Christmas Wrap-up
We are now three days past Christmas and three days ahead of New Year's Eve. We're right in the middle of the span of time where the sentimentalists are clinging to the last bit of Christmas while the practicalists are boxing, shelving, and happily storing Christmas away until next year. I was a little startled how quickly the non-stop Christmas music stations flipped the switch back to their usual sets on December 26. Christmas is over and done with and they're moving forward! I am almost there, but wanted to share one poignant lesson I learned from the Christmas story this year.
One of the Shelton traditions is that I tell the boys a Bible story every night at bedtime. I rarely tell the stories the same way twice. I believe that if you want your children to believe that the stories in the Bible are true, you need to tell them as if you believe they're true. So I'm creative, sometimes dramatic, and always looking for a devotional thought to emphasize in that evening's story. There is always something to learn.
My learning moment came on the way home from my parents' house last week. Following my surgery, I run out of voice occasionally if I have talked too much, too loudly, in the wrong pitch, or had the audacity to sing. Don't worry, the surgery went well, but as I mentioned in the last post, relaxing and resting aren't really my style, so I'm struggling to be patient and wait for everything to be back to normal, and sometimes push too hard. Anyway, we were on our way home, my voice was short, and I asked my mom to be the substitute Bible story teller for me that night to give myself a break.
She told the boys about the angel visiting Mary, Mary's response, and coupled it with the angel's visit to Zechariah, and Mary's visit to Elizabeth. Here is how that visit is recorded in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1:
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Mom told the boys that we could learn a lesson from that passage about obeying God's calling. The lesson that jumped out and imprinted itself in my heart was entirely different. Elizabeth was an encourager! When Mary was called to do something crazy, something impossible, and was undoubtedly terrified, befuddled, and full of anxious anticipation, God sent her to another person feeling the same things, a little ahead of her on the journey, who affirmed her, strengthened her, and called her blessed!
In the wake of all that has happened this December, all the terrible things in the news, all the heartbreak and tragedies, God is still calling people to fantastic and wonderful things. He is still God, is still on the throne, and still sending encouragers out to strengthen believers and call the hurting and hopeless to come home.
I want to share a few lighter tidbits with you to encourage your hearts as we wrap up 2012 and stare down 2013.
First, I want to say thanks to those of you who have been Elizabeth to me this year. We have had a lot of people encourage us with our adoption quest and I've had a lot of conversations with people who have strengthened me when my faith was tested. Second, thanks to everyone who prayed for me during the thyroid saga. I'm still healing and not yet all the way through the process of determining what, if any, meds I need to be on, and although I know I'll be able to sing, I can't really do that without a lot of discomfort and swelling yet, but I have been able to feel the prayers of many believers at work. I know God guided the hands of my surgeon and I know that everything is going to shake out in the end and I'll be able to sing with every fiber of my being again, I just need to wait a little longer.
Thanks to those of you who are following this blog! You have no idea how much that encourages me. My brother is in the Marines. He posted something regarding my book to Facebook and my blog suddenly showed that I have readers in at least half a dozen countries where I don't know anyone. I'm assuming most of those are the Marine contingent. Semper fi!!
And right here at home, people have reached out to us in a number of ways. We had a train of delicious dinners brought to our home while I was recovering. We had help Christmas shopping and wrapping. We've had offers of childcare, cards of encouragement in the mail, phone calls checking up on us, and lots of little things like that.
Here are a few more things that may or may not have actually happened since I've been on medical leave.
Steve may have accidentally trained Trenton (16 months) to sit and beg for Hershey's kisses like a dog.
I might have bought the same toddler a kitchen scrubbing brush with reindeer antlers as a Christmas gift to try to keep him from playing with the toilet brush!
Tyler may have deliberately thrown snowballs back into the freshly plowed street to intentionally give us a bumpy ride.
Trevor may have persuaded all of us to pose for pictures that were digitally edited to make us all appear to be Avengers, which he may or may not have printed and hung up in his room.
Steve may have said, "Why are there orange things hanging from my ceiling and what are they," to which the boys insisted they didn't know, but then miraculously remembered once it was clear the orange things could be cleaned up without permanent damage.
I may have had a choir member give me fundraising money in front of witnesses with a statement that he didn't have exact change so he was giving me a $15.00 bill!"
In all seriousness, this December had reminded me how much our world needs Jesus, how important it is to teach our children often and teach them early, and reminded me that the body of Christ is an amazing thing when we work together.
On November 4, I posted that Steve and I were officially out of the red and into the black with our adoption account. We're approaching $2,500.00 now, including book and card sales, CD sales, selling our couch, and a whole lot of change that has come our way thanks to a coworker selling candy on my behalf from her desk. All those little things are adding up and we are incredibly grateful!
I'm not sure what's next. Steve and I have taken a hard look at what we have, what we need, and what we can live without. We'll likely be selling more of our things, trying to schedule events for me to speak/sing at when I'm up to it again, and maybe we'll do a spaghetti supper. We're brainstorming. When we have specifics, I'll share them with you, and we welcome all your ideas, suggestions, and encouragement!
So for now, here's wishing you one last "Merry Christmas" and a blessed 2013!
One of the Shelton traditions is that I tell the boys a Bible story every night at bedtime. I rarely tell the stories the same way twice. I believe that if you want your children to believe that the stories in the Bible are true, you need to tell them as if you believe they're true. So I'm creative, sometimes dramatic, and always looking for a devotional thought to emphasize in that evening's story. There is always something to learn.
My learning moment came on the way home from my parents' house last week. Following my surgery, I run out of voice occasionally if I have talked too much, too loudly, in the wrong pitch, or had the audacity to sing. Don't worry, the surgery went well, but as I mentioned in the last post, relaxing and resting aren't really my style, so I'm struggling to be patient and wait for everything to be back to normal, and sometimes push too hard. Anyway, we were on our way home, my voice was short, and I asked my mom to be the substitute Bible story teller for me that night to give myself a break.
She told the boys about the angel visiting Mary, Mary's response, and coupled it with the angel's visit to Zechariah, and Mary's visit to Elizabeth. Here is how that visit is recorded in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1:
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Mom told the boys that we could learn a lesson from that passage about obeying God's calling. The lesson that jumped out and imprinted itself in my heart was entirely different. Elizabeth was an encourager! When Mary was called to do something crazy, something impossible, and was undoubtedly terrified, befuddled, and full of anxious anticipation, God sent her to another person feeling the same things, a little ahead of her on the journey, who affirmed her, strengthened her, and called her blessed!
In the wake of all that has happened this December, all the terrible things in the news, all the heartbreak and tragedies, God is still calling people to fantastic and wonderful things. He is still God, is still on the throne, and still sending encouragers out to strengthen believers and call the hurting and hopeless to come home.
I want to share a few lighter tidbits with you to encourage your hearts as we wrap up 2012 and stare down 2013.
First, I want to say thanks to those of you who have been Elizabeth to me this year. We have had a lot of people encourage us with our adoption quest and I've had a lot of conversations with people who have strengthened me when my faith was tested. Second, thanks to everyone who prayed for me during the thyroid saga. I'm still healing and not yet all the way through the process of determining what, if any, meds I need to be on, and although I know I'll be able to sing, I can't really do that without a lot of discomfort and swelling yet, but I have been able to feel the prayers of many believers at work. I know God guided the hands of my surgeon and I know that everything is going to shake out in the end and I'll be able to sing with every fiber of my being again, I just need to wait a little longer.
Thanks to those of you who are following this blog! You have no idea how much that encourages me. My brother is in the Marines. He posted something regarding my book to Facebook and my blog suddenly showed that I have readers in at least half a dozen countries where I don't know anyone. I'm assuming most of those are the Marine contingent. Semper fi!!
And right here at home, people have reached out to us in a number of ways. We had a train of delicious dinners brought to our home while I was recovering. We had help Christmas shopping and wrapping. We've had offers of childcare, cards of encouragement in the mail, phone calls checking up on us, and lots of little things like that.
Here are a few more things that may or may not have actually happened since I've been on medical leave.
Steve may have accidentally trained Trenton (16 months) to sit and beg for Hershey's kisses like a dog.
I might have bought the same toddler a kitchen scrubbing brush with reindeer antlers as a Christmas gift to try to keep him from playing with the toilet brush!
Tyler may have deliberately thrown snowballs back into the freshly plowed street to intentionally give us a bumpy ride.
Trevor may have persuaded all of us to pose for pictures that were digitally edited to make us all appear to be Avengers, which he may or may not have printed and hung up in his room.
Steve may have said, "Why are there orange things hanging from my ceiling and what are they," to which the boys insisted they didn't know, but then miraculously remembered once it was clear the orange things could be cleaned up without permanent damage.
I may have had a choir member give me fundraising money in front of witnesses with a statement that he didn't have exact change so he was giving me a $15.00 bill!"
In all seriousness, this December had reminded me how much our world needs Jesus, how important it is to teach our children often and teach them early, and reminded me that the body of Christ is an amazing thing when we work together.
On November 4, I posted that Steve and I were officially out of the red and into the black with our adoption account. We're approaching $2,500.00 now, including book and card sales, CD sales, selling our couch, and a whole lot of change that has come our way thanks to a coworker selling candy on my behalf from her desk. All those little things are adding up and we are incredibly grateful!
I'm not sure what's next. Steve and I have taken a hard look at what we have, what we need, and what we can live without. We'll likely be selling more of our things, trying to schedule events for me to speak/sing at when I'm up to it again, and maybe we'll do a spaghetti supper. We're brainstorming. When we have specifics, I'll share them with you, and we welcome all your ideas, suggestions, and encouragement!
So for now, here's wishing you one last "Merry Christmas" and a blessed 2013!
Okay, I'm seriously jealous that Trenton will sit and beg for a Hershey's kiss. Why didn't I think of that before, when the twins were only a little older than that?
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