From Delaware to South Carolina and back to the Ville :)

What an interesting and incredible 2 weeks! I flew back to Delaware from Louisville on the 22nd, and after missing all of my connecting flights, I finally made it back late on Saturday night. I was so excited and blessed to be back at OBC on Sunday morning to worship with my Delaware Church Family! I especially enjoyed the Christmas Eve Service at OBC, and having my mom and Murray there made it even more special! I also had the privilege of creating a masterpiece gingerbread house with Miss Olivia Thompson on Christmas day, and enjoyed hanging out with so many different family and friends while I was in Delaware. I was sad to have missed a few people (klumbach's---if you're reading this I need your cell phone numbers--I never got them after the infamous cell phone incident of '07!) At any rate, I can't wait to come back to visit soon! I left on Friday and drove down to South Carolina (just south of Charlotte, NC) to visit my brother, sister-in-law and my niece and nephew. We celebrated Christmas with them, and played many fun games over the weekend (Wii, Scrabble, Cranium, Phase 10, etc). We had lots of fun, and I just happen to be the Scrabble champion of the family...I won't comment on the other games...

Here are just a few pictures of the past two weeks!
Jacob got baptized on the 23rd! This isn't the best picture, but I'm so excited for him, and wanted to commemorate the occasion on the blog! (thanks to Pastor Curtis and the OBC crew for postponing the baptism until Kristen and I could witness it in person!)

Sara, Kristen, Me, Lexi and Erin at Longwood Gardens. So pretty!

Me and My sister Adrienne with our matching t-shirts from mom: "My sister is the best sister in the whole universe" Thanks mom!


This is the Christmas pottery we use every year. A local artist in Delaware created this pottery, and my uncle used to buy us a new piece every year for Christmas. What fun!



While in South Carolina, we got to demolish the gingerbread house my brother and the kids made! Gingerbread houses are a Hinkson family tradition, and it was so much fun to get to be a part of a gingerbread house party again with the fam!




All in all, a great trip home! I can't wait to come back and visit soon!

And He Shall Be Called...

..."Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)

"There's a song in the air!
There's a star in the sky!
There's a mother's deep prayer,
and a baby's low cry!
And the star rains its fire
While the beautiful sing,
For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King!"

"A few years ago a striking Christmas card was published, with the title, "If Christ had not come." It was founded upon our Savior's words, "If I had not come." The card represented a clergyman falling into a short sleep in his study on Christmas morning and dreaming of a world into which Jesus had never come.

In his dream he found himself looking through his home, but there were no little stockings in the chimney corner, no Christmas bells or wreaths of holly, and no Christ to comfort, gladden, and save. He walked out on the public street, but there was no church with its spire pointing to heaven. He came back and sat down in his library, but every book about the Savior had disappeared.

A ring at the doorbell, and a messenger asked him to visit a poory dying mother. He hastened with the weeping child and as he reached the home he sat down and said, "I have something here that will comfort you." He opened his Bible to look for a familiar promise, but it ended at Malachi, and here was no gospel and no promise of hope and salvation, and he could only bow his head and weep with her in bitter despair.

Two days afterward he stood beside her coffin and conducted the funeral service, but there was no message of consolation, no word of a glorious resurrection, no open heaven, but only "dust to dust, ashes to ashes," and one long eternal farewell. He realized at length that "He had not come" and burst into tears and bitter weeping in his sorrowful dream.

Suddenly he woke with a start, and a great shout of joy and praise burst from his lips as he heard his choir singing in his church close by:

"O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold Him, born the King of Angels,
O come let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!"

Let us be glad and rejoice today, because "He HAS come." And let us remember the annunciation of the angel, "Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people, for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)

He comes to make His blessing flow,
Far as the curse is found.

May our hearts go out to the people in heathen lands who have no blessed Christmas day. "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send the portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared." (Nehemiah 8:10)

(From Streams in the Dessert by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman)

Mary, did you know?

This song has been coming to mind quite often this holiday season as I've been considering what it must have been like for Mary to carry the Savior of the world. How did people around her respond to her pregnancy? Did she tell them she was carrying the promised Messiah? Did she lay awake at night wondering what life would be like with God as her son? Did she ever doubt that He was the Messiah? Did she worry that she would be a "bad mom"? Was she scared of living the life God had called her to?

We can only imagine what went through Mary's head during those 9 months of pregnancy, and years of raising Jesus as her son.

Enjoy the lyrics below (Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant and Mary, Did You Know? by Mark Lowry), and be reminded yet again of the amazing miracle of Christmas--that God became man and dwelt among us!


Breath of Heaven

"I have traveled many moonless nights,
Cold and weary with a babe inside,
And I wonder what I've done.
Holy father you have come,
And chosen me now to carry your son.

I am waiting in a silent prayer.
I am frightened by the load I bear.
In a world as cold as stone,
Must I walk this path alone?
Be with me now.
Be with me now.

Breath of heaven,
Hold me together,
Be forever near me,
Breath of heaven.
Breath of heaven,
Lighten my darkness,
Pour over me your holiness,
For you are holy.
Breath of heaven.

Do you wonder as you watch my face,
If a wiser one should have had my place,
But I offer all I am"

Mary, Did You Know?

"Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know that your baby boy would give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.

Oh Mary did you know?
The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the mute will speak the praises of the Lamb.

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding is the great I AM."

Holiday Update :)

It's been awhile since I've updated, and lots has been happening. So, instead of writing about the last 2 weeks of life in Louisville (and TEXAS!), I thought I'd let the pictures do the talking...

Two Saturdays ago, the girls I nanny for had their first ever piano recital. Alyssa (Right) and Anna (Left) have practiced many long hours, and their work paid off!


With classes finished until the end of January, I decided to take a little road trip with Bekah (driver's seat) and Cassie (Passenger). Here they are toasting their Sonic Breakfast Burritos!


Bekah lives outside of Dallas, TX, so it only made sense to spend the weekend with the RENFREW'S!!! :)



While with the Renfrews, we visited the Dallas Arboretum, where we saw a real live cacao tree, and learned that Chocolate is good for you and doesn't cause cavities. I'm not sure where they got their information but I'll take it! Here are Scott and Ginger playing with the simulated Chocolate maker...


And since it's Christmastime, we just HAD to make some GINGERBREAD HOUSES!!! Another added bonus to the weekend was having Amanda Merritt sleepover on Friday, and dinner with the entire Merritt family on Saturday night. What a blessing to see TWO OBC families in TEXAS!!














And finally, last night I spent the night making a gingerbread house with the girls I nanny for (it was my Christmas present to them!) We made the "property" complete with a pond, an animal farm, a forest, snowmen, and a snowball fight! What fun!


It's been a great few weeks, and I am looking forward to Christmas in Delaware, the end of 2007 in South Carolina, and New Years in Louisville! In the midst of all the busyness, I pray that the true meaning of Christmas is not lost...Here's a song by Chris Rice to help remind us of the reason for the season...

"Welcome to Our World"

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You've been promised, we've been waiting

Welcome Holy Child
Welcome Holy Child

Hope that you don't mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long-awaited Holy Stranger
Make Yourself at home
Please make Yourself at home
Bring Your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking Heaven's silence

Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born
So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy

Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world

The Reason for the Season...

Only a few weeks left until we celebrate the birth of our Savior. It's so easy to get caught up in the cookie making and gift giving and miss the TRUE meaning of the season--God taking on human flesh and stepping down into humanity in order that we might come to know Him, trust in His saving grace, and find eternal life in Him. May your focus this Christmas season be on God's amazing love and grace!

Here's a quote from Louie Giglio to ponder...

"No one has ever had a true glimpse of God and not ended up closer to the floor. He is glorious and massive and radiant and holy and imposing and awe-inspiring and intimidating. Yet, God somehow wedged all that into a Bethlehem manger in Christ so He could wrap us in His arms. Sin continually and deceptively puffs us up, making us think we're larger than life, while shrinking our ability to live in the fullness of His."

GREAT DEAL!

Ok, friends. I ran across this and had to share... Currently, Hyatt Hotels is giving away FREE $10 gift cards to Starbucks, just for signing up for more information. Now, it could be that the amount of Spam is just not worth the free $10, however, if you're like me, you set up a junk mail email account that you use only for these kinds of promotions (free samples, newsletters, etc that you don't really want to see in your inbox. :) ) I just did it, and hope to receive my gift card in a month or two. I even used it to sign my mom up for one as well (which I'm hoping she'll graciously bestow on me when I tell her how thrifty and deal-savvy I am! (Though I will completely understand if she uses it for herself--she definitely deserves some free coffee!)

More later, but I wanted to pass along the deal while I was thinking about it! :)

The Beauty of Unobligated Moments

It's been a long time since I've actually had an entire day with absolutely no obligations. No work, no church functions, no school, or things that need to get done for school (reading, papers, tests, etc). An entire day of possibilities waiting to happen.

By nature, I'm a planner. I like to know what the agenda for the day is, and tend to pack my day as full as it can get (which isn't always a good thing...). To have an entire day with absolutely nothing planned is rare. So this morning, I started the day by spending a few extra moments in bed, basking in an alarm clock-free day (which never happens). After enjoying a moment of just "being", I made some delicious tea and settled into some precious time with the Lord. I am so grateful for time to seek the Lord apart from school assignments--it's so easy to allow assigned readings to replace personal quiet times when the semester gets busy, so this morning really served to edify my soul as I was able to spend some extended time simply enjoying God without glancing at my watch every 5 minutes.

After spending some time reading CJ Mahaney's book, The Cross Centered Life, (which I HIGHLY recommend!) I got some things done around the apartment, ran some errands, and then I met my friend Cassie at the gym--for the first time since before Thanksgiving. Suffice it to say, tomorrow will be painful. :)

For now, my friend Katherine is here and we're going to curl up with some hot chocolate and watch Elf--the perfect way to end this relaxing day :)

Here are some lyrics from a song by Keith and Kristyn Getty They are modern day hymn writers, and their new cd has been on repeat in our apartment for the past week! May these lyrics serve as a prayer that resonates in your heart! :)

"Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of Your Holy Word.
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us;
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness,
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
All Your purposes for Your glory.

Teach us, Lord, full obedience,
Holy reverence, true humility;
Test our thoughts and our attitudes
In the radiance of Your purity.
Cause our faith to rise; cause our eyes to see
Your majestic love and authority.
Words of pow'r that can never fail—
Let their truth prevail over unbelief.

Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us—
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time
That will echo down through eternity.
And by grace we'll stand on Your promises,
And by faith we'll walk as You walk with us.
Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory."

FINISHED!!

It's official...my second full semester at seminary is FINISHED! Praise the Lord!! In celebration of finishing, we went ICE SKATING last night! Despite "boot disease", I managed to make it around the rink injury free, and by the end of the night I had gotten pretty accustomed to the ice. In fact, I've decided that I'm quitting seminary and becoming an olympic figure skater...Beijing, here I come! :) (Ok...so...maybe my skills aren't quite olympic quality, but we'll definitely be returning for a repeat performance!)


Here we are on the ice. Valerie and Dana both go to my church. We managed to escape the ice arena without falling once, and by the end of the night we were able to hold a conversation while skating (a feat previously unattained!)