Silent Night. . . Holy Night. . .

Christmas Fun!

“…presents underneath the tree, candles burning bright…stockings hung with lots of care…on this silent Christmas night…”

All our Christmas shopping is finally done as of this morning. Internet shopping = For the Win! Amazon.com has the best deals and it sure beats having to push & shove your way though the crowded stores (not that I’d ever shove, mind you) and wait in insanely long checkout lines.

I can’t believe I haven’t watched any Christmas movies yet this year. Tragic. However, “The Grinch” is an absolute-must before December is over! Little Cindy-Lou Who is completely irresistible and no holiday season is complete without watching Max try to pull the overstocked sleigh or the Grinch sewing his own Santa suit. *sigh* I love animated films.

The holiday festivities for the week include:

• Tuesday I’ll be going with my husband to his company Christmas party, which I hear will be complete with pizza and Guitar Hero…

• Christmas Eve is our Christmas together with just the two of us, and then a Christmas Eve service at church, which is always very lovely.
  
  
• Christmas day is split between our two families, which always makes me more thankful that none of us are too far away from each other! Breakfast with his family, supper with mine – always great memories made on that day!

Mom asked me to make hummus for Christmas, so I have to whip up that on Thursday and a Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball for the party on Tuesday. We have a vacation coming up in January so I've been trying not to keep too many sweets in the house this season.  So far so good, although I did splurge on a batch of brownies last week... :)

Are you making any new recipes or anything fun this week?

The Stuff That Hurts

Most people don’t like going through pain and emotional hurt, but did you ever look back and realize that it was through those circumstances that God helped draw you closer to Himself? I can think about the times in my life that hurt so badly I thought my very insides were going to crack into pieces, but afterwards I could see how God used those moments for good and made me stronger in my walk with Him. In the end, the hardships always seem worth it.

I love what Elisabeth Elliot had to say about it:
"I am not a theologian or a scholar, but I am very aware of the fact that pain is necessary to all of us. In my own life, I think I can honestly say that out of the deepest pain has come the strongest conviction of the presence of God and the love of God."

…this from a woman who outlived two husbands and endured many other hardships.

I want to live with my hands outstretched – not holding too tightly to things in this life, but willing to be what God wants me to be and go where He wants me to go…trusting that His will for me is better than anything I could conjure up myself.

You are the One; there's no one else

Who lifts me up

And gives me water from the well

But there's a hole

That seems to drain it all away

And once again I'm left in fear and doubt

When all my strength is crying out

So here I am again

Willing to be opened up and broken like a flower in the rain

Tell me what have I to do

To die and then be raised

To reach beyond the pain

Like a flower in the rain