God is in CONTROL

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Twas the Night Before Christmas and Through the Bell House

Here we are pre-Christmas Eve Scourge!
The guests were dropping like flies
with the Stomach bug "Louse"


The gourmet meals were quickly replaced
With soda crackers, broth and gatorade.
While throughout the brightly lit rooms
Sprawled on couches all my company laid.


In a stupor they watched the games on tv
 And packages were abandoned under the tree.


I had been dreaming and planning for the Perfect Christmas. You know, the ones on the Hallmark cards--- All my loved ones were coming HERE for Christmas --- the first time we would be together in Tulsa on Christmas Day since about 2004!!!
Bethany, her mother-in-law, Jan and I had coordinated our meals -- Jan  had sent her favorite recipes ahead so we could have ingredients on hand -- it was going to be a culinary feast all weekend!!!!  I had shopped for just the right brisket -- Jan had sent a wonderful ham and carrot cake and there was Terry and Bethany's traditional fudge pecan pie to prepare and cranberry chutney chilling in the fridge --


Terry had perfected his sermons for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day -- we had prayed over the entire weekend.



THEN IT HIT --
First Terry, -- having to leave the very BRIEF Christmas eve service and in about 30 minutes me -- I begged off dinner and asked Bethany to carry the ball to keep our Christmas Eve dinner going while I went to bed  --  



Marshall and Bethany brought us trash cans, wet rags, tonic water and pepto bismol -- Mat's parents came down with it in their hotel about 4 hours later and Marshall 2 hours after that and Katie soon after. Everyone said they didn't remember when they'd been so sick.
Our kids set a place for us since we couldn't get out of bed

BUMMER FOR BETHANY, MAT AND CAMPBELL -- this Christmas was going to be the BIG ONE for Campbell Hope!   

BUT --
We all know each other a little better now and are sharing war stories of who was sickest.  We don't have many pictures to post of our holiday, past Saturday morning when we all went to the Philbrook for our Big ORANGE Holiday photo session.

















Every time Katie comes to Tulsa something major happens.  In August it was 100+ days, In November it was earthquakes and this holiday we shared the "bug" with her!









Hmmm . . .
how many times had I said on Friday, "I don't want you all to feel stuffed this holiday -- the meals are prepared for us to simply enjoy -- but don't make yourself miserable with all the eating!"


... Wonder why at the last minute before everyone arrived on Friday I had Terry scrub out all the trash cans with bleach. 


FINALLY,  last night we were able to make it to the table again -- our first time since Friday night to enjoy Marshall's wonderful smoked brisket.
Our beautiful photographer doubled as our hostess for this holiday


 YET . . .

I am very thankful --
that we all got 3 1/2 days together -- taking care of each other -- giving each other grace.
That we're all on the mend.
 That we got to enjoy our Campbell Hope. 



That 3 of us stayed well -- that Campbell didn't have a relapse.

That all seven are already home safe.

Thankful for the cherished gifts -- that our kids sacrificed and saved for:
that wonderful all-guy-fishing trip for Terry late next summer
my much needed cutlery and wonderful new gourmet stock pot
lots of fun stocking stuffer.



This holiday there was lots of grace given and love shared as we wiped each others heads and passed the broth and gatorade.


We prayed for a different holiday -- this is what we were given and I believe HE knew what HE was doing.  Today as I'm regaining some of my strength and washing up all the bedding -- I am tempted to wish for more -- but then I was reminded in a very powerful way--


For one of my friends -- she was told this would be her last Christmas.  It all took on a new perspective.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Christmas Confessions

Terry and I have decided we aren't buying for each other this year -- except for a back up camera for our new car. Terry insisted that it is a MUST  (After the incident when I all but ran over him when he was checking the mail and I was backing our car out of the garage headed somewhere nearly clipping him.  He asked did I see him -- truth was I didn't check--- AND it didn't help that there was a news article about a woman in town a couple of weeks ago who ran her husband over and said she thought she had hit the rake and kept on backing. . . . hmmm wonder if they're still together this Christmas?)  
ANYWAY -- the back up video camera made it to the top of our Christmas list.
We both have done a little of our own Christmas shopping though -- I got him a couple of things -- he got himself a new shirt he wanted and I checked off my new Black Friday bargain watch I got on  as my Christmas and a darling little girl chair at the antique store that was a REAL STEAL -- yep, called that my Christmas, too!!!  
 THEN, the other day I decided I'd also buy me a couple of new songs on itunes since my old downloads have worn a permanent groove in the right side of my brain.
I found a great new song by Gwen Smith in my morning quiet edevotional -"Girlfriends in God".  It's called 'Uncluttered" and it has my name written all over it -- being such a project-driven -- task oriented person -- it is me -- even to the part of cleaning out the closets (my life-long task)!!!  Look it up on itunes and listen -- you'll see what I mean.


The one I have to play several times a week, I found one morning on the way to school.  It's a Building 429 song called, "Where I Belong".   I was in one of those moods, wishing I was heading anywhere but school -- thinking that dealing with a class of 17 - 18yr. olds who are so antsy to graduate is certainly not what mission God has for me -- (I've since repented and seen the light on that one).  But this song lifted my spirits -- surged new life in me and got me back on track. 

Yes, it's going to be a wonderful Holiday --I'm getting what I really wanted this Christmas, all my family here in Tulsa -- what more could a Mom ask for???


Saturday, December 17, 2011

Light of the World, He Stepped Out into Darkness . . .

are the words to one of my favorite songs.  . . . and something I heard as I drove to school this week -- "unless you let him love you, you've missed the whole point of Christmas." personalized the message for me.

I've experienced Him loving me  this season as He gave me some presents uniquely mine.  One was Bethany telling us about Campbell finishing their bedtime prayers with a hearty "AMEN" --  they didn't know she knew the word when she piped up in full volume.  The peeked at her and saw her folding her hands. Precious!
Seeing her grow so beautifully is another gift . . .

C's play group delivered Christmas cards they made to the nursing home -- aaaah precious!
We go to all the pageants, we read the Christmas story to our children -- and the whole liturgy of advent centers around The Story.
This year I broke the story apart as I taught my Super Kids in Sunday school ...  there were four angel visits, three sets of travelers, two major miracles - with two very unlikely pregnancies, two stunned daddies and two beautiful babies born with their names chosen by someone other than their parents, and a significant cast of animals in this story.  I even made it into a Bible game to help them remember.  But did the people living at that time even have a clue what was taking place?  .  As always and typical of me,  I have a few questions. . .
What were the angels in Heaven thinking as they saw this unfold?  We know the words that the angels out in the field were singing . . . but what did they experience from the heavenlies?  How they must have missed Him those years He was here with us. . . or did His omnipresence keep Him there with them and here with us?
Did anything seem unusual to the Innkeeper the next morning?  Did he have a clue that God had been born out back in his barn?  That he had God with him in that feeding trough?

When the Wise Men left the house after visiting Jesus -- did they know they had seen God, come to stay?

The Angel told Mary that He was to be named Emmanuel-- God With Us-- doesn't that bring comfort and light to your world?    Doesn't that pierce your darkness.  God come to stay -- not just visit.

The earth-shaking miracle of this whole event was that for the first time -- EVERYONE would have Him up close and personal --LIVING in them.  The Old Testament heroes (prophets, high priests, and special patriarchs) had their one-on-one encounters with the Omniscient One from time to time.  Moses got close enough to see God's back and then his face shone for many days -- but in this one instance HE brought HIMSELF to ALL OF US.  The world was pretty dark and bleak at that time after 400 years of silence from the prophets ... They needed the LIGHT.

Our 24-hour news coverage bombards us with stories of  heinous crimes against children as well as the neglect caused by drugs and substance abuse. We see our country becoming less and less a nation founded on faith in God and more and more a materialistic, secular and capitalistic country.  The light is being obscured by the darkness that is increasing.

Nathan, one of my Youth Alive leaders made powerful illustration of that Thurs at our Youth Alive lunch in my classroom.



My room has no windows and it is pitch black when you flip the switch.
He lit a few large candles to keep people safe and enable them to find their food - and handed everyone a birthday candle.  One-by-one the room illuminated into a beautiful glow as approximately 100 students touched their candle to a surrounding one.  He said that as we bring our light -- the fire that God has lit in us -- alongside someone else's -- we create a much brighter glow -- when our's dims -- or even goes out momentarily- our friend helps it to flame again.. .and interestingly, the more of HIS light we have -- the more clearly we see each other.
As they all blew out the candles in the room and we sat in bleak, total darkness -- it was a powerful example of what we would be without HIS LIGHT.
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.  2 Cor. 4:6

Friday, December 16, 2011

The Show Must Go On!!!

Where has the week gone?  No, where has the month gone?  Wasn't it just Thanksgiving???  School has kept me really busy -- this is the first year in a LONG time I won't be in charge of the children's Christmas presentation.  God sent the wonderful Whittens to our church family and Brenda has let HIM work wonders through her ministry to our Life Park kids.  So, for me, there were no costumes to finish, practices to orchestrate or banners to finish at the last minute.
This year's shepherds -- and all I had to do was oversee my Super Kids
 But school has been exceptionally busy.  I thought we might be dismissing the idea of a mock wedding in my Marriage and Family Life classes since my friend is closing her Bridal shop --and Terry wouldn't be able to come and officiate. I had tried to keep this wedding away from the holidays and here it was Christmas again -- NO WAY- the students wouldn't hear of scrapping the wedding idea -- and some even said --"that's why I signed up for this class."
Two girls went on line to get "licensed" to conduct the wedding ceremony.  

The gals in my two classes rescued the plan.  During one class period, they had it all planned with people stepping up to loan dresses, decorate from the tubs of decorator pieces we have and of course offers to bake and decorate.  . 
Again this year the kids converted a MESSY abandoned classroom  into a brightly lit bridal chapel.  They even used the back drops from a recent school production of "SHREK' to enhance the dreamy effect. High school students on a mission are so resourceful!
The music department offered their tuxes once again for my guys









It wasn't just one but TWO weddings on two different days -I have to admit -- it was probably the most relaxed I have been all the years we've been holding our weddings -- the students had it all under control. ( I did almost "freak out"  when one class just took over the cake decorating and said they knew what they were doing -- as I saw the first stage of their project -- I struggled to keep from taking back the project --





(One young woman had had three different classes in cake decorating and was helping them try things out on the cake and guiding the process -- way to go Morgan!)  They completed it during their lunch period and it was the prettiest cake we've  ever had!  NOTE: Icing does cover a multitude of mistakes,  LOL
Yes, the students insisted the "show" must go on, and it did -- in rare and relaxed form!

Blog Archive

Followers