I believe Jesus just wants US…to be his hands and feet..we don’t need to understand what he is doing..just stay in sync..in perfect harmony with him..is the only thing we have to offer that is lasting fruit…He knows what needs to be done on this earth..he knows what he wants to accomplish..so why not just stay in sync with him..and let him do all things thru us..simple..is it? How can we be so in sync with him..that we hear a voice saying turn left..turn right…how? By spending quantity..and quality time with him..we should spend more or equal time with him..as we do with our significant other.

Our 25 year old son only had one request this year – a winch for his jeep. You heard it right and we considered it carefully before making the purchase. Our decision was based on the natural love we have for our son – accompanied by our great desire for all our children to see Gods love through us. After tearing open the paper and squealing like a kid he said “I feel like a twelve year old!” Which made me wonder what did we give him when he was twelve – but thats another story. We also gave him a hat I made him with wool from Ireland (makes it special to him). I prayed for him as I crocheted it (that he would always get out of the woods with his jeep and him intact and more importantly that he would always feel the love of God and his Mom and Dad when he wears it).

Our 24 year old son had expressed a desire some time ago for a GPS. He does quite a bit of hiking in our wonderful Adirondacks alone. This time in the mountains brings him close to God through the beauty of His creation and the solitude. We love that and want to encourage it by helping to assure he gets back to where he started. 🙂

Our 41 year old daughter who in spite of an ongoing battle with alcoholism and anxiety disorder has trusted God to help her finally realize a dream of becoming an RN. As her personal battle rages she has pressed on with the grace of God making it possible for her to not only go to classes and care for her household (including 3 teenage boys) but for all four semesters so far has averaged B+ – A grades.

I made her a prayer shawl knowing that the Lord is faithful to complete the good work He has begun in her.

Most other gifts were handmade as well – salsa from my own tomatoes, apple butter, cookies, cards made with the pictures our mountain climber emails me after each trip, balsam and lavendar sachets etc.

Christmas this year, by Gods grace, was everything I could have ever hoped for. The love of God was evident, the peace of God blanketed us and we have an afterglow that I suspect is due to hearing and following His leading.

We live in the natural world but if all that is natural in our lives is infused with and used to give glory to Him who gave the greatest gift we will bless and be blessed.

We have the ability to focus on Jesus and resist the call of the enemy to become engaged in a culture gone mad with greed and instant gratification.

I pray during the next year my ear will be even more finely tuned in to the sound of His voice and tuned out to the “world”.

May the God of peace bless you all.