My Joyful Mantle

Here's what I came up with for my mantle. I took some scrap fence boards and painted them with my almost empty can of antique white. I barely had enough to finish it, but I think the uneven look actually looked good on this project. Add a little free hand lettering and look at the mantle now...

Simple Christmas Joy!!! Isn't that what we all want this Christmas?

Remember, enJOY the season!

Where Do I Go From Here?

After the recent snow, my girls and I made a snowman... a very cool snowman, if I do say so myself. The branches we used for his arms were covered with ice and suffice it to say, one arm just wasn't very sturdy. It was rather limp. So we just let it hang there, looking somewhat lifeless. Meanwhile, the other stick-arm pointed due south, as if the snowman were trying to point to a warmer, better location. After a few days, we noticed that our cool snowman started leaning to the right. Just for clarification, he was pointing left, but leaning right, obviously confused. Sadly, he only lasted one more day before finally collapsing to the cold, hard ground. For some reason, this scenario struck me. I thought of the verse in Proverbs 3 that says "lean not unto thine own understanding."

So many times I am like this snowman. I read the Bible or hear God's Word preached and I realize that I need to head in a certain direction. I may even point that way. But yet, I don't take that first step. Instead I start leaning the opposite way. After of short time of leaning on my own understanding, I wind up confused or even worse...flat on my face. This is not my heart's desire. I want to trust in the Lord with ALL my heart. When I do, I eliminate a lot of headaches.

Thankful for Accountability

Today I was reminded that time flies! January is over! I kept thinking that I would write down my goals for 2009 sometime, but kept putting it off. Now it's February and I still haven't written down my goals. If only procrastinating were a worthy goal...I digress. So now, tonight, I have decided to write down some of my goals for this year.

• Finish reading the New Testament. (I'm still in Matthew right now).


• Read more to my children. I'd like to read one book a month to them. This may not sound like a huge goal, but it is a great improvement from nothing.


• Declutter my home, one room at a time. You can join Crystal at moneysavingmom.com for an in depth discussion on decluttering.


• Attempt to get a children's musical published.


• Be more hospitable. I am making an effort to have friends and family over for dinner more...at least once a month.

As I go through the year, I plan on revisiting these goals with you so I can be accountable. I need this. I am looking forward to a "lovely" February. But if I am not careful, it will fly by and I will not accomplish my goals. So let's pray for each other. Let's encourage each other to work hard adn not wasted the days away. We must redeem the time!

My Missionaries

I met some amazing people this week. These people have sold many of their earthly possessions in order to move half-way around the world. Why would anyone do this? Because they have a mission...a Great Commission. At our annual Missions Conference, I saw these wonderful people excited about serving the Lord. Some of them held small children in their arms while others had many grandchildren they would be leaving behind. Still, these people desired to be back on their field. They love the people they minister to. I so enjoyed talking to them, learning from them. When I stop and think about it, I should be like them. I may not need to sell my home and ship my belongings across the ocean, but I should be willing to. I should love all the people I minister to. I should go out of my way to make a difference for my Lord. Why? He went out of His way for me. He saved me. He knows me and He still loves me. So tonight I am thankful for these wonderful missionaries and their testimony for the Lord. I am thankful that I got to spend some time with them. And I am very thankful that we have a message worth sharing.

In Everything? Give Thanks?

I love finding the words "thanksgiving" or "thanks" in God's Word. I haven't studied how many times they are in there, but I always smile when those words pop up in unexpected passages. One of the most famous verses I know about thanksgiving says, "In everything, give thanks." Wow, sometimes that's hard to swallow. Everything means everything. I'm pretty sure it means the same thing in the Greek. My plan for this blog is to post thoughts about thanksgiving, especially when giving thanks doesn't seem like an obvious option. I hope you will be encouraged to thank God, regardless of your circumstances. He is still God and He wants the very best for you and me. That's something to be thankful for.