Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
An Unexpected Gift
This year we started a new tradition. We had our kids exchange names and "buy" a gift for each other. Last night we exchanged those gifts.
They were excited. Excited to open presents, yes. But also excited to watch their siblings open their presents. It was fun to watch!
Kory and I exchanged presents too.
Mine came in a big, microwave sized box. Which contained a smaller box, which contained a smaller box. (I remember watching my mom open similar presents from my dad.) I love what he got me - Kory is a great gift-giver. Because of the packaging, the actual gift was unexpected. It got me thinking...
So much of the Christmas story is unexpected.
A virgin girl gave birth to the Lord of Hosts. What must she have felt when the angel came to her? What was it like to hold the baby Jesus? What was it like to look into his eyes? God as a baby! What was it like?
Shepherds were the first to know. Poor, stinky shepherds out in a field! What was it like to see the angels singing, "Glory to God in the Highest!" What did they feel as they went to find the baby? when they saw him? What was it like?
Wise men traveled from afar. Foreigners bringing expensive gifts to a little, unknown Jewish boy. Why did they follow the star? What did they think they would find? What did they think when they found him? What was it like?
God giving the best gift ever given - his son. Jesus, leaving the glory of heaven to be born as a man. What was it like to bow down and worship him that first Christmas morning? To reach out and touch the hand of a baby who would save your soul. What was it like?
An unexpected story written by a God who loves us infinitely.
May you experience the wonder of the Christmas story this season.
May you be blessed with unexpected gifts in unlikely packages.
May you experience joy as we celebrate the birth of Jesus - the one who changed everything!
Merry Christmas everyone.
Happy Birthday Jesus.
They were excited. Excited to open presents, yes. But also excited to watch their siblings open their presents. It was fun to watch!
Kory and I exchanged presents too.
Mine came in a big, microwave sized box. Which contained a smaller box, which contained a smaller box. (I remember watching my mom open similar presents from my dad.) I love what he got me - Kory is a great gift-giver. Because of the packaging, the actual gift was unexpected. It got me thinking...
So much of the Christmas story is unexpected.
A virgin girl gave birth to the Lord of Hosts. What must she have felt when the angel came to her? What was it like to hold the baby Jesus? What was it like to look into his eyes? God as a baby! What was it like?
Shepherds were the first to know. Poor, stinky shepherds out in a field! What was it like to see the angels singing, "Glory to God in the Highest!" What did they feel as they went to find the baby? when they saw him? What was it like?
Wise men traveled from afar. Foreigners bringing expensive gifts to a little, unknown Jewish boy. Why did they follow the star? What did they think they would find? What did they think when they found him? What was it like?
God giving the best gift ever given - his son. Jesus, leaving the glory of heaven to be born as a man. What was it like to bow down and worship him that first Christmas morning? To reach out and touch the hand of a baby who would save your soul. What was it like?
An unexpected story written by a God who loves us infinitely.
May you experience the wonder of the Christmas story this season.
May you be blessed with unexpected gifts in unlikely packages.
May you experience joy as we celebrate the birth of Jesus - the one who changed everything!
Merry Christmas everyone.
Happy Birthday Jesus.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Book Review - Billy
Periodically I will be doing book reviews on this blog because, well, I like books and you can receive free books from Thomas Nelson in exchange for book reviews on your blog and on-line retailers. So, without further adieu.... Here is my review of Billy!
Billy Graham is an amazing man. His life is inspiring. And, if you read the book Billy, you will discover that he was an ordinary man who chose to follow God’s call on his life. It was that choice which made all the difference.
Billy by William Paul McKay and Ken Abraham chronicles the early years of Billy Graham. It is told through the eyes of Charles Templeton a friend and fellow evangelist. It tells us about Billy before he became a household name: where he went to school, his early failures, how he met his wife and how he got his start as an evangelist. The book climaxes at a point where Billy has a crisis of faith and ends with the campaign that catapulted him into the public eye.
I’m guessing this book was written after the movie (yes there is a movie) was created. It felt like the author watched the movie and wrote the book accordingly. Regardless, it is an easy book to read, the material is interesting and it left me wanting to learn more about Billy Graham (I have added his autobiography Just As I am to my reading list).
One of my favorite moments came at the end of the book. Throughout the book Charles Templeton is being interviewed which is how the reader hears Billy’s story. (Templeton eventually became an agnostic and even wrote a book titled Farewell to God: My Reasons for Rejecting the Christian Faith.)
As his interview comes to a close the following happens:
In a sense this book is as much about Charles Templeton as it is about Billy. It tells the story of two men who started out sharing the Good News of Christ and ended up walking down drastically different roads.
If you any of this perks your interest and you decide to pick up Billy, I don’t think you will be disappointed.
My expert ranking: 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Billy by William Paul McKay and Ken Abraham chronicles the early years of Billy Graham. It is told through the eyes of Charles Templeton a friend and fellow evangelist. It tells us about Billy before he became a household name: where he went to school, his early failures, how he met his wife and how he got his start as an evangelist. The book climaxes at a point where Billy has a crisis of faith and ends with the campaign that catapulted him into the public eye.
I’m guessing this book was written after the movie (yes there is a movie) was created. It felt like the author watched the movie and wrote the book accordingly. Regardless, it is an easy book to read, the material is interesting and it left me wanting to learn more about Billy Graham (I have added his autobiography Just As I am to my reading list).
One of my favorite moments came at the end of the book. Throughout the book Charles Templeton is being interviewed which is how the reader hears Billy’s story. (Templeton eventually became an agnostic and even wrote a book titled Farewell to God: My Reasons for Rejecting the Christian Faith.)
As his interview comes to a close the following happens:
“he suddenly grew quite emotional. ‘I believe Jesus was the greatest
teacher…the most moral person—‘ He stopped again and looked at Deborah [the
interviewer].
‘And…and if you will permit the expression…I
miss Him.’
In a sense this book is as much about Charles Templeton as it is about Billy. It tells the story of two men who started out sharing the Good News of Christ and ended up walking down drastically different roads.
If you any of this perks your interest and you decide to pick up Billy, I don’t think you will be disappointed.
My expert ranking: 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
A Christmas Tour
Do you ever try to get a glimpse of the inside of people's homes as you drive past their houses at night?
Me neither, but today if you hop on over to BooMama's blog, you will get an inside look at numerous homes! What fun!!
Before you go, take a moment to enjoy a holiday tour of this home. Don't worry, the commentary is free.
We will begin our tour in the "family room," the most used room in the house.
To get a true feel for the room, take a moment to imagine a fire in the fireplace, a Christmas movie on the TV, and small children in their soft fleece PJS. Then add in a toy-strewn floor, a struggle for seat position and the consistent requesting of snacks and you will have an accurate picture of what a night in this room looks like.
If you turn your attention to the other side of the room, you will notice a nativity scene. Look even closer and you will find that baby Jesus is missing.
Inspired by a radio program discussing John 3:16 ("For God so Loved the World, He gave His only begotten Son...") your host decided to wrap baby Jesus. He will be the first gift opened by the family on Christmas morning to commemorate the BEST gift ever given.
In the hopes of creating an idyllic moment, the man of the house will open the present as the children gather round.
Now, please turn your attention to the bookshelf above the nativity. There you will see the wise men slowly making there way to the manger scene. If our host remembers to move them, they will reach their destination on Christmas day.
As we exit the family room, you may have noticed the stockings on the mantel were conspicuously missing. Due to an unfortunate accident involving a stocking hanger, the head of a young boy and the pulling of a stocking all hanging objects were swiftly removed from the mantel to the stairway. Thankfully there were no long term repercussions from the accident.
Moving on, you will find a "hand-me-down" set of carolers from our host's mother.
Rich in history, these festive carolers have been stored in the same box for over 25 years, fooling little girls who would like to believe their mommy actually held on to her Crayola Playtime Office all these years.
Please exit the home for our final stop of the tour.
This concludes your tour. We hope you enjoyed it. Comments are always appreciated. Donation will be taken at the door.
Moving on, you will find a "hand-me-down" set of carolers from our host's mother.
Rich in history, these festive carolers have been stored in the same box for over 25 years, fooling little girls who would like to believe their mommy actually held on to her Crayola Playtime Office all these years.
Please exit the home for our final stop of the tour.
Notice the unique placement of the bunched-up icicle lights that don't look like icicle's on the home.
Although slightly dysfunctional, these lights will certainly make a statement in the annual neighborhood Christmas light contest.
This concludes your tour. We hope you enjoyed it. Comments are always appreciated. Donation will be taken at the door.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Cleaning the Bathroom
Company is coming, of the overnight variety.
I kinda need to clean the bathroom. You know so they aren't completely repulsed by the way we live and never return.
Cleaning the bathroom...
Hmmmm...
What else could I do?
I could...
read a few blogs, take some Christmas cards out to the mail box, tell a 3 year old he can't have another snack right now, argue with him for an additional 5 minutes (whose the mom here?), pick up the bedrooms (I'm not a complete slacker!), write a blog on cleaning the bathroom, read a few more blogs, schedule a hair cut, stare aimlessly out the window at the pretty snow falling...
switch the laundry, apply stain remover to the lip gloss colored bedspread, rescue a crying baby, put the same baby to bed, get a snack for the boys, discuss my eye color with a three year old, ignore a whining child, check the laundry to see how much time is left...
Then again, I could go upstairs and clean the bathroom.
Or maybe...
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
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