Merry Christmas!

Christmas doesn't always come in a multitude of tangible gifts; sometimes, there are few packages, but many memories!  This year, a large part of our family Christmas was a trip to Des Moines to see Mary Poppins at the Civic Center. We had a marvelous time! The choreography and singing were amazing; the set, incredible!  What wonderful memories we all have!  There were still a few gifts to open this morning, which, for the first time ever, we opened before we "got ready to face the day."  We opened gifts in the comfort of our pajamas!  i'm so thankful for my family and the blessing they are in my life- not just at Christmas when they give me presents, but all year long! 

Christmas

 Luke 2:1-20

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.  (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

                And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

                And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

What more is there to say?  The Creator of the universe coming to earth to die for my sins.  I am so undeserving, so unworthy.  But, thankfully, my relationship with God is not based on my worthiness or how much I "deserve" it; rather, it is based on His incredible love for me.  This Christmas, even with all the other things that come and go with the season,  I am so thankful for the real Reason behind CHRISTmas!

On the Road Again

Hi everyone!
Wow!  I can't believe it's been almost six weeks since I last posted anything!  The truth is, as I'm sure you can see for yourselves, I have been spending time working on the look and feel of my blog.  Starting the first of the year, I want to start doing some more frequent blogging.  I have a few ideas rolling around in my head that I'm really excited about!  But first, I have to get things set up so that you'll feel interested in even visiting periodically! Stay tuned for upcoming excitement!

Happy Holidays

We’re fast approaching the time of year when people all over the United States begin the heated seasonal debate concerning the proper “politically correct” greeting.  Being a born-again, regenerate Christ-follower myself, I tend to side with those individuals who prefer to say “Merry Christmas!” instead of the recently favored “Happy Holidays!”  After all, what’s CHRISTmas without Christ? 

As I was contemplating these holiday catch phrases this morning, I realized something.  These two phrases are BOTH applicable to the God-lover.  “Merry Christmas!” wishes an individual a joyful celebration of the birth of our Lord, observed on His birthday, December 25.  “Happy Holidays!” is a little broader than that.  The second word of this phrase, “holidays,” is plural, meaning more than one holiday.  Now before you stop reading this blog, thinking to yourself How dare she suggest I begin using “Happy Holidays!” instead of the God-honoring, Christ-centered “Merry Christmas!,”  I’d like to be very clear that I plan to continue using the phrase “Merry Christmas!” and I expect the same from you.  Now that we have that established, let’s move on.

“Happy Holidays,” as I mentioned before, implies to me a celebration of multiple holidays.  I love this time of year, the months of November and December.  There is so much joy and merriment, laughter and love; the spirit of giving and celebration.  As God-lovers and Christ-followers, our “holidays” begin in November with the anticipation of Thanksgiving. 

There are so many things I love about Thanksgiving Day, all of which make it my absolute most favorite day of the entire year - the one I look forward to during the other 364 days.  Traditionally, the Vance family Thanksgiving dinner has been held at my parent’s house (our house!).  I can only think of two or three years in the past 15 or so that were held elsewhere.  Each year on Thanksgiving, the family gathers for a mid-day feast of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie (which in my opinion is the most important part of the entire feast).  For most of these years, Aunt Linda would come from Indiana on Thanksgiving Eve to spend the weekend with us.  The smells, the tastes, the family (esp. looking through the black Friday ads with them), and of course the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade are just a few of my favorite things, but the best thing about Thanksgiving is that its an entire day of THANKFULNESS!  Amazing!  In today’s culture, we usually hear about how bad everything is and how life is rotten and nothing good ever happens.  But on Thanksgiving,  people all over the country pause to reflect on just how much they really do have for which to be thankful!  Thanksgiving is a nationally observed holiday (for which I am very thankful J), but it is only regenerate, born-again believers who can truly celebrate Thanksgiving to it’s fullest potential because only regenerate, born-again believers have the ultimate reason to give thanks:  the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ offering us the free gift of salvation! 

Less than 24 hours later, we move on to Christmas and all its wonderful traditions, beginning with black Friday.  Now, I love that early morning, crazy, out-of-your-mind shopping experience just as much as the next person, but to be honest, I find it a little ironic that we spend an entire day being thankful followed by an entire day being self-centered, greedy, and all-about-me (I suppose the spirit of thankfulness may continue at 5:03 am when you get the very last trashcan-converted-to-shopping-cart-because-it’s-chaos-in-here at Mendards?) Thanksgiving may be my favorite holiday, but Christmas is a very close second.  As previously stated, I LOVE this time of year!  I often say that I don’t have a favorite holiday, I have a favorite time of year (which isn’t exactly true, Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday!): November 1 through January 2.  I thoroughly enjoy “decking the halls!”: the twinkling lights, the ornaments full of memories, the garland, and the tree.  The searching for and buying of that special gift for a loved one.  The cinnamon sticks, candy canes, and (my personal favorite) the peppermint mocha coffee creamer (coffee-mate does it best, just so you know).  The flickering flame of a cinnamon candle.  The frosted window panes.  The sound of cheery Christmas music filling the house.  The scent of gingerbread cookies baking in the oven.  Spending time together watching It’s a Wonderful Life (which btw: it IS a wonderful life!) and The Polar Express.  The manger scenes reminding us of the only reason we truly have to celebrate.  I love Christmas and I’m not afraid to express it- “MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!”  Without Christmas, we have no reason to celebrate Thanksgiving or Easter.  Christmas is all about the birth of a tiny baby, born of a virgin, who left His throne in heaven to feel the splinters of a manger so that he could feel the splinters of a cross.

The final celebration of this wintery holiday season is New Year’s Eve & Day.  As I was thinking about this particular holiday, I initially thought well there’s not much God-centered about that… drinking excessively, kissing people at midnight, and doing all kinds of other things you shouldn’t be doing, but then I realized I don’t do any of those things.  I usually spend the evening/day with family or friends playing games or watching movies and staying up till midnight (the midnight thing hasn’t happened in a few years though… I’m getting old before my time I suppose J).  One of the things I try to do every year is reflect on the previous year and contemplate the new one.  Being the secretarial nerd that I am, I like lists, so at some point, I like to make a list of where I am right now (relationships, goals, spiritual life, etc.) and a list of where I want to be by this time next year.  I like to pull out last year’s list (if I can find it) and compare- see areas where I need to make a more concentrated effort and areas where I’ve successfully met my goals.  By doing this, I can use this holiday to focus on God as well.  After all, it is God who gives us each and every breath we take- each day to live, each year.  Without fail, this thought (or some variation of it) crosses my mind every New Year’s:  Lord, whether You give me one hour, one week, or 365 days of this year, I hope to use it for You.  This new year is like being given a clean slate, a second chance.  Help me make this year count for eternity.   Yes, I like New Year’s and the hope and uncertainty that comes with it!

So during this holiday season, instead of cringing (or thinking to myself It’s MERRY CHRISTMAS you moron!  J) when I hear people use the phrase “Happy Holidays!,”  I plan to say “Merry Christmas! & Happy Holidays! to you too!” and remember that each one of these holidays comes with its own reasons to be hope-filled, Christ-centered, and (of course) Happy!

PS- I'd like to remind you that you are in no way obligated to agree with me. J

It Doesn't Rain, But It Pours

Have you ever heard the expression “It doesn’t rain, but it pours.”?  Well, in accordance with this expression, it has been a very “wet” week in the Vance family.

On Tuesday, October 5, my uncle, Jerry, had knee replacement surgery.  He was only supposed to be in the hospital for a few days, but recovery complications occurred and as of today, he is still there (to my knowledge).

Last Saturday, October 9, my grandpa, uncle, and cousins were out cutting down trees to make firewood.  When it came to one of the more difficult trees, grandpa decided he’d better take that project for himself because he “had the most experience,” which I suppose is true considering he turned 85 years old this past July.  Since I wasn't there, I can’t tell this story in its most accurate form, but I can tell you that somehow when this tree fell to the ground, it rolled over top of grandpa.  He ended up pinned between the ground, a chainsaw (which mercifully stops running when you let go of the safety switch), and this tree.  He was air cared to Iowa City to the University of Iowa Hospitals where he has been in the surgical Intensive Care Unit since his arrival.   He suffered numerous fractured ribs, a fractured sternum, a collapsed left lung, fractured ligaments around parts of his spine (one spot in his neck and one spot in his mid back), and multiple minor external injuries. He was to have anterior surgery Wednesday to fuse together the vertebrae in his neck that were damaged and posterior surgery to put 4 pins in his back where the fractures occurred.  As of today, he has not had this surgery.  The doctors keep postponing it because grandpa’s oxygen levels (and other vitals) are not at a level where surgery would be safe.  It’s taken a toll on our family having to drive to Iowa City every day, but until he’s home, we’ll keep making the drive.  Please pray for him and us!

Last night, my aunt called to tell us that my cousin (who had a cousin passenger with him) had rolled his blazer.  Thankfully, although the vehicle was totaled, they walked away from the accident with only minor external injuries. Praise the Lord!

Through all of this major upheaval, it has been good to know that God is always in control.  God isn’t surprised by any of these things.  He isn’t wringing His hands, worried about what might happen next, and we should be either.  God has everything under control, and we can trust that, whatever happens from here, He will still be in control.  Sherry shared this verse in GIFT class on Wednesday, and I have found it quite encouraging during this time:

       

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!  For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?  Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be the glory forever. Amen.”  Romans 11:33-36