a thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices

Rejoicing in the gift of Jesus this Christmas and always!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

{from our family to yours...Merry Christmas!}

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, 

With all our hearts we praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord!  Then ever, ever praise we,

His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Celebrating the gift of Jesus with you!

traditions: old & new

While I'll be the first to remind you not to mess with my traditions, I've learned in recent years---somewhat reluctantly, I might add---that traditions are not the be-all and end-all.  They're simply a tool for teaching, for investing, and for passing God's Truth on to the next generation.  While some traditions we've outgrown (or have simply put on the shelf till grandchildren *grin*), others remain firmly and strongly in place.  I'm regularly looking for ways to engage our teenage sons, to change and flex with where we're at, rather than stubbornly clinging to the way we've always done things.  In some cases, I'm looking to launch new, fun, and meaningful traditions that will take us through the next 40 years.

My youngest son and I are two peas in a traditional pod.  He gets me.  Last year he wrote this little essay for school:

"I am a person who LOVES tradition. If my family breaks a tradition, I get mad. We have many Christmas traditions like: Christmas Eve gift opening, visiting nursing homes to give cards to the elderly, reading Luke 2, eating Chicken Cordon Bleu for supper Christmas Eve (which we are not doing this year, but we’re eating steak, so I don’t mind), drinking sparkling grape juice,  and decorating the tree while Mom tells the story of each ornament.  It would be hard to choose which one is my favorite, they’re all so fun: the carbonated juice, the smell of nursing homes, the sound of my Grandpa reading Luke 2, the feeling of wrapping paper.  All of these things just scream Christmas to me.

As I mentioned earlier,  my family is considering breaking a couple traditions in the next few years, like eating steak and getting a real tree. That’s okay, because as a family gets older, it changes:  people leave or grow older, tastes of food and style change, we want different things, and we realize that some traditions we have or had are kind of silly.  So next year as I brush the pine needles out of my socks and pick steak out of my teeth, I can remember the old traditions and look forward to the new ones.

Until then I can enjoy this year with the old traditions, resting in the fact that while some things change and some people leave, there are a few things that won’t. There will always be Luke 2, there will always be sparkling grape juice, there will always be ornaments,  and most importantly,  there will always be family."

A few photos from a new tradition...our Elf party:  

{may your days be merry & bright}

Christmas festivities are in full-swing around these parts.  In addition to our long-held and treasured traditions, there's a new excitement and freshness this year as we anticipate welcoming home our college-age son for Christmas break.  "I'll Be Home for Christmas" has once again taken on sweet meaning and significance.

In a year, season, life of significant change, I take special comfort and joy in the familiar, but of course, my greatest hope is in my unchanging, faithful God.  I'm savoring the traditions that help me prepare my heart to welcome Him and lift Him high.

Among those traditions is our annual Ladies' Christmas Brunch.  Held at our church each December, this evangelical outreach to nearly 500 women is one of the most anticipated events of the year.  A day filled with the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of the season culminates in a rich presentation of the gospel.  This year we were blessed and honored to have Jill Briscoe as our featured speaker.

Here are a few snapshots of the two tables I decorated for the brunch.

This was my "Joy to the World" table, featured in one of the two "Music of Christmas" rooms. 

These chargers have quite a story to tell.  Once upon a time, they were gold.  Then I needed them to be red, so I spray-painted them.  And this year I'm in love with chalk paint, so I decided to give them another makeover.  Each lady seated at this table got a mini wreath as her take-home favor.  

My second table was a vintage kitcheny/hot chocolate theme.  

Guests at this table received a little mason jar of hot chocolate mix for their favors.  And yes, chalkboards and labels made an appearance here, too.  I'm a chalkboard junkie.

The silver coffee pot on this table is a treasure to me.  It belonged to the wife of the founding pastor of our church.  She was a godly, bold, and courageous woman who lived her faith in a way that was compelling.  When she passed away a few years ago, her daughter passed her mama's coffee pot on to me, knowing it would be loved and cherished.  It is.  

Life Is Beautiful

It's a night I'll treasure always:
one of those magical nights that you can't plan,
can't orchestrate,
can't will into being.

It didn't really start out as such.
After leaving the children's Christmas program at church,
we decided to drive around for our annual viewing of Christmas lights.
And honestly, I was bummed,
as our two older boys had D-(iscipleship) group that night,
so it was just gonna be my husband, youngest son, and me.

These moments seem to come more and more frequently.
My expectations being high,
my inordinate love of tradition preceding all,
my resistance to change bucking like a bronco.
"This isn't the way it was supposed to be," my heart cries.

Our youngest son delights in being the DJ as we drive around.
Luke's preference in music is just like him---
it's fun and energetic with techno vibes.  :)
While I like a lot of it,
I often found myself admonishing him during the Christmas season to play more traditional sounds.
This was especially true as we viewed the Christmas displays that cold December night.

Soon, a familiar sound filled the van.
I turned to stare out the window as the tears filled my eyes and sobs racked my body.
For my Luke, our "feeler,"
prepared a playlist just for his mom.
It was as if he knew exactly what was on my heart and mind.
Ringing through the van were the lyrics to one of my most favorite songs ever---
one that moves me to tears
every. single. time.

And God used our son to remind me that
the sweet, the bitter,
the hellos, the goodbyes,
the gains, the losses,
the routine, the change,
the ordinary, the extraordinary---
all of it is a gift---a tool---in the
hands of a loving Father.
And life is beautiful
because the Author of life is beautiful.

From our family to yours...

Merry Christmas!

All I Want For Christmas

In early motherhood, I was under the assumption that it was me who was to be teaching our sons all about life and God's world.  While that's true, I neglected to comprehend that motherhood was much more about what  God was teaching me through our sons.  He was building character and shining a light on my own selfishness and self-centeredness.  He was opening my eyes and my heart to His unfathomable love, mercy, and grace.

As our boys have continued to grow up, they're often the ones who are setting the example for me.  As they've become teenagers, I delight in hearing their perspectives and their hearts.  I read lyrics to a song one has written or the essay of another, and I'm blessed, for God regularly uses their lives to challenge, convict, and sharpen me.

Last night our firstborn gave the devotional at youth group. And once again, I marveled.  I marveled not only at the work that God is doing in our son's life, but that He's using our son to impart important Truth to his mama.

Christmas is just days away.  When we're young, we look forward to Christmas with childlike wonder.  The excitement builds as we dream about what treasures might be beneath our tree.

As we get a bit older, we begin to focus a bit more on giving. Of course, this also means we may focus more on doing (yes, Son, I hear you).  There's the shopping and the baking and the decorating and the card-addressing and the cooking and the party-attending.  There's the errand-running and the number-crunching and the calendar-balancing and the wrapping and the delivering and the playing a martyr because your family obviously doesn't understand the obvious sacrifices you're making....

But then Drew directed our attention to Simeon (Luke 2:22-35).  What did he want for Christmas?

For years, Simeon had been waiting for the promised Messiah.  It was his heart's longing and desire.  And the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would see the Messiah in his lifetime.

When Joseph & Mary presented Jesus at the temple, Simeon took Him in his arms and declared with joy-filled assurance:
"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to Your word;
for my eyes have seen Your salvation
that You have prepared in the 
presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel." (vs. 29-32)

Jesus was the only thing---EVERYTHING---Simeon longed for. He was the fulfillment of his heart's deepest desires and greatest need.  In Christ, he had everything.

And so I examine my heart, friends.  God peels back the layers and reveals the pride, the selfishness, the trappings. It hurts.  Yet as I confess and turn away from these things, I'm reminded of the beautiful and poignant reminder our son gave me last night:

Only Christ matters, friends.
Only Christ.

The Gift of Gifts

O Source of all Good,

What shall I render to thee for the Gift of gifts,
thine own dear Son,
begotten, not created,
my Redeemer, proxy, surety, substitute,
His self-emptying incomprehensible,
His infinity of love beyond the heart's grasp.

Herein is wonder of wonders:
He came below to raise me above,
was born like me that I might become like Him.

Herein is love;
when I cannot rise to Him He draws near on wings of grace,
to raise me to Himself.

Herein is power;
when Deity and humanity were infinitely apart
He united them in a indissoluble unity,
the uncreated and the created.

Here is wisdom;
when I was undone, with no will to return to Him,
and no intellect to devise recovery,
He came, God incarnate,
to save me to the uttermost,
as man to die my death,
to shed satisfying blood on my behalf,
to work out a perfect righteousness for me.

O God, take me in spirit to the watchful shepherds,
and enlarge my mind;
let me hear good tidings of great joy,
and hearing, believe, rejoice, praise, adore,
my conscience bathed in an ocean of repose,
my eyes uplifted to a reconciled Father;
place me with ox, ass, camel, goat,
to look with them upon my Redeemer's face,
and in Him account myself delivered from sin;
let me with Simeon clasp the newborn child
to my heart,
embrace Him with undying faith,
exulting that He is mine and I am His.
In Him thou hast given me so much
that heaven can give no more.

(from The Valley of Vision:  A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions)

This Is Home

The question is often posed at this time of year, "What's the best Christmas gift you've ever received?"

I'm always prone to answer that question with my relational gifts.
There was, afterall, the memorable gift of my baby brother right before Christmas when I was 3.
There was that unforgettable night (22 years ago) when my then-boyfriend asked me to marry him.
And there was that icy, glistening December day one year later when I covenanted before God, family, and friends to love, honor, and respect him for life.

But sometimes I'm pressed for a tangible gift.  And that's hard.  Because my husband is a thoughtful, fabulous gift giver.

There was, for instance, the year he gave me a bottle of Exclamation perfume---the very kind I wore when we were dating.  The fact that we'd been married quite a few years and I hadn't worn it since our dating days made it all the more special, because it said he remembered.

But the gift that tops all others came six years ago.  Through an unexpected series of events, my husband and I had been called to candidate at a large church in a large midwestern city.  We hadn't been looking to make a change, but when God brought the opportunity about, we sensed that we should at least be open to what God may be doing.  We prayed that He would use the visit to clearly guide and direct our steps.

By the end of our visit, we were offered the position. And on our faces before the Lord, we prayed and cried and sought Him.  Together we pleaded with Him to make our paths straight.  And He did just that.  Ultimately, He gave us one heart and mind in knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that we were serving where He had called us.  We were pursuing Him with the people to whom He had called us.  And this was where we should remain.

That Christmas, two months after our visit, Jon gave me a gift that still makes me choke up each time I see it.  Wrapped beneath layers of festive wrapping paper was a beautiful address plate for our house---640.  It was a visible reminder that we are right where God wants us to be, doing life with the people we've grown to love so deeply.  This is home.

The Festivities Begin

Amidst the busy Christmas preparations of December,
I'm thankful that God invites us
to rest, be still,
and simply listen.

December began with such quietness of heart.
While the week was a flurry of activity,
the weekend was God's invitation to rest for a while.

Our annual ladies' Christmas luncheon brought together 460 women together to enjoy the beauty, the tastes, the scents, and the sounds of the season.
It was our opportunity to share the reason for the hope that we have within us;
to reflect Christ in the way we love and give and serve.

I'm always thankful for the opportunity to have a small role in providing this kind of atmosphere for the women in attendance.
This year, I decorated two tables---my regular table in the main dining area, and a second table in the "12 Days of Christmas" overflow room.
As always, it was a beautifully refreshing morning of fellowship.

4 calling birds...

Our annual 3-generations picture:
My grandma, mom, and me

[another mother]

Sometimes I convince myself I'm the only one.

Silly, I know.
Even now, seeing the words glaring back at me on the computer screen,
I recognize how absolutely ridiculous it is;
a lie from the pit of hell.
As Eve listened to the Deceiver,
I listen.
I tell myself
that no other mom has felt the anguish,
the heart wrenching pain,
the longing to hold on tight and never let go.
"No one else understands," I tell myself.
No one can know the depth of emotion in a mom's soul as she prepares to release her firstborn.

But God (again, my favorite words in Scripture)...

But God does not allow me to wallow in self-absorption and pity.
He loves me too much to leave me there.
He woos.  He convicts.  He lifts my eyes to His.

He reminds me of another mother.

A mother who carried her baby beneath her heart for 9 months;
who cried for sheer joy at the sight of him;
who cradled him and dreamed for him.
He reminds me of a mother who initially questioned God's plan to use her in the life of her precious son, yet whose heart was to be obedient to the Lord and allow Him to have His way in her (Luke 1:26-38).
She believed Him.
I'm reminded of a mother with a tender heart;
who took it all in and embraced it;
a mother who quietly reflected on God's grace and promises (Luke 2:19, 51).
But this faith-filled woman was human.  Flesh.
While she faithfully trained and nurtured and poured into her son, she sometimes had difficulty trusting and releasing (Luke 2:41-52; John 2:1-12).
She was a mother whose very soul would be pierced by the suffering her son took upon himself (Luke 2:34-35).

No, I'm not alone as I tread this heart-squeezing road.
Mary walked it.
Mothers all through the ages have walked it.
And as Jesus hung on the cross in the final moments of his earthly life,
Mary experienced letting go in a way the rest of us cannot possibly fathom.
Yet in His suffering,
Jesus' love was on display.
And His heart for His mom---and for each of us---
was evident (John 19:25-27).

When life is uncertain,
when it hurts,
when the inevitable goodbyes come with increased frequency,
we have this Savior and his unending, never-changing love.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  

Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."  

Romans 8:35, 37-39

Merry Christmas!

Rejoice!

The Lord has come!

Merry Christmas with love

from our family to yours!

Rejoice!

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."  Luke 2:10-12

Rejoice, ye who feel that ye are lost;
your Saviour comes to seek and save you.
Be of good cheer ye who are in prison,
for He comes to set you free.
Ye who are famished and ready to die,
rejoice that He has consecrated for you a Bethlehem,
a house of bread,
and He has come to be the bread of life to your souls.
Rejoice, O sinners everywhere,
for the restorer of the castaways,
the Savior of the fallen is born.
Join in the joy, ye saints,
for He is the preserver of the saved ones,
delivering them from innumerable perils,
and He is the sure perfecter of such as he preserves.
Jesus is no partial Savior,
beginning a work and not concluding it;
but, restoring and upholding,
He also perfects and presents
the saved ones without spot or wrinkle,
or any such thing before his Father's throne.
Rejoice aloud all ye people,
let your hills and valleys ring with joy,
for a Saviour who is mighty to save is born among you."
--Charles Spurgeon

dear old books

I'm lovin' the book page rage in Blogland these days!  I'm getting a lot of cheap [free] mileage from my dear old books this Christmas season.

You might remember the chargers I made for our table for the Ladies' Christmas Lunch:

I decided to take the chargers one step further and transform them into wreaths:

I love the aged, yellowed pages and the history they represent.

What are you working on this Christmas season?

O Come Let Us Adore Him

I remember it plainly.

I was singing the lyrics as I'd done so many times before.
But this time, something was different.
There was that one word in there that had seemingly gone
undected, unnoticed all the previous years. 
Perhaps I liked it that way,
for then I wasn't confronted with the harsh reality of my heart.
Now here it was, and I began to squirm.

Adore.
O come let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!

For the first time, I was struck by the meaning of that word:
to love greatly or honor highly.

Was it true of me?
Was I loving my Savior first and honoring Him above all?

The truth was, the words of my mouth did not match the condition of my heart.
In that moment, I realized that so often,
my life was about loving and honoring me.
What could God do for me?
How could He make life better for me?
Make me comfortable?
Make me known?
How was He or wasn't He granting my heart's desires and prayers?
And if He wasn't, why not?

God graciously opened my eyes to my sin that Christmas season.
He gently yet boldly reminded me that this life is all about making much of Him, not of me.
It's loving Him.
Believing Him.
Trusting Him.
Lifting Him high.
Adoring Him.
Because He is worthy.
He's the only One who is worthy.

[Adore Him, o my soul.
He is Christ the Lord!]

"He must increase, but I must decrease."

John 3:30

Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room

In pondering the Christmas story in recent days, I've been focusing on the various characters in play:  people so much like you and me. 

I have to admit, I've always been a bit irritated with the innkeeper.  I mean, how could he turn away a pregnant woman in labor?  And how dare he turn away the Son of God!

"No room.  No room for the Savior."

But then the truth and the conviction hit in rapid fire succession:

I'm just like that innkeeper.

So many times, I've filled up my life with lots of stuff.
Good stuff, mind you.
Relationships and service and ministry.
But sometimes...
when my schedule if full of good stuff
and my to-do list is long
and I forget or neglect to be still...
I crowd Him out.
In essence, I am saying,
"No room for You."

I'm humbled and deeply convicted at the realization.

My heart's prayer and longing is for Jesus to take up full residence in my heart;
to make Himself at home and have complete access to my plans, my goals, and my dreams.
I want Him to be Lord of all of it, not just the meager portions I sometimes try to give Him.
May I gladly welcome His Presence and invite Him to have His way in me, this Christmas and always.

joy to the world...really

I've been told the Christmas story from my earliest days.
My childhood memories include the Sunday School crafts of Jesus in the manger,
the candlelight church service on Christmas Eve,
and my dad reading from Luke 2 before opening gifts.
I've participated in lots of Christmas pageants,
read countless Christmas books to our boys,
and sang all the familiar carols.
I've heard it and been around it...all my life.

I have no other way to describe it but "thankful." 
I really am.

But with anything that's done repetitively,
we run the risk of it becoming something almost mechanical;
a habit of sorts without much thought or understanding.

We've heard it before.
We know how the story goes.
We love it and appreciate it...
but are we changed by it?

If I'm not careful,
I can fall into this dangerous place of joyful, celebratory apathy.
I can follow through with all the traditions because that's the way we've always done them.
I can sing the beloved carols
and check off all the things that I've convinced myself are necessary this Christmas season.

But I want more than that.
Oh, do I want more than that.
So I'm asking my Father to do a work in my heart.

With each retelling of the Christmas story,
I want to be captivated by the joy of my Savior's birth.
I long to be floored by the love of this God who loves me so much that He sent His sinless, perfect, only Son to earth to pay the penalty of my sins. 
I want to be changed by this Holy God who loves me too much to let me stay the same;
the One who longs to take up residence in my heart and have access to its inner recesses.
I want His work inside my heart to change everything I do on the outside:
the way I walk,
the way I love,
the way I face trials,
the way I deal with disappointment and change.
This Savior of the world has changed everything---including me!
Because of and through Him, I want to live like it!

It wasn't simply joy to the world on one starry night 2,000 years ago.
Because of Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection,
we can walk in joy and victory today.

hey friends!
joy to the world ~
the LORD has come!

White Christmas

The Christmas season engages all our senses.

What woman doesn't respond to a warm, sincere greeting?
A steaming, fragrant cup of hot spiced cider?
Christmas melodies played upon the ivories?
What woman can resist sweet time with friends
while taking in the sights and sounds of the Christmas season? 

For the past 10 years, our church has been hosting a ladies' Christmas outreach which features beautifully decorated tables by volunteer designers.   What started out somewhat small now reaches 450 women!

This festive event is a highlight of the year for so many.  Because the beautifully decorated tables and the delicious meal with friends give way to the reason for everything:  the Gift of Jesus sent for the remission of our sins. 

Each year my friend, Heather, and I decorate a table together.  This year we decided on a "White Christmas" theme.  Her husband helped bring our vision together by constructing a fabulous wood table top out of old barn wood ~ thanks, Jason! 

Here are the results:

Treasuring & Pondering

Church Christmas Pageant ~ December 1994

When I was a little girl, I had a vivid imagination and an insatiable desire to play house.  Each Christmas season, while the sound of increasingly familiar carols (on records!) played throughout our home, I was transported back 2,000 years. My doll's white blankie became my head covering.  I wrapped one of my precious dollies in "swaddling clothes," then tenderly placed him in the manger (aka the piano bench).

The story was reaching my heart. 

As the years passed and I became a mama myself, I began to understand---at least a little---the doubts and questions and fears and uncertainties Mary must have had when she learned she was going to become the mother to the Son of the Most High.  But despite the unanswered questions and fears, she responded in faith:  "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word."  Luke 1:38

Mary further challenges me in Luke 2:19, following the birth of Jesus:  "...Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart."

This afternoon, as I was putting clean sheets back on our bed, I was considering this very verse when God clearly impressed on my heart, "Nikki, what are you treasuring?"

My heart caught in my throat and I flew down the stairs to---where else?---the internet to look up the definition of the word "treasured."

treas·ured
1. To keep or regard as precious; value highly.

2. To accumulate and store away, as for future use.

pon·dered

To reflect or consider with thoroughness and care

What is it in my life that I hold most precious? 
What do I value highly? 

Better yet, what would my husband and boys say I value most highly?

The truth is, they know---

maybe even better than I do.

Mary took it all in.  Embraced it.  She valued the moments and the days, tucking them all away in her heart for safekeeping.  There's no doubt she pulled them out again and again over the years, reflecting on God's promise.  There were hard, indescribably painful days ahead.  Mary stored up His Truth---the reminders of His grace---and clung to them.
 

I'm taking a cue from Mary today.  Amidst the banner moments and the less-than-stellar, the chosen and the thrust-upon, the expected and the unexpected, my heart's longing and desire is to treasure His promises, treasure His presence, treasure His grace.  Treasure Him.

Merry Christmas!

"My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."

Luke 1:46

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!