What God wants for Christmas...

Friday, December 23, 2011

I found this on a blog via pinterest and I really love it! ENJOY this sweet person's take on Christmas:

9:14 am Bykristen

I’ve scratched the last gift off my list. I’ve tried to get what everyone wants. {Except my youngest asked for makeup and my oldest a laptop. And someone mentioned a puppy. I laughed hysterically.}

The gifts are waiting under the tree. The expectation is palpable.

But there’s One on my list that I haven’t shopped for.

Because He doesn’t want the hottest Christmas gift from the mall.

He won’t be disappointed if it’s not perfectly wrapped.

He isn’t wanting me to spend a dime on Him.

Because what God really wants doesn’t include pressure or tradition. It doesn’t involve spending more than I have or perfection or guilt. It isn’t about pleasing the hard-to-please or the letdown that sometimes comes when the wrappings outweigh the gifting.
He wants something so profound and simple, I long to give it to Him.

Close your eyes, step in front and look into this:








He wants what’s in this mirror for Christmas:

You.

The hope and peace we seek is found in the simplicity of giving ourselves to Him. I challenge you to find a place during the hectic and busy days ahead to do just that: offer yourself to Christ on His birthday.

It’s what God really wants for Christmas.



Isn't that a WONDERFUL message! I love you all! And wishing you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS.

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Anatomy of Walking and a plug for STANDING

Monday, December 19, 2011

"Above all, do not lose your desire to walk," said Søren Kierkegaard, the 19th-century Danish philosopher. "Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness."

My sister has invited [and introduced] me to the world of Pinterest. I love some of the ideas or information gleaned so far.

This was quite interesting:



Now I know it's going to be WAY to small so here is what it says:

WALK YOUR WAY TO BETTER HEALTH:

Boosts endorphins, easing stress, tension, anger, fatigue, and confusion in 10 minutes

Reduces glaucoma risk

Halves Alzheimer's disease risk over 5 years

Limits sickness by halving odds of catching a cold

Improves heart health by increasing heart rate and circulation

Improves blood pressure by five points

Engages AB muscles

Limits colon cancer by 31% for women

Improves balance--preventing falls

Works arm and shoulder muscles

Builds bone mass, reducing risk of osteoporosis

Strengthens legs, including quadriceps, hip flexors, and hamstrings

Burns more fat than jogging

Only 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week can make you healthier and happier.

everybodywalk.org/

Doesn't that just make you want to GO FOR A WALK????



I also read an excellent article in a Health Magazine today while waiting for Nate's surgery. The name of the article was called, "Stand Up for Your Health" by Arianne Cohen and GUESS WHAT! I found it online. I found this quite interesting and again it makes me want to MOVE, or at least STAND!!!!!

www.health.com/health/article/0,,205
35043_1,00.html

Got LOADS done today in the kitchen--moving, cooking, baking, cleaning for 5 hours, but unfortunately did NOT get my walk in today. Tomorrow I WILL walk!

Thanks again for all your prayers for my sweet son. We got to the hospital at 6:00 a.m. and left at noon. Nate feels GREAT! In fact, against his mother's better judgment, he went to the company Christmas party tonight--his brother drove so that's a positive. Nate is a very hard person to keep down! ha! Anyway, he's doing great, and may even be able to go back to work [no lifting or heavy stuff for 3 months] in 2 weeks.

Love to you all!

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What happened to my Packers??? :-)

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Well if our BELOVED Packers had to go down, I'm glad it was to my HOME team, the KC CHIEFS!!! My brother & Dad were at Arrowhead stadium today and said there were more PACKER fans than Chief fans. I'm happy that they got to see a good game--despite the fact that I'm sad the Packer's lost! Check out this pic my brother took! ha!

My brother is SUCH a goof, and I love him to pieces!!!!

I grew up going to Chief games, so I do still feel some ties with KC. I converted over 20 years ago since I moved to Northern Wisconsin when I got married 22 years ago.

Well, Packers are 13 & 1 now--oh, well, it was GREAT while the undefeated record lasted!

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Love came down...

Friday, December 16, 2011

LOVE came down from heaven as a baby for US! WOW, taking on the form of human flesh, GOD BECAME MAN--and dwelt among us! The LORD of glory, the Creator of HEAVEN AND EARTH--the WORD becomes flesh! Mind-boggling! I hope that during this busy time of the year, you take a few moments and reflect on the greatest gift ever given to man--Jesus.



And CAN you imagine being Mary--kissing the face of God! Oh, what wonder!



Well, yesterday something very remarkable happened to me too. Heaven came down in the form of a DEAR, DEAR SparkFriend!



We met for coffee during my son's orthodontist appt. She is SO wonderful--my sweet Evelyn [EHADFELD]! It's our second time of spending time together, but somehow connecting through Spark makes me feel as though I've known her all my life! I feel such a bond with this dear lady!

Well, she did something EXTRAORDINARY!! I was amazed, stunned and ALMOST speechless!!!! She spent 30 hours praying for me AS she knitted me a prayer shawl! Can you imagine!



WORDS simply cannot convey the depth of emotion I feel right now!!!!!





Thank you seems so inadequate, but I, with my WHOLE heart, thank you Evelyn! May God bless you a 1000-fold for your generosity and prayers for me! And, thank you, for EVER sparking me with new enthusiasm!!!



Thank you, SparkFriends, for allowing me to share this VERY special moment with you.



P.S. THANK YOU for all your prayers for Nate. He has surgery on Monday! Blessings to you all for your thoughts and prayers during this time.

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Confession/Updates

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Well, I had a horrible day yesterday! I have been FIGHTING these hormonal menopausal upsets for days, and yesterday was just 'too much' for me! Everything that I tried to do to keep my mind and hands OCCUPIED failed, and I indulged WAY TOO FREELY in the Christmas goodies! My knee and ankle are *still* giving me grief, so I haven't been exercising [AND this week is the 'consistent exercise--live the good life' challenge on Winter 5% teams]. SAD, SAD, SAD about my lack of participation in the challenge!!!!



Oh, HOPING that today is a better day! I still very blue! And at my ABSOLUTE favorite time of the year! I desperately want to be through this time [menopause] in my life. My mother keeps telling me that 'this too shall pass' and I'm very much looking forward to that time!!!



Since I can't end on such a bleak note, I'll tell you about having my girlfriend over for supper the other night. My dh is gone for a week on a business trip, and her husband is working out of town, so we were able to have a 'girl's night' with the kiddos. She is a retired teacher and ADORES children! We had a lovely time, and she taught me to make wreathes. Here is a picture of the wreath we made:



Sunday we had a very nice 4-H meeting making gift baskets, pizza party and then Christmas caroling at the nursing home. SO nice!









This morning we see a second surgeon to get another opinion about Nate. Since his bone looks like it's about to pop through his skin, we are leaning on the surgery route and it seems that God has given us several confirmations about that. Thank you for your prayers.

Much love to all and THANK YOU for letting me confess to my dearest friends! I feel so enveloped in love with you all! SPARK FRIENDS are truly the 'best of friends'!!!!

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