Your Secret Name Read Along, Week 1

I am joining Marla Taviano over at her blog for a book study of Kary Oberbrunner's Your Secret Name.  Every Tuesday, we'll be discussing a couple of chapters from this wonderful book.  And, yes, I know I'm a little late this week, but Joshua has been sick, and I've not been able to put him down long enough to get two thoughts together, never mind compose and type a complete blog post...  *sigh*  But I digress...  This week,  we read the Introduction, and the first two chapters.  Here are a few of my thoughts so far...

I have grown up with many names... My birth name, for sure, but also many other Given Names, as Kary Oberbrunner calls them.  Unloveable, Forgotten, Unimportant, Not-Quite-Good-Enough...  The list is long and unimpressive.  These names can define me, if I let them, which I oh-so-often do, or they can wither away in the light of our true name, the Secret Name by which God calls us.  For many of us, we go our whole lives without learning that special name God has for us, and we lose out on the freedom and power that the gift of a Name brings.  We become a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts, growing into that by which we are known.  Once we can still ourselves and learn to listen, and to accept, the new, Secret Name that God has for each of us, we can begin to throw off all those things that were holding us back from becoming who God created us to be.

This all sounds great, right?  Then, why is it just a little daunting to seek to discover that name for which we were born?  Could it be that it's just a little safer to stay with that which we know, those names which we wear like a faded t shirt or worn jeans, which are comfortable but ill-fitting? Why are we afraid to shed the rags and don the wedding clothes?  Because it is to a Feast that we are called, is it not?  My prayer, as I wander though this book, is that I may come to the place where I throw off the rags of my Given Names, and embrace the beauty and Grace of God's Secret Name for me, as I set my eyes on the work he has for me to do, and on the Feast He has promised those who serve Him.

1000 Gifts for Today

So many wonderful gifts to share today...

• the first clean, white, ground-covering snow of the season
• crisp, clear, still, sparkling air
• superfans and silliness at high school basketball games
• visits with cousins
• the pure joy of a simple BIG hill and new snow
• making birthday cake - from scratch
• the gift, 16 years ago, of becoming a mother to one of the most amazing girls in the world
• the warm, inviting scent of Indian food simmering on the stove
• letting go of *my* ideas of a perfect day and letting it happen
• being stunned and awe-struck by the beauty and complexity of my children

One Last Christmas

Sometimes, it isn't about the presents at all.  It's about Love.  And community.  And about celebrating Life.

This is a must-see video.  Just make sure you have tissues handy.  Matthew West, one of my favorite contemporary Christian artists, wrote this song in honor of a family who lost their little boy too soon, and the gift that his community gave to him just before he went to play with Jesus.



It is in moments like this that the Christmas miracle interweaves itself with Easter's joy.  The coming of the Babe that came to give his life, who came to redeem the suffering, the pure wrongness of the death of a child.  This little boy shouldn't have died.  It wasn't meant to be that way.  This certainly isn't what God intended for his parents.  But the gift of that baby in the manger reminds us that God so loved the world...  After all, He knows the heartbreaking soul-ache of this kind of loss.  And He gave His Son so that we might live, and so that, one day, these parents might be re-united with their child, and the world will be made new again.

So, as we celebrate the Miracle this year, let us all take time to ponder the Sacrifice, and be thankful, joyful, and overwhelmed by Grace.

And There You Go...

I made it.  I did it.  I completed 30 posts in 30 days, thus concluding another year's NaBloPoMo.  I hope to continue posting fairly regularly in the days to come, even though the festivities have concluded.  I must say that I have enjoyed the ride this year, although I didn't get the opportunity to post some of the things I had wanted to.  Too much craziness around here...  But that means that I still have some things to share, so I hope you will continue to read.

Thank you so much for playing along.  I have enjoyed it.  So stick around...  I promise to keep writing.  And, hopefully, I'll have something interesting to say, once in a while.

Thanks for reading.  I appreciate each and every one of you.  Even if there's just ONE of you.  So, come back tomorrow.  I'll still be here.

More 1000 Gifts

• a five-year-old who LOVES to vacuum with the borrowed Dyson
• a feast of abundance and thanks
• leftover pie
• homemade whipped cream
• the warm, savory scent of turkey stock simmering on the stove
• "gravy planes" and other assorted silliness
• grown-up talks with daughters
• the expressions of baby's first tastes of food
• anticipation of he season's first snowfall
• planning for Christmas baking
• planning for Christmas presents
• reflecting on the meaning of Christmas
• being thankful for Grace

Celebrate the Season - Advent Begins

Today marks the first Sunday of Advent, the four weeks leading up to Christmas.  It is a time of preparation, a time of waiting, when we quiet our hearts and await the coming of the Christ Child.  We contemplate the sacrifice, the gift, of Love that was poured out for us that first Christmas morning so many years ago.

And, this year, I would like to share something wonderful with you - something I hope will bless you in a special way.  Ann of A Holy Experience has graciously shared a labor of love for this season.  Please, PLEASE, visit her blog and download a copy of her Jesse Tree Advent Devotional.  It is meant to be a family activity, leading up to and preparing the way for us to celebrate the coming of the Baby Jesus.  Ann's grace-filled words and gentle meditations will bless you and your family as you journey through these chaotic few weeks, and hr devotions will help your family remember the Reason for the Season.

Ann's blog has blessed me beyond words, encouraging, searching, and speaking to my heart.  She has a gift, and she is sharing it with us.  What a blessing she is!

So, please join me in this journey of hope and expectation.  And may your Advent be blessed!

Randomness for Saturday

Almost spaced posting today, so here is a bit of randomness to round out your weekend...

• It's nice to live where it gets cold enough to use your back porch as an additional refrigerator.
• It's not so nice when a child spies a critter attempting to nom the pumpkin pie.
• The hue and cry when children discover said critter is an adorable long-haired tortie is tremendous, and
• Certain of these children will beg to leave food out just in case the poor kitty is homeless.
• Heartless Daddy will inevitably veto this idea.
• Mommy will secretly hope that itty bitty cute kitty will return.
• I have eaten entirely too much food this weekend.
• My Advent Wreath is still in the basement.  *blush*
• I can't believe I'm almost done with another NaBloPoMo.
• I can't believe my first baby turns Sweet 16 one week from today...   *sniff*

And, on that note, I'll head off to bed...  Enjoy the rest of your weekend, dear reader!