Our Everlasting Light

No matter what you are facing, we always have the promise Jesus will be near. He will never leave us, nor forsake us. As I was reading Tammy's post over at My Heart...His Words today, this truth was so clearly portrayed. Please take a moment to stop by and visit her as she shares a message, There is Always A Bright Side.

Today is Word Filled Wednesday, join us over at 160 Acrewoods

A Whole Lot More!

One of my very special blogging friends is hosting “In Other Words” over at I Will Take It Lord, All You Have to Give. I think anyone who has visited Lori's blog would agree that she is one very talented lady. Please join us today as we share our thoughts on this precious quote by Dr. Seuss.

Lori, I love your heart and the way you use your gifts to glorify the Lord. It's been such a joy to get to know you.

“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn't come from a store.” “Maybe
Christmas...perhaps...means a ‘little bit’ more.” Dr. Seuss

Oh, what a great classic and wonderful message the story of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" portrays. This is a story that both young and old can never hear enough of. I have fond memories over the years of reading this book to my children and seeing how it captured their hearts! I love the message it tells about how greed and materialism is not what Christmas is all about. Maybe it’s not just about a ‘little bit’ more, but really about a ‘whole lot’ more!

Could words ever say how much Jesus really did for us?

This past weekend I got together with some special friends and family at my annual “Christmas Tea”. Even though it takes a lot of planning, this has been a tradition I have looked forward to for many years. This year Lori (our host today) used her talent to make our beautiful invitations. Now that’s its over and done, I'm already planning for next year’s tea in my mind. During Christmas time we all know how easy it is to get caught up with so many distractions, obligations, and deadlines. Without realizing it we can loose focus of the true meaning of what it is that we celebrate. Buying gifts and getting together with those we love is such a blessing, but in all we do, may we never forget Jesus our Messiah, who came to save us all.

I wanted to conclude by sharing a few special memories that we made this past weekend. Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to join me today. I cherish our friendship and look forward to all that God has in store for us in 2009.

(please mute my music player before viewing pictures!)

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Friday Funnies

With Christmas coming up, I thought I'd share some holiday humor. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

And, OH...please sign up for my give a way below. The Cafe is hosting at Holiday Expo now!

An elementary school teacher asked her students to write the words to their favorite holiday songs. Here are some of the humorous lines she received:

Later on we'll perspire as we dream by the fire.
We three kings of porridge and tar...
He's makin a list, chicken and rice.
Noel. Noel. Barney's the king of Israel.
With the jelly toast proclaim...
Frosty the Snowman is a ferret elf, I say.
Sleep in heavenly peas.
You'll go down in listerine.
Oh, what fun it is to ride with one horse, soap and hay.
Oh, come, froggy faithful...

Join us today over at Homesteaders Heart for more funnies!

Sharing God's Goodness

Hi Ladies,

I've got two things going on today, first my Thankful Thursday post, and an exciting give-a-way at the Cafe. So I'll start out by giving God praise for the countless good things He continues to do in my life daily.

♥ I'm so thrilled to announce that on Tuesday the contractor and crew finally concluded our renovations! This has been a long drawn out project since Hurricane Gustav hit us on Sept. 1st. The Lord was so good to send us a group of Christian men to do this job. Now it's time to put our house back together once again.

♥ We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our family, and as always it was so nice to see everyone. I'm still stuffed.

♥ I'm thankful that this coming weekend I'll have the opportunity to get together with many of my friends from back home. I'll be hosting my annual "Christmas Tea". This is a tradition I started over 12 years ago. It's always the perfect way to start our Christmas season. I promise to share some pictures.

♥ Finally, I'm grateful for all of you who take time to stop by and leave such kind comments. Gosh, it's been such a delight to get to know you.

Now, let me share with you what's going on over at the Internet Cafe. Today is the Cafe Holiday Expo and we'll get into the Christmas spirit by giving away some amazing gifts.

You'll need to hop over there and check it out!

I thought I'd give somethings that I really enjoy myself, cologne. Yes, I'm a person who just loves different scents. If you visited my home you would smell the aroma of candles or oils burning. You would also see a nice collection of colognes proudly displayed on my dresser.

One of my favorite colognes is Happy Heart by Clinique. I choose this as my give-a-way because it's light, fresh, and it puts me in a really good mood.

I also want to bless someone with a pre-made Christmas Scrapbook. This is made by Hallmark and it is really nice! I made one last year and it came out beautiful. This is perfect for those of you who love the look of a scrapbook, but just don't have the time to make one.

Now, to win these gifts, all you have to do in the comment section is let me know what your favorite cologne is. I'll enter your name in for a chance to win these gifts. Yes, it's that simple. I'll see you over at the Cafe!

Seizing the moment...

Sometimes God brings the strangest acquaintances into our lives. Instead of turning away, why not embrace the moment and make a difference in someone's life. Divine appointments may come when we least expect them.

Join us today over at the 160 Acrewoods today.

Please stop by tomorrow for a WONDERFUL GIVE-A-WAY, you won't want to miss this one!

A Season To Love

As the holidays are now officially in gear, I have something that is on my heart and I'd like to share with you.

On Saturday November 29th Tammy over at My Heart...His Word's 13 year old son went to be with Jesus. This precious child had been battling brain cancer since 2002. It had been a long journey with many surgeries, chemo and radiation. Although I never met him personally, I felt like I knew Nick from just from reading Tammy's writings. If you have not visited her blog, you really need to. Each time I would go over to visit and check up on Nick, my plan was to leave a message to encourage Tammy, but it never failed, I was the one who came away encouraged by her steadfast faith and great love for Jesus. Oh how our prayers and thoughts go out to this wonderful family at this time.

Since my son was diagnosed with a brain tumor over 5 years ago our world has also been radically changed. While we are so grateful that Jordan is now in remission, we are still closely connected to many families who have either lost a child to some form of childhood cancer or continue to face the battle for a cure. As hard as this is sometimes, we count it a privilege to be able to witness first hand the Lord's amazing grace at work in the lives of these children and families.

The reason I'm writing about this today is because although Christmas is one of the most joyous seasons of the year, it can also be one of the most difficult for families like Tammy's and others that have experienced such great loss. It seems that during the holidays, fond memories and family traditions only tend to emphasize grief.

In the book of Galatians 6:2 Paul instructs us to,

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

I know for many of you it can be difficult to talk to people who may be going through times like this. You may feel like you just don't know what to say. I've been there myself many times and I've even avoided people because I felt at a loss to know how to encourage them. However, I have learned some things along the way, and I'd like to encourage you who may face a situation like this with a few things that might help you to minister and console.

First of all don't be afraid to acknowledge their loss and talk about their loved one by name. Although it may cause some tears, there is really no greater joy then knowing that your loved one is remembered. Talk about personal experiences you may have had with that person, or stories about their lives that you know. Remember, that person really is living on in heaven. They may be gone from our presence, but they are still very much alive and well.

Another way to bless a family who has experienced a loss is to give a gift in honor of their loved one. Find out what cause or organization they are their family may be involved with and give something in their name. This really makes the family feel like their passing was not in vain, and their lives are still having an impact by helping others.

Finally, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He is the One who will lead you, guide you, and give you the the words to speak. Remember, we are the Body of Christ. We are the hands of Christ reaching out to help lift up this hurting world.

...The Spirit the Lord is upon us to bind up the broken hearted. (Isa. 61)

May your Christmas season be a blessed one...full of the Love, Joy and Peace that comes from knowing Christ the Savior.

Thanks for taking time to stop by today.

The Sanctuary of Marriage

Today is Marriage Monday. Andrea over at Embracing Him is our hostess. I look forward each month to participating, but I'm still in the middle of some major renovations since Gustav! We are almost finished, praise God.

Anyhow, today's topic is so important. Hopefully you'll take time to check out some great posts on this topic.

I was especially blessed as I read E-Mom's. She always delivers such an informative information. I appreciate her ministry here in the blogosphere. Stop by, you'll be blessed and enlightened for sure. Thanks E-Mom!

Have a blessed day today!