I am second

I had to share this web link with you if you'd care to take a look. I am so impressed by the way this was put together. A very successful businessman who also happens to be a Jesus-follower here in the Dallas area has started this campaign called I AM SECOND. That's all it says on the billboards - no web address or anything. When you google it the following website comes up...

http://www.iamsecond.com/

I will warn you that some of the real life stories are pretty dramatic and not suitable for kiddos, but I hope this brings some encouragement to you.

I also had to share this picture of Abby with her new ripstik that she bought with Christmas money. It is so perfect for my outdoorsy girl who is really getting the hang of it already - I, on the other hand can't even stand on it without promptly falling off. And here is Grace wearing one of the shirts my sister Erika embroidered and appliqued for her.

FINALLY

Now that almost forever has passed since my last post, it is finally time for a new one.

I obviously didn't get to Christmas cards this year; I figure I'll wait until we have an address and then send out a lovely photo change of address postcard. But MANY thanks to so many of you for the family updates, encouraging cards and notes, gifts, and just the reminder of your wonderful friendship. We are truly blessed by you!


On to a few photo updates (forgive the yellow tint on some and the blue tint on others; I'm still not sure how to get the settings right on my camera that I've had for... um, 5 years).






Here's my Greg growing his fabulous new chin whiskers - I LOVE THEM! They're much longer and thicker now.

The whole my side of the family Christmas photo

Making gingerbread houses at my parent's house.

Christmas Eve eating.


Grace joining the big girls on her new bike from Grandma and Papa. She LOVES IT!




And what might Greg be working so hard on here? Well, I'll tell you later...

The rest of the photos are just some fun shots I took today while the cousins hunted for snail shells in the beautiful 70 degrees at the very end of December weather we're having here in Texas!

Phil Wickham

Yesterday, Phil Wickham led worship at the church we've been attending. It was not a huge room, and it wasn't overstuffed like some concert. It was a blessed time of beautiful worship. Greg and I already had Phil pegged as one of our favorite worship singers/songwriters, but after yesterday, I'm even more impressed with his music. He LED worship, completely unassuming, completely focused on Christ.

AND, as beautiful as the worship time was, I DID NOT FALL APART. I figured out that all I need to do is bring along a talkative 5-year-old who is really pretty tall for her age and demands to be held so she can see. So, the beautiful worship time was colored not with the propensity toward tears but the propensity toward blowing my top in the middle of church. Such is the real life of a Jesus-follower, I guess.

O, and I got to shake Phil's hand and thank him for being there when it was over. Cool.

Problem

I seem to be having this problem... I have only been to a few worship services since our move, and so far I can't make it through one without completely falling apart.

First off, I want to say that I'm not an excessive crier. I used to say, "I'm not very emotional and hardly ever cry," but that is just not even true anymore. I will say that generally I keep it together pretty well, then get away by myself and let the tears flow in solitude.

This new problem is quite unsettling for a number of reasons:
1. I never seem to have enough Kleenexes on hand, because I keep being surprised by this event, to handle the steady flow from my nose.

2. The above situation makes me feel a little embarrassed and vulnerable in public.

3. I seem to have lost control in an area where I have always had ample control and I REALLY LIKE CONTROL.

4. I'm not sure this is a good way to make new friends, because if I were looking at me, I might be a little freaked out.

The main issue is the singing of praise songs. The pastor at Chase Oaks, where we've been attending in Dallas, preached yesterday on worshipping the Lord in song. He mentioned the unique opportunity it is for God to "lift our heads" that may be bowed down for a variety of reasons (shame, pain, doubt, grief...) up toward Him - the One who is outside our circumstances even while He works in and through them.

That gives definition to my experience of finding Him faithful and true, righteous and worthy, compassionate and merciful, complete and sovereign as I sing. His character is so vivid at those moments, and my ability to see Him so clear that I weep. No matter how hard I try to avert my gaze from the words or think about something else, there is the Body of Christ (most of whom I don't yet know personally) all around me lifting their hearts and voices in adoration of Him who is worthy - drawing me even against my will fully in to the experience of worship. I know for some of them there is "pain in the offering," yet they sing.

Thank you, Body of Christ. I'll just learn to pack more Kleenexes into my purse for now.