New Year...New Hope

Dear, Sweet Mid-Morning Friends...

This is my last chance to write you before we head into 2014, and I have a few things I'd love to share as some parting words to 2013.

* Some of you reading this had amazing years in 2013. And yet some of you might feel kind of guilty celebrating that joy, because you know others are hurting, or worse, others have tried to silence your joy because of their own hurt. To you, I say, REJOICE in the beauty of the year drawing to a close. What a blessing to the soul these seasons of joy are, and God has just gifted you with one. It's OKAY to celebrate what He has done and it is OKAY to publicly praise His name in thankfulness for this goodness. Close out this year with a full heart, brimming over and rejoice in this day...this month...this year He has made. Be glad in it!
* Some of you reading this had devastating years in 2013. Whether it was a health crisis, a job loss, the death of someone you held dear...it's been a tough year and in all truth, you're glad to see this one go and you HOPE 2014 brings something better. To you, I offer the biggest blog-hug I can and I would sit beside you to cry with you if I could. I've had some hard years - the kind that make it hard, if not impossible - to even breathe because the heart-pain is so very intense. To you, I say that even though it may feel like it...God has not forgotten you or turned His back on you. I don't know why this season is here or why it has to hurt so much, but lean in to Him. He can grow and mold you even in the hard time. Cast your anxiety, your hurt, your burdens on Him. He cares and loves you!

* Some of you reading this are anxious right now because of the unknown. Maybe some of you are anxious for the birth of a little one and you aren't sure if things will be okay. Maybe some of you are in the beginning stages of a health journey and you don't even know what's coming your way or if you have the strength to make the journey. Maybe some of you know changes are coming - where you live, where you work, your marriage, your parenting - but you aren't sure what it will look like and that uncertainty is about to undo you. To you, I say trust Him. And before you say back to me, "That's a trite answer," I will add...sometimes it's really hard to trust. In those moments for my own life, I've lifted my hands up and said "I choose to trust you." Sometimes I wasn't sure how much I meant it and sometimes I didn't want to mean it at all, but I made the words come out of my mouth audibly and with enough determination and repetition, I began to believe it and my trust GREW. He is faithful and will be faithful to you.

* Some of you reading this just want a do-over. Maybe you've made poor choices. Maybe you think there's no way to fix whatever's gone wrong. To you I say...you might not be able to escape the natural consequences that have come about because of your choices, but in NO WAY should you think God can't give you a fresh start. There's no better time than right now to fall before the Lord in repentance, confess your sin, and ask God for a new chance. And the next time the choice comes along - choose to walk in obedience. You can't change the past, but you can certainly make new choices in the future.

Lynne and I love you all so much. It's a joy to serve you every day - and we love sharing life with you. We are looking forward to a new year and a continued chance to serve in 2014!

The Best Friend I've Never Met

Can someone be your friend if the two of you have never shared

                                                 a meal,

                                                            a conversation,

                                                                                    or a memory?

I think so. I know so.

It's a frequent occurrence for me. Charles Spurgeon. A.W. Tozer. Sarah Young. They're all the truest, wisest, most dependable of friends...even though we've only met on the pages of their books. And this year I became especially close to yet another sacred sibling whose voice I've never heard and whose face I know only through photos: Dr. E. Stanley Jones.



E. Stanley Jones
1884-1973




My introduction to Eli Stanley Jones occurred more than 15 years ago via one of his quotes that appeared in a book I was reading for Mid-Morning. I've since forgotten the title of the book but not Dr. Jones' quote:

 

I looked into the face of Christ and was forever spoiled for anything that was unlike Him.

 

 When Summerside Press released Jones' classics Abundant Living and Victorious Living a little more than a year ago, the Methodist pastor - and missionary to India - and I began keeping company on a regular basis. He talked. I listened. The result? My outlook, faith, and life have become even more aligned with the Lord's!

 

 Here's a sampling of what this humble, Spirit-dependent servant of God wrote:

 

 In order to have a continuous state of relaxed receptivity, we must have periods of quiet when we gain the poise and power that will go through the whole day.

 

 The more you obey Jesus, the more He becomes the center of your affection.

 

 Habits are formed by regularity. Pray by the clock, if necessary, and soon you will pray by inward urge.

 

 Do you will to receive the Holy Spirit, not as a passing influence that may get you out of spiritual difficulties, give you momentary satisfaction, lift and inspire you--not that, but as an abiding Power that will take over the citdel of yourself and reign there as a lifelong proposition?

 

 And the prayers! O, his prayers that conclude every daily reading. I relish them as much as his devos:

 

 O Spirit of God, bring this wandering, wavering will of mine to the bondage of Your freedom, to the narrowness of Thy universality, to the yoke that is easy, and to the burden that is light. I bend my neck. (I love that he calls me higher, higher and higher in faith and devotion. He makes me yearn for the good God desires for me, even while I drag my feet, wanting to stay as I am.)

 

 O Spirit of God, I have said a "Yes" that covers everything; now help me to live in a state of "Yes-ness" to Your unfolding will.

 

O God, now I come to You just as I am. If anything can be made of me, do it. I am at Your disposal. I've come with all I have.

 

And finally...

 

O God my Father, I want to be like You. Take out of me all antagonism, all divisions, all clashes, so that those I meet this day will instinctively feel that I breathe "Peace."

Thank you, "E," for pointing me to Jesus. For now, I must be satisfied with our one-way communication: from your books into my mind and heart. But one day. Yes, one day we'll share a forever meal.

And I'm going to talk your ear off!



BeadforLife

One week ago, WBCL held its second BeadforLife party in Fort Wayne. And what a LOVELY day it was!! Thank you, SO MUCH, to all of you who came out to enjoy an afternoon or evening with us...to shop with a purpose...to enjoy some chocolate...and to share your hearts with us! We LOVED meeting you!

BeadforLife, if you're not familiar, helps eradicate poverty among the women of Uganda. If you want to hear more about it, you can catch Lynne's interview with Heather Ditillo of BeadforLife here. {The interview also contains segments of Lynne's interviews with two women from Uganda whose lives have been changed forever by this organization!

We were excited to host the party for them - to allow you to come and shop for gifts...or for yourself!...and we raised over $18,000 at the party {not including what you've purchased online toward our party since then!} to help the women of Uganda get out of poverty and create and sustain a life for themselves. THANK YOU!!

Whether or not you were at the party, we thought you might like a peek into the day, so here was our party in pictures!

{Since a picture is worth a thousand words...enjoy a few thousand words in pictures. I'll let them speak for themselves.}

Don't forget...you can order from their website using the code WBCL through December 12 to get free shipping and for the total to count toward our party!

Thanks so much for supporting the women of Uganda!

Christmas Ornament Recipes

Jane Jarrell's book Holiday Hugs is chock-full of heartwarming hints for holiday hospitality -- including these recipes for homemade ornaments:

CANDY CANES

Materials:

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup cold water
Paste food coloring
White acrylic paint
Paraffin

Directions:

1. Stir together flour, salt, and water.
2. Knead mixture until it forms a stiff dough.
3. To add colors, take portions of the dough and work in little dabs of paste food coloring until you reach your desired shade of red for the candy cane stripes. Color the white dough with white acrylic paint.
4. Roll equal-sized pieces of each color into ropes and twist together. Cut twisted strips to desired lengths and bend top to form a curve.
5. Dry candy canes in a 325 degree oven for 1-2 hours. Dip in paraffin to coat.
6. Tie the various-sized candy canes onto the tree with bright green ribbons.

OLD-FASHIONED SALT DOUGH ORNAMENTS
(Makes 2 cups dough)

Materials:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup ground cloves, 1/4 cup ground cinnamon, 1/4 cup ground nutmeg, combined
1 cup salt + 1 cup water, mixed together

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Knead until dough is firm. If still sticky, sprinkle in some cinnamon.
3. Roll dough out on a cinnamon-sprinkled surface and cut out Christmas shapes with cookie cutters. Make a hole with a straw near the top of each cutout.
4. Bake at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
5. After these non-edible ornaments are cooled and decorated, thread a ribbon through the top hole and hang them on a tree.