When There's Crisis at Christmas

By Noel Piper

One November a friend of mine almost lost her child. By Christmas the crisis was past, but they still were not sure of the long-term implications. She e-mailed me in mid-December, during the season which, before this, had always been her favorite:

Surprisingly, I'm finding Christmas hard. A little bit I resent all the hoopla; sometimes I want to shout: Don't you know my baby could have died?!

At the same time I'm very grateful she's alive and very aware that she might not have been. So you'd think I'd be really, really happy! In spiritual terms, Christmas is not very meaningful to me this year one way or the other. I feel a bit like God and I are on a journey together, seeing and doing a lot, but certainly not staying anywhere for any length of time.

If you are bearing a difficult load, it can weigh even heavier as you look around at all the holiday excitement. It may seem that everyone is happy, except you.

Maybe you wonder how you can celebrate when you feel so numb. May I invite you to look over my shoulder at the letter I sent my friend? I pray it might be an encouragement to you.

It's not at all surprising that Christmas is hard for you this year. The reason for Christmas is the same as it ever was, and nothing is more essential to our lives than the incarnation.

What's different for you, I expect, is that the traditions we wrap around Dec. 25 to make it different from other days, those traditions and activities are as nothing to you this year. In fact, the thought of them probably weighs like a lump of lead in your belly. So what!

Trees are nothing. Feasts are nothing. Lights are nothing. Music is nothing.

Only Christ matters. He is the only reason that you can be on any sort of journey with God, that you can have anything at all to do with God.

Only Jesus matters. Hold on to that. One time I told someone in hard times, "Just hang in there." But she corrected me, "I'm not just hanging in there. I'm trying to hang on to Jesus."

So please, just keep hanging on to Jesus.

Sometimes, when things are going well, we might too easily forget that we have only one sure, immovable, dependable strength: Jesus, who was a baby once, and is always and forever God. That is what holds us and keeps us, whether or not we can carry out our traditions.

May our decorations, gifts, and festivities—or lack of them—never block our view of Him, but always point us toward Him.

Going to God in our Weariness

The Pulley

by George Herbert

When God at first made man,
Having a glasse of blessings standing by;
Let us (said he) poure on him all we can:
Let the worlds riches, which dispersed lie,
Contract into a span.

So strength first made a way;
Then beautie flow’d, then wisdome, honour, pleasure:
When almost all was out, God made a stay,
Perceiving that alone, of all his treasure,
Rest in the bottome lay.

For if I should (said he)
Bestow this jewell also on my creature,
He would adore my gifts in stead of me,
And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature:
So both should losers be.

Yet let him keep the rest,
But keep them with repining restlesnesse:
Let him be rich and wearie, that at least,
If goodnesse leade him not, yet wearinesse
May tosse him to my breast.

I found this poem on my pastor's blog. It was very encouraging to me (despite the old-English).

You give and take away; My heart will choose to say; Lord, Blessed be your name

This week has been very painful for us. After many hours of agonizing prayer, phone calls, e-mails, struggles . . . We have found that we will not be able to bring Lilibeth and Eddie home under the current system of adoption in Guatemala. We are hoping and praying that God will provide a way for us to bring them home next year. The current adoption laws end at the end of this year, and there isn't anything in place for next year yet.

Please pray with us that God will provide a way for Lilibeth and Eddie to come home. We are heartbroken.

Blessed be your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where the streams of abundance flow
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

Blessed be your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, Blessed be your name

Please Pray for us

Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God!
Psalm 143:8&10

Lord, please let us hear of your steadfast love. Help us to trust in you. Make us know the way we should go, for we lift up our souls to you. Teach us your will and help us to walk in your ways. Thank you that you are our God! Amen.

Having fun at Christmas

Who is this guy?

Nice to meet you!

Dinosaurs and God: Lessons from a two-year-old

Last night Dillon woke up screaming, and when I raced in to see what was wrong he exclaimed, "Oh, Mommy, I sooooo scared! I soooo scared Mommy!" Then he proceeded to describe his dream where he was trying to get away from two dinosaurs (using Papa's lawn tractor.) When he finished telling me, I asked him,
"Who made the dinosaurs?" He exclaimed,
"God did!"
"Right! And who is bigger than the dinosaurs?"
"God is!!!"
"Yes! And who is taking care of you?"
"God is!!!"
Then we prayed and said our verse:

When I am afraid, I will trust in You. (Psalm 56:3)

He peacefully went back to sleep.

Dear Lord, give me the faith of a child. Give me eyes to see that you are bigger than any of the scary things I want to run away from. Give me a heart that sees your hand involved in sovereignly orchestrating even the difficulties in my life, and help me to remember that you are the same God who made the universe and also holds it in the palm of your hand. Thank you that you are this great God who also cares for me. Help me to say with David and my two year old boy, "When I am afraid, I will trust in You."

Guatemalan Adoption Law passed

As some of you know, there has been a lot going on with Guatemala adoption laws right now. I'm trying not to get into the technical, nitty-gritty details here, but if you want more info you can look at the Guatadopt site that I like to get updates from. Basically, they are making changes as of Jan 1st to how adoptions will work. There are still some details they are figuring out, so I won't speculate about what "could" possibly happen. Suffice it to say that there are many more unknowns with this adoption than we ever could have imagined when we started the process. Please pray for peace for us, and for guidance for the authorities that are making huge decisions that affect many innocent, helpless children. Please also pray that the Lord will cause our case to be resubmitted and out of PGN before the end of the year.

Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement!

Eddie's December Pictures and Health Report!

Eddie is 20lbs, 30 in tall, and "has a cold, but is doing fine. Very happy this time." (Those are the remarks from the Doctor.)

Lilibeth's Pictures and December Health Report!

Lilibeth is 26lbs 9oz, 34 1/2 in tall, and is "healthy, happy and a sweetheart."

Merry Christmas!

We have only one sure, immovable, dependable strength - Jesus,
who was a baby once and is always and forever God.
~Noel Piper
Treasuring God in Our Traditions

God's perfect timing - V (to be continued. . .)

We got some hard news yesterday. We were expecting to hear any day now that we have been resubmitted to PGN (the final court) - Instead we heard that we will have to wait again due to some technical problems with one part of the paperwork. (It's amazing how precise everything needs to be!) It's quite a process to even change a small detail, so we can expect it to be January before we are resubmitted. We are still praying that it will be before then, but it is completely out of our control. Even though it is incredibly hard when we encounter these "set-backs," we know that God is in control. We are walking in the path he has placed before us, and He is directing our steps according to His perfect will and in His perfect time!

Thank you all for your prayers. We are really feeling encouraged right now in spite of difficulties, and we are very grateful to all of you who are upholding us in prayer!

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28