Anticipating Christmas... the seventh day!!

I may be behind, but I will not let my slacking discourage me enough to give up on my journey to savor Christ for 12 days. This movie is a great reminder that the battle isn't lost... It just needs an encouraging blanket of God's truth to turn it around!




I intended the 12 days Of Christmas to really help us drive this fact into our hearts and minds daily... And yes, the last couple of days have really fought my heart's desire to do that. The seasonal craziness really sucked me into busyness, commercialism and materialism in a most subtle way. And it's half of that busyness isn't even bad... Like being with my sweet cousins and family.



But the biggest problem is being busy and spending no time in front of the Father's throne.

Yet we have Hope.

Thus I am not letting my heart be condemned... For God is greater than my heart (1 John 3:20). Instead, let us both embrace the truth from this lesson and get our hearts prepared for good news and the approaching day. And let's look some gifts of the season given from above.

For God's greatest gifts bring us greatest joy.

One of those gifts is John.



Why John? Let's look at Luke 1:14-17-

"14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,
15 for he will be GREAT before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,
17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."

Great because he didn't drink wine or lived in the desert....? No. Great because of the message he brought.

Another: His calling. Example: Mary.



Luke 2:30-33, 38--

"30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.
38 And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her."

Mary was given a great mission and great faith with little details... And she had great joy (Luke 2:46-55). AND it was not by looking at herself for that task before her, but her faith in the holy and faithful God. What a wonderful reminder of hope!



Lastly, God has given us His Christ. Luke 2:39-44--

"39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,
40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy."



Your joy comes from Christ. It does not have to be intellectual or rehearsed... It comes in permitting the Spirit to work in your heart, rejoicing at this news of his coming... Christmas day. In Christ.

'Our joy is in the messengers of peace and great tidings, the purpose He gives us and who we are in Christ.' --Jeff Hodgson.

I hope this encourages you in your busy schedule this week! Have joy, be encouraged, take hope and enjoy His charity :)


Blessings! Xoxoxo

'With songs of joy I speak of Thee, for I know not how to cease',

Kati Thornbury

-- Jeremiah 20:9--

On the fourth day of Christmas...

Yup, this is totally what I think of when I hear calling birds!

BUT the lyrical picture is really speaking of the four gospels... And Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are those calling birds. But our calling birds can call all they want, but without faith, we cannot respond... And faith without God is impossible (Luke 1:37; Hebrews 11:6).

Lets go back to yesterday for a moment (I didn't exactly finish it well!). One of the three characteristics I mentioned was faith. If you were faithful (no punt intended) to make an advent wreath (like I longed to!), you can light one of the purple candles now and meditate on faith. Maybe even read Hebrews 11:6

"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."

And Luke 1:37

"For nothing will be impossible with God."

What are you looking at this season without faith? Is it buying presents? Is it a health issue, a job issue or the state of mind/being God has ordained for you in this present season??

What does faith mean to you?

How are you walking that out according to God?

It might be good to challenge yourself to seek out what faith means to God first before sticking with your own definition (for help, start in Hebrews 11).

I know with our move to Alaska coming up and the many goodbyes we expect, Andrew and I both are going to need more faith in God's good plan/strength to celebrate this season for CHRIST's gift to us. We know this is Hos plan (we are confident in that), but we just need faithful in the transferring process. With all our moving around, it has been hard for us to really sit still before our Lord and acknowledge our place before Him. This week, as we are in Knoxville, we will be celebrating a number of things ;)... But pray that we do not forget who we are in Christ and that God not let us forget that this life was not intended to be done on our own.

And with it being the fourth day of Christmas, I would like to celebrate four different friendships: the Carlstroms, the Kurzens, the hoppens and my honest friend and husband.



... Heres a collage that includes the Carlstrom kiddos too: Elijah, India, Mamie, Bridget, Lulu and Boaz.


I cannot tell you how much I cherish each and everyone of these friends, especially with my husband! God has truly given us an unique treasure by sending me to Columbus so I could be blessed so much by them. I just love them all so much!

Thanks again Brent and Sherry for having us over last night! We enjoyed the fellowship, the games and the yummies!! Love you all!


See you guys again in January ;)

Blessings! Xoxoxo

'With songs of joy I speak of Thee, for I know not how to cease',

Kati Thornbury

-- Jeremiah 20:9--

The THIRD day of Christmas!

Well... We are getting a late start on the third day, but it's now the third day of Christmas!!

Three french hens...



And three cute pups!


Ok, not apart of the seasonal tune... but too cute to pass up!

And this stands for the celebration of faith, hope and charity. Three character traits that enthrall our Christmas season... Or should.

Where can we invite the faith, hope and charity God extends to us on a daily basis in our own lives and the lives of others??

I will go more into this tomorrow; stay tuned...



Its sleepy time for now.

Blessings! Xoxoxo

'With songs of joy I speak of Thee, for I know not how to cease',

Kati Thornbury

-- Jeremiah 20:9--

Yes! It's the second day of Christmas: two turtle doves... Representing the old and new covenant. It is a sweet reminder of God's promise that He will do whatever it takes to keep us, His children, deeply loved and cherished... Sending his own son to die in order to accomplish the necessary requirements for reconciliation. How beautiful!

I also feel we can find this in the Christmas season, full of both the old and the new! Traditions older than we are able to actively recall the origin and new experiences that tickle the heart's fondness enough to be added to next years tradition list come together in a way to truly make our winter sparkle. In fact, this is actually how our Lord and Savior lived His life on earth: He honored, respected and fulfilled God's law, established for the good of His people, but when the Father directed him to follow and teach the new way He had prepared for us to walk out when His son's work was completed, Jesus did not hesitate to embrace the new too.

We are told all throughout the Bible to imitate Christ and his walk (1Cor.11:1;1 thes. 2:14) This also applies to the celebration of His birth as well. This Christmas, ask yourself:

How are we enjoying the old traditions and their rich roots?

Which traditions do we need to reevaluate and reform??

How can we add new memories to our family time to make it truly count?

Please pray God show you where you need his help to receive Christ the most this season in these areas. Please pray Andrew and I do the same!

Blessings! Xoxoxo

'With songs of joy I speak of Thee, for I know not how to cease',

Kati Thornbury

-- Jeremiah 20:9--

On the first day of Christmas...

Yes, we are officially in the Christmas season mindset! Everyone is having holiday parties, making cookies, buying gifts and traveling... A LOT!



With all the commercialism and materialism floating in the air this year, I would like to challenge you to take these 12 days before Christmas to focus on the real reason for the season: Jesus Christ.

So let's start with the lyrics of the 12 days of Christmas. (Ah ha, yes! There is more to those silly lyrics than you thought!!)

"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... A partridge in a pear tree!"


In this case, we have a picture of true love (and no, I am not making this up nor am I going to embark on a history lesson for you). Pondering God's true love for us, we can look at John 3:16: "For God so loved that He GAVE his only son...". God is a giver and had salvation, and everything that comes with it, in mind for us.


I am featuring today the advent wreath with some pink and purple candles,with one white candle in the center of it (ok, couldn't find a picture of the white candle, but just pretend with me!) All the candles stand for love, joy, peace and hope, except the white one which stands for Christ. Those are the things God wants us to enjoy in our relationship with Him through salvation in Jesus, whom we celebrate this season! Thus, if you have some extra garland and some candles in different shades of red, make yourself a visual that will remind you to receive the savior's gifts before you prepare to GIVE anything to God or others.

Also throughout this Christmas season, I will be featuring a precious family member daily in whom we are enjoying just for the simple fact that God put them in our family (hey, God celebrates over us daily-- why not imitate our Father?!)


Blessings! Xoxoxo



'With songs of joy I speak of Thee, for I know not how to cease',

Kati Thornbury

-- Jeremiah 20:9--

Location:Atlanta Dr,Columbus,United States

Farewell Altus

Ok, before I begin, can I just post this small tribute to Altus's Christmas light park.... Two words: Creepy, but hilarious (ok... That's three.)

This one's just funny. Check out this angel's shoulders and body, then look at the face. Talk about proportionately dysfunctional!!


Ever wonder what Snow White would look like if she got Botox? Wonder no more:



And last but not least: the snowman who asked us for a light:



Isn't that so creepy? whoever drew that I'm sure had the best intentions to make him cute... They just missed the mark a bit :/

Hahaha! Oh my, I just love it.

Anyways, back to where I left off. I did finish my packing, loading the truck and proceeded to tackle the cleaning. And MAN, did I clean... Longer than I thought I would in fact.

So many hours later....


Ta-da!!!! Check out the cleanliness of that oven!! Mmm hmmm, it's the power of S.O.S.! Love it!

So yes, after much time of cleaning and packing, Andrew and I are officially waving a see-ya to Altus OK.






I am not going to lie: I really liked it here. But it was definitely not the location that thrilled me. It was God's gift to us in this season of friends and spiritual family:



The girls: Jacqui, Mallory, Lindsay and Jeanine ( my spiritual grandma!)


The dudes: Justin, Mike, Carl (our Navigator leader), Andrew and Cory.


So here's many thanks to God's loving gift that have touched both of our hearts! Thanks guys for being so quick to love on us and care for us as if we would be here for years. You ALL are precious gifts from above and we thank him for you every time we think of you :) God bless you all richly as I know He will!!

And lastly, here's to make Jacqui that much less self conscious!! Ha-- sorry hun; it was for the encouragement of others (and many giggles for your wife!!)


XOXO!!

'With songs of joy I speak of Thee, for I know not how to cease',



Kati Thornbury

-- Jeremiah 20:9--

Thanksgiving reflections

Moving's a drag.... (help!!)


Soooooo I am taking a break!! Woo hoo! I need to do some catch up from turkey day anyways :)


(ps: don't you just love this?? It kind of reminds me of my brother.. Except he has a lot less nose!)

I started off the holiday with mamadee's favorite meal: pasta with syrup ;) hahaha!


Noooo, she was just PRETENDING here... But she did state it is quite good and suggests trying it!!

It is fun to watch fun holiday movies to get you all geared up for the holidays though-- and that's just what Andrew an I have been up to lately! What fun :)

Ok, to start off these many blessings, I am featuring Aunt Pam's candle as a reminder of what I am first and foremost thankful for during our season's celebration: Christ Jesus, and all the work he had done for us! What a gift to celebrate!! His love for us is just too much to really comprehend at times...


Another thing I am thankful for are puppies!! Especially these two: reunited lovers!! The Hoppens got to stop by on their way back from training to Columbus! It was a real treat to see them and lady again.


Speaking of fun, check out this hilarious video of Jacob pretending to throw a ball for almost a minute... And the dogs totally fall for it! Pretty clever solution for not having a ball on hand.

Our visit wasn't long with them, for we had to hit the road for Turkey break in Memphis/Columbus the next morning...

And as you can see, eli was ready to get going!


...so he could get some sleep in! Haha- lazy puppy ;)


We caravanned with the Hoppens for most of the trip until we made the split. It was a lot of fun!

Thanksgiving morning was filled with cooking and relaxing with some coffee. It was nice to get a prayer walk in with my andrew that morning, just reflecting on all God had given us, and some good quality time with family. We also got to check out this really old family bible Dad pulled out! I guess he receive it from Papaw and Mimi when they moved them just recently. Pretty cool.





And as always, its time for the annual Turkey bowl!! Haha.. Actually, I have no clue what it is officially called, but I have just dubbed it the turkey bowl!


We had so much fun! It's a debated topic on who really won it... But the important thing was that everyone had a super fun time! Even with the rain at the end.


Now for the yummy part: We all headed over to Greg and Pam's house where we enjoyed all the holiday yummies and cheerful decor with the rest of the family!


This WAS a turkey...


Zo-ks! Gobble gobble!


But this, as always, is what I wait for each year... Dessert!!


Mmm... Bread pudding, pecan pie, pumpkin pie and coconut creme pie... DE-lish!!!


Here is the family: table 1 (yes, the kids table... We will never graduate!)


And table 2!!


Thankful for this wonderful family making me as if I was their own.

After dinner, we all crashed in the living room, stuffed to the max!

Even pugglesworth!





But even with the drowsy after-meal feelings, the thornburys always have room for games...


...tickle fights...



... And mischief.



And I mean mischief!


Here is the group plotting out how we are going to prank Mike since he fell fast asleep!



But not to say Mom didn't warn us all at how ticked he was going to be after all of this was said and done! Here is the evidence of her fair warning:


I have the video of how the plot was accomplished, but for Daddy mike's sake, I will just post the end result of our mischief.

Shaving cream!!


Another thing I am so grateful for is both our families are very near so we always have the option to see them BOTH! what a huge gift from the Lord, especially with the next assignment we have!

So the next day was a day with my family, the McCoys, in Nashville Tn!

Since the Gaylord reopened, we all made our way there to check out the seasonal decorations and fun!








Here is Tyty and Daddio!!


Mamadee and Tyty!


Matt, dad and... Tyty (as you can tell, Ty never misses a photo-op!)


My Hubbie and I!


Beautiful water show to Christmas carols!



Silly Daddio!





All one big indoor garden!! Awesome huh??





I couldn't help but think of Mimi when I took this picture :)





Huge Christmas tree!!


It's Kris Kringle himself!!


Once we all got tired of Opryland hotel, we made our way to a Starbucks and ordered some holiday beverages. It was fantastic! Especially my polar bear cookie-- it's a must try for chocolate lovers!


While we were there, andrew taught us how to play Euecker! We were not sure how it would go over, but my family picked up on it faster than we thought! It was a lot of fun!


We finished with dinner at cracker barrel and wished one another farewell until Christmas, driving back to Memphis that evening. The next morning Dad fixed us an amaZing French toast breakfast!! It was nothing less than wonderful...


(my "YUM YUM!!" reaction)


These four are always doing something crazy! This time they have Mattie pinned while Mom tickles Andrew and dad watches...






... Until he too is pulled into the war!


Phew, what a trip! We arrived back on Sunday evening and were all worn out. But we quickly recovered and caught up Monday, rearin' and ready for Tuesday!


This picture of eli makes me thankful for one more thing: friends here in Altus. My friend Mallory was so sweet to give Eli this ball... He hasn't let it out of his sight since! (Thanks Mal!!) Our friends and leaders here in Altus cannot be thanked enough for their warm hospitality and care for us in our short assignment. I am realizing just how much they have meant to my life by how mixed/emotion I am about leaving at this present moment. I am so excited to hit the road to see family and friends sooner, but it hurts my heart to think about saying goodbye again to wonderful friends God has given us in such a little amount of time. To all of you who made Altus worth being at, God bless you and may His love encircle you even more in the coming days. You will be sorely missed but never ever forgotten.


'With songs of joy I speak of Thee, for I know not how to cease',

Kati Thornbury

-- Jeremiah 20:9--