Happy New Year

1/1/11

For a family that likes numbers, this year has some great dates in it and the year itself starts off cool!  My dad and stepmom got married on 2/2/02. I was born on 9/29/69 and saved on 4/24/74 (can't plan these things!).  Jackson was born on 7/8/99 and then Cameron on 6/7/00.  So their birthdays are 6/7, 7/8.  How easy is that to remember...and my dad needs help remembering!  :)  So, when we found out Chloe was due on May 9th we all prayed she would be born on the 6th so the birthdays would be 5/6, 6/7, 7/8.  However, that girl is an independent spirit and she came on April 26th!  (sidenote...LOVE that all 3 of my babies were born before their due dates!  thank you children!)  I was a little sad about her birth date until my dad pointed out that his birthday is April 13th and then 13 days later it is Chloe's.  Numbers matter to my dad.  :)

Numbers matter in the Bible as well and there are much smarter people than I to teach on it.  However, I do know 7 is the number of completion and 40 is the number of suffering.  I was glad to turn 40 because that meant my suffering was over...right?!  :)

This was not on mind when I began this post...how did this happen?!  Rabbit trail before I even got going!  What a year this is going to be!  :)  hahahahaha

Last night we spent the hours leading up to the new year with close family friends and had a ball!! 

We had a bonfire which was fueled by a Christmas tree!  I was so mesmerized by the height of the flames that by the time it dawned on me to take a picture the flames had dropped by about 4 feet!  BIG flames!

With a fire, comes smores and the kids were not disappointed.  They were given pitchfork type prongs because regular hangars would not do, nor would regular marshmallows! Oh no!  We had gigantic, seriously HUGE marshmallows!  The kids laughed it up and toasted them up.  Can't beat melting chocolate with marshmallow and graham crackers!  BIG taste!

Then, we proceeded to the front yard with our bags of fireworks...sparklers, snap pops, roman candles, flashers, fountains and high in the sky fireworks!  The kids had so much fun and the dads were good sports to keep the fireworks lit and everyone safe.  Except for the moment when some of the bigger kids escaped to the end of the driveway and threw smoke bombs across the street and a small fire began in the neighbors yard.  They came running back up to the porch saying, "We didn't do it!  We didn't do it!"  I'm sure they didn't...it was a smoke bomb, however, back across the street they went with a bucket of water and an apology.  We stayed back and laughed!  BIG fun!

For our finale, everyone broke out their cans of silly string and a war began!  We had soldiers from 5 years old to grandpas and noone was free from attack.  Most kids went full blast with a can in each hand.  Some were more strategic and used just one to begin with and then pulled out their backup when others were out.  There was a mess all over the driveway but smiles all over the faces of everyone covered in silly string!  BIG, BIG fun!

We cleaned up as best we could and headed inside just in time to hear Dick Clark countdown the ball drop in New York City.  We kissed our kids, shouted "Happy New Year!" and headed home.  We tucked our children in bed and I watched the clock tick closer to our actual midnight celebration and enjoyed some quiet contemplation.

2010 was full of heartbreak, confusion and uncertainty but it was also full of peace.  It most definitely had to be the peace that passes understanding because who in their right minds would put those four words together.  It's like a Sesame Street "Which one doesn't belong?  Which one is not like the others?" game.  Peace and heartbreak...peace and confusion...peace and uncertainty?

Peace is the victor when the Victor reigns in your life.  It is a day by day positioning and I pray the experiences of 2010 have prepared me for the continual submission to the Authority who becomes my Peace.

Victory Dance

When Jackson first started school we were living in Missouri and he attended New Covenant Academy in Springfield.  It was such a blessing from God for our family as it was also where I worked.  I became friends with his teacher and she shared with me how one of the other moms encouraged her.  Every Friday this mom would include a handwritten letter in the daily folder being returned to class.  Each time I had the privilege to read the letter, I was inspired and touched by the beauty of the words that centered on Scripture.

Jackson is now in the 5th grade in Texas, but I am sure that mom is still writing her Friday letters in Missouri.  As a matter of fact, I have been the recipient of some this week.  Now, I realize I shouldn't call them "Friday letters" since I have received them on Wednesday and Thursday but I just can't shake the connection of my memory. 

This friend has read my blog posts and twitter/facebook updates and messaged me about my struggles with our home building process.  And though our situation is real and we are following through with our legal rights, she helped me focus on the truth of God's word which says, "In this world you may [will] have trouble, take heart!  I have overcome the world!"  Jn 16:33

Those words are written in red...the words of Jesus...the blood of Jesus which overcame the world and His word I can confidently stand on.  I won't be sitting back and watching things happen, I will be up doing a victory dance knowing that my Savior has taken care of my troubles and He will be sure to get the glory.  I will not stand in His way!  I will dance alongside Him...waltzing with the Spirit!

A Cord of Three

While taking down all the Christmas trees at church, I got to talking with one of our middle school students. He is reading the Harry Potter books for AR tests at school and we began discussing our favorite characters. He mentioned that he likes Luna because she is so weird, especially when she was out with the "strange horses" (they are called thestrals).

That is one of my favorite scenes in that particular movie because of what Luna tells Harry. He feels alone, like noone understands the situation he finds himself in. Noone shares information with him during the summer months away from school. His trusted professor isn't talking to him. He feels isolated and weak.

Luna tells him that is exactly the way Voldemort (the enemy) wants him to feel because if he is all alone he isn't much of a threat.

Now I realize that Harry Potter is not a Christian movie and many Christians believe we shouldn't read the books or watch the movie. I believe that we should use whatever the world dishes out and use it to point people to Christ. The Harry Potter books make this task fairly simple, and this quote from Luna is one shining example.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 (msg) "By yourself you're unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped."

Our enemy, Satan, wants us to feel alone and isolated in this world. He wants us unprotected so he can snap us in two. However, when we surround ourselves with fellow Christians - someone to challenge us to think right, do right and grow spiritually - we can face the worst. We will not be defeated.

Who are you surrounded with? Have you chosen friends that are growing in Christ? Have you chosen friends who are in the Word, listening for God's voice? Have you chosen friends that make wise choices in places to go and people to listen to?

Don't let Satan win this battle. Don't try to defeat Him on your own...find a Christian friend who will stand against him with you and trust the Holy Spirit to be your third. He is the strand that cannot be broken!