2006 A New Year of hope

I think I'm like alot of other people I look at 2005 as being in the past and make "resolutions" for the upcoming year I know in my heart that I'm probably not going to be successful at them all but what would life be without that hope
I always vow to eat more healthy, to exercise more,etc I have my good and bad days with that.. the older I get the harder it gets :)
I wonder what the next year will bring for me but also my family and friends
In what ways can I be a better wife,mother,friend,etc ? Who will God bring into my life and how will they impact my life and how will I impact theirs? What challenges will God give me to make me stronger in my faith?
I'm not so naive and foolish to think that there won't be hard days..physical,emotional,spiritual..how will I stand up to those..will I put my faith and hope in God?.
God will provide blessings ..how will I use those to bless someone else?
Just some things to think about..

Tony and James Dungy...men of faith

I watched this speech on ESPN this afternoon My heart goes out to Tony Dungy ..no parent should ever have to bury their child.. but he has the comfort that his son is with Christ



Dungy makes brief comment after son's funeral Lutz, FL (Sports Network) - Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy made a brief statement to the media Tuesday morning after the funeral of his son, James, who died of an apparent suicide last Thursday in suburban Tampa.

"Thank you for the love, the prayers and the support that we've received from the people of Tampa, the people of Indianapolis and the people all over the country," Dungy said.

"They've been very, very great and gracious to us in a time of grief for our family. We loved our son very much. He loved us and we miss him terribly. We also understand that we have some tremendous promises from God and God promises to be with us. He's with us in the great times. He's with us in the tough times.

"Our family will stand strong. The strength that we have in the Lord will allow us to get through this, just as we get through times of victory.

"Our grief is great, but from our family we just say thank you to everyone. We appreciate everybody that's touched his life, everybody that's been a part of him growing up.

"James was a good young man with a compassionate heart. We were glad to have him for 18 years. We are also glad that he accepted Christ as his savior, so that God has him now for the rest of eternity. Thank you."

Hanging on to a hand that won't let go

"As we come to the end of another year, I’m sure we can all recall times when we struggled with faith, had a hard time finding it, or perhaps found ourselves unfaithful to God. Some may be in such a place right now. This is a time to worship God for His faithfulness to us. We may have let go of Him, but He will never let go of us, because we are His, and He cannot disown what belongs to Him."

I read this and had this visual of hanging off a cliff holding on to God's hand that never lets go

Merry Christmas

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified But the angel said to them,"Do not be afraid I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. "

I'm spending my day with my family ..at home and at church We will be celebrating new members of "Christ's family"..Sara and Angela Garland are being baptized into Christ today Yeah :)
Take time to remember and pray for those who aren't with family this Christmas

Kristen and her presents 

Zach's big surprise..xbox 360 

Christmas Eve

I'm sitting here this morning on Christmas Eve in a quiet house before all the chaos starts..My husband is at Starbucks with his "buddies" and Kristen and Zach are still in bed It's 7:30 and the sunrise is beautiful..very light orange/pink on a blue sky
I'm blessed with the life God has given me It hasn't always been easy..in fact this has been a hard year at times..but I've learned how to trust God as well as my family and friends
I have a great job I've worked at Miami Valley Hospital for 23 1/2 yrs They have been good to me I have the greatest team to work with in diabetes education from my secretary up to my medical director
I have a great family..I've had to let go with Kristen going away to college and I've had to learn to compromise at times and bite my tongue :)
I've had some struggles with my health...I found out in Sept I have a herniated disc at the c5-c6 level..time has helped the healing process as well as prayer from very special friends I've received 3 steroid injections from a pain specialist,Dr Townsend Smith, as well as physical therapy from an amazing therapist, Laura Price which has helped tremendously..I am even starting to get some feeling back in my thumb
I have grown closer to God this year Alot of that has to do with 3rd Place..I have learned about Christ but more importantly I have learned what true "church family" is I look forward to that group every Monday
I have been blessed with some very special friendships..friends who know when I'm hurting..who I can talk to anytime,day or night(the advantage of IM on the computer :), and who have helped me realized what true friendship and love are all about
It's fun to open presents but God has given me all the gifts I need this year

"A Charlie Brown Christmas"

It doesn't seem like Christmas to me unless I watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" This is the 40th anniversary for the show and I found this on a website about how it almost didn't make it on TV




How A Charlie Brown Christmas Came to Pass
The unlikely beginnings of a holiday classic

by Holly Hartman
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The first of nearly 50 Peanuts television movies, A Charlie Brown Christmas is the longest-running cartoon special in history, airing every year since its debut in 1965. Whimsical, melancholy, and ultimately full of wonder, it is a holiday favorite for countless families. But this cartoon classic almost didn't make it on the air.


A Movie No One Wanted


In 1963 producer Lee Mendelson made a short documentary about Charles Schulz called A Boy Named Charlie Brown. It included a few minutes of animated Peanuts scenes by Bill Melendez, who had animated the kids for a series of Ford Motor commercials, and music by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi. Sadly, no television network wanted to air it.


But in 1965, after the Peanuts made the cover of TIME magazine, an advertising agent for the Coca-Cola company who had seen the Schulz documentary called Mendelson. The agent asked if Mendelson had thought about creating a Peanuts Christmas special. Mendelson fibbed that he had; the following day, he and Schulz came up with the story.


The Wise Men Meet

The basics of the cartoon were laid out within a few hours. It would include ice-skating; a pageant (Mendelson and Schulz had both flubbed parts in school shows); a mix of Christmas carols and Guaraldi's contemporary jazz; and the message that Christmas is really about the joyful miracle of Jesus's birth.

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"There will always be an audience for innocence in this country." —Charles Schulz
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Schulz wanted A Charlie Brown Christmas to have the religious meaning that was central to his own experience of Christmas. And though the special was made in California, Schulz wanted it to include snowy scenes that recalled his native Midwest.


Christmas Critics


Even Schulz admitted that he was probably the only person who could have gotten A Charlie Brown Christmas made. Television executives hated it from the start.

It was criticized as being too religious—Linus quotes straight from the King James Bible (Luke 2:8-14). It was criticized for featuring contemporary jazz, an offbeat choice for a cartoon. It was criticized for not having a laugh track. It was criticized for using the voices of real children (except for Snoopy, who was voiced by animator Melendez).


But it was an instant hit with viewers and reviewers alike.

On Thursday, December 9, 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas was seen in more than 15 million homes, capturing nearly half of the possible audience. That week it was number two in the ratings, after Bonanza. It won critical acclaim as well as an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program and a Peabody Award for excellence in programming.


Lost Footage


Unless you've watched A Charlie Brown Christmas from the get-go, you haven't seen the whole show. Coca-Cola, its first sponsor, had left its mark—or rather its logo, which appeared several times. For instance, in the skating scene, Snoopy throws Linus from the rink into a Coca-Cola sign (did you ever wonder where Linus lands?). Later sponsors objected, and the frames were edited out.

Several minutes' worth of footage was also clipped to allow more time for commercials, though some has been restored. Until 1997, the scene in which the Peanuts throw snowballs at a can on a fence was missing from both broadcast and video versions.

"Keeping Christ in Christmas" ...it's actions not words

I found this on a website and shared it with my Sr high girls...



Ways to Keep Christ in Christmas

The number one way to keep Jesus in your Christmas celebrations is to have Him present in your daily life.
If you’ve already accepted Jesus as your Savior and made Him the center of your life, keeping Christ in Christmas is more about the way you live your life than the things you say—such as “Merry Christmas” versus “Happy Holidays”

Keeping Christ in Christmas means daily revealing the character, love, and spirit of Christ that dwells in you, by allowing these traits to shine through your actions. Here are simple ways to keep Christ the central focus of your life this Christmas season.

1 Give God one very special gift from you to Him
2 Set aside a special time to read the Christmas story in Luke 1:5-56; 2: 1-20
3 Set up a Nativity scene in your home
4 Plan a project of good will this Christmas
5 Take a group Christmas caroling in a nursing home or a children’s hospital
6 Give a surprise gift of service to each member of your family
7 Set aside a time of family devotions on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning
8 Attend a Christmas church service together with your family
9 Send Christmas cards that convey a spiritual message
10 Write a Christmas letter to a missionary

Bill,Bono, and Melinda

Persons of the Year 

I thought this was a cool picture..2 have billions..1 just has pure charisma



The rocker and the geek
“The rocker’s job is to be raucous, grab our attention. The engineer’s job is to make things work,” Time said, describing the unlikely alliance that developed after the three met for dinner in 2002. They were reunited on Friday in Omaha, where Bono was performing with U2, to be photographed for the cover.

The Gates Foundation funds hundreds of projects around the world primarily focused on public health, from vaccinating children to developing new drugs, as well as educational programs and scholarships in the United States and abroad.

Bono and fellow musician Bob Geldof spearheaded a popular campaign to tackle poverty in Africa through canceling the debts of the poorest countries in the world, raising global awareness through the Live 8 concerts in July.

Partly due to popular pressure, the world’s industrialized nations agreed in July to double aid to poor countries by 2010, adding $50 billion a year, and to cancel poor countries’ debt.

“Bono charmed and bullied and morally blackmailed the leaders of the world’s richest countries into forgiving $40 billion in debt owed by the poorest,” Time said.

Kelly said he expected the choice to surprise some people, but the unlikely alliance of the richest man in the world and a “hell-raiser” like Bono was an inspiring example of how different approaches could be effective.

"Behold the Lamb"

Andrew Peterson et al "Behold the Lamb" 

Last night we saw Andrew Peterson and friends do his Christmas album "Behold the Lamb" They did a great job Each of the performers started off by performing their own music and then they all did the songs from "Behold the Lamb" by Andrew Peterson It's not your typical Christmas music The songs are all based on the story of Christ including Old Testament to explain his background and the prophecy of his coming Jill Philips does an amazing job singing "Labor of Love" and Derek Webb sings "Deliver Us" which is my favorite song You can see the stain glass in this picture ..it's interchangeable..very cool.. the church is beautiful It's located in Milford which is about 45 min from here
On the way home you could see the eiffel tower from Kings Island with the Christmas lights and The Beach with it's Christmas lights..very cool
We ate at Perkins after the concert..I love breakfast food late at night..:)
I'm definitely in the Christmas spirit now :)

Saying thank you

I'm sitting here waiting for Kristen to get ready so we can do some Christmas shopping and I was thinking about some of the situations where God answered prayer
God and I are on a first name basis this week..My heart has been burdened by some situations that my friends have struggled with and also by my own situation with my neck pain
Sometimes I forget to say thank you Thank you for knowing what's best ..for healing relationships..for giving confidence to those who truly have gifts but don't always feel appreciated or validated..for friends who know how to cheer me up when I'm struggling with things and who really do pray for me...for taking away my pain even for a brief period and for giving me hope..a light at the end of a sometimes dark road

A busy week

This will be a busy week..It's weeks like this that I need to keep my focus where it needs to be
Darrell and I spent Sat/Sun in Cleveland..we were lucky enough to get U2 tickets They played at the Q (used to be Gund arena) where the Cavaliers play That concert was amazing We had great seats..they played for 2 hrs 20 min..3 encores.. and the technical effects were awesome The best song was "Pride-In the Name of Love" That was a true worship experience The other cool thing is during the concert he talks about the organization he supports "ONE" If you text messaged your name to the number they put up ..your name showed up on the screen and you got a text message from Bono thanking you for supporting "ONE"

On the way home we stopped at the Polaris mall ...a great place to go shopping :)

Last night I went to my small group 3rd place We watched a Nooma video called "Lump" by Rob Bell No matter what you've done or what you will do there is nothing you can do that will make God love you less..sometimes that's a hard thing to believe..especially if you've been hurt in the past but it's a truth that if you really think hard about it...it gives a comfort..I love the people in my group..there's a comfort in sharing and it's a place you don't feel "vulnerable"

Kristen and Tyler come home today :) We will probably be baking 8 dozen cookies tonight for my work Christmas Party on Thursday We are going to Encore and then back to my house for the cookie exchange

Tomorrow Tena and I are taking our Sr high girls small group to "Chronicles of Narnia"

Friday we are going to see the Christmas concert, "Behold the Lamb" by Andrew Peterson I love the songs and can't wait to hear them live

So that's my week..I also have work,physical therapy, and I will be getting another steroid injection to help the pain with my cervical disc rupture..The first one worked really well..I have very little pain and go periods of time with no pain so hopefully this will control the pain to allow my body to heal on it's own with no surgery I've had alot of friends praying for me and I feel that prayer and it helps

With all of the busyness, I just want my friends who I'm praying for to know that they are my priority in all of this..nothing is more important than my relationship with God and my "family"

"If you believe"

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" Matthew 21:22

This verse isn't saying that God is a genie and will give you whatever you ask for
This verse shows the power of faith and prayer when your heart is truly right with God and you go to Him when things seem impossible Never doubt that God will make things as they should be "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree but also you can say to this mountain, "Go throw yourself into the sea, and it wil be done." Sometimes we have "mountains" in our life ..go to God in prayer..have faith..He will help you move those mountains

Which character are you?

This was in my email today I have no idea who my character is but you can see a picture of her This is the description of Delenn

Devoutly dedicated to helping lead others to glory, you are a strong, supportive, and spiritual caregiver.

Summoned, I take the place that has been prepared for me





Finally, a fun quiz that helps you answer the age-old question—who am I? (At least, who you'd be if you were living in Middle Earth or the land of late-night reruns). Simply answer 14 quick questions to determine which popular sci-fi or fantasy character you most resemble. Just click on the picture of Delenn below to take the quiz

Chronicles of Narnia/The DaVinci Code--Are they effective evangelism tools?

I read an article this morning by Dan Kimball which had some good points about using movies for evangelism

Read this article

Chronicles of Narnia

Yesterday I reread "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S.Lewis It's a children's book from the series Chronicles of Narnia We are getting ready to do a series of sermons at Southwest based on this book in December and I wanted to refresh my memory on the story The movie is also being released next week If you've never read it, it's a great story It's fiction but there is a correlation to the story of Christ
It was a cold snowy day yesterday and my husband was taking a 7 hr course on the stock market with a friend he made so I had plenty of time for reading It only took me 3 hrs to read it It's only 161 pages and a very fast and easy read..even my daughter Kristen ,who hates to read, loved the book It's a nice escape from reality

If you want to read some touching words about Kyle Lake,the pastor from David Crowder's church, who was electrocuted, go to David Crowder's xanga blog
Also, he is coming with 3rd Day to Cedarville in Feb :)