"Oh crud. What was I thinking!!!"
"Not so good. I will NOT let go...Ker-plop!"
yes, I did get out of the wake... eventually! TA DA!
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!
(ps - this color is very similar to what I painted our master bath over the weekend!)
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Skiing fun
These are pictures of us skiing - not the kind you'd expect this time of year - but Jason's are SO funny that I really felt the urge to post them for everyone to see. Granted, he hasn't had a lot of skiing practice but still these are very animated shots. Do check out his expression in the first one. This was from a summer trip to the lake with some friends.
"Not so good. I will NOT let go...Ker-plop!"
yes, I did get out of the wake... eventually! TA DA!
"Not so good. I will NOT let go...Ker-plop!" yes, I did get out of the wake... eventually! TA DA!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Why was the napkin folded?
Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?
Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I never noticed this.... The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed overthe face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.
Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!' Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.
Was that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes!
In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished. Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, 'I'm done'. But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because.......... The folded napkin meant, 'I'm coming back!'
HE is Coming Back!!
Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I never noticed this.... The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed overthe face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.
Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!' Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.
Was that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes!
In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished. Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, 'I'm done'. But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because.......... The folded napkin meant, 'I'm coming back!'
HE is Coming Back!!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
High Flying Time
There's our tiny plane. Seriously, smaller than our minivan!
Last night was a fun adventure - one of those "don't pass this up because you'll regret it if you do" sort of moments. After some encouragement from Jason, I agreed to join two friends on a flight around this area to look at Christmas lights. Commercial airlines are rather "old hat" with me (not that I travel that much anymore but they don't bother me). However, a little 4-person plane in the dark was intimidating. It was extremely chilly and windy but we did get to see some great Christmas lights and even were able to see my house from the air!
Great experience. The boys waited in the airport for us and even bundled up to come outside to watch us taxi in. Glad I did it. One really cute part of the whole experience was Kyle - he was SOOOO sweet with me when I got off the plane. I received a lot of kisses from him and hugs in the next 10 minutes. Kind of like he was worried I was gone and then so relieved I was back. For the next nearly 2 hours, we heard in his "quiet" voice with his slight, "thinking" scowl - "Mama. Airbane. Sky. Up. Ride. Airbane. Mama. Ride. Airbane." So we knew he definitely was taking it all in.
Last night was a fun adventure - one of those "don't pass this up because you'll regret it if you do" sort of moments. After some encouragement from Jason, I agreed to join two friends on a flight around this area to look at Christmas lights. Commercial airlines are rather "old hat" with me (not that I travel that much anymore but they don't bother me). However, a little 4-person plane in the dark was intimidating. It was extremely chilly and windy but we did get to see some great Christmas lights and even were able to see my house from the air!
Great experience. The boys waited in the airport for us and even bundled up to come outside to watch us taxi in. Glad I did it. One really cute part of the whole experience was Kyle - he was SOOOO sweet with me when I got off the plane. I received a lot of kisses from him and hugs in the next 10 minutes. Kind of like he was worried I was gone and then so relieved I was back. For the next nearly 2 hours, we heard in his "quiet" voice with his slight, "thinking" scowl - "Mama. Airbane. Sky. Up. Ride. Airbane. Mama. Ride. Airbane." So we knew he definitely was taking it all in.Thanks, Julie, for organizing and Laura, for going!
We did follow it up with Mexican food, which in my opinion, makes everything more fun!
________________________________________________________
May each of you have a very Merry Christmas, full of a lot of fun and laughter!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Christmas Activities
Our family has had a nice week of Christmas activities. Jason and I had our staff Christmas party for our staff and their spouses last weekend. It was fun! Then, we all decorated our first gingerbread house with GG and Bubba when they were up in Stillwater visiting (and closing on lot!) this weekend. None of us had ever made one before (we just got the kit from Walmart) and I do think that Jason had the most fun of anyone.
Yesterday, we hosted about 30 of our friends for a Christmas party. It was chaos but it was very nice. Below is a picture of a few of my friends - Arica (and daughter), Kristy (and daughter), me (no daughter) and Darlene (and daughter (ps - she's moving to Denver in about 3 weeks - bummer)). nice backdrop of our microwave.
Can you believe that Santa Claus actually knew that such a great group of kids were getting together and decided to travel all the way from the North Pole just to come to our party?!?! AMAZING! He was a hit and we only had 2 kids that cried when we tried to get them on his lap :) These are our playgroup friends from Thursday mornings (a few are in school now (including Grant) so it's not usually this many). Plus, we had a few families that were unable to attend. We had a few crafts to make, a cookie-decorating station and a lot of food. Thanks, Kristy for your help in hostessing!
Here's Grant with our gingerbread house. He's procrastinating going to bed and making us laugh by sticking toothpicks in his mouth and laughing very loudly. Of course, he did get to stay up a little late! :)
Yesterday, we hosted about 30 of our friends for a Christmas party. It was chaos but it was very nice. Below is a picture of a few of my friends - Arica (and daughter), Kristy (and daughter), me (no daughter) and Darlene (and daughter (ps - she's moving to Denver in about 3 weeks - bummer)). nice backdrop of our microwave.
Can you believe that Santa Claus actually knew that such a great group of kids were getting together and decided to travel all the way from the North Pole just to come to our party?!?! AMAZING! He was a hit and we only had 2 kids that cried when we tried to get them on his lap :) These are our playgroup friends from Thursday mornings (a few are in school now (including Grant) so it's not usually this many). Plus, we had a few families that were unable to attend. We had a few crafts to make, a cookie-decorating station and a lot of food. Thanks, Kristy for your help in hostessing!
Here's Grant with our gingerbread house. He's procrastinating going to bed and making us laugh by sticking toothpicks in his mouth and laughing very loudly. Of course, he did get to stay up a little late! :)
We are now finished with our "obligations" for the holidays and hope to do very little other than laugh and enjoy the season together. Much love to all!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Do-Overs With God
- This is a serious, religious post. No funny kid stories included -
Tuesday nights at 6:30. It's been a routine now for nearly a year, with some weekly exceptions. Sharla, Angie, Laura, Julie and me. What a great bonding time. We have had two different Bible studies - one was more interactive and discussion-oriented, and our recent one was very in-depth with the Bible. This last week was thought-provoking and I want to share what I take from Beth Moore's lesson, though it's not nearly as good, powerful, or clear as she presents, but it's a shot.
Every life on earth will be full of sin. What we choose to do about that sin and how we choose to live our lives is all based on personal decisions, moral compasses, and also those with whom we surround ourselves.
Grace is such a common word but do we really know it and feel it? I believe this concept is one of the basic views of a Christian life. After our sin, we have two options: continue to repeat the sin knowing in our gut that the decisions are wrong, or we can learn from it and not do it again. It's sin versus repeated sin. They are different. And although I've heard the expression "sin is sin is sin" - what's the difference between sin? You can fall into an area of sin and turn from it towards God, or do the opposite. Keep heaping it. What's the difference? That's where grace comes in because not a single one of us can earn our salvation because we all miss the mark - He gives us the grace. There is a difference in behavior and I do think you can choose different paths afterwards, one of which pleases God. Grace is the peace you feel when you correct your sin because you know that God is working in your heart.
That leads me to "do-overs." You've had sin. I've sinned. And we know it's wrong. It is over, and later you think "man, if I could just have a do-over then it would be different." God doesn't let us rewind time and live that situation over the right way because he wants us to learn from it. He wants us to learn from our indulgences, our careless words, and our actions. God will teach us. His teaching is providing a "do over" from God. He gives us similar situations where we can choose NOT to sin again. That's our do-over. I've had do-overs - sometimes I have followed the Godly path and there are times where I have continued to sin. I know that I have had a few do-overs with some of you, and some of you I wish I could have one.
My heart feels different depending on my reaction to the situation.
If you have regrets about past behavior, which I surely do and imagine you do, too - talk to God about it. Perhaps he'll remind you of all the times He provided another opportunity and because of all you have learned, he'll show you the do-over and how you chose right.
Exodus 20:20 "He tests us to keep us from sinning" - when we blow it, you can bet He'll test us. Be prepared for your "do-over." Get ready for victory when you do it right!
When you reflect on your life, I hope you'll find many do-overs that you are happy with.
We can find in Psalm 19 that the Lord is pure and he'll lead us in paths of righteousness, just as He did for David. Our current Bible study has been about the life of King David and his many adventures. We've learned a lot. The main stories and lessons have been in I and II Samuel, if you want to study. God will reward us for keeping his word and will keep us out of more trouble. Thank heavens that there aren't more times we have strayed left and that we don't have more do-overs.
Imagine the peace that will fill your heart when you choose the path of correcting sin, accepting God's eternal grace and knowing you are forgiven. I hope to one day be able to fully experience that feeling. I have a lot of work to go, both in actions and learning about Him.
Thanks to my Tuesday night girls and for an incredible year, full of a lot of laughs and tears, and for challenging and loving me. Love you guys and am so blessed to have each of you in my life forever.
Also, to my readers, do you have a good suggestion for another study for our group to do after Christmas? This one needs to be more discussion/group-focused. We would love ideas!!
Tuesday nights at 6:30. It's been a routine now for nearly a year, with some weekly exceptions. Sharla, Angie, Laura, Julie and me. What a great bonding time. We have had two different Bible studies - one was more interactive and discussion-oriented, and our recent one was very in-depth with the Bible. This last week was thought-provoking and I want to share what I take from Beth Moore's lesson, though it's not nearly as good, powerful, or clear as she presents, but it's a shot.
Every life on earth will be full of sin. What we choose to do about that sin and how we choose to live our lives is all based on personal decisions, moral compasses, and also those with whom we surround ourselves.
Grace is such a common word but do we really know it and feel it? I believe this concept is one of the basic views of a Christian life. After our sin, we have two options: continue to repeat the sin knowing in our gut that the decisions are wrong, or we can learn from it and not do it again. It's sin versus repeated sin. They are different. And although I've heard the expression "sin is sin is sin" - what's the difference between sin? You can fall into an area of sin and turn from it towards God, or do the opposite. Keep heaping it. What's the difference? That's where grace comes in because not a single one of us can earn our salvation because we all miss the mark - He gives us the grace. There is a difference in behavior and I do think you can choose different paths afterwards, one of which pleases God. Grace is the peace you feel when you correct your sin because you know that God is working in your heart.
That leads me to "do-overs." You've had sin. I've sinned. And we know it's wrong. It is over, and later you think "man, if I could just have a do-over then it would be different." God doesn't let us rewind time and live that situation over the right way because he wants us to learn from it. He wants us to learn from our indulgences, our careless words, and our actions. God will teach us. His teaching is providing a "do over" from God. He gives us similar situations where we can choose NOT to sin again. That's our do-over. I've had do-overs - sometimes I have followed the Godly path and there are times where I have continued to sin. I know that I have had a few do-overs with some of you, and some of you I wish I could have one.
My heart feels different depending on my reaction to the situation.
If you have regrets about past behavior, which I surely do and imagine you do, too - talk to God about it. Perhaps he'll remind you of all the times He provided another opportunity and because of all you have learned, he'll show you the do-over and how you chose right.
Exodus 20:20 "He tests us to keep us from sinning" - when we blow it, you can bet He'll test us. Be prepared for your "do-over." Get ready for victory when you do it right!
When you reflect on your life, I hope you'll find many do-overs that you are happy with.
We can find in Psalm 19 that the Lord is pure and he'll lead us in paths of righteousness, just as He did for David. Our current Bible study has been about the life of King David and his many adventures. We've learned a lot. The main stories and lessons have been in I and II Samuel, if you want to study. God will reward us for keeping his word and will keep us out of more trouble. Thank heavens that there aren't more times we have strayed left and that we don't have more do-overs.
Imagine the peace that will fill your heart when you choose the path of correcting sin, accepting God's eternal grace and knowing you are forgiven. I hope to one day be able to fully experience that feeling. I have a lot of work to go, both in actions and learning about Him.
Thanks to my Tuesday night girls and for an incredible year, full of a lot of laughs and tears, and for challenging and loving me. Love you guys and am so blessed to have each of you in my life forever.
Also, to my readers, do you have a good suggestion for another study for our group to do after Christmas? This one needs to be more discussion/group-focused. We would love ideas!!
Kenneth Leon
Today is a special day for my Hefner family...
Happy Birthday, Ken! We will always love you so...
You were one of the best grandfathers EVER. I know I was so blessed to have you in my life for so long, and to have you at my wedding, even twirling Granny on the dance floor. It's still so vivid in my mind. Thanks for the wagon rides, paddle boat memories, Carpenter's Children, sugar cookies, wonderful Christmas memories, and providing for and caring for such an amazing group of five children. May we always try to honor your memory. I can't think of a better person to derive Kyle's name from than yours.I love you and can't wait to hug you again!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Last few weeks in photo review
Seriously, I own one item of clothing this color. So does Mom. It never fails - whether we're hanging out at a house or going to a game or to dinner, we typically dress similarly. This was one such instance. They pulled in our driveway and I rolled my eyes! Guess it's a 'Great Minds Think Alike' situation! :)
Santa 2008 at Northpark Mall - love this Santa!
Christmas Card photo 2008
Grant's first letter to Santa - it's mailed!
Monday, December 1, 2008
It's December?
Normally, I will update our site when there is a something pertinent to write about or if I have something to share... not today! I have fun pictures on my camera that I could post but then again, they are still on my camera and I don't feel like uploading now.
We have so many reasons to be thankful. At our home, we do tend to stress - but it really is about stuff that doesn't matter!! We have love, health and a TON of laughter. What could be better? THANKSGIVING for all of our blessings.
Basically, I'm just saying HEY to my friends and family that joyfully (!!!) check this site, if there are any of you!
We had a nice Thanksgiving. Our time with our extended family in Tyler, Texas, at my aunt/uncle's was great. We thoroughly enjoyed visiting our cousins. Jason did get sick all day on Thanksgiving and then passed it along to Grant for Friday morning and our drive back. As always, love my time with my parents and Wes/Anne. After leaving there, we went to Vanoss and left the kiddos for a few nights so we could enjoy Bedlam and perhaps allow Santa to finish shopping (Thankfully, he did finish! YEA!). Our home is cozily decorated and the outside lights are going to be finalized tomorrow night (or Wednesday!).
I did forget to tell a Kyle story - he bit a hole in his tongue on Tuesday! A literal hole. About the size of a pencil eraser. It took three paper towels for me to sop up the blood to see if it was a tooth, tongue, gum, lip, etc.... we made a quick trip to Daddy's office and he said there wasn't a need for a stitch. What a great education he received in school as it has healed in six days! :)
As my Christmas music is playing on Sirius in our room, our lights and garland are in our living room, and we baked sugar cookies today, I am in the mood for Christmas!
What are your favorite things about this season? Family? Foods? Decorations? Smells? Also, any neat traditions you have with your family and/or kids that you want to share (you can email if you don't want to comment!).
24 Days and Counting....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
