2012

Pretty sure this is the most excited I (Vicki) have been to start a new year.  2011 was not a particularly bad year....just glad it is over.

We are anticipating God is going to move mightily in and through our lives in 2012.  Here are some of the reasons:

Brian's career - Brian has stepped out in faith and is working on his own.  Much of this is due to his health, doing this if he is having a bad day, he can rearrange what he does.  He has two companies he is doing work for with a third in the wings.  This also gives him the freedom to spend time with family.

Grandbaby - sometime in June our first grandchild will be born!!  We are SOOOOOO excited to take on this new role.

Missions - in February we will be headed to Rocky Point to help build a house in three days.  Wow.  This is an area we have never served together so it will be a stretching experience.

Finances - we are trusting God 100% with our finances.  Early in 2011 we began tithing the full 10% based on

Malachi 3:10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."

So far we have been amazed at God (why is it we limit Him??).  The only unpaid medical bill is West Valley Hospital and we are making payments.  All of our bills have been paid on time.  We have been able to be generous with our children and with giving.  God is faithful to His promises.

Growing closer to our Lord and to each other - we can't wait to see where God grows us both to Him and to each other.   God never wastes a hurt, He is using our life story to encourage others.  Wherever He wants us - that is where we will be.

So our prayer for 2012 is God will challenge you to move from where you are to the place He wants you to be in obedience to His will.  Then His blessings will knock your socks off.

Abba Father is so good.

Family

We are blessed with an amazing family - lots of strong personalities for sure!!

Last evening was amazing.  Brian, Vicki, Jay, David, Kara, Tom and Vicki's Mom were at Kara's.  We shared gifts, food and played Aggravation.  Everyone was kind even though there are attitudes and opinions we all don't agree on....  It was gratifying to see Kara in her own home, serving us dinner - we are so proud of her!!

Jay came home with us and this morning it was Brian, Vicki, Jay and David.  More gifts, more fun.  Everyone seems pleased with what they received though I still think it was easier when they were little!!

Soon we will have Christmas dinner and Megan (Jay's girlfriend) will join us.  Sarah has to work - we already miss her, she is so delightful.  God has blessed David with her.

God is good to us.   Merry CHRISTmas!!

Christmas

It is interesting how Christmas evolves as we age. 

As children someone else is in charge, we go where we are told and enjoy the experience.  It is pretty much all about "me".

When we become an adult we can Christmas hop - time with the family, time with friends.

Then we have a family....  Christmas revolves around the children, meeting the wants, spending time with extended family.

Now we are at the point where our children have homes, spouses or spouses to be - and Christmas becomes a juggling act!  In reality, this year has been fun because we will have three celebrations.

Next year there will be a baby, so again the focus is on children.

At some point we will spend Christmas in the arms of Jesus.  That will be the best!!

Through the years, I think we have succeeded in keeping the focus on Baby Jesus for our family.  We will continue to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.

God is good.

Family and Holidays

I love the holidays - joy, the celebration of Jesus' birth, the gift giving, the foods, the sense of peace in the air.   Yet, there are times are I really dread the holidays.

We have not celebrated the holidays with Brian's family in years which is sad.  People who are unwilling to bend.

As our children have become adults and have spouses or girlfriends, it has been more challenging.  For the last few years each year has been different, we have spread the holidays out over several days.  We have done our best to spend time with anyone who wants to!

This year we thought everything was set up - getting time with different folks at different times.  Then came the unexpected invitation that includes folks who haven't been very kind to our children.  So we opted out.  Now there will be a price to pay - all we can do is pray it isn't taken out on our children. 

Maybe we have reached the point where getting together with people who don't like us and judge us isn't acceptable. 

Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birth.  We strive to live at peace with everyone.  This year it will be difficult.

But God, who is our source of strength, is so very good.

Anniversary

This year our wedding anniversary fell on Thanksgiving.  All the children and their husband/girl friends were there along with my (Vicki's) Mom.  We have a wonderful family.

Friday after some shopping (yes, we were the 1561st and 1562nd people at Cabela's even though we arrived at 4:30am!) we headed north.

We spent the afternoon in Sedona, eating dinner at the same place we had our first date!!  Found some Christmas presents too.

Saturday we went antiquing in Cottonwood then headed to Clarkdale to ride the Verde Valley Railroad.  It was four hours of beautiful scenery and enjoyable company.

Before heading home we went to Jerome for dinner. 

It was a lovely way to spend the weekend - together in God's country.  We are blessed to have each other and our Lord.

God is so good.

Missions

It is interesting.  I (Vicki) have loved Jesus as long as I can remember.  Yet missions has never been an area that tugged on my heart.  For years Children's Ministry consumed me, then there were the six to eight years of youth ministry.  For the past two years we have been working with troubled marriages.  Yet it appears missions is tugging at both of us....

Almost five years ago we went on a cruise to the Caribbean.  What a blast.  Yet as we looked at the children who lived in poverty - it pulled at us. 

God has been so amazing at meeting all of our needs and honoring our decision to get totally out of debt (two years to go!).  We are wondering about heading out on missions trips.  There is one in February down to Rocky Point we are seriously considering. 

We have been praying for direction.  We think we understand.  It will be fun to watch how Abba Father works in this to either confirm our direction or redirect us. 

All we really want to to is serve Him - bring Him all the glory and honor He deserves!!  God is so good.

God is Good

Been a while since we blogged - no reason.  Life has been relatively quiet.  We are making progress in finding out what is going on with Brian.  The left side of his heart is enlarged.  He had a sleep study and is now using a c-pap machine every night.  Boy is it quiet in our room!!

The cool thing - he is waking up with lots of energy, he isn't feeling weary in the middle of the day and we are actually staying up until 10:00pm!!

As our children are growing older the holidays are more challenging.  Kara and Tom have his folks they want to spend time with.  David and Sarah have her family.  Jay and Megan, we aren't quite sure as Jay hasn't met her family yet.  

It was sad today - I wanted to decorate for Christmas and Brian said no....  I have to wait until after Thanksgiving. 

We have so much to be thankful for.  God is good.