It's About the Cross

It's not just about the manger where the baby laid
It's not all about the angels who sang for Him that day
It's not just about the shepherds or the bright and shining star
It's not about the wiseman who traveled from afar

It's about the cross
It's about my sin
It's about how Jesus came to be born once
So that we could be born again
It's about the stone that was rolled away so that you and I could have real life some day
It's about the cross

It's not just about the presents underneath the tree
It's not all about the feeling that this season brings to me
It's not just about coming home to be with those you love
It's not all about the beauty of the snow I'm dreaming of

The beginning of the story is wonderful and great
But it's the ending that can save you and that's why we celebrate

It's about the cross, It's about my sin
It's about how Jesus came to be born once so that we could be born again
It's about God's love nailed to a tree
It's about how every drop of blood that flowed
From Him when it should have been me
It's about the stone that was rolled away
So that you and I could have real life some day
It's about the cross

Go Fish (Snow) 2006

I love this song, it is one of my favorites that we all sing at the top of our lungs. What a great reminder of the complete Christmas story. We hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas surrounded by your family and friends, just as we did. It was another example of God's love being demonstrated to us.

Now the countdown begins. Exactly one month from today we will be in VA for our first day of training. Please continue to pray for this transition time in our lives, there is still so much to be done before we go. As excited as we are, it will be gut-wrenching also.

Our last day with The Church on the Road is this Sunday. I have no doubt that it will be an emotional one. We love them like family and have poured a lot of blood, sweat and tear into this experience. Thankfully, they have decide to continue on and Barry has lined up transitional teachers and set up a study for them to do by John Piper called "Don't Waste Your Life", if you've never read the book, I highly recommend it.

Well, everyone is up and around and they apparently think that they need food to start their day. I think that is my cue.

Enjoy the blessings in your life today!

Highlights (no, it's not about hair!)

Christmas Ballet Recital with Miss Olivia.
Campbell passed the Orange Belt test and broke her first board, watch out boys!!

Marshall and Hudson both passed their Purple Belt test with board breaks and sparring.


Campbell in sparring position!

Boomer Sooner! The boys had to get one last OU game in!

Campbell played a perfect "Joy to the World".

How did we ever live without them?

Just a few highlights of the month of December. God has been so good to us, we truly are blessed. I remember reading about a guy in the MasterLife Bible Study who wondered what would happen if one day you woke up and had only the things that you thanked God for, a lot of us would have no hair, teeth or limbs, etc. Can you imagine? It's a funny thought, but we hope you take the time to look at all God has blessed you with and remember to tell him "thank you".

Completion

As I write this, many long time activities of our family are reaching their completion. The final dance recital, the last belt testing in Karate, the last piano recital, last AWANA class, the last PE/homeschool group meeting, the last family Thanksgiving, the last Christmas in OK, and in three short weeks the final sermon for Barry as pastor of The Church on the Road. For most people the activities will resume in the beginning of next year, for us they will be dear memories as we move toward a different life, all exciting and scary at the same time! It is a new experience to wrap up one way of life to begin another.

Last week our church family did a character study on faithfulness as pertaining to Mary and Joseph. God truly used that study to cause me to go even deeper in my understanding of what faithfulness looks like. The unwavering acceptance of what God has called you to do even in the midst of all that can be misunderstood by others and not completely understood by you. Knowing that my faithfulness will be put to the test in a completely unfamiliar context, I look to the scriptures that say God is faithful to complete the good work he started in you. Completion. In a way completion is the beginning of something new, one thing ends another begins. Our new task is beginning.........

Welcome to Rimshots

RIMshots, tadut-dut-tsch! Our blog is officially open as we begin the countdown to our new life overseas in the Pacific Rim. Get it? When Barry suggested we use this for a title I didn't realize that it was the classic drummer's roll at the end of a punch line, I thought it might be a basketball term, who knew?

We were appointed to the Company on November 11th and it was a very special time for Barry and I, unfortunately the kids were not able to make it. God is so good and we really felt His hand on us during that time.

I hope to be able to post at least weekly, plus send out our monthly newsletter, to keep you all informed. We ask that you pray for us regularly as we pack and plan, both physically and spiritually, for this life change. There are items we will need to purchase, as well as learning there are items we can learn to live without. The kids have been great about all the down sizing which is a huge help.

We are essentially packing three times:

1.) We have to have all items that we will crate on a ship to the Rim packed and ready to go by January 2 so that it can.............sit in storage for a YEAR!! No, I didn't stutter and your ears didn't flutter! We can't receive it until we are permanently placed after our year of language school.

2.) We need to pack for eight blustery winter weeks of training in VA at "the farm".

3.) In April, we ditch all winter clothes accumulated for training, and have to be ready to pack one final time with the 12 ( that's TWELVE), 50 lb. trunks that we are allowed to take on the flight for our first year in the Pacific Rim. We will have a furnished home with all basic needs provided and we'll apparently learn to live simply! Can't take too much in 12 trunks! YIKES!

We really are so excited about what God is doing in our lives and can't wait to see what the future holds. He is our strength and we will be able to do all that he calls us to do as we learn to fully rely on him and not ourselves.

As I was sorting through toys to give or throw away Haddon asked if she could take both of her fairy wands, I said, "Honey you don't need two.", and she said, "But I want to share one with my island friends, they haven't seen one before!". Out of the mouth of babes, you can't argue with that, so two fairy wands it is!

PS-The clock tells what time and date it is in the Pacific Rim.