leave, we once again had to exit the car and repeat the process...only this time when they asked me to pop the hood, the handle fell off into my hand. I just stood there looking at them with this knob. I said, "I can't unlock the hood. The handle broke." (Now, really, couldn't we just leave? But, no.) Perhaps they were convinced I had a prisoner hidden in the engine. If there had been a man in there, I would have had him clean off the battery cable.
One guard got into the van and looked at the knob. Somehow he got the hood opened and they once again looked at the engine as if it intrigued them and then slammed the hood down. It was an hour before I got home and told Tommy of my adventure. He never gets mad at anything hair-brained that I do....but I forgot to tell him I was going to jail. My bad. (He was in an elders' meeting at church, so I didn't want to disturb him. Wasn't that thoughtful of me?) So he went to investigate the damage and sure enough the hood would no longer open. I got my car back today. My first visit to jail was an eventful one, but I do intend to go again. The Lord tells us to go. I figure I better start doing what He says.
Matthew 25:35-40 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Light of the Stable
There are many other well known artists on the CD, but their voices are all in the background. The inside cover gives some interesting info. This CD is one of the best kept secrets...so it says. They keep putting it out with different designed covers from time to time.
If you have the slightest affinity for bluegrass, you will love this. It does have only a bit of a country sound - and I am not a country fan - but the harmony and the words are so perfect that I can overlook that...plus...it's Christmas!!!
My personal favorites:
Cherry Tree Carol - for its minor keys and arrangement and sweet words
Beautiful Star of Bethlehem
Light of the Stable
Friday, November 2, 2012
Whodunnits
I have always loved them....from Perry Mason to Agatha Christie to Columbo and beyond. I read so many when I was younger - it was like an addiction, so I have since practiced self control. The library offered me many choices. In the early eighties, the oil companies went on strike for a 3 month period. That is when it began...this love of mystery books. Tommy was out of work and at home. (This can be a trying time in a young mom's busy life... husband home, bored, and underfoot.) During those months and since, I think I have read every Agatha Christie book there is.
My kids often called me Miss Marple or Sherlock Holmes when I found a lost treasure or used my spy techniques on them. (I do not think it was always appreciated.) Tommy is always thankful when I use my powers of deduction to locate his keys, papers, books, etc.
When we were little, I would leave clues around the house for my brothers to find, leading them to a final destination with the only prize being a sense of satisfaction at having completed the game. They loved it and I did too. Homemade games are the best, aren't they?
We watch alot of BBC mysteries, though I must say, they do not have the same standards as we do...weak as ours are. We have a guardian on our DVD player, allowing us to watch without hearing the distasteful words.
Still, is it wholesome to watch people being murdered? Probably not. I heard R.C.Sproul say once that he, too loved mysteries. For some reason that made me feel alittle better. You can have the ghoulish, the bloody, the warped....just give me a good old fashioned whodunnit...and I will solve it every time. Really, I will.
P.S. The only Christie book I never figured out was "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd." Don't see the movie, it is a disappointment...but the book is the best. If you have the time.....
My kids often called me Miss Marple or Sherlock Holmes when I found a lost treasure or used my spy techniques on them. (I do not think it was always appreciated.) Tommy is always thankful when I use my powers of deduction to locate his keys, papers, books, etc.
When we were little, I would leave clues around the house for my brothers to find, leading them to a final destination with the only prize being a sense of satisfaction at having completed the game. They loved it and I did too. Homemade games are the best, aren't they?
We watch alot of BBC mysteries, though I must say, they do not have the same standards as we do...weak as ours are. We have a guardian on our DVD player, allowing us to watch without hearing the distasteful words.
Still, is it wholesome to watch people being murdered? Probably not. I heard R.C.Sproul say once that he, too loved mysteries. For some reason that made me feel alittle better. You can have the ghoulish, the bloody, the warped....just give me a good old fashioned whodunnit...and I will solve it every time. Really, I will.
P.S. The only Christie book I never figured out was "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd." Don't see the movie, it is a disappointment...but the book is the best. If you have the time.....
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