Christmas~2011

Christmas started early this year when the Bantons showed up on December 17th. (We knew they were coming.) They stayed until Dec. 21st and it was a hard good-bye. They were the best gifts ever.

We celebrated Christmas as a family on Dec. 23rd. The boys made a huge breakfast of biscuits-compliments of Freeman; scrapple, sausage, hash browns, and scrambled eggs. Phil and I recited the Christmas story-"And there were in the same country..." We exchanged gifts and sang. A few of us played some games and a few did some farm chores and got packed. In the eve., Phil, Susan, and I watched 'Sea Biscuit.' It was a lovely day.

Dec. 24th-Left home between 9 and 10 and headed north. Phil, Susan, and I, stopped in to see Mother for a short visit. Then we headed to Hotel 8-Joe and Karen's. We got settled in and joined nearly 60 others for Christmas caroling in the eve. The after party was a great time to catch up with friends and neighbors. I fell asleep to the hum of voices sometime after 10:30.

Dec. 25-Had a nice breakfast of cinnamon rolls and orange julius. Watched Jonathan open up his gifts. Went to Jim's for church. We sang for a good hour and then Freeman preached the best Christmas sermon I've ever heard. It was based on 1 Peter 5:7-'Casting all your care on Him...' and Phil. 4:6-8-'Be anxious for nothing..' And the way to be anxious for nothing is to meditate on the One who is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praise worthy.
It is because Jesus came as a baby and lived His life as a man and died and rose again that we can cast all our cares on Him and be anxious for nothing.
We also sang "The Hallelujah Chorus" as a family, with Paul leading, with his good hand. He had cut off his thumb (accidently) and had it reattached a week ago. Taylor played his guitar-'Eruption' and Jordan played a magnificent piece on the organ. Several shared testimonies. We were all grateful for our heritage and God's blessing of unity and friendship in this wonderful family.
We then ate a great big lunch together-ham balls, green beans, mashed potatoes, sw. pot. casserole, 7 layer salad, cabbage slaw, and much more. Then we went upstairs and had the sibling male/female gift exchange. Debra liked my gift of a scarf and Susan's cards and I liked Helen's gift of a painting of a country house at Christmas. Phil got Dave's box of goods-Turkey Hill gift card, beef jerky, sunflower seeds, gloves, and Arbonne body butter for the female in his life and Dad liked his orange fluorescent cap with furred ear flaps. We passed out the traditional candy canes. Micah gave his uncles homemade soap with big plastic bugs inside and his aunties received homemade soap with pieces of colorful soap inside. We all were enjoying little Jonathan and David's antics. They are the dearest little one year olds in the world and they are both miracles in every sense of the word. We enjoyed conversations, games, etc. Our family left around 5 to head to my families gathering.'
We arrived at my brother's around 6. He had pork, turkey, and ham with the fixings for a sandwich-chewy fresh rolls, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, and mustard. He also made his fabulous seafood chowder, asparagus and mushrooms, corn, and I'm sure I am missing something. The rest of us brought desserts but I am still too full to mention all the cakes and cookies. Our family sang some of the Mast/Hertzler songs for Mother. She sang along when we came to the more traditional songs of 'Silent Night' and 'Joy to the World.' I held Kelly's Baby Grace and put her to sleep while we sang. She is only 7 weeks old. Abby brought out her menagerie of guinea pigs and rabbits and it was obvious that we were all descendants of my mother, the greatest animal lover that ever lived. Uncle Jim noticed that the squealing of one guinea pig quieted down when he 'played' his musical tie. I will always treasure that time with Mother, listening to her sing, and watching her hold the guinea pig runt who 'was slightly deformed.'

Freeman and Alli headed back to Aunt Anne's and Michael and Philip headed back to Uncle Bubba's. (They wanted to go to Shady Maple Smorgasbord in the morning but it was overflowing and they were turned away. Went to Yoder's instead.)
Phil, Susan, and I headed towards Carlisle and checked into the Super 8 there. The next morning, it took us only 4 hours to get home instead of 6. The Christmas spirit continues here today. Susan cooked sauteed cucumbers from 'The Joy of Cooking' book that our friend, Teri, gave her. She also got a cookbook from Gpa Hertzler's. We'd like to cook through that one since it is called 'Simply in Season' and we think that would be fun to do. She wants to have her own garden next year. Phil's reading the book Michael gave him that I read on the way up. 'The Final Summit', which I think everyone in the world should read. I just took a nap and then decided to write a bit even though it's freezing back here.

I think this has been one of my most favorite Christmas' ever. Between Christmas caroling and singing at both places, we probably sang 4 hours. Oh-we are thankful that no one was hurt when a car when hurtling by all the parked cars along side of the road. (Christmas caroling) They slid on some black ice and ended up in the ditch. There was some unpleasantness involved because of the condition the driver was in, but we are thankful that no one was harmed.
Something else I forgot to mention was Paul's gratitude for our prayers. He said that he knows that whatever use he recovers from his thumb is due to our prayers.
Another fond memory is something funny Alli said. Someone said something to her about singing the alto part to a song and she said something like, "I'm making up my own part." She has a lot of new songs to learn and I know exactly how she feels because I felt the same way nearly 30 years ago as a new bride in the Hertzler family. But it's worth it to learn those songs that have been passed down for at least four generations that so few other people know. My mother said that she keeps hearing the different parts coming in 'in her head' but she doesn't know the words. I think we need to make her a recording.

Merry Christmas everyone
and may you know His peace and goodwill
towards you in this coming year.

Let

Webster's-'Let'-to allow, permit; to give opportunity for

Notice how Jesus has given us everything we need.
It is up to us to allow what He's given to have its place
in our lives.
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1 Cor. 2:16b-"...But we have the mind of Christ."

Phil. 2:5-"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus...made Himself of no reputation...taking the form of a servant...humbled Himself unto death..."
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John 14:27-"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you;..."

Col. 3:15-"Let the peace of God rule in your hearts,..."
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Deut. 30:14-"But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it."

Col. 3:16-"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."
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Rom. 8:35-"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"

John 14:1-"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me."
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Let His mind be in us. Allow it. Permit it to be so.
Let His peace rule. Allow it. Permit it to be so.
Let His word dwell in us. Allow it. Permit it to be so.
Let not our hearts be troubled. Allow it not. Permit it not to be so.
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I sat down early this morning to be Mary and my mind is Martha,
troubled, scattered, list-making, weary.

And I think of this little word-'let'-allow.

"Let (allow) My peace, My mind, My word, My untroubledness,
be in you, rule in you, dwell in you."

Help me Jesus,
to choose the better part;
To not only sit at Your feet like Mary
but to have my mind be Yours as well.

In this busyness that comes with the celebration
of Your birth,
help me not to forget that You came,
not for a visit,
but to make Your home in our hearts.

Oh, please, be at home in my heart.

Sifting or Praying

I've been watching some dear friends go through
an extended period of rough times.

I have often thought of them in connection
with the words Jesus spoke to Peter,
"Simon, Simon, Satan has desired to sift you like wheat,
but I have prayed for you,
that your faith will not fail,
and when you have returned,
strengthen the brethren."

Satan has been asking to do a lot of sifting lately.
He could not do it, unless God allowed it.
He has to ask.

Jesus doesn't sift.
He prays.

How comforting to know that He prays
that our faith will not fail us,
and then He assures us
that one day,
we will strengthen others.

He who has the power and the right to sift us,
prays for us, instead.

You know what?
We can be sifters
or we can pray.

We can look at people and take them apart
and say,"They've got some good wheat about them
but they've got a lot of chaff too."

Or we can pray for them,
that their faith will not fail them.

I sure hope people are not sifting me.
I hope they are praying for me instead of judging
what I am made of.

What would happen to the Body of Christ
if we joined Jesus and prayed for each other's faith,
and we left the sifting to the one
who has to ask God's permission to do so?
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A few days after writing the above,
I read a prayer in Ken Gire's book,
"Intimate Moments with the Savior."

I share a portion of it with you here.

"I love you for all that I am because of you.
I love you because with your tender hands
you lift the crushed pile Satan
leaves behind when he winnows,
and you blow away the chaff.
I love you that you don't focus
on those husked failures but rather on the kernel,
however small,
of genuine love left in your palm.
And seeing it, you take great delight."