Tough Callings

God gave Mary a tough calling. 

Everything changed for her the day Gabriel showed up. But instead of resisting, questioning, or trying to gain more clarity, she responded with, 

"I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true."

She would be misunderstood, called a liar and a lunatic for claiming to carry God's son, and scorned by her neighbors. That first Christmas, there were no friends and family celebrating the birth of this most precious of babies. She would be alone. With her new husband. In a dirty, musty stable. The only ones who did show up at the baby shower were a group of ragtag outcasts that I'm sure scared the living daylights out of Mary as they rushed in to sneak a peak of her newborn baby. 

Mary would surely fluctuate between fist pumping pride and confused embarrassment over her son's actions throughout his life. She wrestled with her desires to conform him to what she thought he should be and do. This new way of life, this new way of thinking and living… it was a lot to take in. 

And then, Mary would suffer more deeply than any one else besides Jesus himself as she watched in horror while they tore apart her son's body. The agony and grief she endured… all because she was "highly favored". 

We honor her today. But her life was far from honored at the time. It was hard. 

I want to learn that same humble posture from Mary:

"I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true." 

• Even when Your plan for my life looks different than what I had planned. 
• Even when the road is tough and life isn't as fun as I was hoping. 
• Even when other routes seem more relaxing, more scenic, more enjoyable.

I don't want to fight against it. I'll choose to embrace it. Your plan is always best. You make all things beautiful. You are working all this together for my good and Your glory.

This is the lesson I'm learning this Christmas season. Mary is yelling through a megaphone to me today. Her words leap off the page and across the ages and pierce my heart. "So, Stacie, God just threw you a curve ball? So it seems you're life may look different than what you had planned? I get that. I've been there. And here's what I learned: you don't get to choose your God ordained assignment, but you get to choose how you respond to it. Are you going to receive it with open hands and a humble heart? Or will you stomp your feet and throw up your arms in frustration? Receive it, Stacie. Receive it as a gift. When you do, you have no idea the amazing things God will do through your life. Don't resist. Receive."

Thank you, Mary, for being the picture of humble obedience to God's will. You're giving me courage today.

"I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true."

An Advent Resource: finding meaning amidst the chaos

I had an unwanted moment of self-revelation recently… I have begun to dread Christmas.

Really? Ugh! I hate that.

Christmas was always one of my favorite and most meaningful holidays. I have a thousand wonderful Christmas memories from childhood. Candlelight services on Christmas eve. Giddy anticipation. Stockings first, yummy brunch, then presents. Christmas music in the background and the smell of cinnamon rolls lingering in the air.

But, now, things are different. Well, they're actually quite similar; it's just my role has changed. Now, I'm the one buying and wrapping all the presents. I'm the one setting out all the decorations. I'm hosting parties and making the cinnamon rolls and trying to plan fun Christmas activities for our kids.

And somewhere in the midst of making it magical for everyone else, I've lost the wonder of it all for myself.

The dominate emotion I feel is no longer anticipation of Christmas, but relief when Christmas is over. And that's sad to me.

I want to anticipate His coming. I want to remember what a desperate and hopeless predicament mankind was stuck in until that silent night when Hope was born. I want to feel my own desperate need for this baby who split time and swept away darkness and made a way for redemption.

My life is in all kinds of need for Him right now. Some times we feel that more than others, and I'll just be honest, I feel it deeply. I need Him to surprise me with His presence the way He surprised the shepherds. I need to ponder Him in my heart the way Mary did. I need to go to ridiculous lengths to find Him the way the Wisemen did. I don't want to miss Jesus this Christmas.

This is the season of Advent. Anticipating something great. The arrival of something so important and significant that it changes everything. Yes, I think that's exactly what I need right now.

Last year we started a new tradition that I loved but think we will continue to tweak. We did a "Jesse Tree" last year and told a different Bible story each night that led up to the coming of Jesus. I liked the concept a lot, but the thing I want to tweak are the selected stories and how they are told. My goal is to tell Bible stories that all link directly to our need for a coming Savior.

Andy found this Advent resource and so I think we'll start here…with God's perfect creation, how we messed it up, and how He paved a way back.

I'd love to hear ideas from your family: How do you keep things simple enough to enjoy Christmas and meaningful enough that you don't miss Jesus?

A Hollywood Themed Christmas Party

For the past 6 years, it has been my privilege and joy to host our South Bay staff Christmas Party. What started as a dinner for three families in our little apartment back in 2008 has grown into a full-scale event with a catered dinner, themed decor, and sixty people! This year topped the charts with our first ever costume party. 

Andy & I wanted our staff to know how much we love and appreciate each of them. They are heroes in our eyes and deserve to be honored and celebrated! So we came up with the idea of doing a Hollywood themed party and have a night to "Celebrate our South Bay Stars". 

We asked everyone to come dressed as a Hollywood star, past or present. We realized that coming up with a costume idea had the potential to be a little overwhelming, so to give people extra motivation and incentive, we included a huge prize! The person voted to have the Best Overall costume would win a one night trip for two to Hollywood! And, boy, did our staff deliver! We laughed until our stomachs hurt as people really got into character, both with their costumes and personalities.

I lucked out with some of the decor as there just happened to be someone on Craig's List selling all of her decorations from her Hollywood themed wedding! I bought from her the clapboards, film reels, ceramic popcorn containers, ostrich feathers & vases, and a few other odds and ends.

• Centerpieces: I taped together two pieces of black cardstock, cut and tri-folded them to be 5x7, and then affixed a black & white photograph of old Hollywood stars on each side. I placed it on top of a round mirror sprinkled with snow and a few tealights. For the finishing touch I put a small hurricane vase with a Christmas floral arrangement in the center of the tri-folded paper. 
• Name place cards: Purchased here. 
• Beaded curtains behind dessert table: Purchased here. 

We had our friends (and fellow South Bay-ers) from Whimsical Booth set up a Hollywood themed photo-op for us. The pictures were printed on what looked like film reels. So cute!

It is such a joy to give each staff child a present from South Bay and to tell them what a valuable part of the South Bay team they are. Always a highlight of the evening!

These adorable Hollywood stars were designed by my friend, Ashleigh. The children loved that they each had a star with their name on it! The walk of stars greeted everyone as they came in the room. 

Our food, which I sadly have no pictures of, was catered by Caterman Catering. They did a fantastic job. Jasmine Santa Cruz catered the yummiest mini dessert bar for us including creme brûlée, tiramisu, cake pops, banana pudding, peppermint brownies, pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing, and cookies! Incredible! I can neither confirm nor deny that I ate (at least) one of each!

As our stars arrived, they walked down the red carpet where paparazzi snapped their photos. 

The stars were greeted by our "Butler" who offered them something bubbly to drink.

After dinner, the kiddos went to play and watch a movie while we handed out mock-"Oscars" to the adults, played a few rounds of group charades (which was a riot!), and announced the winners of the costume competition.

It was nearly impossible to know who to vote for, but alas, the time had come for everyone to cast their ballots. The categories included: Best Overall (winner of grand prize trip to Hollywood), Best Couple, Most Creative, and Most Accurate Portrayal. Each of the other winners received gift cards for dinner and a movie.

And the winners are...

Best Couple: 

Tim & Jasmine Castagna who came as "The Artist", a black & white film

Most Creative: 

Vivian Dorflinger starring as "Effie" from Hunger Games

Most Accurate Portrayal:

Filipe Santos starring as Edward Cullen from Twilight

(Filipe was really creepy and didn't smile all night. He just stared deep into your eyes like he was thinking of how much he'd like to suck your blood!)

Best Overall:

Kendall Hibiske starring as Cruella Deville

(This picture does not even do justice to how good her costume was! She was hilarious...kept walking around saying in a very disturbing voice, "I'm looking for my puppies!" And then laughing a sinister laugh. She was too much!)

Christmas presents for the kiddos. Our first Christmas party we had 3 kids. This year we had 23! 

(Side note: I had all these presents bought, wrapped, and stored in my closet since October! Had to get things done before Karis was born!!!)

I love these crazy people and I am fiercely loyal to them. They lead with courage, serve in ways no one ever knows, and work tirelessly to advance the Kingdom! They are fun, anointed, passionate, and love Jesus with all their hearts. It is such an honor to be apart of a team like this!

Merry Christmas, Folks!

'Tis The Season

Well, it's official. Starbucks has declared that Christmas season is upon us, so here we go again!

Looking to do something meaningful this holiday season? I know I always am! The culture we live in has definitely high-jacked the true meaning of Christmas so I am constantly on the prowl for ways to remind my kids (AND myself!) what Christmas is all about.

Here are two great opportunities that your family may want to consider incorporating into your Christmas traditions this year:

Compassion International is an amazing ministry that Andy & I wholeheartedly support and believe in. Their mission is to "release children from poverty in Jesus name."

They have put together a Christmas gift catalog that allows us to donate various amounts of money toward a wide range of different projects. Some of the opportunities include:

• safe water for life for a child and family- $79
• equip a family with livestock- $280
• care for a babies medical needs for a year- $55
• provide garden seeds for an African family- $10
• give a child access to a safe playground- $35

There are a ton of different gifts available and you can even donate in honor of someone. That would be a really special present for one of your loved ones to open on Christmas morning...knowing that they were apart of helping a child in poverty! 

Click here to learn more and to give!

This one always sneaks up on me because the deadline is so early. Collection week for the boxes is November 12-19, so if you'd like to participate you gotta get a move on it! :-)

Operation Christmas Child is a wonderful program that provides a shoebox full of Christmas gifts to boys and girls living in poverty in 100 different countries. Samaritan's Purse is a Christian relief organization that shares the love of Jesus in tangible ways to people around the world in desperate need.

This is a really fun project where you can get your kids involved. I like to do a box for each of my children so, for example, Caedmon will help me pack a box for a 5-9 year old boy and Sammy will help me pack a box for a 2-4 year old boy. Then, we can follow our box online through the Samaritan's Purse website to see where our boxes end up!

Don't have time to go shopping, fill a box, and drop it off? No problem. They've also provided the option to build-a-box online!

Click here to learn more about Operation Christmas Child. Click here to find a drop-off location near you. 

'Tis the season...

...to LOVE like Jesus!

Gonna find out who's NAUGHTY or NICE...

Were there any other parents that found themselves using Santa as a bargaining chip for good behavior in December? I don't know how many times I sang, "You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout I'm telling you why..." I was ringing that bell for all it was worth!

So I had a really good laugh on Christmas morning at one of the (many) gifts my in-laws gave Caedmon & Sammy. These are my two favorite pics from Christmas morning...

Disclaimer: That is not an actual tear of sadness coming from Sammy's eye. Just drippy eyes as hopefully you can tell from the silly "sad" face he was trying to make! And, yes, I realize Caedmon's eyes are swollen. We don't know why but they do that often. Allergies, perhaps?

Bye, Bye Holiday Foods

Is anyone else glad that holiday eating is over at last?

I love, love, love all the holiday foods. And I don't do a lot to limit my intake of them during the holidays. But by the time the holidays are over, I always feel like a big peanut-butter ball myself!

That's why I equally look forward to getting rid of all the rich foods and bringing out the healthy ones. The last several years I have used the month of January to detox my body and focus myself spiritually. There is nothing at all wrong with feasting. It's Biblical, actually. But there needs to be a bookend. Feasting that lingers is gluttony (which translates into jeans that don't fit).

This year I am not doing an official "fast", but I am making two small (or HUGE) changes during the month of January that help me put a bookend on the holidays.

1. No desserts during the month of January (including but not limited to muffins, dessert breads, and the obvious...cookies, cakes, etc...)
2. I'm allowing myself one cup of tea each morning, and then only water to drink the rest of the day.

It's nothing too drastic or huge. But it's a small death to self as I am overly zealous about good dessert and I so enjoy a cold Diet Coke every day around lunch. Every time I deny myself these "goodies" I am reminded that, oh yeah, I can have self-control and food will not be my master.

Feasting and fasting...both can teach us so much about God and ourselves!

From Our Family to Yours...

May your Christmas be blessed with the presence of Jesus as we reflect on the most amazing gift ever given to mankind. I'll be back to blogging in the New Year. 

South Bay Staff Christmas Party

It is my joy, once a year, to get to host the South Bay Staff Christmas Party. I don't want them to have to plan their own party or think about anything but getting there. This is my chance to show them how much Andy & I love and appreciate them.

I feel so blessed to get to serve along side people who we truly love and enjoy. 

We had a great time and shared many-a-laughs that night. A couple people threw in some really funny gifts for our gift exchange. Andy and I came home with quite the risque board game called Tantric Love (which Andy is convinced we are going to play)!

The kids had fun too as we had some special activities planned for them. The highlight of my evening was probably watching all the kiddos open their gifts that South Bay had purchased for them (& I got to pick out!). They were so happy and having such a blast playing together. We want each of those precious children to grow up knowing that they are a valuable part of this team!

Here are a few snapshots of our evening...

An [awkward] Christmas Greeting

If you live in the Bay Area, we would LOVE for you to join us this Christmas Eve as we celebrate the birth of Jesus!

Here's the details:
WHEN: Saturday, December 24th at 4:30 & 6:30 PM
WHERE: The Marriot @ 2700 Mission College Blvd, Santa Clara

Click here to get your free tickets. (Those with tickets will get priority seating.)

And here's your personal invitation from South Bay's very sophisticated pastors: 

Ahhh... aren't you just so proud to call those men your pastors?!

 They make me laugh. 

Christmas Presents & Kids

Most parents struggle with knowing what is the appropriate amount of presents to get for their children on Christmas.

• We don't want to be Scrooge, but we don't want them to think Christmas is all about the presents. 
• We are excited to see their excitement, but we don't want to create spoiled brats or unrealistic expectations. 
• We feel embarrassed when we hear our friends are getting their kids a much nicer gift than we are, but we feel guilty when we realize that we're getting our kids a much nicer gift than another family. 

I remember walking through Toys-R-Us last Christmas almost disgusted over the idea of getting more STUFF that they don't need and probably won't even play with in 2 months. 

It good for every family to come up with some type of plan that works for them. A little structure to help them make decisions for what's appropriate to do for their kids for Christmas. 

Some people set a dollar amount to limit their spending...so their kids might get one bigger present or 5 smaller ones, but the amount of money stays the same.

I have another friend who does 3 gifts per child per Christmas.

The latest idea that I heard (which I really like) is getting each child:

• Something you want
• Something you need
• Something to wear
• Something to read

What guidelines do you use to help you not get "The Crazies" when it comes to shopping for your kids?

Gingerbread Men Recipe

I found a great recipe for Gingerbread Men that I wanted to share. Unfortunately, all of my gingerbread men got eaten before I remembered to take a picture, but they turned out really cute AND were yummy (unlike a lot of gingerbread men I've tasted). They are a little "spicy" and chewy instead of dry and hard. I used brown M&Ms for his eyes, green and red M&Ms for buttons, and red icing for a little flair on his arms and legs. Even my picky eater, Caedmon, loved them!

Enjoy!!

Eileen's Spicy Gingerbread Men- Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 egg yolk

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until smooth. Stir in molasses and egg yolk. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; blend into the molasses mixture until smooth. Cover, and chill for at least one hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes (depending on the size cookie cutter that you use) in the preheated oven, until firm. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. Frost or decorate when cool.

Still Alive...and Coming Up For Air!

Every year about this time, no matter how hard I fight against it, I seem to take an unintentional Sabbatical from blogging. I wish I could say it was because I am taking this time to really focus on Jesus, to be still and quiet before Him as we remember and celebrate His birth. But alas, I have just been trying to stay afloat through the busyness of this month. I am typically the "early to bed, early to rise" type, but late nights have become my specialty as of late.

Anyone else out there been stuck in the spirit of, "Go! Go! Go! Merry Christmas!"

This week I went to the post office to ship 30 (THIRTY!) packages and about 120 letters. I'm pretty sure the only reason I didn't get cussed out by the long line of people behind me is because I had an adorable little Ethiopian boy dancing around, playing with his train, and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. (Way to go, Sammy!)

But, I think I am (finally) about finished. Just a few minor details remain and the heavy weight of preparations that had to be made has been lifted. I have definitely been more of a Martha than a Mary this month, and I'm ready to make the switch. (Luke 10:38-42)

Leave me a comment to let me know one thing you do to help yourself stay focused on Jesus and keep a quiet heart during this season.

The Minivan Express

I came across the coolest Christmas idea on this blog and had to pass it along to you!

Most of you are familiar with the children's book/movie The Polar Express, right? Well, this activity allows you to bring the book to life for your kiddos!

There are several different parts to the activity that can obviously be modified to fit your needs. So feel free to pick & choose to make it your own!

First step, make a Rudolf cup with your kiddos. All the steps are right here, but the finished product can look something like this:

2nd, click here to download some of these Golden Tickets.

3rd, research where there are some good Christmas lights in your area. In the South Bay area, Vasona Park in Los Gatos has a great display. Click here for more info.

4th, either read the book to your kiddos, watch the movie together, or take them to the Barnes & Noble story time this Friday, December 9 at 7 PM to be apart of the special reading of this book. Most Barnes & Noble's nationwide are participating in this event, I believe. (Unfortunately, Andy & I already have plans and won't be able to take the kiddos to the story time, but we'll read the book at home on a different night.)

5th, get your kids all ready for bed just like you would any other normal night. As they climb into bed, however, they will discover their Golden Ticket that you have snuck in there!! They are getting to go on an adventure!!

While one spouse "puts the kiddos to bed" the other spouse should be popping popcorn (to be placed in the Rudolf cups) and making hot chocolate (I'm putting our hot chocolate in sippy cups so as not to spill). Have the popcorn and hot chocolate waiting for them in The Minivan Express!

6th, As the kids climb in The Minivan Express, have the conductor punch the ticket and then enjoy a fun evening of viewing Christmas lights together as a family!

Please leave a comment to let me know if you do this with your family. I'm sure I'll post pictures later whenever we do this with ours!