Christmas Corinthians

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata, but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside decorating to kiss the husband.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust.  But giving the gift of love will endure.

Merry CHRISTmas!

-- Author Unknown

Corinthians 13:13: "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

The Rodent Speaks

Word around our house is that a certain rodent is a bit put off by the fact that her picture was not included on the annual Christmas card.

She has decided she will be heard.
And seen.

Merry Christmas from our furry friend.

All is merry...

Just keepin' it real...

I know it's been a while since I've blogged.  It seems as if I've been called in other directions lately.  My photography has taken a new avenue:  portrait photography.  Learning and practicing that new trade has taken a lot of my free time.  Add to that homeschooling, training for half marathons, being wife, mom, chauffeur, grocery-getter, laundress, seamstress, chef, and on and on... and there doesn't seem to be a lot of time left over for blogging.

Not to say that I don't think of you who still read my blog!  On the contrary.  On many of my runs, I compose great blog posts.  In fact, on many of those said runs, I solve most of the major problems of the world and plan to blog about them.  At least until I get home, have my coffee, and shower.  And then, it's back to the grind and posting on the blog is pushed aside.  (See paragraph one.)

I don't know what will become of this blog.  It began as a way to chronicle our daily lives for a husband/daddy who was deployed (praise God, that is over), and for family far away.  Now, it seems like Facebook and regular chats (and NO deployments -- can you see how much that thrills me???) have taken the place of regular blog posts.

I expect to be back.  
I just can't tell you when to expect me.
Until then, be blessed!

Grace, always grace...
Annie

Juxtapositon

Rrrrr-ibbitt!!

It's amazing what one can find...

...if one only takes the time to stop and look around... 

...every once in a while.

Not Simply a Sunset...

The Olden Days

When stumbling upon an old dwelling,  I often wonder, "Who lived here?"  

I often wax poetic about their lives.  Working hard.  Struggling to survive.  Clinging to their God and each other.  

I know.
I read too many historical fictions...

The Gospel

"God writes the Gospel 

not in the Bible alone, 

but also on trees, 

and in the flowers 

and clouds 

and stars."

 -- Martin Luther

Broken

My cup was full to brimming over.
This time, filled with uncertainties, and disappointments, and doubts.
And the one thing, though not overly remarkable in its appearance, that one thing made the cup run over.  It knocked the cup onto its side.
Where the uncertainties, disappointments, doubts, and sadness flowed out.
Coloring, no, staining everything it touched.

And, like the cup, I was broken.

Why am I not enough?
Why am I not able to do it all?
Why is this not how I think it should be?
What have I done wrong?
Why have I failed?

Heavy questions lie over me like a lead blanket, squeezing wetness from my eyes.
Uncontrollable wetness.

And, so I cry out, "I can't do this!  I am not enough!  I don't know what to do!  I am at the end of me!"

I realize:  I am broken.
Sweetly broken.
And now, wholly surrendered.

Because, I am not enough.
I cannot do this alone.
I do not, and will not, always know what to do.

Sweetly broken.
Wholly surrendered.

And when I am at the end of me,
I hear, whispered quietly,
"I AM."

It's as if a sentence has been started, but left hanging.
Empty at the end.
Or full.
Full of possibility
Full of promise.

Because when I am not, my God is.
Full of possibility
Full of promise.

I am still sweetly broken.
I am still wholly surrendered.

I am confident.
Because I have a great God.

Nature...

Just a sample...

of the abundant glory God has been showing us here in Idaho...

I hope these images bless you as much as they did when I captured them.

"I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever."  Psalm 121:1-8 NLT


For these images and more, please visit my photography website:  anniegrey.com

Run with Perseverance

During my training for my first 10K, I relied on scriptures to get me through some of my longest runs. 

Some days, I'd find myself at mile 5 and realize I had lost the desire to keep running.  And so, at each footfall, I'd say:


I
can

do
all 
things
through 
Christ
who
gives
me 
strength.
Philippians 4:13






And it would give me a second wind.  (Making me also think of another scripture -- Isaiah 40:28-31) 


And then, other days, I needed a little something more.  And so, I committed Hebrews 12:1-2 (or part of it) to memory:


"Let us run with perseverance this race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Christ Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith."  

On the day of my running race, as I was running along, I realized that my running the 10K could be used as an analogy for other "races" in life.  While I know that this part of scripture was intended as encouragement to the persecuted Christians in regards to keeping their faith strong, I find that it can be used for encouragement in many areas of life.


And so, I encourage you to use this scripture no matter what "race" you are currently running.  Fix your eyes on Jesus.  Press on.  Run with perseverance. I believe you will find the path shorter, sweeter, and filled with blessings!

Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31

A BIG thank you to all who have supported me:  Motorman, who has encouraged, teased, and inspired me to be a better woman;  My pit crew: Momma, Daddy, CraftyGirl and TheBoy; Sign makers and cheering crew from afar:  Grandma Jimmy and Steph; All of you who have supported me through this journey to health:  Mj, KC, CB, Fairfield co-opers, and many, many more.  

** For those of you interested, my publicly shared goal was to run the entire race.  My unpublished, unspoken-except-to-myself goal was to finish in under an hour.  So, goal check:  Published goal:  Check!!  Private Goal:  Check -- official time:  59:18.5.  So, yay!  And yay!!  

We've arrived!

We've been in Idaho for almost a week.  While I hear the locals saying, "It's so HOT!" it is heavenly to me.  Yes, it's been in the triple digits most days since our arrival, but it's a DRY heat!  Running here in the early mornings with a 65 degree temperature and under 20% humidity is almost better than eating chocolate.  Almost.    

We've visited with some of the family, visited a few places, and done some relaxing.  I will run my 10K race on Saturday and am nervously anxiously excitedly looking forward to that. 

We're all looking forward to the adventures we'll have over the next few weeks.  We'll bring you along-

-- via our photos...

In the meantime, check out our view:

Yeah, can't see much, hence no photo!  Dry heat (see paragraph #1) also means lots of fires in the area, resulting in a smoky haze.  I can deal with it.  I'm home.  My nose is filled with the smells of Idaho and my heart is full...