"In that home we knew we were safe. To be young enough to dream. Find the faith to believe. And in that home, love, it had no end. It's where we learned to forgive. In that home."

Those are some of the lyrics from a new Newsboys song called "n That Home. I was driving to my parent's home in South Park a couple weeks ago, listening to that song and tears rolled down my cheeks. During this time of year, I (Annice) tend to think back on my childhood and memories of going to my Pappy & Grandma Lily's home for the holidays. She would cook tons of food, enough to feed the entire neighborhood, and even made certain foods for certain people.

I remember driving up to their home in Homer City, PA every Thanksgiving. I would always ask, "How many traffic lights until we are there?" Finally, we would pass the smoke stacks and I knew we would be at their home in under 10 minutes. When we arrived, I would get out and rush into the house to see that my Grandfather had the Thanksgiving parade on and my Grandmother was in the kitchen working on our meal. I would get hugs and scratchy kisses from my Grandfather, whom hadn't shaved in a few days. My Grandmother would greet me with some sort of food to sample. In that home, there was love, a feeling of safety, happiness, and family. 

We would eat between lunch and dinner...always! I helped set tables, put out the food, make the salad dressing, cut bread, etc. I loved being my Grandmother's assistant every year. We would eat buffet style. It would never cease to amaze me the different people that showed up each year. My Grandmother, before retiring, worked at IUP's cafeteria and would invite students and co-workers, that didn't have family around, to join us for our Thanksgiving meal. After the meal, my Grandfather would begin washing the dishes with the help of some of us little ones or our parents.

Listening to the conversations, hearing the laughter and watching the smiles on people's faces made it all worth it for my Grandmother. In their home, I learned so many life lessons. Some of which I didn't realize until I sat down to write this blog post today. My Grandparent's marriage was an amazing example of marriage to me up until, and including, the day of my Grandfather's viewing. My Grandmother, to me, is a great example of a Proverbs 31 woman.

15 She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”   

"In that home we knew we were safe. To be young enough to dream. Find the faith to believe. And in that home, love, it had no end. It's where we learned to forgive. In that home."

To be continued.... 

Heavenly Father,
As we approach the coming holiday season, I ask that you comfort those who have lost loved ones and cause those precious memories, of those we lost, to come to the surface. Help us to acknowledge all that You have done for us in our lives...the things that we are thankful for, good or bad. Knowing that You are using those things to chisel us in to the masterpiece You have planned. Lord God, I love you and am so thankful for my health, family, friends, home, children...but most of all, for your Son, Christ Jesus, who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Sins that, at times, make us feel like we cannot go on any longer...that life and our loved ones would be better without us on this earth. Hold fast, my Sisters-in-Christ, Jesus Christ will return and rescue His Princesses from this fallen world.
In Christ's name, Amen

It's the most wonderful time of the year. 

The most wonderful time for stampedes at Walmart, Black Friday creeping into Thanksgiving Day, and gluttony, materialism, and overindulgence of all sorts.  The consumerism of America between Thanksgiving and Christmas makes me feel like those "most wonderful" days are bygone. 

Instead of Thanksgiving being about giving thanks to God and Christmas being about the birth of Jesus, Thanksgiving seems to be about shopping and Christmas about Santa bringing you gifts.  So spending money and getting stuff, sounds like awesome lessons to teach my kids! Not!  I don't know about you, but that isn't what I {Alayna} want my children to take away from" the most wonderful time of the year".  So how do we combat the focus on materialism, consumerism and getting lots of stuff??

I believe the cure to a greedy heart lies in giving and generosity.  When we teach our kids about giving to others, we are helping to grow a kind and generous heart, a heart that wants to help people in need, a heart that puts others first, a heart that is like God's heart. 

I mean, our God is the most generous giver there is, He gave His son!  So it should be no surprise that God has a lot to say about giving, and even about giving generously to the poor.  He says that you are to give to the poor freely, and "the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all you undertake" (Deuteronomy 15:10).  God says you will not be heard if you close your ears to the cry of the poor (Prov 21:13).  And when you honor Him with your wealth, He will fill your barns with plenty (Prov 3:9-10).  There are plenty more verses, but just from these few, we can see that God wants us to give, to give to the poor, and to give freely.  And when you do honor God by giving, He will listen to you and take care of your needs.  Whoa. 

So, you ask, how can I teach my kids about giving, specifically about giving to the poor, and about growing that generous heart that you are talking about??  Well, I'm so glad you asked!  

Our favorite way to teach our kids about giving is filling shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan's Purse.  Every year, during the third week of November, churches all over collect shoe boxes filled with toys, toiletries, games, stuffed animals, basic clothing items, and school supplies and deliver them to poor children around the world.  Since 1993, this amazing ministry has delivered over 100 MILLION boxes to children in 130 countries around the world.  Along with your shoe box of gifts, children are given a book with the Gospel in their own language.  So your shoebox sends the Gospel message directly to children all over the world.  I don't know how you feel about that, but I think it's awesomesauce. 

AND you're in luck, because it's not too late to pack a shoebox this year!!  Yesterday was the first day of collection week for Operation Christmas Child boxes, with collections ending next Monday, November 25.  You have one week to get to Target, Walmart, or the dollar store to buy items to fill a shoebox or two.  Then after you fill your shoebox, find a drop off location here, put $7 with your shoebox, and drop it off.  Don't think that you'll have time to get to Target or the Dollar Tree (which actually has some awesome stuff!)?  It's okay!  You can also build a shoebox online, with help from your kids!  So. Very.  Easy!  And look at the difference you can make in a child's life:  Sudanese boy joyfully shows off his shoebox. 

When we shop for items to include in the boxes, we teach our kids about the children in other countries that will receive their boxes of goodies.  We tell them about the kids in the world who don't get to eat every day, the kids who don't have shoes, and the kids who don't have fresh water to drink.  We tell them about kids who don't have a house, about kids who live in a tin shack.  We use a quarterly flier with pictures and stories from Food for the Poor (another awesome organization we love to donate to) to teach them about the ways that people around the world live.  You can find these stories online. 

We tell stories that are tough and sometimes sad, but we tell them on their level, and our purpose is two fold.  We want them to develop a heart for people who are poor and needy, and at the same time to know how blessed they are.  It may seem too sad or too hard to tell them, but I see my son's reactions and know that it's not.  He sees the need and it makes an impact on his heart and his mind.  He asks me to tell and retell the stories about the families that were in need, and I know it's shaping his heart to meet their needs if he can.  It's shaping his heart to give. 

And THAT is awesome.

So get a little bit out of your comfort zone, take your kids shoebox shopping, and teach them about giving to poor children through Operation Christmas Child!!  

So much floating around in my (Lindsey's) head lately. I have considered writing about walking through the fire knowing that God will be there, about perspective and taking action for those who are far less fortunate than we are, but I have realized that way too many of us are too focused on our brokenness to realize that these things are possible. We look at the great men and women of the bible and all we see is their greatness. The things they have accomplished for the Lord. We often remember the parting of the sea, defeating of Goliath, and the saving of an entire nation by just one young girl willing to speak to the king without being spoken to first. We, however, are quick to forget how Moses murdered a man, how he was a horrible public speaker, and how he begged God to pick someone else until God finally compromised and let Aaron be Moses' voice. We overlook David's lust and multiple concubines, his refusal to lead his men into war, his acts of adultery and murder that led him far from God's heart. We also forget that Ester was a no body, she was timid and fearful, but through her Uncle's guidance and the urging of God's voice, she was able to do what no one else could have done for her people.

I love, love, love the song We Are the Broken by Matthew West, lyrics are as follows:

Most my life I've been doing my best to
Try and hide anything less than perfect
I covered up all my scars
I gotta make them think I've got it together
Make believe nobody ever has to see
What I keep in the dark
Truth is, I was wrong
That's the part that you have wanted all along
We are, we are, we are the broken
But we are, we are, we are the chosen
So come on shine, shine, shine
Your beautiful light
Through the cracks inside our hearts tonight
‘Cause we are, we are, we are the broken
Coast is clear we got nothing to hide
All are welcome here
Step into the light
Where there's no more fear
Can you hear the freedom song our souls are singing
Come just as you are
Take those walls around you and tear ‘em all apart
We are the weak, the wrong, the too far gone
We are the outcasts, yeah, but today we belong
We are the lost, the found, the been knocked down
But we got back up and now we are the city on a hill
Is filled with stained glass hearts, but we come as we are
We come as we are
And we shine like stars, shine like stars
We come as we are and we shine like stars

We are broken, just as each of the Bible heroes we look to was broken, yet we have been chosen. I urge you to go Matthew West's Web page and read the story that inspired this song. While Rusty's story may be very different from mine or yours, his brokenness is the same. He has a past full of sin, a past that seemed insurmountable at times, one that may have caused him to think I cannot be used. Just like Rusty though, it is time for us to start living like the chosen children of God that we are. It is time for us to stand up and take action, and it is time for us to quit hiding behind the belief that we are too broken to be used. I love the verse that was quoted on the web page, 1 Timothy 1:15-16, " "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life."

"We are the weak, the wrong, the too far gone. The outcasts, yeah, but today we belong. We are the lost, the found, the been knocked down, but we got back up and now we are the city on a hill."

We have been found, we have been chosen. Now its time we start living like that city on a hill, the salt of the earth. Its time we reach more of God's chosen with our stories of broken hearts and lives made new. It is time to get real and to quit hiding the less than perfect parts of our hearts as if God does not already see and know them. He wants them. He wants you, all of you. He wants to use you if only you will let him.

Here I {Mandy} sit on Friday. Realizing it's "my turn" to post and I am speechless.

I want t o come to you with something meaty and pithy and poignant.

I want to offer you a little gem to tuck away.

I'd like to clickety-clack pearls of wisdom that will make you nod your head, put your hand to your chest and lip "profound".

But alas...here I sit in all my broken emptiness, devoid of anything really good of my own merits.

I know that whatever it is I wish to offer you isn't for your benefit or to glorify God. Not really.

I got nothin'.

Any wisdom that may grace your screen would be in spite of and despite me.

And it's in these kinds of moments that it is driven home--once again--that I have absolutely nothing to offer to the world. Nothing.

And I am reminded that it is not in my strength that I do anything good. It is in God's.

It's humbling.

But...lest I have a pity party and sit in misery, I am reminded that it is people like me that God chose to use time and again throughout history to make a profound difference.

If you look closely at the men and women throughout history and in the Bible who are considered the "men of renown" or after God's own heart, you'll often find some less-than-stellar characters. Some were outcasts, uneducated, rough around the edges.

All of them had colorful pasts and many came from backgrounds that don't typify being a disciple to the Savior of the world.

And the neat thing is...God still works in that same way. He chooses ordinary men and women every day to do extraordinary things. And while it may be counter-intuitive that God doesn't look for those who are qualified, it makes perfect sense when you remember the real reason we all serve. We serve to glorify the One true King. What better way to serve Him and to demonstrate His power and might than to let others see Him work through us in all of our brokenness and less than imperfection?

And the only true joy I can have is when my words or actions point others to Him and away from myself. After all, if anyone looks too closely at me, they'll see the decoupage that is my life: the shattered pieces being held together by God's Modge Podge. :)

So if you are feeling today like God could never use you to bring glory to Himself or to help another...know that could not be further from the truth. We all have life experiences and talents given to us by God Himself to help us grow but also to act as a testimony for others.

"But what about the time I [insert overtly anti-Christian action here]??"

No, God doesn't lure us into sinful activity so that we can later add that experience to our testimony. We choose to do the things that are displeasing to God.

BUT...

God is the One who works it all out and brings us back to Himself through grace and forgiveness. And that's when we can share our story with someone else and [hopefully] aid them in their journey toward forgiveness and restoration.

And it is because of our imperfections that God's perfection shines through. If we had it all together (and NO ONE does. NOT even that woman at the PTA meeting who wears Prada in size 2, has perfect nails and never a hair out of place and her children are perfect angels with nary a snot face or lunch dripping and crusty on their shirts...) God's perfection would blend into the background. But when He uses us...the less than crowd...those struggling to keep it together and failing miserably every day, but still trying to get this thing called "Christianity" right...His glory is what others see.

And you know what...that "perfect mom" at the PTA meeting...she may look like she has it all together, but inside she may be one slippery strand away from falling apart.

So let's take what we have, all that we have to offer, and give it up to Him to use as He will. Let's stop looking for ways to meet our significance, and instead focus on ways to bring Him glory. In the end, the really, really neat thing about God, is that He is so faithful and gracious and fills us up 100 fold. And the more we serve Him, the less we'll feel the need to seek out fulfillment.

I pray for each and every one of you to find your significance in Him. Whatever talents He has given you, I pray that you will use them to serve Him. I also pray that you realize He has given you talents and a purpose. He has a plan for you, and in the words of the Casting Crowns song In Me: 

How refreshing to know You don't need me
How amazing to find that you want me

He wants you.

Please take a moment to read through the rest of the lyrics of this song. It's such a beautiful story of how God uses each one of us and allows us the joy of serving Him. 

In Me

If you ask me to leap
Out of my boat on the crashing waves
If You ask me to go
Preach to the lost world that Jesus saves

I'll go, but I cannot go alone
Cause I know I'm nothing on my own
But the power of Christ in me makes me strong
Makes me strong

Cause when I'm weak, You make me strong
When I'm blind, You shine Your light on me
Cause I'll never get by living on my own ability
How refreshing to know You don't need me
How amazing to find that you want me
So I'll stand on Your truth, and I'll fight with Your strength
Until You bring the victory, by the power of Christ in me

If You ask me to run
And carry Your light into foreign land
If You ask me to fight
Deliver Your people from Satan's hand

To reach out with Your hands
To learn through Your eyes
To love with the love of a savior
To feel with Your heart
And to think with Your mind
I'd give my last breath for Your glory

In my [Ginny's] kitchen, we have a sign that we posted while we were in the midst of the long process of adoption.  It says simply, "God's Timing Is Perfect."  I have smiled at that sign, cried in its direction, and screamed angrily at it over the years.  Yet, it remained in that spot the entire time we lived in that house, and it is one of the first things we put up when we moved to our new home. Its message was as true then as it is now. 

My husband and I are planners.  It is almost embarrassing how much we try to plan our lives.  We have joint calendars on our phones, spreadsheets mapping out our finances, a weekly meal planning chart in our kitchen, and we love to talk about our future.

We did this quite often before we got married.  In fact, we were naïve enough to think that we could plan our entire married life from the moment we said "I do" until we passed away together in our sleep!  We had this brilliant five year plan for the first years of our marriage.  We would both build our careers, travel, and then right around our fifth year, we would get pregnant.  First, we would have a boy and then a girl (yes, somehow we thought we could actually plan THAT!).  After having our kids, I would continue my successful career.  And that was the way things would go.

I truly believe that God sits up in Heaven and just shakes His head and grins while we humans try to map out what WE think is best for us.  I can just hear Him now saying, "Oh, my children, if only you knew the plans I actually have for you...plans that far exceed anything you could possibly dream.  Just you wait!"

For awhile, God let us go along with our merry plans.  We married and traveled all over the place including an incredible trip to Thailand and Cambodia. 

Then all of our plans fell apart.

Early on, we discovered I had a medical condition that I could pass along to my children if we had them naturally.  The specialist we went to advised me against having children.

DEVASTATION.

HORROR.

DEPRESSION.

I cried out horrible things in those days to God.  My perfectly planned life was no longer perfect.  I was flawed.  I wasn't holding up my end of the plan.  In fact, the plan was shattering before my very eyes. 

What I didn't realize was that God's perfect plan was moving along just as He had planned.  My perfect plan was just that...MY plan.  I had forgotten to include God in the planning.

We began to look into adoption, and we sent away for information packets.  Our hearts started to open to these children who desperately needed families.  We learned about the millions of orphans in our world and how only thousands were adopted each year.  We began to understand that this was the direction we needed to head.

During that same time, we made an appointment with another specialist.  He told us that we indeed could have children as long as we took precautions.  What should have been an incredibly happy moment instead left me feeling confused.  I sat there on the table and forced myself to smile, but inside, I was feeling strangely upset.

On the quiet ride home, I prayed for God's direction.  I prayed He would give us a sign so that we could know His plan and what we should do.  When we arrived home, I got the mail, and I nearly cried out when I saw what was in the pile - a giant packet from one of the adoption agencies! 

After that, God continued to confirm His calling.  He lead us to a specific adoption agency, and after some changes, to Colombia as our country of choice.  Even though we were planning to adopt just one child at a time, we still felt an urging to fill out all of the paperwork for two children.  We now know that was God's urging.

The wait for children in Colombia is incredibly long.  In fact, now it is even longer for families, so I hesitate to complain.  What people may not understand is how hard waiting is for adoptive families.  I sat through several Mother's Day services at church that left me in tears, watched as family and friends had child after child, and did my best to hold it together during the baby showers I attended.  I seriously wonder how I have any tears left now that I look back at that time! 

During that difficult time, several people asked us if we were interested in specific cases locally.  In our desire to have children sooner than later in our home, we expressed our interest.  Yet three times, things fell through.  And each time left us devastated and feeling like we wanted to give up.  We cried out to God asking Him why Why WHY?!?!

During that entire time, His planned still remained constant.  He knew the children He wanted us to have, and He allowed those other experiences, I believe, to help us gain more of an understanding of the direction He wanted us to go. 

Through all of this, we learned that we had a desire to adopt siblings.  After the desire had grown for some time, we called our adoption agency and told them of the change we wanted to make.  They told us that to make that change could mean several more years of waiting.  However, sometimes rare cases come along that would be out of the norm, and we were next on the call list in case that happened.

We took a deep breath and decided that we would be patient for whatever God wanted for us.  It was time that we started to accept that He was in control, and we needed to stop trying to control everything.

Less than two months later, God revealed His great plan.  We got the call for two little ones.  Several months later, we met our beautiful little girls for the first time.  As I held them, I was so grateful that God's plan is greater than our own because I couldn't imagine holding any other child and calling them my own.  God's timing and His plan for our family is indeed perfect.

I have learned through all of this that although it isn't wrong to make plans, we need to make them with the understanding that we need to be open to surprises and changes that God brings. 

We need to write our plans in pencil and give God the pen.