Sometimes you have a winter in your soul where you have to pull everything inside away from the cold, wet, and dark that is outside. You have to spend time tending to the fire within you. You have to give it things you know will help it burn bright like face to face time with Jesus, date nights, time with good friends, a second glass of wine. And when that alone does not do it, you give it something new.

I had a winter of the soul for a bit, but I am coming back. Slowly but surely it is looking like it is time to venture out again from this inward home of mine.

Thanks and merry weekending to you all!

………………………………………………………………………………

In other news Phillip and I are both under the weather today… But it is all made so much better by the fact that Harry Potter has been on tv ALL day long (aka nerd alert).

“Advent, meaning ‘the coming’, is a time when we wait expectantly. Christians began to celebrate it as a season during the fourth and fifth centuries. Like Mary, we celebrate the coming of the Christ child, what God has already done. And we wait in expectation of the full coming of God’s reign on earth and for the return of Christ, what God will yet do. But this waiting is not a passive waiting. It is an active waiting. As any expectant mother knows, this waiting also involves preparation, exercise, nutrition, care, prayer, work; and birth involves pain, blood, tears, joy, release, community. It is called labor for a reason. Likewise, we are in a world pregnant with hope, and we live in the expectation of the coming of God’s kingdom on earth. As we wait, we also work, cry, pray, ache; we are the midwives of another world.”

This quote is even more timely for me because I have had several friends give birth this week! New babies…a promise that God has not yet grown tired of us, forgotten about us, given up on us. If I do nothing but remember that, I will have plenty of reason to worship and have joy through this season of labor.

……………………………………..

I hope I have more to share soon, but I have an idea on my heart for how to show God’s love this Advent season. It is a little big and crazy, and I am still trying to figure out if it is something I can go ahead with. If so, trust that I will soon be sharing because I will need all your help in a big way!

Little bits of light in the midst of darkness.

I don’t know about you but I’ve learned to take it when and where I can get it.

Jesus, in your light we see light.

My sweet, terrific, and cute husband.

A loving, interesting family.

Lovely Virginia…it is beautiful here.

Friends all over the place, who enrich life beautifully.

Good food…mushrooms, quinoa, deviled eggs, stuffing, carbs, dessert heaven.

Paid time off from work.

Having time to knit till my fingers are sore.

House sitting this week and getting to hang out with a dog and fireplace.

Kindness from others.

Family traditions, they make life a little better.

Warm blankets.

Legs that allow me to run.

Restaurants that cook good food when I don’t feel like doing so myself.

Social workers, teachers, the Coast Guard, police officers, pastors, artists, Tina Fey.

My church.

And many more things. It’s good to have more things than you can name in one setting  to be thankful for.

Then again are the employers greedy and to blame, or are we the greedy public to blame? Somehow I do not think that these businesses would be open if they did not know that Americans worship consumerism more than any other god. That we will be willing to not spend time with each other simply being thankful for having food and each other, but will leave our homes and go buy more stuff than what we could possibly need. While I can understand, though still not agree with, this about American culture; I cannot stand in within the Christian community. It does not happen though just with Black Friday and holiday shopping, but all year round. We talk in our conversations, blogs, Facebook, etc about the latest and greatest we want or are buying. I can only imagine what God thinks when he sees us all with the latest Apple swag while our Christian sisters and brothers around the world go without for the most basic necessities (I don’t think they are happy or proud parent thoughts). I sound harsh. It is harsh. But know that I realize it is not something I am perfect at either. I too can be swayed by the latest and greatest…but I am fighting hard to not let living in America with it’s national religion on consumerism convert me.

As this holiday and Advent season approaches Phillip and I have been thinking and praying through how to live with more intention. To not just “do” things this way or that way just because that is the way things are normally done. As we look at this greed around us…this poverty around us we are trying to figure out how to live a better Christian witness through how we spend our money. With that in mind we are boycotting Black Friday (which we have done in years past, but feel more passionate about this year) and will instead work to spend time being thankful for the people in our lives and actually spend time with them. When it comes to holiday gifts we have decided to only give our support to local small businesses or small businesses on sites like Etsy. We are trying to think less of material things that our family might enjoy, but certainly don’t need (I honestly can barely think of one material thing that I actually need…how bout you?), and more about things they can experience together, and will bring us all closer together in relationship.

With this decision we are honestly enjoying the holiday season already so much more. We are putting our energy to making things for people we love and discovering neat small businesses to support in the process. We are spending our evening writing to people who enrich our lives to make sure they know this. 

I would encourage you my friends to pray about how you could make your holiday/ Advent season more intentional this year.If you would like to do a similar thing in terms of gifts I find these stores and sites helpful:

Ten Thousand Villages…it is all handmade and fair trade

Lamplighter Coffee Shop…they make and sell some of Richmond’s best coffee

Almost anything on Etsy…it is unique and usually beautiful

Blue Ridge Mountain Sports…it is a local to VA sporting goods store

Ellwood Thompsons…it does not just have groceries, but all sorts of cute small gifts you could give to someone

Happy Almost Thanksgiving everyone…lets spend more time being thankful for all that God has already blessed us. More time eating good food. More time snuggling up with a book. More time praying. More time playing a game of monopoly with your family…and six hours later when you are done perhaps going for a walk in the beautiful weather we are being gifted.

……………………………………………..

Gratitude is something of which none of us can give too much. For on the smiles, the thanks we give, our little gestures of appreciation, our neighbors build their philosophy of life.
– A. J. Cronin

“When asked if my cup is half-full or half-empty my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup.” Sam Lefkowitz

So until the next dance party I have tonight driving to the gym from work (since I’m driving I usually just swing my arms out making a chicken-wing-like motion that is very cool) and my Zumba class I will leave you with this lovely video.

Happy Thursday all!

ps. Perhaps I should create a bumpersticker that says “Go Bomont Lose My Vote”, or for that matter “Go Heritage Lose My Vote”….

Yesterday our missionary from Peru spoke at church as part of our missions focus this month. He shared about the earthquakes in Peru over the past year; the physical, emotional, and spiritual ones. Yes, the country got rocked literally with a 8.0 magnitude earthquake, but beyond that  he explained that he has been seeing his ministry team rocked emotionally and spiritually. None of this  was a surprise to him, because he shared that God had spoken to him before about how they should prepare to be rocked. He spoke the same word/promise of a coming rocking to our church, and instead of uttering a  simple  AMEN, I wanted to stand up and declare “you sure as hell are right about that pastor because things are already rocking over here” (I refrained). God prepped me and Phillip for this season of rocking too, but boy ohh boy does the shaking get to be a lot at times.

So on this fine and crisp Monday morning I am taking time to reflect on the rest of the pastor’s message that we best make sure that God is the foundation we build our lives on. That God is the foundation we cling to. He shared that in the Bible when God commands Joshua to “be strong and courageous” the translation of “be strong” equates to holding onto something that is stronger than you. How beautiful is that? I don’t know about you, but that sure does take a lot of the pressure off. Today I am going to hold on to something stronger than me…that and my chai latte.

I pray that you can do the same today. We’re in this together after all. We hold onto God, who points us toward holding on to each other (the beautiful community).Though I already know that God will work all of this out, that I, we, will come out of all this alive and more aware of God’s power and love through it all; I still struggles from time to time. I guess when you are still in the storm, and things are still shaking sometimes all you can do is cling to the hands of your friends God gives you, and trust that it will be harder for any of you to be knocked down when your hand is being held on either side.  

So Cheers (quick throw a shot of decaf espresso in your chai and drink the whole thing as fast a possible… @chai bomb) to having a God who is stronger than me, and the friends God gives me to walk through this shaking, beautiful mess of a life together!

ps. When I hit spellcheck I discovered that I had misspelled “spiritual” every single time in this post…should I be worried about that?

1. Teaching Sunday School to 3 and 4 year olds with Phillip. There are few things more enjoyable than to spend time with these guys and gals. Talking about how they played with toys over the weekend, or perhaps picked apples with their families; how they are upset about someone taking their sticker, or excited because we are going to play Simon Says after the Bible story. It is all great.

2. Not having to do paperwork over the weekend, because at my current job I do not take work (physically) home with me.

3. The leaves have begun to turn fall colors in the past week or so. Beautiful.

4. Phillip took me on a date this past week to teach me how to work my manual Minolta camera. Everything appeared more magical through the camera lense versus a digital screen.

5. We had a guest preacher this week at church from Ethiopia. He taught from Mark 1:40-41 about how we are called above all else to be a people who are motivated by compassion. It was simple and beautiful.

6. Getting to taste test all the lovely food and drink things my sister made this week. The Harry Potter nerd in me kind of freaked out over the fact that she made butter beer…and I think my respect and love for her might have grown to even higher levels. Hat’s off to you Hannah.

7. I got to watch multiple groups of children take time to roll down the green hills of Maymont Park.

8. I get to go to my first child-centered play therapy conference this weekend in DC. I’m excited to learn new things to bring back into my practice.

9. Food with lots of color. It nourishes my body to be able to eat healthy food, and it nourishes my soul to know that I am taking care of myself.

10. My breakfast date last weekend with my good friend Shari. I love her and so appreciate my time with her.

What are you thankful for today?