The face of Jesus? What now...

He shares a room outside with a dozen other guys
And the only roof he knows is that sometimes starry sky
A tattered sleeping bag on a concrete slab is his bed
And it’s too cold to talk tonight
So I just sit with him instead and think

How did I find myself in a better place
I can’t look down on the frown on the other guy’s face
‘Cause when I stoop down low, look him square in the eye
I get a funny feeling, I just might be dealing
With the face of Christ

See you had no choice which day you would be born
Or the color of your skin, or what planet you’d be on
Would your mind be strong, would your eyes be blue or brown
Whether daddy would be rich, or if momma stuck around at all

So if you find yourself in a better place
You can’t look down on the frown on the other guy’s face
You gotta stoop down low, look him square in the eye
And get a funny feeling, ‘cause you might be dealing ...
With the face of Christ

- excerpted from "Face of Christ," Chris Rice



I saw the face of Jesus down on Sixteenth Avenue
He was sleeping in an old car, while his mom went looking for food
And I heard the voice of Jesus gently whisper to my soul
Didn't you say you wanted to know me?
Well, here I am, and it's getting cold

So, What now?
What will you do now that you found Me?
What now?
What will you do with this treasure you've found?
I know I may not look like what you expected
But if you'll remember this is right where I said I would be
You've found me

- excerpted from "What Now," Steven Curtis Chapman


Tonight I'm in line at Panda Express. Obviously homeless guy in line behind me. He asks the server if they serve coffee, which they don't. I assume a lot of places give out free coffee. "I'll buy you some food if you're hungry," I say. He looks at me. Doesn't know how to order food. "You can pick rice or noodles, and then two other things." Stuttering. Mumbling. Me to the server, "Give him some rice and pick some other stuff for him, please." Guy in front of me in line passes me three dollars cash and says he'll split the cost of the extra meal with me. Cashier gives me the employee discount- 30%, $7.68. Between that and the cash, I now have $10 to pay for a $5.60 meal. Funny how stuff like that works. A crippled hand reaches out to take the food. "Thank you very much, ma'am." I hope he figured out how to use the drink dispenser.

Something worthwhile

I just stumbled upon this website called AdoptaPlatoon (http://adoptaplatoon.org/new/indexmomlink.html). As the name suggests, it's an organization that links families, churches, youth groups and the like to a soldier or soldiers to provide cards, letters of support, and care packages. If you have a moment to read the story of how it all got started, it will really touch you and hopefully encourage you to participate as well.

We submitted our application this evening, and though they say it takes a while to get in contact with each applicant for a phone interview, I'm really excited about this opportunity. There are so many soldiers out there sacrificing everything for our country; this is really the least we could do.

Check it out.

Not to worry

Some people, who shall remain nameless, were leary of getting the boys play kitchen stuff for Christmas. Not a full kitchen set, mind you. Just some play food, a cash register, some pots and pans, that kind of thing. Is it really something to worry about? Not when preparations for a "birthday cake" devolve into a full-on knife and spatula duel. I'm not too concerned.

Entirely too windy!

Yesterday was just ridiculously windy. There was so much dust in the air, I had to drive with my lights on in the middle of the day, as if the road was socked in with fog. They even closed the 14 freeway in both directions because the visibility was so low with all the sand blowing around. I rolled down my window to order at the Wendy's drive-thru and dirt starting flying in. And get this- at my mom's work, they had to take care of a lady who had been blown over by the wind. Not a frail old lady, but a middle-aged average-weight lady BLOWN OVER by the wind!! Now that's just too much wind.

Merry Christmas!

Now *that* is how you clean house

My husband- gracious, loving, and kind man that he is- cleaned the house for me today. The whole thing! Toilets, floors, everything. I only wish I had been here to see him using the LEAF BLOWER to get dust bunnies from under the couch, though I did get to witness the car squeegee put to work on the bathroom mirrors.

Christmas Donation

Today I gave blood. For a good long time, I had wanted to do it, but was too scared. I didn't like the thought of laying there as my blood was draining out of me. After 9/11, they had a blood drive at work, but too many people signed up, so I didn't get to do it. Finally a few months back, they had a blood drive at church, and I decided to go for it.

I was nervous, but the guy who did it was excellent and I honestly didn't feel any pain with the needle at all. It wasn't weird to have my blood drained out. They do it very discreetly and professionally, so that it's really not a big deal.

I came home from that experience feeling good about myself and decided I definitely wanted to donate again. Weeks passed, and I had to cancel the next appointment I'd made, which brought me up to today.

Driving over to the donation center, the Lord laid it on my heart to make this a new Christmas tradition. It may seem an odd thing to correlate with Christmas, but really it makes perfect sense. By giving blood, I remind myself of Christ's sacrifice for me. My blood may save someone's life, but Jesus' blood gives us eternal life. Christ came to this earth as a man for the purpose of shedding his blood for us. The whole Christmas story is incomplete if we just look to the manger. The real miracle of Christmas is *why* God came to be with us. Without His blood being shed, there would be no forgiveness... no reason at all for Him to humble Himself and become a baby... a baby born to die.

So while blood donation may not be a traditional Christmas activity, my gift to others will serve to remind me of His gift to all of us. And that's worth celebrating.

Speaking of Merry Christmas

Before the holiday gets past us, I wanted to blog about the whole "Merry Christmas" fiasco.

As you've no doubt noticed, there has been in recent years a great uproar from those who are offended that people don't say Merry Christmas anymore. They do have a point, to some extent. It's a little ridiculous to effectively banish the phrase from common speech, since the majority of this country is still Christian, and even more than that celebrate Christmas.

However, it's equally ridiculous to get all upset when people or businesses don't say it. Back when I was a kid, oh so many years ago, I distinctly remember tons of people saying "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings." I mean, let's face it. Even if you don't recognize Hannukah or Kwanza or whatever other holiday, there is still more than one holiday this time of year- Thanksgiving or New Year's, anyone? And is it really that troublesome to wish someone, regardless of their holiday of choice, season's greetings?

And I'm starting to wonder if this is all just somebody's imagination anyway. In the print ads I do see "holiday" this or that, but in the stores and business, all I ever hear is a big fat MERRY CHRISTMAS, so I think we'll all survive. After all, the season isn't about the words we say, but Who is in our heart.

Should we call her Happy Holidays?

I love this story, especially the last line.


AMERICAN FORK, Utah - Merry Christmas to you, Mary Christmas. That's what the former Mary Young is hearing this holiday season, after she married Brian Christmas earlier this year.

"It was meant to be," Mary Christmas told the Daily Herald of Provo. "God has a sense of humor. What are the chances that it would ever happen?"
She has found, however, that she is not alone. Mary Christmas has been working at Ancestry.com for three years and discovered there are as many as 100 other Mary Christmases in the United States.

The last name of Christmas has its origins in Wales, she said.
"It was given to people that were born on Christmas Day," she said. "Somewhere back there someone of my husband's ancestors was born on Christmas. It is not a super common name." Christmas said her husband's grandmother, Joy Christmas, once was stopped at a counter at JCPenney, under suspicion for using a phony name.

The name brings compliments. "For many people, it seems to make them happy. 'You are my favorite,' they tell me. 'I think of your name and it makes me happy,'" Christmas said.

Her husband, Brian, says the best part of her name is that he has Mary Christmas all year long, not just in December.
___
Information from: The Daily Herald,

Don't get the wrong impression

Just in case my Grinch sketch fooled you into thinking I can actually draw, behold my attempts at a motorcycle.

(The letters spell something about Spider-man)

Was this in the job description?

Yes, we moms do it all: pay the bills, take the kids to school, wash messy faces, and.... draw. Maybe it's not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of mommy "duties," but when your sweet little one says to you, "Mama, you could draw the Grinch?" (and you'd have to hear him say Grinch), how can you refuse? I think I did an OK job.

The Reason for the Season

Jesus vs Santa

Santa Claus lives at the North Pole...
JESUS is everywhere.

Santa Claus rides in a sleigh...
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa Claus comes but once a year...
JESUS is an ever present help.

Santa Claus fills your stockings with goodies...
JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa Claus comes down your chimney...
JESUS stands at your door and knocks.

You have to wait in line to see Santa Claus...
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa Claus lets you sit on his lap...
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.

Santa Claus doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy (or girl,) what's your name?"...
JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa Claus has a belly like a bowl full of jelly...
JESUS has a heart full of love.

All Santa Claus can offer is HO HO HO...
JESUS offers healing, help and hope.

Santa Claus says "You better not cry"...
JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you."

Santa's little helpers make toys...
JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.

Santa Claus is a "jolly old elf"...
JESUS is the King of Kings.

Santa Claus may make you chuckle but...
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa Claus puts gifts under your tree...
JESUS became our gift and died on a tree.

Baby Jesus is borned

Tyler is enthralled with baby Jesus this year. He goes through the grocery store singing "Hap Birday, Hap Birday, baby Jesus." He points out every manger scene we come across. If we forget to recognize it when we pray, he reminds us, "You could pray, 'baby Jesus is borned.'" We spend a lot of time making sure our kids know the reason we celebrate, but like so many other things, it's actually the children who keep the simple faith so clearly.

My little spy

In the interest of male bonding, Brian took Colby along while Christmas shopping for me today. Lucky for me, it's tough for a 5-year old to keep secrets.

"Hey mama, guess what we saw at the Disney St-.... oops. I can't talk about that..... Maybe after Christmas."

Randomly wondering

Whenever I see a patrol car cruising the streets in the area, I start to wonder. Is this is a good thing? More police presence means less likelihood of crimes, right? Or maybe crimes are already increasing, which is why they need increased police presence. So what do you think? Do you feel safer when you see police around, or do you feel that maybe you never were as safe as you might have thought?

Thanks, Brigitte!

Check out the adorable artwork Brigitte made for Tyler's new pirate big boy room!! I found her on eBay, and she also sells her work on http://www.etsy.com/ (her seller name is artgoesfun on both sites). Not only does she do fantastic work, she's a sweet lady who is really easy and fun to work with. If you need anything for your kids' rooms, please try and support her. She's just getting her online business up and running, so get ahold of her before she becomes rich and famous!

Are you sure?

click to enlarge

There are supposed to be nine people in this picture. I can only find three. Can you help?

Let it snow baby, let it reindeer

Just because I live in the desert doesn't mean I don't appreciate a good snowflake... as long as I don't have to deal with the cold weather and poor driving conditions! A fellow mom shared this link with me, and it's quite amazing. Take a look at http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/. There are actual photographs of snow flakes, as well as movies of snow crystals growing. Check out the galleries; simply fantastic. Everything in creation displays the glory of God, but these little flakes are at the front of the pack.

PS- The title of my blog comes from the Relient K Christmas album. Don't want the quote police coming after me.

I'm not a crafty mom

It's not that I don't like crafts. Some things people come up with are surely adorable and clever. It's just that they don't come very natural to me. Most of the time at MOPS I just let Kalani finish mine for me instead of working on it myself. So at times, especially around Christmas, I start to feel inadequate about my lack of creativity. Today at Michael's I found a cute little glitter craft that I bought for Colby & I to do together. It may not be the most complex or intricate piece of art, but we did it together and it was fun. We made a memory. :)




In other news, I promised more Christmas pictures:

This last one is really special, even amongst many special Christmas ornaments:


It was given to us last year by our dear friends Paul and Jaime Reichman, who are ministering in Krasnoyarsk, Russia (http://paulandjaime.spaces.live.com/). They were with us last Christmas and brought us this pretty ornament which depicts one of the main buildings in their city. We made many happy Christmas memories together before they left (guys, do you remember the xtra large gingerbread man cookie with every conceivable form of icing or decoration on it?), so a special ornament to remind us of them at this time of year is very precious to us.

It's beginning to look a lot like... well, you know

CHRISTMAS! We just barely started getting the house ready for Christmas... more pictures to come!