“Wake up Sarah Sunshine,” I teased by 2-year-old daughter Sarah Joy.
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She gave me a sunny smile and hopped out of bed, eager for the day. She was my easiest baby. When she was tired, she just wandered back to her bedroom, pulled the toybox over to the crib, climbed in, and fell asleep. 

​Sarah Joy followed quietly along with the flow, the fourth child of five. After her younger brother was born, she found great delight in giving direction to her baby brother’s life. Today, they are great friends.
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I started calling her Shine because she brought happy sunshine to our home. She smiled cheerfully and quietly participated in all the busy chaos of a large family. 

As years went by, she developed her own spunky style.

“Here, go buy Shine a hat,” my dad would say, handing me a 20-dollar bill. He loved her quirky fashion sense: the hat tilted at just the right angel or the boots adding just the right touch to one of her outfits. I never knew how she would come down the stairs, but I knew she would be adorable. I kept calling her Shine because she had her own unique light and eclectic style. 
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As the teenage years were approaching, Shine was torn between two worlds: God’s Kingdom and the world. I saw the struggle, but things were often tense between us, and I couldn’t say the words she needed to hear. So, I knelt by my bed and cried out to God to protect and rescue my daughter, to open her eyes to Jesus. 

Several years ago, my niece was spending the summer with us and it was her birthday. The problem was that Mike was in seminary and we had NO money, not even money for extra food. We were living on hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, and eggs for dinner. I really wanted her birthday to be special, but so far--nothing. I woke her up that morning and told her that I wanted to bless her for her birthday but had no money to buy anything for her, even food for a special dinner.       

"But God has lots of money," I told her "And He can give us a special birthday dinner."  Katie Beth nodded her head--even at the age of two she trusted the Lord. The three of us prayed together.          

Later that day, we went to a food pantry (a ministry similar to Harvest International) where we paid two dollars for two bags of food. That was the only day ever (it never happened before or afterward) that they had cake mixes there. I chose a cake mix (her favorite flavor) from the "pick one" table and then a frosting can from another "pick two tables". God was soooooooooooo good!!!!!!!

"And Ebenezer Scrooge learned to keep Christmas well," we are told at the ending of  A Christmas Carol. What does it mean to keep Christmas well?

Does it mean to know all the words to at least twenty Christmas carols? Does it mean having the most lights in the neighborhood? Does it mean decorating every table top and wall space in the house with sparkly decorations? Does it mean having the tallest or fattest tree? Or is it buying expensive presents for everyone you know?

Keeping Christmas well begins in your heart. It starts with an understand of the miracle of Christmas, that magical moment when Heaven came down in the form of a newborn infant. Very God of Very God became flesh and all of Heaven gazed in wonder, though only a few were privileged to witness the event. You see, the miracle happened because of a very loving Father, a very Generous God filled with grace and mercy. He loved so much that He gave.

"You got a package of stuff to review," my son, Jimmy, informed me. "Do you need us to open it for you.

"Would you, boys?  That would be great!" I gave my son and his best friend the nod and within minutes, they had kitchen knives in their hands and were hacking away at the boxes.

"Guess what?" Josh asked with excitement in his voice.

You tell me!" I laughed at the boys' happy faces.

"It's from that company that sent the Nativity scene," they both said together.

"Oh, let me see." Now, I was excited too and soon all my daughters were gushing over One2Believe's latest shipment, an adorable replica/toy, Noah's Ark. This s a great Christmas present idea. 
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If life is a football game, then I'm about to start playing the third quarter. Games are won and lost in the third quarter. A team can be winning the first half, only to fumble and blow it so much in the third quarter that they can't make it up in the final one.

Conversely, a team can bomb the first half and turn the game around in the third quarter.

I have made some good plays in my life and some doozies. I can give you many examples of times when, like a quarterback throwing a beautiful pass that is intercepted, I have not lived up to my potential or have tried something and fallen flat on my face.

I am stubborn, opinionated, and, sometimes, fearful.

"I can't do that," I have answered opportunities, "I am too scared."

Sometimes, overcoming fear, I have stepped out to try something new. Too scared to sing in front of people, I didn't want to even sing on the worship team, but several close friends challenged me. Finally, I stepped out in faith and one thing led to another--I have been a worship leader since 2002. It has been one of the greatest joys of my life, leading worship and singing without a trace of nervousness in front of people.

It is my goal to be brave in the years ahead, to take a chance or two.

A long line of people have paraded through my life, touching my life with a mixture of sorrow, laughter, wisdom, confusion, and excitement. I have known success and failure in relationships.

Tomorrow I will turn 50. The years have flown by. I have decided to take several hours this week and look at old photographs. I have pulled out every photo album that I can find. What fun it's been to look back at happy times and reminisce.

Why don't you take a trip with me back to the 1960's when I was a little girl?

I grew up in a normal middle class neighborhood with loving parents. Daddy worked hard at Eastern Airlines and Mommy could baked, cooked, sewed, and volunteered everywhere when she wasn't substitute teaching. With Daddy working for the airlines, we were free to travel by plane to visit my grandparents each Christmas and for summer vacation.

When I was a little girl, my friends parents were all married. I didn't know anyone who had a baby before marriage. We had great neighbors. Miss Millie and Miss Pat would come over with their husbands and drink coffee with my parents. Miss Pat taught me to ride a bike.

One day, we had a neighborhood picnic and all the parents joined the kids playing softball. Wow! I didn't know my mom could hit...and catch. I knew my dad could because he would throw the ball to me on Saturday afternoons. I remember planting a flower garden with him from seed inside the little packets in the hardware store.

"I'm heading to the hardware store. Do you want to ride along?" Daddy would ask. Of course, I did. The hardware store was boring, but being with Daddy was exciting. For my eighth birthday, he dressed up in a suit and tie while I wore my prettiest dress. Daddy took me out to dinner, making me feel like queen of the world. When my husband took my own daughter out to dinner to give her a purity ring, it reminded me of that special night with my father.

"When I am really, really old," Nathan began to explain, his blue eyes sparkling and a big smile on his face.

"How old is really, really old, Nathan?" I interrupted him.

"Oh, like," Nathan paused and tilted his head up, squinting his eyes. "Like 25 or something." Smile.

In five days I will turn 50. I can't believe it. Where did time go? I still feel like a little girl inside who is staring wide-eyed at the world, ready to explore every nook and meet people from every corner of the globe.

Yes, I have learned some valuable lessons along the way, but I am sure I have made more mistakes than wise decisions. I have stumbled and gotten back up, running on and on toward the goal of my life.

Cookies baking, laughter in the air, and a sense of expectation in every heart...holidays bring joy to life! More than national celebrations, these special days can provide refreshment, strengthen family relationships, instill godly values in our children, and be celebrations of the goodness of God! Some holidays are truly holy days, set apart by Christians to celebrate God's grace. We can make every holiday holy, setting it apart and celebrating in a way that honors Christ.

Holidays Can Provide Refreshment

We are all thankful to be alive and have the strength to serve the Lord. Many of us, though, have stressful lives, and burdens that we carry. We may have a difficult marriage, an elderly relative to care for, or a house full of little ones that demand our constant attention. A holiday is a break from the routine! If we are careful not to run ourselves ragged in the pursuit of the Ideal Holiday Menu, each holiday can be a time of refreshment where we break away from the dreary routine and enjoy the company of family and friends. View holidays as a time to RELAX and unwind from the pressures of life.