Baby Jesus

Since it is now December, I have spent a little time each morning reading the story of the birth of Jesus in each of the gospels. Each author focuses on a different angle. Mark avoids the story altogether. I love the different names for Jesus woven throughout the stories....The Son of the Most High...Horn of salvation...The Sunrise from on high...A Savior, Who is Christ The Lord...A Light of revelation to the Gentiles...Immanuel!

I realized that my favorite version of Jesus' birth comes from John's gospel...

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." -John 1:14

That's it! Short and to the point! The Word...Who was with God and was God...and Who made the world...and Who is Life and Light...and Who gave us the right to become children of God...that Word came down and lived among us! Wow!

And (you know this about me), I just have to mention another story. Still about Jesus, just not His birthday story...

"so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith..." -Ephesians 3:17

So cool that He came to dwell among us! So amazing and life-changing that then He chose to dwell in us!

I'll close with my prayer from my journal on the first day of December:
     Lord, this month I desire to be still and know that You are God!
     To marvel in the miracle of You becoming flesh!
     To be continually mindful that You are a Light of revelation to me!
     That You are alive and active in me!
     Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Praying that you, Nick, Ali, Maria, Greg, and my two other favorite young adults in the whole wide world, have time this month to be in awe of the miracle of Jesus...being among us, now in us!
oxo-Mom

ps-Maria and Greg, oh.my.goodness...you're engaged!!! You're fiancés!!! You get to hang out and do life together!!! I couldn't be more thrilled! What a magical weekend that was!

Ali-oh.my.goodness...you have a boyfriend that you love!!! And, he is a wonderful man!!! And, Thanksgiving with you two was so very special! I am so excited to see where God leads you two, knowing that you both are enjoying every step of the journey!

Nick-oh.my.goodness...(just had to do that so you wouldn't feel left out)...you are sitting right here next to me with your headphones on watching "How I Met Your Mother"! You hung some of our Christmas lights! You went to Santa Barbara with us! (Yes, you should have given me some help in writing this part.)

Yes!

That's what you said, sweet Maria, and I couldn't be more thrilled! What a magical day that was last Saturday!...

You taking very seriously your job of "grilling" David (since that was the main purpose of your visit)...The enthusiasm in your voice as you shared with us about making your first set of dentures as we were driving to the beach (with no idea what was about to happen)...The look on your face as Greg handed you the note from Gregory...Your confusion as you got to the bottom of the steps at Traps and were not getting the call Gregory's note mentioned...Your hesitancy as you headed down the rose-petal path on the beach to the "table" covered with more rose petals, stones, photos of you and Gregory, more notes and a little black box...Your look of surprise and joy as Gregory stepped out from behind the reeds (yes, I'm crying as I'm typing now)...The sight of you two sharing that intimate moment when Gregory asked you to be his wife (and us getting to view this from a distance)...You two turning to us with such joy, Gregory giving us the old fist pump, like, "Yes! I got the girl!!!"...Taylor capturing this special time...All of us hugging, jumping, talking, knowing we are getting YOU as a new addition to our family!...The rest of the evening...Eating, drinking, sharing, soaking it all in!

Maria, you are truly a gift to Gregory and to our whole family! Like I told you, I knew the moment I met you that you would someday be my daughter. I just knew! What you bring out in my son is the very best! I love how he does his little dances around you, sings around you, smiles A LOT around you, pats your head and face as he says to anyone around, "She's real!", goes to lots of baseball games and is trying to really understand it, how he leads your relationship like a man, not a little boy, how he is protective of you and wants the best for you (even if it means you can't live together for awhile after you are married), how he wants to be prepared for a long distance marriage by getting good counsel, and how he adores, cherishes and loves you!

And, precious Maria, people love you from the moment they meet you! (Have I told you how many people had the same comment after meeting you?..."She's a keeper!") I know I sure did! So much I admire and love about you! Your enthusiasm for life, your passion for Jesus, your desire to give of yourself in serving others, your dedication in dental school, the way you are so intentional in your friendships, the way you know how to give your all in your studies, yet, still give your all to Gregory, your family and your friends when you are with them, your spark, your feistiness, your energy, your gentleness, your humility, your joy, and your deep commitment to, love of and respect for my son! Really, you are the answer to this mama's prayers!

So, darling Maria, I am so excited that you and Gregory will be beginning this adventure called marriage soon! And, I will continue to pray that you both listen to the voice of your Shepherd, abide in Him, walk in His Spirit, love and respect one another daily, hug and kiss and cuddle a lot when you are together, be tender with one another, laugh often, and get ready for the completion of OMM!!!

I love you, one of my favorite young adults in the whole wide world!
Alisa

Hold Tight

Happy 2013 to my favorite three young adults in the whole wide world and to my future three other favorites,

So...nothing new from me since 2012, though I have thought of what I would write once I started again...Maybe just photos from the past year...Maybe a list of highlights (and there have been many!)...Maybe a summary of what Ali and I learned from our nutrition program (another blog, another time)...Maybe some deep spiritual lesson God has taught me recently (can't think of anything off hand, just, "Trust Me, love Me, abide in Me, be completely dependent on Me").

Well, here are my words of wisdom for 2013 so far:

Hug often. Hug long. Dad and I do this thing...We just hug, snuggled together as close as we can get, no talking, not even looking at each other...Just hugging...Letting our hearts beat together...Forgetting why we might be frustrated with each other...Not thinking about problems...Just hugging!

There you have it! Now go practice.

Love you all more than you'll ever know!
oxo-Mom

My Year of No Shopping

I did it! A whole year of not shopping! Well, almost. There were those few things that I knew I would be buying (bathing suit, walking shoes, long sleeved workout shirts, a few wedding gifts). And, the year isn't over for a few days (Can I resist the after Christmas sales?). 

When the crazy idea kept popping in my head over a year ago, I thought, "That's stupid...Why do it?...By October I'll be going nuts, wanting to burn all of my clothes."

Funny thing...I loved it! Something happened in my thinking along the way...

Freedom!...

Wanting less...

Being content with what I already have...

Having no idea what's in style these days and not caring one little bit!...

Thanking God for all I do have instead of focusing on the things I don't have...

And, did I mention FREEDOM?!

Dad and I were sitting in our family room this morning, sharing what God has been teaching us. It came to me...I don't want to be remembered as that frugal woman who didn't shop for a year. Or, as that health nut who is always talking about what foods are healthy and what are not (need to work on this one...it's still all so new and exciting!) Or, even that lady with the fantastic kids. :-) What I'd like to be known for is my passion for Jesus Christ, my love of God! Yes! TRUE FREEDOM!

Thank you, you three, for your support this past year! For cheering me on! For being such good sports as I got creative with birthday and Christmas presents! Have I told you lately that I'm crazy about you three?!

oxo-Mom

ps~I'm seriously considering another year...with a few exceptions...mostly bras.

Thankful...

...that you, Gregory, were home for Thanksgiving! Possibly the last one for the next four years. (To whom do I write to say, "This mama wants her son home for every holiday! Does the army really need him at holiday time?" And, btw, I just learned that your great grandma actually wrote to the president of the United States to say that she needed her husband home from the war because she was going nuts with her seven kids. Urban legend? Who's to say.)

...for your, Ali, AMAZING culinary talents! And, all with a smile, a cute apron, great music playing! Delicious Thanksgiving dinner...every bite!

...that you, Nick, had the day off work! And, that you got to surf at 4:30 a.m. with your friends! And, surf again with your brother!

...for your dad...that he got to not work for a few days. That he works his (super sexy) butt off most of the time to take care of us!

...for dancing to Mumford and Sons in the kitchen before dinner! All five of us!

...that we all ate a super healthy, delicious dinner in two hours instead of five minutes! You all rock!

...for tasting delicious, special wines! For making ice cream for the first time!

...for lots and lots of laughing, for Dad's reading of that cool passage in Ephesians, for three kids that I am crazy about and love to be with!

...that Jesus Christ is the center of our home and of each of our individual lives! That He dwells within us! That we abide in Him and He in us! Yes...I'm thankful!

Seek Him

My Three Favorite Young Adults in the Whole Wide World,

(BTW, will I ever get my other three favorite young adults in the whole world?)

Back on track here...

I love how Jesus came "to seek and to save that which was lost"! (Luke 19:10) That which was lost was me. That was you. But, now we are IN Christ! Even then, though, He doesn't force Himself on us. "I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." (Revelation 3:20) Though He dwells within us, He allows us to decide if we will walk in Him or in the flesh. But, His desire is an intimate, abiding relationship with us!

I wanted to share with you three some of the practical ways He has shown me to nurture that intimacy.

* Before I get out of bed, I start thanking Him. I thank Him for the day, for you three, for my warm cozy bed, for your dad, for being Who He is. (Sometimes I don't. You can probably tell those mornings. I REALLY need to start my day like this. It's just better for everyone.)

* Before I read anything else, like that newspaper we get every day, I love to read my Bible. Usually I don't have a plan. I'm a little ADD that way...All over the place. The last few weeks I've been reading through Acts. Some cool stuff! I've also been going through verses I want to commit to memory in this 52 year old brain. (I know what you're thinking..."Good luck on that one, Mom!") I write them down in my journal. So, I just love digging in to my Bible and seeing what God wants to reveal to me!

* Your dad and I have read some amazing books and devotionals over the years! We love to share with each other what God is teaching us through these! Intimacy with Christ, by Jeanne Guyon, Abiding in Christ, by Andrew Murray, The Indwelling Life of Christ, by Ian Thomas, The Christian's Secret to a Happy Life, by Hannah Smith. All of these books point me to Jesus as my Life, my Everything! I love that! My new favorite is Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young! (I can tell I'm getting a bit too excited here. Too many exclamation points. I'll settle down.)

* A gift in my life is friends that are as Jesus freakish as me! A friend that will call me out on not trusting God in a certain situation or not surrendering to His will in areas of my life is a good friend! A friend who shares my passion for Jesus and not religion! You know those friends. You're more in love with Jesus after being around them. That's a good thing!

* Sitting quietly and just listening to His voice is a discipline that is hard for me. But, the times that I have allowed Him to speak into my life (without me interrupting), loving on me, filling me with a strong sense of His presence...these are precious times!

So, Greg, Ali and Nick, my prayer for you three continues to be that you each have your very own intimate, personal, abiding relationship with Jesus! That you open that door, dine with Him and He with you!

I'm crazy about you!
oxo-Mom

ps~You three have given me plenty of opportunities to really test whether I am abiding in, trusting in, completely dependent on Jesus or not. :-) Thanks!

Just Stop Asking!

Instead of asking Jesus to be with you...
   Thank Him that He is always with you, in you, under you and above you! (Matthew 28:20, Colossians 1:27, I Corinthians 3:11, Acts 2:33)

Instead of asking God to bless you and others...
   Thank Him that He already has blessed you and others who are in Him!...With every spiritual blessing! (Ephesians 1:3)

Instead of praying to God for strength...
  Thank Him that He is your strength! (Isaiah 12:2, I Peter 4:11, Ephesians 6:10)

Instead of asking God to forgive you your sins...
   Confess and thank Him that He has forgiven you, every sin, once and for all! (Hebrews 7:27, 10:12, Colossians 2:13. Side note: When Jesus was sharing with His disciples a pattern for praying to our Father, He had not yet died for our sins.)

Instead of asking Jesus to give you His peace and joy...
   Thank Him that He gave all of us who are in Him, His peace and joy! Yes, just accept and believe what He has already given you! (John 14:27, 15:11)

Instead of telling God that you want more patience, love, kindness, gentleness...
   Thank Him that you are indwelt by His Holy Spirit! These characteristics are His fruit! We do not produce them; we bear them! Then continue to walk in His Spirit! (Galatians 5:16, 22, 23, 25)

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful." ~Colossians 3:15

I'm crazy about you three!
oxo-Mom

ps~Nick...Haiti?! So excited to see what God does!
Ali, no more stylish blue boots! Yay! You are a tough cookie!
Greg, in any more weddings? 27 Tuxes?! :-)