Merry of Christmases...

from....

the J Crew.

Praying this finds you all with joy in the Hope in Christ.

And a little silliness.

Love to all.

*****

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”  

-Charles Dickens-

Leave'en no room for the Holy Spirit.

Sol {As dad walks in the door from working another long shift}: Dad, sit on that couch with mom and have some love!

Dad: Yes sir!

Mom: Awkward. 

The Ministry of the Night

{Trials and Pain}

For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

-Psalm 30:5-

But there is a limit to man's ability to live without joy. Even Christ could endure the cross only because of the joy set before Him. The strongest steel breaks if kept too long under unrelieved tension. God knows exactly how much pressure each one of us can take. He knows how long we can endure the night, so He gives the soul relief, first by welcome glimpses of the morning star and then by the fuller light that harbingers the morning.

Slowly you will discover God's love in your suffering. Your heart will begin to approve the whole thing. You will learn from yourself what all the schools in the world could not teach you-the healing action of faith without supporting pleasure. You will feel and understand the ministry of the night; its power to purify, to detach, to humble, to destroy the fear of death and, what is more important to you at the moment, the fear of life. And you will learn that sometimes pain can do what even joy cannot, such as exposing the vanity of earth's trifles and filling your heart with longing for the peace of heaven. 

'That Incredible Christian'
{pp. 122-124}

-A.W. Tozer -

Snow.Day.Fun!

Today? Today! 

Today was the first big snow of the season. 

Three out of four of the crew jumped at the chance to go out and work/play in it.

Big man. All geared out.

 Sol and Nora, hard at work. 

Scooping snow.

"Victory!"

Loving the snow

{Mama? Not so much. All pictures taken from the porch. True. Story}

Good work young lady.

Sam, making snowballs.

{Side note:. Operation 'Unprovoked attack' Terminated}

And this guy?! 

He opted for a little 'Angry Bird' playing.

 Inside. 

Where it's warm.

{A wee bit like his mama}

 My little snow bunny. 

All ready for hot coco.

A fun morning.

Welcome. Welcome. Winter.

*****

Snow provokes responses that reach right back to childhood.  

-Andy Goldsworthy-

The Second Sunday....

of Advent.

****

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. 

Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. 

The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth..."

A very happy birthday...

to grandma Diane!

Thanks for meeting us for lunch today. 

We hope you feel as special as you are!

Love from us all.

*****

"Being pretty on the inside means you don't hit your brother and you eat all your peas - that's what my grandma taught me."  

-Lord Chesterfield-