INTERRUPTIONS!

I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel left her. Luke 1:38

This time of the year the word plans take on a whole new meaning! Most of us have a book full of plans! I plan to decorate my house from top to bottom with glitter and glow and all that says Christmas! I plan to search through cook books to pull out favorite Christmas recipes that scream tradition! I have dates jotted down for traditional Christmas parties that make Christmas...Christmas! I have not allowed or planned for interruptions! Have you?

How do I handle interruptions? Even small interruptions can send me, asking "why?". Why me Lord, I didn't plan on this? This is too hard, I did not see this coming, Lord! Lord, did you not bother to look at my daily planner before you sent this interruption into my life? When I think of how I handle interruptions, I am afraid "gracefully" doesn't always come to mind! Drama Queen maybe!

As I read the account of Mary I can imagine that she had not planned on interruptions either. In fact, this very young bride to be, maybe as young as twelve, had her life planned out for her. Her father would have planned who she would marry and when, she would marry Joseph the carpenter, who she was already legally bound to. She would know where she would live, and would have known her primary role in life would be to have children, heirs for her husband. Everything was planned for Mary except the visit from an angel announcing that she, a virgin, had been chosen to be the mother of God's only Son, Jesus! The Messiah!

Oh, to have the courage of Mary as she stood looking into the face of God's will, understanding the magnitude of what He was asking and saying "I am the Lord's servant, may your word to me be fulfilled!" No wonder the angel Gabriel called her highly favored by God!

Lord, help me, even in the chaos of this season, stop and remember Mary who sought only to do God's will. Even as I pack up the lights, glitter and bows may I go into the coming year with the same courage and trust as Mary, the brave mother of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. May I remember that I am His servant and may I be willing to be used even if "my" plans are interrupted!

THEMES!

Way back in July, I was thinking of Christmas! I even saw an ad in the paper that says "Christmas in July"! Marketers had already began and would continue on until after Christmas, taking advantage of our love of this beloved Holiday! I went to a garage sale one hot summer day in July and found a cute little sleigh to add to my "much too big" collection of Christmas decorations. The lady that sold me these things was much like me at Christmas time......... Crazy! We compared our decorating strategies and what "themes" we decorated in. I shared what themes adorned each room and she proudly explained that even her bathroom had a theme! Most of you might think that bathrooms already have a THEME but to us "crazy at Christmas time" people this is yet another opportunity to let our imaginations go wild!

I have a "cabin" type theme, I have a red and white theme and on our 12ft tree is a "whatever is kind of elegant" theme! I have 3 or 4 trees that are waiting but for now they are "whatever is left over" themes. My eyes sparkle like a child when I go to my favorite store (Hobby Lobby) and see all the ornaments with different themes and I am sure if I had a $1000 I could spend it easily in an hour! Luckily or maybe unluckily, my husband watches me very carefully at Christmas time! Let me just say I refuse to wear any sort of tracking device!

This makes me think about, what would happen if the whole month of December had a black out. No electricity for the millions of lights that are normally displayed, no reflection to twinkle off of the glittery bulbs, no way to make Christmas goodies, no way to shop for our favorite gift items not even lighting in our churches what then could be our THEME? To most of you that would be a "no duh" of course it would be the birth of Jesus but I (Mrs Crazy at Christmas) needed that reminder as I head into my favorite time of the year. I pray this Advent season reminds me not only of the Babe in the manger but of my precious Savior who died on the cross, ascended into heaven, and will return and take me to a place He has prepared! May my "THEME" be HIM!

Hmmmmm? What theme could I put in my bathroom?

Sent from Jeanie!

Since You Have Never Been This Way Before!

Joshua giving orders to the people: "When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. (Joshua 3:3, 4 NIV)

We have been here in NY state for going on 2 weeks and still have to depend on someone giving us instructions on how to get from place to place. Go straight, turn left at the stop sign or hang a right just past the brick house come from the back seat as they lead us. The only problem, it seems we never go the same way twice! Even as we plug in an address to the annoying little box on the dash of our car we are totally dependent on it because we have never been that way before.

As we read in the bible, the Israelites, under Joshua's leadership, had to follow after God to know which way to go, they had to move out of the norm and the familiar into trusting Him for guidance. Then they would know which way to go since they had never been there before.

We are blessed to be able to spend time with our new grandson, Kellan Daniel and his mom and dad. I see all the signs in their eyes of "I love this but surely we have not been this way before"! As much as they had planned, it is all new! They knew they would love him but was not prepared for the depth of love that overtook them at his first cry. Truly they had not been this way before! The sleepless nights, listening for his every move, the worrying if he is being nourished enough to grow healthy and strong all because they have not been this way before! Their hearts broke at his first scream of pain as he received his first shot. Oh, if they could have spared him they would have gladly taken the pain themselves! You see, they had not been this way before!

For now this little guy who has captured their heart lies quietly in the crib next to their bed, but one day they will listen for him to come home at night and breathe a sigh of relief when his bedroom door closes, only then will they sleep. Many times they will seek the Lord to know which way to go. Which way shall we lead him, which way will point him to you God? They will call on the Lord, who knows.... they have never been this way before. They will carry God with them, share their faith and ask God to nourish his young heart and pray for wisdom since they have not been this way before. They will step out in faith, carrying the covenant of God before him, praying it will show him the way. They will watch as he takes a bride, has his own home and as the circle continues he will listen in the dark to the soft breathing and occasional coo of his newborn and realize that he needs the strong hand of his heavenly father to show him which way to go since he has never been this way before!

Who is the crazy one?

The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. (Joshua 3:17 NIV)

The whole world is crazy accept me and you and I sometimes worry about you! Ever said that? I have said that a time or two trying to be funny but sometimes and especially of late I am amazed at the "craziness" of this world! It seems God's people and our beliefs are under attack at every turn. You need only to turn on the TV to know that this is true.

Throughout my husbands 43 years of working at the railroad he can recall times he was ridiculed and made fun of for following the Lord! Though Larry never pushed his beliefs down anybodies throat, as they say, most people knew where he stood and through the years, he was respected for his beliefs. He stood his ground not only by what he said but by the way he lived, though not a perfect man, a man dedicated to the Lord. I remember a time Larry gathered a box of Bibles and took them to work with him. Whenever someone came to him with questions about the Bible he would offer one of the bibles for them to read. Most would decline his offer, not wanting anyone to see them carry one out of Larry's welding booth. It wasn't long though until the large stack of bibles disappeared one at a time as men sought truth from them, even if only secretly.

I thought of this today as I read in Joshua. Joshua tells the people "come here and listen to what the lord says"! That would certainly pique my attention! He then chose twelve leaders to carry the Ark of the Lord into the Jordan River and as they stepped into the river, the Lord would stop the river and a great wall of water would form that they might stand there on dry land. This was so the people would know which way to go. The people of Joshua's time did follow the truth because of a few who were willing to trust God and step into the water.

Because men who worked with Larry always knew where he stood they knew where to find him! They could find him holding on to the Lord's word on dry land. It didn't matter that a huge wall of water was at his back still he stood firm. Praise the Lord that no matter where we find ourselves in this crazy world, we can always find truth in following Him.

Go ahead and say it! Everyone is crazy but me and you and you're not so sure about me, right!?

Sent from Jeanie!

"The God Who Sees!"

Jenna hugging Ruby the miniture donkey, since she could not get the attention of El Roi!

El Roi....She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seent the One who sees me.

Genesis 16:13

As I opened the back door at my daughter's house, I felt a little hand slip into mine. It was the hand of my granddaughter, Jenna. She was ready for an adventure outside, but since it had just rained we stood on the porch. I laughed as she tried to poke her little head through the slats of the porch, she had one goal in mind. She had spotted my daughters horse, feeding on the straw, left for him, next to the barn. Jenna had already been out helping aunt Mendy early in the day and knew to call him to get him to come to her! With a shout that sent the birds fluttering from the trees, and dogs to howling, this pint sized 2 year old summoned, by name, this very preoccupied horse! El Roi, she screeched again and again, straining so much the veins in her neck stood out! I laughed until I cried at her persistence! I seen El Roi's ears perk just momentarily, but because Jenna was too small and far away, he promptly returned to his munching!

This horse's name El Roi, is a biblical word that means "the God who sees" and was chosen because of the truth of it's meaning! Hagar in the bible was the first one to call God by that name and if you read her story in Genesis you will see her need to be seen. Have you ever felt unseen? Most of us feel unseen from time to time. Not abused, or deliberately hurt but rather just unnoticed. Have you ever been to a big gathering and felt a need to pinch yourself to see if maybe you had died because you felt invisible? To some this would seem impossible but I think that, more than we know, there are those whose hearts scream for recognition but no one sees! I am so glad that we have a God who sees and hears! He is never too busy taking care of His own needs that your pleading falls on deaf ears. I am especially glad that we are never too far away or too small that our voices cannot be heard by El Roi THE GOD WHO SEES!

Oh, I can't wait to hold that little hand again even if the little mouth that goes with it could shake heaven and earth! The God who hears, knew what a blessing grandkids can be and we, as grandparents could never feel unnoticed or unseen when the hand of one so dear slips into ours! Thank you Lord you are AMAZING!

"Tho' Autumn's Coming On"!

I recently watched an old video that made me laugh, cry and wonder where the years had gone. I watched as two people celebrated their 25^th anniversary. I could hardly believe it as I watched, it was Larry and I seventeen years ago today. I was much thinner and Larry had more hair! Allison was just an infant barely a month old and Caleb a cute little toddler chasing after the big boys, Nick and Garrick 8 and 5! I laughed as our son-in-law Shane, narrated the event in typical Shane humor! Even my daughters who I never see as anything but young looked even younger. I cried to see how young we both looked with our arms entwined taking a drink of punch like newlyweds do. As we were asked to tell stories on one another, Larry told a few of his favorites! The one he always tells is the one about me losing my wig at a wedding and I told how he reacted when the girls wrecked his car and spray painted it to cover the crime. A game of “The Newly Wed” revealed that even back then we knew the right answers and new each other pretty well. As we got serious for a moment I read the words of a song by Stuart Hamblin written for his wife of 50 years. I have always loved it because it so reflects how I feel about my sweet Larry who I have been married to for 42 years today.

Tho’ Autumn’s Coming On

Through changing seasons we’ve shared life’s little day.

Still in love tho’ Autumn’s coming on.

It seems unreal our souvenirs still look so new.

We reminisce and must confess that this is true.

We sang lullabies to babies cries in the springtime.

Oh, how the time seemed to fly.

We had scarcely put the crib away when like magic

We looked up the aisle and beheld a lovely bride.

We waved goodbye as one by one they joined life’s parade.

Then at a bugle call, he stood proud and tall and there went our baby.

Though seasons change, hand in hand we’ll travel on.

Still in love tho’ Autumn’s coming on!

I would have found it hard to think I could love this man more than I did that day, but I do! He makes me laugh with his corny jokes, he makes me cry when his eyes fill with tears in a tender moment as he has many now days. We have loved our kids, grandkids and old dogs together! Sons in law have become sons, grandkids have grown to young adults and still the miracle of a new baby could happen at any moment. He has been my great joy, my best friend and the love of my life! I praise our wonderful Lord for the beautiful years we have had together! I love you, Larry Nihiser, Happy Anniversary!

Waiting for Kellan!

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11



Waiting, waiting, waiting! It seems I have spent my whole life waiting for babies to be born! My waiting for several years, now, has been without swollen ankles, constant heartburn or stretch marks (well, maybe a few) but the waiting is just the same. We are waiting for Kellan Daniel our new grandson to be born any minute now. Instead of Larry and I waiting to bring another child into our home we are waiting to bring another child into our hearts. My daughter Mendy and my her husband, Dan are waiting to bring their first child into their home as well as their hearts!

With technology, we learned quite awhile ago that they were having a son. With technology, we know approximately how much he weighs. With technology we even know he has a lot of hair! Amazing!

But with God the bible tells us, little Kellan is already known by his heavenly Father.

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place,when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. (Psalm 139:15 NIV)

With God, the bible tells us that He is the creator of everything, including our yet to be born Kellan Daniel. Should we not rejoice at His greatness?

With God, who measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked of the heavens, who held the dust of the earth in a basket or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance. He already knows his weight, his height and even DNA. He knows if he will be an animal lover like his mom or be a whiz at math like his Dad.

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,or weighed the mountains on the scalesand the hills in a balance? (Isaiah 40:12 NIV)

With God, the bible says he even knows how many hairs he has on his head! He knows his IQ, his athletic ability and bent toward the savior!

With God we know, Jesus said, that we all should be like him, we should believe as a little child! He tells us that even a sparrow cannot fall to the ground that he is not aware, then he reminds how much more important his children are to Him!

As for me I can't wait to hold this little guy in my arms and kiss his sweet face and marvel again at the miracle of life.

But our heavenly Father has already kissed his sweet face as he already knows him and even declares: I know the plans I have for you........Kellan Daniel!

Sent from Jeanie!