Changing Seasons

Two Little Letters, One Big Word

2012-03-08T09:07:00.003-05:00

Image via Pinterest

By Lisa Robertson

Two little letters make one big word.

She closed her cell phone and announced, “It is a GIRL— Sarah and Jack are having agirl.” (names have been changed to protect the innocent). The happy exclamation, was my friend's way of sharing the news about her fourth granddaughter,due in September.

She promptly called her son to congratulate him, but had toleave him a voice message. A short timelater, the confused son called his father.

"What is going on? What is wrong with Mom? We don’tknow if it is a boy or a girl. Therewas no announcement about a baby girl.”

My friend was quickly summoned and asked why she announced tothe world that the baby was a girl. Hercell phone was pulled out and the text message from her daughter-in-law was confidently read. “It’s a girl!”

The phone was handed to her husband and he read the textmessage….”if it’s a girl" is what the message actually read. “It’s a girl” and "IF it’s a girl " are worldsapart.

When we do not listen to our texts or the emails, it istoo easy to miss the little words, packed with big information.

Like my friend, I am busy and careless. This happens with emails, voice-mails or even in conversations--I think that I already know what people aretelling me and I often jump to very wrong conclusions.

This leads me to wonder, if I am so quick to assume with people, am I too busy or distracted to listen to God? Probably. My challenge for the next few weeks is to pay attention to the words around me--spoken, written, read or prayed.

Proverbs 8: 32 “Andso, my children, listen to me, for all who follow my ways are joyful. Listen to my instruction and be wise. Don’t ignore it.”

Proverbs 15:31--"He whose ear listens to careful words spoken will live among the wise."

Proverbs 4:1-"Listen so you may get understanding."

These are the words of King Solomon. He is reputed to be the wisest man who everlived.

One idea is to read one chapter of Proverbs for each day of the month and write down one insight that impressed you. On the 8th you read Chapter 8, etc. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs.

Who knows, after several months of listening/reading through Proverbs we might all become wiser, more understanding and hopefully MUCH better listeners!

Shhhhh

2012-03-05T21:50:00.003-05:00

By Elizabeth Robertson Williams

Yesterday, I'm happy to say that I successfully checked "See The Artist" off of my to-do list and I'm so glad I did! I now fully support its victory at the Oscars.

I walked away blown away by how much purpose and emotion can be conveyed in silence. And then I read this:

"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace."

Matthew 6:6 (MSG)

Much like The Artist captivated Hollywood with its silence, God can move mightily within the quiet spaces of our day. Sometimes, more than words, we just need to steal away a few quiet moments with our God who loves us deeply.

Going Out in Stlye: Caskets

2012-03-03T08:06:00.002-05:00

By Dee Oliver

“I don't want to becremated; I might end up in Hell and I don't want to burn twice.”

Anonymous

One of the reasons you should visit a funeral home before youneed one is to familiarize yourself with the selection room.

The selection room is the room that displays the cremation urns,caskets and a mock display of vaults.

Understandably, most people are always taken aback a bit when firstentering this room. For manypeople this is usually the first time seeing caskets, urns, and vaults, and itcan be a bit disconcerting.

So let's give you a brief explanation on these items.

Now vaults are a concrete box that are placed into the grave,the casket is lowered into the vault then the top of thevault is placed on and sealed close. Most cemeteries will require the use of avault. The reason being, for the the protection of the casket and to aid inkeeping the ground level.

When entering theselection room you will notice that the caskets are grouped together accordingto whether they are wood or metal.

Thereare several types of metal caskets:

Minimum-metal caskets are listed by what "gauge"they are. This is the measurement of the number of sheets necessary to equalabout one inch of thickness Thelower the gauge number the thickerthe casket.

You will also seedisplayed stainless steel caskets,there are probably about 40 types of these caskets. After those are casketsmade in copper, and bronze.

Depending on themodel, some of the metal caskets will come in other colors than what might bedisplayed.

Next are the wood caskets;some of the varieties are; pine, maple, birch, poplar, walnut, cherry, pecan,and mahogany.

Caskets can be ordered in extra long or extra wide if needed.

The interiors of the caskets also come in different colors;white, cream, light blue, light pink. The interiors will have different stylestoo; tufted, tailored, and pleated. Embroidered in the top panel of the casketsinterior you might see, flowers, praying hands, an American flag to name a fewof the designs.

Or maybe you would like to have the outside of your casket decoupaged with yourfavorite photos, scenes, sports team, or college emblem.

And, "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and a UVA, andTECH casket!"

Some caskets have a secret drawer inside for your mementos.

There are caskets which give you the option to change theoutside corners of the casket with inserts of eagles, flowers, praying hands,and military emblems, for example.

Some caskets lock, some do not.

There is even a cremation casket.

Due to space, funeral homes are unable to display every kind ofcasket available, most funeral homes have additional books and can show you alarger selection on their computersystems.

Caskets can be ordered and will arrive in plenty of time for thefuneral.

Remember that the least expensive is not always the worst andmost expensive is not always the best.

Whenever Johnnie showed a family into the selection room, hewould start by explaining thearrangement of the room and the two types of caskets, wood and metals. Then hewould go into details of the styles and cost of each one. Starting from theleast to the most expensive. Now against one of the walls was a beautifulwooden casket with a hand carved top, it was the Presidential African mahogany casket. It was stunning asonly a "professional" could appreciate. The cream of the crop. Andwhenever anyone inquired about it, Johnnie would reply " Oh that one isnot for sale, that is my casket" and then the person he was with wouldusually say "is that because it is the most expensive?" AndJohnnie with a smile would answer" No, it is mine because when I rolled it into the room I hit it againstthe wall and now it has a large scratch and dent in it so I can't sell it, so Iwill have to be buried in it.

And he was......

So say your prayers, say I love you, trust in God, and alwaystry to Go Out In style.

Dee

Moving

2012-03-01T07:19:00.001-05:00

By Mary Elizabeth Stone

We are moving from Virginia to Georgia as you read this post.

There's nothing like a big change to make you want to change other parts of your life.... or your hair!

Jessica Chastain from The Help

As I watched the Academy Awards this past Sunday night (or let's be honest: I mainly was taking in the fashion trends), I couldn't help but notice the world had turned red. Not just Michelle Williams' gown, but most of the stars' hair had some shade of red in it. Whether it was strawberry blonde, warm caramel, or classic Lucille Ball red, I found myself contemplating if I could work a little red into my life. Pulling strands of my hair between my fingers, I wondered if I could pull it off.

Now I know you're not supposed to go and chop off your hair when something else big in your life changes (a break-up, having a baby, moving, losing a job, getting a job, etc), but I am tempted to spice up my life with a little red.

Do you ever feel that way? You just want to add a little "spice"? You want to feel vibrant and fresh?

I may or may not die my hair. Maybe I'll opt for a fabulous pair of red heels instead. Regardless, I am glad the Lord breathes his vibrance and his refreshing into my life... every... single... day. I want to truly own this today.

"The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love,

he will rejoice over you with singing."

Zephaniah 3:17

Someday

2012-02-28T10:48:00.004-05:00

By Trish Ryan

It's been a tough week. Sunday night, I heard that a High School friend passed away. Monday morning brought news that the father of two of Steve's best friends had died unexpectedly. Then another friend shared news of a miscarriage. Seasons like this can leave me spinning, wondering how to make sense of thing that bring so much heartache.

I've been through a few of these now, and here's what I've learned: they don't make sense. This life we live, this God who created us -- they are beyond our comprehension. These seasons force me out of the deception I tend to crawl under, the lie that says that I have things under control, or that people/circumstances must behave or unfold a certain way if I plan enough, label my organization bins in each closet, eat organic, and do everything else "right."

But the unveiling of this lie is the good news I've discovered in these moments of tragedy and sadness: the reminder that I am not in control and I don't carry the burden of understanding. This is such a relief when I let it soak in. It doesn't take away the hurt, of course. But like a layer of Neosporin that somehow helps a cut heal (something I also don't understand), this layer of "I don't get it, and that's okay" provides room for God to heal me inside.

Nichole Nordeman's song "Someday" talks about this tension, and the promise in God's Word that someday, we'll understand. Not because we scramble to figure it all out, but because God will reveal it.

Someday, we'll see how He's connected all the threads of hope and heartache, all the celebrations and disappointments (and days when we thought, "Meh...nothing much seems to be happening in my life...")

This is a week with much sadness, and yet (miraculously) I am not feeling defined by "sad." I have that weird sort of hope that comes from seeing God's light shining through lives lived well (even if, to our eyes, they were too short) and a brief little life swept up to be part of God's "someday," even now. I don't understand it, and yet it brings a quiet sort of joy in all that is possible with God, even when things here on Earth look impossible.

Sometimes, we're just waiting for someday...

Fashion Forward

2012-02-27T07:05:00.001-05:00

By Elizabeth Robertson Williams

My sweet sister Abby is one of the most stylish girls I know. True, she may make fun of my Talbots jeans, but she's always willing to take risks and pull looks together I would never even begin to envision. She also LOVES a good theme party and always has the perfect outfit for any and all occasions. Though our styles differ a bit, I'm always quick to accept her opinions as fact and appreciate her expert advice.

Last month for my birthday, Abby took a risk by buying me a new pair of fancy sunglasses. I don't know about you, but sunglasses are a personal purchase I wouldn't recommend getting as a gift, but Abby saw a cry for help in me and decided I was long overdue for a pair of fabulous shades. (Much like shoes and handbags, sunglasses are a feel good accessory because they fit even on the flabbiest of days!)

I'll admit, when I opened them, I was totally unsure. Could I, "Miss Talbots Mom Jeans," really pull these off? But since she's the expert, I ignored the gift receipt in the bag and just decided to go with it!

Little by little, these little shades have wiggled their way into my fashionably challenged heart and when I put them on last week, I wondered just how I ever managed to live without them. Abby and I agree: you never think you need a new pair of sunglasses, but once you take the plunge and buy a new pair, you are well aware of what a fabulous decision it is!

Though they're not something I would have chosen for myself, they have not become a part of my everyday routine and now, I just can't imagine my life without them. I decided to trust my fashion expert and just do it!

Similarly, we might think we know what works for us in life, but sometimes, our life stylist has other plans for us. Plans we might not have ever envisioned, plans we don't think we can "pull off", or plans that we haven't planned for, but we have to choose to trust that our God is the expert. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what works for us. He knows what will fit us the best.

We might be hesitant, apprehensive, or reluctant at first, but when we choose to allow God to guide and shape our plans, we can be confident that He will lead and guide us to exactly where we need to be. It might not feel like our style/shade/or size at first, but just give it a little time and choose to trust that HE is the ultimate expert!

I trust in you, LORD;
I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands.

Psalm 31:14-15

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

Psalm 32:8

Thursday Night At The Movies

2012-02-24T08:53:00.001-05:00

By Cindee Riordan

Thursday night, I had a somewhat novel experience: I went to themovies. For unexplored reasons,this is not a frequent occurrence for me; nevertheless, I purchased my ticket,sat down with my Diet Coke and hoped to be entertained by George Clooney andThe Descendants. To my amazement,this experience is what all Oscar-nominated movies should be: an opportunity toadd inspiration to my lazy complacency of everyday life. Be forewarned, the language is roughwith a pensive plot; but the complexity of tensions between pain and joy, tearsand laughter are revelatory.

The main theme is the infidelity of George Clooney’s on-screenwife as she lay in her hospital bed dying from a reckless boating accident. Isuspect many of us have felt the unrelenting pain and brokenness that resultsfrom infidelity whether personally or through friends and family.

Today’s headlines are full of 72 daymarriages and the “15 minutes of fame” affairs which belittle both the anguishof betrayal and the covenant of marriage. Yet for me, my personal faithfulnessin marriage is not something I have spent too much time considering. I pledged my fidelity in my marriagebecause of the values I hold dear. After all, it is one of the Ten Commandments and a precept on which tobuild a strong foundation based on love and trust. So imagine my surprise thatthis movie with its foul language and flawed characters (although aren’t weall?) spurred further thought on the Seventh Commandment. Upon reflection, I discovered thiscommandment is not just about social order and morals, it is not just aboutlaw. Fidelity is about something much more transcendent which shakescomplacency to its core: it is about abiding love and the passion of honor. As is often the case with God, thisCommandment holds a promise for abundance if we look deep enough.

Without overdone histrionics, watching George Clooney strugglewith the discovery of his wife’s betrayal and impending death brought home theprecious gift of marriage and faithfulness. As he sits by her hospital bed, he attempts to come to termswith the fact that she was both his pain and his joy as he says goodbye. Infact, this movie posed many moments where the light of laughter penetrated thedarkness of sorrow and betrayal.

Those tensions of life that we often experience in the combination witheach other, love and brokenness, pain and joy, anger and laughter, were offeredwith such subtlety in this movie that their impact lingered long after. In this fictional marriage, the wife’sgift of herself was not given to him alone, and it led to damaged dreams, livesand relationships.

Yet this movieprovoked in me a deep desire to continue to set my husband apart, for him to bethe recipient of both my physical and emotional faithfulness not out of a dutyto not betray him and God but out of a desire to celebrate him and the uniquebond of our marriage. To celebrate what God has called together. To entrust tohim the passion of my honor for him and only him. To let him know that he is precious and loved by myfaithfulness. To create arelationship with him that yields a partnership through the trials and triumphsof a shared life. Duty enables complacency; love shatters it. If we take the time to really thinkabout what God asks of us, it is not a duty to a law, it is the radicalness oflove with its promise of abundance. Now, isn’t that a gift worthy of leaving toour Descendants?

Guess you know what movie and actor I will be rooting for this Sunday onOscar night!!

40 Days To Cultivate

2012-02-23T08:53:00.000-05:00

Garden via Pinterest

By Elizabeth Robertson Williams

Here's a post from my other blog, Long to Love, that Trish referenced on Tuesday. I was asked to share it on the Changing Seasons blog as well, so here it is! Lent began yesterday, but there's still time to get on board!

Happy Fat Tuesday! A day that frequently tends to sneak up on me. Unlike Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's day, or even Groundhog's day, Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and Easter wander around February and March, making it difficult for me to keep up.

You may or may not know that tomorrow marks the beginning of Lent. A forty-day period on the Christian calendar leading up to Easter. Often, Christians use this time to prepare their hearts for Easter in the form of fasting, praying, or reflecting.

One reason Lent always has a special place in my heart, is because four years ago, the start of Lent was what propelled me into the blogging world. It started with a group of women spending 40 days to say, "God, more than anything else in this world, I just want to love you."

It also helped re-start my blogging two years ago.

Who knew four years later, we'd still be going?!

So this morning, I'm was thinking and praying about Lent and the word cultivate came to my mind as if God was whispering, "take these 40 days and cultivate your relationship with me."

If you're anything like me, it's easy to arrive to church on Easter Sunday clad in your cutest, brightest sundress, but feel completely spiritually ill-prepared for the sacred, celebration of Easter.

The good news is this year, each of us have been given a forty-day period where we can get ready, so when Easter Sunday rolls around, as our favorite Atlanta Housewife, Kim, sings, we won't be "tardy for the party."

I'm no gardener, but as the word cultivate has been mulling on my heart, I was thinking about a garden, and how when caring for a garden on any given day, you can weed, water, or plant.

So that's my challenge to us: that each one of us will practically consider one way we can cultivate our spiritual gardens over the next 40 days.

Not because we feel pressure to do something, not because of guilt, but because we want this to be a season where we cultivate our relationships with God and take some time to take care of them.

A few ideas for "weeding":

Prayerfully consider what is deterring your heart from God and commit to giving it up--I'm sure they're different for everyone, but mine tend to consist of TV, celebrity gossip, and Facebook.
Are you over indulging in something? Consider letting that go during Lent and pairing back. Mine tends to be sweets.

A few ides for "watering":

Wake up 15 minutes early to spend time each morning in prayer
Find a simple devotional you can read each day. A short, easy one is Jesus Calling, or you could try My Utmost for His Highest

An few ideas for "planting":

Sacrifice something you love to do something for others. Three years ago, my friend Meg challenged us to only drink water during Lent and donate the money we would have spent on coffee, soda, and wine to Living Water. Blood Water Mission is doing a similar campaign this year. Click here to learn more.
Plant seeds of loving others--commit to doing one loving act each day for your family, neighbors, co-workers, etc.

When done correctly, Lent is a great way to sharpen, till, and prepare. I pray that if you do end up observing Lent this year, that God will reveal to you the perfect thing for the two of you to do and that these next 40 days will be a time where you cultivate and grow!

More posts on Lent here and here.

These Boots Were Made for Walking

2012-02-22T09:08:00.002-05:00

"But if we hope for what we do not yet have,

we wait for it patiently."

Romans 8:25

For Christmas, my son John who has special needs received a very touching gift from his Maddie (my husband's mom): a pair of cowboy boots that had belonged to my husband, Meade. Maddie held onto these boots all these years, and they are still in great shape.

As she helped John open up this present, she told him all about the history of the boots. But the key moment was when she spoke about the future of these treasured boots.

John listened and then broke out in his famous smile as Maddie told him that once his feet were able to fill these boots, he would be walking! What a gift!! Her words and the actual boots themselves meant so much more than most material items.

First, I know John appreciates the love and encouragement. Second, Meade and I are abundantly blessed to have family and friends who believe in the healing work the Lord is doing in John’s brain and body. Lastly and most significantly, isn’t this what the Lord does for us, speaking the truth over us in advance?

We see a lump of clay, a muddy mess, and God sees as masterpiece. We see our sin, and God sees us as a new creation. We fail time and time again, and yet God is waiting with grace and words of truth and hope, knowing all that we can be in Him. His mercies are new every morning; great is His faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23).

One thing we have attempted to do since John was a baby in the Intensive Care Unit is speak words of life, God’s very words, over John. When the facts and the words from "the experts" pointed to death, the TRUTH was that the Lord had the victory. And He longed for us to have hope and to pass this hope for a full life onto John.

John tried on the boots from Maddie... He can’t wait to grow into them.

The Lord is also beaming with pride as we try on the “boots” He gives us and as He watches us grow into them. What a blessing that He gives tangible reminders and intangible visions of who we are in Him and what He doing in us.

My son Daniel also received some cute boots. :)

"Then he touched me and raised me to my feet."

Daniel 8:18b

Boots are made for walking. I am in awe of our Lord who always sees our potential and never gives up on His children.

"For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Ephesians 2:10

Image courtesy of www.therichartist.com

Yaaaaay Lent!

2012-02-21T17:08:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow begins Lent, perhaps my favorite of the Christian traditions. Odd, right? But Lent has always felt to me like the best expression of my actual life and faith: I'm desperately hoping God will show up, make a difference, help in the places I can't do any better (and even more in the things I don't even know are heading my way)...and I have this promise that He's coming, so I want to be prepared...but of course I have no idea what that means.

Lent gives structure to my desperation. I can give something up, and honestly pray each time I miss it, "Jesus, I want your best for my life more than I want..." (coffee/sugar/television/reading/swear words/meat/or any of the other things I've abstained from in past years. Surprisingly, reading was the hardest - you look like an idiot at the hairdresser when you just sit there with foils all over your head, ignoring the stack of magazines and staring into space!)

We're just a few hours away from the start of Lent and I'm not sure what I'll give up this year. I love my friend & fellow Changing Seasons blogger Elizabeth's idea of approaching Lent as a season of cultivation, and I'm praying for God to breathe life into what that should look like for me (and for said inspiration to take place before I go to bed tonight, so I wake up tomorrow with some sense of a plan!) Usually, God speaks clearly to me about things like this, so I'm expectant. And hoping that through this season He will increase my certainty about the ways He's at work in other areas of life where I'm not in on the details.

May your season of Lent be filled with holy longing and great expectations for God to exceed.

The Vow

2012-02-20T10:12:00.000-05:00

By Elizabeth Robertson Williams

Happy Monday! Hope you had a wonderful weekend! In addition to a fabulous "apres ski" affair, one of my highlights was getting to see The Vow with a few friends. Ya'll one of the reasons I LOVE Valentine's Day is because of the onslaught of chick flicks that accompany it.

I had modest expectations of The Vow and I have to say, it pretty much exceeded all of them. Here's a little trailer to give you some background:
(Email subscribers, click here)

What I loved most about the movie was seeing the way Channing Tatum's character, Leo, refused to give up on his wife Paige. She had no recollection of him, no love for him, and had no idea they were even married, but Leo did not give up. He never stopped loving her and did whatever it took to win her back.

There was a brief moment in the movie, where I thought about how in so many ways, Leo's faithful pursuit and commitment to Paige is just a glimpse of God's faithful pursuit and commitment to us. Even when we forget, wander, or run the other way, God does not leave our side. He waits. He waits for us to return to Him. And when we do, He doesn't judge, He doesn't lecture, He just opens His arms and brings us into His loving embrace.

That, my friends, is love in its truest form.

"I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.'

Isaiah 44:22

"I have seen (her) ways, but I will heal (her); I will guide (her) and restore comfort to (her)."

Isaiah 57:18

Kim & Krickitt Carpenter (photo from Urban Christian News)

And here's a fun fact: Did you know The Vow was inspired by a true story?! The couple even wrote a book about it. What I loved discovering is that the couple are Christians and credit their lasting love story to their faith in God and commitment to uphold the vows they made to God and one another. Check out an interview they did here.

Going Out in Style: Funeral Homes

2012-02-17T13:26:00.002-05:00

By Dee Oliver

Don't wait until you're dead to choose your funeral home.

You wouldn't wait until you were in labor to decide on whichhospital you would give birth in, or choose the church to be married in on theday of your wedding. So why would you wait until you were dead to select you funeralhome?

WAIT! You don't even get to make that important decision, becauseremember, you are dead!!

Someone else has been left in charge to select the funeral homemake all the arrangements and decide how much of your money shall be spent andyou don't even get a say in the matter.

I know, we hear this all the time, "I am dead, I don't care,it doesn't matter, just throw me in the ocean..." (what do people say whodon't live near the water)?

Now think about this for a moment. Really? It doesn't matter?

You have spent your entire life trying to make financially,sound, intelligent choices for you and your family, and all of a sudden itdoesn't matter.

It should, this is important.

Imagine this, you're gone, your family is completely devastatedand heartbroken. Not really sure what you want them to do, what your wisheswere, sitting across from a stranger who is asking a lot ofpertinent information that needs to be address at that moment. Everyone iscrying, trying to remember, guessing, and maybe starting to argue a bit. Trustme, this is not good.

Most people put more time and effort researching the newesttelevision than what funeral home they will use.

So lets find you a funeral home!

Start by pulling out the phonebook. See that ad, the one that is the biggest? Not always the best.

Take alook for the ones that are located closest to where you live.

Ask your friends and coworkers what companies they have used andwhat their experiences were.

Next, call and make and appointment, simple as that.

Funeral homes welcome a meet and greet, it gives them theopportunity to share information that you will need in the future. Most funeralhomes are happy to give you a tour of the building, their chapel and theviewing rooms. Going to see and visit funeral homes gives you the opportunityto learn about and understand the funeral process. Ask questions about thedifferent kinds of funeral services. Would you like a burial or prefer to becremated?

Ask for a price listof their services, by law all funeral homes are required to give you one.

This enables you to compare prices of other homes in your area.Remember inexpensive is not always the best and that goes the same for the mostexpensive ones too.

Ask if they are a family owned and operated business. Quite a fewfuneral homes are now owned by big corporations operating under the familyname.

Ours is a family owned funeral home, and I believe it makes adifference.

After you have decided on a particular funeral home, think aboutthe possibility of prepaying your funerals.

This is a good option for some people. It freezes the cost of thefuneral at the time of purchase and it is funded through an insurance companyfor your protection, if the funeral home goes out of business, or you move, oreven if you decide you don't want to use that funeral home, you are able totransfer your pre-paid funeral to another home.

Think of it like funding a college plan. It is one of thoseinvestments that you hate to fund but love it when you cash it in!

Actually, it is a sure fire investment that you will use!! Unlike the college fund….your child may or may not go to college, but you will definitely get to use a prepaid funeral!

Now Johnnie and I did not prepay our funerals because we get a family discount. In this line of business there aren’t that many perks!

Well, we did get the use of the limousine, but when you are theones driving it, it kinda loses some of the allure. Unless of course you fill it with all your friends on a Saturdaynight !!!!

So check out yourneighborhood funeral home……

Say your prayers, say I love you, trust in God, and always try toGo Out In Style

Dee

Listen Up!

2012-02-16T13:35:00.003-05:00

By Lisa Robertson

For the next few months several Changing Seasons leaderswill be learning about the Art of Listening. This is the chosen topic for our four week study which willbegin on Wednesday, June 6 and run through June 27.

Since learning how to listen is one of my 2012 resolutions,I have had several interesting thoughts on listening, swirl around in my mind.

Much to mysurprise, I discovered that I have lost the discipline of listening. Yes, I have come to believe thatlistening is a discipline that needs to be learned and practiced. Often I think that I know what the person is going to tellme, so I tune them out because I think that I already know what they will say.

Occasionally,I receive an email that looks long, my eyes glaze over and I scan for the“trigger” words. Through thetrigger words, I assume that I know what it said or what was meant. Again, I have missed important information.

Overand over again, I am reminded to slow down and concentrate on listening beforeI jump to shallow or incorrect conclusions.

If I am hearing correctly, in this study, we will learnabout how we listen to ourselves, others, emails, and most importantly, how dowe hear God? How does He speak to us?

These are few of the topics that will be discussed.

Hear, oops, I mean Here-are some listening nuggets for you from Proverbs…

”Those who listen to instruction will prosper. God blesses everyone who trusts Him.”

Proverbs 16:20

“Come to my home each day and listen to me! You will find happiness.”

Proverbs 8:34

“Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere yougo; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that youknow it all. Run to God! Run from evil!”

Proverbs 3:6

The above wisdom insights are enough to interest me inlearning about the art of listening. There seems to be so much to gain and so little to lose.

Seems like a Win-Win to me and I like that.

In the months before we begin this short study in June, let’sstart listening and writing down some of the things that we think we hear. By writing them down, we’ll beable to remember them, review them, and gauge if we are listening to ourselves,to God or to the world.

Who knows, this experiment just may surprise us!

God is Love

2012-02-15T09:25:00.000-05:00

A message for all of us, God's children,

so beautifully grasped through His smallest children...

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,

that we should be called children of God!

And that is what we are!

Now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.

But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

This is the message you heard from the beginning:

We should love one another.

We know that we have passed from death to life,

because we love our brothers.

This is how we know what love is:

Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.

And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

-Excerpts from 1 John 3

How truly incredible that we can pass from death to life simply through love!

We pray today you will walk in the truth that you are God's child and that you will unabashedly spread His love to others.

THROUGH the Valley...

2012-02-14T10:12:00.004-05:00

By Trish Ryan

Confession: I don't like Valentine's Day. The word "loathe" comes to mind. I'm not sure there's any other holiday with such potential to stir up dread and misery in so many people. I'm a little stunned we haven't banned it as a menace to national happiness.

-Little kids exchange those tiny cartoon cards in class and then (for the girls at least...I'm not sure the boys care) spend hours parsing what it "means" that so-in-so gave them the card that says X instead of Y.

-Couples have approximately a 97% chance of disappointing one another with the gifts they buy, because really, who wants your relationship represented by a pair of lipstick colored boxer shorts or overpriced roses that will smell in three days? (The 3% of gifts that go well in this category mostly come from the humor aisle, like my sister-in-law who once bought my brother a bedazzled red Speedo. But THAT would be awesome any day of the year).

-And when you're single on Valentine's Day...oh, the horror. I won't go into it in detail, but suffice to say that if there was ever a day to call in sick to work and hide under the covers with back issues of Vogue and the New Yorker until the storm passes, this is it. And heaven help you if you are a Christian, because YOU get the special privilege of reading 101 blog posts about how "Perhaps you should use today as an opportunity to thank God for your singleness, because you can do so much more for Him without the burdens of a husband & kids." (These are ALWAYS written by married moms, by the way.) Infuriating.

My first year as a Christian, I spent Valentine's Day repenting, over and over again, of all the terrible thoughts I was having toward pretty much everyone. It was like walking into a war zone, feeling like I couldn't shoot back. But here's the good news: God is IN our war zones, and He leads us THROUGH them, to better places.

As I thought about all of this this morning, I asked God, "Where is the hope?" (I didn't want to just complain, because really, who is helped by that?) He lead me to Psalm 23:

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me...

God is with you today. Whatever your dark valley is (whether related to Cupidpalooza or not) you are not stuck: God is taking you THROUGH the valley, and into a good place with amazing provision. Rest, a feast, abundance. Not a wilted red rose in sight. This is where you're headed. Remember this today (meditate on it!) Re-read Ruth. And thank God that He loves you...and has a love for you...that will be steady and certain, 365 days a year.

Ever After

2012-02-13T12:10:00.001-05:00

By Elizabeth Robertson Williams

Brace yourselves, ladies, we may get a little cheesy today, but with Valentine's Day right around the corner, I thought we could all use a good love story.

Once of the all time classic love stories is the story of Cinderella. Here we have a girl whose fate has led her to serve at the hands of her wicked step mother and two evil step sisters. Until one night, with a little bib-a-dee-bobb-a-dee-boo, she receives the chance to go to the ball and dance with the prince.

Boy and girl meet, boy and girl fall for one another, the clock strikes midnight, and their love story seems to be over. Cinderella goes back home holding on to mere memories of her magical night.

But their story is not over, the prince is so captivated by Cinderella that he stops at nothing until he finds her. He doesn't want any of the other maidens in the land, he only wants Cinderella and will stop at nothing until Cinderella is his.

Below is my favorite clip from Ever After. I admit, it's strange to see Drew Barrymore playing this role, but I've learned to look past it. What I love is the way the prince searches for her, finds her, and then rescues her. Yes, I know how cheesy this is, but I still love it! (It gets good around 1:30. E-mail subscribers click here. I apologize in advance for the cheesy title page, but it's the only version I could find.)

I don't know about you, but I love to feel desired and pursued. I want to know there is someone out there who longs to be with me. Someone who knows my best and my worst, and still chooses to love me through all of it.

In so many ways, we all have a little Cinderella in us and we are all capable of her happily every after.

God so desperately wants us to know Him, that He seeks and pursues each one of us. In the New Testament, Jesus tells a story in Matthew 18 of a shepherd who has 100 sheep and one wanders off. What does he do? He leaves the 99 and searches determinedly for the 1, because that one is loved and that one little sheep matters.

"And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost."

Matthew 18:13-14

Jesus does not want us to wander around searching and lost, He wants us to be found. He longs for us to be His because He cares so deeply for us and He loves us with a perfect, everlasting love.

And when He finds us, He gathers us up, tells us we are loved, and He sweeps us away. It is then, that we find our "happily ever after" begin to unfold.

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you in with loving-kindness."

Jeremiah 31:3

What to Do in Hard Times

2012-02-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

I really appreciated Ann Voskamp's post this week entitled "What to Do in Hard Times" and feel it was very appropriate given our family's week of mourning and celebration...mourning the death of our son, Warren, at 19 days old. And also celebrating his life...the gift of 19 days with him and the gift of his full, glorified life in heaven, and his life that we will someday share in when we arrive there.

I encourage you to read this blog entry. Here are a few excerpts that truly blessed me and I hope bless you:

God seizes the days: God seizes time and uses it as an instrument to transform. God seizes every moment to sculpt souls and shape lives and transform ashes into glory. What if isn’t so much about seizing kairos moments and surviving chronos moments — but seeing all as Christ-filled moments? That God seizes the moment to make me more like Christ and what if I seized more of the moments, because there is something of my Savior in them?

What if all that mattered was to live with the scars of the unanswered questions, leaning into the answer —leaning into the God with the scars deep in His side and my name nail etched into the palm of His hand?

Our wounds may be our unanswered questions — answered only by the wounds of our God.

To wrestle with God because the hard times are holy times. To not escape time, but stubbornly, fully embrace time, because this is how we stay engaged with God. When we don’t know how to hang on in hard times, to just grip hard to God.

The only ones who can rest in God are the one who have wrestled with God… I will not let you go until I you bless me.

That is what the pastor said: There is no tighter

embrace that the grip of a wrestle.

Mary Elizabeth Stone: Hope of Spring in the Dead of Winter

2012-02-07T07:30:00.000-05:00

In case you missed it, or for those of you wanting to hear it again, we are so very pleased to feature a video highlighting Mary Elizabeth Stone's talk from our winter Changing Seasons event. Enjoy!

Note: Press "play" and wait for it to buffer for the optimum viewing experience!

All You Need Is Love

2012-02-06T06:52:00.001-05:00

By Lisa Robertson

February is famous for groundhogs, presidents and best ofall LOVE!

Interesting stuff--Valentine’s Day is in exactly two weeks, sothere is still plenty of time to send your cards. Did you know that over 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards aresent each year? Not a surprise that teachers receive the most. Women purchase 85% of the cards and menpurchase 73% of the flowers.

Tradition tells usthat Valentine’s Day started during the reign of Claudius II in 270 AD. He believed that single men were bettersoldiers and he didn’t want them to marry. However, Bishop Valentine performed secret ceremonies forthe soldiers and their true loves. He was jailed and then executed on February 14 for breaking thelaw. The story continues that whilein jail, he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter. Shortly before his death, he sent her a love note and signedit “From your Valentine”. From 270AD to 2012 “From your Valentine,”lives on.

Bishop Valentine becameone of the most popular saints in the Catholic Church.

In just 5 days, my son, Willis, will be married in Los Angeles. Caitlinis a beautiful young woman, inside and out. These past few days have been incredibly busy getting readyfor the wedding. This morning, mykitchen table is covered with lists for the rehearsal dinner, the busschedules, beauty appointments, menu selections, invitations, bills andmore.

Now that the day is almost here, I need to take a step back from the lists and remember theimportance of marriage. Right now,the wedding is demanding everyone’s time, money and emotion and I havetemporarily lost my perspective that the marriage is more important than thewedding. The wedding is a day and the marriage is a lifetime.

How incredible that two imperfect people choose to jointheir lives and hearts to live together, and live “happily ever after” for therest of their lives! Think of the math--one imperfect woman plus one imperfectman = a perfect marriage! Withthis mathematic formula, I am convinced that marriage is a miracle! Their vows include promises tolove, cherish, honor and obey. Apart for God, this is impossible! My sweet husband reminds me that when a man gets married hesees “Perfection” and when a woman gets married, she sees “Potential”. He is a very wise and wonderful man.

Marriage is a miracle and God is the God of miracles! In the past 35 years of marriage, Ihave been driven to the Bible in searched of nuggets on love and howto stay happily married. I don’twant to survive in my marriage, I want to thrive in marriage.

Here are some of my favorite Bible thoughts on love------

1. God islove-I John 4:7-8- God is the source of all love. He loves us more than anyone will ever love us. No human hasthe capacity to love us like God does. How curious that we crave love fromhumans and sometimes we reject God’s love for us?

2. Perfectlove casts out all fear-1 John 4:18-God’s love for us is perfect and I donot have to be afraid of tomorrow, others or failure, if I stay anchored inGod’s love.

3. Lovecovers all sins-Proverbs 10:12 and repeated in 1 Peter 4:8- How powerfuland freeing this truth is! In mymind, I see this as a picture -- God’s love covers and smothers the sin thatburns in my life. If His lovesmothers my sin, then the challenge is for me to love and forgive others.

4. Lovenever fails- 1 Corinthians 13:8-this is my favorite guidepost. I hate tofail! To me, Fail is the worst 4letter word. This promisefortifies me with the truth that God’s love will never fail me and it won’tfail others. I don’t alwaysunderstand this, but I know that it is always true. In difficult relationships, I often pray, “God, please, show me how to love them.”Try this and you might be surprised. God is so creative and wise. You can be certain that God will give you some very interestinganswers.

Stay tuned to more onlove this Thursday!

Xoxox, Lisa (you will learn about xox, too)

Going Out In Style: What Not To Wear

2012-02-03T11:07:00.001-05:00

The deceasedshould not be the only best dress person at the funeralservice.

What doesone wear to a funeral?

I am notsuggesting that you keep the appropriate clothes in your closet for when youneed to go to funeral…okay, maybe I am, and I am sure that most people reallydon’t give this much thought..until about an hour before they are supposed toattend the service. I am alsoaware that I have the “professional” advantage over most people because I doown about hundred dresses, suits and shoes all in the proper shade of black .

It iseasy for me, so let me make it easy for you.

Have you ever watched the show on thenetwork TLC, “What not to Wear”?

Here arefew examples of the outfits that we have seen and “what not to wear” to a funeral.

Just because we live at the beach doesnot mean you should wear beach clothes to the funeral—flip flops, halter tops, short shorts(although they do get people to think about things other than the funeral), cutoff jeans, button down shirts that aren't buttoned down—please remember exposedchest hair is NEVER a good fashion statement, and speaking of exposedchests….ladies, cover those girls up! It can bedangerous to distract the funeral directors—they might grab the wrong body!

And nomatter how excited you are that the deceased is on their way to heaven...leavethe bright yellow suit at home in the closet.

Some otherthings that are not very appropriate are, gym clothes, yoga outfits, sportingattire with the baseball cap worn backwards, and don't forget those fashionforward thongs, peek-a-boo tattoos and excessive facial piercings—please coverthem or remove them.

Regardlessof what everyone says or what the current fads are, please dress ……..for thefuneral.

Do this outof respect for deceased, the family and the fact that other people therecan “actually” see you even if the deceased can’t.

There havebeen a few outfits that could bring back the dead.

You willhave your day up front and you will be able to wear anything you like then, but not now.

Rememberwhat the deceased is wearing dictates the dress for the service.

Coat andtie for the men, and dresses, skirts or dress slacks for women.

Try and keep thecolors muted.

Showers or baths are a must.

Use a light hand when applyingperfume or cologne.

Comb your hair, brush your teeth, and spit out the gum.

I knowabout now you are thinking do I really need to be told this?

Lord I hopenot, but to be perfectly honest about half of the people that attend a funeralthese days look and dress like they are going to …..shoot ….I don't know wherethey are going dressed like that.

Would youwear that if you were going to church? A luncheon? Business meeting? Probablynot.

I realizethat there are exceptions to this rule; some people are coming straight fromwork or have traveled in and haven’t had time to change, that is fine.

To beperfectly honest it is always better to attend the service than not to come at all. But if youhave the time PLEASE make the effort.

Do youremember your mother ever saying to you: You're not going out of the houselooking like that are you?

So say yourprayers, say I love you, trust in God and always try to Go Out in Style.

Dee

Milling and Paving Ahead

2012-02-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

Recently, the main roads right outside of our neighborhood have undergonemilling and paving. Signs have beenmeticulously placed every five feet it seems to notify us of this workzone.

As we drive across thebumpy, gritty roads that jostle our minivan, and as we attempt to dodge theaforementioned signs, Meade and I wonder silently, then out loud, “Why in theworld can’t they just pour fresh asphalt onto the road?” This would save time and it certainly wouldmake for a much more pleasant and efficient ride.

I like the smooth ride.Indeed, I crave it. And when bumps come along and cracks appear in the surface,later culminating in deep crevices and craters, I would much prefer it if thepowers to be would simply pour out a fresh layer of asphalt, paint the newyellow and white stripes, and get on with it!

Isn’t this all tooreminiscent of how we can be with the Lord and how we readily interfere withthe work zone of our lives? I admit thatI am quite often short-sited when it comes to God’s timeline. I am ready for the “fresh layer of asphalt”in an attempt to save time and bind my own wounds in the healing and growingprocess. All the while, God in Hisinfinite wisdom knows exactly what it will take and precisely how long it willtake to produce sustainable change in our lives. Moreover, He wants to teach us a thing or twoas we traverse the bumpy road.

I feel that thisanalogy has defined my life for the past three years as I have brought my twinsinto the world, suffered alongside them for the months in the hospital, held myson Warren as he took his last breath, and purposed to do everything in mypower to help John recover from whatever it is that ails his brain and limitshim. I want it smooth. I long for the quick fix. In fact, I often feel entitledto that if I am honest.

Fortunately, God’sgrace and mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23) as He endeavors toengage my life on the deeper level. Heis not satisfied to leave the bumps and craters and merely cover them over. He invites me into His hard work of milling,because He directs and perceives the full picture. We see in a glass dimly (1 Corinthians 13)but He sees clearly.

Whether it’s a one-day,one week, one year, or twenty year journey, I pray we can trust God with our livesand the big picture He has in mind as He is busy at work milling and paving. Iwish this were always the case, but today at least I pray to be a willingparticipant in what God wants to do in the work zone of my life. We’re praying for you too.

Consider Changing Course

2012-01-31T10:26:00.008-05:00

By Trish Ryan

"I urge you to seriously evaluate whether the activities and influences that are a part of your life are ones that increase your desire for God and His holiness or whether they are ones that diffuse your interest in spiritual things and diminish your impact on the world."

This quote was in an email I received this morning, one of those daily-inspiration offerings that puts reminders of God in my inbox, in the midst of all the other things fighting for space on my "To-Do/Urgent!" list. This morning's message was some tough love, no doubt about it. But I like tough love, especially when it comes in the form of an invitation from God to try something new.

My friend (I call her Super-G when blogging to disguise her identity, because she's a spiritual superhero...far be it for me to blow her cover!) and I have been trying this for a few weeks now: making conscious choices about the music we listen to, books we read, TV shows we watch, words we speak (and the ones we keep to ourselves). It started as a bit of a joke one night over dinner, as we wondered if we should try to be a bit more virtuous. But it's been a really cool experience, bringing us closer to God and all the promises in the Bible: knowing peace in challenging times, not freaking out over things that in the past would have panicked us, feeling sure about the good future God has for us...I could go on and on.

Truth be told, the changes have been subtle. Neither of us were all that wild to begin with, and I doubt that the people around us have even noticed a change (although my husband was happy to see that my DVR pre-sets for The Real Housewives had been deleted; they conflicted with his favorite home renovation show). The changes have happened inside...where we needed them most. But subtle changes can make a tremendous difference over time. As I've changed (or, more accurately, as I've let God change me), the things around me have changed, too. There's a spill-over effect; bonus blessings. I never would have guessed so much good could come from being more picky about what I let into my mind and out of my mouth, but it's been more than worth the effort.

So today, I invite you to consider the question above: The things you're watching/doing/reading/listening to/thinking about...do they make you long for more of God, or to they numb you out a bit, leaving you indifferent? If you don't love your answer, today is a day you can take God up on His invitation and try something new.

It Never Hurts To Ask

2012-01-30T14:16:00.003-05:00

By Elizabeth Robertson Williams

In less than two weeks, my brother is going to be married to the most incredible woman. I can't wait for them to become husband and wife, but let's get to the really important stuff—what in the world am I going to wear??

Over Christmas, I was on the hunt for the perfect dress and stumbled upon the cutest, brightest cocktail dress that you ever did see. Even better is that fact that it was 50% off! I tried it on, did a few twirls, and decided this was the one!

A few weeks later, when I was in DC visiting my friend's new baby, I popped back into Neimans to see if there were any other dresses we might have missed. (I needed a rehearsal dinner dress, too, you know!) To my shock and delight, all of the sale dresses were an additional 35-55% off!

Typically, when we buy things only to learn they're on sale, we kick ourselves and just wish we waited a few more days. But in retail, there is a beautiful thing called a price adjustment, which states, that if something you buy goes on sale after you purchase it, within a certain amount of time, they'll adjust the price and give you the lowest price. But you have to ask. (You can even do it with customer service over the phone!)

I wasn't sure if they would honor the adjustment, but I decided it was worth a try. So I marched up to the counter, handed the woman my receipt and asked for a price adjustment. She tinkered around, pressed a few buttons, and said, "There you are, you just saved an additional $80."

To say I was pleased was an understatement. I was so excited. Similar to my birthday, I did nothing to deserve the extra adjustment, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and decided I had nothing to lose by asking.

My philosophy in life is it never hurts to ask—for hotel upgrades, rental car upgrades, certain tables at restaurants, price adjustments, extra sizes in the back, extra sizes from other stores, samples—the worst thing that will happen is they'll say no, and you're left in exactly the same place.

This week, I've thought a lot about this in terms of my faith.

Sometimes I'm afraid to make my requests known to God, because I don't want to be disappointed. I'm scared to hope, because I worry that God won't come through. But the thing is, in the Bible, Jesus tells us to ask...

“ASK and it will be given to you; SEEK and you will find; KNOCK and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, HOW MUCH MORE will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

Matthew 7:7-11

Ask...Seek...Knock. Sounds simple, right?

Yet, even with all the asking, seeking, and knocking, there are things that I have prayed for years and still haven't seen the answers come. There are healings I have begged and pleaded for that never came to fruition on earth. That's something that's hard to wrestle with and something I will never understand.

But rather than focusing what I don't know, I want to focus on what I do know to be absolutely true: God loves us, God hears us, and God wants to give good gifts to His children.

Knowing that, we can confidently and boldly go to God asking, seeking, knocking, and being specific. What do we have to lose?

Going Out In Style: Location, Location, Location

2012-01-27T08:26:00.003-05:00

By Dee Oliver

When Johnnie died I remembered having long discussions with themen in his office about where he was to be buried. Until that moment I either had forgotten or didn't realize that Ihad so many choices!

Its kinda like getting dressed up and going into your closet andfor the first time realizing that you own six or seven pairs of black leatherpumps all very similar and all will match the dress that I am wearing but whichpair shall I choose?

Same problem here: Johnnie and I collectively own quite a bit ofcemetery property; some in Forrest lawn where a few of my family members arelaid to rest. There is a family lot in Saint Mary's cemetery where his parentsare buried and he had some more family plots in Elmwood, all of theseresting places are located in the city of Norfolk.

There is also an entire cemetery which he owned and loved (if youcan love a cemetery) in Suffolk; Nansemond/Suffolk Cemetery.

My family, besides owning the lots in Forrest Lawn, owns a lovelylot in Eastern Shore cemetery which is located in Virginia Beach right behindour beach office. That is where my mother, grandparents, and my aunt and unclereside.

Now came the decision, where shall he be laid to rest? Norfolkwas the first to be tossed out, there was not enough room for all of us and Iwasn't crazy about the location.

Which left Suffolk and the Beach,

Now Suffolk posed a bit of a problem because he loved that pieceof property. It is 40 acres of grass. If anyone knew this man they knew that heloved to cut grass. He thought it was a sport.

Remember that show Green Acres? Johnnie thought we should liveout there in a trailer. Me? Not somuch.

My family lot is wonderful and plenty of room there for all ofus. It is close to the office and our home. One problem though was that thefamily stone has Branch on it. We all felt that Johnnie needed a stone withOliver on it...after all, he's in the business!

So what’s a girls to do? That's easy she just buys more!! Just likeshoes!! Can’t ever have enough! Even if they all look alike and do the samejob.

So I bought six plots right across the little street from myfamily lot!!!

Perfect!

Close enough to my parents, far away enough from the in-laws.

Why am I telling you all this?

Well, again…..”us professionals” didn't really ever make thechoice about where we wanted to be buried. We kind of talked about it from time to time, but we never reallymake any definite decisions. Which left it up to me after he died.

So here I was again…..making another very important decision in ashort period of time causing me and the men at the office unnecessary stress.

Here is my advice to you; find out if your family owns any burialproperty, where it is located, how much space is available, and who's name ison the deed. The person who’s name is on the deed gives the permission on whois allowed to be buried on the lot.

Now if you need to buy burial property, go and look at thecemeteries. All cemeteries have a person on staff to help you with yourquestions. You can call ahead and make an appointment or stop in. The smallbuilding which is usually located at the front entrance is the office.

Some questions you might want to ask:

How much are the lots?

What kind of headstones do they allow?

Arethere sections for different religions? Some cemeteries have that options.

Do they bury two deep? Meaning I have 6 lots for Johnnie and Ibut the cemetery will allow burials two deep so I actually have 12.

Do they require youto buy their own vaults or can you buy one from the funeral home? A vault isthe concrete box that the casket goes into. It protects the casket from theweight above ground and helps to keep the ground level.

Are there any restrictions for flowers? Are you allowed to add plantings?

How much do they chargefor opening and closing the grave?

Can you add cremains later to the samegrave?

Now walk around, is the cemetery nice? Well manicured? Cared for?

Remember, cemetery property is an investment. So like anyinvestment you shouldn't wait until the death of a love one to make thesedecisions.

You spend the time selecting the neighborhood where you live now.You should spend some time looking and choosing where you will be forever.

So say your prayers, Say I love you, trust in God and try to GoOut in Style

Dee

The Hope Of Spring

2012-01-26T08:24:00.002-05:00

By Lisa Robertson

Last night was a late night for me. I was one of more than 200 women who gathered at the Princess AnneCountry Club to hear Mary Elizabeth Stone try to give us some perspective onthe past 3 years of her life. “TheHope of Spring in the Dead of Winter” was a vivid depiction of how she and herfamily survived. I wish that I hadtaken notes! So many insights, somuch wisdom, so much raw emotion and residual pain introduced in 3 short weeksof a 3 year marriage. Andthis young couple was still years away for turning 30.

Right now, on January 26, 2012, Mary Elizabeth and Meade arespanning the celebration of the birth of her twin boys 3 years ago, January 21,2009 and the tragic death of her son, Warren, 19 days later, the result of amedical accident.

To me, these days between Jan 21 and Feb. 8 are a surrealbridge of life and death for this young, sweet family.

Her insight thatis percolating with me this morning is this: “Warrenwas created for eternity.”

We see the death of Warren as a tragedy, and it absolutely was. Yet, the truth is that ourunderstanding of life and death is miniscule when compared to greatness of Godand eternity. Today, we have lostthe thought of eternity because everything we think we want or need isavailable to us in an instant! We don’tknow much about eternity, except that it lasts a loooooong time and that it is inheaven with God, our Father, and Jesus His Son.

Eternity is our hope of spring in the dead of winter. Thehope of eternity is what brings us life, when everything in our world seemsdead; we don’t get a broken life,but God gives us a healed and full life.

Even when life stinks, God’s presence is still our best option. Our only hope is God coming to us whennothing makes sense, our hearts are broken and we can’t stand the pain. He helps to keep moving and gives usthe strength to take the next step.

"In Your presence there is fullness of joy, at Your righthand, there are pleasures forever.”

Psalm 16:11

This is one of life’s great miracles: In the midst of death there islife. In the dead of winter, wehave the promise of spring.

Thepromise of spring is the promise of God filling our life with His peace, Hispresence and His purpose.

Revelation 21:4 contains a dramatic description ofheaven, “He will wipe every tearfrom their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.All these things are gone forever."

So many things don’t add up or make sense. We can’t wrap ourlife in a neat little perfect package and expect God to fit in. But God...His faithful love will carry us through this dreary seasonof what appears to be dead and lifeless only to reveal His life; abundant life and the promise of spring.

To Be More Like Christ

2012-01-25T09:30:00.000-05:00

Pain gives us depth. Struggles mature us. Suffering produces character, refining us and smoothing out the rough edges. We have all heard these sentiments and probably agree with them on an intellectual level. However, if you are anything like me, you do not enjoy pain or delight in the suffering this life can bring across your path.

My heart was heavy a couple months ago, as a seemingly neutral message from a friend catapulted me right back to the raw, excruciating pain of the early days when my twins were born, when they were struggling, when Warren died and a huge hole was left in my heart. In keeping with how I have felt so often the past three years, I could not wrap my mind or heart around the fact that nothing, absolutely nothing, this side of heaven will ever be able to “fix” this or fill the gaping holes created by our trauma and my son’s untimely death at 19 days old.

In moments such as these, I can intellectually comprehend why we experience pain but my heart simply cannot get there. When the rubber hits the road, sometimes our neatly packaged theological understanding of pain and loss cannot carry us when the holes unexpectedly rip through our hearts. Our intellectualizations crumble under the weight of our reality – when we are left wondering how to carry on.

On this particularly hard day, I was talking to my mom and she remarked that the pain we endure does have a purpose if we do not let our hearts become bitter and hardened. She explained that the purpose is to make us more like Christ. Due to what my family has both lost and continued to undergo, I have a difficult time masking my thoughts and feelings anymore. So, I bluntly asked, “Why, Mom? Do you ever wonder why it is a good thing to be more like Christ? I know that is the ‘right answer’ and that is what we tell ourselves, but if I am honest, all I want much of the time is for my children to be healthy and happy.”

Even as the words rolled out of my mouth, the Lord whispered to my heart, “Mary Elizabeth, the things you love most about yourself – your fierce devotion to your children, your desire to put your family’s needs above your own, your willingness to come alongside your husband with unwavering loyalty – those are all my qualities. I am working through you in the parts of yourself you most dearly value.”

Through God’s sweet grace, it hit me. Although I am a sinful woman with deep flaws, I can see glimpses of Christ within me. Since the aspects about myself I actually cherish are more factually Christ at work within me, then yes – I do want to be more like Christ. And if it takes pain at times to become like Him, then I pray I will welcome it.

I keep asking...

2012-01-24T11:00:00.003-05:00

By Trish Ryan

This is one of my favorite prayers...especially in moments when I'm not sure exactly how to pray. I adapted it from a book written by a pastor in the early 1900s (Oh HOW I wish I could remember which one!) who described how each day, he took Paul's prayers for the people of Ephesus and asked God for those same blessings: wisdom, revelation, knowledge, God's power...incredible, awesome things.

Whatever is going on in your life today, I invite you to give it a try:

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that I may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened in order that I may know the hope to which he has called me, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

I pray that out of his glorious riches God may strengthen me with power through his Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. And I pray that I, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that I may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within me, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

Don't Be Tardy For the Party

2012-01-23T12:32:00.000-05:00

A little pic from the fabulous party. So bummed I didn't take more!

By Elizabeth Robertson Williams

Last week, in honor of my birthday, my sweet, beautiful friend Catherine, flawlessly executed a fabulous little tapas party for me.

Catherine's middle name might as well be "hostess with the mostest." Ya'll, she is SO gifted.

To prepare for the party, she arranged beautiful flowers, cut magnolia for her front porch planters, made incredible sangria, researched my favorite dessert, AND threw together some tasty tapas.

She also decided that hosting a party was a great time to pull her house together and finally got around to making (yes, making) a beautiful headboard in their bedroom and sewed some fabric to go over her decorator's table in the main room.

And if that wasn't enough, she also organized the invites and instructed the guests to each bring a tapa and wear cocktail dresses (I just LOVE an excuse to be fancy!)

I can't tell you how loved I felt. If you're lucky enough to have a friend in your life like Catherine, one that you SO don't deserve, you know what I'm talking about.

The week before the party, I kept asking her what I could do, and she would always reply, "Nothing, it's your party. All you have to do is show up."

So that's what I did. I showed up and the party was amazing! I don't think I'll ever be able to thank Catherine enough and fully convey how much her extravagant labor of love meant to me.

Since then, I've been thinking a lot about the party and if you really look at it, there's nothing that I did to earn or deserve such a lovely party. A birthday party isn't a party because you did anything—it's not fueled by getting married, having a baby, graduating, or retiring. It's a party simply because you were born, and I really didn't have any control over my birth—one day, I was just born.

Similarly, there is nothing we can do to earn or deserve God's lavish, abundant love for us. We are so undeserving, but God, so rich is He in mercy, chooses to love us, in spite of ourselves. Each day, He's ready to throw us a party using only the best of the best and there's nothing we can do; we can't even bring anything. All we have to do is show up. Talk about an incredible gift!

He brought me to the banqueting house,
And his banner over me was love.

Song of Songs 2:4 (NKJV)

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)

I've never quit loving you and never will.
Expect love, love, and more love!

Jeremiah 31:3 (MSG)

Going Out In Style: Stuff

2012-01-20T14:09:00.002-05:00

By Dee Oliver

I neversaw a u-haul following a hearse to the cemetery……………..

Lookaround your home. See all of that stuff?

You knowthe stuff.....the things in the garage, the attic, basement, your linen closet,china cabinet, kitchen cabinets, jewelry box, the art work, family photos, the nicknacks, look at it allclosely. Isn't it lovely??

All ofthese items bring you and your family pleasure. Belongings you've acquired over the years of marriage, thingsthat have been past down from your parents or grandparents.

All of these objects should have a warning label on them"Beware: Danger after Death. May Cause Family Fallout!

Let meexplain...

Most people have wills drawn up. If youhaven't done this please do! For the most part wills are composed of the largeassets you own, but not always the little (some valuable, some not) itemsthat can leave your children never speaking to each other again.

Impossible? No, very probable!

Crazywhat a bunch of books, a frying pan, and old nicknacks can do to rip apart a family.

I knowthis could never happen in yourfamily.

In yourfamily, everyone gets along, they all love each other.....you taught them howto share!

Well, youare dead wrong!

I haveseen these fallouts start in the office, continue thru the funeral service, andcarried right on out to the grave. Lord only knows what happens after that.

I amashamed to admit it but.....even in the "professional" families thisevent has been played out.

Peopleget extremely emotional, sentimental, and I hate to say greedy over"things".

So gatheryour children together and start by pulling out your prizedpossessions. Take the time to tellthem about each item, where it came from, who bought it and what the occasion was.

Whatabout the furniture? Do you have a set of family china? How about yourgrandmother's silver.

Familyphotographs, the blanket your aunt knit, dad's toolbox, those chipped juiceglasses.....there will be an argument over those. Because everyone remembersdrinking their juice out of those glasses every morning before going off toschool. Every item has meaning to each family member.

I havesome friends whose mother wrote on the back of every piece of art work she everbought. She listed the cost of the piece, the date she bought it, where it camefrom, and who she was with when she purchased it. Now that she is gone eachpiece is a treasure part of their family history. I love this idea.

My owngirls love their dad's wristwatch, he wore it everyday for twenty seven years, Idoubt it is worth much. But the memory of him wearing it is priceless.

If yourchildren are young do it for them. You can even tape it all on video.

Leteveryone help in the decision selection, write it all down.

Now thatit is just the girls and I, we have pretty much discussed who would like tohave what. It is interesting to find out what objects mean the most to eachone. Besides, I am not really surethere would be any survivors if they were left to their own and had to duke-it-out.

RememberI taught them to share........

This isprobably one of the most teachable times you will have with your family; notonly do you get the opportunity to tell them and share stories about theirancestors and your family history, but you are securing the future of yourfamily after you both are gone. You arehelping to extinguish the fires of jealousy, hate, greed and discontent amongthe most precious possessions you have: your children.

It hasalways broken my heart to see families torn apart over inanimate objects. So make anenjoyable memory for your familyand be a part of their future even after you are gone.

Say yourprayers, say I love you, trust in God, and try to Go Out in Style,

Dee

The Path Part II

2012-01-19T08:46:00.002-05:00

Image via Pinterest

By Lisa Robertson

So last week, I talked a bit about paths. Today, I want to share with you a few ways I've learned how to discover God's best path for me.

When you're following a path, it's always important to be aware of where the path is leading you.

Several years ago, I was hiking in Colorado with some of mychildren at a Young Life family camp, when we discovered a path. Being a mountain girl, who was familiar with paths, we jumped right inand began to walk, and walk and walk. My expectation was that Young Life was a friendly place and their pathwould be scenic and safe. Thispath was scenic, but I could tell that it was leading us further and furtheraway from the camp.

Finally, good sense prevailed and I decided that weneeded to turn around and walk back the way we had come. The sun was setting, dinner was goingto be soon and we needed to get back to camp before dark.

Upon our return, we learned that we had found a famouspath that started in Denver and ended in Aspen. This journey is a 6 hour car ride. We started about half way through and we could have walkedfor days before finding the end.

That little experience helped me develop some path rules, which are also great life rules:

1. Pray to see yourpath.

2. The best path is not asecret.

3. Choose your pathwisely.

4. Follow the path, closely. You may only see a few steps at a time,be willing to take the next step.

5. Watch the signsand follow the directions. Pay attention! Dangers lurk whenyou are off the path. If you get off the path, return as soon as possible. The longer you wander, the closer youare to trouble.

6. There are atleast 247 references to paths and roads in the Bible. Remember that a life path is important and your path matters to God.

7. God has prepareda path for each life, make it a priority to seek and find His path foryou.

I have shown you the way that makes sense; Ihave guided you along the right path.

Proverbs 4:11

Baby-proofing for the Younger One

2012-01-18T08:30:00.000-05:00

Recently, I have been baby-proofing our house. Almost three years into parenting, and the time has come to stick the outlet covers in the sockets, purchase safety gates to block the stairs, and move lamps to the few safe places I can find.

I remember a year and a half ago or so, a well-meaning friend told me to be thankful John wasn’t crawling yet… that when he did, he’d be into everything, and “Boy, will you be in trouble!” Yes, there were tears shed over those remarks after I simply nodded and smiled like what she said didn’t faze me.

So here I am, baby proofing – not for John (not yet at least), but for Daniel, my 7 month-old explorer. It is not uncommon to find him discovering new places to pull up, even once up inside a chair.

And I had to laugh at the irony of the situation when I turned around for one minute to stick a few safety plugs into outlets and then found Daniel on the landing having just crawled up 5 entire stairs. Until then, I didn’t even know he could do that!

Let me emphasize how very grateful we are for Daniel’s milestones. Without a doubt, we are incredibly grateful for all that both of our boys can do in this very moment and mostly for just WHO they are and the joy they bring us.

But time is a funny and evasive thing, especially when it seems to be “out of order” or not going according to my desired or anticipated timeline. Watching Daniel achieve one milestone after another activates a few things in my heart:

1) I am in awe… just in utter awe. How is this skill or that so effortless? How did it just appear over night? Do people realize the miracles I behold every single day?! Do their jaws drop as ours do when their child does something new (and then for the next 100 plus times he does that same exact thing)?

2) I am grateful. We have learned not to take anything for granted and more importantly to celebrate each step our boys take, big and small.

3) Sometimes, I am sad if I’m honest. Daniel’s strides can be bittersweet for a Mama who also wants so much for her older son. Daniel can crawl and get to me whenever he wants or needs me while John cannot. Fortunately, I am blessed with an amazing husband who reminded me that John is able to get to me in other ways. He lets me know when he needs me through his sweet coos (okay, sometimes they are more like enraged groans!).

What a blessing it is to know that our times are in the Lord’s hands. His timeline may be different from mine, but HIS is perfect. We operate within linear time with finite perspectives, whereas God is both above time and sovereign working within time… even if that means baby proofing for my younger one first, only having had 19 days on earth with my son Warren, or fighting against the “what if’s” for John’s future.

I pray we can all savor this very moment, as crazy or disordered as it may seem – for this is the one we have been given. If we are only looking to the unknowns of the future or the sorrows or triumphs of the past, we will be robbed of the beauty in this present moment that passes so quickly.

I pray today we can enjoy exactly where we are. I know I am truly blessed. I can say that with 100% assurance. I pray you will feel God’s blessings today as well.

Mini Detoxes

2012-01-16T08:19:00.001-05:00

By Elizabeth Robertson Williams

One of my most favorite discoveries of 2011 was Birchbox, a monthly subscription that delivers 4-5 sizable cosmetic samples right to your door. I'm a sucker for cosmetics, so it's been so fun to try new nail polishes, face creams, perfumes, face wash, and concealer. It's just a little thing each month that makes me incredibly happy!

This month's box was all about clarity in the new year and within the box, they included a few ideas for some mini detoxes. They're so simple and attainable, I thought I'd share them with you!

Mini Detoxes For...

Your Mind: Turn off your computer, iPhone, or Blackberry one hour before bed. You'll sleep soundly and wake up sunny, not stressed.

Your Relationships: Send your grandma a handwritten note, give your little sister a call, or tell a colleague they're doing a great job.

Your closet: Take out anything that makes you feel less-than awesome and donate it to a charity like Dress for Success.

Your Diet: Cut our processed foods for a few days. Focus on fruits, veggies, whole grains, and plenty of dark chocolate.

Your Bathroom Cabinet: Check expiration dates and throw out any products past their prime.

Isn't that simple?! Happy detoxing!!

Click here to learn more about Birchbox here. It also makes a GREAT gift!!

Going Out In Style: Obituaries

2012-01-13T12:45:00.002-05:00

by Dee Oliver

"It's going to be a good day; I read the newspaper and my name wasn't listed in the obituaries……….."

I am sure if you have read my other blogs, you know that if I am writing about it, it's probably because "us professional" didn't get around to taking our own advice…..again….!

It seems as if I wrote Johnnie's obituary yesterday--it was done at the office with one of his co-workers/friends. I remember the overwhelming feeling of having to get it written and into the paper on time. The pressure of having to write something, anything, that would be worthy of the man that I loved and admired was daunting--how was I going to do this? Funny, if you ask me today about Johnnie I could tell you everything he ever did…but that at that moment in time, I couldn't remember anything that he had done in his life and even his friend was having a hard time…..Later, I realized we had left out a few things and even to this day it bothers me.

When you die someone is going to write your obituary, either your spouse, one of your children, a close relative or friend, or maybe even the funeral director.

So ……..

I really, really want you to think about doing this yourself and here is why:

One of the most important reasons is that writing the obituary can be one of the most stressful parts of funeral planning on the family.

People panic at the thought of having to write an obituary. Not only can they suddenly not remember any of the things or places that you have done or been too, but there is a deadline to the newspaper for when it needs to be submitted. This is an unneeded pressure at such a stressful time. If you are able to eliminated this from you family, well why wouldn't you?

Not sure how to get started? Open the paper to the obit section and there is your template.

What you read, is what you should write.

The funeral home will write the fundamentals, all you need to do is add the body (no pun intended).

The other reason to write your own obit is you! Who knows you, better than you?

You might actually enjoy being your own author. You are the master of the pen!!!

This could be your 15 minutes of fame and you get to be published!!!

How great thou art!!!!

Try not to embellish too much or you will really be the talk of your own funeral!!!

And this is NOT platform to lash out in print at everyone that has offended you over the course of your life. It's also not the time for you to expose the family secrets….… this would not be considered in good taste and would only result in a thinner crowd at your funeral.

Do be factual, include the accomplishments and events in your life that you would like others to know about and remember.

List your memberships to organizations and clubs.

If you have favorite charities for people to donate to, list those also.

This can also be a kind of a fun and interesting thing to do with your spouse or children, it gives everyone the opportunity to talk about all the things you have done, and ask questions about your life. They might learn about you in a way that they never had a chance to before.

Photos can be attached to your obituary, but do try to find a somewhat current one.

If you are in your senior years and you send in your college photo the calls coming in might not be about how sorry they are to hear about your death, but an inquiry about who your plastic surgeon was.

I know that I need to have my dad write his own (actually I think he has). And now with my mother gone I don't have her vivid memory to help me with all of his many achievements and accomplishments. I was either too young to remember or to self absorbed as a teenager to have noticed.

He is a wonderful man who I am extremely proud of, but I don't know enough about of him to do him justice in his obituary.

I started thinking about my own obituary and if left up to my three girls today….what they would come up with...

I believe it would go something like this……

Deona Chesley Branch Oliver

of Virginia Beach, Virginia

Born July 5, 19?? (she would never tell us her age)!

Daughter of Jacquie and Deon Branch

Widow of Johnnie Oliver (they probably wouldn't write out his whole name)

Born in California (about here would be an argument about where in California I was born so they would leave it as is)

Went to Norfolk Catholic High School (here they would break out in laughter because they think that is funny, I do not know why)

Graduate from a college (they won't remember where) went back to college and got a mortuary science degree.

Worked with our dad in the family funeral business and when she wasn't doing that she could be found at the gym, playing tennis, or attending garden club meetings.

She talked a lot on the phone….…A lot!

She made us go to church.

She loved God, our Dad, the three of us and her friends very much.

Her dogs followed her everywhere she went.

She had a lot of cousins!!! (they always say that)

About now they would have gotten bored and decide that it was complete.

They would probably decide to place a photo in the paper; another argument would ensue over which one to use, at this time the funeral director would have to choose the photo.

There you have it.

Need I say more????

If you like this…don't write one, if you prefer to have yours a bit more polished then start writing and make everyone happy!!

And let someone know where it is, you can even it give to the funeral home and they will start a file and keep it for you.

Say your prayers, say I love you, trust in God, and try to Go Out in Style….

Dee

The Path

2012-01-12T12:20:00.001-05:00

Image via Pinterest

By Lisa Robertson

As a child who grew up in thefoothills outside of Denver, I learned the importance of following thepath. I had a path when I walkedto school. (Yes, we walked toschool even in the snow, rain and heat.) There was a path to my friends houses, and even a path to the bathroomsat the community ski hill.

These paths were all created longbefore I was walking, by people who were older and more experienced. Each path had a beginning, an end andmost importantly, a destination.

Several months ago, I waspreparing teaching tools for Faithful Beginnings and one of them was aboutfollowing God’s path. This sent meon a search though the Bible to see what God said about paths.

Following a path is animportant Biblical truth. It is mentioned hundreds of time in the Bible.

In my quick research I learned that there are mentions ofstraight paths, crooked paths, rocky paths, evil paths, a path to the Tree ofLife, and a even a path through the parted Red Sea.

Psalm 16:11 is one of mylifetime verses that has guided me to make decisions and given me confidence onthe paths that I have chosen.

“You will make know to me thepath of life. In your presence,there is fullness of joy. At yourright hand there are pleasures forever. “

Do you understand what this is saying?

God will make known to me thepath for my life. He doesn’t keepHis guidance to me a secret. Hemakes it known and if I am looking, I will find it.

If I follow God’s path, thepromise is that I will find joy, but not just joy, but full joy. If I stay in God’s presence, He willgive to me pleasures forever.

What a motivating word forseeking God’s path!

“Whether you turn to theright or the left, you will hear a voice saying, “This is the road. Now followit.”

Isaiah 30:21

Happy Trails!!

Time Warp

2012-01-11T08:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday!

Here we are, in the middle of yet another week. Sometimes it just blows my mind how time can fly. The hours pass, the days accumulate, and before you know it, another month (or year!) is in the rearview mirror.

I mean, this is the year I will turn 30! My son John will be 3 in a couple of weeks, and my tiny newborn somehow became a busy 7 month-old over night!

So often, time seems to evade me. I want to capture it, log its memories in a journal, make it stand still, or squeeze all I can out of an anticipated moment in order to savor that time (and often end up stifling it in the process).

Fortunately, our God created time, is over time, and transcends time. Our times are in His hands. And as we struggle with the concept of time, wanting more of it, hoping it will pass more quickly, or simply wanting it to stand still so we can capture it, God draws us to Himself. We bring our sense of urgency, and God quiets our hearts. He is bigger than time. He uses it and, through it, is making everything beautiful. He knows how we will spend our days and has magnificent plans for the gift of time He has given us. Let us walk freely with open hands ready to embrace this gift rather than fearing it.

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

Ecclesiastes 3:11

"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’"

Acts 17: 26-28

The Tomatoes of Time

2012-01-10T10:48:00.003-05:00

By Trish Ryan

I'm a total sucker for time-management techniques. I'm a little bit in love with the idea that time can be "managed" (because in my experience it's pretty incorrigible), and it's fun to get a peak into how other people spend their days.

Two days ago, I read about a new idea for increasing productivity called The Pomodoro Technique. It's pretty simple: set a timer for 25 minutes, work diligently & resist distractions, when the timer goes off, stand up and move around for 5 minutes. Then repeat. Not exactly nuclear fusion. What enticed me about this system wasn't it's format, but it's name: When the founder first tried this, he used a kitchen timer in the shape of atomato. He came to think of each 25 minute unit of time as "a tomato"...which in Italian is called "a pomodoro." Thus, an entire business--a book, website, helpful worksheets--was born.

Now, I can't think of a single day over the past 10-12 months where approaching my to-do list in 25 minute segments would be anything less than weird. It's just not that sort of season. But for some reason, the image of time coming in units of produce makes me hilariously happy. (If Forrest Gump can see life like a box of chocolates, it's not too far to stretch to imagine each new day as a new box of tomatoes, right?)

Yesterday morning, I had a "3-and-a-half tomato meeting." How fun is that? Then later, when my schedule was thrown off by a phone call from a friend I haven't had a chance to talk to in awhile, I had this funny mental picture of all my well-planned tomatoes being hurled into the air, and thought, "Well, I guess I'm making sauce..." It was a fun perspective change, a way to recognize that in my daily efforts, I'm not always aware of the larger recipe being mixed together. In Biblical, non-tomato terms, in our hearts we plan our steps, but God determines our course. (Proverbs 16:9)

So this morning, as THAT DOG and I slogged around the block in the early morning cold, I told God, "Here...I'm giving you all my tomatoes. Please make them into whatever You'd like."

I don't think we control our tomatoes. I'm okay with that :)

Goodness & Mercy

2012-01-09T07:47:00.002-05:00

By Lisa Robertson

I often joke with my family that when I am a really oldlady, I want to have two fluffy dogs and name them “Goodness” and “Mercy”. Why “Goodness and Mercy?

Because Psalm 23: 6-clearly states:

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of mylife;
And I will dwell inthe house of the LORD forever.

I can see myself with these two slipper-like dogs followingme throughout the house. If I amlonely or bored, I will call my dogs Goodness and Mercy to my side.

All kidding aside, when I take the time to be thoughtfulwith the Psalm 23, it promises change my perspective and my life:

The Lord ismy shepherd; I have all that I need...

The first promise is for guidance and provision of all thatI need. All meanseverything. We lack nothing withChrist.

He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me besidepeaceful streams. He renews mystrength.

Rest, peace, renewal, refreshment and strength are his giftsto us. The Lord is our source for all of these benefits.

Heguides me along right paths bringing honor to his name.

There are so many references to paths in the OldTestament. My understanding of a path is that it is well-traveled, has a beginningand an end, a destination. People have traveled this path before me.

God goes before me, if I follow Him, I will be in the bestplace in life.

Even whenI walk through the darkest valley, Iwill not be afraid, for you are close beside me.

There is nothing to fear when we walk with God. “Do not be afraid” is one of the mostused expressions in the Bible. Godis with me. This truth gives me courage and strength. An insight that I havenever forgotten is that “Fruit grows in the valley.” We don’t need to fear the dark valley, if we are followingGod. Chances are that we will grow there.

Yourrod and your staff, protect and comfort me.

Rod and staff might seem harsh, but the promise is for discipline,leadership, protection and comfort! What a great God.

Youprepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.

We can be so secure with God that we can feast even when ourenemies are close by. However, our focus has to be on God and not on theenemies if we want to enjoy the feast.

You honor me by anointing myhead with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.

God honors us by equipping us to serve by equipping us with good gifts. Our lives are saturated with His extravagant gifts andblessings. Extravagant, not adequate.

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursueme all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

Goodness, mercy, and unfailing love will actually followus. We follow God and goodness andmercy follow us, forever!

Contained in these 6 short verses are a summary of a lifelived in a relationship with God. No one knows for certain how old David was when he wrote these words,but many think that he might have been an older king at the time. If that is true, these are not justwords for a young person looking to her future, but also for an older personlooking back on God’s incredible faithfulness throughout life.

Goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.

Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.

Ps. 23:6 (Message)

Going Out In Style: The Name Game

2012-01-06T20:01:00.001-05:00

By Dee Oliver

Have you ever reallylooked at your mail? Take a look at it, who are the bills addressed to?

This is one of thoseeveryday things that most people don't pay much attention to.

The bills are deliveredto your house, one of you writes the check, then the water flows, lamps arelit, the phone is ringing and the heat and ac are humming right along.

All things are right withyour world…..and no one gives it another thought….until the primary name on these and otheraccounts is no longer here.

This is when the namegame begins--you can sort of continue to pay all your bills without the otherperson present on earth--that is until the moment there is aproblem, repair, or a change to an account.

Most companies, andutilities will have no issue transferring the primary name over to thesurviving spouse with a copy of the death certificate. But like many things in life, there are theexceptions….

When Johnnie died therewasn't much of an issue with the gas company, power company, or some of the credit cards--Nordstroms wasdelightfully accommodating!

And to this date thereare still a couple of things that are still in his name such as the water /sewage andthe telephone.

I don't think the water/sewage company really cares about the name game just as long as the bill getspaid, but the phone company…well they had a much harder time acceptingJohnnie's death than I did.

After many attempts tohelp them understand that he was no longer with us, I finally gave up and just decided to let Verizon be in denial about his death, and I believethey are good with that.

So whenever they have come to my home for a repair Ijust pretend that Johnnie is at work, that way the problem is fixed noquestions asked.

I am not sure if this isthe best solution…..but it is working for now.

What's the old saying? Agirl's gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

Unfortunately not everyone is so easilysatisfied;…. hence the mortgage company (this was a blue job in our home) yousee my name was on the deed to the property, but not on the mortgage for thehouse.

These people adamantlyrefused to speak to me at all, even though I was trying to pay them and theyhad in their possession an original copy of the death certificate . It didn'tmatter, they continued to be difficult and frustrating on all accounts.

Every phone call started out the sameway "We are sorry for your loss Mrs. Oliver but we cannot discuss thedetails of the mortgage with you, only Mr. Oliver". Even my tears didn'tpersuade them.

At one point I eventhought of going to get Johnnie and bringing him to them (onlykidding)…. Of course this should only be done by professionals. :-)

In the end the house wasre-mortgaged to get it out of his name and into mine and I ended up with abetter interest rate! That would become one ofthe many blessings we received from God.

I had the same problemwith the car, an old insurancepolicy, and the alarm system; We had never used the alarm before….but I wantedthe security of the alarm since I was alone. First time….I set off the alarm!

Did I know the code or password????

NO! Again with, “We are so so sorry for your loss….Mrs. Oliver"

Are they really???

They would not call offthe police until they could speak to Mr. Oliver. Funny thing, none of thesepeople ever wanted to speak to him before.

This went on until Ithought that I had finally transfered over everything into my name. With the exception of thewater/sewage and phone.

Until……….

Just last month I wantedto be able to get my e-mail on my phone…simple?

Never!

That is when I found out that I did notknow the password to our cox e-mail account. I didn't know there was a passwordand I don't think if John was here he would have known it either, but he is theprimary on the account….."Sorryfor your loss Mrs. Oliver….since we are unable to speak with Mr. Oliver we willhave to cancel your account, delete all your e-mails and folders and start anew account."

Really???? Really???? This is four yearslater….Please.

This time I was able(with a lot of prayer) to work my way through the system and got a person thatwould help me and fix the problem.

I realize that these inthemselves are small matters to deal with, but if you compound them the deathof a spouse or even a parent, these everyday issues become exhausting,exasperating, and completely overwhelming leaving you to wonder if your world is ever going to be the same as itonce was.

So while these are stillsmall and just somewhat annoying problems to sort out, take the time to doublecheck on them.

Then when (not if) thishappens to your family you will be a bit better prepared

Here are some additiional other items you might want to take alook at and/ or at least find out where they are!!!

Bank accounts

Safety deposit Box; areboth your names on the signature card? Where are the keys?

Do you have a secret bank account ? Be careful or it couldbe a secret forever.

Pin numbers, passwords, P.O Box?

Stocks/ bonds?

Where are those BirthCertificates? You will need that when a death occurs.

Passports? InsurancePapers?

Your Will…..don't have one? Get one!

Were you in the military?? Where oh where are those discharge papers??? You’ll need it for the flagthat you are entitled to!

So…….

Say your prayers, say Ilove you, trust in God, and try to go out in style!!!

Dee

Made To Crave

2012-01-05T08:14:00.001-05:00

By Elizabeth Robertson Williams

At the start of the New Year, many women proudly declare that we will eat less, exercise more, and finally shed those unwelcome pounds. I seem to unsuccessfully declare this every year, only to find myself completely derailed once the Valentine's Day candy hits the stores. I just love myself a good conversation heart!

Have you found yourself here again in 2012? Former Changing Seasons speaker, Lysa Terkerust has written a wonderful book on tackling your problem with a little help from God and the truth found in His Bible.

I found her devotional this week extremely encouraging. Click here to read it. She is also offering a lot of encouraging insights on her blog this week.

Or, head here to check out her book, Made To Crave, on satisfying our deepest desire with God, instead of food.

Watch below to here to hear more from Lysa:
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Join the 21 Day Challenge here.

He Makes All Things New

2012-01-04T08:30:00.001-05:00

Dear Changing Seasons Friends,

This is an exciting week all around! A new year...2012! I don't know about you, but as much as I hate change, I do appreciate a fresh start. Thank you for a new year with new possibilities! I know this can sound cliche, but having a child with special needs puts it in perspective for me. Each new year is the year I hope and pray John will do ______ (fill in the blank: crawl, walk, talk, feed himself, etc).

Also, I started a blog this week. It has been a dream of mine for quite some time, and I am thrilled it is up and running as of yesterday. I would love for you to check it out and sign up for email updates if you feel so inclined: www.HeMakesAllThingsNew.com We are so grateful to have this space where we can share what we are learning through both the riches in life and also the great loss we all face and additionally share glimpses of our life and continued prayer requests for John's full healing.

This is a big step for our family, after chronicling our journey and prayer requests for our son John on a Caringbridge site for almost 3 years now. It is healing to move to a new venue and to simply acknowledge to myself through this transition that we are no longer in daily medical crisis. When you have experienced chronic crisis of any sort, it is easy to feel stuck in that mode long after the initial trial has past. I encourage you to do something or plan something or start a new hobby/project/mantra/etc that you can use to remind yourself that you, too, are in a new season this year.

Happy 2012 to you!!

Contentment

2012-01-03T13:33:00.004-05:00

By Trish Ryan

I've been thinking about contentment today. There's nothing like diving back into my normal routine after a long break to reveal the areas in life where things are humming along smoothly...and the places where I feel like I've got a square peg I must cram into a round hole.

Life is like that, I've discovered. (I know...you knew this already. I'm not so much pronouncing a grand discovery as admitting, "Hey, look - I finally caught on!") There's this tension between the things that are "just as they should be" and those that are missing, damaged, or flat-out unworkable. But the tension isn't constant...it moves.

Today I discovered that one of the areas in which I've long felt despair (household chores & errands) is actually something I feel great about now. No idea why. Nothing has changed - same dust, same laundry, same dirty dishes. But for whatever reason, this area of life is bringing me contentment. I'll take it.

And yet at the same time there are all these question marks floating in the air around me: things that fall into the "All I can do is wait & see" category. When you see those flying question marks, don't you just want to swat them down out of the air like flies? Or (if you're of a gentler nature) capture them in a jar so you can watch them closely and see what happens next? Sigh. All I can do is let them buzz and wonder: when will they land? What will they tell me? In these areas, contentment is hard to come by. I have to go after it and decide to trust, believe, have faith, not freak out or give up or (worst of all) try to make something happen. I have years of proof that God does have a plan and works things out rather splendidly, albeit rarely on my timetable. Going after contentment is my best bet to stay busy, happy, productive...and out of God's way.

I've been studying these definitions of character qualities. "Contentment" is defined as: "Realizing that God has provided everything that I need for my present happiness." I like this. It gives permission to be happy with what today offers, while at the same time hoping that in some ways, at least, things won't be like this much longer.

I have laundry to fold, so I'll leave it at that. Think of where you're feeling contentment today. Focus on that. Let it expand in your mind and fill you with the sense of God's grace in that area. Eventually, we'll catch on and see: He's got more where this came from :)

Favorite Books from 2011

2012-01-02T08:55:00.000-05:00

By Elizabeth Robertson Williams

Happy New Year! Before we completely look forward, let's pop backward for just a bit. I was blog hopping last week and came across Nester's post, Books I read in 2011. Which gave me the wonderful idea of jotting down my favorite books from 2011. I'm not what you would call an avid reader like my fried Trish, but here goes nothing!

Heart Strengthening:

Bittersweet, Shauna Niequist
Soul nourishing. Thanks to my friend Megan for the recommendation and gift!

One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp
Life changing.

The Power of a Praying Wife, Stormie Omartin
The best marriage counseling $10 can buy!

Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted, Priscilla Shirer
A refreshing reminder that God gives us 2nd chances.

Heart Warming:

Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, Rhee Drummond
A classic love story.

The Undomestic Goddess, Sophie Kinsella
Frivolous & Fabulous!

Mini Shopaholic, Sophie Kinsella
Some girls have Twilight & Harry Potter, I have my beloved Shopaholic Series starring Becky Bloomwood.

Books I Plan to Finish/Read in 2012:

The Paris Wife
I've read the first 20 pages at least 5 times, but am determined to stick with it!

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy Kaling
After the millionth rave review on the Changing Seasons blog, I just know I need to give it a go!

As you can see, I have a lot more room in my 2012 lineup. Have a favorite book from 2011? Leave it in the comments below!

Going Out In Style: No Change

2011-12-30T09:30:00.000-05:00

By Dee Oliver

Change—don't do it!

By nature humans really don'tlike change. We like things to stay the same.

We like old slippers, old chairs,old books, old friends...

Change means only one thingto most people...we are going to have to learn something new!!!

In the funeral business wehave an unwritten rule we try to advise the families with: NoChange for the first year after you lose a loved one.

Webster dictionary defineschange as: the act or an instance of making or becoming different.

When someone close to you dies,GOD activates within you what I would call a protective, emotional shock–absorbersystem. Kind of like GOD’S own bubblewrap. It. Is. Great!

The purpose of it is to protect and shield you from the immediateimpact of the world. It allows youto begin the difficult and very slow process of working through your grief.

You really can’t speedthrough this time period…..….if you try you will only end up backtrackingthrough it and believe me, once is enough!

This bubble-wrap buffer lastonly about a year. You need to use this to your upmost advantage.

Now some of your well meaningfamily and friends might advise you to make changes:

Move to a smaller/bigger/new town/new state/warmer climate/cooler climate

Change your hair color/cut

How abouta touch-up? Eyes? Nose?

MaybeDating! Really, Dating? (That is a real NO NO).

Give away or remove their clothes and favorite things…..

Don’t do it. You will at laterdate regret these decision. Being surrounded by familiar, comforting things isgood and reassuring, they makeyou feel safe when you feel as if your whole world has been shaken to its verycore. Plus, if there are children still living in your home, change will only maketheir world seem even more unstable.

There are so many things toadjust to after someone dies that redecorating or relocating is not in yourbest interest for you mental health or your emotional state. It takes time alot of time to understand and readjust to your new pattern of life.

At this point, change willonly ramp up your anxiety and emotional level leaving you feeling more confusedand unsure about yourself and the future.

I know this sounds so simple butfor some reason as soon as someone dies everyone thinks they need to dosomething, anything. I am not sure exactly what drives thisdesire...maybe just fear of the change that has taken place, or trying to gain some control over a situationthat feels out of control.

So unless there is afinancial reason for making changes, sit tight and let God and time helpyou sort out your life and help you begin to heal.

Now do you think I listen toour own advice? Not a chance!

I thought this rule did notapply to me. I was different, a professional….

Well I didn't sell our home andI didn't give away or move any of Johnnie's things, I left his clothes hanging inthe closet for a year and even now, his dresser still contains all the rest ofhis personal stuff.

I did rearrange the livingroom furniture but I don't think that counts. As a matter of fact, I am surethat it doesn't and his sunglasses are still sitting on the bookshelf where heleft them 4 years ago. But to be perfectly honest I just don't read those booksso I never move anything on that bookcase.

But I did buy a dog! Yes adog! A big expensive dog!

What is that country western song?"What was I thinking?"

You see we had this greatfamily dog, a standard black poodle named Spot. Wonderful dog, you know thekind—well trained, perfect in all regard, some of my best work.

Well, Spot got sick and had tobe put to sleep about a month or so before Johnnie died.

A month later, it is the startof summer, school is out. I have this great idea to help move along the everpresences of the thick blanket of grief and sadness in our lives a bit fasterby buying a puppy!

Puppies are wonderful, happy, loving, sweet, adorablecreatures! Ha! "What was I thinking?"

So I headed out with mycousin to Fredericksburg to a breeder who told me when I got there the only dogshe had left was an four month old, non-socialized, black standard poodle who’sparents weighed about 95 pounds each.

At this point I should haveturned around and headed home but since I was clearly thinking with my emotionsand not my head I purchased Henry. Besides, I was a professional, surely Icould save us (word to the wise that’s God's job!!!!!)

Henry threw up all the way home, but the girls were ecstaticand happy and I was so pleased and proud with myself.

What’s that Biblical saying?Pride goes before Dee’s fall.

As soon as the news of thenew puppy reached our office those wise and quick to chastise me funeraldirectors asked if I had lost my mind and quickly reminded me that I had just brokenthe cardinal NO CHANGE FOR ONE YEAR RULE.

I smugly replied that puppiesdon’t count as change!

Four chewed up kitchenchairs, one eaten wall and a shredded, newly reupholstersofa later, Henry was quickly relocated to Norfolk and adopted bywonderful family. It was at that point I knew that needed to start a fund fortherapy and learn to follow our own professional advice!

So remember, NO CHANGE!!............ It can allwait a year….. Or even two ………….

So say your prayers, say Ilove you, trust in God, and try to Go Out in Style,

Dee Oliver

A List About Making Lists

2011-12-29T13:28:00.001-05:00

Image from WSJ

By Lisa Robertson

This time of year, my lists overwhelm me.

I have at least 6-10 active lists. Several lists for a February wedding, a list for Christmas
cards, a lift for the gifts we gave, a list from the children on what they hoped to receive,
another list to help me remember things I fear I might forget, a simple grocery
list, a to-do list, thank you note lists, a list for new year’s resolutions, and one for the blessings and answers to prayers I saw in 2011. There are so many lists and so little time.

Yesterday, I read an article by Sue Shellenbarger from the Wall Street Journal about the art
of making an effective TO-DO List. Here are the highlights:

1. Limit list to concrete tasks—this list has what needs to be done, it has boundaries, a
beginning and an end.

2. Assign a priority to each task—ask yourself, “Is this urgent for my life today?” How
urgent? How helpful to others or myself? How important to the success of this day?

3. Plan a time and schedule for each task. This insight is new for me, and I have been doing
it without knowing that it would be on the WSJ to do list. Each morning, I will block off my day with known commitments-meetings, lunches, walks, phone calls, desk work. I will assign the urgent commitments to an hour in the day. This helps be me more realistic about what I can accomplish and they time I will need to get it done. If I pray, “Give me this day my daily bread…”, it helps me to focus on this day and its needs.

4.Group tasks by where they will be performed—house, office, errands, etc.

5.LIST ONLY AS MANY ITEMS AS CAN BE REALISTICALLY ACCOMPLISHED. In other
words, don’t set yourself up to fail. Three days of “stuff” will not fit into three hours of
time.

6.Cross off or delete completed tasks—this is the best part.

7.Start a new list……..

Lists can be hand written-a new notebook and pen might motivate you,done on a computer or entered in a phone or I-Pad app. For the first week of the new year, try making your lists.

One of the most important lists that I make at the end of the year is a reflection on God’s presence, answers to prayers, special Scriptures or insights. I combine this with another list which contains the deepest prayers of my heart. Some requests are specific-prayers for healing, wisdom, a plan for a graduating child, direction for me in the decisions that I will make.. Other requests are more general, the presidential election, Israel, our church and its leadership, Changing Seasons and Faithful Beginnings.

God has a plan for me for today and for next year. My goal is to ask Him for help so that I
can get to the best places that He has planned for me.

Jeremiah 29:11 sums this up—"I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring
you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you,
not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for."

Proverbs 16:9—We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it.

Proverbs 21:5—Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts
you further behind.

Prov. 24:21—It's better to be wise than strong; intelligence outranks muscle any day.

Think about your lists, make a list or two and see how they might help you to be better
organized in 2012.

And the list goes on & on!

Covering a Multitude of Sins

2011-12-28T08:30:00.003-05:00

What did you get for Christmas?

This year I received three scarves: a gold, shimmery Banana Republic scarf from my husband, a multicolored pashmina style Gap scarf from my dad, and a chic Burberry scarf from my mom.

Here I am with my goddaughter Annie, her other godmother Maria holding her, and her proud mommy Allison.

I simply LOVE scarves in this season. I don’t just mean the wintry season but also my life stage. My life stage is spelled with three letters: M-O-M. Scarves can cover a multitude of sins. Spit up from a baby. Stains from breast milk. A shirt that was just another black shirt yesterday (because it can thankfully still pass for today because the laundry has not yet been switched from the washer to the dryer). And very importantly, scarves can cover the “pooch” that is often left from babies, especially the pooch from a twin pregnancy like my first pregnancy.

Where am I going with this, you might ask? I am not completely sure myself. However, I am grateful for things such as scarves that can express personality, add style, change a look, and make you feel good about your figure even when it has been altered by life. I know we’ve all been altered by life in one way or another. Thank the Lord for the scarves in our lives, literal and figurative. Not that we need to hide, but sometimes we do need a little help!

I usually avoid the malls post-Christmas, but if I happen to venture into the stores this week, I may just have to grab another scarf (on sale)! Go for it and express yourself while celebrating how you have been altered by life.

Ready for Adventure

2011-12-27T11:06:00.003-05:00

By Trish Ryan

Confession: I’d planned a post on how getting through Christmas always leaves me feeling like I’ve completed a marathon–exhausted, triumphant, glad I don’t have to do THAT again for awhile. But then I saw this post by the amazing Tayari Jones (who spent Christmas in Aruba flirting with flamingos) and I realized a pivot was in order. So for today, a question: Are you prepared for the possibility of adventure?

Is your passport up to date? Is your life sufficiently organized that you’d know what to grab & who to call if you had to jet off on twenty-four hours notice? And the big one: Have you cultivated a mindset that says YES to opportunities?

As I consider my life so far (something required for memoir-writing), perhaps my favorite thing about my life is that I’ve had such an abundance of amazing, unlikely experiences. Of course, some of these adventures have ended in mind-blowing crashes…but even those have given me good information about God and life that I’m grateful for. In other words: life is really fun when you’re able to say yes to chances that come your way. And while the word “adventure” usually brings up thoughts of travel to distant lands, trust me: if God is behind it, you can have a huge, life-changing adventure right in your own town. Your job is to be ready to say yes when the chances come along.

A couple of tips for making smart adventure choices: 1. This does not apply to marriage...entering or leaving!!! Chick-lit films notwithstanding, there is nothing romantic or adventurous about legally attaching yourself to a guy you barely know...or spontaneously abandoning your husband in search of greener pastures. Okay, with that said... 2. Practice saying “yes” to small things first. Have a month where you say yes to everything you’re invited to be part of that does not require criminal behavior (or, again, marriage).3. Pray. Ask God to expand your horizons:

Dear God, I want to live the life of adventure You’ve created for me (and created me for). Open my mind and heart to respond as You want me to to the opportunities that come along. Thank you that You’ve been preparing me. Make me immediately obedient to the prompting of Your Holy Spirit so I’m ready in every way, for everything. And I thank You that You protect me from the lies and temptations of the Evil one that try to lure me off Your path. I’m excited for this life, and these possibilities! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

There are a couple of places in the Bible where we’re told not to brag about what we’ll be doing tomorrow, because really, only God knows. I’ve always taken this as a warning, but I wonder now if there might also be a more positive aspect to this: If we’re careful what we promise to do in the future, that gives us freedom to follow God’s promptings. For me, that’s an exciting perspective to pray about as we go into the coming New Year.

The Christmas Story

2011-12-22T07:26:00.000-05:00

Most of us have heard the Christmas story year after year, but sometimes hearing it told through the eyes of a child can be a refreshing reminder of Jesus' miraculous birth.

We hope you enjoy this video as much as we do!
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