Finding new traditions...

I have always enjoyed hearing from friends what they do for Christmas (and all other holidays too). I love hearing generations of the same family retell of their favorite traditions and laugh at all the "remember when" stories intertwined within them. And every year I feel a little sad as I can't much participate in the discussion much beyond, "the kids get a new pair of PJs every Christmas Eve night".

And every year I have these grand plans to change that...
And for many years I have given birth just weeks before Christmas...
And the last few years was having surgeries or dealing with ailing parents...

This year has been different. In many ways, I see it clearly as God's hand of grace, helping the children build some traditions seems to be carrying them through their first Christmas without their PawPaw. We started two little traditions that I hope will be a memory we will make and re-make every year. The one that I have enjoyed most has been a nightly devotional and activity throughout the Advent season. The children call out for it each night and hate missing it! We light a new candle every night, and now the candles are all ablaze as we come to the eve of Christ's birth, the excitement of the Savior's coming continues to mount...

The other thing we are doing is building a Winter Village out of Legos. Growing up I remember my mom having a small collection of porcelain houses that we would set up each Christmas. I remember the little guy and girl ice skater that we would set up on a hand mirror that was set under a white sheet with a hole cut out to be "more realistic". So, last year when a friend told me about the Lego Winter Village, and I thought of that little Christmas town growing up, and I had to decide between porcelain or plastic, I just knew I wanted to get it for this year. And Lego releases a new piece each year, so this year we had a few things to put together, but next year we will just have one. The kids and I sit around the table, taking turns on assembly, ooohing and aaahing at the intricate details and clever uses of specialty pieces.  

We still hope to make some cookies for neighbors...
We still want to do some caroling on our street...
We totally forgot to have the kids exchange names for each other and purposefully seek to do good for one another... but that is ok, they all made each other gifts out of duct tape...
We are planning to do something really cool with our Christmas tree to look forward to Easter... I will let you know how well we execute that...

What are your family's traditions?
How do you make the season shine for Christ?

Where are the gifts...

As my children and I worked on folding the laundry this morning, one of the youngers innocently asked why there were no gifts under our tree. We have been visiting friends whose homes are decorated quite sweetly, including beautifully wrapped gifts tucked under the tree.

I sheepishly admitted that there were no gifts because I had not bought any gifts for them. At this comment, the two oldest children began informing the younger children that the real reason for Christmas is not about receiving gifts likes toys, but that God sent His son as a gift to us. It was a sweet, totally unscripted moment and it was encouraging because sometimes in the midst of living life together and the squabbling over who gets the last piece of cake, I wonder if they will ever "get it".

In all seriousness, there is nothing under our tree. I have been obliviously walking through this Christmas season, the busyness of teaching the kids, and co-op and choir concerts were distracting me. I almost forgot to get gifts for my two December birthed children last week and Christmas seemed way far off. However, the dates on the calendar prove otherwise, and thanks to a dear husband (who watched the kids), a shopping buddy (my mom) and Amazon.com, I was able to rectify the presentlessness that was our current state of affairs.

We are keeping things simple... and practical... and I am excited. I can't wait to tell you what we got everyone, and show you the fruits of their labors as they employ themselves with their gifts... but I can't just yet because sometimes my kids read my blog. :)

Finding a balance between...

creativity and order...
productivity and fun...
living life and cleaning...
goofing off and being serious...
drinking coffee and consuming water...
waking up early and going to bed at night...
schedules and flexibility...
humility and accomplishment...
quiet and loud...
talking and listening...

Can you tell that I am pondering things?!?!?! Feel free to add... or offer ideas... 

As birthdays go...

Today was a relatively normal day... Grocery store, homeschooling, piano lessons, dirty dishes, kids fighting and making up... Our flock went out to dinner, a rare treat but one that was greatly enjoyed by all!

Earlier, I had a grand surprise... around noon my phone started receiving text messages non-stop for like five minutes. I couldn't even respond without another text coming in... A dear friend of mine had arranged for some of my closest friends to all text me birthday wishes as the noon hour approached. My grocery shopping buddy was still hanging out and was laughing at me, which is how I figured out it was a conspiracy! That was a highlight of my day!

And one friend put it so well in her birthday greeting, "I pray that you will discover more of your loving Savior's care and faithfulness this year and you will be inspired to graceful obedience." Me too.

Some wait and see...

I have come to know and understand that God does much of His sanctifying work in my life when I am having to wait... we have some waiting and seeing in the coming days... job possibilities, medical uncertainty, housing changes... and in all of it, when I am tempted to despair or worry, I remember how the Lord has promised to do good to me and not harm (Jeremiah 29:11)... and that is enough.

It is Well with My Soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

Our last two sips...

As we continue to enjoy this encouraging cup of COFFEE, we need to be reminded to…

E – Enjoy every moment…

I remembered being annoyed as a young mom at being constantly told to “enjoy every moment, before you know it they’ll be gone”. I would look at my baby and knew I would have to nearly live my whole life over again before she would even leave for college, I had SO MUCH TIME! But in the blink of an eye, my baby is half-grown and only shorter than me by two inches. Dear friend, you know even better than me at how fast the time goes, your first will be graduating from High School this year.

We have talked about experiencing the joy of the Lord through the days and moments of a mother’s life and as we now consider how to enjoy every moment, I want to share with you one of my favorite mommy verses for when I am struggling with the decision between sitting down to play that game of Candyland with the pleading 4 year old or whether to mop the kitchen floor.

Proverbs 14:4 says, “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.”

I am not advocating that you neglect the care and cleaning your manger, but even here, a proper perspective will help us maintain the joy of the Lord as we are stretched to sacrifice our plans for the needs of others.  Considering the strength of your many oxen, and remembering that oxen as a whole are not the neatest animals ever created will help you maintain an attitude of praise and thanksgiving even after that jar full of sticky jam spills right in the middle of the newly mopped kitchen floor. And it will also help you remember that your oxen will only be in your manger for a short while, and you will have a lifetime after to clean up the hay.

And so we have come to the end, our cup of coffee is nearly gone, our last sip is,

E – Encouragement in the Word…

I hope you have been encouraged by the Scriptures discussed this morning, our sips of COFFEE as we celebrate your sweet new baby's arrival. If there is one thing I remember clearly about the first days and weeks following the arrival of a new baby, it would be a lack of time in God’s Word. 

The sleeplessness of establishing a routine through the wee hours, the demands of other children still so full of energy and exuberance, the general day-to-day things like laundry and cooking and cleaning, can sometimes overwhelm the three minutes of quiet you find yourself with at 2:17 in the afternoon. 

So, I have a gift for you, inspired by Deuteronomy 6:6,9 which say, “And these words I command you today shall be on your heart. … You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” 

For those days when a quiet moment of solitude escapes you, I have made you a print with each of the main verses I have shared with you today, so you can post them in your most frequented locations, the bathroom, kitchen sink, laundry room, near the chair you will feed your little child in, etc. And in those moments, you will be able to look up and be encouraged by God’s Word.

(I will get the signs posted soon...)

The middle of our cup...

F – Follow Jesus…

Matthew 16:24 says, “Then Jesus told His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.’”

Do you ever feel like your cross as a mommy is covered with peanut butter and jelly, rice crispies, play dough and a few other unmentionables? We give so much of our time and energy to this missional task of mothering, that it is essential that we maintain our focus on the perfect example of truly sacrificial living, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sometimes I think about how Jesus dealt with the disciples and how it is not much different than the situations we face with our children. The disciples would bicker about who was better and more deserving of honor, and I don’t know about your house, but my children want to sit in their favorite seat in the car despite the tears and pleading of a sibling, not to mention that last or largest piece of cake!

Jesus would also have to remind the disciples repeatedly of things He had already told them, which is exactly what we do with our children when we have “the talk” before we get out of the car to go into the grocery store and remembering that one time we didn’t have “the talk” and how we regretted it because the children acted like they had never been in public before.

In the garden, Jesus asked his friends to do one thing for Him, stay awake and pray, but they did the opposite, just like our children as they “but I just (insert excuse here)” instead of doing whatever was requested of them. And yet, each time as Jesus corrected the disciples, exhorted them, or redirected them, Jesus did so with love and mercy, with a genuine concern for their souls.

I must admit that this is where I find myself falling short. Every time I forget that James tells me to “count it all joy”, when I stop “giving thanks in all circumstances” and when I take my eyes off of Jesus and lay down my cross, my concern shifts to that of my desires – for order, to be appreciated, or simply to go potty all by myself – my concern is no longer for the heart condition of those around me, but simply my own ease. But when I put my eyes back on Jesus, when I take up the cross He has chosen for me, and I reorient my thoughts to His will, the joy of my salvation returns.   

One thing that has blessed me significantly as I have been mommying these last 10+ years is also our next little sip… 

F – Fellowship with the Church…

Hebrews 10:24-25 reminds us, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

What I love about the Church is that God’s people come together to share life and hold each other accountable to the Word of God and righteous living. I am always so thankful when a friend is willing to lovingly come beside me and say, “Hey, friend, I noticed the tone you used with your child earlier, it seemed like you could have been more kind” or when I get that call with what seems like devastating news, I have sisters who will cry with me, but also who will remind me of the truth of God, and of His plans for me. Being together with our church family also provides opportunities for others to pour into the lives of our children and family.

Of course, there are seasons when we are kept from the assembling together in person. The weeks and weeks with children passing a cold, or fever or tummy bug. The exciting time ahead, as your new baby arrives and you spend some time recovering from the delivery. Those are times when you can remember the fellowship in your prayers and look eagerly towards future fellowship.