Christmas Thanks

As the business of the holiday season is upon us, I'm so humbled by the sweet hearts of my Simply Grace sisters.  Tonight was the final night of the ATLAS Christmas Store that we volunteered to help run.  So many of you showed up during a VERY BUSY time of year.  You came to love and serve.  Thank you SO much.  It was a blessing for me to be able to watch each of you minister in a variety of ways.

Wednesday night we'll do our final Christmas time ministry activity when we pack and deliver grocery bags.  I'm SUPER Excited for this.  First because it was such a blessing to Mel and I last year.  Second, because so many of you are bringing your kids and having them help in ministering! 

I am so overjoyed to be a part of such a group of awesome ladies!  Love you all! 

Below is a you tube video that really speaks my heart about Christmas...  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tNyKzIABfk
 

Resurrection... Rolls.

As many of you know, we love to speak about keeping Christ in Christmas.  Thanks to the women at Hope Lutheran.  I had a great time with them this week sharing at their Christmas party and secret sister reveal.  (Which has been going for 40 years... Now that's a tradition!)  As I was reading blogs this morning, (yes, sitting here in my jammies, not having to hustle out and do the things that were planned because it's a blizzard here!! Hoot-hoot!)  I got a "new" idea for Christmas and thought I'd share it with you!  (wink-wink!) 

So... I recently joined a blog site called "She cooks" (http://www.shecooks.org/)  from LeAnn Rice at Proverbs 31.  Today on her post she had ideas for Christmas morning breakfast.  This is a receipe that I made for my family recently, but didn't know they were called this. 

I'm so excited for the Christmas season, but one of my passions is helping my kids (and some adults) learn to really celebrate why we have Christmas and that it is more than head knowledge, but becomes heart felt.  This is just another small tradition that we can share to help us remember...

He came as a baby, with a virgin birth.  That moment, a miracle.
However, an annointed baby - awesome, but a risen savior, now that's what it's about. 
He died on the cross for us...  again, what a price to pay. 
But.... the real reason, the real gift, the real everything...
Defeating satan and rising from the dead, so that we have ETERNAL life... 
That our sins and yuck could be forgiven
And we could one day join Him in His perfection. 


LeAnn’s Favorite Christmas Breakfast Idea


It may sound odd but I always make Resurrection Rolls for our Christmas breakfast. (I make them for Easter, too.) To me, on Christmas we celebrate the gift of Hope. Hope came to us wrapped in swaddling cloth. But He was born to die. Jesus died so that we may truly live. I remember this ultimate gift and ultimate sacrifice by making Resurrection Rolls for Christmas each year. They are easy to make and they provide a great opportunity to share the story of His resurrection with others. Here’s the recipe:

Resurrection Rolls

1 container large crescent roll dough (not the regular size – they won’t work)
½ stick butter, melted
8 large marshmallows
Cinnamon sugar mixture (purchase the mix or combine 1 teaspoon cinnamon for every tablespoon of sugar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Separate the dough triangles. (This represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in.)
Take a marshmallow. (This represents Jesus.)
Dip the marshmallow in melted butter and roll to coat. (This represents the oils of embalming.)
Dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and coat evenly. (This represents the spices used to anoint His body.)
Wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll to seal the marshmallow inside. (This represents the wrapping of Jesus’ body after death.)
Place on a cookie sheet and place in the preheated oven for the length of time indicated on the crescent roll package. (The oven represents the tomb.)

When the rolls have cooked and cooled slightly, bite into the rolls and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN! (The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty!)

These rolls are not only a delicious Christmas breakfast, they are another opportunity to give praise and thanks for the ultimate Christmas present. Serve them with some fresh fruit and hot chocolate.

It's beginning to look ALOT like Christmas???

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas! 

OK - well.... maybe not technically yet, but....

We are making some plans to show love!  We've been approached by ATLAS to help in ministry!  They are going to ask for donations for a Christmas store...

What is a Christmas store???  Well, each year, the community pours love into the hurting.  ATLAS gets several calls of how people may be able to help others enjoy Christmas.  SO...  this is one solution.  They can donate new items (ATLAS staff will give them some approximate ages so everything isn't for a 5 year old, etc:-) And 4 times in the month of December, the store will be open to "sell" these items.  (At like - garage sale prices!) 

If you've ever been in need, you know their is a certain amount of pride and dignity that comes from knowing that you were able to pay something for what you needed.  We totally respect that, and want to be honoring to those receiving and to those whose hearts are so pure in giving. 

ATLAS clients will be given "coupons" to come and shop for their family. 

Where does Simply Grace come in???  Well.... we're going to run the store.  Help them shop, check them out, and gift wrap it for them.  (I promise Christmas Music playing too!) 

If you would like to help on a Monday evening in December from 4:30 - 7, just post a comment and I'll get you written in! 

We're also doing grocery "random" drops this year.  If you want to donate or help "drop" let me know! 

Busy, busy, busy...

Wow - are there things happening!  We are feeling God moving and working the ministry.  Where do I begin...

Let's see -

Simple Talk - we are just beginning a new study called Becoming More than a Good Bible Study Girl.  This is a book/DVD series from Lysa TerKeurst, who is speaking for the Compel Women's Conference that I (Jen) will be leading this year.  We will then travel to South Sioux City as a group to see her in January.  Ooohhh... fun, fun, fun!

All Kids Can - we've been busy helping kids....  Dance, football shoes, physicals, etc.  We're in the process of seeking donations, and.... We're starting an NEW EXCITING PROGRAM.  We will be holding a meeting to match 7-12th graders with an adult mentor.  The mentor will meet with them weekly!  We're super excited!!!  Sept 23rd at the middle school at 7pm!  Come check us out!!!!

Communtiy Unity Meal - We had our first meal in August and had 125.  We're prepping for our September meal on Sept. 9 from 6 - 7:30.  Join us and meet some new folks!!! 

Please join us in prayer for each of the ministries and the lives we are trying to reach!  Work through us to be your hands and feet!!! 

A devo from Niki

So, I have a post from Niki... who is our prayer warrior... ENJOY!!! 


Be humble

Psalm 145:14: The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.



Be humble. This is something God told me awhile back. Be Holy, be humble, be helpful. The Holy part is earlier verses of Psalm 145 and now verse 14 is the humble part. It is so hard to be humble. I hear the kids argue over who is to blame for something and no one chooses to just stop the chatter and say sorry. Repentence, forgiveness. Prayer. For me, the ultimate expression of humility is prayer. To pray means to yield my thoughts to the Lord, to reveal my inner self and my agenda and my frailty. To pray means to not proudly assume I can handle it, but to willingly say, "God, you handle it. You do a better job". It is in prayer that I can beseech the Holy Spirit to change me, to prune me, to transform me. It is in prayer that I can stop the chatter in my head and say sorry, to repent and be forgiven. I don't know how else to practice being humble. It is not in my nature to be humble so only when I am bowed down am I rightly positioned before God. He can't lift me up or hold me if I am not bowed down. He wants to hold me up when I fall. He promises to hold me up when I am bowed down, on my knees, humbled before his might and power.



God's enemy is satan and his great separation from the Lord was pride. He wanted to be equal to God. I don't want to share the same great separation from the Lord. I loathe my pride. I loathe it in others, especially my children and family. I will fight pride every time I taste it and I only know how to do that in prayer. My horizontal words barely scratch the surface of it, but my vertical ones, heard by the Holy, magestic, God and King who is worthy of my praise....God will work it out in me, to be humble.



“Father God, may be fall on our knees in prayer and humility and be filled with you so that we can be holy, and be humble and then be helpful. Position us to be used by you.”

We're still here!

Hello All! It's been a bit, but lots has been happening! We're in the final stages of obtaining IRS 501(c)3 status! Whew!

Also, All Kids Can and Simple Talk have been going strong... In addition, the speaking ministry (yet to be named!) has been moving forward.

First, All Kids Can. We've helped several kids this year so far. 2 in dance, 2 with glasses, 1 in hockey, 1 with football for Fall 2010... Mel talks frequently about the e-mails she receives and the testimony of God's love that this ministry is not only to these kids, but to their entire family. Praise God we've been blessed with the funds for this ministry to date. We are planning a float for the Sioux Center Summer Celebration! Be sure to look for us!

Simple Talk is a new Noon Hour bible study that has been meeting the first Monday of every month since the first of the year. We typically have 15 -2o women who meet and discuss and fellowship. Check us out at the Sioux Center Library the first Monday of the month at Noon!

And speaking.... well, Jen has been out and about. Twice at Landsmere Ridge, The Sunnybrook Women's Retreat, Village Northwest (Which was the favorite!) and the Bridge Women's Conference. Each time God has blessed with the words to say, and the right people in my path! Still trying to figure out what to call this portion. I've just been going under Simply Grace. Which may be how it stays... Any feedback???

Last week, we had the opportunity to do a run of flowers again. 5 ladies who came to our hearts were hand delivered some gerber daisies! Let us know if you know of someone who could use a little "pick me up"

Finally, prayer. (Saved the best for last) Niki has been praying for many. If you have a request let us know. We ask that you life up Judy Netten and her family. Makayla Smith, 4 year old daughter of Darin & Krista Smith, is her granddaughter and has been diagnosed with cancer and is starting treatment this week. Judy was with me for a session at the Bridge Conference and was a blessing. Please pray for each of them and for a Makayla Miracle!

So.... things are getting busy. What's up? Well, we are planning a Grocery Sac drop for Christmas. Trying to get the night nailed down, but likely next Tuesday we'll put together 20 or so grocery sacks and deliver to addresses we feel their may be a need at. I'm praying this will be God led and will light or spark someone to move forward in their walk.

We are also getting ready for Simple Talk - the first Monday at noon in January. The first ad ran this week, and we're hoping for several to sign up to join us!

All Kids Can is getting some good sporting good donations. We are also at a point where we can sponsor a couple of more if they come to us!

We also recently did an interview with the Northwest Iowa Review. Not sure when the article will run, but hoping the highlight the ministry well.

So, enough of the technical updates. I want an update on how each of you are doing spritually as you prepare for Christmas. I challenge you this weekend to not get so lost in the presents and the wrapping and the parties that you forget about Jesus. Find some quiet time to reflect on Him this weekend. Really pray about the season and the start of the celebration of his rising from the grave.

We love each of you and pray that your holiday may draw you closer to our God.