Chris and I volunteer at an afterschool tutoring program once a week for under resourced children in the community.  We help with tutoring and then lead a “large group” time that really felt like pure chaos last night!  The kids were incredibly wild and so we threw out the original lesson and spent the majority of the time singing, “Go Bananas–Go Go Bananas,” playing “Simon Says,” and other physical games which forced kids to move and get some energy out.  We finished with a mad-lib of “The Night Before Christmas.”  I think there was a mention of, “when what to my wondering eyes should appear but a furry sleigh and 42 tiny porcupines.”

 Literally the last 30 seconds of our time Chris together said, “I have something to tell you–this Christmas thing–there is a REALLY crazy story about it–not just the Santa stuff–but there is more–and it is CRAZY and we are going to talk about that next week!”  That was it.  Two girls came running up to me and said, “I think I know what the crazy story is about…Christmas is God’s birthday.”  Another boy said, “my mom reads to me from her Spanish Bible and it says that Christmas is about Jesus.”    

Yep.  It is.  

Why don’t we act like it?  Why do we get so hung up in the tree trimming, the party going, the present buying, and the turkey stuffing that we actually miss the simplicity and purity of the whole thing?

I don’t want to miss it!   The crazy story of God’s love.  The crazy story of a God who put skin on.  A God who wanted to relate and understand life, pain, friendship, betrayal, hope, laughter and love from our point of view.  Love came down because He would rather die than live without me (and you.)  I don’t want to miss the celebration of that crazy story.  

This Christmas I want to re-gift a gift that was given to me.  Ray Seigler was our mentor, friend, and employer throughout our 20s.  He sent Chris and I a set of readings so that we might be able to take a few moments each day of December to reflect on this crazy story and this crazy love.  I realized that the readings might be a gift to others–one that would be worth sharing!  Consider it an early Christmas present from me.  I pray that He might show up for you in December as you reflect on the meaning of this month.  I pray that it would be a sweet time, a slow time, and an intimate time…just you and Jesus. 

Here are Ray’s suggestions for your reading time:

Read one each day December 1st through Christmas Day.  If you miss a day, don’t make it up.  Just enjoy today’s reading.  

Set aside a time when you are most likely to be alert and paying attention.  Allow at least 15 minutes…some may want longer…it is up to you.

The whole point of the readings and setting aside time is to have a more personal encounter with Jesus this Christmas.  The readings lead us from the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus, through His birth, in to the comments of the Apostles about Him. 

Before you read, ask God to guide you, and to speak to you personally in your reading.  

Read through the passage once…then read through it again more slowly, maybe two or three times, to let it sink in.

Ask yourself:  

What does this say about Jesus?
About me?
About my relationship with Him?

Relax and enjoy…God wants to be with us more than we ever thought about wanting to be with him.  

December 
1  Isaiah 9:2-7
2  Isaiah 7:14
3  Isaiah 35:1-7
4  Isaiah 40:1-5
5  Isaiah 42: 1-18
6  Isaiah 53:1-12
7  Luke 1:26-33
8  Luke 1:34-38
9  Luke 1:39-45
10  Matthew 1:18-21
11  Matthew 1:22-25
12  Luke 2:1-7
13  Luke 2:8-14
14  Luke 2:15-20
15  Matthew 2: 1-12
16  Luke 2:21-32
17  John 1:1-5
18  John 1:6-13
19  John 1:14-18
20  1 John 1:1-4
21  1 John 1:5-10
22  1 John 4:7-11
23  1 Peter 2:21-35
24  Hebrews 1:1-4
25  Philippians 2-5-11

May You Be a Blessing and 
May You Have a Meaningful Month!

Jenni 

Be prepared to laugh and receive some “elf-spiration” once you watch Sprinkle and Dinkle get in the Christmas spirit! ** 

Friends have asked if they can still be involved in the Watoto Christmas project…and I HAVE THE ANSWER!  

Some donated boxes will likely contain “unauthorized” gifts*.  We will have to replace certain items in the boxes with other items.  

Enter YOU.  

This week I am going to be taking donations of gently used (or new) items that could help fill “incomplete” boxes.  

Have items to share?  Here is the general guidelines for what we are looking for and the age/gender breakdowns.  (I excluded the little ones–those boxes seem to come in complete and FULL…the older kids and moms are the ones who seem to need some assistance.)

• 11–16yrs: comic books, novels, board games, card games, jigsaw puzzles, hair clips, yo-yos
• 17yrs+: caps, designer T-shirts, watches, wallets, purses, novels, jewelry, lotions, nail polish
• Mums (widows/caretakers): lotions, body scents, scarves, shower gels, hand creams, journals, devotionals, jewelry, purse, nail polish 

I will be receiving donations through December 2nd.  

**

Thank you for being willing to consider sharing out of the overflow of what God has given you!  

Jenni and Laura Peters 
(attend West Cary?–Laura can give you more info as well!) 

There are many written and unwritten laws and lines that tell us how to behave and how not to behave.  Grafiti is  an illicit activity, one that is outside the bounds of the law.

Graffiti is often frowned upon.  This book celebrates graffiti and living outside the lines.  It tells stories of lives blending together to make beautiful art.  It does not stay within the bounds of the social  “law” or the four walls of your home.  It speaks of lives mingling with other lives and it all being quite messy.  It speaks of brokenness and of God’s redemption.

Graffiti:  Scribbles from Different Sides of the Street is a short read and for this week only a FREE read!  44 pages long with tales of two lives intertwined and how God makes us all wonderfully uncomfortable so that we can better know Him and his heart.  The holidays are a wonderful time to become inspired as to how you might share your life with another.  May Graffiti be the perfect catalyst for your journey!

For the next week this book will be FREE to those who click here:

http://www.graffitithebook.com/ 

May You Be a Blessing and May You Be Blessed! 

Jenni  

The SILENCE is being broken.

I am only going online for work purposes…and somewhere in between trying to honor and respect my “7” girls and also recognize that Greater work needs to be done I wanted to share with you the information about Watoto Christmas boxes this year!

Last week we began distributing Christmas boxes for the children of Watoto! (http://www.watoto.com/)   We have already had an overwhelming response!  The boxes are going to be filled with toys, games, books and other special items for ALL the children and moms of Watoto.   Because the people of Uganda speak English–the boxes can be filled with a personal letter from YOU!

Here is a link to more information!  

http://www.gethope.net/events/watoto-christmas-boxes-12-2

We have a few more boxes left at our Cary and Holly Springs campuses…so please grab yours this weekend…or email me and I will save you one!  (By the by, Chris is speaking this weekend in Holly Springs so it is a GREAT weekend to come visit us!)  

We are so very excited to share this opportunity…here’s a little more about our trip to Uganda!

May You Be a Blessing and May You Be Blessed!

Jenni

I have heard it said that you spell LOVE…T  I  M  E.    We invest our time in all that we love.  Our values reflect how we spend our time.  On paper I say that I value my relationship with God and my family first–but my quiet times and quality time with my kids tell a different story.  We often say we value our health but our time invested in exercise or shopping for healthy food do not reflect this reality.  We say that TV is not a priority but studies say we spend 5-8 hours a day watching it.  

Enter the uncomfortable book 7 that asks me to take a hard look at excess and the excess that comes in the form of MEDIA.  Which means…for the next 21 days we will be going radio silent.  As best we can…we are going to try to limit the crazy amount of “input” that enters our world.  

Did ya know…

How does one shift their mindset from victim to victor?  How does one endure a life of pain, persecution, and poverty and yet still seek to find hope for their future?

There is a human tenacity that we see time and again.  A person endures great hardship and survives what most of us find unthinkable conditions.  We are inspired.

There is another level that surpasses tenacity.  It is where a human not only survives…but their lives are filled with inexplicable joy and peace.  These people actually find forgiveness for their brutal attackers, they find comfort where there once was fear, they find hope for their future.   These people are my heroes.

In northern Uganda a major civil war took place and ended just 6 short years ago.  The war left the country with thousands of children who had once been abducted from their homes as child soldiers to return “home” and find a new life.  Unfortunately, many of those children were not accepted in their villages as they had committed murder.   Most of the girls had been brutally raped and had birthed children to their military “husbands” that had abused them.  These girls came home from the war with multiple children…children that they did not want or have the means to support.   Others came home with HIV and no skills as they had not been in school for many years, if ever.   Where does one go?  

Thankfully, God planted a vision in the hearts of Gary and Marilyn Skinner years and years ago to “care for the widows and orphans” of Uganda.  They began Watoto church in the 1970s and in the 90’s started children’s villages.   This vision has grown to multiple church campuses, 3 baby homes and 3 villages for orphans and displaced women who become mothers to these children.   They also have started an awesome ministry called Living Hope for women who have been estranged…their husband may have died of AIDS or they themselves were child soldiers.  Living Hope teaches women life skills, provides crisis counseling, and also teaches them certain trades like how to sew, make jewelry, and peanut butter.   Having read the stories of the Living Hope women in the book Return to Dignity I was anxiously awaiting our visit to this particular program.  I was blown away by what I experienced.  The first thing that happened when we got there was this:

Please listen and re-listen to the words they are singing.  My kids have asked me over and over to watch this video.  They said, “Mom this is the best video ever!”  They are inspired by children who are survivors in every sense of the word.  They are children who the world has forgotten or ignored…but God has great plans for their lives.  The best part is: they believe it’s true.   Their joy, contentment, and hope makes them my new heroes.  

May You Be a Blessing and May You Be Blessed!

Jenni

There is a place I’ve longed to go.

It is full of joy and sorrow.

This place that I have only seen in books, is a place where God seems to have His hooks.

It would appear that devastation and depravity are all one sees…

But I am convinced I will learn from these:

Not sure what the next 2 weeks will hold, but know I will learn much–as each day unfolds.

I am ready to be wrecked.  I don’t want to be the same.

I pray most of all that I will come home changed.

No blog for a little while…

Think of me and Africa…say a prayer…and smile.

May You Be a Blessing and May You Be Blessed.

Jenni