And He Shall Be Called Prince of Peace

Happy 4th Sunday of Advent! Our journey is leading us to the birth of our Savior. We've embraced each Sunday’s symbolism in the Advent Christmas wreath’s candles. The first Sunday was hope, then faith, last Sunday’s was joy and today, we light the last purple candle to mark the final week of our journey. This final candle, symbolizes peace. It reminds us of the message of the angels: “Peace on earth, good will toward men.” Luke 2:14

The angels were announcing that we can have peace and good will to each other regardless of what is going on in our world. How can it be? Because Isaiah prophesied years before Who was coming to bring peace! And it certainly wasn’t a politician, a diplomat, an angel or even a saint. It….rather, HE is coming! Isaiah spoke these words in Isaiah 9:7 “And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father – PRINCE OF PEACE.”

Of all the scriptures that we hear during the Christmas season, this is one of my favorites. That’s because I have first-hand experience of knowing that peace that can only be found in knowing the Prince of Peace. He has kept me calm, assured, peaceful and confident during some of the greatest challenges in my life -- dealing with loved ones' illnesses, financial crises, having to make critical decisions and handling day-to-day responsibilities. The Prince of Peace is my constant companion.

When all seems chaotic and questions loom, and I wonder, “What do I do now?” -- the light comes on, and, once again, the scripture, "Him (or Her) I will keep in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Me (my Prince of Peace)." Isaiah 26:3, comes to me. I fix my mind on Him, and His peace always pervades my world, my circumstances, my home and my heart. When anxiety, concern and distraction tries to overtake me, I often put on praise and worship music and I always acknowledge He, the Peace-giver and Peace-maker Who is in my presence, and the atmosphere is replaced with calm peace and assurance that God has me and all my cares in His control. God knows about this life journey we are all on. He even knows the outcome!

So why should we worry, fret or be concerned? As 2020 is fast approaching, we may have questions about what our future will look like. No doubt, we'll encounter our share of ups and downs. But, let's listen, and take to heart the words of Jesus, our Prince of Peace, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

While we can’t know all that 2020 will hold for us, we can know the peace that the Prince of Peace provides. He is able to sustain us through anything that might come our way. So, peace AND the Prince of Peace, be with you and yours -- today and tomorrow!

It’s REJOICING Time! Let’s Go Tell It on the Mountain!

It's the third Sunday of Advent and it's time we should sing "Go Tell It on the Mountain"! Well -- not necessarily from a mountain -- that would mean we'd have to go climbing! Perhaps we can start right here on level ground to be joyful and full of the good news of Christ's coming to this world for you and me.

The third “pink” candle is lit on the Advent wreath today. That pink candle symbolizes JOY. Paul wrote about that joy in Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always: again, I say rejoice.” Can you imagine that he wrote that scripture from a dark, cold and damp prison cell? How could he write such words? He deserved to be in misery – even whining, crying a bucketful of tears and singing “Gloom, despair and agony on me”! But he didn’t. Aw! Paul! My role-model! He’s the kind of role-model we, and our kids, need in a world of idolizing sports figures, music and film stars. Give me the Paul-kind-of-role-model any day! The kind that lives out “No matter where we are or what we're facing....we can find JOY in the good news of Emmanuel....God with us -- right in the middle of our circumstances.

Sweet joy, joy, joy down in my heart – down in my heart to stay. Did you sing that little song? I did! Joy is such a warm, fluffy feeling. But, the REJOICING that Paul speaks of is an ACTION word. In that prison cell, he was definitely taking action..

PINK is the color for this 3rd Sunday of Advent. Typically, when we think of pink – we think “girly”. We put our little girls in pink outfits with a pink bow in their hair to declare "It's a GIRL"! (In my case, my little Staci had NO hair so I scotch-taped a little bow on her head -- I know that's hard to believe when we see that massive head of hair she has today! LOL!). Sorry -- I took a rabbit trail from my train of thought about Advent. Pink isn't just about girls. God painted all shades of pink into a sunrise. And, like the various shades of pink, our expressions of joy can be so different. Joy can be exuberant -- that jumping up and down little child at the prospect of something that excites them so much, or MY daughter when she opened some of her birthday presents recently. JOY is also that calm and peaceful experience of God's faithfulness. It can be calm confidence in His sovereignty, or pure delight as He expresses His love.

PINK is also about a teenage “virgin” girl named Mary who was faced with all kinds of pressure of potential stoning because she was pregnant outside of wedlock. She could have been frozen in fear of her circumstances, of disappointing her fiancée and her parents – never mind the “talk” of the townspeople. But instead of being frozen in a “woe is me” attitude, she took ACTION and “went with haste” to her “old” cousin Elizabeth who was six months pregnant to confirm that the angel’s words of “Nothing is impossible with God” were true. She took the ACTION word REJOICE to a level that St. Paul did in his prison cell. In Luke 1:46,47 she said these words: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit REJOICES in God my Savior!”

That’s the kind of JOY to this world – that changes everything. That joy that should never be determined by how we feel, but on WHO God is. The joy of the Lord can thrill us AND it can make us steadfast in the secure knowledge of Emmanuel -- God's presence with us. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16: “REJOICE always!” and Jesus tells us in Mark 9:24 "With God all things are possible." THAT combination of trust should help us carry on from this 3rd Sunday of Advent to EVERYDAY rejoicing and being joyful!

Being a Messenger of Hope

On this first Sunday of Advent, we celebrate HOPE -- the great expectation that something good is on its way -- by lighting the first candle (the HOPE candle) on the Advent wreath. Advent means a coming or arrival, especially of something or someone extremely important. In biblical terms we speak of the four weeks before Christmas as the Advent season, when the Lord left heaven and came to earth to be born of a virgin to dwell among man. It's a time when we prepare our hearts as we remember the birth of our Lord and Savior. While enjoying carols, visits to see Santa, chestnuts roasting, baking Christmas goodies and gift giving, we can still ponder Advent. It keeps us remembering the reasons for this glorious season. It's about hope.

The birth of Christ gives us the hope for living life trusting, believing, and expecting that all He’s promised will be ours if we patiently wait for His perfect plan for our lives. As we wait, we can deepen our relationship with God, knowing that the sweet infant in the manger is really our triumphant King of Kings. That precious baby grew up, and He sacrificed His life so that we can live a life of hope and great expectation.

So, do you have your hope up? Are you a hope messenger or are you a VDP (very draining person)? How do people feel around you? Do they feel more or less hopeful? Are we hope messengers who make people feel encouraged, cared for, and uplifted. In other words, do people feel more hopeful because they’ve spent time with us?

I can't help but think about the people who have given me hope over the years. Whether it was an encouraging word from a friend who helped me push through a day that seemed so overwhelming, or a boss who had more faith in me than I had in myself (true story) – who gave me so much hope in myself that I could attain that position that seemed beyond my reach. My husband was a hope messenger. I am positive, capable, strong, self-sufficient, peace and joy-filled because he was relentless in pouring into me hope and encouragement. I can be a hope messenger because I knew and know hope messengers.

One of the great things about getting older is the opportunity to share the lessons I’ve learned in life. Helping people to believe that tomorrow can be better than today is an incredible gift and can change lives in powerful ways. What about you? Do "your" people leave you feeling more or less hopeful? It's time to get our hope up and our "expectors" expecting. Let's be hope messengers so others become hope messengers, too!

Thanksgiving? Advent? Christmas? Bah Humbug!!

I’m still in the thanks-giving and gratitude-living afterglow. BTW, I’ve loved seeing your Thanksgiving family photos. Beautiful families. Incredible displays of tables set with perfection. But, you may be one saying “Pleassse, no more Thanksgiving talk! No more cozy family photos.” I know not everyone can join the thanks-giving bandwagon!

You may be one not-so-invested in the holidays when it seems everyone else gets their holly-jolly-selves on! They're cheerful, happy, all caught up in their blessing moods while you are in the middle of bailing water out of your boat. You’re holding your breath that one more thing doesn’t capsize your boat and you go under. You may be one who dreads this time of the year as it holds so many memories past and you’re so very lonely. Or it is the season that reminds you that you don’t have very much or nothing at all to buy gifts for others – though you’re a “giver” and it breaks your heart that you can’t give.

I know not everyone is able to get into the “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” singing, dancing and ringing jingle bells or dreaming of a white Christmas. Your hope has been lost from the heaviness of the weight you are carrying. I know that because I know what those weights look and feel like. I’ve been there. Even as I type this blog today, I’m thinking of some dear family members and friends who are carrying, what seem to be, enormous weights of hopelessness.

Here comes the lessons we learn again from Paul the Apostle who had the right to tell us what gratitude and hope looks like because he sure knew heavy weights. He said: “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Hope does not disappoint us, because God poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, Whom He has given us.” Romans 5:2-5

We can be thankful, even in hardship, because our future is based on God’s love, not on our present situation. We may experience temporary hardships but they all came TO PASS. The phrase “it came to pass” occurs again and again in the Old Testament. “It came to pass” describes events in history and even our own experiences. “It came to pass” reminds us that these tough times are soon over; they come, but they "come to pass." We may not always realize it, but it is always true. I know this scripture is true – I lived it. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5) Some of those nights were long, long nights, but they came to pass and they did pass. Wounds heal. Heartbreak mends. Tears cease. A new day dawns. A new sunrise dispels the darkness. Despair loses its hold. Grief is replaced with hope. It came to pass.

Being positive and faith-filled takes discipline. Can I hear a big “AMEN”? We can do this. Gratitude is in us. Let’s not waste this season with worry. Let’s not live in regret. Let’s not miss out on THIS day that He made with you and me in mind. Because this day – came to pass. We’ll never get this day back. And this Advent and Christmas will never come again. This is our opportunity to look up with hope and expectation that something good is about to happen. As we embrace the journey of a young, courageous girl and a supportive, noble man to the town of Bethlehem, may we too, take a journey of faith and hope that “Joy to the World” and joy to you and me dispels the darkness around us and the brightness of the Star of Bethlehem brightens our own little world with hope and joy. Isn’t it worth the effort to take the journey that might change everything?

“This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

It's the Black Friday Frenzy

I remember when I lived in Tulsa and on Thanksgiving night, I drove by our local Best Buy store. I just had to take this photo of people camped out already for the doors to open the next morning and then they could get their “deal”. No need to camp out this year -- stores opened at 6 pm on Thanksgiving night!

I read that, if today is like last year’s Black Friday, half of all Americans will be shopping this weekend. Aw – the blissful start to Christ’s birthday party. Hail holy consumerism! Rather, Hail Mary, full of grace and truth, and God, who got this holy birthday party started over 2,000 years ago.

The truth is this day and Advent that begins this Sunday starts the most wonderful time of the year that gives us the greatest opportunities to make a difference for Jesus. Yesterday, my Frisco family and I had a precious Thanksgiving Day filled with all the trimmings of an amazing feast and delicacies. We celebrated by sharing how grateful we are for our many blessings, played games, and took fun family photos!

My son and family always spend Thanksgiving Day in Muldrow, OK where Shawntel’s family lives and celebrates in grand style with Grandma and 60+ family members show up. I love that! Today they’ll join us here in Frisco for our traditional day-after-Thanksgiving feast of my Waikiki meatballs and all the trimmings. We won't be taking the time to join in the Black Friday frenzy. We'll still be savoring so many reasons for Thanksgiving.
The key to celebrating the coming holidays lies in the holiday we just concluded.

My son and family always spend Thanksgiving Day in Muldrow, OK where Shawntel’s family lives and celebrates in grand style with Grandma and 60+ family members show up. I love that! Today they’ll join us here in Frisco for our traditional day-after-Thanksgiving feast of my Waikiki meatballs and all the trimmings. We won't be taking the time to join in the Black Friday frenzy. We'll still be savoring so many reasons for Thanksgiving. The key to celebrating the coming holidays lies in the holiday we just concluded.

This Thanksgiving week, we’ve focused on God’s command to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). And here's what I want to leave with you this day after Thanksgiving. I don't see today as "Black Friday".. Every Friday is Good Friday and here is what I wish as we approach the most beautiful time of the year: That we stop to feel, smell, savor and acknowledge the precious gifts that God provides for us every single day. That we fully appreciate the blessings in our lives and not miss a moment. That we take them in and savor them in our senses as if we might lose them tomorrow. And thank our God for the gift of it all. I hope you embrace the moments, the season, the joys and the hopes that this beautiful season of Advent and Christmas brings -- like never before -- even if you enjoy "the hunt" during the Black Friday frenzy!

Rejoice and Go Tell It On the Mountain

Yesterday was the third Sunday of Advent and we should be singing “Go Tell It on the Mountain"! Not necessarily from a mountain. That would mean we'd have to go climbing! Perhaps we can start right here at ground zero to be joyful and full of the good news of Christ's coming to this earth for you and me.

The pink, third candle on the Advent wreath was lit, The pink candle symbolizes JOY and REJOICE. The theme scripture that Paul wrote in Philippians 4:4 is “Rejoice in the Lord always: again I say rejoice.” My pastor shared that the laughter statistics in a single day is 400 laughs a day for children versus 4 laughs a day for adults. Maybe we need to hang out with the kiddos more so our joy "bank" fills up! When St. Paul penned those words, he knew something about making it through tough times. Can you imagine that he wrote that scripture from a dark, cold and damp prison cell? No matter where we are or what we're facing....we can find JOY in the good news of Emmanuel, God with us, right smack dab in the middle of our circumstances.

Typically, PINK is girly. We put our little girls in pink dresses or outfits with a pink bow in their hair to declare "It's a GIRL"! (In my case, my little Staci had NO hair so I scotch-taped a little bow on her head. I know that's hard to believe when we see that massive head of hair she has today! LOL! Sorry -- I took a rabbit trail from my train of thought about Advent. Pink isn't just about girls. Hot pink, pale pink, rose pink are all shades of pink that God painted into a sunrise. And, like the various shades of pink, our expressions of joy can be so different. Joy can be exuberant. We saw that joy and jumping up and down by little children on Saturday at the Birthday Party for Jesus child at the prospect of something that excites them so much. (See my post from yesterday.) JOY is also that calm and peaceful experience of realizing God's faithfulness. It can be calm confidence in His sovereignty or pure delight as He expresses His love. I felt that peace and calm yesterday, as I watched my grandson, play the piano at their yesterday morning’s church service or when my granddaughter, asked to sit by me in church and proceeded to put her arm around me or lay her head on my shoulder. I felt that joy and I wanted to rejoice about it. has truly come to be linked with "Pink" in our culture.

Joy AND pink are also about survival. Oh, the sweet joy we feel when one of our friends expresses "I've just had my last treatment of chemo! I'm a survivor!" A celebration of survival has truly come to be linked with "Pink" in our culture.

On this 3rd Sunday of Advent, PINK is also about rejoicing that our Savior, as a precious BABY BOY Who brought so much JOY to this world.

My pastor said in his message, “This has been a challenging year for me and when I start to feel sorry for myself, I remember Paul who knew suffering. Paul led a challenging life. Paul knew difficulty. Paul had people who hated him. But, Paul expressed the key to overcoming is in rejoicing. He urged us to rejoice and rejoice some more. The joy of the Lord can thrill us AND it can make us steadfast in the secure knowledge of God's presence with us -- Emmanuel. Paul further tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 to be joyful always and Jesus tells us in Mark 9:24 "With God all things are possible." THAT combination of trust should help us.....carry on not just through Advent, but for the entire year to be rejoicing and rejoicing some more.

Christmas Mercies

Christmas Mercies
Routine can surely take us off course of recognizing the gentle touches from heaven each morning. I wake with an “On your mark, get set, GO!” mindset -- especially when I'm responsible for two boys and their full-on days of non-stop activities. I wake up at 5 am and I must quickly get my blog posted before 6 am. Done! Then I hustle to get the boys up and going for their early morning school day at 7:30 am. Then, the "yellow light" comes on for a short period of time and I make it back to my little quiet spot to start working on my post for this new day. But then, as if God literally turned my head to look out the glass doors, I get a glimpse of the glistening dew on the bushes and grass. I thought, “Oh, You wanted me to notice that “Heaven” visited last night?” I know a meteorologist would give us the scientific facts of dew in the morning, but in my corner of the world, I see it as God’s mercies that fell for me for this new day. After all, Lamentations 3:23 says “God’s mercies are new every morning and great is His faithfulness to us.”

We’re into the Advent/Christmas Season by a couple of weeks now, and though it's the most wonderful time of the year, we've all probably had an occasion to be disgruntled with someone or something. And, BIG surprise….. someone might even be unhappy with us. But thank goodness for God's mercy. His mercy embodies the great love and forgiveness that He extends to His children. Those mercies that are provided for us each morning are from our Father Who exhibits mercy beyond compare. “But God demonstrated His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) That’s what I call mercy to the nth degree. He made us in His image, so might we consider that He desires His kids to follow His lead and provide mercy to others as well? Perhaps you remember a time when one of your children made a huge mistake and they were surprised when you showed them mercy. We love them and we knew they would grow up and do better. Why does God choose to be merciful to us? Because He knows us, and He knows we’ll grow up and do better.

‘Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful’ (Luke 6:36).” In this season of good will toward men, shouldn't we amp up the mercy toward those around us? Let’s face it -- someone is going to cut into our line, probably when we are late and holding something heavy. Someone is going to be in a grumpy mood and snap at us. People might not welcome us onto the highway in front of them. Indeed…..this is a season for . . . mercy. Since we receive God's mercy for our flaws, shouldn’t we have mercy for the flaws of others? There will be people who just don’t know God and His mercy, so they don't have any of His mercy to give. But we can share the gift of God's mercy over and over again, regardless of how we are treated. And it’s a good idea to pray for those folks that just don’t know how to receive God’s mercy. Maybe the mercy we show them will draw them to our Father of mercy.

It makes me wonder "If we just amped up mercy and purposefully gave out more mercy in bolder ways, things around us might be different." We'd see the beggar on the street corner, and instead of thinking "Get a job", we'd, at the very least, say a prayer for him. We'd be more patient with the cashier. We'd be more tender-hearted to the "Scrooges" around us. We'd invite the lonely and family-less to join us for Christmas parties. Who knows? It may be in our giving mercy, that we will receive even more of the abundance of God's mercy to us. "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Matthew 5:7

Oh, those beautiful dew-drops that remind us of God’s new mercies to us each morning. May we be dew-droppers of mercy to those we encounter today! Don't we want to have the heart to live this holiday season and the year in the light of the Lord’s words: "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful". Luke 6:36

In the Waiting Room of Advent

I've had my share of hospital waiting rooms -- waiting while a loved one is having surgery or for the birth of a baby. While we're waiting, a transformation is taking place in the operating room. Parts of the body that were diseased or broken are being removed or repaired or new devices or parts are being added to repair the body, or, joyfully, a precious baby is being birthed. Transformation happens while we're in the Waiting Room.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent and is very much like a "Waiting Room" where transformation is taking place. The first candle (the HOPE candle) will be lit on my church's Advent wreath. When we speak of Advent, we're referring to the four weeks before Christmas (the Waiting Room) when we prepare and anticipate Christ leaving heaven, coming to earth, being born of a virgin and dwelling among man. In a sense, a transformation is taking place because in the "Waiting Room" we are expectantly waiting and remembering our Lord and Savior's birth, as we reflect on God's prophecies and promises to His people.

When I was a child, I could hardly wait for Christmas. There was the anticipation of all the delightful surprises: the delicious baked goodies, reindeer movies, our Christmas tree, the Christmas program where we wore our best outfits and recited our little poems, being a character in the Christmas play, singing carols at church and school and, of course, the presents! We always opened our presents on Christmas Eve, but the grand finale was Santa’s delivery of the one big present on Christmas morning. I’ll never forget the year my big brother ruined Santa's magic when he was ho-ho-ho-ing and I saw him delivering Santa’s gift (my new Tiny Tears doll).

When my husband and I added to the nuances of Christmas the celebrating of the season of Advent, Christmas took on an even greater meaning to us. Each Sunday during Advent, a single candle is lit on the Advent wreath, one candle for the first Sunday, two for the next and so on. Then we sing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," a hymn that expresses the longing of God's people for their Messiah. It is such a beautiful, intimate and holy time of HOPING and anticipating the Someone and something that transformed the lives of men and women everywhere.

The birth of Christ gives reminds us that we can live life in a radical way – the way of trusting, believing, and expecting that all He’s promised us is ours as we patiently wait for His perfect plan for our lives....in the Waiting Room. During this beautiful Advent season, may we find that place of loving and deepening our relationship with God – delighting in Him. It’s a radical way of living, but the infant in the manger, as sweet and mild as He seems, is our triumphant King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That precious baby grew up, and He sacrificed His life so that we can live a life of hope and great expectation every day.

May we let Him know how much we love Him and how much we desire our hearts to have a fresh revelation of Himself. May we all seek Him as the Wise Men once did and may we build in our children and grandchildren an excitement, not just for the arrival of a jolly old man in a red suit, but for the advent of the Savior of the world.

I wish you and your family a very blessed Advent and a very Merry Christmas. May the Lord bless you with an abundance of His love, His grace, and His presence. May He grant you the company of all those you hold dear and gift you, above all, with a greater measure of Himself. That's what I call the GIFT that just keeps on giving!

Getting Ready to be Overshadowed

Have you ever felt Holy Spirit’s presence so intensely, that you thought you could reach out and touch Him? That was me yesterday morning. I proceeded with my early morning routine: brushed my teeth, grabbed my mug of water and phone for the text message I’d send to my children later, put the fireplace on and sat in my cozy chair, opened my computer and hit the “post” button on my FB page and my blog.

This morning was very different. I sensed such closeness with the Holy Spirit that it was almost tangible. Maybe it was because I had been pondering the Advent talk I will be giving at my church next Wednesday night because when I awoke, I thought about Mary and the announcement by Gabriel that she would conceive a child and she asked: “How can this be since I am a virgin?” And Gabriel replied "'The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will OVERSHADOW you.'" Luke 1:35

Suddenly, I desired to be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit too. Suddenly the matters of this world seemed so distant to me. It reminded me of an old song we sang: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.“ Not long after my sweet Holy Spirit time, I was brought back to the reality of my “To Do” list and “How can I get all this done before I leave town next week?” But, like a cowboy throwing his lasso on a steer to wrangle him in, I felt Holy Spirit pulling me back into that “sweet spot”.

Gabriel gave Mary the amazing news that she was going to give birth to the Son of God -- without knowing a man. That wasn't even believable in the natural. We can only imagine the doubt that must have bombarded her mind: "How can I have a baby without a man?” My “How” certainly paled in comparison to Mary’s “How”. When Mary answered the angel back, she didn't say, "I don't see how that can happen." No, Mary was bold. She made a statement of faith. She said, "Be it unto me even as you have said." In other words, "I'm in agreement. Let it happen. If God says I'm highly favored, I believe it. If God says the impossible is going to happen, I believe it." And, my dear FB and blog friends and family, that's the way we need to be when God puts a promise in our hearts. Instead of trying to reason it out, we have to be fully convinced that what He said, He will do.

You may have a "how" in your life right now. You may be thinking, "I believe I'm going to accomplish my dreams, but how am I going to do it?" "How am I going to get well?" "How am I going to overcome this addiction?" What the angel said to Mary is true for all of us today. He said, "Mary, here's how it's going to happen: the power of the Most High is going to come upon you and overshadow you." In other words, God is going to breathe in your direction, and supernatural things are going to happen.

How are you going to get well? The power of the Most High is going to come upon you. How are you going to accomplish your dreams? The Most High God, the Great I Am, the Creator of the universe is going to overshadow you. When God overshadows you, miracles happen. Supernatural opportunities come your way. Family members that were off course will suddenly turn around. Problems that looked permanent will turn out to be only temporary, and you will see miracles come to pass!

Today, just like Mary, let's dig our heels in and do our part. Let's get into agreement with God's Word and receive His promises and obey His commands. Let's get ready for God's Spirit to OVERSHADOW us!

Go Tell It On The Mountain

Go Tell It on the Mountain

Today I celebrate the day my sweet Daddy, at age 64, graduated to heaven in 1964. My Sweetheart was only 63. I think God was giving out “Fast Passes” to heaven for two men that I loved so much. Good for them. They both earned those “Fast Passes”. I am not in sorrow today for either of them because there is just too much joy where they are, and so much joy for me here on this side of heaven. Here’s why. Today is the third Sunday of Advent and it's time we should be singing "Go Tell It on the Mountain"! Well -- not necessarily from a mountain -- that would mean we'd have to go climbing! Perhaps we can start right here on level ground to experience the abundant JOY of Christ's coming to this earth for you and me.

On this third Sunday of Advent, in the Catholic Church, the priest wears a rose colored vestment and the third candle, which is pink, in the Advent wreath, is lit. That pink candle symbolizes JOY and St. Paul referenced that joy when he wrote in Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always: again I say rejoice.” Can you even imagine that he wrote those words from a dark, cold, damp prison cell? Obviously, he was a great role model for us, because no matter where we are or what we're facing, we can find JOY in the good news of Emmanuel -- God with us -- right smack dab in the middle of our circumstances. That’s why there is no sorrow found in me on this JOY-filled day.

Of course PINK would be the color of the day. Typically, PINK is girly -- we put our little girls in pink dresses or outfits with a pink bow in their hair to declare "It's a GIRL"! (In my case, my little Staci had NO hair so I scotch-taped a little bow on her head -- I know that's hard to believe when we see that massive head of hair she has today! LOL!). Sorry -- I took a rabbit trail from my train of thought about Advent. Back to my thought.....pink isn't just about girls. Hot pink, pale pink, rose pink are all shades of pink that God painted into a sunrise. And, like the various shades of pink, our expressions of joy can be so different. Joy can be exuberant – like that little child jumping up and down at the prospect of something that excites them so much. JOY is also that calm and peaceful experience of God's faithfulness. It can be calm confidence in His sovereignty, or pure delight as He expresses His love. I felt that peace and calmness yesterday as I sat in front of my fireplace, reading my “The Word Among Us” devotional book. I felt it when I wrapped some Christmas presents. I felt it when I watched another sappy Hallmark Christmas movie while I wrapped those presents.

Joy AND pink is also about survival. Oh, the joy we feel when one of our friends expresses "I've just had my last treatment of chemo!" I loved hearing how on this Sunday, when PINK is the color of the day, a church celebrates breast-cancer survivors and women in their parish are given a pink flower in honor of the women who survived and are reminded to be screened regularly. (I just had my screening last week!) That is a beautiful custom to have. Celebration of survival has truly come to be linked with "Pink" in our culture.

Bringing PINK back around to this 3rd Sunday of Advent, PINK is also about a BABY BOY that brought so much JOY to this world. That joy that should never be determined by how we feel, but on WHO God is. The joy of the Lord can thrill us AND it can make us steadfast in the secure knowledge of God's presence with us -- Emmanuel. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 to be joyful always and Jesus tells us in Mark 9:24 "With God all things are possible." THAT combination of trust and joy should help us carry on from this 3rd Sunday of Advent to EVERYDAY being JOYFUL!

Stop, Look and Go Tell

For a short while on Friday, I allowed myself to get caught up in the holiday traffic frenzy and search out Christmas sales that included long check-out lines. I really endeavored to be “holly jolly" with my best attitude while keeping “all is calm, and all is bright” in my heart!

We’re officially in the countdown to Christmas! We’re making our lists and checking them twice. We’re scanning the deals on Amazon and other online sources. We have already hung the stockings on the fireplace mantel, started our Christmas baking….and somewhere in the mix, we ponder our upcoming family times together. Perhaps we’ll soon be headed over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house!

But, please STOP and remember the trek to Bethlehem. If we choose to keep Christ in Christmas –- no matter what else we need to make happen, it is essential we include the storyline of the newlywed couple, Joseph and Mary, their journey to Bethlehem, and, ultimately, the night their baby boy was born.

Today, the second Sunday of Advent, the second purple candle on the Advent wreath will be lit. It represents faith. It is called the “Bethlehem Candle” as a reminder of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and the preparations they made for Jesus’ birth.

Can we even imagine the faith it took for them to set out on a 90-day trip to Joseph’s hometown, Bethlehem, to register in the Roman census? Joseph and Mary undoubtedly had the “essentials” together. After all we know there were swaddling clothes on hand. Talk about responsibility! Imagine the weight on Joseph’s shoulders of taking care of Mary and their soon-to-be-born Son of God.

A 90-mile journey! WHAT? Obstetricians don’t want women to travel by air if the expectant mother is more than 7 months pregnant. Imagine Mary – nearing the end of her pregnancy and having to ride a donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

As awful the journey with the discomfort and difficulty, no doubt it was all a part of God's plan given in Jeremiah’s words in verse 29:11 “Oh the plans God has for you, plans to prosper you (think about the gold, frankincense and myrrh wealth they received from the three kings) and not harm you (think about how God ensured Jesus was safe when King Herod put out the edict for the baby boys to be killed), but give you hope and a future.” Think about the hope and future Christ’s life, death and resurrection presented to us!

For many of us, the days leading up to Christmas are among the busiest of the year. We don’t relish interruptions to our plans at any time, and especially not now. Like with the birth of Christ in less than perfect conditions, God uses “stuff” and "situations" to accomplish His purposes.

May I suggest that we purpose to slow down and breathe in the Reason for this Miracle season – stopping, looking and listening for gentle nudges of Father God Who desires for His kids to breathe in the beauty of our Lord’s birth story, and then GO exhale Him to our world that needs His hope, faith, love, joy and peace so very much.

This second Sunday of Advent encourages us to STOP, if only for a few minutes during this busiest time of the year, to think and be thankful for the ONE we are celebrating. Anything that causes us to STOP and think and be thankful is a good addition to Advent, since that’s what Advent is, of course: a time to stop and wait when the world is telling us to go faster and faster!

It will soon be Christmas Day when we will celebrate our Lord’s sacrifice of coming to this earth as a baby AND His coming back to take us home to live with Him throughout all eternity. May we STOP and know the baby in the manger is the Great "I AM"!

It's NESTING Time or is it BUY MORE and DO MORE Time?

It's NESTING Time or is it BUY MORE and DO MORE Time?

Oh my -- the holiday ads, promotions and marketing campaigns are amped up. Everyday, the message is "buy now for best bargains, 50% off today only, decked out deals, deal of the day, last chance deal”. BUY -- BUY -- BUY!! There are banners outside stores, ads coming in the mail and tons of them coming through on social media. It takes great willpower to NOT be drawn in. After all, it's only 20 more days until Christmas!

Peer pressure -- rather, buying pressure. I’ll admit I was sucked into some of the online “Free Shipping”, and purchased a few things that saved me the trip to the store on Cyber Monday. Amazon Prime is a wonderful gas saver, shipping and time saver. The days of going from store to store to purchase our “must have’s” are over for many of us So that extra time should certainly give us more time to embrace the "Reason" for the season. Right?.

Oh, but more time, means I can get caught up in all the chatting on Facebook and Pinterest about really gorgeous decorations and craft items, as well as delicious goodies to bake. Once again, our reasoning is we need to do more to make this season bright and just right. The question is “Isn't there something we can do to stop the deafening sounds that separate us from what, rather WHO, this season is all about?”

This is the most incredible season of Advent where tranquility and peace is needed in our hearts and souls – to be able to find that "nesting" place where we're awaiting the birth -- the coming of our Lord. Don't we really want to push the MUTE button to separate ourselves from the crowds and busyness to enter into His stillness by taking some R&R (rest and relaxation) time to go find HIM in the secret place? But with so much to do and so little time to do it all, how can we squeeze in any time at all for “just sitting and nesting”?

I'm a realist and I know we often don't have much choice but to stay on hyper-mode, but somewhere there must be a quiet little "nesting" spot we can find so we can pause for some silence when we can. It may mean we have to turn down the TV and the radio OR the kids -- so we can hear God's still small voice. It may be we practice God's presence even if it's just to read a short devotion or simply to whisper His name in a prayer. On Sunday, my pastor encouraged us to not wait until the last minute to come to church, and when we do come, rather than to have idle talk and busyness even when we walk in, we should come at least 10 minutes early to STOP, take a deep breath, silence the world and then breathe in the Christ of Christmas.

Advent is about preparing for the Christ Child to arrive. Maybe that means, like a Mama Bird preparing for the arrival of her babies, to sit and wait and breathe in peace and quiet and exhale the worries, the stress, the fears and concerns. I promise, God is quite aware of all that's on our plates. He totally gets us, but all the while....He's over in a quiet "nesting" spot just waiting for us to cozy up to Him for refreshing and restoration.

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

Advent - the Great Expectation that Something Good is Coming

It's the first Sunday of Advent. This photo of the Advent Candle wreath is from my church in Tulsa. The first candle (the HOPE candle) will be lit today. The word "advent" means a coming or arrival of something or someone extremely important. In biblical terms we speak of the Advent Season, referring to the four weeks before Christmas when we celebrate the Lord leaving Heaven and coming to earth to be born of a virgin and dwell among man. It's when we reflect on God's promises and prophecies to His people. And, it's a time of preparing our hearts in anticipation of the special day when we remember the birth of our Lord and Savior.

While enjoying the festivities -- sleigh bells, carols, chestnuts roasting, my Hallmark Christmas movies, parties, visits to see Santa, baking Christmas goodies, gift giving --pondering ADVENT, keeps us remembering that there is such greater reasons for this glorious season. It's about a better day, a better life, it's about HOPE.

The word, HOPE, means “the exciting expectation that something GOOD is about to happen”. Charles Dickens is well known for his book, “Great Expectations”. I love that optimism, but I love the reality of the absolute possibility that HOPE and expecting something good to happen, is a much better way to live than saying "Don't get your hope up, because you don't want to be disappointed if it doesn't turn out alright!" Ugh! What a dismal outlook. I prefer to live with hope, with GREAT EXPECTATIONS, for today and tomorrow.

Do you have your hope up and do you have great expectations for your life? It's like waiting for the birth of a child. We know it’s a process, and if we patiently wait for “the appointed time” of delivery, we’ll be blessed with a precious bundle of love and joy.
The beautiful season of Advent is about expecting and waiting. The birth of Christ gives us the hope, and possibility, that we can live life in a radical way – the way of trusting, believing, and expecting that all He’s promised us will be ours if we patiently wait for His perfect plan for our lives.

During this beautiful season, may we find that place of loving, caring and deepening our relationship with God – delighting in Him. It’s a radical way of living, but the infant in the manger, as sweet and mild as He seems, is really our triumphant King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That precious baby grew up, and He sacrificed His life so that we can live a life of hope and GREAT EXPECTATION.

Don’t give up! Keep your hope up! Get your EXPECTOR expecting! Remember ….. it’s a process! Your “baby” (your hopes, your dreams) will get here….and you’ll soon be blessed with God’s bundles of love and joy.

“Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

On Your Mark -- Get Set...GO! It's Black Friday!! Let the Christmas Season Begin!

Thanksgiving day was everything I had hoped it would be -- worshiping God, hearing a beautiful message on "Instead of just Thanksgiving -- make it Thanks-Living" and then being able to serve blessed communion at church early morning. I headed home to go into hyper-speed mode to get the turkey cooking with all the fixin's for my family here in Frisco and my family coming in from Austin. It is so worth all the prep for the joys. This year I asked each family member to express their gratitude for one minute. Well, most of the adults couldn't keep to the one minute rule -- there's just too much to be thankful for. I loved the grandchildren and their precious words.

But today is the day AFTER Thanksgiving. Shopping is in full force this morning -- well, actually, it was in full force at 5 pm yesterday. Why is the day after Thanksgiving called "Black Friday"? I did a little research. Originally it was Black Friday because so many people went out to shop and it caused traffic accidents and sometimes even violence. The Philadelphia Police Department coined the phrase to describe the mayhem surrounding the congestion of pedestrian and auto traffic in the downtown area.

No wonder retailers wanted to make the name "Black Friday" mean something positive. So they did. They used the name to reflect their success. Accountants use black to signify profit when recording each day's book entries. Red is used to mean loss. Therefore, Black Friday means PROFITABLE FRIDAY to retailing and to the economy.

Now you know a little more about BLACK FRIDAY. Indeed, it seems a bit negative to me because I see it as the ending of thanksgiving and gratitude, and the beginning of bedlam, hustle and bustle and all the joy of this new joyful season getting lost in the midst of the chaos. Clearly, the Thanksgiving holiday is over for another year. Yes, we'll be watching out for Christmas sales now. After all -- Christmas is only one month away and in the words of John Wayne, "Slap some bacon on a biscuit and let's go! We're burnin' daylight!"

But, as I posted earlier this week, Thanksgiving doesn't have to end when Black Friday indicates the start of the Christmas season. Christmas is too big for just one day and Thanksgiving is too important to only be reserved for one day. Thank God that President Lincoln in 1863 signed a proclamation calling for "a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwells in the Heavens…..." And, I’ll take that one step further, one day is just not enough to offer enough thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God for his goodness and mercy to us. Just think, if we carried over Thanksgiving right into the Christmas season and if we purposely live with an “attitude of gratitude”, maybe those frenzied shoppers wouldn't bug us so much when they almost run us over to get that "special".

God tells us to "enter His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise" (Psalms 100:4). Gratitude is that gate and doorway to God’s joy and peace, and praise is the key to His presence. Being aware of His presence may just be the key to having one of the best Christmas seasons EVER. Instead of today being "Black Friday" to us.....we could turn it into a "Good Friday", that becomes the doorway to the beautiful season of Advent which begins this Sunday -- that sacred, focused and deliberate time when we ponder the coming of our Lord from His heavenly throne to earth to become one of us. It really was a time of HEAVEN ON EARTH. Unlike the innkeeper who said, "No room in the inn", may we cross over from the hustle, bustle, stress and mess that can accompany this season and do our best to make room for Him..May this Black Friday become a Good Friday to YOU today!

When You Choose HOPE, Anything is Possible

HOPE, means “the exciting expectation that something GOOD is about to happen”. Yesterday, I knew what that's about -- based on my grandchildren's GREAT EXPECTATIONS about what last night held for them. When the tickets could first be bought, my grandson, Payton Wallace purchased tickets for his whole family (me and his friend included) to the premier showing of the new Star Wars Rogue One movie. Needless to say, he is quite the avid Star Wars fan. Check out his bedroom decor' here! He has looked forward to the new movie since he first heard it was coming out. When my Austin grandson, Brennan, heard about Payton going to the 10:30 pm showing last night in Frisco, he one-upped Payton and bought tickets for him and his friend to see it at the 7:30 pm showing in Austin. I love the "cousin" rivalry! Needless to say, their hope and great expectations became reality when we all saw it last night.

This post isn't so much about Star Wars as it is for us to be putting our hope and great expectations for our lives out there. Those of us who have experienced “expecting” a baby – know quite well, that it's a process. We don’t get half way through our pregnancy and say – “I’m through with this – I’m done with ‘expecting’!” No, we know it’s a process, and if we patiently wait for “the appointed time” of delivery, we’ll be blessed with a precious bundle of love and joy. Payton and Brennan, and the rest of us for that matter, did our best to patiently wait for this new episode of Star Wars and it was worth the wait.

This post really isn't about STAR Wars, but THE STAR of the show in this beautiful season of Advent -- expecting and waiting for Him. The birth of Christ gives us the hope, and possibility, that we can live life in a radical way – the way of trusting, believing, and expecting that all He’s promised us will be ours if we patiently wait for His perfect plan for our lives. During this beautiful season, may we find that place of peace -- a time of loving and deepening our relationship with God – delighting in Him. It’s a radical way of living, but the infant in the manger is a beautiful “memory” – our King of Kings is not there. He grew up, and He sacrificed His life so that we can live a life of hope and GREAT EXPECTATION.

Don’t give up! Keep your hope up! Get your EXPECTOR expecting! Remember ….. it’s a process! Your “baby” (your hopes, your dreams) will get here….and you’ll soon be blessed with God’s bundles of love and joy.

Go Tell It On The Mountain

It's the third Sunday of Advent and it's time we should sing that song "Go Tell It on the Mountain"! Well -- not necessarily from a mountain -- that would mean we'd have to go climbing! Perhaps we can start right here on level ground to be joyful and full of the good news of Christ's coming to this earth for you and me.

On this third Sunday of Advent, the priest wears a rose colored vestment and the third candle, which is pink, in the Advent wreath, is lit. That pink candle symbolizes JOY and JOY is the theme and the scripture that Paul wrote in Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always: again I say rejoice.” Can you imagine that he wrote that scripture from a dark, cold and damp prison cell? No matter where we are or what we're facing....we can find JOY in the good news of Emmanuel....God with us -- right smack dab in the middle of our circumstances.

Of course PINK would be the color of the day. Typically, PINK is girly -- we put our little girls in pink dresses or outfits with a pink bow in their hair to declare "It's a GIRL"! (In my case, my little Staci had NO hair so I scotch-taped a little bow on her head -- I know that's hard to believe when we see that massive head of hair she has today! LOL!). Sorry -- I took a rabbit trail from my train of thought about Advent. Back to my thought.....pink isn't just about girls. Hot pink, pale pink, rose pink are all shades of pink that God painted into a sunrise. And, like the various shades of pink, our expressions of joy can be so different. Joy can be exuberant -- that jumping up and down little child at the prospect of something that excites them so much, or MY daughter when she opened some of her birthday presents. JOY is also that calm and peaceful experience of God's faithfulness. It can be calm confidence in His sovereignty, or pure delight as He expresses His love. I felt that peace and calmness last night as I cuddled with my youngest grandson, here in Austin, for over an hour, watching a Christmas movie. I felt it when I laid beside him in his bed as I told him another "Super Brennan and Super Bryson" story.

Joy AND pink is also about survival. Oh, the sweet joy we feel when one of our friends expresses "I've just had my last treatment of chemo!" I loved hearing how on this Sunday, when PINK is the color of the day, one church celebrates breast-cancer survivors and women in the parish are given a pink flower in honor of the women who survived and are reminded to be screened regularly. That is a beautiful custom to have. Celebration of survival has truly come to be linked with "Pink" in our culture.

Bringing PINK back around to this 3rd Sunday of Advent, PINK is also about a BABY BOY that brought so much JOY to this world. That joy that should never be determined by how we feel, but on WHO God is. The joy of the Lord can thrill us AND it can make us steadfast in the secure knowledge of God's presence with us -- Emmanuel. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 to be joyful always and Jesus tells us in Mark 9:24 "With God all things are possible." THAT combination of trust should help us.....carry on from this 3rd Sunday of Advent to EVERYDAY being JOYFUL!

An Explosion of Worship

Last Sunday, some friends in Tulsa invited me to join them for their weekly Sunday night singing group at Christ the King Church. These are folks that love singing and worshipping God -- but, not just singing, they are a musical ensemble of singers that CAN really sing. Four-part harmonies par excellence! Not only was I awe-struck at their love for singing, but they welcomed me in to sing with them, and then they had me stand in the center of them while they placed their hands on me and prayed for God's leading and guidance in my life. I was so touched by their love and kindness.

But when I first arrived at the church, the doors that I thought I should go in, were all locked. I tried them all. I thought that just maybe they had canceled their meeting, but I pursued my quest and as I drove around the church, I saw my friend's parked car and then I saw a brightly lit front porch at the church and it invited me in. As I walked through that door, I heard a magnificent sound of a Gregorian chant being sung by a melodious choir of singers coming from down the hall. But what struck me as I walked through that door was this Manger Scene that was beckoning me to it. In fact, I turned on a brighter light in that room so I could get this photo. The music I was hearing in the background, combined with the beauty of this manger scene caused me to pause and worship. I recognized the manger scene isn't just a display of what we know as the "Christmas Story", but that scene before me was an explosion of worship and adoration. Notice that each character, whether it be the shepherds, the wise men with their offerings of gold, frankincense and myrhh, the angels -- even the animals that God created, were worshipping this newborn King. Advent and Christmas are about worship. Worshipping He who left the glories of heaven to take on human flesh to be one of us, to be acquainted with our frailities, our needs, our challenges and our concerns. In fact, even more so does He relate to us and says "I understand, and I came to bring you hope and assurance that you will conquer!"

As I finally made it past that gorgeous manger scene, I followed the singing, passed a magnificent dining room, and entered the room that the music was coming from -- it was a living room....with no choir ensemble. I realized that I might just be in someone's home instead of the room the musical group was meeting in, when I turned the corner and there was a kitchen where Monsignor Dan Mueggenburg was at his kitchen table, meeting with another priest. He looked up, shocked to see me, and my quick hand to my opened mouth, certainly revealed my shock. I was in the rectory -- not the church! Msgr Dan was gracious in escorting me to the front door and pointing the way where the church's small chapel was and where the group was actually meeting. I even smile big now as I recollect that night. An "oops" accident? No, for me, it was one of those divine encounters with God's perfect orchestration of putting me at the right place at the right time to know, just a little more clearly, that "There are no accidents with God, and even the smallest coincidences and signs are part of His love, His divine plan for us, and even opportunities to worship Him!"

Just a reminder to us all -- this beautiful season of Advent and Christmas is brought to us by the Creator of us -- Himself. Let's be sure to give Him the time and thanks for loving us so much that He decided to make this earth His home.....just long enough for us to relate to Him in His humanness, but then to give Him the worship and the praise and the honor for starting as a seed in a peasant girl then to a manger to a cross and dying for us....so that we can live with Him forever. I'd say that's the GREATEST GIFT given to us -- let's unwrap THE GIFT and share it everywhere we go!

Mary's "Yes" -- My "Yes"

As if one Advent by Candlelight wasn't enough, I was thrilled to attend another last night at St. Bernard's Church. This night, I was able to sit back with dear friends from my Hyde Park community and my ACTS community to focus my attention, and really take in the beauty of this wonderful Season of Advent. Once again, the photos here describe the hospitality of the hostesses that make this night so warm and welcoming. The beautiful songs that were sung that celebrated this beautiful time and short reflection talks by several ladies caused us to hone into this most holy of times of the year. After all, there would be no Easter and Resurrection Sunday were it not for the birth of our Lord.

The talk giver, a renown author and speaker, Lisa Hendey, was eloquent and relevant as she spoke about Mary's "Yes" and our "Yes".

As I heard her speak, Mary's "yes", in a way, became my "yes". Mary’s “yes” changed her life. We all know that "yes" doesn't mean, "The End". It is, in most instances, the beginning of ginormous changes to our lives -- our schedules, our time, our energy (or the lack thereof), our thought processes and our commitment. I know my recent "Yes" to making a huge transition in my life, moving from Tulsa to Texas, holds many unknowns, plus life-altering times ahead, but I know when saying "Yes" to God, He is with me every step of the way.

But here's the deal about Mary's "Yes". Because of her “yes”, she became the mother of Jesus. Though her ordinary life was made sacred by way of an invitation that she affirmed, she was still like any mother. She was still needed by her baby boy in the middle of the night, chased the toddler Jesus with the hopes of a nap soon to come, (I've been there -- haven't you?) and found that her life was no longer hers, but everything about that precious baby consumed her, like our babies were to us. The difference is that her attention turned toward the child who was Jesus. The beloved song, "Mary Did You Know?" was sung last night, and it makes us wonder, if she had known what was up ahead for her and her baby boy, would she still have said "yes". In our lives, we don't know what lies ahead, but with our willingness to follow He Who loves us beyond description and has a Master Plan to work out in us, like Mary, we can resign our own thoughts and submit to God's perfect plan for us.

When we say “yes” to God, He is inviting us to do what is in our capacity to do. Otherwise, He wouldn't have asked. I've learned over and over...."Where He guides, He provides". But most importantly, He invites us to see our ordinary roles as sacred. The sacredness of dependence on God for His grace and mercy to be with us in times of decision making, having His wisdom to guide those He entrusts to us, daily being full of the Fruit of the Spirit as we assist in carving out our children's places in this world, as well as being a light to those God calls us to encourage and support around us.

Mary's "Yes" -- My "Yes" -- I'm there -- How about you?