Today starts the Christmas holiday for the team here. And by team, I mean…today starts my vacation. We have a small and intimate team on the blog staff here. I am flying out of Denver (prayerfully….assuming there is a blizzard on its way. Funny too…because Colorado has had a record low amount of snowfall this year, but Mother Nature picks TODAY to dump white death on our city!? BLACKOUT RAGE…but alas this is what happens when southerner meets snowstorm. …I digress) tonight and headed to Dallas to see my BFF Becca Feagin who has finally graced America with her presence once again. Missed her like WOAH and can. not. wait. to hug her neck!
Then I will spend the next week and a half in the Shady T with the best family on the planet. I plan to go crazy. Do off-the-wall and bizarre activities. Like go deering with my broskies. Or like eating pumpkin pie and ice cream out of a coffee mug. Throwing off every unsuspecting person by eating it in a non-bowl. Mayhem! Chaos! Like I said…planning to go absolutely nuts. Also planning to wear sweat pants at all times unless I am in a bridesmaids dress on NYE. I conceded to Beef on that one.
A few things exciting to note about the upcoming two weeks would be as follows:
Seeing Rebecca Ann Feagin. Prolly gonna cry. And by prolly I mean definitely.
Telling my blonde best, Bethany, HAPPY BIRTHDAY over the phone (tragic). Quarter
life crisis time!
Going shopping in the metroplex with the fam. Brittney raging about my purchases.
At least one breakdown in one of our cars. We wouldn’t be us if we didn’t have shiZ cars.
Celebrating Christmas BROWN RICE style, fully equipped with a color coordinated photo shoot and/or all of us holding weenie dogs wearing Santa hats.
Spray tanning with Cara (Cacka) in Sketchville, USA with all the toddlers in tiaras. LEGIT.
ALL THINGS BEEF’S WEDDING!!!!!!!!! CANT WAIT!!
Reuniting with the High School gang. Pretending to be 17 again.
Cuddling the shiZ out of Carson.
Laughing more than usual. But not to the point of shrieking. This doesn’t apply to the rents. They shriek on a daily basis while together.
Some crazy tragedy, as per the norm in my family. Needing Jesus.
PRESENTS!
Not working or even so much as thinking about work. Being as unproductive as humanly possible.
Binge eating. PUMPKIN PIE. Over and over and over.
OBVIOUSLY the reason for the season, celebrating the birth of the baby Jesus. HALLELUJAH.
That pretty much sums up the holiday for me. So help me God if someone doesn’t put a Starbucks gift card in a stocking for me. HINT: MOM.
Anyways, Im here to wish you a happy holiday. Go nuts, people. What better reason could you possibly have to celebrate than Christ’s birthday!?? Even Zoe, my 4 year old roommate, knows this!! She has just survived a Santa trauma, because she knows he is not real but a man dressed as Santa came to her daycare and told her that he WAS REAL. She therefore cried for hours as her parents tried to explain, and last night when I asked her what the meaning of Christmas is she said: “Weeellll, it’s all about giving…and loving…and Jesus’ birthday…and it’s not about SANTA because he is just an old man dressed up that says he will bring you presents but WONT!”
I felt so sorry for her. God love her.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Reason for the Season
With December came relief from the pressure of blogging every day and also, December left me lost blogilogically..with nothing really left to say. And plumb out of creativity. December actually brought a lot of things, come to think. December brought my Texas friends, Rita and Sydney, for a weekend in the mountains and a weekend of laughter. December brought goodbyes and hugs and slumber parties with Bethany before she left for home & India. December brought the freezing cold, and the snow has not left the ground since its arrival. December is also bringing a trip home to Texas, seeing my collegiate best, Becca Feagin for the first time in a year, a high school reunion, Beef’s wedding (18 days and counting), and most importantly: Christmas!
Tis the season to be jolly, people! It is HERE. It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, and I am roasting chestnuts on an open fire tonight. And by open fire, I mean…in the oven. I hear jingle bells (because Kathleen at my office wears them on her shoes during this time of year) and I definitely love the White Christmas that Colorado has been so gracious to give me, even though it presents some Cold December Nights. We have been Rockin’ Around the Christmas tree and are planning to have a Happy Holiday. I hope you are too.
Did you guys see what I just did there? I scripted an entire paragraph with song titles of popular Christmas songs. Clever, eh? Alright, let’s soldier on people.
I love Christmas season. And I love that the reason is exists is because Jesus Christ was born. Hallelujah! Matt Chandler and the Village Church are doing an Advent campaign to “get underneath the meaning of Christmas” instead of getting caught up in all of the presents and shopping and stress and binge eating. Which is difficult assuming that we live consumer driven America. But I am going to join them in their feat.
God has been teaching me a lot of things lately and the most resounding theme goes under the title of: I CANNOT FIX MYSELF. What a crazy easy thing to believe in my head, but my heart is so very reluctant. I mean seriously. I honestly think that if I try hard enough, I will be able to fix myself. I can be better. I can stop this, or start that and STICK WITH IT. I can decide today that I want to be a certain thing, and succeed. I think I can take control and make myself into the person that I want to be. The sad truth is that I cannot. I absolutely and positively cannot. I am hopeless and sick and in need of a Savior.
We are all guilty of the same thing: rebellion against God. And whether it manifests itself in an obvious manner or whether we are living in pride or secret sin, the point remains. We are all guilty. There is not one who is good, by nature. We are by our nature objects of God’s wrath. We are actually incapable of righteousness. CUE: THE GOSPEL. (and the reason for the season)
The gospel, if anything, is a story about remarkably wicked people who cannot fix themselves, and how God—in his never ending love and mercy—answers to our problem. It’s the most marvelous story of all time, and the best news to those of us who are failing miserably at “being better.” I despise not being in control, but the beauty of the gospel is that I don’t have to be, because God is.
God is all about God being glorified, which translates into God being about our joy. His provision, care, and love for me is NOT because I am spectacular but because HE is spectacular. God is glorified by his coming to save sinners. Jesus came to save and heal what could not save or heal itself.
So for those of us who are tired of trying to be better, forgiveness is here. We can let go of our clenched fists over the control of our life because Jesus Christ was born. God has made a way. And that is something to celebrate, people. In the highest degree.
Tis the season to be jolly, people! It is HERE. It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, and I am roasting chestnuts on an open fire tonight. And by open fire, I mean…in the oven. I hear jingle bells (because Kathleen at my office wears them on her shoes during this time of year) and I definitely love the White Christmas that Colorado has been so gracious to give me, even though it presents some Cold December Nights. We have been Rockin’ Around the Christmas tree and are planning to have a Happy Holiday. I hope you are too.
Did you guys see what I just did there? I scripted an entire paragraph with song titles of popular Christmas songs. Clever, eh? Alright, let’s soldier on people.
I love Christmas season. And I love that the reason is exists is because Jesus Christ was born. Hallelujah! Matt Chandler and the Village Church are doing an Advent campaign to “get underneath the meaning of Christmas” instead of getting caught up in all of the presents and shopping and stress and binge eating. Which is difficult assuming that we live consumer driven America. But I am going to join them in their feat.
God has been teaching me a lot of things lately and the most resounding theme goes under the title of: I CANNOT FIX MYSELF. What a crazy easy thing to believe in my head, but my heart is so very reluctant. I mean seriously. I honestly think that if I try hard enough, I will be able to fix myself. I can be better. I can stop this, or start that and STICK WITH IT. I can decide today that I want to be a certain thing, and succeed. I think I can take control and make myself into the person that I want to be. The sad truth is that I cannot. I absolutely and positively cannot. I am hopeless and sick and in need of a Savior.
We are all guilty of the same thing: rebellion against God. And whether it manifests itself in an obvious manner or whether we are living in pride or secret sin, the point remains. We are all guilty. There is not one who is good, by nature. We are by our nature objects of God’s wrath. We are actually incapable of righteousness. CUE: THE GOSPEL. (and the reason for the season)
The gospel, if anything, is a story about remarkably wicked people who cannot fix themselves, and how God—in his never ending love and mercy—answers to our problem. It’s the most marvelous story of all time, and the best news to those of us who are failing miserably at “being better.” I despise not being in control, but the beauty of the gospel is that I don’t have to be, because God is.
God is all about God being glorified, which translates into God being about our joy. His provision, care, and love for me is NOT because I am spectacular but because HE is spectacular. God is glorified by his coming to save sinners. Jesus came to save and heal what could not save or heal itself.
So for those of us who are tired of trying to be better, forgiveness is here. We can let go of our clenched fists over the control of our life because Jesus Christ was born. God has made a way. And that is something to celebrate, people. In the highest degree.
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