It's Freeing To "REMEMBER WHEN"

Philip and Ella in the "younger years," or months, rather!

New hair & some loving

Of Italian Influence

Daddy's choice of music is rubbing off on Philip.

Philip now calls mommy, "Momina," pronounced mom-eena, with the emphasis upon the "ee."

It is so sweet. I believe this little boy will be constantly suprising me with new wonderful things to enjoy.

A Little Tidbit

You know, as a mother with a toddler and a preschooler, life has many challenges. Life is more tiring. Life is more interesting.

Life has more bumps and bruises (for everybody). It has more love.

Life has more frustration. Life has a lot more little things that matter.

Life..well...it's different.

Plans are waylayed by a little girl waking up with an earache. YOU are the one she depends upon to help her get better. So, you schedule a doctor's appointment and take her there and your other child and wait...and wait..and wait..until you see the Doctor. Then you wait again, trying to get the prescription. When that doesn't work, you just go home. Praying that the snow doesn't get worse so you can walk your children over to drop the one off at school. A certain little boy starts being territorial again with his toys. A little girl is very needy and says, "holdy." Then, as you figure out that the preschooler can go to school because she is VERY energetic, you plan to explain to the teacher that she just has an ear infection and that the bump on her head was an accident from the other day.


Then, after a short afternoon to yourself (and a toddler) you shovel the snow in your driveway and sidewalks for people to be able to pass by nicely. AND, you take a big blanket and cover your sleepy child while there are big squalls of snow and wind coming down right on the two of you walking to school to pick up the other child again.

Then,..hm...you have the pleasure of holding a little girl's hand as she skips and says "it's a snowy winter day" with joy and a smile.

Life is wonderful.

Dream Date

Of course, my dream date is my husband. And tonight, we are actually going on another date.

It's hard to say where we end up (we usually say one thing and do another, in all honesty).

At this point, it's Aladdin's for dinner, Target for some essentials, and then Barnes and Noble for browsing through magazines and music and drinking hot cocoa (me) or tea (me again) and then coffee or tea (Richie).

We are both so excited...and my parents are definitely happy to be seeing the kids.

It will be the second time this month we have gone out on a date. It is a new goal for us to do this more often. And, we are succeeding!

Mew Beans

Here are the latest Philip- and Ella- ISMS.

PHILIP

Mew Beans....More Grapes (I bet nobody would've guessed that!)
Ba...Bath (Ella used this one too in her earlier years)
I'm Done (used for just about any reason!)
Lowry....Veggie Tales' Larry...Philip loves him!

ELLA

Goils...Girls
Froofriends...Footprints (it took us FOREVER to figure this one out!)
My Hewo (haven't the slightest idea)
My mommy's (or daddy's) comin'...used when she is being tucked in for the night
Go, Teddy...used for whomever she is riding on as a horsey
oh..and..Ucky..used for Ella's friend, Alex, when she was a bit younger! It was always hilarious when she said his name..and he is her best friend! Now, she finally mastered his name correctly. Good thing!

Sure, there's others...but I will have to put them down later! If you have one, let me know!

Amazement

Rich and I had another HUGE blessing bestowed upon us today. God's timing is always perfect.

The morning unfolded with blessings all around..from hand me down clothing for Ella that is NICE (that doesn't happen at all, for us!) and then this gift from an anonymous person, and THEN, our song (I'll Fly Away) that we did that blessed OTHER people..Rich prayed more than ever about playing the offertory at church today. I am so thankful he does that to begin with, but to know that maybe today was more important to get our minds right with the Lord musically than ever before truly says a lot to me about the heart of my husband.

For this upcoming week...plans are to practice music , as we have a busy weekend of that coming up, including our praise band doing a praise and worship Sunday evening service.

Organize my house..after this week's sickness, etc...it needs it!

Look for a dresser for Ella..we finally hope to get one for her now!

Visit with a few friends. I need this, definitely. I was highly deprived this past week.

Two

The Best Is Yet To Come

My darling husband likes the Franz Family..if you have time to listen, check this out and listen to the Title of my blog...

We desire more of this sound for our twosome..maybe someday our kids will learn the fiddle and guitar! Who knows!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

This was pretty neat..make your own snowflake here .

Something to Laugh About

I am not one to post jokes, but saw this and thought it was pretty funny!

An old man lived alone in New Mexico. He wanted to plant his chiligarden, but it was very hard work. His only son, Francisco, who used tohelp him, was in prison.

The old man wrote a letter to his son anddescribed his predicament:
Oye Francisco, I feeling pretty bat cuz I do not think I will be ableto plant my Chili gardenz this year. I just getting too viejo to dig agarden, but if you waz here, all mi problemas wood be over. I know youwould dig the lot for me. Siempre, tu Papa

A few days later he received a letter from his son:Dear Papa,Por favor, no, don't dig up the garden, that's where I buried theBODIES!Love, Francisco

At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police showed up anddug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized tothe old man and left.

That same day the old man received another letter from his son.

Dear Papa,Go ahead and plant the chilis now. Its the best I could do.Love, Francisco

Nifty Thrifty

A cheesy title, I know..but..

While I am not feeling well, and the kids are settled watching Elmo, and even though Philip has been fighting a cold/fever, I will take some time to right POSITIVE things.

And, having luck when you go thrifting is QUITE the positive experience.

The best place to go thrifting is....tada...where my brother and sister in law live. They are so lucky. They find EVERYTHING they need there!

It's really unbelievable.

This past weekend, I found a pair of Gap jeans, five dollars. Long and lean style (haha..I don't think that was the right "style" for me, but they worked!), and Lisa hemmed them for me! Then, found a Princess Leap Frog book set for our school bus thingy, half off retail! We almost purchased that for Ella this past Christmas...it was good to wait!

Also, a Christmas present or birthday gift for someone...for next winter!

And, two spring style tops for me...American Eagle and Gap.

Finally, something that was uncanny. A love mug and plate set. At the same exact time, different places in the aisle, Lisa picked up the plate and asked, "Do you know anyone getting married?" and while my back was turned to her and I picked up the matching mug, I said "No, but..oooohh wow!"

We turned around and saw what was in each other's hands...too funny! I was the lucky one to keep it and I love my new mug and plate set!

I am banning myself from thrifting for awhile...at least until we go back to another "good" thrift store!

Gingerbread

This is the beginning of the gingerbread house making story..more to come...What a day that was..for the mommy, at least!

Time for Tea

Ella is so excited, she may not sleep tonight.

For tomorrow we travel

And momma doesn't pack light

To go to a special party

We will have to dress right

And drink and eat daintily not at all hearty

Philip and Daddy will not be there

And neither will Uncle Bill

Aunt Lisa will surely keep them out of her hair

But Mothers and Daughters, they'll have all the fun

Basking in a birthday girl's glory

Miss Abigail, who will be the shining sun.

So, dear, sweet Ella girl

Mommy prays this evening

Sleep tight, for soon, you'll twirl and twirl!

Loving One Another

Here is a scripture that is helpful, to me, and has some interesting history in it.

PSALM 133

How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron's beard,
down upon the collar of his robes.

It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
even life forever more.

NIV, Archaeological Bible


NOTE: When oil saturated Aaron's beard and clothing, it was a symbol of total consecration to holy service. Mount Hermon has much precipitation and heavy dew..creating much greenery . However, Mount Zion did not have that, especially during the summer months and pilgramages were made to Mount Hermon....so, therefore, how refreshing is the unity of God's people!

Speaking of LOVING ONE ANOTHER...

Philip and Ella have developed a new bedtime routine. When Ella is in her bed, and we enter in to have prayer and storytime, Philip is now in her bed too! He says so solemnly, "g'night mommy, g'night dadda.." But, do you think they then procede to fall asleep? I think not! We hear delightful little giggles and sometimes a pitter-pattering of feet. This goes on for a few minutes and then we enter in. Then we all say goodnight once more. And the process starts all over again! It is very cute. We don't mind. I hope that they can share a room perhaps soon. Maybe this whole routine will help! They do certainly love each other..through the difficult sharing times even.

I was Tagged!

I was tagged by my friend, Beth! So here goes!

Three things that scare me: spiders, my husband going on late night walks, and anything that may harm my family and friends
Three people who make me laugh: my husband, my dad, and Kimmy!
Three things I love: my family, sleep, and being creative with music and photography
Three things I hate: mushrooms, onions
Three things I don’t understand: politicians, country music, myself
Three things on my desk: Philip's piggy bank, Ella's Belle toys, and bills
Three things I’m doing right now: typing, falling asleep, and wishing I were in bed already!
Three things I want to do before I die: go out West, write and publish a book (i've begun, like, three..never finished them!), and become the woman God wants me to be completely!
Three things I can do: play and sing music, take pictures, sleep
Three things you should listen to: God, Richard's mandolin and harmonica, and your parents
Three things you should never listen to: money-minded evangelists, political commercials on tv, prerecorded phone calls by salespersons
Three things I 'd like to learn: how NOT to be so sensitive, how to cook better, how to truly have a strong singing voice
Three favorite foods: steak, chocolate, lemon poppyseed muffins
Three beverages I drink regularly: water, hot tea, cold tea
Three TV shows/books I watched/read as a kid: Little House on the Prairie, the Mandi Books, and Nancy Drew
Three people to tag: I don't have any blogger friends other than who tagged me! So, if Jen is reading this, and Lisa..go for it! Tag you're it!

A Foggy Day, Clear Evening

As the day progressed, my fibro fog continued. Even to the point where I could not complete writing out a simple check for Ella's preschool tuition. It was a day of crying out to the Lord for strength to get through the minutes. Finally, it happened and I felt a little more strength physically and emotionally in the late afternoon, as I prepared dinner for the family, and then gave baths, and then my darling husband came home. He put in a lot of one on one time with the kids, but nonetheless I still heard our little girl's cries of discontentment about certain issues..issues that have become GREAT issues lately- eating, bedtime, and toys. Having a 20 month old and 3 and a half year old play together peacefully is not easy...but it is ideal to have certain moments through the day to be like that. And, yes, that happens here frequently. I think that when one does not feel well, the difficult moments become, well..like a million years!

A neighbor stopped by this evening, before I gave baths, and sure enough, Philip stripped down to NOTHING before I could stop him and then Ella proceeded to take her shirt off and other items, too...luckily, she listened to her mother! Philip however, gave quite a show! The neighbor was a gracious lady and she just laughed.

To give a little input on how exhausted mothers feel..yesterday I laid down to take a rest on the couch for a "few minutes" while Ella was at preschool and Philip was napping..well..my "few minutes" became 45 mintues. Thus, I was late picking up Ella! I felt so bad. I was only about 5-7 minutes late, but she was the last child to be picked up. Usually, I am there to get her first!

To get to the "clarity" of the evening..that, of course, came with some reading of Psalms. And the breathing room that comes when your children are safely snuggled and sleeping in their own rooms and their own beds.

Tomorrow's goals, or rather, the week-end's goals: to finally process the few photos I have from Christmas (there aren't many as I hosted a breakfast here and was too tired the rest of the day to take any!), work on my photography website (it needs majorly updated for spring!), and be relaxed as I take a few hours to myself tomorrow, as my husband is off work and will watch the kids for a little bit. Also, walk a few minutes on the treadmill if possible..pain and fatigue has really dwindled my exercising again. It is very frustrating.

Here are a few photos for family and friends to enjoy!

Melancholy Be Gone!

This day truly has beauty in it...contented children, a steady rain, husband's day off...our 5th anniversary...

But, for some reason, due to fibromyalgia pain and fatigue, there is a melancholy in my heart. I am anxious to go out on our date, tonight, too...

I think underneath this all, I have been thinking hard about my grandmother Duvall, who passed away earlier this year. Here is a poem she had written down, copied by someone anonymous, to my knowledge. My mom was able to salvage mostly only writings and clips of poetry and scripture from my grandmother's house, sad to say, due to the unkindly acts of keeping precious items from my grandmother's children. God used this clippings to heal my mother's hearts, and ours, especially after she put them together in a book and made copies for family members.

Here is one I would like to share...

IN HEAVEN WE"LL UNDERSTAND
notnow, but in the coming years
it may be in the Heavenly land
we'll read the meaning of our tears
some day, in Heaven we'll understand

we'll know why clouds instead of sun
were over many a cherished plan,
why smiles have ceased when just begun
some day, in Heaven we'll understand

then trust in God through all the days
fear not for He doth hold thy hand
but whilst you love, still sing and praise
some day in Heaven you'll understand

As I walked on

my treadmill this afternoon, the new little mp3 player in my pocket and ears played the program from todays Revive Our Hearts. The words spoken, the story told, the wisdom breathed in my heart from the Lord said to me to embrace the Word whole heartedly and had me in tears.

I no longer have a doubt to why I recently purchased the Archaeological Bible, other than for being an Anthropology major..for I believe that I was led to that this year, after Christmas, for a certain purpose...a purpose I may not find out right away, but maybe, just maybe, through this different version, something may hit me, or another family member or friend that reads this Bible, a bit differently, as to open our hearts and eyes more to knowing Jesus. And our Heavenly Father.

Here is what I listend to, from the Revive Our Hearts website:

How Much is the Bible Worth?
Series: The Wonder of the Word
Leslie Basham: Do you have any idea of how much your Bible costs? I don’t mean the amount you paid the cashier when you purchased it at the store. Here is Nancy Leigh DeMoss.
Nancy Leigh DeMoss: We owe a huge debt to a handful of men who paid a great price to get the Bible translated into the common languages of the people.
Leslie: This is Revive Our Hearts with Nancy Leigh DeMoss for Wednesday, January 3rd. The Bible didn’t come to us cheaply. Many have paid the ultimate price, giving their very lives to translate and pass along the Word of God from one generation to the next. Today we will hear about some of the sacrifices they made in order for us to read. Here’s Nancy.
Nancy: We have been talking all this week about the wonder of the Word. I have been encouraging us to develop a new heart of reverence and appreciation and love for the Word of God. I have been encouraging, if you are not already in the habit, of starting a new habit of spending some time every day reading God’s Word. It is the only way you will ever get to know God. You can’t know Him apart from knowing His Word.
We have been giving a 30-day challenge. Here is what that challenge is in case you’ve missed it: encouraging you to make a commitment that everyday for the next 30 days, you will spend some time alone with the Lord inprayer, just getting to know Him and cultivating a relationship with Him.

Don’t put yourself in the bondage of saying, “Okay, I am going to do this for two hours every morning. I am going to set my alarm clock for three o’clock in the morning, and I am going to get up and have my two-hour quiet time.” If you don’t have a quiet time habit, that is not the way to start.

Start by setting aside some time though. If you don’t put it on your calendar, if you don’t schedule it into your day, I can tell you it won’t happen. If I let my day run away and I haven’t set aside the time—made the time to get into the Word—it is amazing how many things just come in and crowd in and crowd out the Word of God in my life. I’ll look back and it’s late at night, and I really haven’t had the time alone with the Lord.

But let me encourage you every day for the next 30 days to spend some time in the Word. You’ll find, I really believe, as many have testified that have taken this challenge, that once you get in that habit, you won’t want to stop.

I want us to focus today as we continue to look at the wonder of the Word on the fact that we have a Bible that is precious—it is priceless; it is of infinite value. And therefore, it is something that we should treasure and cherish.

I don’t know if you realize what an incredible privilege it is for us to be able to have our own copies of the Bible. Have you ever thought about that? I mean, I have dozen copies of the Bible, every color, every size—this one is pretty beat up. I have some that are newer, different translations. I have Bibles everywhere.

But that is a privilege that most people have never had. Most people in the world today do not have that privilege, and most people in the history of the world have not had the privilege of having their own Bible. In fact, as you study the history of how we came to get the Bible in our language today, you realize that people have had to make some enormous sacrifices to preserve the Word of God to have the Word of God.

We owe a huge debt to a handful of men who paid a great price to get the Bible translated into the common languages of the people. As you go back, you realize that some of those people were tortured for their efforts; some were martyred. Those who were martyred were usually during the Middle Ages, burned alive publicly at the stake.

As heretics, this happened, the church did this, the organized institutional church, not the true church. The organized church considered them heretics for translating the Bible into English. Now those men paid the price. The translations were made; they [the men] were burned, but the copies of the Bible were let out into the lives, hearts, and minds of the people. It was a revolution.

It paved the way, as you know, for the Reformation, which is one of the reasons that we are able to have the Bible today. But once those copies of the Bible began to circulate in the common languages of the people, then it became unlawful and a criminal offense to possess one of those copies.

You can read many different stories. I can think of a story of a man in Europe who was burned alive for owning just a piece of a page of one of those Bibles. His children were forced to light the fire after he was fastened to the stake because he owned a part of a page . . . a fragment of a page of one of those Bibles. And that has continued to modern times.

I think of the Soviet Jew, Anatoli Shcharansky, who was detained and finally imprisoned in Russia in 1974. He spent years in Russian prison work camps, and during those years, he was stripped of all his personal belongings. The only possession he managed to keep was a miniature copy of the Psalms.

At one point during his imprisonment, because he refused to give that book up to the authorities, it cost him more than four months in solitary confinement because he wouldn’t let that little copy of the Psalms go. Finally, 12 years after he had been parted from his wife, he was offered his freedom.

You may remember February 1986 as the whole world was watching that Shcharansky was allowed to walk away from those Russian guards and to walk toward those who were going to take him to Jerusalem to be reunited with his wife. But right in the final moments before he was released, the guards tried one more time to confiscate that Psalms book from Shcharansky. Do you remember what he did? He threw himself face down in the snow, clinging to that Psalms book and refusing to give it up. He would not go into freedom without it.1

One of my favorite stories about those who have treasured the Word of God is a story that took place many years ago. It has been written up in a book called Mary Jones and Her Bible. Listen to that story about a little girl who treasured the Word of God.

“I must have a Bible of my own! I must have one, if I have to save up for it for ten years!"

The year was 1794. For as long as she could remember, little Mary Jones had yearned to hold a Bible in her hands so that she might read it for herself. For years, she had sat at night on her weaver father’s lap and listened to him tell stories of Abraham and Joseph and David and Daniel. But her family was far too poor to afford a Bible, even if one had been available, for Bibles could scarcely be found in all of Wales during those days.

Two years earlier, Mrs. Evans, the wife of a nearby farmer, having learned of Mary’s longing to read the Bible, had promised the child that when she learned to read, she could come to their house and read their Bible. As soon as the first school opened in a neighboring village, Mary had eagerly set about learning to read.

Now, the ten-year-old girl had just walked two miles from the North Wales village of Llanfihangel to the Evans’ farm. The distance was no object to the eager child: "I’d walk further than that for such a pleasure, ma’am!" she had said to Mrs. Evans.

When once Mary finally was left alone in the room with the Bible, she reverently lifted off the white napkin that covered and protected the cherished book. Then, with trembling hands, she opened the book to the fifth chapter of John where her eyes lit on the words, "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39 KJV). Confident that God had spoken to her directly, she earnestly vowed to search His Word with all her heart.

Every Saturday from that point on she made the journey to the Evans’ farm, where she read, studied, and memorized entire chapters from the ‘borrowed’ Bible. All the time, however, her heart ached, so great was her yearning to have a Bible of her own. She purposed that she must have a Bible, at any cost.

For the next six years, in addition to her studies at school and the many chores to be tended to at home, Mary used every available moment to do odd jobs for friends and neighbors. Every penny she earned was carefully laid aside, until, at long last she had saved enough to buy a Bible of her own.

When she learned that the closest place a Bible could be purchased was the town of Bala, some twenty-five miles away, there was no question in her mind about what she must do. With hope in her heart, she started out early one morning, walking barefoot, so as not to ruin her one pair of shoes. Before she reached her destination, her feet were blistered and cut from the stones in the road.

Physically weary, but barely able to contain her excitement that her lifelong goal should be so nearly realized, Mary finally arrived in Bala, where she poured out her story to the minister, Mr. Charles. When she had finished, Mr. Charles reluctantly informed her that the last of the Bibles available for purchase had already been sold and that the handful of remaining Bibles had already been promised to others. Furthermore, the Society that had printed the small quantity of Welsh Bibles did not intend to print any more.

So great was Mary’s disappointment, that she began to sob uncontrollably. Touched by the intensity of her passion to have a Bible of her own, Mr. Charles decided that she must have one of the few Bibles left in his possession. Words cannot describe the ecstasy Mary felt as Mr. Charles placed into her hands that precious treasure for which she had prayed, wept, and hoarded all these years. Her heart sang as she walked the twenty-five miles back home, carrying her very own Bible, the Book that would remain her dearest friend and companion throughout her life.2

Do you realize the value of what you have in God’s Word? “The law of your mouth,” the Psalmist said, “is better unto me than thousands of coins of gold and silver” (Psalm 119:72). “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth” (Psalm 119:103). “I rejoice at Your Word as one who finds great treasure” (Psalm 119:162). What a treasure it is.

So the next time that you pick up that Bible, one of many perhaps in your possession, remember what a price many have paid before you so that you could have that Bible. And don’t take it lightly. Thank God for the privilege for owning your own copy; and as you read it, treasure it, for there is no greater treasure in life.

Leslie: Nancy Leigh DeMoss will continue her teaching in just a minute. We treasure so many things, but nothing has greater value than the Word of God. Were you stirred like I was when Nancy Leigh DeMoss told the story of the girl who treasured her Bible?

If you have young daughters or granddaughters, I hope you will get a copy of that story. It is called Mary Jones and Her Bible. Reading it to the young women in your life will instill in them an appreciation for God’s Word at a young age. Order a copy at ReviveOurHearts.com, or call 1-800-569-5959.

Well today, you don’t just get one moving story about treasuring the Bible, you get two. Here’s Nancy to explain.

Nancy: Several years ago, I had the privilege of hearing a testimony that illustrated in a powerful way how precious and priceless the Word of God is. Margaret Nikol grew up in Bulgaria under one of the most repressive Communist regimes in history.

As you will hear from her testimony in just a few moments, her father was a pastor as was her brother. She grew up in a time in Bulgaria when Bibles were not accessible to believers. As she was growing up in Bulgaria, Margaret was trained to be a professional violinist. Then when she was in her mid-30s she was exiled to the United States. Since Margaret came to the United States, she has continued to give violin concerts, but most importantly to share her story of how she came to have her first copy of the Word of God. I know you are going to be moved as I have been as you listen now to this testimony from Margaret Nikol.

Margaret Nikol: When I came here [to the United States], I had two most prized possessions: I had my violin, and I had one page from God’s Bible—only one page. Probably you would ask me why didn’t I buy myself a Bible. In our country, we did not have it.

The Communists took power, and they confiscated God’s Word from churches, and hymnals. They went to houses and confiscated the Bibles available in our country. How did I get my page? A lady from our church, she was reading her Bible one night, and she overheard when the police came talking at the door to her husband that they wanted to confiscate her Bible. And she thought, “No, never my Bible,” and she sat on it.

And they looked for hours in her house, everywhere, but not under her skirt; and there was the Bible. Then she came to church and tearing it page, by page, by page, she shared with us her Bible with tears in her eyes. With all respect to God’s Word, Pastor Woodall, I was so happy I didn’t get one from the Numbers. I had a very good page—Genesis 16 and 17. The promise of God to give Abraham and Sarah a son.

And here I was in this country, and it was close to Christmas when I came. The second Sunday when I went to the same very small church, next to me sat an old couple. It turned out they were German immigrants after the first World War. So, we able to communicate in German, and I told them I am 10 days in America.

I was so excited when they said, “We would like to give you a Christmas present. What would you like?” Probably they thought I would say, “Let’s go shopping till we drop.” I didn’t. Do you know why? Because I was 12 when I got my page [of the Bible] and for 25 years I prayed, “Lord, I so want to have your Word.”

And when they asked me, I said, “If possible, I would like to have a Bible.” They said, “Oh, honey, this is America; Bibles are available. You can have it.” So the next morning they came, and they brought me to the Bible bookstore. And can you picture me—the woman with one page for her entire life—getting into that Bible bookstore and seeing all the shelves—black, blue, green, brown, and red Bibles.

I stood there in the middle of that bookstore and wept and cried. I couldn’t believe that after so many years, prayers God will answer. I got a Bible and hugged it to my chest; and I wept, and I wept. My friends, it was joyful, and then it became sorrow. First I thought of my brother. He was a pastor in Bulgaria, having a fifteen hundred-people church and preached from couple of pages copied by his own hand, and so were the others. No Bibles.

And I said, “But Lord, what about them? What about them? If they could all come here, and You could send Bibles.” That is why I so respect all the missions, Brother Andrew and the others, who smuggled Bibles, but they couldn’t smuggle for all of us. I made the covenant with God that day. And I said, “Father, I am not the man; I am not the preacher; I am not the teacher; I am not the evangelist; I am a musician and a woman on top of that. What can You do with my life? But You have it.”

And I thank God that He never looks for able people. He looks for available people. I thank Him for that. The first three and a half years I was in a quandary. I didn’t know what to do. I was professor of music and gave concerts, and then the call came and I gave up everything and started traveling to raise funds for Bibles.

In 1993 I was in Bulgaria, back with 10,000 Bibles printed in the country—this very same Bible. The pastors of that country had their first conference in freedom. In that hall when I entered with the Bibles, and with my hand started giving each pastor their first Bible. The joy and the tears and the gratefulness of their hearts, and the prayers which went for you, for the American Christians who send them the Bibles.

And on their behalf, I would like to thank you. I would like to thank you as Christians. At the same token I would like to challenge you. Any time you take your Bible for granted, I pray that the Holy Spirit will remind you of this page, because it represents not only Margaret Nikol. No, millions of your brothers and sisters around the world are still on their knees to pray for God to send them His Word.

For me, the most sinful corners in every church I have been in and seen is lost and found. Do you know why? The most lost items are never looked for are the Bibles. That is how much we appreciate them. And I challenge you tonight to cherish your Bible, to thank God in our country we can go to bookstores, anywhere, and in such abundance look at God’s Word.

Nancy: We’ve been listening to Margaret Nikol, and what a stirring reminder of the precious gift that God has given to us in His Word. In this country where we have such ready access to the Word of God, it is easy to lose sight of the privilege that we have, in our day, in our age, in this country to have our own copies of the Scripture.

God’s Word says in Psalm 19 that the Word of God is more to be desired than gold, yea, than much fine gold, and that it is sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb (Psalm 19:10). It is through reading and keeping the Word of God that we receive great reward in our lives. I want you to have the rewards that come from knowing God’s Word, not just from having copies of it, but from knowing it, and reading it, and studying it, and memorizing it, and personalizing it, and getting it internalized in your own life.

So maybe right now if you are in a place where you can do this, you’d like to just pick up a copy of the Bible. You probably have one real close to you. Just put it in your hands and look at it, and then lift up your eyes to the Lord and your heart to the Lord and say, “Lord, thank You for giving me this book. Thank You for making it available to us in the English language and for those who have paid such a price so that we could have it in our language.”

Thank the Lord we live in a country where we are free to purchase copies of the Bible, to have them, to own them, and to make them a part of our lives. Then ask the Lord to make this Book precious to you. Ask Him to help you not to take it for granted, but to make it one of your most cherished possessions and treasures. And not the just the book itself, because the Bible is not just the paper and ink, and a leather or hardback cover; but ask the Lord to make what is in that book to become the Word alive in you and to cause it to change your life as you treasure it from this day forward.

I hope this story/message was meaningful for any readers here. I am thankful that I heard it today.

Signature

This started out as a scrapbooking page but now it is my signature when I post on several boards. I love these children with my whole heart! These photographs make my heart just melt all over again...good to look at after a week of busy-ness and "no share" attitudes! It'll become a scrapbook page again, but not for awhile.

I saw my friend Katie and her little baby again today. We had a good time, and we both really wanted to get out of the house! Ella did not have preschool again today! Tomorrow she starts, and I am glad our routine will start up again.

I bought my sister in law, Christa, a couple of dresses for her little baby girl to be from Gymboree (my favorite place to SHOPPE in the entire world!). The prices were astonishingly so low, and I couldn't pass the deal up. Now, if I can hold on to these until her shower..hmm..this will be very very hard!

I have yet to post about our Christmas Angel visit last week..I think all that I will say about that is that Rich and I do not know who stopped by our house and gave us a wonderful blessing, but we feel so grateful everyday for what was given, and how God has continued to bless us daily. It was the most miraculous gift we have ever received.

Speaking of presents of Christmas, talking about meaningful ones is important, I think..and how certain gifts can affect you in different ways.

For instance, my grandmother gave me a "hostess" gift for having the Christmas morning breakfast at our house. That brought tears to my eyes..my mom has always received that gift from my grandmother, and to have her give that to me, well, was so extremely meaningful.

An unexpected gift was my brother's giving away of his new mp3 player to me..he already had one and had my mom give it to me the next day instead! Talk about another blessing! Now I can listen to Nancy Lee DeMoss whenever I want to! I am truly thnakful for this one, too.

Ella's little presents made out to "mommy" from "ella" have brought tears to my eyes each time....a handmade plate with a little handprint on it and even a green and red beaded jingle necklace! You can't get better than that! She writes her name so well..we are very proud!

Other gifts that held extra meaning were Richard's...poor fellow, he spent his own gift card to Kohls on ME..and bought me two pairs of much needed shoes. That was our thing this year..to use our coupons and gift cards...and it worked out well...I had come across 2 10 dollar off 10 dollar purchases at JC Penneys and found some sharp-looking gift ideas for my sweet husband.

This post, although it is all about gifts, is truly to show how much God has provided...how much more I could say. This Christmas was truly overwhelming with love, joy, and peace...especially in my own heart..and our family's. Praise the Lord!