Abolishing Christmas

So much has been made in recent years of Nativity Scenes, Christmas Trees, celebrations, caroling and the like being an offense to those who don't believe.  While we are to tolerate their beliefs, there is no tolerance for ours.

Everyone is entitled to their beliefs.  That is what is so wonderful about this great country that we live in, the diversity.  But nowadays diversity doesn't apply to Christian beliefs.  We are expected to keep our beliefs to ourselves, separate from the world around us.  We are to maintain a "wall of separation" between church and state.  That phrase by the way does not appear in the Constitution even once.  Our forefathers  intended that we were to have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.  They didn't want the government to impose a religion on anyone, but for individuals to have the freedom to worship as they saw fit.

In years past this censoring of all things Christmas upset me to my core. And it still does but not to the same extent.  People can try to take away every Nativity, Christmas light, decoration and every last vestige of Christmas.  It will not change the fact that Jesus, the Savior of the world, was born in Bethlehem, a tiny helpless baby born of a virgin peasant girl.

The Word became flesh; God in human form, came to save the world.  My belief or your unbelief does not change Him one bit. He is Who He says He is.  People can try to wipe out every last trace of Jesus but He will still exist.  Some things are true whether you believe in them or not.  And there is only one Truth.

Merry Christmas!

30 Days of Thankful - Day 30

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful that God has brought to mind so many blessings that I have to be thankful for.  I tend to take my blessings for granted but I want to live each day intentionally thankful.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 29

In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for snow!  It didn't stick, didn't last long, but while it was falling it was absolutely beautiful.  Thankful that we get to experience  God's awesome creation.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 28

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for the posts that I see on Facebook that build each other up.  Thankful for people that care about others.  

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 27

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am again  thankful for  the gift of family and time spent together this Thanksgiving Holiday.  I am so blessed.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 26

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for Alexis and for God bringing her into my son's life.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 25

In every thing give thanks:  for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Thanksgiving lunch at my parents' home

Today I am thankful for time spent with family as we came together for Thanksgiving lunch and dinner.  We always have way to much food, lots of laughter and wonderful memories.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 24

In every thing give thanks:  for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today is Thanksgiving and I am thankful that I get to spend time and have lunch with my children, my parents and my mother's brother and sister and her family.  Then we will have dinner with my husband's family.  I am thankful for the gift of family and for two meals.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 23

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for running water. I have hot water to bathe in and clean water to drink.  I take so many blessings for granted.  There are so many that don't have clean water to drink or to bathe in.  Open my eyes Father, to the needs around me.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 22

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for the gift of a new little life!  Welcome to the world Jonah Samuel Jenkins!  He made his debut at 7:56 a.m. weighing in at 9 lbs. 11 ozs.  and is 20 inches long!   Such a miracle.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 21

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Today I am thankful for my Uncle Benny.   Benny was stricken with polio as a child which left him with some physical disabilities.  But through his adversity his love of the Lord has been evident in his life since my first memory of him.  He has been one of the greatest examples of what it means to be a Christian and has influenced so many people in his path.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 20

In every thing give thanks:  for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful that my baby boy is home for the week of Thanksgiving!  He goes to school 5 hours away from home so we don't get to see him as often as we'd like.  We are so glad he is home.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 19

In every thing give thanks:  for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for my father, who turns 79 today.  He has a wonderful sense of humor and our home was always full of laughter.  He is a wonderful father, who taught us by example that we have an obligation to help anyone in need.  He served our country in the Air Force for 21 years and taught us that freedom is never free.  He disciplined us when we needed it, but always in love.  I am thankful and grateful for the his godly examples on earth that pointed to our Heavenly Father.

Happy Birthday Daddy.  I love you.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 18

In every thing give thanks:  for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am just thankful.  I am overwhelmed at the goodness of God.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 17

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for my little town.   I am blessed to live in an area that is one of the most beautiful places on earth!

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 16

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for good friends.  They laugh with me, cry with me and hold me accountable.  I am also thankful for those friends that I may not know that well or in person, and those that I have reconnected with through blogs or Facebook.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 15

In every thing give thanks:  for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for a warm, dry house, food when I am hungry and clothing to keep me warm.  Lord, please open my eyes to those around me that may not have food or shelter.  Help me to be Your hands and feet.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 14

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18


Today I am thankful for the rain and for the nourishment it provides the earth.  I have also learned to be thankful for the rain and storms in my life.  Without them I could never appreciate the Sun.  Or the rainbows.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 13

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

This past weekend I met my four sisters-in-law, mother-in-law and our daughters at the Mall of Georgia for our annual girls weekend. We all live about an hour and a half from there, so it is a great place to meet.  I am thankful for these ladies, (which was my thankful for day 12)  but as I drove to and from, I realized how I take transportation and my travel  for granted.

Today I am thankful that we live in a country where we have freedom to travel as we wish, without having to show "papers" or stop at armed checkpoints, and good highway systems and vehicles to get us where we are going. We can travel from city to city and state to state with no hassles.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 12

In every thing give thanks:  for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
I Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am thankful for my four sisters-in-law, mother-in-law and nieces.   We are on our annual girl's weekend  and as usual we are having crazy fun.  Our oldest niece has been with us from the beginning and this year all the newly married daughter's and daughters-in-law have joined us in the craziness!  Thankful for girl time!

Me and my sisters-in-law

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 11

In every thing give thanks:  for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today I am so thankful for those men and women who serve our country in the armed forces, and for those that served in the past.   They are underpaid and taken for granted.  Those in the field sometimes go without food, shelter and comfort to get the job done. They sacrifice time with their family to go to places that you and I will probably never see, all in the name of freedom.  They are the watchmen on the walls, sometimes giving the ultimate sacrifice of their very lives for my freedom.  I will forever be in their debt.

Somehow, thank you just doesn't seem an adequate expression.  But thank you to my sister who is still active duty Air Force.  And to my father who is retired Air Force.  Both served in harms way.  And thanks to all of you who served past and present.  You are the true heroes.



What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 10

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

I Thessalonians 5:18


Today I am thankful that God is a God of second chances.  I am thankful that even though I was the worst of sinners rebelling and running from Him, He never gave up on me.  He picked me up, dusted me off and set me on my feet again!

I am eternally thankful that there is absolutely nothing that I can do that will make Him love me less, and there is nothing that I have done that is so terrible that He will not forgive.

I am thankful that when I confess my sin, He puts them behind his back (Isaiah 38:17), treads them underfoot and hurls them into the depths of the sea! (Micah 7: 19)

I am so thankful that we get a daily do-over.  Or sometimes in my case, even an hourly do-over! His mercies are new every morning! (Lam. 3:22-23)


What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 9

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

Today, I am thankful for God's Word and for a weekly women's Bible Study that I have been a part of for the past eleven years.  This is a diverse group of women of different ages and at different stages in their lives.

His Word is Truth and I am so thankful that I can dig into it with this group of ladies.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 8

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)


Today I am thankful for seasons.  I am fortunate to live in a region that experiences 4 distinct seasons every year.  My favorite season of all is Fall.  And may I just say that God has really been showing off this year?  It has been one of the most beautiful that I can remember.  The leaves have had spectacular colors; reds and golds that absolutely make me so happy.  I love watching the leaves fall and carpet the ground with their beauty.


The older I get I am also thankful for the seasons that God allows in my life.   Some of them have been hard but each one is for my benefit, even if I can't see it at the time.

October, 2011

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 7

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)




Today I am thankful for my health.   After a nearly two year battle trying to figure out what was wrong, I am thankful to God that He  has restored my health.  Being reasonably healthy most of my life, it is something that I took for granted.  But after my illness, that is a mistake that I will never make again.  Thank you Lord.


What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 6

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)



Today I am thankful for my daughter's in-laws.  I began praying for my children's spouses when they were very little.  I prayed that God would bring them a godly mate that loved the Lord even more than they loved my child. And I also prayed that their in-laws would love them like they were their own.  God answered that prayer for my daughter.  She is blessed with a wonderful family of in-laws.  They love her like she is a daughter and she loves them.  I couldn't have hand-picked anyone better.  Thank you God for the blessing of the precious Jenkins family.

The Jenkins family

30 Days of Thankful - Day 5

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

Today I am thankful for my sister.   I am so blessed to have her as a sister and a friend.  I am thankful for her love and support.  She has an awesome sense of humor and can make me laugh like no one else.   I miss her and can't wait until she retires and moves closer to me!  I am thankful for her husband Bob, my favorite brother-in-law, and her stepsons Kirk and Connor.

Sharon and Bob

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 4

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)


Today I am thankful for my wonderful parents.  I am thankful that they love the Lord and brought us up in church.  They have been married for over 50 years and are a great example of what a covenant marriage should be.   I love you Mom and Dad.  Thank you for everything you've done for me.

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 3

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
I
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)


Today I am thankful for my children, Caitlin and Manning. They were both high risk babies, but after 5 months of bed-rest with Caitlin and 4 months of bed-rest with Manning, God allowed us to be their parents.  And we are blessed.  It has been such a joy watching them grow into adults.  We also welcomed another son, Jody,  into our family when he married Caitlin.  He too is a blessing.

Caitlin and Jody

Manning

What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful - Day 2

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

I am thankful for  Robert, my wonderful, awesome, handsome husband.  He has loved me for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and  in health.  He is kind and compassionate and has loved me unconditionally for the last 28 years.  


What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thankful

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)


In this month of Thanksgiving I want to develop an intentionally thankful heart and spirit.  Every day in November I will post something that I am thankful for.  I want to be intentional about thanking God, not just in November, but every day of the year.

I am thankful for my salvation and the provision that God made for us through His only Son, Jesus.

What are you thankful for today?

Happy Anniversary

Today my man and I are celebrating 28 years of marriage.  Several times in the last couple of days we have heard something like. "wow, you don't hear of people being married that long any more.  Congratulations!"  And no, nowadays you don't.  Satan is really doing a number on marriage.

For whatever reason, when we were newlyweds we made the decision that divorce just would not be an option.  However, I told him that all bets were off if infidelity were involved.  My 23 year old naivete thought that this was the worst thing that could happen in a marriage.  I couldn't even begin to fathom the ups and downs as we started out.

I really wish that I could sit down with young couples who are getting married and have a little talk with them about marriage.  I would tell them that undoubtedly, marriage is the hardest thing that they will ever do.  And you think you love each other now, but you have no clue how that love will be tried and tested and grow exponentially over the years.  And that the person that you are madly in love with can also be your biggest irritant at times.  And unless God is present in your marriage, you can't do it on your own.

I would tell them that true love is your husband holding your hair back from your face while you throw up for the 100th time because you are pregnant.  Or holding you in your arms while you both sob uncontrollably because you lost that precious life that you were carrying.  Or holding hands while you wait on the results of a medical test. Or gazing in wonder into the eyes of your baby moments after you've given birth.  Or holding each other as you bury someone that you love.

As my newlywed daughter is fond of saying, "love is a choice.  You have to make the decision every day that you will love your spouse unconditionally."  Wise words for someone so young.  I would tell them that their marriage is hard, but it is worth fighting for.

Happy Anniversary honey.  I love you.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Me, Mama and my sister Sharon

It couldn't have been easy as a twenty-one year old newlywed to pack up and move from Georgia to New Mexico, away from your family and friends, to make a new life, especially one where the Air Force dictated where you would live.

It couldn't have been easy, giving birth a little over nine months later, with no family present.  I can't even imagine what I would have done if you hadn't been with me for the births of my children.

It couldn't have been easy, pulling up roots every few years and moving to a new place and still being far away from family.

It couldn't have been easy to be at home with two little girls while your beloved was away defending our country; in harm's way, with little or no communication.  And I know it wasn't easy to receive that phone call, letting you know that there had been an "incident" involving his flight crew.  They couldn't tell you who the survivors were, or if indeed anyone survived.  I can't imagine the waiting until you knew something for certain.

It couldn't have been easy raising a rebellious teenager, who wanted to do things her way.

I know it wasn't easy.  And life can be messy sometimes.  But you handled it with God, and with grace.  And you were such an example of what it means to be a Christian mother and a strong woman.  You taught me that a relationship with Christ, prayer and Scripture are the most important things in life.

Thank you for loving me always, even when I was difficult to love.  Thank you for showing me what it means to be a Christian by example.  Thank you for teaching me how to be a wife and mother.

I love you Mama,