I was tagged... Fabulous Fours!

Vince tagged me with this...

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. Office Assistant, American Family Insurance
2. Doing the dishes, Home
3. Be a big sister, Family
4. Dental Assistant, Romania

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
2. Anne of Green Gables Series
3. Pride and Prejudice (starring Colin Firth)
4. Man From Snowy River and Return to Snowy River

Four places you have lived:
1. Cheyenne, Wyoming
2. Plattesmouth, Nebraska
3. Aurora, Colorado
4. Moshi, Tanzania, Africa

Four TV shows you love to watch: (I do not watch much TV... but I will never tire of these classics!!!)
1. I Love Lucy
2. Eight is Enough
3. The Brady Bunch
4. Sesame Street

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Mt. Rushmore
2. Yellowstone
3. Romania
4. Tanzania

Four websites I visit daily: (ALMOST daily...)
1. Spanish Morning
2. Narnia Web
3. Worship Driven Missions
4. Other Blogs listed to the right!

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Oranges
2. Cheese
3. Carrots
4. Muffins

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. In God's presence- literally- HEAVEN!
2. With the believers I met in Africa
3. With the believers I met in Romania
4. With Dawn!

I'll tag Dawn... if she wants to do it!

Blogging Brother Ben

My brother, Ben, has recently joined the wonderful world of blogging. He took over our mission trip information website and made it his own. He also started a second blog with pointed posts about a Reformation the church so desperately needs.

PLEASE check them out. I am SURE you will be challenged as well as blessed!

Worship Driven Missions
(Read post titled, "Measuring Cup for Worship")

Worship Reformationaries

Many Blessings!

Christmas in Cheyenne- a little late

My family and extended family in Cheyenne!

Very Front: Quinten;

Front row: Me, my mom Amy, my brother Timothy, Aunt Bonnie, Uncle Mack and Michael

Back Row (zig-zag): Charles (Christina's finace), MacKinzie, Christina (my cousin and mother of the children who are not my siblings!), Grandpa (behind my mom), Grandma (behind grandpa), Victoria (my sister), Ben (my brother), Samuel (my brother) and my dad Tom

Not pictured but present somewhere: Theo

My awesome brothers: Ben and Timothy. Yes, my feet too...smart, Jaclyn, really smart!

Victoria, Mom and MacKinzie while roller skating!

The Scrabble Group: Ben, Aunt Bonnie, Grandma, Mom and Victoria.

Ben pondering his next word, "Can I do transubstantiation?"

Grandson Samuel and Great-Grandson Theo

Football Crowd: Dad, Timothy, Ben and Uncle Mack.

Napping Crowd (on sofa): Grandpa

Last, but certainly not least... a picture of my grandma's famous cookies. As I took this picture, she told me this was less than half, maybe just one-third of the origianal number of cookies she made! Every year she claims she will make less...

Outer Ring: Cinnamon Almond Square Cookies, Chocolate Logs, Double Chocolate Malt Cookies, more Cinnamon Almond Square Cookies, Pink Lemonade Shortbread Cookies, Star Butter Cookies, Sugar Cookies, Fruit Cake Cookies.

Center Bunch: An assortment that I think was: Molasses, Chocolate Chip and Butterscotch Cookies, Peanut Brittle, Almond Brittle and Shortbread Bell Cookies.

Yes, my grandma DOES make the best cookies in the whole wide world!

This picture brings back a flood of memories for me. Our lodging in Babatti was adjacent to the school that housed these children. We met them, toured their school and gave them gifts. The teacher, front center, was so excited to show us the future site for the school, so we walked with them. The children were so eager to touch us and practice their English skills! So we held their hands and ministered to their hearts. The boy on my right was a talker! He spoke English very well and told me all about himself. What a precious, precious time it was!  

Some of the Masaai tribal people we visited in the outskirts of Moshi

We drove about 30 minutes outside of Moshi before turing off the main road onto a foot path. I am sure we were a sight to see... a 30 passenger bus, full of white people, driving down a Masaai foot path! We stayed on this foot path for over an hour, through dust storms, brush, around termite mounds and finally arriving at a small village. We were in the middle of African desert land, with no city lights, no electricity, no running water or grocery store for many miles. Yet here we found believers in Jesus Christ! Here we saw their place of worship and shared a soda, of all things, with these tribal people. (Some little boy had to walk a LONG way to get those for us!) We stepped into their stick huts and ate their boiled goat. Some of the children were scared of us... for they had never seen a white face. It was unreal. I looked around and thought, "I cannot believe I am here. God's kingdom is enormous!"

Fruits and veggies... good for you! Can you name all the products shown here?  

A Tanzanian woman making muffin shaped pancakes to sell. The pan she used was like a combonation of a skillet and muffin cups! It is cooking over a small pot-belly stove.  

Ben, Darrah, Jaclyn, Shannon and Mr. Lane (Shannon's dad) walking from our lodging to the restaurant in Babatti. Do you see the men standing by the bus looking at us? Yeah... because we white folk stuck out like a sore thumb in this part of Tanzania. Unlike a city such as Moshi, where white tourists come for safaris, Babatti does not see white skin as often! One pastor told me that we must be careful, for most white people coming to these parts are missionaries and some people there would not like that. God protected us!  

One year ago...

Pictured Left to right: Jaclyn, Shannon, Ben (my brother) Darrah and Bethany.

This picture was taken in Moshi, Tanzania, Africa. One year ago today the five of us were walking African soil on the adventure of a lifetime! I think I can speak for all of us when I say that this trip changed us forever. Many people say that after having been on a mission trip, yet I have seen the fruit of the change in my life being more drastic than any trip thus far. We all stepped out into a new level of faith in God and grew in awe of His power! We did not go for the thrill of Africa. We did not go to say we had another experience. We did not go to become famous, rich or popular. We went with a heart for people and a passion for God. The ripple effects of our presence in Africa has lasted, by God's power, far longer than our hands and feet were there.

Holiday Happenings

The hustle and bustle of the holidays has ended. We are trying to settle back into our normal routine. The seven-thirty family breakfast this morning was at seven-forty. Not too bad. Monday we had breakfast at ten-thirty.

Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve was wonderful. We drove up to LaPorte for a beautiful community worship service at my church. Since it was half way to Cheyenne, my grandparents came down for the service and dinner. We set up a festive meal in the youth Sunday school room for our family, equipped with candles provided by Amy. (She thought our Christmas Eve table looked a little bare...) We arrived home that evening at ten-thirty.

Christmas Day
We awoke Christmas morning around seven-thirty. My eighteen year old brother, Ben, was the biggest kid of us all, waking the household up with, "It's Christmas, get up! It's Christmas, sleepy heads!"

We opened gifts, ate our traditional cinnamon roll breakfast and relaxed. We had an early dinner feast prepared by Mom. We played with our new games, tried on new clothes and watched dad's new comedy DVD. We did a Christmas worship celebration.

It was a wonderful day. I love my family so much. The reality of Christ's birth, life, death and resurrection was heavy on my heart this year. Having a day set aside to celebrate and focus on God becoming man is a wonderful thing to me. I cannot explain it!

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day
This New Year's Eve and Day was different for us. We usually travel to Cheyenne and spend New Year's with my grandparents. This year they went to Nebraska to visit my grandma's brother who has a short time to live.

We were going to have a family over. They were not able to come. We spent New Year's Eve and New Year's Day as a family. It was a little sad, since we are used to grand festivities, but it was also relaxing as well. My mom told me that she cannot remember the last time it was just our family home for New Year's; we figured that it was probably close to 15 years!

Epiphany
We have one more holiday celebration. The celebration of the coming of the wisemen. Our family has a Christmas tree advent banner devotion. December 1-25 we do a devotional and attach a felt ornament to the felt tree. On Epiphany we remove the ornaments one by one, discussing what each was for and reading the key verse. We sing! We dance! We pray!

Celebrating
Then the holiday happenings are over... for this year. I love celebrating. I love making things special. I love tradition and sentiments. I love celebrating with a purpose.

I think God does too. Have you read Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy lately? Our God loves to celebrate! He gives everything a deep significance, from sacrifices to feasts. Goodness, God set up the Jewish calendar to include week long parties!

What is the joy and pleasure in Christmas without Christ? Why celebrate a new year without the One Who is Hope for all that the future holds? It is no wonder that the holidays envoke a sense of lonliness in those who do not know Christ.

Yet, even Christians lose sight of the meaning of Christmas and the joy of a new year! We get pulled into gifts, parties, wrapping, money, getting, giving, music, snow, trees, decorations, snowmen and eggnog that we forget the true meaning.

Oh, we read the story. We talk about how Jesus came to earth as a baby. We know the story so well that we get familiar with the routine. Angel came to Mary. Mary is a virgin. Mary's going to have a baby. Joseph has a dream. Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem. No room in the inn. Mary has Jesus in a cave. Shephards come. Wisemen come... Can you hear the records of Christmas playing in your head?

Have we lost sight of the joy? Have we lost sight of redemption? Have we made Christ common? Do we realized the paradox of God becoming man? MAJESTY Itself becoming humanity. Creator of Heaven and Earth lying in a feeding trough for animals. All-knowing, self-sustaining, unexplainable, infinite, holy, righteous, compassionate, gracious GOD... became a man.

The Birth of Jesus Christ

"In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

And she gave birth to her firstborn son

and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger,

because there was no place for them in the inn."

Luke 2:1-7

The Majesty and Humility of Jesus Christ

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a

thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,

being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form,

He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,

even death on a cross.

Therefore God has highly exalted Him

and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11

That is the meaning of Christmas. Oh, let us not forget! Let us treasure Christ not Christmas. Let us celebrate with all we have- with joy, with purpose and with passion! Christ did not come to give Christmas as an end in itself. He came to give us Hope. He came to glorify God!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Gifts Jaclyn is sure to love...

1- Books
2- Books
3- Books
4- Books
5- Books

Several of which I received for Christmas. My family knows I am a magnet to old, gently worn classics, preferably ones without copyright dates. My brother found several at Goodwill including: Pride and Prejudice, Alice in Wonderland, Jo's Boys, Little Men and a selection of short essays. They are beautiful! They will be placed next to my other treasured classics.

I also was given two new books I have had my eye on... Sermons of Jonathan Edwards and The Preacher's Daughter by Beverly Lewis.

I am halfway through The Preacher's Daughter and will soon begin Edwards. I am sure I will have much to post on while reading him!

Last, but not least, my wonderful friend Katie surprised me with the full set of The Chronicles of Narnia. My brother has The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but we have checked the other six out from the library when need arose. Now I have the whole set for keeps. Thanks, Katie!!!

My reading time is full for a few weeks to be sure... especially if I try to fit in The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis that Ben has been begging me to read.

I do read this other book too... The Bible. It is the #1 bestseller of all times! It's my favorite above all others and I would rather own it than anything else, book or not, in the entire world. I recommend it to you above any that I have listed above!

Psalm 103

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday Jesus...

I'm so glad you came!

Arctic Chill Part 2

It is cold and has been for two weeks now. We had one or two warm days last week. "Warm" meaning 45 degrees. My mom and I went for a walk that day while it was sunny! The last few nights the low has been 6 or 7 degrees. Cold, cold, cold...

And I still love it!

Now, for some of you that commented on the first post titled "Arctic Chill", I thought of you on Friday night as we braved the frigid weather... and went to the zoo. The Denver Zoo does "Christmas Zoo Lights" where they decorate the zoo with AMAZING lights. Almost every tree is laced with colorful lights and throughout the zoo there are huge animal lights. There is the 20 foot heard of elephant lights, complete with an elephant that is standing in a puddle and throws the water on his back. There is the roaring lion, giraffes, peacocks, birds, bear with fish, and MORE! Lights everywhere! We have lived in Colorado for 13 years and have never been to see the popular Zoo Lights! It was soooo much fun!

But it was cold. Thank goodness it was not snowing which means it was not a wet kind of cold. Victoria and I bundled up in layers, gloves and our heaviest coats to protect ourselves from the single digit temperature. It was still cold. My right foot is always the first to freeze and it did. We walked through the indoor tropical exhibit which allowed my right foot to return to normal. As soon as it did we were done and back outside.

Despite the cold, it remains a popular thing to enjoy! Yet, you can always tell who the tourists are... You see, true Coloradans tease about tourism all the time. The longer you live in Colorado the more it all makes sense. Many tourists from warmer parts of the country come for Rocky Mountain skiing and are funny to watch. People like Galant, Trin and Dawn who think cold is below 60 degrees. For a laugh...

WE know YOU are a skiing tourist in Colorado if...

... your skis and ski clothes (pants, coat, gloves, etc.) match.

... you go inside (when it is below 45 degrees) to eat at the lodge, by the fire AND take your ski boots off so your toes can thaw. We all look at your socks and know why your toes were froze!

... you wear ski goggles. (and they too match your lepard print skiing outfit!)

... you don't own an SUV.

... you think 45 degrees is cold.

... you ask if the mountains always have snow on them.

... you make a big deal of the sun shining while it is snowing (something that happens in Colorado all the time.)

Let it snow, Let it SNOW, LET IT SNOW!!!

Christmas Survey

Just for fun... and since Dawn asked me to do it...

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Both! If it is extremely cold outside I'll take the hot chocolate.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Never had Santa...

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I like a combonation of both on the house and white on the tree.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Whenever we find time. Usually the first week for December.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Some years mom will splurge and get prime rib!

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? I have always loved the Christmas Eve Candlelight service at church.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I have always known that "Santa" was not real and that Nicholas was.

(I have no idea where questions 9 and 10 are! )

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? LOVE IT!

12. Can you ice skate? I have been iceskating before, does that count? ;-)

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I have had many favorites... one is a doll that still sits on my bed.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? The reality of Christ's birth, life, death and resurrection, and time with my family.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Grandma's cookies.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Our family devotion, with a felt tree and ornaments that we do through December.

17. What tops your tree? An angel that mom made years ago!

18. Which do you prefer Giving or Receiving? I enjoy both. The last couple of years I have not told people what I "wanted" and have been surprised by what they thought to get me! I love giving. I love seeing people's faces when they open my gifts!

19. What is your favorite Christmas Carol? Hummm... O Come, O Come Immanuel

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? I will eat a few, but I am not a hard candy person... give me the chocolate!

Do I weep?

"Streams of tears flow from my eyes,

for your law is not obeyed."

~Psalm 119:136

When I read that it struck me full in the face.

Do I weep when God's law is not obeyed? Do I weep with such remorse when I do not obey God's law? Am I so sensitive to the Holy Sprirt that I grieve instantly when I wander? Do I look around the world and sob at the sinfulness of man?

I could try to pawn this off as a "figure of speech". Did the Psalmist really mean to cry physically or just be "burdened" inside? Should I really cry tears that spill over onto my face? What does it mean to have such repentance that "streams of tears" flow from my eyes?

When I read this verse I imagine all out weeping. Unrestrained sobbing from the soul. A soul so remorseful that it cannot control the tears of sorrow. It is not just being a little "teary eyed" that a tissue can wipe away. It is not a single tear trickling down the cheek. Weeping. Sobbing. Crying. Gut wrenching sobs that make your head hurt, your nose red and give you a head ache. I have experienced times like this in my relationship with God. But when? Once a month? Once every other month?

Oh, I do not weep as I should. Sure, I feel guilt. I am sorrowful by the sin that I see in my life. I am saddened at the sin in the world. I pray and ask God for forgiveness. I am gaining sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and I am more readily recognizing sins in my life.
But weeping? What about godly sorrow? This reminded me of 2 Corinthians 7:10-11, which says:

"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done."

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation AND leaves no regret. The first kind of Godly sorrow leads to repentance of sins and an initial belief in God. The second form of godly sorrow leaves no regret. This second kind of sorrow is what the Christian needs in His journey toward holiness. It is the sorrow that realizes I still sin and I still need a Savior. It is the sorrow that pushes me towards Christ-likeness! And look what that sorrow produces... Earnestness, clear mind, longing, concern and readiness...

Oh God, teach me to weep. Teach me the true meaning of remorse, Godly sorrow and repentance. Break my heart. Teach me to obey Your laws. Teach me to be like Jesus. I am so far from where I should be. Open my eyes. Spirit, I need Your help....

Narnia: A Movie Review

Movie: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Rating: PG

Opening Date: Friday, December 9, 2005

Time Reviewer Viewed Movie: 12:15- 2:45AM Friday, December 9, 2005 AND 7:10PM Friday, December 9, 2005!!! (crazy, I know... but we already had our tickets for the one when we were invited to go at midnight!!! )

Reviewers Crazy Friends That Went with Her: Ben (brother), Shannon (who comments here!), Caleb (Shannon's brother) and Scott (their dad). We met other friends and their friends (totalling 60-70 people).

Time Reviewer Was in Bed: 3:50AM Friday, December 9, 2005

Review:
I LOVED IT! The quality, humor, faithfulness to the book, acting talents, CUTE LITTLE LUCY, cold witch and special effects were FANTASTIC. TEN THUMBS UP! (the 5 of us and our thumbs!)

My favorite scenes are too numberous to tell all the details. I really did love the WHOLE movie. I was especially fond of the scene where the children meet Father Christmas and Lucy mocks, "I told you he was real." Also when the White Witch comes to claim Edmund's blood, she questions Aslan by saying, "How do I know you will keep your promise?" Aslan roars at her and she sits down! Woo hoo! And... and... and...

Only two things would have improved it (that I can think of so far) would be:
1- A larger Aslan
2- Edmund actually asking for forgiveness from Aslan and his siblings

So, what did YOU think?

A picture or two...

The biggest sister with the littlest brother...

Katie and Jaclyn at Thanksgiving...

Arctic Chill

I love Colorado. I am sitting in my office looking out the window. The sun is shining. The sky is Colorado Blue. The snow is glistening in the sunlight and the trees are swaying with the breeze. It looks pretty... from inside.

The temperature is currently and exactly 0 degrees. The current windchill temperature is -10 degrees.

Do you know how cold that is? It is freeze-your-nose-hairs-in-one-breath-kind-of-cold. It is a you-better-allow-an-extra-hour-to-start-your-car-kind-of-cold. It is freeze-the-dogs-outside-water-in-five-minutes-kind-of-cold. It is just entirely COLD. There is no way to get around it.

And I love it!

Almost. I do love the weather. The pipes in our office building, though, do not. They froze overnight. Therefore, the sewer system in the building is frozen. The maintenance man requested that we use the restrooms across the street in our sister building. OK. Right.

The water system broke a few years ago and we were forced to go across the street for the restrooms. It was NOT sub zero temperatures outside at that point. It is not comfortable nor inviting to walk 50 yards in arctic conditions when you... well... need to go. I wonder how long it will take the pipes to thaw...

Happy Winter everyone, I have a cold walk to take!!!

(This post is dedicated to Dawn who was cold yesterday morning when the temperature in California was 45 degrees! Right now that temperature would feel like a heat wave! Love you, girl!)

Four days... but who is counting?

I have a confession to make. I am utterly, entirely, completely and fanatically excited about 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' that debuts...

Friday, December 9, 2005!

THIS FRIDAY!!!

Excuse my excitement... did you read that... this Friday. Do I need to say it again? Ummm... December 9th is this Friday. Four days. Four very long, anticipation filled days.

My brother and I, along with our closest friends, will be some of the crazy people who will attend the 12:01AM showing. I have always laughed at people who waited in lines to buy tickets, sat outside the theaters for hours before hand and saw the movie at midnight.

I will join their club this week. So, we will brave the frigid, wintery weather and head to the theater when most are sound asleep. We will be among the first in this time zone to enter the land of Narnia (well, Disney's version of Narnia).

I can barely sit still I am so excited!

Which Chronicles of Narnia Character Are You?

Other bloggers have this quiz on their blog this morning. I took the quiz and scored first as Arvis from 'The Horse and His Boy'. Since not many may know this character, I went back and changed an answer where I had two possiblilities. My result was:

You are High King Peter and/or Prince Caspian! In any case, you're a king, and you should be. You're brave, courageous, noble, respectful, chivalrous, honest, wise, and all those great knightly qualities. There really should be more people like you these days...

Three days... 12 hours... 27 minutes... and countning!

May I present the...

...Whirlpool Galaxy

Here is the center of the Whirlpool Galaxy...

The Cross!!!

God will proclaim the glory of His Son all over the universe!