Tuesday's Praises & Prayers

Praises:
*God continues to remind us HE is our provider (received a free $50 from some rewards card Mark had, what a sweet reminder of His provision and goodness to us)
*We have food to eat, shelter (and close to a beautiful lake), warmth, He indeed provides above and beyond
*We are blessed with two incredible families... parents and siblings, who we have SO much fun with, and who continue to encourage and challenge us in moving forward and enjoying life


Prayer:
*Endurance, perseverance and hope as we wait for jobs and spend nearly every day just looking for and applying for jobs, and hoping for replies (which are VERY seldom in such a tourist town)
*Reminders that we can do ALL things through His strength, Reminders to rejoice, and to be thankful always (sometimes it is HARD in times like these!!)
*For a church community, and people to journey with, share with, be encouraged and challenged by, and do the same in return
*For wisdom and clear thought as we seek where He wants us, and what He wants us doing...


Today I am resonating with God's words through Jeremiah, "I call (this) to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."


Join with us in praising, in praying, and waiting?

Lessons from Elf

Everybody loves this guy. Christmas classic, everyone loves it.  Now I didn't mean to, but I was watching this movie the other night and thinking Buddy and his friends could teach us Christ-followers a few good lessons. :)

First off, the elves spend every waking moment centered around making toys and gearing up for ONE day of the year!  ALL their time, ONE day of the year!  Don't you think as followers of Christ we have something to learn from them?  Shouldn't every single moment of OUR lives be focused on ONE thing?  Every single moment focused on Christ, building His Kingdom, and one grand day He will return?! So maybe we're not toy-making, but we're disciple-making, and we're Kingdom building.  All our time, our efforts, our energy focused on one thing... Christ.


Secondly, have you ever noticed those three elf rules?  They're great!  And I think we have something to learn from them too!


The 3 Elf Rules
1. Treat everyday like Christmas
2. There's room for everyone on the Nice list
3. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear


Rule 1 we kind of already looked at... treating everyday as though it the day Christ is coming back.  In other words, making the most of our time here on earth, living life to the fullest, and living FULLY for Christ!
Rule 2... There's room for everyone in the Kingdom of God.  When did we ever become the judge of who we thought we should share Christ with, or who would be acceptable in heaven?  "ALL who call on His Name will be saved" (Rom. 10:13).  There's room for EVERYONE, the sickest, the grossest, the meanest, the nicest, the EVERYONE!  And I'm sure our Father would love to see everyone's name written on that Book of Life list!
Rule 3... The best way to spread (the word about Christ) is proclaiming loud for all to hear!  Okay, so maybe I stretched it a little.  But really, I sure need to be better at this one.  (Don't get me wrong I'm not talking about street proclaimers, who turn people off, but just proclaiming Him.) Psalm 96:2 says, "Sing to the Lord, Praise His name, PROCLAIM His salvation day after day."  The best way to spread the word about Christ, is singing/rejoicing/sharing/talking/being loud about Him, for all to hear!

There you have it, lessons from Elf. :)  I am challenged, and pray I will continue to learn from these, and be drawn closer to the heart of the Father, and be more of the follower He wants me to be.  Merry Christmas to you all!

Funny Convos...

Amy (looking at jobs online): Mark, you could be a bobcat/plow truck driver.
Mark: I don't have any experience.
Amy: You don't need any.  Apparently they just pay according to your experience.
Mark: So I won't get paid?!
Amy: No experience, no pay.


Apparently he won't be applying for that job ;)

Cake Pop Lovin'!

So here's our cake pops.  30 more in the freezer still waiting to be dipped and decorated.  We need help finishing them all!!

Mark carefully placed each piece on those delights.  Made with love, FOR SURE! :)

Tip of the day: Milk DOES NOT thin chocolate.  :)  One batch ruined.  

2nd tip: Chocolate chips are NOT the same as dipping chocolate.  

We had a disaster trying to 'dip' these things, partially fail.  Mostly, a delight to those who partook. :)

To make these delicious wonders, check out www.bakerella.com and see pictures of all the creative and festive cuties you can make!  

http://www.bakerella.com/category/pops-bites/cake-pops/

And for the recipe (without buying the book) check out here: 

http://www.bakerella.com/hope-these-put-a-smile-on-your-face/

Our New Little Place =)

Here are some pics of our new place.  :)  As Manda said, "dainty and cute," she's right.  It's small, and lacks storage and hanging space, but it's perfect for us.  Our postal address is in Lake Country, isn't that a great name for a place to live?  Peaceful, quiet, and pointing to our Creator.  So we are settling in, and now beginning the hunt for the jobs we believe are available.

Well, here she is.  Dainty and cute, cozy and perfect. 

Check out this great corner!  Our sweet guitar cutting board from Joel, and our 

kitchen aid mixer for all our baking!!  Love it.

More pictures of the place to come, but there's papers covering our little living room as we sort out loans and such... so you can see once it's clean. :)

Yes, this is where we live.  Here is the sunset a couple nights ago over beautiful Lake Okanagan, only a block from our house.  Isn't it lovely?  This morning we went a walk, a lovely path right by the river.  It smelled of pine, wet leaves, and fresh lake air.  Besides the pines, the trees are nearly all a gorgeous golden hue of yellow.  Fall is lovely here.  I suppose we'll enjoy it for however long it lasts. :)  And maybe I can capture some of those great trees in the next couple of days for you to see.