Walking With Jesus

This morning I awoke to a messy house, full of toys, dirty dishes, clothes, wrapping paper trash, and various other items strewn around. For the past two holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas), I've spent a portion of my time visiting the Clinic at Wal-Mart. (Thank you, God, for the quick, no wait, visits they offer.) I spent the entire day after Christmas, lying on the couch, medicated. I was blessed to have my husband at home to take care of the children and myself.

Today, the reality set in as I was starting to feel better. My house was a complete disaster. Unfortunately, my Mom level was very low.

I was cranky! I was mean! And I was just not fun to be around this morning.

After a very agonizing time of getting my house back into a functional level of normalcy, I took my kids to the store. My husband is turning 30 in just a couple days, and we needed supplies.

We were in the craft store, when one of the kids spotted a bag of Sour Patch candy, and on it listed a "One million dollar challenge" instant win game.


Ariel started to talk about what she would buy with her million dollars. She was generously going to share $100 with each of us in the family. I tried to explain to her that it was basically like throwing us pennies when she was so rich. This all brought about the most interesting conversation. What would we each do with all that money?

For a long time now, Gabe has had this idea that God gave him. When my kids read their Bible through for the first time, my mother will pay them $150. Gabe has always had a desire for generosity. He came up with the idea several months ago, but now with the chance at winning a million instead of just $150, the idea has been renewed in his mind on a much larger scale.

He's going to give all the money away for Jesus. He's planning to go door to door asking people whether they are poor, medium, or rich. If they are rich, he's not going to give them anything because they don't need it. If they are medium (just okay), they will receive $50. If they are poor they'll get $100, and finally if they're really poor, like they only have a couple dollars left, they'll get $1000. Everyone will be required to show their money, so that Gabe knows if they're lying or not.

As a treat for obeying on our errands, we were planning to stop at Little Caesars for a $5 pizza. It was on the way that Gabe asked me if I would turn off the radio; he wanted to pray. We had total silence in the car. After a few seconds, Zech questioned when he was going to start.

He had been praying in his head silently. He wanted to have world peace, and world peace begins when people are quiet. I chuckled a little to myself, as I pulled into the parking lot. I told the kids to quickly unbuckle so we could be back on our way home to eat. It was going to be a very late lunch. This time Gabe asked if we could stop and pray together before we went inside. How could I say no to that?

Dear Jesus. Please help Ariel to win the money so we can give to the poor. Rich people get nothing, just okay people get 50 dollars, and poor people get 100, and really poor people get 1000. I want to show people that you love them. Thank you that I had such a great morning. And thank you that I got my family and that I exist. Amen.

After he was finished, he told the rest of us we could join in with his prayer. Everyone in the car took a turn. It was spontaneous and very poignant. It brought tears to my eyes. I found my crankiness melt away with the power of his prayers. I couldn't be frustrated or uptight any longer. It was like a breath of fresh air had just wafted into the room. I could breath deeply and clearly again with an attitude of peace.

Today walking with Jesus meant following in my child's footsteps, going along for the ride with him. Do I believe my son will be going door to door soon, handing out his million dollars? No, probably not. In fact, I know he won't. When we arrived at home we discovered the contest is already over. He won't have his chance today. But I do believe that when God puts a desire in your heart, He will help you accomplish it in some way or another. Gabe may not be giving away millions, but he can give away what he has. He's already asked for jobs to do around the house. He wants to scale down his gift to cents now. I believe if we are obedient in the small things, God will use it in big ways. Thank you, Gabe, for inspiring me!

Merry Christmas!

We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas! I pray this year you feel God's love more than ever before, and I pray that your cup will overflow with blessings from God. May His unfailing love pursue you all the days of your life!

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’” Matthew 1:23 (NLT)


"And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them." Luke 2:6-7 (NLT)


"For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 (NLT)

"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:13-14 (NIV)

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14 (NIV)


"You know that He appeared in visible form and became Man to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin." 1 John 3:5 (AMP)

"May the Lord bless you
and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you
and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor
and give you his peace." Numbers 6:24-26 (NLT)

"Every good gift, every perfect gift, comes from above. These gifts come down from the Father, the creator of the heavenly lights, in whose character there is no change at all." James 1:17 (CEB)


"I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark." John 12:46 (NLT)

Chicken Packets

Time to eat! This is a favorite recipe among my kids and husband. I don't make it very often, as you have to get your hands dirty when you prepare it. That's typically the thing I avoid in a food. But for the family, when I do make it, it's all the more special to them.

I'm not sure where my mom got this recipe at, it's been years ago. Maybe it came from a cookbook or a friend. I don't know.

Chicken Packets
2 cups, cooked, chopped chicken
3 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tbs. chives; salt to taste
2 tbs. milk
1/2 cup crushed, seasoned croutons
2 pkg. crescent rolls
1/4 cup melted margarine

Mix, chicken, cream cheese, chives, milk, & salt. Unroll crescent rolls into 8 rectangles. Put 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each rectangle. Fold in half, pinch edges. Dip in margarine, and then roll in crushed croutons. Bake in 350º oven for 20 minutes.


They are very delicious and easy to make!

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Your kids will always be close with those you are the closest with. I have a good friend who means a lot to me, and it shows to my children. We spend time with her, we talk about her, and the most relevant for right now, I talk to her on the phone a lot.

Every time I get a phone call, Zechariah knows I'm probably talking to my friend, Rachael. I guess it's only natural that he would assume everyone talks to my friend Rachael on the phone.

One night at dinner, my husband got a call from work, and Zech's question was, "Daddy, you talkin' to Rachael?"

Another time Grandma was over making Christmas projects, when her phone rang. Again, Zech assumed, "You talkin' to Rachael, Grandma?"

Just this week, I overheard my son talking on a book of stamps. Considering he's only four, he doesn't own his own cell phone yet. He found the next best thing, a used book of stamps, picked it up and pretended it was a phone. I chuckled when I heard him say, "Hi Rachael. You my best friend." (I didn't even know he knew what a best friend was.) Then he yelled to me in the next room, "Mommy, I talkin' to Rachael on the phone."


(Rachael and Zech a few years ago...)
Your friends will have a huge impact on your children. Make sure they're making a good one. Fortunately, Rachael is a great role model for my kids. I have no worries at all when she is around, and Zechariah can talk to her on the phone as much as he wants.

The Nativity Story

Every year as we celebrate Christmas together, we read from the 2nd chapter of Luke. It's a beautiful telling of the birth of Jesus. I can remember as a small child reading the story aloud to my family on Christmas morning. It was the first thing we did before we opened presents.


In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Another tradition, when I was a child before we opened gifts, we would listen to the song "Come on, Ring those Bells." I would have a bell, and every time during the song when they sang "ring those bells" I rang my bell. My brother would hide under the tree, and during the line "light the Christmas tree" he would turn the lights on. We did this every year when I was growing up.

Come on, ring those bells,
Light the Christmas tree,
Jesus is the king
Born for you and me.
Come on, ring those bells,
Every-body say,
Jesus, we remember
This your birthday.
For my children, a tradition we began, we like to all dress up in costumes, grab some various props from around the house, and we act out the Christmas story. The kids love this. I think it brings the story to life for them.

This year, we videotaped it. We don't rehearse much; we just discuss who's going to stand where, and who reads what part of the story. In the end our result is quite fun and very spontaneous. It certainly won't win us any awards, but we really enjoy it just the same.

I posted our Nativity Story to YouTube if you'd like to watch it.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

As a friend was leaving my home yesterday, she thanked me for the fun time, and then proceeded to say, "Bye, Amanda. Bye, Zechy," and she was out the door.

Zechariah was sitting close by and seemed very amused. "She not know your name," he laughed.

"What do you mean? What did she say?"

"She not know your name is Mommy."

You can imagine his surprise at finding my name really wasn't Mommy to her, but actually Amanda. He was even more shocked to find out all this time his dad was actually called, Titus. He contemplated it quietly for a bit, and then informed me, "No. I call you Mommy and Daddy, not Manna and Titus."

I'm so glad he felt that way. After all, he is only one of three people who are entitled to use that name for me.

Reason for the Season

Last year as I was getting ready to celebrate Christmas with my family, I prayed that God would show me a new way we could celebrate. I was tired of doing the exact same thing each year. I felt as if something was missing. The focus was too much on gifts (not that they are bad) and not enough on our reason for the season.

I wanted my kids to have a real tangible way they could know what it's all about. God gave me this idea.

We have a "Jesus" stocking.


We pull it out on December 1st and hang it in a prominent location in our home. Next to the stocking we have an envelope full of slips of paper. They very simply state at the top, "Today I..."

The idea is that we are giving gifts to Jesus. Each day we ask Him what He would like from us. This can be a wide range of ideas.

Some of the easier ideas: Give up the close parking spot for someone at a store. Leave your quarter in the shopping cart. Let someone go in front of you in line. Hold the door open for someone. It could be anything, the ideas are endless.

Some of my kid's ideas have been: Let someone else choose the movie we watch. Share part of your snack. Play a game with your sibling and let them choose which one. Give a pencil to a friend at school. Share your eraser.

There's also some ways you can give things to Jesus that are a little bit more difficult. Apologize to someone when you don't want to. Give grace to a friend or family member. Do the right thing even when it's difficult.

These are all just a few ideas. The point is to be aware of other people and to try to be Jesus' hands reaching out.

Every night before bed, we make sure to write down our gifts on a slip of paper and hide them in the stocking. On Christmas morning, the first thing we do, after we've sung Happy Birthday to Jesus and ate His birthday breakfast cake, we sit down by the Christmas tree and take turns reading the gifts to Jesus. We don't necessarily read our own either. We grab one from the pile and present our gift that we worked all month long making.

It's really been a fun way to celebrate the season, and it keeps our focus on the giving part, not the getting. I hope and pray that Jesus likes His present this year!