Christmas Party Blessings

Matthew 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.


The tables are set and we await our guests as we come together to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.... (Click on any pic to enlarge for a better view)



Richard and I always enjoy hosting our annual "Couples Christmas Party" which this year included inviting 8 couples to our home. This year we were privileged to have our new pastor and co-pastor and their wives attend as our very special guests. We have grown to love Dr. Neal and Tracy and Dr. Lloyd and Karen. (I don't use last names on my blog.) In addition, the following couples came: John and Jeanette, Jeff and Sandra, Ed and Arda, James and Ann, Jerry and Peggy, and Larry and Margie. With Richard and me, there were 9 couples so we had 3 tables set to accommodate 3 couples at each. The ladies helped with the meal so we had delicious food and precious fellowship. Richard and I can only hope that our friends enjoyed it half as much as we did. Here are some pics from our party which was held on Sunday night, December 9.

Ed and Arda are the first to arrive. Here comes Arda with her tray of veggies and dip.


Jeanette and Karen visiting.


Fellowshipping during dinner...


We played a Christmas Carol game and then shared around the circle...




Our friends graciously posed for pics...



Merry Christmas from Richard and Susan!

The Place, The People, and The Purpose

Isaiah 61:11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.


It was a wonderful time at the Ladies Retreat on Friday night and Saturday. I'd like to share with you the Three P's of how God worked in my heart.

The Place..... The retreat was held at The Palms of Destin Resort. It was a beautiful condo with lots of amenities. It was quiet and serene and afforded us a wonderful atmosphere for drawing closer to the Lord.

The People... About 100 ladies from our church attended the Retreat. There were girls just out of college up to ladies in their 70's with the majoring of ladies being the young set in their 30's and 40's. I enjoyed seeing so many ladies whom I know and then meeting and making some new acquaintances during the retreat. It was a blessing to hear our guest speaker, Debbie Morris as well as our own church member Dee P. Tracy, our pastor's wife, did an excellent job of emceeing the retreat. The ladies who led the singing, played the keyboard, and sang specials were all used of God to draw my heart closer to Him. Of course I so much enjoyed staying with 5 of my dear friends. Sandra, Ann, Lucille, Peggy, and Regina were all used of God to encourage as well as challenge me in my Christian life. The pic is of them on the balcony of our 3-bedroom condo.

The Purpose... The purpose of the retreat was to come apart from our everyday busy lives to be able to focus on God's Word, draw closer to Him, and of course to have some fun time together as sisters-in-Christ. The Theme of the Retreat was "The Secret Garden." The sessions were designed to help us retreat back to the Secret Garden of knowing Christ in a very real and intimate way. It's amazing how easy it is to relegate Him to a backseat in our lives. The Retreat helped me to re-focus as a Christian. It all worked together for good in my heart... the messages from our guest speaker, the fun stuff we did as a group, the meals shared, and the wonderful fellowship and time of sharing with my friends in our room. I'm so glad I was able to attend and know I would go again in a heartbeat, the Lord willing!!

Our Theme Song for the Retreat was "In the Garden." That song is special to me anyway as it was sung at both my mother-in-law's and father-in-law's funerals. I was blessed to read what was printed in our program regarding the words of the first verse and thought I'd share those thoughts here....

"I come to the garden alone" ~~ Matthew 6:6
This verse brings to mind the idea of a secret or private place that you can go and spend time with the Lord. Do you have a special place that you can go to every day to spend time with the Lord? Where is it? What makes that place special? Are there things that draw you to that place?

"While the dew is still on the roses;" ~~ Psalm 5:3, Psalm 63:1
These verses indicate a need to get up early to have a special time with the Lord. Do you get up early?Do you give God the first part of your day or is He just mingled in with the rest of your busy schedule? Some people would say they do better spending time with God at night because they are more alert. Consider this thought: a thing is more precious if it is gained through sacrifice. If an early quiet time with the Lord is a struggle, will it not be sweeter once you have done it?

"And the voice I hear, falling on my ear," ~~ John 10:4-5, 27
The sheep recognizes the voice of the Shepherd because the sheep stays close to the Shepherd. The sheep listens attentively for the voice of the shepherd, and it is not led astray by another. Are we so in tune with the Father that we recognize His voice and leading right away? Do you doubt when you hear or do you know the Father so well that you can recognize it immediately?" I John 4:1 tells us to "...try the spirits whether they are of God." Are you aware of deceivers who would try to lead you astray?

"The Son of God discloses." ~~~ John 20:14-15
Can you just imagine being there in the garden weeping because the One that you love is dead and His body has disappeared? Oh what joy when He says your name! You recognize His voice and are consumed with the fact that He has revealed Himself to you. Do you know that tender love of the Savior? Have you heard him call out your name and speak to you? Is your relationship with God close enough that you hear His voice?

"And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known." ~~Genesis 3:8-9; I John 1:3-4; Revelation 3:20

God came looking for Adam and Eve in the Garden. God desires that we have fellowship with Him. He comes to us and waits for us to enter into that place of fellowship. In order to have sweet fellowship with God, we must first come to God with a clean heart. I John 1:9 tells us to confess our sins and we will receive forgiveness. Are there things in your life that are keeping you from having sweet fellowship with God? Take a moment and do a little inventory of your heart to see any hindrances. Confess those to God. Then ask God to help you to have communion with Him.

I thank God for the privilege of attending the retreat as it was used to bring me back into the secret garden where my heart was reigned in and refocused on JESUS.

Blessings afterwards..... riding home with my daughter Amy, but first, we went shopping in San Destin together. Being just the two of us, we enjoyed a lot of mother-daughter conversation all of the way home. No one would believe how little time we are able to spend together ~~ especially with just the two of us. It was the "treat" of the retreat!!

And then coming home to my sweet Richard. In the past 6 years of living in Pensacola, we have probably not spent more than 5 nights apart. I missed him!! While I was away, he did a couple of neat things for me..... one of which was to do our laundry. That was totally unexpected and a real sweet blessing. :) I thank God for His blessings on all fronts!!

FRIENDS ~~ special gifts from God

Proverbs 18:24~~ A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly....

Richard and I hosted a dinner party last night. We had met a new couple in Sunday School three weeks ago who are new here and have come to enter into the ministry of which we are a part. Having moved here just 5-1/2 years ago from my hometown of where I lived my first 50 years, I remember that one of my biggest concerns was "would I be able to make any new friends ~~ real friends." I thought that might be a concern for this new couple who moved here from out-of-state just 4 weeks ago so we had a "Welcome Jerry and Peggy Party!"

In addition to Jerry and Peggy, we invited 4 other couples which made for a total of 12 people. That way, I was able to seat the men at our kitchen table and the ladies at our dining room table. The men were able to chat with Jerry and the ladies were able to chat with Peggy. It certainly sounded like our ladies table had the most fun. :) Except for Peggy, our guest of honor, the other 4 ladies each brought a dish so that made for some good eating! We had chicken cordon bleu, squash casserole, slaw, cheesy potatoes, bread, and 3 different desserts. I want to thank James and Ann, Ed and Arda, John and Jeanette, and Jeff and Sandra for coming, bringing a dish for the dinner, and showing themselves friendly to Jerry and Peggy. It was good food, great fellowship, and a special time of sharing prayer requests and closing our evening in prayer. Welcome to our new friends!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so thankful for the DEAR friends with which God has blessed Richard and me here. He is so faithful in every area of our lives. Here is a cute story that was read at the party last night. You might enjoy a chuckle from it....

DINNER FOR EIGHT

A group of country friends from the Cottonwood Baptist Church wanted to get together on a regular basis, socialize, and play games. The lady of the house was to prepare the meal.

When it came time for Al and Janet to be the hosts - Janet wanted to outdo all the others. Janet decided to have mushroom-smothered steak. But, mushrooms are expensive. She then told her husband, "No mushrooms. They are too high." He said, "Why don't you go down in the pasture and pick some of those mushrooms? There are plenty in the creek bed." She said, "No, some wild mushrooms are poison." He said, "Well, I see varmints eating them and they're OK. So - Janet decided to give it a try. She picked a bunch, washed, sliced, and diced them for her smothered steak. Then she went out on the back porch and gave Ol' Spot's (the yard dog) a double handful. Ol' Spot ate every bite.

All morning long, Janet watched Ol' Spot and the wild mushrooms didn't seem to affect him, so she decided to use them. The meal was a great success, and Janet even hired a helper lady from town to help her serve. She had on a white apron and a fancy little cap on her head. After everyone had finished, they relaxed, socialized, and played 42 & Mexican dominoes.

About then, the helper lady from town, came in and whispered in Janet's ear. She said, "Mrs. Williams, Ol' Spot just died." Janet went into hysterics. After she finally calmed down, she called the doctor and told him what had happened.

The doctor said, "That's bad, but I think we can take care of it. I will call for an ambulance and I will be there as quick as possible. We'll give everyone enemas and we will pump out everyone's stomach. Everything will be fine. Just keep them calm."

Soon they could hear the siren as the ambulance was coming down the road. The EMTs & the doctor had their suitcases, syringes, and a stomach pump. One by one, they took each person into the bathroom, gave them an enema, and pumped out their stomach. After the last one was finished, the doctor came out and said, "I think everything will be fine now, and he left."

They were all looking pretty weak sitting around the living room, and about this time, the helper lady came in and said, "You know, that fellow that ran over Ol' Spot never even stopped!!!

Our Forever Friends~~ Jeff and Sandra

Jeff and Sandra are dear friends. They went out with us for my birthday dinner on Saturday night, and we do lots of stuff together as couples. Jeff is working nights this summer so Sandra came over this afternoon to swim with me and then stayed for dinner with Richard and me. God is so good to bless us with Godly and precious friends. Our friends~~~ Jeff and Sandra!!