That your love may overflow...

Phil. 1: 9-11

And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow....through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

This morning we awake for a Sunday of family time.  We will head to church in a few minutes...in the mean time Bryan chews on a teether.  Addison puts coin after coin into his gumball machine.  Daniel showers.  I type.  We are all doing activities that we love!

May today fill you and your family with the love of Christ.  May you praise God in some way.  May you love and overflow with joy!

"It snowed so it's Christmas right?!" --Addison

Addison, oh Addison, you are my "Sneaky Beaky."  This child will turn my hair gray by his teenage years.  I love him, but he does try my patience.  Yesterday, he laid on the floor at the gym while it was time to leave the building...he wanted a snack from the gym cafe.  I said, "no, let's go."  It was cold outside, and he was refusing to leave.  Finally car loaded, he kicked, screamed, and cried.  He wanted a snack, he was tired, he wanted me to drive faster, etc.  We made it home.  He came inside 10 minutes later.  He had a snack and watched his favorite short film, "Disney's Prep and Landing."  I cooked dinner...

Addison took the presents, that I had wrapped carefully and placed under the tree while he was at school yesterday, up to his room.  I was cooking dinner, and I did not see what was going on because our tree is in our front room out of line of sight from the kitchen.  He sneakily took each present up to his room and opened them all!  He came down all smiles and said, mom I have a surprise for you in my room.  When I went up there I had a feeling what I may find.  Ahhhh!  He opened everyone's presents!  We had a little chat about this being "naughty not nice."  He explained, but mom..."It snowed so it's Christmas right?!"  His angelic smiles outweigh his devilish behaviors.  Punishment was going to bed early, a talk with mom and dad, prayers of repentance, and he will be buying wrapping paper with the money he unwrapped from Grandpa Dan!  Merry Christmas.  I hope it snows where you are, or perhaps you can open a present early!  Why not?!

Our first Snow of the Season...

We threw snow, went sledding, and enjoyed a warm fire yesterday!  It is beautiful, and it will stay for awhile because "brrr..." it's cold outside!

Nativity...Our Neighbors

We had our second annual Neighborhood Nativity yesterday.  It was wonderful!  The kids were darling, and the parents were all smiles!  It was fun to watch, fellowship with our neighbors, and enjoy the Spirit of CHRISTmas!

Love...

 ¹³ This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. ¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
1 John 4:13-16

May we love God, recognize his Son in our World, and love one another this day and always.  AMEN

Photos of the week...

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Simplicity...

Jesus could have come to us in many ways. The simplicity of His birth is extraordinary and sometimes hard to grasp. Jesus could have been born in a mansion. He was, after all, a King. Instead, He came to a dirty smelly manger and His birth was announced by common shepherds instead of Kings - the greatest of all miracles in the midst of total simplicity. Today, Jesus still wants to meet us in the midst of our simple daily lives. It seems too easy and too good to be true, doesn't it?  --Mary Southerland

Mary inspires me today to think of the simple ways I see Jesus around me...

In my children's smiles
In my husband's kindness
In my mother's gentleness in holding her grandchildren for snuggles
In my father's strong arms holding his grandson's close to his heart
In my sister's face as she smiles at her son

In my brother in law's surprise as he sleepily tries to figure out where to lay his head after an all night drive from AL to FL

In Bryan's determination to find the perfect bite of breakfast in his mix of a cereal bowl
In Addison's sweet voice asking for a hug this morning when he first greeted me
In the quiet of the morning
In the smiles of photos on the walls


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Dear Heavenly Father-
I'm thankful for all these glimmers of grace that surround me today.  I pray that we have safe travels back to Kansas City via airports in Orlando and Atlanta today.  I'm thankful that my husband took time off work to travel and be with our family.  May his end of the week return to work go peacefully, and our transition back into our home in Olathe go well.  Help me as we bury our kitten Twinkletoes (she died while we were here in FL unexplicably), and she's awaiting our farewell.  We are thankful for our trip to Florida, and we are glad to be coming home as well.  May we see your face every day.   Amen