A time to dance...

 

 

Sometimes, it just happens.  You get a rare opportunity to let your hair down and just dance.  You know... All out dance and let it go and be silly and crazy.  Tonight, I was blessed to be able to do that with Carter and Emma.  We were getting ready for my bible study girls to come over for a Christmas get together, and one of our favorite songs (Shakina Glory) came on.  As if on cue, Carter, Emma and I just started to dance.  Laughing and giggling and praising God and dancing. 

 

Tonight will be one of those nights I will remember forever.  Emma kept turning the radio up and was just squealing.  We let loose and it was like heavven on Earth. 

 

And then it hit me.  I was with the kids and watching them and just so full of joy.  And God in heaven was watching us in even more joy as we praised him.  Even now, that is hard for me to imagine!  And if we can not only experience that joy, but create that joy for God by just praising him... why don't we do it more often??? 

 

Before I knew it, our song was over, the radio turned down, and I went back to cutting cheese and singing quietly to the kids.  But... I was changed.  Who knows for how long, but changed all the same.  I caught a glimpse of the joy God has when we worship him with reckless abandon. 

 

So.. that is my prayer for you as we get a day closer to Christmas.  That you might find a time to dance.  To release the inhibitions and just full heartedly worship God.  However that might look for you, I pray that it blesses you with a new awareness of Him, just as it has me!

 

Psalm 13:6 - I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me.

Christmas... It's about the cross.



So... I have a big passion for sharing ways to keep Christ in Christmas. So many times the holidays get hectic and we're so wrapped up in the great activities (I mean that in the kindest way possible... They are really great events...) that we don't take time to slow down... to be still... and to know that He is God. Really. Stop and think about it. When in the last month have you been still and just listened for his voice. (Especially without that nagging voice checking off things to get done!)


As we close in on Christmas, I'm want to share a youtube link with you. This is a great song, that reminds us of our eternal life! Blessings to you and your family as we make final preparations for the arrival of our "king."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tNyKzIABfk

Resurrection... Rolls.

So... I recently joined a blog site called "She cooks" (http://www.shecooks.org/)  from LeAnn Rice at Proverbs 31.  Today on her post she had ideas for Christmas morning breakfast.  This is a receipe that I made for my family recently, but didn't know they were called this. 

I'm so excited for the Christmas season, but one of my passions is helping my kids (and some adults) learn to really celebrate why we have Christmas and that it is more than head knowledge, but becomes heart felt.  This is just another small tradition that we can share to help us remember...

He came as a baby, with a virgin birth.  That moment, a miracle.
However, an annointed baby - awesome, but a risen savior, now that's what it's about. 
He died on the cross for us...  again, what a price to pay. 
But.... the real reason, the real gift, the real everything...
Defeating satan and rising from the dead, so that we have ETERNAL life... 
That our sins and yuck could be forgiven
And we could one day join Him in His perfection. 


LeAnn’s Favorite Christmas Breakfast Idea


It may sound odd but I always make Resurrection Rolls for our Christmas breakfast. (I make them for Easter, too.) To me, on Christmas we celebrate the gift of Hope. Hope came to us wrapped in swaddling cloth. But He was born to die. Jesus died so that we may truly live. I remember this ultimate gift and ultimate sacrifice by making Resurrection Rolls for Christmas each year. They are easy to make and they provide a great opportunity to share the story of His resurrection with others. Here’s the recipe:

Resurrection Rolls

1 container large crescent roll dough (not the regular size – they won’t work)
½ stick butter, melted
8 large marshmallows
Cinnamon sugar mixture (purchase the mix or combine 1 teaspoon cinnamon for every tablespoon of sugar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Separate the dough triangles. (This represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in.)
Take a marshmallow. (This represents Jesus.)
Dip the marshmallow in melted butter and roll to coat. (This represents the oils of embalming.)
Dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and coat evenly. (This represents the spices used to anoint His body.)
Wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll to seal the marshmallow inside. (This represents the wrapping of Jesus’ body after death.)
Place on a cookie sheet and place in the preheated oven for the length of time indicated on the crescent roll package. (The oven represents the tomb.)

When the rolls have cooked and cooled slightly, bite into the rolls and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN! (The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty!)

These rolls are not only a delicious Christmas breakfast, they are another opportunity to give praise and thanks for the ultimate Christmas present. Serve them with some fresh fruit and hot chocolate.