Joy = Jesus

Awoke to a bitterly cold morning here in East Texas, and I absolutely loved it! I hope the cold will linger for a few months so I can pull out my favorite winter sweaters and nestle next to cozy fires burning in our fireplace. It’s a much anticipated season by all of us. We won’t get the pleasure of having snow fights and making snowmen here, unless for some crazy reason God decides to dump some snow upon us. It’s happened before, so maybe it will again. We’re just thankful for the respite from the heat.

Joy is a key theme of Christmas. The word is everywhere during this time of year ~ painted on signs, written in cards, and sung in carols. For the last few years, I’ve even hung up a carved-out version of the word over my mantle. Honestly, I’m thankful for the continual reminder.

Joy = Jesus!

In a time when holiday busyness and financial pressures can overwhelm, JOY is a invitation to stop and rejoice in Jesus. I can’t imagine my life without Him as the center. He’s everything to me. He IS my joy.

Our Thanksgiving holiday was very special with my mom and Steve. There were special blessings tucked into our time together, which made these days so memorable. In less than two weeks, we will head to Seattle to celebrate Christmas with our kids. Once again, we will all be under the same roof during this beloved holiday, which is a gift in and of itself. It’s not normal for us to have two years in a row where we’re all together. Kyle and Kelly will be hosting us all, and we are thrilled to get to enjoy their home and the wonderful fellowship of being together, Kelly’s family included. It’s truly a gift when your son’s in-laws end up being very dear friends! 🙂

2018 is approaching fast. There is one change on the horizon. I won’t be working directly in a training school this next year. After much prayer, I knew the Lord was saying to step into Richard’s department and help him. He’s got a lot of plates spinning right now and a lot of people looking to him for guidance, and well to be honest, he simply needs help. The scriptures tell us that two are better than one. We’ve always worked well as a team. We actually came here with the desire to work together in ministry. Yet I have to admit, I put “ministry” in a box and kept thinking it was going to look differently. However, as I’ve been praying about this, God specifically spoke to me to not begrudge what He’s put right in front of us. God used 1 Peter 5:2 specifically to guide me ~ “Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly–not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own example.”  So with this word before me, I am going to trust the Lord and embrace what He’s given us.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support for our family. Together, we are impacting this world by sharing the love of Jesus with all those God puts in front of us. Every person matters, and nothing is ever wasted in God’s Kingdom.

I recently got to see the movie Wonder with my mom. If you haven’t seen it than rush out right now and do so! We cried through the whole movie. It was sooooo good. I can’t wait to take Richard and the girls to see it. It has a message that I don’t want to forget. Everyone has a story, even the bully, and kindness really is more important than being right.

“I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives”  🙂 

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