Friday December 22

On Friday nights we have an evangelism team that meets in Downtown Houston. We meet from 9pm until midnight. Gene is a Local Leader for GNN and he leads the team with another Local Leader, Javier. We have anywhere from 10 to 25 people on the streets on any given Friday night. The temperature on the 22nd was down in the mid to low 40's, but we still had 16 people out in all.

We are never really sure what the night will hold for us as we head out, which gives us a sense of anticipation. For me this Friday night began in a sorta crazy way. It started when Gene and I stopped at a gas station on the way into downtown. Gene asked me to get him a Diet Coke and a particular type of gum. He said the gum would be right inside the door on a rack. Well, the gum wasn't there, so I had to search to find what I hoped was the right one. I then went to the refrigerated section for the drinks. I saw cokes of all flavors...except diet. I asked the lady working if they had them and I was just missing them, and she said, "We don't have diet coke." I opened the door to get him a Diet Pepsi, and they were all hot. I asked the lady about it and she said, "All of the refrigerators are broken." I pulled out the hot Diet Pepsi and hot Dr. Pepper and got us each a cup of ice. As I walked up to the counter, I dropped the Pepsi, but caught it with my knee. I tried to put all of these mishaps behind me as I headed to the car. I got in and began telling Gene of my exploits while unloading the bag. I just began to say, "I hope this isn't what our whole night will be like." When Gene opened the Pepsi. It sprayed all over him and the inside of the car. I think 1/4 of the bottle shot out. I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. We cleaned him and the car up and headed on our way (and I prayed the whole way!).

We met up with Patti & Kelli at Starbuck's, and then headed to our team meeting spot. Javier showed up a few minutes later, as did a homeless man who had some mental problems. Javier put himself between Patti, Kelli, me and this man, while Gene tried to talk to him. He left after a few minutes, muttering under his breath. Shortly after the man left more of the team showed up, and we had prayer.

We headed down to our corners to start handing out tracts. At first it was very slow, but we were still able to hand out tracts to the few people who were there. It also gave us some time to talk to the bar promoters who work on the corners as well. We don't engage them in conversations often, because they are working, but we do try to build a relationship with them. The ones we know by name, we pray for specifically each week. There have even been times they have brought prayer requests to the team. Because of their proximity to us they have heard the gospel many times, and we pray that it will take root at some point in their lives.

After we had been there for about 45 minutes, I gave a tract to a man walking by himself. He paused when he took it and began looking at it (this is a sure sign to start a conversation). His name was Michael. He was very amiable and listened to us, and we talked for about 15 minutes. Sadly, his conversation went like many others do, and his eyes were closed to the truth of God's word. Our conversation ended well, and he agreed to think about the things we discussed. Many people judge the success of an evangelism encounter by the seen "results"... ie: whether or not someone prayed a prayer. That is not the standard by which God judges success. He wants us to be faithful in witnessing and planting seeds. I don't need to focus on the "results" because I know that God gives the increase, and He will work in each person's heart according to His will.

After my conversation with Michael we handed out lots of tracts. I don't know the final count from our team, but I would guess it would be over 600. That is 600 seeds being planted in 600 lives. Many people have been saved through tracts, so it's exciting to think about what God can do in a person's life, just because I took the time to stick out my hand and say, "Did you get one of these?"



Here is a slide show of people from our team witnessing and handing out tracts downtown.

Mariposa Ranch

Last Wednesday night I found out that I was getting my Christmas/Anniversary present on Thursday. Our anniversary is December 31st and we will have been married 23 years! Gene surprised me by taking off of work both Thursday and Friday so that he could take me on an overnight trip. He found a lovely Bed & Breakfast in Brenham, TX that was right up my alley. We went to the Mariposa Ranch and stayed in the Texas Ranger Log Cabin.

Gene and I have never been away from the girls overnight together since Lindsay was 2. This was a very special trip and we really enjoyed our time together, though honestly, there was always a tug to be at home with girls or wishing they were with us. It was also very odd to not feel like you had anything you "had" to do.

We enjoyed the peacefulness of the ranch, and the lack of city sounds. We did hear some distinctly country sounds though. One that sticks out was the pack of coyotes we heard. Early in the evening when we were sitting on the porch we heard them a few miles away over a couple of hills, but later in the evening they were very close. It amazed me how much they sound like hyenas.

We arrived at the cabin about 4pm, it was an overcast, drizzly, cold day...perfect for snuggling in a cabin. They had the cabin decorated with lights, which made it look quite homey. Here is a picture of the cabin that evening just after we arrived.





The cabin was small, with only 2 rooms and a loft for the bedroom. This is one angle of the living room which had satellite tv, a fireplace, and a wood stove.




The wood stove sits in a corner near the bathroom. I'm not sure if it is a working stove, as we didn't use it, but it looks as if it would work.



The stairs in this cabin are the narrowest and steepest I think I have ever been on. I went down them sideways, just to keep from falling. You can see them behind the couch.



The bedroom was up the stairs in a loft. It was very cozy being near the rafters, it felt as if you were in a cocoon.



The bathroom had a jacuzzi tub for two, which was very relaxing...I could get used to that!



The cabin was originally built in the 1820's. It was taken down log by log and re-assembled at Mariposa Ranch. They had many other little cabins (not log) scattered around the property. They have the main house, Homestead House, where they serve a very nice breakfast. Overall the place was very comfortable and homey feeling.

Here is our cabin the next morning when it was bright and sunny.



We left about 10 Friday morning after our breakfast at the Homestead House. Our time together was very special, but we were happy to be home with our girls. Later that evening we hit the streets for evangelism; I'll share that in another post.

Another Video for Christmas

This is a video that was made by our friends at Custom Tract Source. It is set up as an e-card, so please send it to your friends. Tommy & Andy at Custom Tract Source make some of my favorite tracts, I hope that you will check them all out.

The Reason For The Season

The only reason we celebrate Christmas at all is to remember the birth of Christ and the result of His birth, which was His death and resurrection. We know that He wasn't born in December; we don't know exactly when he was born. I feel that setting aside time to reflect upon His life in a special way is very important. In our studies and discussion, we focus upon His life, death, & resurrection, but we choose to set aside this time of year to focus upon His birth.

We recently discovered a singing group that we really enjoy--ok, love--which is Go Fish. They have recorded a great song about Christmas, "It's about the Cross". David MacMillan III made a video using their song as background music, which wonderfully portrays the true meaning behind Christmas.
I hope that you will watch the video and let me know what you think of it. There is one warning though: you will need a hankie!

At the end of the video is a link, Need God, please take a couple of minutes to visit it.



Here are the lyrics:

It’s About The Cross

It’s not just about the manger where the baby laid...

It’s not all about the angels who sang for Him that day
It’s not just about the shepherds or the bright and shining star
It’s not all about the wise men who traveled from afar

It’s not just about the presents underneath the tree
It’s not all about the feeling that this season brings to me
It’s not just about coming home to be with those you love
It’s not all about the beauty in the snow I’m dreaming of

The beginning of the story is wonderful and great
But it’s the ending that can save you and that’s why we celebrate


It’s about the cross, It’s about my sin
It’s about how Jesus came to be born once
So that we could be born again
It’s about God’s love nailed to a tree
It’s about every drop of blood that flowed
From Him when it should’ve been me
It’s about the stone that was rolled away
So that you and I could have a life some day
It’s about the cross



This song is "It's About the Cross" on Go Fish's new Christmas Album Snow.

Written by Jamison J. Statema
© 2006 Found Free Music (ASCAP)
(Administered by Fun Attic Music)

www.GoFishGuys.com

Too Much Food Network

Our girls love cooking, and Food Network. They have learned a great deal about the science behind cooking from Alton Brown, how to cook quick simple meals from Rachel Ray, how to make great comfort food from Paula Deen, and what real Italian food is from Mario Batali, Giada De Laurentiis, and Michael Chiarello. It is not uncommon to hear "Alton said,...." or "That's not the way Paula does it." With many girls, I think it's great that they are learning from great chefs & cooks how prepare great food. I tell you all of this as a preface to a conversation I overheard last night.

Caroline to Hannah: "Have you ever had brie before?"

Hannah: "No."

Caroline: "I had a sample at Kroger one day. I liked it but, not the rind. Right after that I ate a sample of watermelon to get the taste out of my mouth."

Hannah: "Oh, you used it as a palate cleanser."

I didn't hear the rest of the conversation, because I went to tell Gene what I had just heard. A couple of thoughts hit me. First, how many 10 year olds even know what brie is...I know I didn't. Second, how many girls their age know what a palate cleanser is enough to discuss it. This is just a sample of the types of food conversations they have around our home.

Winter Ramblings

Today it is quite chilly here in Katy, TX. At nearly 11am, the temperature has only reached 35!! For South Texas...that's pretty cold. I do have to get out today, for just a few minutes, and I can promise, it will be quick!

Our cat, that we adopted on Halloween, is pregnant...and crazy. We are all praying that the kittens come quickly, and maybe this insanity will end!! She has taken to just wandering the house and yowling with an unearthly yowl. She sleeps in Lindsay's room, and Lindsay hasn't been getting much sleep because of the crazy cat. She takes to leaping onto the bed and yowling at Lindsay, then jumping back on the hope chest to look out the window again. She also loves a lot of rubbing & scratching right now. This is quite funny, and is providing us with a great deal of entertainment! She has a spot on her back near her tail and if you scratch her there, she does this funny crouch and then begins this odd growl...yes growl. If you stop, you may just get a good swat! I may make a movie of it to post, because it really is too funny.

Harmony with a crown...maybe this was a sign of things to come!?!



As you can see, dear sweet Lindsay has created a new layout for my blog. Right now she is working on several big programming projects, one of them being our family website. We hope to have that up and running in very short order. I will post the link for it, when it's completed.

The girls and I have designed and are creating some Christmas crafts. One of them being our tree topper, and the others include a centerpiece, a wreath, and some ornaments. Many of these will incorporate the pinecones the girls collected last month. We will take many pictures so that we can post them with instructions. I hope they will turn out as well in reality as they do in my mind.

We are going to be making some Christmas goodies over the next week; I'll post recipes and pictures as we make them. I also plan on making the Gingersnap Sweet Potatoes. I will measure my ingredients and write them down as I go...I may even take pictures.

This weekend will be a busy one for us, with lots of projects in the works and a couple of extra activities.

I hope and pray that things are going well in your home as you prepare for the holidays!

Ginger Snap Sweet Potatoes

Let me begin this by re-stating that I do not cook in a normal way. I hardly ever use recipes. I think one of my New Year's resolutions should be to write everything down when I create a recipe(which I do quite a lot). I usually cook by smell & taste. I made my sweet potatoes with canned potatoes that I mashed, but you could use fresh and just bake or boil them first.

To the mashed sweet potatoes I added, cinnamon, ginger, & cloves. The ratio is about two to one, for instance if you add a teaspoon of cinnamon, add 1/2 a tsp each of ginger & cloves. To the potatoes and spices I added melted butter, about 1/2 a stick. Though you may need more if they are fresh. I then got a whole bunch(don't ya love the exact measurement) of ginger snaps and put them in the food processor until finely ground. I put about half of the sweet potato mixture in the casserole dish with 1/2 the ginger snaps sprinkled on top. After that put in the rest of the sweet potatoes. Melt a stick of butter and mix it with the remaining ginger snaps. Put this on top of the sweet potatoes and bake uncovered at 350 until the top becomes crunchy.

The next time I make these, I will write down what I do. Sorry I can't give you more exact details than this.

Editor's note: I forgot to add that when I am mixing in the spices, I add about 1/2 cup of brown sugar.