Nov 30, 2010 | Uncategorized
Our Christmas Cards arrived in the mail today! Having 75+ cards to personalize and address is a little bit daunting, but I’m excited that they turned out pretty cute. (We have a lot of ministry partners and we want to let them know we appreciate them at this time of year!) We went with Hallmark last year because we were in SA, and it worked out less expensive to order through them and have them post the cards for us.
Shutterfly won out this year because their prices are really good. {Up to 30% off on Christmas Cards on their site right now! And if you spend more than $25 (which we always do) shipping is free.} They look great, and I like them a lot. I will note, Hero Hubs wishes they didn’t say they were printed at Shutterfly on the back, but I don’t think it’s a big deal.
Since I can’t send each one of you, my delightful friends and readers, a card this year, I’ll share the preview of our Shutterfly one with you to wish you a (slightly early) Merry Christmas! (Maybe I’m the first?)
Along with the flat and folded Christmas cards at Shutterfly, they also have some pretty stylish stationary cards which will frame your favourite pictures in a chic way. Sassy!
In case you’re struggling to cross a few names off your list, you can also sassify some photo-filled calendars and books there too. My Mom and Dad love the grandkid photo calendars! They have some pretty photogenic grandkids. 😉
Anywho, what do you think of our card? Can you tell I’m pregnant in the top right picture? That’s kind of the point, so I hope you can! (Please comment and tell me!) But if you see any typos, don’t tell me because they’re already printed and here and waiting for me to write little notes on them, address them and send them out! Woot!
Are you sending out Christmas Cards? Have you ever made your own? Pam (who shared Uppercase Thanksgiving with us last Sunday) makes the most delightful Christmas cards ever. I forgot to add that to her intro. Handmade cards are by far my favourite, but how can you do that for more than 5 people? I’m gonna stop procrastinating now, but in case I forget later,
Merry Christmas!
xCC
Nov 29, 2010 | An Expat
Our wonderful week in Atlanta has come to a close. We’ve re-packed and begun unpacking, the long drive is finished, my toothbrush is in a familiar cup, and I’ve stopped singing In My Mind, I’m Going to Carolina. Because we’re actually here. In real life.
I have lots of thoughts to share about changing places and familiar bumper stickers, re-entry shock and how the prices at Old Navy almost make me dizzy, but for now I’ll just say I’m back in the house where I spent my first seventeen years, where I know the creaks in the staircase and where the views out every window are the most familiar views I know.
And while I had to say goodbye to my brother and sister and brother-in-law, and my incredibly precious little niece, it’s not so hard when you know you’ll see them again in a few weeks.
Surrounded by familiar sights and sounds and smells and tastes, I’m thankful for little things I was never thankful for before. And it’s wonderful, because it feels like home.
xCC
Nov 28, 2010 | Guest Posts
Hey gang! Have you been as thankful for this week as I have? I sure hope so! As promised, there’s one more day of {Thanks}giving here for you, today!
Grace Kinne has a beautiful guest post to share with you today. She is a well-named young lady after God’s own heart. We share an affinity for the culinary arts and decorating, and we enjoyed life and church and good and not-so-good weather together during my four years in Scotland. She blogs at grace. Her words are grace-filled, and I hope they’ll be an encouragement to you!
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Vulnerable Thanksgiving
I woke up this morning to great lashings of rain against my window. ‘Ah November. How I love you’, I thought. It’s on days like this that I find it hard not to succumb to the Anne-of-Green-Gables-Depths-of-Despair-ness. Oh the melodrama.
But in all seriousness, it is in the dark and cold of coming winter (or, if you are anywhere near the North Sea like I am, the very much arriving winter) that we are called and reminded to celebrate a day of giving thanks.
Honestly, though, I find it hard in the day-to-dayness of this thing we call Life. I get discouraged so easily. Before me, all I can see is a bleak, cold land. Barren. This seemingly endless search for a job, a purpose, has led me to the bewildered and twisted places in my soul that I would rather have let fester quietly in the dark. I question my value, my place, my foundations.
I have felt recently like I’m trying to hold warring parts of my soul together, desperately grabbing through my tears at some sort of future. Some sort of hope. Why is this disorienting time of waiting, longing for a ‘something’ to sink my hands into, so very prolonged? I wake up each morning fighting. Fighting to believe that He has a purpose for me; that this wait is not empty, but it is paradoxically a time of fullness.
It is in these times of barrenness that we are most vulnerable. And when we are most vulnerable, our thanksgiving has the most power for our souls – for we truly have nothing else to cling to. It lifts us out, placing us on our Indestructable Foundation.
‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength….’ (Isaiah 30:15).
For it is when I am quiet, when I am still and remember….I know. I know that He is God. I remember Who He is. I remember my salvation. And suddenly, my barrenness is swept aside in the torrent of His grace. His grace that delights to remember and pour into the barren, the empty, the foolish, and the forgotten.
What makes it a vulnerable thanksgiving, though, is that I still don’t seem to see where the path is leading. It’s vulnerable because in thanking Jesus for where I’m at, I am trusting that the ‘boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance’, that He has ‘made my lot secure’ (Psalm 16). I am trusting again. Again and again and again and again. I am trusting that He is my Answer. Not a job. Not a duty. Not a purpose. He alone is my Answer. He alone is my Provision. He alone is my God. This vulnerablity of thanksgiving is oddly freeing. I am free to rest in His provision, grace, and presence. To just breathe.
So November? Rain away. Rain all you want. My God is stronger….and though I might not be able to see just yet, I’m trusting that around a corner, tucked away in a wee cobbled alley, is a sunny, wooded path. As Anne Shirley says, ‘There’s always a bend in the road’, for….’God’s in His heaven and all is right.’
Surely that assurance is worthy of our utmost, vulnerable, and heart-full thanksgiving?
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Grace is a girl who doesn’t currently pay taxes (one definite benefit of being unemployed!). But she finds herself quite busy nonetheless; cobbling together a random assortment of daily activities she loves as well as loathes, such as: experimenting with random recipes, exploring the hidden coffee shops of Edinburgh, and writing job applications. She is also rather fond of the word nonetheless.
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Thank you SO much for these words, Grace. I am going to read this again. And again.
xCC
Nov 27, 2010 | Guest Posts
Hello, guys and gals! What a week it’s been! I have been so challenged and encouraged and blessed by what’s been shared. I am {thank}ful! I have some great news to share before today’s guest post — we have a bonus day of thanks happening tomorrow! One more beautiful post is headed your way to close out our {Thanks}giving Week, so please come back!
Today’s guest post is by an old friend of mine who is an encouragement and inspiration to me for so many reasons. Annie Beth Donahue is a woman of great faith. Inside a tiny frame, she is a woman of boldness who lives out an authentic life for Jesus that is a beauty to see. Her post verbalizes some things on my heart that I struggle to express even after researching in this subject area for a year and a half at PhD level. I hope it provokes you to thankfulness, and thoughtfulness.
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Hello Readers! I’m a mom of 4 that grew up in Washington, North Carolina and now lives in Charlotte. I already have many stories I could share from our relatively short journey as a family. My children are 6, 5, 3, and 2. Two children were adopted and two are biological- and they all have some kind of health problem, running the gamut from spina bifida, to food allergies, to sensory processing disorder.
We knew our child with spina bifida had this particular birth defect before adopting- but the rest of our children’s challenges showed up after birth. Through my connection with such a wide range of health care professionals, this summer God led me to start Signposts Ministries. Signposts Ministries is a religious and charitable organization designed to minister to the whole person. We meet the needs of families that have children with chronic health problems in a variety of ways- physical, emotional, financial, and spiritual. We want to provide free devotions and Bible studies online for both parents and children, and we hope to continue meeting physical needs both here in the U.S. and internationally. Check us out at: www.signpostsministries.org
Unconditional Thanks
I have several friends who are pregnant right now. I remember being pregnant. It was both enjoyable and loathsome at the same time. But then again, I had terrible morning (all day) sickness. That was actually the only loathsome part. Overall, it was pretty fun. I really enjoyed getting to the point where I was showing. I didn’t mind people asking me about my pregnancy. I was kind of hoping they would notice, because I was pretty excited, and I wanted everyone else to be just as excited as I was.
There are recurring themes in people’s conversations with parents-to-be. When are you due? Is this your first? How do you feel? Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?
Usually, if the parent does not know the baby’s sex, they will answer, “We don’t care if it’s a boy or a girl- as long as it’s healthy!” *Big smile*
That sounds nice. To the average person.
I’m not sure when this phrase started bothering me. I think it was when I first became a mom, way before I knew what our journey would be like in a few years. Don’t throw tomatoes yet. I understand the sentiment behind the words. We hope our children are healthy. For that matter, I hope I’ remain healthy, and that we all live to a ripe old age, doing God’s kingdom work to our fullest, until we peacefully pass away in our sleep with our grandchildren gathered round. Every single one of us. I even wish that for you, dear reader, whom I may not even know in real life.
“As long as it’s healthy.” I want to ask, “And if it’s not?” Then what?
For some people, the answer to that question is abortion. Children like my daughter are aborted by the thousands every year. But even strong, pro-life Christians can be found spouting the phrase, “as long as it’s healthy.” So, it *kind of* sounds like we’re saying, “God, I’m letting you pick the gender as long as you don’t give me a child with a disability.” I wasn’t aware that God was making deals like that. Personally, I think he’s most capable of picking the gender and the physical and mental condition of our children. As Job asked his wife, “should we accept good from God and not evil (trouble)?”
I could never make those words come out of my mouth. My pregnancies and adoptions were totally surrendered to God. We wanted him to pick the way things turned out. We wanted him to be totally in charge. Because if there is one thing we know about God, it’s that he is trustworthy. He loves our children more than we do (can you imagine)! No matter what their physical or mental condition, your children contain a precious soul that is worth more to God that anything else on this earth. He wants you to cherish your child, no matter what packaging they come in. Knowing this, I can thank God in advance for what he is going to give me, before I even know the outcome. I can thank him for his goodness and kindness and omnipotence. At church, we often do a call and response of, “God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good.”
Sin, disease and sickness are not things God intended. We live in a fallen world. I’m sure that if it weren’t for his divine intervention, we would see much more deformity in the earth around us. Any good health you or your children have is a gift. For my children that gift has been temporarily withheld on this earth, and God has not intervened in every situation to make things the way they “should” be. However, I have found that sometimes God takes things that Satan means for evil against us, and he works and uses that very same thing to produce a harvest of righteousness. It almost makes me laugh aloud sometimes to see situations in which I’m sure Satan thinks he has control, only to realize that God is miraculously aligning the universe to turn that evil into a blessing.
So, I’m not going to judge people who say, “as long as it’s healthy.” I just think that it goes without saying that we wish the best for our children, and that maybe we should examine our words. The next person you say that to in the grocery store may have a child at home that is twisted by cerebral palsy or who is severely mentally retarded or who lives in constant danger of dying from a peanut allergy. The words “as long as” kind of sting a little because they seem conditional. It’s not that I don’t desire heath for the child, it’s that I don’t want the child without health to be undesired. There’s a difference.
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Thank you so much for sharing those challenging words with us today, Annie Beth. I found myself starting to say “even if it’s not healthy” in response to that phrase a few weeks ago. I hope your thoughts will provoke thoughtfulness, and even conversation in the days ahead. I am even more excited, being reminded that the omnipotent and good and kind God of the universe has plans for the little one He’s forming in me right now!
xCC
Nov 26, 2010 | Guest Posts
Hey guys and gals! Hope those of you who are Thanksgiving-celebrating folk enjoyed a lovely celebratory moment yesterday. Perhaps all these thoughts about Thanksgiving made it even a lil more special? Mehopes… The week of {Thanks}giving in this space is continuing just a wee while longer (yay) and I am especially delighted to share today’s story of provision and trusting God because many of you might be thinking of heading out to make some Christmas-related purchases today!
The delightful Michelle Dameron is sharing thoughts on thanks with us today. Michelle and I went to East Carolina University together (Go Pirates!) and she is a woman of great faith. I hope her stories will encourage you to patiently wait for things, and to bring your requests to the Lord before throwing them on the Black Friday credit card! Michelle blogs at Michelle Has Thoughts, where her thoughtfulness and her honesty are both a challenge and an inspiration. Now on with the {Thank}fulness!
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Thankful in the Little Things
Thanksgiving happens once a year, but I think most of us know we should try and cultivate thankfulness all year long. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. I know in my life, if I cultivate an attitude of thanksgiving Jesus is more likely to keep doing some pretty cool “little things.â€
We get so bogged down with life and all that comes at us. We even can chalk some events up to “good luck†or “just happeningâ€. But shouldn’t we be looking for the hand of God in our everyday lives. After all, He does care about the little things. If you read the story of creation you know just how detailed our God is.
I would like to share a story of Jesus doing little things in my life lately.
This past month I’ve been working hard on some ideas for a friend’s baby shower. I really wanted it to be a great event and blessing, but knew financially I would not have a lot of money to put into it. God knew the desires of my heart and opened some doors. I wanted to make a diaper cake and low and behold at a consignment sale I found all I needed for $12 instead of $35 at the store! Then I wanted to get some mini pumpkins for decoration and found them at Walmart for 19 cents a bag! They had them priced wrong and I was able to get 35 mini pumpkins for $2 instead of $20! Then, to top all this off, I received a TV survey in the mail from the Nielsen Research Company with $30 enclosed to fill it out for a week! Isn’t it neat how God provides?! It’s never predictable and always creative. And He wants to do it for everyone!
It’s neat to see when our hearts are for others to be blessed He works things out for us. I don’t mean this to be a trivial example. I am well aware there are much more important things in life than planning showers. But the point is, it meant something to me for this event to be special to my friend. And God knew that. And He provided.
It seems the more I’ve thanked Jesus in the moment, the more He does. Let’s thank Jesus in the “little things,† even if you think what you desire isn’t that important.
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My name is Michelle Dameron and I live in Eastern North Carolina. I am married to the love of my life, whom I met my senior year in college. He was a campus minister in the campus ministry I attended. But it’s not nearly as scandalous as it sounds! 🙂 We were friends for a while and married in May of 2006. Two years later we had our first son Isaac who is now two. We are currently 16 weeks pregnant and awaiting the debut of our second child in May of 2011!
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Thanks so much for sharing, Michelle! I am so encouraged to be reminded about God’s great provision — it challenges me not to try to make things happen in my own strength! I am glad you shared this important thoughts with us on this particular Friday!
xCC
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