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Welcome!
Let's talk...
Step back in time, just a little, to when gathering on the porch to chat was a tranquil way to spend an afternoon.
Hello Autumn!
Thanks for the kind feedback! I'm so glad you're here!
Have You Heard the Story?
It Was Written for YOU!
In a Humble Town
The whole story can be found in Luke Chapter 2. I encourage you to read it if you never have, or even if you've read it a hundred times! Here is the setting for the birth of the Savior of the world, the King of kings and Lord of lords. This is the reason for Christmas.
The Glorious Birth of Jesus
Most of you know how the story goes. Not in a clean, sterile hospital room or a comfortable room with controlled temperature settings, but in a stable. We can all learn from the humility of Jesus. Mary and Joseph knew the treasure they beheld, God's beloved son!
The Angels Rejoiced!
There's no other way to describe it but to quote it: "Suddenly a great army of heaven's angels appeared...singing praises to God 'Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!'"
So there you have the shortest, quickest summary of the birth of our Lord, but please do read it for yourself!! It was written for YOU!
PORCH TIME ~ NO AGENDA
Porch Therapy Now in Session
Christmas is the best time to move porch time indoors, especially if you live in a colder climate. Remember, you guys, that the essence of porch time is simply a gathering with those you care about. It can be playing a game, sitting by a roaring fire, breaking bread together, or just drinking hot cocoa with someone who needs a little encouragement. The possibilities of porch time extend well beyond the porch so, friends, don't let the cold be the end of your porch time! Whether you gather in your home, garage, or barn, it's about the people more than the space.
Remember this especially at Christmas. Everyone has a need to belong. For some, this can be a lonely and even sad season. What better time to reach out to them and show some kindness? You may be surprised who is longing for an invite. Even if you've never physically been on my porch, you're on my porch right now as you read this, and you belong here!
PORCH DECOR
The Changing of the Porches
As I change out my porch decor for the season, I'm reminded of the reason. It's truly not just for aesthetic purposes, although I do love a welcoming porch that gives you a hug as you approach. The changing of the porch is an invitation that extends to faithful friends, family, and followers of Jesus. It is welcome to anyone, especially my tribe. I'm a fierce warrior when it comes to my tribe.
My prayer is that each of you have a tribe. Maybe you're blessed to have more than one tribe! Maybe your tribe is of a few or of many. They come in all shapes and sizes, but I'll tell you this: none are perfect. You need to hear this especially as holidays approach with visions of perfect looking, happy, laughing families seated around a Rockwell table. Even the dogs and babies are perfectly behaved and not a single mistake has been made in the kitchen. What makes a good tribe is vulnerable, real, authentic relationships. We might be more different than night and day, but we have one thing in common: our love for Jesus. Beloved, tribes are full of quirks, personalities, disappointments, victories, and ouchies. But with all that, we're also full of faith, hope, and love. We laugh, cry, mourn, celebrate, and pray - a lot. "Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn." Romans 12:15
Whatever your tribe looks like, be relational, encourage one another, share life-giving fellowship, and slap a band-aid on that ouchie. Because we all need an invitation.
The Magi
Gold
Frankincense
Frankincense
The wise men traveled long and far to see the Christ child and brought with them no ordinary gifts, but rather presented the very best.
Frankincense
Frankincense
Frankincense
Ok, so gold is pretty obvious, but what is frankincense you might ask? It is an aromatic gum resin and was used as incense and in perfumes (and is actually making a comeback).
Myrrh
Frankincense
Myrrh
Myrrh was another precious gift similar to frankincense used in perfume, incense, and medicinal preparations. The gifts they brought were graciously received and welcomed!
A Time of Giving
A Word About Gifts
If you've been reading my website a while, chances are you've heard my spiel about gifts, but my website, my soapbox. I'm kidding....sort of. I'm not going to tell you not to give presents at Christmas, so just exhale my friends. God loves a cheerful giver (Matthew 2:11). So yeah, give presents at Christmas! Be generous! The wise men did! In fact, 1 Tim 5:8 says we should think first of our family and household! So kill the guilt.
I will say this though. Presents should not be the main point of Christmas. And for sure, our culture goes wayyy overboard with presents at Christmas.
No argument there.
If you're stressed out shopping, maybe rethink or redirect your gift giving. Maybe, just maybe, you're overdoing it. Does your list gets longer every year? I don't know, I'm not an expert on this, but I believe God is pleased with gifts from our heart more than those from our pocketbook. Generosity doesn't have anything to do with the number of gifts or the cost spent. Shall I retype that sentence again?
Remember those adorable coupon books that children make? "This coupon is good for one back rub." There's something to be said about that. Maybe we should stretch our creative minds more than our budget. Presents can be an experience like a trip to the park, a song for those of you musically talented, a watercolor or drawing, a story or a poem. Get the idea?
When thinking about presents, tap into your love language! Every love language is different, and they're all equally valid. They reveal how you show and receive love. There are 5 love languages: time (free babysitting for parents), words of affirmation (a thoughtful letter), touch (that coupon for a back rub), service (a chore for the elderly), and last but not least, gift giving. Yes, it's a valid thing! Not only is it valid, it was modeled for us in Scripture!
One year when our boys were still school aged, we were particularly strapped for cash. We decided to establish a $10 limit, and I'm telling you we had some of the most creative, heartfelt gifts ever! We received picture frames with family photos, letters, dollar store items, candy, homemade items, and a very special poem that my son, Taylor, wrote for the family. This poem later became a published book entitled, The Little Boy and the Christmas Tale.
It was one of the most memorable Christmases of all.
Now, when you're on the receiving end........so much to say, so much my grandma would have said. First off, when you exchange gifts with someone who has clearly spent far more than you spent on their gift, smile and say thank you. Period. Your gift was from the heart, as was theirs. Their gift wasn't better and yours wasn't worse because of the amount spent. The same rule applies if you spent more than what was spent on you. Same is true if you give a gift, and one is not returned, or vice versa. Guilt should not play a part in gift giving people!
Because our culture has gone so overboard with presents, some people have swung their pendulums to the opposite extreme where they almost want no gift exchanging at all. To that end, I am cautious of either extreme. I think there are such valuable lessons in gift giving, especially at Christmas. We have the gift of the birth of Jesus, the gift of our Savior, the gift of salvation, the gifts that the wise men brought, how to be a generous and thoughtful giver, how to be a gracious receiver, and so many more. I think a really important "grown-up" lesson is to
validate (and respect) that even though gift giving may not be your love language, it may be someone else's! Don't dismiss the value of gift giving. Imagine for a minute if your love language is words of affirmation, and you hand wrote someone a letter only to have them crumple it up in front of you and throw it away. This is exactly the same thing. Please don't set up so many restrictions and parameters that you take the joy away from the gift giver.
Finally, be a gracious receiver! If someone loves you enough to give you a gift, show unbridled gratitude. Do a jig, jump up and down, let that inner child out! Believe me when I say the giver is being blessed so do not rob them of that blessing! The best thank you a gift giver could get is to see your absolute enjoyment of their thoughtfulness, and to see their gift to you being used and appreciated by you. Wear that sweater, hang that picture, use those tools. This, too, is pleasing to God.
Breaking Bread
Come to the Table
Breaking bread, or sharing a meal, is one of life’s simple pleasures that also meets one of our most basic, fundamental needs. I encourage you to break bread with someone you care about this Christmas season. Share the love of Jesus with them around the table.
It doesn't even have to include the frenzy of cooking, but if you're all about that, hats off to you!! Maybe going out to relaxing dinner with a group of friends or catching up with an old friend is more your style. Who knows? Maybe even order in. Here's a secret: our small group Christmas party this year was so casual that it was just finger foods, and some of us wore pajamas!
There's something about taking a meal from mere sustenance to a celebration! Jesus modeled that in Scripture. Have you ever thought about how much we use food to celebrate? We almost cannot have a get-together without some form of food or drink. We so love to talk about food, share recipes, and post pictures of delicious dishes on social media!
Maybe this is why we feel so cared for when we receive an offering of food when we’re in need; it shares a burden and spreads love in a tangible way. There are people all around us just waiting for, needing, an invitation to break bread with us. May we never be too busy to see who might need an invitation to break bread at our table.
About ME
PASSIONATE ABOUT JESUS. LOVE MY FAMILY FIERCELY. DEVOTED FRIEND. BLESSED.
I hope you got it by now that I love the Lord, my family, my friends, and this amazing creation. So what else? I'm pretty simple really. God shifted my passion from children's ministry and called me to women's ministry. I was a teacher for about 20 years, and also taught Sunday school, Awana, & served as a camp counselor. I've had the privilege now for over 10 years to help with women's events, lead a ladies' Bible study with some amazing women, and co-lead a couples' life group with my husband. We live in the Midwest, have two married sons, two lovely daughters-in-love, and four beautiful grandsons!
Lest you think I have a picture-perfect life, I don't. I have had a 45 plus year history of complex orthopedic issues, 16 surgeries, chronic pain & fatigue, many serious and life-threatening medical diagnoses, and blood cancer with no cure. But God.... Have you noticed that life stories often have a "but God did this" scene? But God has showered me with iconic moments, times of celebration, acts of kindness bestowed upon me, and opportunities to bless others.
I'm sure you can say the same.
Whether you gather on the porch, in the house, in the yard, in the garage, on the driveway, or in the barn, "porch time" is about making memories and being intentional about passing along your faith. It's about the kind of legacy you will leave. What will define your next stage of life? I hope it actively involves pointing others to Jesus.
More about all that to come. Let's get to know each other.
~Guest Book~
If you've sat on my porch but don't see your name, use the contact link above so I can add you!
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Family
Dale Matthew Heather Lucas Elijah Noah Taylor Adrienne Milo Dolly Tom John Donna L Antoinette Suzanne Glen Liz Joshua Alexandria Kay Marge Marvin Gwen Dean Elise Raymond Sue Jesse Lorie John N Elmer Hannah Mac Angie Mary E Mark E Bob Jenny
Bible Study Gals
Donna Jackie Judy Joan Cindy H Gail Claudia Joanie
Denise T Denise C Shelly Diane J Susan Sherry Diane D Tracy Pat Debbie
Life Group Couples
Tom Sara Roberta Mike Stan Diane Norm Laurie Jeff Reba Cindy Jake Roger Kathy Tim Carol Cindy B Todd Forrest Sonia Trina Dale Cathy Tom
Special Beloved Friends
Kathy Tony Nancy Victoria Josiah Lincoln Vicki Ron Jennifer Sheldon Brigitte
Terri Trevor Deb Rhonda Tabitha Ron Lois Nicole Mark Donell Mav Kaylee Kendra Val Laurie Rhonda John L Tom Joanie Sue M Sharon Hugh Dianna Denise R Bonnie Phil Davis Brittany Tim Clara Tim K James Lynda Damon Jenny Matt R Jon R Michelle Pat Joe
In Memory Of
Darlene Johnson * Kris Hood