New Year Prayer

Father,
Thank you that you've chosen this year for each of us to live. I can't imagine living in a more exciting time. I praise you for everything in our lives that has led up to this year. The hard things have shaped us. The good things have blessed us. Thank you. We give this coming year to you. We don't know where you want us to be at what time, so please guide us. Put people into our lives that need you. Let our light so shine before men that they will be drawn to you. I pray that this year, you will be glorified through our lives more than ever. Give us lives of submission. Give us eyes to see what you see. Give us hearts filled with love and kindness and minds filled with truth. And please...show us how to bless you this year. We want to know you better and we want to please you more, Father. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Decisive Victory!

Did you think it was possible to have a decisive victory over a stronghold in your life while on earth? I think I believed it theoretically....just not personally. But I had one this month. In fact, when I realized it was a decisive victory, I felt clothed in it, I laughed hysterically and felt like I'd climbed a mountain and planted a flag at the top.
When God told Moses, and then Joshua, to lead the people into the Promised Land, he told them to take it one city at a time to keep the dogs from taking over the land. That's how He works in my life. We work on one area at a time. But there has been one area in my life where I never thought I'd have a complete victory. Have one of those? I've worked on it through the years and had small-step-victories, just not a complete victory.
It was recently that I realized how much I focused on what wasn't completed in my life instead of being thankful for what God had done. So I began thanking Him for how much change He'd worked in my life in this area.
And then before Christmas...it happened! I experienced an attack from the enemy. He'd set me up to fall back into an old pattern. And my response was completely different than it had ever been. In fact, it was so different, I was even stunned. And at that moment, I knew. I knew I'd had a decisive victory. It was exhilarating!
Now I'm not ignorant enough to believe Satan won't come back around and try to take that mountain back. I know he'll try. I'm just believing God. When He gives us a Promised Land, it's ours. He expects us to possess it. And I didn't put that flag on top of the mountain for nothing!

2009 Christmas

These photos are something only family will probably appreciate. But if anyone else does....God bless you! (It's long and definitely out of order!)

Aunt Shanna, Caitlin & Alexis

Zach's
Dwight Schrute Bobblehead.

Zach & Shanna Dietz

Addie opening Strawberry Shortcake. (SS smells the same after all these years!)

Aunt Shanna babysitting for Alexis

New quarterback for Dallas Cowboys---Ry-an DIETZ!

Alexis modeling the backpack that Aunt Sandra made.

Caitlin showing us her new apron made by Aunt Sandra.

Matt modeling his new vest.

The Matt Dietz family--Caitlin, Lisa, Alexis & Matt.

Ryan & Addie opening their Little House on the Prairie DVD's.

Alexis looking at Pioneer Woman Cookbook with her mom, Lisa.

Lisa & Shanna modeling their new aprons from Anthropologie.

Lindsey modeling her new apron from Etsy.

Three girl cousins--Alexis, Caitlin & Addie.




David's gift from Zach...need I say more?




David Dietz family---Addie,, Lindsey, Ryan & David

David and his new Dwight Schrute bobblehead.

Christmas at Granny's in Pampa.

Carving Guru--Gary Sanders, my brother.

Waitress Caitlin taking orders.

May I take your order, please?

We told the girls they only got one gift---but there were many gifts packed inside one gift. Caitlin opening hers.

The girls were all dressed up when we arrived.

Sisters....Caitlin & Alexis

Girls playing Barbies.

Ballerina Addie---with new ballet shoes and tutu.

Another view of the backpack.

Andy & Becky...boy, do I need a haircut...among other things.

Our adopted FPC daughter, Amanda.

One more pose.

Can I please open one gift???

Alexis with her new baby bedding.

Alexis opening her new baby bedding.

Alexis with her baby and baby apron.

Josiah sent Gee this letter. It's on the fridge.

Josiah sent Buff this letter. It's on the fridge. (He folded the letters, too!)

Addie painted this art. It's on the fridge.

Ryan wrote and painted this letter. It's on the fridge.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Looking to a New Year

2010

I hope I can get used to writing that. It looks funny, doesn't it? But we have a new year to look forward to. As I was putting my Christmas decorations away, the thought went through my mind, "I wonder what will be happening during Christmas 2010?" Life can change in an instant--for good or bad.

I have some friends who recently moved to the middle east and went to Italy for Christmas this year. I'm sure at this time last year, they had no plans to be in Italy right now!

I also have a friend who was planning a wedding this time last year. Since then, she married...and buried her husband. That certainly wasn't in her plan.

We have no idea what tomorrow will bring. But praise God--He already knows. He's been there before us! What is your desire for this new year? What are you hoping you'll be doing next Christmas? And maybe the bigger question is this: How will you prepare?

Repost of Hopeful Post-Christmas Melancholy

I'm reposting this from John Piper's Website.

Hopeful Post-Christmas Melancholy
Posted: 26 Dec 2009 02:22 AM PST
(Author: Jon Bloom)
Each year Christmas night finds members of my family feeling some melancholy. After weeks of anticipation, the Christmas celebrations have flashed by us and are suddenly gone. And we're left standing, watching the Christmas taillights and music fade into the night.But it's possible that this moment of melancholy may be the best teaching moment of the whole season. Because as long as the beautiful gifts remain unopened around the tree and the events are still ahead of us, they can appear to be the hope we are waiting for. But when the tree is empty and events are past, we realize we are longing for a lasting hope.So last night, as Pam and I tucked our kids into bed, we talked about a few things with them:

*Gifts and events can't fill the soul. God gives us such things to enjoy. They are expressions of his generosity as well as ours, but gifts and celebrations themselves are not designed to satisfy. They're designed to point us to the Giver. Gifts are like sunbeams. We are not meant to love sunbeams but the Sun.

*Putting our hope in gifts will leave us empty. Many people live their lives looking for the right sunbeam to make them happy. But if we depend on anything in the world to satisfy our soul's deepest desire, it will eventually leave us with that post-Christmas soul-ache. We will ask, "Is that all?" because we know deep down that's not all there is. We are designed to treasure a Person, not his things.

*It is more blessed to give than receive. What kind of happiness this Christmas felt richer, getting the presents that you wanted or making someone else happy with something that you gave to them? Receiving is a blessing, but Jesus is right—giving is a greater blessing. A greedy soul lives in a small, lonely world. A generous soul lives in a wide world of love.

It's just like God to let the glitter and flash of the celebrations (even in his honor) to pass and then to come to us in the quiet, even melancholic void they leave. Because often that's when we are most likely to understand the hope he intends for us to have at Christmas.
(Originally posted 12/26/07)

The best gifts ever

I'll give them to you in the order they were given to us.

1. Zach & Shanna came and gave us a book---Crazy Love. (I can't wait to read it---seeing how it's changed their lives!) They gave us a letter that detailed how God had transformed them with the reading of Dave Ramsey's book, The Total Money Makeover and Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love. As a result of God using the 2 above-mentioned books in their lives, they told how they've been able to help at least 3 families financially in the past few months...and counting!

2. David & Lindsey shared how they took Ryan & Addie to Faith City Ministries where they led worship for the homeless people. They've taught Ryan & Addie some hymns and David accompanied them with his guitar as they sang. Then the kids were also Mary & Joseph in a Christmas play at FCM.

3. We skyped Jay & Amy Christmas morning and Isaac opened our gift from them as we watched. They are sponsoring a 5-year-old boy named Kenneth from Africa through Compassion. We're thrilled!

These are all a result of us asking our children to do an act of kindness that involved their whole family---and give it to us as their Christmas gift to us. We're going to keep a family scrapbook of these treasures. (I'm hoping to get photos of some of these events to put in the scrapbook---hint, hint!) And maybe next year, Matt & Lisa will read their emails...ha! I can honestly tell you that this is the best Christmas I've ever had.

Snow for Amy & Kids!!

This is what Christmas has come to---a 2009 high tech family Christmas.

Snowing at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 23, 2009