New Beginnings

21 Days of Focused Prayer – Day 20
Isaiah 43:18-21; 2 Corinthians 5:17

Isaiah 43:18-21 (New International Version)
18 "Forget the former things;

do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the desert

and streams in the wasteland.
20 The wild animals honor me,

the jackals and the owls,

because I provide water in the desert

and streams in the wasteland,

to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21 the people I formed for myself

that they may proclaim my praise.

Claim To Fame

My husband and I went away just to spend some time together. This morning after breakfast we drove to a little of Coupeville, WA, a small town on Whidbey Island with about a dozen shops on the waterfront. We decided to park the car and take a stroll through the pouring rain and visit the shops. As we walked up to our first shop I noticed a sign on the side of the building.

I walked up closer and here is what was on the sign.
Now looking at the at the front of this building it looked like all the rest of them on the street and we even went into the shop in that building to purchase a few things and a nice warm cup of tea. A little later as we were walking back from the end of the pier and I got a look at the back of the building it was pretty obvious why that building got its Claim to Fame (its the one on the left end).

New Influence

21 Days of Focused Prayer – Day 19
Proverbs 3:3-4; Acts 9:31; 11:21; 17:6

Proverbs 3:3-4 (New Living Translation)
3 Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!

Tie them around your neck as a reminder.

Write them deep within your heart.

4 Then you will find favor with both God and people,

and you will earn a good reputation.

Be faithful and trustworthy because it brings honor with God and man. Loyalty is essentially fidelity to obligations arising from a relationship; kindness is essentially that which can be relied on, that which is stable. These words show that the content of a disciplined life is faith in the Lord.

New Church

21 Days of Focused Prayer – Day 18
Isaiah 62:3; Matthew 16:18-19; Acts 2:42-47; Ephesians 5:25-27

Ephesians 5:25-27 (Amplified Bible)
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
26 So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word,
27 That He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things [that she might be holy and faultless].

The love of Christ to the church is an example, which is sincere, pure, and constant, notwithstanding her failures. Christ gave himself for the church.

Originally the Greek word we translate “church” meant an assembly of citizens. It identifies all believers everywhere, as well as local groups. “Church” is never used in the Bible of a place or building. Church always focuses our attention on people: on believers who are called together to experience a unique relationship with God and each other. The church as a body is to minister to people, who continue Christ’s ministry to others inside and outside the fellowship of believers. The church as a family is a loving community. The church as a sanctuary is a place to worship God.

New Church Plants

21 Days of Focused Prayer – Day 17
Acts 1:8; 6:7; 13:49; 16:5

Acts 1:8 (New Living Translation)
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 13:49 (New Living Translation)
So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region.

New Buildings and Lands

21 Days of Focused Prayer – Day 16
Leviticus 20:24; Deut 6:10-11; Joshua 1:10-11

Joshua 1:10-11 (New Living Translation)
10 Joshua then commanded the officers of Israel, 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people to get their provisions ready. In three days you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

"Inheritance" in the OT at first refers to the inheritance promised by God to Abraham and his descendants--the land of Canaan. Israelites came to learn that the Lord himself was the inheritance of his people and of the individual believer. In the NT, Christ is the heir by virtue of being the Son. Through Christ's redemptive work believers are sons of God by adoption and fellow-heirs with Christ. As a guarantee of "the promised eternal inheritance", Christ has given to them the Holy Spirit. The inheritance is the kingdom of God with all its blessings.

New Leaders, Workers

21 Days of Focused Prayer – Day 15
Exodus 18:21; Luke 10:2

Luke 10:2 (New Living Translation)
These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.

“To serve God is the deliberate love-gift of a nature that has heard the call of God. Service is expressive of that which is fitted to my nature: God’s call is expressive of His nature; consequently when I receive His nature and hear His call, the voice of the Divine nature sounds in both and the two work together. The Son of God reveals Himself in me, and I serve Him in the ordinary ways of life out of devotion to Him.” Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest.

New People

21 Days of Focused Prayer – Day 14
Mathew 28:19; Acts 2:2; Titus 2:11

Titus 2:11 (Amplified Bible)
For the grace of God (His unmerited favor and blessing) has come forward (appeared) for the deliverance from sin and the eternal salvation for all mankind.

Salvation is the whole process by which we are delivered from all that interferes with the enjoyment of God’s highest blessings and the actual enjoyment of those blessings.

Human beings must experience a radical inner transformation. Nothing we can do, no good deeds we perform, can change this reality. What each of us needs is an infusion of spiritual life. Only a new life within can encounter the grip of death on our personalities. Our new nature comes from God himself. Inherited from Him, that new life will be transforming and eternal.

Salvation has past, present, and future aspects. We have been saved, are being saved, and will be saved. Salvation in each of these senses rests on the death and resurrection of Jesus and in ours through trust in him.

We have been saved: there was a specific time when an individual consciously trusted Christ as Savior or was “born again.”

We are being saved: God is presently at work in our lives, delivering us from the power of sin that we might live a new holy life. The transformation is gradual, involving growth but as we grow in Christ toward the person the Lord is helping us become, we know the meaning of present-tense salvation.

We will be saved: One day the very presence of sin in our lives, and every reminder of its pull, will be gone, the universe will be cleansed from every taint of evil. Then we will know the meaning of the fullness of the salvation that God has won for us in His Son.

New Harvest

21 Days of Focused Prayer – Day 13
Psalm 22:27; Matthew 9:37-38; John 4:38; 1 Corinthians 3:4-9

1 Corinthians 3:6-9 (New Living Translation)
6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.

Since we are merely God's servants, we cannot ourselves produce any spiritual results. Only God can do that. Our various functions are all united in God's work. Though we are one in the work, we are individually subordinate to God and responsible to Him who will reward according to our labor. All is from God. He uses people of different talents and temperaments to help him cause the church to grow. Each of us reaps the benefit of our forerunners, and the succeeding generations in turn gain from the accomplishments of our predecessors.

Harvest time is a time of great work, but also great joy. It is at the harvest that the fruits of our labors are realized. Harvesting fills the barns to get us through the long winters.

New Manifestations

21 Days of Focused Prayer – Day 12
Isaiah 53:5; 58:8; healing, open doors, miracles, freedom, praise

Isaiah 53:5 (New Living Translation)
5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

If I spend any amount of time reading this verse and reflecting on all the the Lord has done for me I can do nothing by praise Him. It was for me that He suffered the terrible pain on the cross and it was for me that He sits on the throne of Glory today.

Yes, I have witnessed first hand the miracle of healing in my life [read my post from May 25th http://reflectionsofkj.blogspot.com/2007/05/me-big-c.html ] But the greater miracle is the wholeness and freedom I walk in today. I was crude, rude and obnoxious before I accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior. Rebellion was who I was not something I did. I was a broken mess from what had been done to me and what I had done to others.

Jesus has taken that pile of failure and healed me, released me from my own prison and continues to mold and shape me into His own image. How can I not Praise Him?

New Levels

21 Days of Focused Prayer – Day 11
1 Corinthians 2:9; Ephesians 3:20, 4:23-24

Ephesians 3:20 (New Living Translation)
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

God’s Work Within: Living and loving each other as family is our heritage in Christ. But it is only possible because God is able to do immeasurably more than we can imagine, “according to His power that is at work within us.”

Ephesians 4:23-24 (New Living Translation)
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

God's capacity to meet His people's spiritual needs far exceeds anything we can either request in prayer or conceive by way of anticipation. It is actualized through "His power," which continually operates within our lives as believers.

In a contrasting positive statement, Paul reminds us that instead of being subject to progressive deterioration, we are to be perpetually renovated in mind and spirit. Christians are to undergo a radical reorientation of their mental outlook. This can only take place under the influence of the Holy Spirit, acting on the human spirit as it affects the realm of thought. God is both the author and the pattern of this changed life.

New Anointing

21 Days of Focused Prayer – Day 10
Isaiah 10:27; 61:1-7; 1 John 2:20

Isaiah 61:1-7 (New Living Translation)
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.

2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.

3 To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago. They will revive them, though they have been deserted for many generations.

5 Foreigners will be your servants. They will feed your flocks and plow your fields and tend your vineyards.

6 You will be called priests of the Lord, ministers of our God. You will feed on the treasures of the nations and boast in their riches.
7 Instead of shame and dishonor, you will enjoy a double share of honor. You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.

Jesus quoted part of this chapter when he announced himself as Messiah (Luke 4:16-20). The prophet promises that through him the oil of gladness will cleanse away the ashes of mourning when the devastated city of God is restored.

There are three kinds of anointing:
1. Ordinary anointing – after bathing; as a mark of respect [Luke 7:46], purification or burial.
2. Sacred anointing – both things and people such as kings, prophets and priest. To memorialize an event, to confirm a covenant, to set apart or to institute into office.
3. Medical anointing – for the sick and wounded [Is 1:6; Luke 10:34]

The words Messiah and Christ mean “the anointed one.” He came to set us free, cleanse and purify us of our sins, to set us apart, and to heal our wounds. It is time for us to step into a new anointing our Messiah.

New Strategy

21 Days of Focused Prayer – Day 9
1 Corinthians 16:9; Colossians 4:2-4

Colossians 4:2-4 (The Message)
Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don't forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I'm locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I'll be able to make Christ plain as day to them.

So Christians must be watchful and active in prayer, alive in the fullest sense, never careless, mechanical, or dull and heavy. Paul requests prayer for himself while being imprisoned in Rome. His concern was that he and his associates might have clear opportunities for witnessing and that Paul might make clear the great secret ("mystery"; of redemption in Christ in a worthy manner. There was no selfish motive behind this prayer; Paul's consuming interest was for the advancement of the Gospel, not for his own blessing.

New Territory

21 Days of Focused Prayer – Day 8
1 Chron 4:10; Isaiah 54:2-3; Romans 16:20

Isaiah 54:2-3 (Amplified Bible)
2 Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; spare not; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes,
3 For you will spread abroad to the right hand and to the left; and your offspring will possess the nations and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

Territories are areas that are governed over but not necessarily an integrated part a good example is Guam. Guam is a territory of the United States, but it is not a state or a part of a state. Its government is subject to the rules and laws of the US and the people of Guam are US citizens with all the rights and privileges that comes with being a citizen.

As an individual new territories can include physical areas such as a new home, a new job or even addition of children. But territories could also include non-physical things as attending collage, taking bible classes, learning a new skill or taking on a new leadership role.

What we are praying for here is to take control and dominion over new areas in our lives and to “inhabit the desolate cities”.

New Provision

21 Days of Focused Prayer – Day 7
Deut 8:18; 28:12-13; Phil 4:19; 2 Cor 9:6-11




2 Corinthians 9:8 (New Living Translation)
And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

Philippians 4:19 (New Living Translation)
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Need versus wants? Everything you need with plenty left over to share with others? As I mentioned in an earlier post at one time I got way in over my head with debt. I tried to live a life style I couldn’t afford. I went from working a corporate job to working full time for an international Christian ministry and took a more than 50% pay cut. Too bad I didn’t make the adjustment in my style of life when my income changed.

But even though I had messed up, I kept tithing through it all and the Lord kept His part of the deal and provided all my needs. During my time of need, He provided me with food in a very unique way. At the time I was involved with the street ministry at Cornerstone Christian Center. One of my responsibilities was to go over to one of the local grocery stores and collect up the old bread and bakery items that were past their pull date and bring them to the church for distribution to people in need. Once everyone had left for the day then I would take some of the bread or hot dog buns that were left over home for my meals for the week. On good weeks I had hot dogs or bologna to put on the bread, but many days I had catsup sandwiches for lunch and dinner. A little oleo and catsup makes for a tasty and nutritious meal, or so I told myself.

I made it through that time in my life and will never forget from where I have come. God met every one of my needs during that time and I even had enough to share with others. I know that He will do the same for you if you make Him first.

All the money of the world belongs to God. My gift to Him does not make Him any richer; it makes me richer spiritually because of the realization that everything I have is His and that I am giving because I love Him and want to give.

New Peace

21 Days of Focused Prayer – Day 6
Romans 5:1-2; 14:17-19; 15:13; Philippians 4:6-7

Philippians 4:6,7 (New Living Translation)
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Paul is not calling for apathy or inaction, for as we make plans in the light of our circumstances, it is our Christian privilege to do so in full trust that our Father hears our prayers for what we need. The answer to anxiety is "prayer". Paul attaches to this classic exhortation to pray the beautiful promise that when we turn from anxiety to prayer and thanksgiving, God will give us His own "peace." This peace of God "transcends all understanding," for it is not only sufficient for us but far surpasses human comprehension. It acts as a sentry to guard our hearts and thoughts from all anxiety and despair.

Peace is the presence of God, not the absence of conflict. Christ brought, preached, and is our peace.

New Blessing

21 Days of Focused Prayer – Day 5
Gen 12:2-3; Prov 8:21; 10:22; Ecc 5:19; 3Jn 1:2

Ecclesiastes 5:19 (New Living Translation)
And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God.


For the last few weeks I have been asking the Lord to change my attitude about my job. I have a job that pays me enough to meet my financial responsibilities with a little left over for other things. I am good at my job and have the ability to excel given half a chance. This job is not fun, fulfilling or edifying and the worst part of it is that I have let the job affect other areas of my life. I sometimes come home from work cranky and I am dealing with some major disappointments from this past year when I interviewed with other companies and for various reasons I was not chosen for the new position. As I was studying these verses on blessing I see where I need to look at my job for what it does give me and see it as a gift from God. My job is a BLESSING.

New Wisdom

21 Days of Focused Prayer – Day 4
Proverbs 3:13; 4:5-7; James 1:5

James 1:5 (Amplified Bible)
If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.

Christians everywhere face many kinds of external trials and internal temptations. When the pressures are great, and we do not know how to cope James says simple, “Ask God.” He assures us that God is not upset by our weaknesses or uncertainty, God unconditionally offers us guidance.

People facing trials often lack wisdom. It is God-given understanding that enables a person to avoid the paths of wickedness and to live a life of righteousness. Here wisdom is understanding the nature and purpose of trials and knowing how to meet them victoriously. Such wisdom is available to the one who will "ask God" for it, not once only, but repeatedly; the promise is that wisdom will be given to him.

New Grace

21 Days of Focused Prayer – Day 3
John 1:16, 17; 2Cor 12:9; Eph 2:8; Eph 4:7; Heb 4:16 NIV

Hebrews 4:16 (Amplified Bible)
Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].

Grace is the medium or instrument through which God has affected the salvation of all believers. Grace is the sustaining influence enabling the believer to persevere in the Christian life. Grace is often defined as the “unmerited favor of God” but most importantly, it is God acting powerfully to do for you and I all those things which we could never do for ourselves.

Jesus experienced the full impact of every temptation; he knows our weaknesses so thoroughly that we never need to draw back from Him in shame. He knows what it means to be Human, so we can come with bold confidence to the throne of grace. We can be sure that He will extend us mercy when we fail and will provide help to meet our needs when we require strength to overcome as he did.

Shotgun vs Sniper Rifle

Last night we were discussing the value of concentrated effort, in particular with everyone at church currently praying the same thing. Often when we pray we just scatter a bunch of prayers out there and hope we hit something just like when a hunter goes after ducks, they use a shotgun with buckshot to spread a lot of tiny pellets hoping that it hits the duck. The shotgun isn’t very lethal unless you are at very short range. On the other hand when we all focus our efforts and pray for the same thing at the same time is it much like a sniper using a rifle. The bullet is much more accurate at a longer range and can bring down a bigger target.

It is pretty obvious to see how that would be helpful with prayer, but how about other areas of our lives. I remember a time in my life when my finances were out of control. I had too many credit cards and loans with outstanding balances on them. The finance charges were killing me. I had been using the shotgun approach and was throwing a little at all of them and not making a dent, then I started focusing al the extra money on the one with the smallest balance and paid it off, then took that payment and added it to the next smallest one and on to the next until I had all of the balances paid off. Today I don’t carry a balance on a credit card and hope I never have to again.

What about at work? We all strive to be ‘Multi-Taskers’ in fact it is a requirement for many jobs. But how much more effective are we when we truly focus in on a task and block out all the distractions. Not just the emails that are constantly popping up in the corner of the screen but even the music we play in the background. Yes, we all believe that we focus better when we have music on but more than one study has proven that the brain is more effective when it is only working on one task. Quiet really does help.

Here’s another one, what about our hobbies? Volleyball, basketball, snow skiing, water-skiing, scuba diving, motorcycle riding, bicycle riding, skateboarding, roller-skating, golf, softball, reading, jigsaw puzzles, cross word puzzles, writing, hiking, camping, snowshoeing, ice hockey, walking, photography, guitar, snorkeling, clarinet, swimming, fishing, Cross country skiing. These are all hobbies that I have been actively involved with. I can still do these things, but I just can’t do them all at the same time, I have chosen at different times in my life to give up some for the sake of another. A good example of that was when I was training to do the STP (Seattle to Portland) Bicycle ride, a 200-mile trip. I gave up snow skiing and volleyball because of the time and the risk of injury. I was focused on completing that goal of the STP in one day. I could still do all of these hobbies, but I have made choices to cut down or eliminate some so that I can improve and enjoy more of others.

So are you living your life as shotgun hoping to hit on something and make a difference o or sniper rifle, focused approach to life?

Life on Purpose

I need to live a life full of purpose. We all want to know God’s purpose for our lives don’t we? So here is what I will do to have a purposeful life:

I will purpose to live a life of discipline – a life where we have the discipline to do what we say we will do, the discipline to do what we know we should do and the discipline to avoid what should be avoided.

I will purpose to be grateful for the life we have, not focus on what we don’t have.

I will purpose to love and be a friend.

I will purpose to have a “good day” every day and not let the day effect us.

I will purpose to have fun; it is a dull life if you aren’t having some fun.

I will purpose to help someone else; if we only focus on us we miss so many opportunities.

I will purpose to explore new things, what is life if it isn’t about new experiences, what if we had never tasted chocolate?

I will purpose to seek God and love Him and to know Him more and more each day. It is in Him that our lives are complete and purposeful. Through Him that we have the disciplined and the strength to get through the day, through Him that we owe our thanksgiving for all that we have, through Him that we can risk stepping out in love, fun and serving. It is only through Him that we have joy indescribable.

Gift of Time

What if you couldn’t get yourself out of bed in the morning? What if you had to have someone get your clothes together and help you get dressed each day? What if you couldn’t get yourself from one place to the next? What if this was you and you still were able to think clearly and know everything that is going on around you? What if?

This is the situation that my mother is in, due to Parkinson’s she is in a wheelchair and can’t do much for herself these days. My mother retired from a very prominent position with the Dept of Public Health for the State of Michigan. She managed dozens of people over saw the well being of 100s of crippled children that needed assistance in one form or another. Her mind is as clear today even though her speech is becoming more slurred.

What do you give a woman that even the simplest things like brushing her teeth is a challenge. You give her the gift of time. Not time to sit around alone, but your time.

You give her the time to be around people even if she can only watch from the background; you take her home with you and have her soak her feet as you prepare to trim her toes. You put fresh finger nail polish on each week so she feels good. You sit and do a jigsaw puzzled with her and give her time to struggle with putting the pieces in even when you could do it faster.

Today we finished the puzzle we started at Christmas then headed off to see a movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks. Tomorrow I will take her to play bingo. All I can give my mom is my time and for now I will make the time.

Journaling

I’m a journaler; I write in a personal journal every day or at least try to every day. In my journal I freely write about all my fears, pains and loss; my wishes, hopes and dreams. I write about the day I had the problems that arose and the frustrations when the problems couldn’t be resolved. I write to God in my journal it is a place for me to unload in a tangible way. Someone once asked me about what I write and basically I write what ever comes to mind in my journal.

If you are reading this you know that I am also a blogger. Now here lately I haven’t been quite so faithful about blogging every day. On my blog I choose not to write about EVERYTHING and EVERYONE. I have made a choice not to blog about anyone unless it would be uplifting. I don’t blog about things that may be intentionally hurtful to someone. Just because I have the ability to write on this public forum, I choose not to be public about all things.

Starting tomorrow I will begin to transcribe my personal journal into Word format to become a record of 2007. As part of that record I will incorporate some emails I have written or received this year that were worthy of saving as well as the blog postings I have done this years starting in May. All of this information will be a review of the year 2007 has been. I always find it interesting and insightful to go through this little exercise. How is it you know where you are going if you don’t know from where you have been?

My new journal is waiting for me to record the journey that will be 2008, a journey that is only a part of what my life story is and will be. Each year is like a new chapter in a book it may have a new theme or just bring clarity to the plot as it unfolds.

I write. I totally enjoy the process of writing. When I was in sixth grade I wrote a book that was published locally, too bad all the copies my mom had were damaged and had to be thrown out when I was in high school. Writing is a part of who I am so I will continue to write both in my journal and on the blog.

So if you are reading this hopefully you will find my life journey somewhat interesting and come along and be part of the process and I guess if you don’t you will just stop reading the blog.

In retrospect - 2007

The tree is untrimmed and outside waiting on the boy scouts to come and pick up, the snow globe is dried out and deflated ready to be packed in the box, the last pages in the devotionals have been read and the journal entry for December 31, 2007 is finished. It is time to reflect a little on 2007.

This past year:
- We lost our dear Wally
- I had foot surgery that due to complications is still an opportunity. There are times when my foot is so hot you would think that someone took a blow torch to it.
- I officially became a grandmother and now have a delight in my life that is unspeakable.
- I spent the year looking for a new job and had 4 very near misses and I’m still not sure I am over the disappointment of the last one.
- We said good by as two interns moved out in June and then greeted two others that moved in this fall.
- Kyle and I had great getaways in Phoenix, Leavenworth, Lake Chelan, and Puerto Vallarta. I even had a great tan.
- Survived a Christmas with most of MY family in Jackson WY.
- I started a blog.
- I only read through the Bible twice this year.
- We purchased a Wheelchair van that is such a blessing.
- We persevered against the IRS, and WON.
- I was able to take my mother back to Michigan to visit her friends and families
- I got the opportunity to eat REAL coney dogs in Michigan.
- I made new friends and deepened relationships with others.
- My husband has blessed me with his time, his energy and his love this past year.
- I celebrated another ‘check up’ cancer free.

This year as years in the past had victories, losses and opportunities for changes but did I change for the better or worse. Did I make the make the most of every opportunity? I’m not sure but what I am sure of is that next year will come and have more opportunities and I am approaching 2008 with more of anticipation for change than in the past.

Best of New Orleans

Kyle and I went to dinner tonight and if you have ever eaten in New Orleans, LA or have ever wanted a taste of REAL Cajun food then I would highly recommend Alligator Soul in Everett, WA.

Meal started out with an Alligator Beignet – a single morsel that was so full of flavor you wanted to lick the plate to get every last drop of the crawfish white gravy.

Just as they clear those plates the waiter brings us each a plate containing two small bowls. In one was a rich brown nectar of the gods or what mortals would call Gumbo, in the other bowl was the soup of the day- Scallops in a parmesan cream.

Next came the Crawfish ‘n’ Sweet Corn Andouille Grits, this could easily be a meal by itself, but no it didn’t stop there.

Finally we got to the Entrée – going with the chef’s personal recommendation - Hoppin’ Jon Ham Hock – a ham shank on top of a mound of black-eyed peas, collard greens and white rice. If you order this either be prepared for a doggie bag or split it like we did.

Now after all of that we saved the best for last – a light fluffy pastry stuffed with crushed bananas topped with a banana rum caramel sauce and powdered sugar – Banana Foster Beignets. I devoured them even though I don’t eat sweets, they were amazing.

All this plus an atmosphere that was relaxing and filled with a little live jazz music, so if you go I would recommend that you make a reservation. I have eaten in some of the most well know restaurants in New Orleans and this place is equal to any of them.

Alligator Soul
3121 Broadway
Everett, WA 98201
http://www.alligatorsoulrestaurant.com/

It sure didn’t hurt that this place is one to the stops that Kyle delivers to and they really appreciate Kyle’s customer service.

Santa Snow Globe and Gag Gifts

I have been told that I have a unique way of picking out the perfect gifts and cards for people. I know that one of my purposes here on earth is to give. One of the hesitations I have about ‘Christmas Time’ is that gifts are expected and I much prefer to give gifts without anyone knowing where they came from but nonetheless I still enjoy giving the perfect gift.

This year I think I did pretty well including getting Kyle his Snow Globe lawn decoration and giving Denny his chocolate bars last Friday. I did have a couple of near misses, I finally found Kyle’s lost stocking stuffer on Christmas Eve I had hid it in my stocking (what was I thinking?) I brought home a Dolphin wind chime from Mexico thinking it would be for our granddaughter but I found out it was really the perfect gift for my daughter-in-law as I picked it up to show them. Then I bought a small massager thinking it would be great for my husband and it turned out to be the perfect gift for my mom because once she tried it she didn’t let it go until I took her home, Kyle so understood and let her take it.

Other hits were the Star Wars action figures in the stocking for our son’s and my husband, as of last night Kyle was still walking around talking like Darth Vader. Or how about the pooping reindeer I got for our son’s and our interns. One of the best was when our daughter-in-law shouted out to her daughter, “look mommy got snowman poop from Santa”.

There were serious gifts that made impacts too; a Razor scooter for our granddaughter especially when Grandma Karen road it around in the house, the puppy for our youngest son, a Camcorder that burns to a DVD for our oldest and his wife, and the copies of Harpers Weekly for Kyle.

Giving for me is not only a joy and an act of worship to our Lord, but it is my purpose.

Back At You

I'm driving home on Saturday afternoon from seeing a movie with my husband and I get this message on my phone. It is this picture with the caption "The Grand Tetons"








What a lovely inviting winter wonderland. My niece is so kind to send this to me. She and most of the family are out in Jackson Hole, Wy for Christmas leaving all of the rest of us back here in the Pacific Northwest and our joyous winter weather.



I had Kyle pull over at the side of the road so I could send her response:

The Cascades

Merry Christmas Clan, thanks for sharing. I'm so glad you all got to go and I'll see you in a week or so.

Hershey Bars

He asks, “Who are you?” I place my hand into his; it is warm and smooth to the touch as I say, “Karen”. He says, “I’m Denny.” I tell him that it is a pleasure to meet him as I squeeze his hand just a little and look into a set of eyes rimmed in tears but clear and alert.


These past few weeks have been pretty frustrating and difficult at work and today hasn’t been much different. I texted a friend this morning to see if she could meet me for lunch but it just wasn’t going to work out. I got into my car at about 11:30 and headed down to one of the local strip malls to stop in Rite-Aid to get a few last items for Christmas and then over to Taco Time for lunch.

I grab a cart when I see that they have a Blow Up Santa Snow Globe on display and it is 50% off. I run through the isles getting all the small items I wanted; a number of small bottles of lotion for my mom to give to her friends, some Barbie and Hot Wheel Band-Aids as stocking stuffers for our adult children (stockings are for fun), another box of Christmas cards for my mom to hand out (that will bring the count up to 125), and some Chapstick. I go to the check out counter, pay for my stuff and am starting to push my cart out the front door when I hear the man behind me telling the clerk that he didn’t have anyone to buy a Christmas gift for him so he was going to splurge and buy himself one. I turn around to see this gentleman probably about 80 years old in his worn plaid flannel jacket holding two boxes of Hershey chocolate bars. I take another step and then I realize what it was that I heard.

I put my cart aside, walk back to the register and tell him that I would like to buy him a Christmas present this year and handed the clerk some cash. “Why would you do that”, he asks and I tell him that Christmas is about giving and I just want to bless him. That is when I got to meet Denny.

After a brief exchange of Merry Christmas I see those around us all smiling and I need to quickly leave as my eyes are now brimming with tears.

Denny I want to thank you for making my Christmas just a little Merrier.

What If...

What if you could put what ever you wanted to say on a billboard for all to see? What would you print?

Your undying love for someone?

Your frustration with the situation you are in?

The plea of your heart?

Your favorite joke?

What if you could put what ever you wanted on a billboard.

Frosty

Stocking Stuffers

As you can see from this picture we have a number of Christmas stockings hung on our fireplace. When I was a kid we didn’t have stockings so a few years ago when we moved into this house and had such a great mantle I decided we needed to have them.

Last year I went to the dollar store and found these that had iron decals so I could put everyone’s name on the stockings (make note: they don’t come with spell check if you make a mistake and transpose letters, you have to go and buy a new one- but that’s another story).

I put the stockings up on the day I put up the tree but it was just a week or so ago that I saw Kyle over feeling the toe of his. I always thought that stockings got filled on Christmas Eve by Santa? After catching him I have started putting things in all of the other stocking and his is still empty. Now I have all the stocking stuffers bought and Kyle’s are hid because I keep them in our bedroom.

Now here’s where I have to admit that I can’t remember where I put one of Kyle’s stocking stuffers. I know I had it here in the house, I just can find it anywhere and I have no clue where it might be. It’s looking like I will have to go and buy another one before Christmas Eve. See what happens when I try and harass my husband. If I would have just put it in the stocking when I brought it home last week I wouldn’t be in this situation

Can You Hear Me Now?

There I sit in the ER room waiting, wishing I could at least send a text, but no coverage for three hours. That is what how I spent my Saturday morning.

It all started when I got a call from the nurse at Spring Estates saying that I needed to take my mom to be checked by a doctor. They are concerned about how she is acting, but also knowing that they tend to over react I head off down to Kenmore.

I load her into the van and we head off to the hospital ER. While in the waiting room I have just enough time to get a quick text off to a few folks that I know would pray. Then back to the exam room we go.

They come in ask a few questions and then tell us that they want to do a few test before they decide and the waiting starts. It is then that I realize that even though I had good coverage in the waiting room, there is zero coverage in the exam room. As I sit there and my mom dozes as we wait for the test results I really want to “reach out” and touch someone but I also don’t want to leave my mom in case the doctor comes back while I am gone. So I sit and wait, sit and wait.

Finally, the doctor comes in and declares my mom in good shape and he sends us on our way. Due to my mom Parkinson’s she has some interesting reactions to certain things.

As I sat there and waited I reflected on how we are so tied to being in constant connection. We get so frustrated when we can’t contact anyone at anytime. How dare someone not be at our beck and call or how important am I that I can’t be out of contact for just a few hours, I may actually miss something.

Then I thought about how we are never out of range for prayer and that the Word promises that He will never leave us or forsake us. When we are out of range of everyone else, our families, our friends, our pastors we are always within range of the Holy Spirit.

“Lord, Can You hear me now? Good.”

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2007 when...

1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.


2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.


3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.


4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.


5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.


6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.


7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen


8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.

10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.


11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )


12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.


13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.


14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.


15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.

Facts of Interest

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have 'the rule of thumb'
-------------------------------------------
Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden'...and thus, the word GOLF entered into the English language.
-------------------------------------------
The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV was Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
-------------------------------------------
Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.
-------------------------------------------
Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
-------------------------------------------
Coca-Cola was originally green.
-------------------------------------------
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
-------------------------------------------
The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work:
Alaska
-------------------------------------------
The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)
-------------------------------------------
The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour:
61,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first novel ever written on a typewriter, Tom Sawyer.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
------------------------------------------------------------------------
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Animal Crackers

Animal crackers are amazing; these little bits are tasty and timeless. I have seen them calm a two year old that needs to be still and calm a stressed out engineer that is working on a problem while up against a deadline.

Just a few, a camel, an elephant or a horse and everything else just seems less important. Try it, I’ll pass the box.

Socially Acceptable

Last night I was having a discussion on what is socially acceptable in on circle may not be in another. An example it really isn’t very socially acceptable for a 36-year-old man not to be married in some circles say the church and if he were out in the bars every night picking up woman it would be just fine in other circles.

Now how about seasonal questions, I know first hand that because I don’t participate in Halloween activities at work it is not considered socially acceptable, but we all get through it.

Last week one of the bloggers I read regularly commented on how he disliked snow. My goodness the responses he got were amazing, he was called selfish and berated for posting something like that on his own blog. I guess not liking snow isn’t socially acceptable. However, if you lived somewhere like Montana or Michigan and made a statement like that where snow is abundant you would probably get more folks that agree with you than those opposed.

And now the big sacred cow Christmas, yes Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ and a lot of people live for this time of year, but think about it, at Easter we don’t morn the death of Christ because He is past that, so why are we so fixated on His birth. Don’t get me wrong. I love Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him. In that I celebrate who He is every day. So when someone isn’t totally gaga over Christmas and the hoopla are they socially unacceptable?

That is the question: who determines what is socially acceptable in the social circles we live in?

Silence

Silence speaks

Uneasy silence

Breaking the silence

Silence is a scary sound

Silence implies consent

A moment of silence

Prolonged silence

Above are a few phrases we are all familiar with. Silence is something that most of us are uncomfortable with and/or unfamiliar with. Do you ever just ride in the car or sit at home without the radio/CD/TV turned on enjoying the silence or is silence a signal of the storm to come. If you have ever been in a tornado you know the eerie silence that precedes the storm, it is a silence of foreboding.

I have spent the day thinking about silence. It all started when a friend of mine forwarded me a text; “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” 1 John 5:14. My reply to that text was, “believing that He hears is the easy part, what do you do when He is silent?”

Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? God will give you the blessings you ask if you will not go any further without them; but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into a marvelous understanding of Himself. You will find that God has trusted you in the most intimate way possible. Has God trusted you with a silence - a silence that is big with meaning? God's silences are His answers.

On the Outside:

Being the professional I am there is always a measure of calm and poise expected. On the outside everything is cool and collected and there is not a problem that cannot be solved in a mere eight-hour day.

But on the inside:

Is there really ever an eight-hour day?

I'm Done

Think about it, such a simple phrase but so many meanings:

“I’m done”, said in relief as spoken by a teen as they sit back in their chair just finishing up the SAT exam.

“I’m done”, said is anticipation by a child as they finish their peas and can now have dessert.

“I’m done”, said is unbelief when you complete a task that you expected to take all day and it only took a few hours.

“I’m done”, said in excitement as a senior completes that last homework assignment and is finished with High School.

“I’m done”, said in frustration as just one more thing is piled on you.

“I’m done”, said in anger as a disagreement ends badly.

“I’m done”, said in despair at the end of another bad day.

“I’m done”, said as a statement marking a turning point in your life.

“I’m done”, said factually by the worker on the assembly line that has completed a task.

A simple phrase, yet so many meanings, I’m done.

Abandon Ship

Unless you have been totally out of touch we got a little rain in the area today the water was running so fast down the hill on the way to work that I flelt like I was shooting the rapids on some river.

A little after noon we started hearing reports of flooding that prevented people from going into or out of the industrial complex that I work in. Of the three access roads into or out of the complex only one of them was passable and that was under water. It was about 1pm when they decided to tell everyone to leave while they could. As I waited for my team to finish up what they were working on and get ready to head home I looked out the window and it was like someone had given the abandon ship order as everyone was heading to their cars.

I found out that the mom-mobile does not float. As I left the complex I went though water over the road that was up over the running boards on the side of the van. Thank God it didn’t stall out and the area I had to cross wasn’t very wide.

So I sit here typing this up and the power has just gone out so I am going to go and gather up a few candles, the extra blankets and call it a day. I guess I will post this in the morning unless the power comes back on here soon. (the power was only out for 1/2 an hour.)

A Norman Rockwell Day

Today we awoke to snow, not bad for December 1st in the Northwest, usually it is raining. After spending a lazy morning our son, daughter-in-law and grand-daughter came over and we went out for breakfast and then headed out the Christmas tree farm to get a couple of trees.

The weather was just perfect for it, not raining; a little snow on the ground, the air was cold, just what was needed to get into the spirit of things. We found the trees and got the guy with the tractor to come and pick us up, even though we could have carried them it was all about getting to ride in the back of the wagon behind the tractor. After a round of hot chocolate and a candy cane for Katelynn it was time to head home and get the tree in the house.

We brought it in and set it in the stand and it was the perfect height. I dug out the box with the decorations, turned on the classic CD of Christmas music, turned on the fireplace and Kyle and I went to work on the tree as it snowed on and off all afternoon.

The tree is trimmed, the stockings are hung, and the box is back in the closet I guess we are ready. No wait, we still need to find a blow-up snow globe for the front lawn that is what my husband wants this year. We looked at two stores this afternoon and weren’t able to find one. I will go on line here soon and hunt one down. It is really what he wants.

So as I sit here in front of the tree with the fireplace going there is a light snow falling outside it is the end to the perfect Norman Rockwell Day, Merry Christmas everyone.