Collard Greens & Black-Eyed Peas

From as far back as I can remember, my Mom has insisted on cooking a traditional New Year's Day lunch.  For us, it always included some kind of greens and black-eyed peas.  The greens represented paper money and prosperity for the new year, while the black-eyed peas were often associated with good luck.  I never had any problem eating the black-eyed peas, but the thought of eating something as pungent as collard greens or turnip greens was just too much to ask.  And if adding vinegar to collard greens made them taste better, then I was definitely not interested!

Another thing about New Year's Day is all of the talk about resolutions: eat less, exercise more, eat healthier foods, etc.  These are all wonderful ideas, but I know that for me, eating less will only last a few days, exercising more might last a few weeks, and eating healthier foods never gets off the ground.  If I actually resolve to do these things, I'm usually disappointed in myself and begin eating even more, exercising less, and stopping at Chick-fil-A on the way home from work.

So what should I do to successfully start off a New Year?

Psalm 37:3-5 
Trust in the Lord, and do good; 
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 
Delight yourself also in the Lord, 
And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 
Commit your way to the Lord, 
Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.

Trust in, dwell in, feed on, delight in, and commit to...the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart!

I'm not even sure what the desires of my heart will be, but I'll let you know when I find out!
Happy New Year!

Are you ready for Christmas?

It's the question everyone asks the week before Christmas,  "Are you ready for Christmas?"  My usual responses consist of "Not really", "Not even close", and just plain "No".  I was thinking about this on my way to work one morning.  If someone asks me this question, I interpret it as "Have you finished all of your Christmas shopping and gotten gifts for everyone on your list?"   As soon as I answer their question in the negative, I start counting how many days I have left and begin wondering how I'm going to complete the shopping, clean the house, and prepare a couple of dishes by Christmas Eve.  I can feel the tension building.  Not a good thing.

I need to remember that Christmas is the annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Luke 2:8 - 14 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

I want to celebrate like the angels did by sharing the Good News and praising God.  So the next time someone asks me, "Are you ready for Christmas?",  I need to say, "Yes, I am ready for Christmas! I love celebrating Jesus' birthday!"  

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”  Merry Christmas!

A Week of Life

My Week

• Last Monday morning, I had the privilege of holding newborn baby for half an hour while I visited with his mom.  It's been a while since I've held a tiny one.  He felt strong and fragile at the same time.  It was nice just to sit and enjoy holding a new life.  I felt peace.
  John 14: 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you;
• Tuesday brought me a full day of very intense work.  (I treated my stress with chocolate.)  John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me."
• On Wednesday, it was 12.12.12 (a cool date for someone who loves numbers).  Our Division shared a meal, talked about consolidation and celebrated the season.  I laughed a lot.
  Ecclesiastes 10:19  A feast is made for laughter.
• On Thursday, my 6 year old had her first karate test for a new belt.  She did a great job. 
  Titus 3:1-2 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.
• On Friday morning, that same 6 year old had a high fever.  After a visit to the doctor, it was confirmed that she had the flu.  Psalm 41: 3 The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed.  As she was sleeping that afternoon, I learned about the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.  I felt shock and despair.  Psalm 72:14 He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; And precious shall be their blood in His sight.

My week was like a capsule of a person's entire life.  I saw a new life, worked hard, had a good meal, saw my child succeed, saw my child get very sick, and mourned over the deaths of so many. Through every day of the week, I am reminded that I have a Savior who will guide me through it all and He has given me His Word as my guidebook.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

The Christmas Concert

Sunday was a full day.  After church, I took my 6 year old and her friend to a Christmas event at our local history center.  We were serenaded by a kids choir, had pictures with Santa and made ornaments, along with other Christmas decorations.

After spending several hours there, I was very tired and glad to return home.  I wanted to call it a day and hibernate but my daughter wanted to go hear the Christmas music at church.  Reluctantly I agreed and we headed back out for the 6 p.m. concert.

The lights went down and the music began.  As I listened to the familiar songs, I began to smile and quietly sing along.  Then they surprised me with an outstanding performance of "Mary's Boy Child", which has a Jamaican rhythm.  By that time my heart was happy.

The next surprise came with a new arrangement of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen".  Exactly as our Minister of Music said, the song was arranged as if it had been written in the 1970s instead of the 1700s.  The words and the melody were the same, but the accompaniment and the vocals were definitely disco era and Donna Summer.  At the end of this song, my heart was overjoyed.

Psalm 118:14. The Lord is my strength and my song.  And He has become my salvation.

When I left church, I wasn't tired anymore.  Just hearing the story of Jesus' birth through the music was enough to send my heart soaring with joy and my body was strengthened with the reminder of God's sweet salvation through a baby named Jesus.

Fullness of Joy

Greetings friends!  I have been away for a couple of weeks for a vacation and a conference.

First the vacation.  With great joy, I introduced my 12 and 6 year olds to the wonders of Disney World!  It had been 28 years since the last time I was there and so much had changed.  There were more rides, more parks and better food.  (We were even able to get a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day!)  My son discovered what I meant when I said that Space Mountain was one of my favorite rides.  My daughter thought that "It's a Small World" was absolutely fabulous, so we rode it 3 times.  As for me, the new "Ariel Under the Sea" ride was my pick.

There is just something about visiting Disney World that brings out the sense of wonder that we sometimes misplace.  I believe that God can use these fun and happy times to remind us that with Him we can have joy at all times.

Psalm 16:11. You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

With our vacation at an end, I sent the kids home and headed to my conference at The Peabody Orlando.  Although it was back to work, I continued to experience God's fullness of joy.  I watched the famous March of the Peabody Ducks and learned I could volunteer to be a helper.  So a few days later I accompanied the First Assistant to the Duckmaster, Ms. Romonda, as she escorted the ducks to the Peabody Fountain for the day.  I had a fabulous time as an Honorary Duckmaster that day, and I had the great privilege of sharing the pure joy that flowed through Romonda with love for her job, those ducks, and the people she met.

Tomorrow I will return to my 'normal' routine, but with a renewed sense of the fullness of joy in God's presence.