New Year Goals

2008 was a year I made a goal and accomplished it! Well, actually, I made several goals but accomplished some. One of my goals was to learn how to knit. I have been an avid crocheter since Jr. High lessons in home economic classes. I have crocheted hundreds of projects in the last 40 some years.

So, though I knew I would be slow at it, I taught myself how to knit. I have only made scarves.

My son Jeremy, with his great artistic mind, found a store in Kansas City called The Peruvian Connection. For Christmas he got me a beautiful box with three sets of wooden knitting needles. Along with that he got me some hand painted alpaca yarn! I am not sure what I am going to make with that beautiful yarn but I have started practicing using the wooden needles and I am having fun!

I guess I would say for 2009 I will venture away from knitting scarves to trying hats and new stitches.

However, my biggest goal for 2009 will be to become very familiar with the book of Revelation. Though I have read it many times I have not really invested time in getting to know it. I was recently inspired by a sermon by Mike Bickle. If you want to hear that same sermon you can go to it by clicking on his name.

I am anticipating a great year as I pursue this study!

Wishing all of you an amazing year of 2009 where you encounter God in a mighty way!

In Lieu of a Christmas Card

2008 Has been a very different year for our family!

We attended art events to celebrate Jeremy as his art work has really picked up this year.

Trips we took during the early part of the year were to track meets to cheer for our Jonathan.

We delighted watching both Tricia and Sandy as the strongest supporters for their husbands.

We enjoyed times with Zion when he came to spend time with Pop-Pop and Grammy. We have delighted in watching him grow into a very fun toddler!

We enjoyed having most of the Bryant family with us in April to help celebrate milestone birthdays and years of ministry for Mom and Dad Bryant.

After two years of Gary’s weekly travels to California, we have made the transition of moving to Rancho Cucamonga, California!

However, Joyce will reside in Missouri for half of each month and join Gary for the other half of each month to enjoy the golf course and mountain out our back door!

Though there are some complications with this lifestyle,
we feel blessed by our God with this new adventure.

We wish our friends a Very Merry Christmas and leave you with this blessing for the year 2009…

Be joyful! Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of Love and Peace will be with you.
II Corinthians 13:11

Joy

I got this as an e-mail devotion from Aletha Hinthorn and really like the simple message of obedience and how it affects our life!

Finding Real Joy
"You will rejoice and no one will rob you of that joy" (John 16:22).

Scripture"I seek not to please myself but him who sent me" (John 5:30).

Thoughts"For years, my husband's parents have had a big dinner at one o'clock each Sunday afternoon, and Jon wants to go," Joanne shared over the phone. "He doesn't ask me; he just says, 'Let's go.' I think he should want to spend the time building our relationship. It's not that we go every week, but it's always looming up. I don't know what to do about it. It's really a bone of contention in our marriage." Then she laughed, "Sundays come up so often."

"Is pleasing God your deepest desire in this situation?" I asked her. "If you can focus on whether or not God is pleased with your attitude, then you are making a clear channel through which God can work."

"God can give you so much grace for those Sunday dinners that you'll begin to look forward to them because the joy of the Lord will accompany your obedience."

Several weeks later Joanne said, "I'm really trying to submit about those Sunday dinners and to tell the Lord, 'It doesn't matter if we go or not. I only care that You approve of my attitude.' It's working out much better, but what's really great is that I'm able to say, 'My concern is God be pleased. That's all I care about.'"

"By finding your joy in pleasing Him by offering up this thing that is difficult you are telling God you love Him with all your heart," I told her.

When we offer up our desires simply out of a desire to please Him, He accepts our offerings as gifts of love and gives us His joy.

Happy Jesusmas

After receiving several e-mails recommending I boycott certain stores who refuse to say "Merry Christmas", I have decided to use my blog to get on my soap box for a moment.

I am having a hard time understanding why we are so upset by that!

Happy Holidays include many more days than Christmas~an all inclusive statement!

Why would I not want to celebrate with the Jewish people who celebrate Hanukkah?!?

Though not a Biblical story, it is a celebration of a historical moment for the Israelites.

Our God came through for them in a mighty way! Celebrating that historical moment is celebrating our awesome God!

Happy Holidays! That includes Hanukkah.

Why would I not want to celebrate with our fellow African Americans as they celebrate Kwanzaa at this time of the year. What a great celebration embracing the culture they brought with them to us. The emphasis of community and unity certainly is not something I would be against.

Happy Holidays! That includes Kwanzaa.

Right around the corner we are getting ready to enter a New Year. What a joyful time for all of us! The New Year is always a time to look back on the old year and reflect on all that our Awesome God has done for us this past year. It is a time to commit to Him what we want to do for Him in the new year. How we want to grow more in love with Him and understand more about His deep Love for us.

Happy Holidays! That includes New Years

That some really do want to leave out "Merry Christmas" in the spirit of persecution, I have no doubt. But, I look at it this way~it opens the door for me to say something about my Jesus! When greeted with "Happy Holidays" I sometimes answer, "Thank-you, you too. I am celebrating Christmas during the holidays because Jesus is my best friend!"

Happy Holidays! That includes CHRISTmas.

So~Happy JESUSmas! :?)