Marriage Musings

Today I interrupt my regularly scheduled blogging for some Marriage Musings. Greg and I celebrate 16 years of marriage today, and I can say most assuredly it is by the grace of God. Left to my own devices and dead in my sins before conversion to Christianity, I don't think our marriage would have lasted. But God saved me and in turn our marriage. For that, I am most grateful to Him.

It is a remarkable concept, this thing we call marriage. Two people from completely different backgrounds and family situations come together and live as one. Though I grew up attending church, before I married Greg I did not know that marriage was to resemble the relationship between Christ and the Church. I obviously missed an entire passage in Ephesians 5 that could not be clearer on this subject:

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. Ephesians 5:22-33

May it be so in our lives.

Happy Anniversary, Gregory!

Cookie Baking Night--The Out takes

There will be no more Cookie Baking Nights this year. We'll pick it up again in 2011. I thought I would take this time to explain Cookie Baking Nights again and to share a few of the pictures that didn't get published this year (the out takes, if you will).

Every other Monday night, the nieces and nephews from both sides of our family come over to our house for the evening. We have supper together, bake some kind of cookie or other treat, go over a Bible lesson (we're working through the book Leading Little Ones to God by Marian Schoolland at present), play games, color pictures, etc. We've been doing this for about eight years now, and will continue until the nieces and nephews are all grown up (with new ones being added from time to time, it will be a while before they're all grown up). I would recommend a "Cookie Baking Night" for everyone. It has been a fabulous relationship builder with our family---wouldn't trade it. We're grateful God has allowed it.

And now......the out takes

It's been a good year!

Merry Christmas!

Greg and Katrina wishing you a Merry Christmas from Minnesota!

Evangelism Focus 12/24/10

Today is Christmas Eve and I had a desire to share the gospel. We (Greg and I) made up some packets using the leftover materials from the Black Friday evangelism efforts. We got up early and hit the train stations (commuter train) and bus stops in the area. There were not a lot of people riding the trains and buses this morning, but I feel confident we came in contact with everyone God planned for us to meet. I approached people, handed them a packet, and said "Merry Christmas!" Not a single person turned me down this morning, which is slightly unusual (often there's at least one in the crowd that says "No. Thank you.") Christmas brings that out in people, which is exactly why I wanted to be out there this morning. I also couldn't bear the thought of people going through Christmas without understanding the true meaning of it. I wanted them to hear the gospel.

Each packet contained a note from us, a treat, and a gospel tract.

The note contained these words:

“Peace on earth. Goodwill to men.” That’s a popular phrase this time of year. Do you know where it comes from? It comes from the Bible. Many people think of peace as the absence of conflict or the absence of fighting, but the peace spoken of in the Bible is much greater than that. “Peace on earth. Goodwill to men” refers to peace between you and God. It’s the message the angels brought to the shepherds in the field the night Jesus was born on this earth. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men!.” Luke 2:14 . It’s the message we proclaim when we sing that classic Christmas carol Hark the Herald Angels Sing (“Peace on earth and mercy mild. God and sinners reconciled). Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ was born on this earth. He came here to provide us with the peace of reconciliation with God. That is why we celebrate Christmas.

I have provided for you today two things:

• A treat (Merry Christmas! Enjoy!)
• A gospel tract (my hope is that you will read the message in the tract and spend some time considering it today).

Merry Christmas and enjoy your day!

My prayer is that the gospel message will penetrate hearts today.

Niece & Nephew Christmas Party

Saturday was our 7th annual Niece and Nephew Christmas Party. In attendance this year: Kylie, Emily, Ethan, Carissa, Uncle Greg, and Aunt Katrina.

We started the party this year by decorating a gingerbread house cookie.

Ethan went with the "I like frosting" decorating approach this year. Then, he promptly ate his cookie, every last crumb.

Everyone was in on the act. Uncle Greg decorated a Gingerbread house cookie with an accompanying gingerbread doggie house.

Every Christmas party includes a cookie decorating time, lunch or dinner, dice game for candy prizes, and a "special activity". For our activity this year, we decided to return to Bunker Park Stables for a sleigh ride. This was a our third year at Bunker Park. In past years, there wasn't quite enough snow for a sleigh ride, so we settled for a hay ride. This year, in Minnesota, there is no shortage of snow, so it was our first official sleigh ride. Yay! It was an evening ride this year, so we didn't take quite as many pictures as we have in past years.

We arrived early, so the kids had a chance to play on the snow hills before our ride began.

And the horse-drawn sleigh arrives looking exactly how we imagined it. Wish I had a picture of the kids faces when it pulled up--everyone stared in wonder--it was the first time they were silent all night.

It was another fun year! Merry Christmas nieces and nephews. We love you all!

Who Is He in Yonder Stall?

Who Is He in Yonder Stall? I love this song.We sing it at church at Christmastime. It's Jesus birth, life, death, resurrection, and ruler as king all in one song, and the chorus is beautiful as well.

Verse 1:
Who is He in yonder stall, at whose feet the shepherds fall?
Who is He in deep distress, fasting in the wilderness?

Verse 2:
Who is He the people bless for His words of gentleness?
Who is He to whom they bring all the sick and sorrowing?

Verse 3:
Who is He that stands and weeps at the grave where Lazarus sleeps?
Who is He the gathering throng greet with loud triumphant song?

Verse 4:
Lo at midnight, who is He who prays in dark Gethsemane?
Who is He on yonder tree dies in grief and agony?

Verse 5:
Who is He that from the grave comes to heal and help and save?
Who is He that from His throne rules through all the world alone?

Chorus:
Tis the Lord! O wondrous story!
Tis the Lord! The kind of glory!
At His feet we humbly fall
Crown Him! Crown Him, Lord of all!

Evangelism Focus 12/17/10

For today's evangelism focus I'd like to share with you a video of Tony Miano sharing the gospel with a young man named Juan. It's a thoughtful encounter, and I think there's merit in watching it.