Merry CHRISTmas to All!!

I am Glad that People Protest Nativity Scenes

Shocking, huh? Yes, I am glad, even thrilled that some people are so up at arms and upset and protest against having nativity scenes on public property. Before you write "heretic" by my name hear me out. When my daughter was in an Asian country a couple of years ago, a country that bans Christian missionaries and the spreading of the gospel by both foreigners and nationals, she was shocked to see Nativity scenes in public squares and shopping centers. How could they allow this when they were so adamant about opposing Christianity? As she pondered it and asked her American hosts about it, a local national overheard their conversation and in broken English said "You talking about that?" and pointed to the manger scene complete with a baby Jesus. "Yes" they replied in unison. "Oh, you no know that is? That when Santa Claus born!" he smiled broadly back at them. What a heartbreak for my daughter and her hosts when they realized the horrible commercialized impact of western society on this country filled with millions who had never heard the name Jesus. Oh, they knew "CocaCola", "Santa" and even "WalMart" in English but had never heard the one name that could change their lives for eternity.

So yes, I am glad that there are those in our country who get upset about a nativity scene in a public place. It helps to clarify the meaning of the scene - not that a regular baby or a superhero or a legend or a nice fictional character was born, but a Divine, Eternal, King of Kings Savior who left his heavenly throne to die on a cruel cross for my sin. Let us be thankful that the name of Jesus Christ has been and always will be something that makes people uncomfortable if they do not believe and rejoice beyond words if they do believe. And let us pray that those who have been fed distorted lies can hear the true meaning of that manger and that cross. In whatever country they live.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year across the World

• Apache (Western) - Gozhqq Keshmish
• Arabic - I'D Miilad Said ous Sana Saida
• Croatian - Sretan Bozic
• Danish - Glædelig Jul og godt nytår
• Farsi - Sal-e no mubarak
• French - Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!
• German - Fröhliche Weihnachten und ein glückliches Neues Jahr!
• Greek - Kala Christougenna Ki'eftihismenos O Kenourios
• Chronos Hawaiian - Mele Kalikimaka & Hauoli Makahiki Hou
• Hebrew - Mo'adim Lesimkha. Shanah Tova
• Hindi - Shubh Naya Baras
• Iraqi - Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
• Irish - Nollaig Shona Dhuit
• Iroquois - Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson homungradon nagwutut & Ojenyunyat osrasay
• Italian - Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo
• Japanese - Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
• Korean - Sung Tan Chuk Ha
• Kyrghyz - JangI jIlIngIz guttuu bolsun!
• Latin - Pax hominibus bonae voluntatis
• Maori - Kia orana e kia manuia rava i teia Kiritimeti e te Mataiti Ou
• Mongolian - Zul saryn bolon shine ony mend devshuulye
• Nepali - krist Yesu Ko Shuva Janma Utsav Ko Upalaxhma Hardik Shuva & Naya Barsa Ko harkik Shuvakamana
• Norweigan/Nynorsk - Eg ynskjer hermed Dykk alle ein God Jul og Godt Nyttår
• Polish - Wesolych Swiat i Szczesliwego Nowego Roku.
• Portuguese - Boas Festas e um feliz Ano Novo Romanian - Craciun fericit si un An Nou fericit!
• Russian - Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva i s Novim Godom
• Samoan - Ia manuia le Kilisimasi ma le tausaga fou
• Somali - ciid wanaagsan iyo sanad cusub oo fiican.
• Spanish - Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo
• Sudanese - Wilujeng Natal Sareng Warsa Enggal
• Swedish - God Jul och Gott Nytt År
• Tagalog - Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon
• Tahitian - Ia ora i te Noere e ia ora na i te matahiti 'api
• Thai - Suksan Wan Christmas lae Sawadee Pee Mai
• Ukrainian - Veseloho Vam Rizdva i Shchastlyvoho Novoho Roku!
• Vietnamese - Chuc Mung Giang
• Sinh - Chuc Mung Tan Nien
• Zulu - Sinifesela Ukhisimusi Omuhle Nonyaka Omusha Onempumelelo

Quick Update

* Last Sunday EK was in a Christmas parade with her dance class and loved it!
* Finally got all my cards and Christmas letters sent out.
* Less than one week until the wedding!!
* Uncle Bill (my Mom's last living brother, age 88) died last week and we made a very quick trip to/from the mountains. Prasie for safe travel in really rainy weather. Please pray for my Aunt who loved him dearly and for my Mom's last living sibling (their sister) who has lost all 9 of her brothers/sisters over the past few years, as well as her husband just this September. Praise that all of these relatives know and love the Lord and look to Him for their strength and hope.
* Christmas is just a little over a week away and I still haven't done much shopping (gonna be lighter this year anyway) but have one main thing for each of the two youngest.
* My oldest daughter turned 20 and we had a wonderful BDay celebration with all of the family here last night! Happy (Belated) Bday to my beautiful daughter!
* My MIL is doing tons better on her new fluid meds and has even been able to cut way down on the blood pressure meds now.
* Please continue to pray for my SIL and BIL and niece as they face the holidays without their daughter/sister who so loved to wrap presents and decorate and shop and sing carols and dress in holiday colors.... She is sorely missed.
* Have a wonderful CHRISTmas season!!
-F

Advent

We technically don't "do Advent" because we don't have the Advent wreath or fast or even follow a specific agenda each day. However, we do read (almost daily :) !) from "Jotham's Journey" and discuss it. Today after we read our daily story we discussed light and darkness, how it gets darker earlier in the winter, how Christ is THE Light in our lives, and how easy it is to let darkness creep into our hearts. Just after we finished reading, we began to get down our Christmas decorations and it was neat the way the children were counting the candles and begged to light several of them. They also got out some electric lights (for the tree which we don't have yet!) and strung them around. It was really a blessing to see how they carried on talking and thinking about light and darkness long after the "lesson" ended. May your December be filled with lots of warm lights in your soul.

Christmas Wrap-Up

What fun we have had this year! The joys of watching our children not only get gifts but give them to each other and other family members and friends. We did our annual Baking last Friday, visited with relatives on Saturday at a "half-way point", had a relaxing day Sunday, had Derwin's Dad's family's get together Christmas Eve, and on Christmas Day stayed at home except for a fantastic brunch at my SIL's across the road for a couple of hours. All five children were here, my nieces, SIL and BIL, Grandma, Katy and even a brief visit from neighbors. We (yes, we, not just them!!) had fun with their tinkertoys, having radio control races (my 5yo got 4 RC vehicles and is ecstatic!! I am thrilled that I stocked up on batteries ahead of time!), playing Othello,

having "sword fights" with this ,


launching rockets with this
making pot holders with Emma with this kit


and eating and eating and enjoying each other immensely. My oldest son gave my hubby this DVD (they both enjoy that stuff - personally my daughters and I prefer something like Pride and Prejudice !). The greatest gift of course was time. Yesterday we had lunch with Shelley and Jimmy and we were talking about just that. Time. Time spent with each other. Time spent laughing and sharing and even a few tears over those who are no longer here to share our time. I wish somehow we could bottle up a few hours or days or weeks and wrap it and give it to each other. So today and for 2008 my wish for you is the gift of time. With those you love. Doing what is important. Sharing your heart and dreams and love and laughter and tears. Sharing why you have hope. Sharing why life is so precious and "stuff" like toys and clothes and movies are good only when they are shared with those we love. May we each cherish the gift of time and give it away to those we love each and every day. Remind me when I get too busy. Remind me when I get too caught up in the "stuff".

Christmas Ponderings

We finished reading "Jotham's Journey" today (yeah, two days early but we just couldn't wait!) and every time I finish it I am in deep thought about why the King of Kings would stoop to being born in a dirty, smelly stable, live a very rough and poor life, be beaten and scorned and nailed to a cross - for who? For me - who goes about every day as if life is all about me. It's beyond understanding with my head or my heart. Yet somehow something in all of us knows it rings true. This weekend we visit those who have nothing to offer us - just like we have nothing to offer our Savior. Like the neighbor who just had her husband leave suddenly wiping out her bank account and taking everything of value, including her heart and self-esteem. Pray with us that each person we visit will understand that the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus is a gift we can never buy or work for but is free and ready to be given.
And it's for people like me who go about as if life is about me.
He loves us anyway. He proved it on the cross. He offers a new life to us and the empty tomb showed His Power to make that offer.
Amazing.
Messiah. Immanuel. Redeemer.
Hope for the Hopeless.
Healer of Broken Hearts.
Savior.
LORD.
JESUS CHRIST.

A Trip Down Christmas Lane....

I don't know exactly why, maybe it's all the ornaments the children made over the years, but the Christmas season always makes me nostalgic. You too? Memories of digging up our tree (yes, we dug it up and replanted it long before the word "environmentalist" had been conceived - it was called being cheap smart with your money), shopping for my Dad's present to Mom at roughly 4:50pm on Christmas Eve (the stores closed at 5pm), and sleeping on the floor all night so I would wake as early as possible on Christmas morning (I think our earliest was 2am, our latest about 5am? Isn't that right Joye??!). It's a wonder my parents didn't cancel Christmas!! One of the clearest memories of Christmas is when I was 12 and we had just moved into a new house with new appliances. I woke my Mom at exactly 2:48 A.M. in a panic because the oven power was ON!! No, I didn't check to see if the oven was hot. No, I had never heard of this thing called delayed cooking. No, I didn't want to be tanned and would lie back down (beside the tree of course!!).

Did your Santa come wrapped? Ours did. It wasn't until after I was a parent and my dear hubby asked what planet was I from that I actually realized there might be a easier better way. My favorite present? A chemistry set. Yep. I think I was probably the first female to earn the title of geek. But it really was my childhood favorite. Because it was what I wanted and didn't think I would get. Because no one else thought I'd get it (in a "you'll put your eye out, Ralphie" sort of way.) Because it affirmed to me that I had parents who actually loved me for who I was and not what everyone told me I should be/not be.

My favorite Christmas? This one, of course. Memory lane is beautiful but today I can give hugs and love and laughter that will make beautiful memories for tomorrow. Presents will come and go, memories will last for a while but love will never end. Enjoy, savor, laugh and cry with those you love today. And as Lea says so beautifully, "Have a fine day, all day long."

Craft Fair

Last Friday we had a blast at our annual Christmas Craft Fair with our homeschool group. The children made snowmen candy cane holders,

photo frames from CD cases,


Felt Poinsettia napkin rings,




Snowman rulers,



Marshmallow Nativity Scenes,




Snowflake Headbands,


and several other crafts. It took about 2 hours of our time and by going straight from one craft to another they got almost all of their presents made for the family, with each craft costing between 50 cents and $2.00.

An 11-year-old was selling beautiful Poinsettias to raise money to buy a water buffalo! No, not for him but he asked his parents to take his Christmas money and help him buy one for a needy family in Asia through Gospel for Asia. What a sweet thing! So we got two beautiful red ones for us and Gran and one gorgeous yellow one for my SIL (whose kitchen/dining area is yellow and red). Overall a great day and lots of fun!