Cranberry Tea Time

Cranberry Tea

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite drinks is cranberry tea. My friend, Dorina, and I used to make this together when I lived in Alaska. We would pick a gallon or two of wild low bush cranberries every fall. We then froze the cranberries and used them throughout the year to make Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies and a lots of Cranberry Tea.

The girls in the dorm would often get together and drink cranberry tea. It was our girl time, our time to talk about anything and everything. It was our Cranberry Tea Time.

My Cranberry Tea Time has now expanded to include many in-real-life friends as well as internet friends. You are my Cranberry Tea Time friends! I wish I could have you all over for Cranberry Tea, but for now a recipe will have to do. You can make Cranberry Tea at home and join me virtually for teatime. :)

Cranberry Tea

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

4 cups water

3 cinnamon sticks

1/2 cup honey or sugar (more or less to taste)

Put cranberries, water, and cinnamon sticks in a large pot. Boil uncovered for 20-30 minutes. After all of the cranberries have burst, pour the juice through a strainer and into a new pot. If desired, also strain through a cheese cloth to remove the fine pulp.

Put juice back into pot and boil for about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat. Add honey or sugar and mix well.

You now have cranberry juice concentrate. This can be stored in the refrigerator or canned for later use.

To serve: Boil water and pour into teacups or mugs. Add cranberry juice concentrate to taste (about 3/4 hot water and 1/4 cranberry juice concentrate).

I'm linking this post up with Raising Homemakers and Women Living Well.

Thank You, Friends!

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

Thank you, sweet friends, for all of the comments that you left for me for National Delurking Day! Your words were like a bright and cheery bouquet, and they put a smile on my face all weekend long. I loved hearing from all of you, both new friends and old friends.

I enjoyed learning more about you, where you are from, and what you like. I appreciated reading stories of how you found me and why you keep on reading here. I had no idea that several people with dysautonomia and other chronic illnesses were reading my blog regularly. It was such a blessing to me to know that you have been encouraged here and that you feel less alone with your illness now. Even though we are spread out all across the world, we don't have to be alone in our illness. It's so neat that the internet can connect us so that we can walk this road together.

You all have truly blessed me with your kind messages. I appreciate your friendship, prayers, comments, and support. Thank you, Cranberry Tea Time friends!

National Delurking Day

2012-01-14T13:57:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends,

I just found out that it is National Delurking Day! It's a day to stop lurking on the blogs you read, and leave comments. Come on out of the shadows!

I would love to know more about my readers. I can tell by my stats that I have a lot more regular readers than my comment box would suggest. I would love to know who you are and a little bit about you. If you are a lurker, or even if you are a long time reader and commenter, will you answer some questions for me please? It would be a wonderful gift to me to get to know you a little better.

I'll even let you just fill in the blanks:

My name is _______________ (you can use just your first name or even a screen name)
I am a ______________ (student, wife, mom, fellow person with dysautonomia, etc.)
I enjoy ______________ and _________________.
My favorite Bible verse or quote is ______________________.

I know it can be awkward to leave a comment on a blog for the first time, but if you are comfortable giving it a try, I invite you to delurk today! I can't wait to hear what you have to say.

Blessings,
Rachel

Gatorade Tea

2012-01-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite drinks in the winter is Gatorade Tea. Because of my POTS and dysautonomia I am supposed to drink Gatorade every day; it helps to keep my blood volume up. A few years ago I started making Gatorade Tea, which is basically Russian Tea made with Gatorade instead of Tang. It's a great way to have a hot drink while still consuming the electrolytes I need. I want to share the recipe for those of you with dysautonomia who may also benefit from this drink in the winter.

Gatorade Tea

2 Cups Gatorade

1 Cup instant black tea

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

Mix ingredients well and store in airtight container.

Put 2-3 heaping spoonsful into a cup of hot water. Stir and enjoy.

New Normal

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

The Doctor and His Patient by Jan Steen

I have been showing an unbalanced view lately on my blog. I have shown the highlights and happy times from the past few months, and that is about all. Reality is, I’m exhausted and it took a lot out of me to paint Adelaide’s kitchen, travel to Louisville, go to Will’s graduation, and have a party for William. Life has been fun, but it has also been very hard.

Despite all of the fun and happy posts, most of you knew that you were only seeing half of the picture. I love that I can’t fool you all! Some of you have made comments to me about how much those things must have cost me physically. One friend told me that her reaction to the Lego party post was, “She must've been dead to the world after making that cake & having a party." Haha! Yep, pretty much. I was so tired after the party that I fell asleep before midnight, something I’m rarely able to do. I slept for 12 hours, and in the morning I still had huge bags under my eyes. I looked so bad that I actually laughed. I should have taken a picture; it would have been perfect for this post!

Here is what has been going on physically the last few months. This is the other half of the picture that I haven’t been showing:

“I’m tired. I’m so tired.” I have been saying that to Will a lot for the past three months. I had hoped to improve more from my crash in the fall of 2010, but improvements stopped coming as of sometime in September. Currently I’m functioning at about half of where I was in the spring of 2010, meaning that I can physically do about half of what I used to do each day. What used to be a good day is now just a memory. What used to be an average day is now a good day. And bad days happen more frequently than they did 2 years ago. In short, I’m tired. Very tired.

I used to be a year-round competitive swimmer, and I remember what hard training felt like. I remember the physical strength and mental determination that it took to compete in a long race. Daily life is kind of like that now. I know that probably sounds like a stretch, but that’s the only thing I can think to compare it to. The simple task of heating up leftovers for the children for supper leaves my body crying out for rest. Physically it feels worse than exercise used to feel, and it takes just as much mental determination. My muscles are constantly telling me “We can’t do this!” and my brain is telling them, “You have to!” In everything I do now, my muscles are crying out for rest. But even after I rest, my body never feels truly rested.

I used to be somewhat comfortable when I was in bed resting. It was easy to lie in bed. As strange as it sounds, it’s not really easy to lie in bed anymore. My body is uncomfortable. My muscles are uncomfortable, even when resting. I can feel the lack of energy in my muscles, constantly reminding me that my body is slowly growing weaker.

I have had to adjust to some new symptoms this fall. I have involuntary muscle contractions now that happen while I am resting. Sometimes they have been bad enough that my whole body shakes, leaving me exhausted. Mostly, however, they are small movements that are just annoying.

I had quite a few bad flares with gastroparesis this fall. I was throwing up a lot, which would leave me weak, tired, and dehydrated. The bad flares of gastroparesis have subsided now. I was hoping that would allow for more overall improvement in energy levels, but that hasn’t happened.

It has been hard to get used to “new normal” as we call it. I had mostly gotten used to my “old normal” of not being able to cook and clean and do the shopping. Now I have had to learn to adjust again, accept the energy levels I have been given, and serve the Lord where He has placed me. This is the life God has called me to, and He has a plan and a purpose even when I don’t understand. I praise the Lord for sustaining me during these challenging days, and I pray that somehow He will be glorified through my life lived in weakness.

William's Lego Party

2012-01-03T22:03:00.000-05:00

During our time in Louisville last month for Will's graduation we had a birthday party for William. We had never been able to throw a birthday party for him with his friends before, so I was really excited to be able to do this. We have missed our seminary friends since moving away last summer, and it was great to get to see them again and have some birthday party fun.

The Cake and Treat Bag table

I made the birthday banner and the happy birthday sign using a lego font. I printed the letters on white paper, colored around them in a yellow marker, cut them out, and then glued them onto red construction paper. I got the idea for the banner from Homemaking Fun. The Lego man was a free printable from Winks and Daisies.

The Snack Table

We had lots of crayons and Lego coloring pages for children as they arrived.

The younger ones had fun playing with Duplo Lego bricks and Lego trains.

Game Time!

For games we played "I Spy the Lego Guy" and "Lego, Lego, Who has the Lego?" I found both of these game ideas on Delia Creates.

"Lego, Lego, Who has the Lego?"

Happy Birthday to William!

You can read about how my mom and I made the Lego cake here.

The pinata was a favorite of the children.

Here's how my sister and I made the Lego pinata.

Diving for the candy!

William was excited to open cards and gifts from his friends.

Every child at the party got a treat bag that had Lego bricks, Lego Minifigure chocolates, candy, and a Lego coloring book.

My sister and I made the Lego Minifigure chocolates using a silicon Lego Minifigure tray.

The younger children had Duplo Lego ducks in their bag,

and the older children had bags of small Legos.

For more Lego party ideas, you can check out the Lego Party Ideas pinboard that I created while brainstorming for this party.

Happy 6th birthday, William! I love having the privilege of being your mom and watching you grow up.

How to Make a Lego Pinata

2012-01-03T22:01:00.000-05:00

My sister helped me make a Lego brick pinata for William's 6th birthday party. We made it using a very large cereal box, gorilla tape, plastic cups, tissue paper, and hot glue. Here's how we did it:

Fill box with candy.

Cut holes in the top so that you can later hang the pinata.

Reinforce the top with lots of Gorilla tape.

Cover with tissue paper.

Cut the bottoms off of plastic cups, cover in tissue paper, hot glue onto box.

The Finished Lego Pinata!

Tie a rope or string through the top, hang it up, and let the children have fun breaking it open! When we made this pinata we cut holes in the sides of the cardboard box to make sure that it would be weak enough to be broken open by the children. In the end, however, that wasn't necessary. Eventually the bottom of the pinata opened up because the weight of the candy became too much. It lasted the perfect amount of time, though. Each of the 14 children each had two turns to hit the pinata before the bottom dropped out.

How to Make a Lego Cake

2012-01-03T22:00:00.000-05:00

My mom helped me to make a Lego cake for William's 6th birthday party, and we had lots of fun. I needed to keep the Lego cake project as easy as possible, so we used all store bought ingredients.

Ingredients:

3 SaraLee pound cakes

Kraft marshmallows

food coloring

Betty Crocker cream cheese frosting

I cut the top off of the pound cake to make it flat like a Lego brick. I also cut the ends off to make it a little shorter and to remove the rounded edges, but I forgot to take a picture after that step.

We made three individual bricks and then stacked them together.

Don't forget to let the birthday boy lick the frosting off of the spatula when you're done. :)

We cut the marshmallows in half and then put toothpicks in them.

Next we frosted the marshmallows and put them on the cakes.

Finished Lego Cake

It took about an hour from start to finish.

Thanks, Mom, for all of your help!

Toy Kitchen Makeover

2011-12-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

I wanted to get Adelaide a toy kitchen for her 2nd birthday. Toy kitchens are expensive, and I was looking for a way to get one at an affordable price. I was planning to use an old tv stand or end table and make it into a little girl's kitchen, so I started collecting Play Kitchen Ideas on Pinterest.

I never did find the right piece of furniture at a thrift store to use for the kitchen makeover. However, my parents found an old and faded toy kitchen for me, which made the project even easier! Here are the before pictures:

It was not so pretty, but was very sturdy - perfect for a makeover!

It even came with a little tea kettle, which was also in need of a makeover.

My dad sanded the kitchen down, removed the doors, handles, and knobs. Will took me out shopping to find the perfect paint. It took me two weeks to get everything painted. It was hard work, much harder than I had anticipated. Painting the little kitchen took a lot out of me, but the end product was pretty, and seeing the delighted expression on Adelaide's face was priceless.

Here is the kitchen after its makeover:

The kitchen is now "Canyon Pink" from Olympic paints. The knobs and sink are painted white (with a little bit of pink mixed into the white paint). My mom recently showed me that Adelaide's kitchen looks a little like the Pottery Barn Kids toy kitchen! I had no idea that pink was such a stylish color for toy kitchens right now.

I also sanded and painted the tea kettle. The faded red, yellow, and blue of the original kettle would never do! I mixed some black and pink paint in order to get a new color for the tea kettle. I was hoping for a grayish pink color, but it actually turned kind of purple.

My mom found two wooden disks for me to use for the burners.

I painted them black and glued them on using wood glue.

Adelaide loves to wash her hands in the sink.

The pink kitchen is Adelaide's new favorite toy.

The paint job isn't perfect, but it is good enough. Adelaide is thrilled with her new kitchen, and it brings me such happiness to see her play with it. I am so thankful that the Lord gave me the strength to paint this little kitchen for her.

Birthday Fun

2011-12-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

December has been a busy month for us with birthdays, graduation, and Christmas. We have had some fun celebrations, and I am so thankful that I have been able to feel well enough to be present for the occasions. I have paid for pushing my body so hard, but I am thankful that I was even able to push my body. A year ago I couldn't have.

Earlier this month we celebrated both William and Adelaide's birthdays. William turned 6 years old, and Adelaide turned 2. We had a small family party for both of them with my parents and sister. We often referred to this as the "practice party." We were planning to have a Lego birthday party for William while we were in Louisville for Will's graduation. I wanted to practice making a Lego cake and a pinata ahead of time to be sure that everything went smoothly for the party in Louisville.

William was thrilled to get a lot of Star Wars Legos!

Adelaide was delighted with coffee cups and toy food.

For our present for Adelaide we bought a used toy kitchen and fixed it up.

Before and after pictures will be coming later on this week.

My sister, Krista, helped me to make this Lego brick cake for William.

Adelaide liked her kitchen too much, and she wouldn't leave it even for birthday cake.

We brought her cake and candles over to her at her new kitchen.

The practice pinata was a lot of fun.

My sister helped me make this one and another one for the Lego party in Louisville.

The family party was a lot of fun! Next week I hope to share about William's Lego party with his friends in Kentucky.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T12:27:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, dear friends. May you have a blessed weekend as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14, ESV.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-25, ESV

Photo Credit: Maria Sormann

Christmas Cookies

2011-12-23T14:00:00.000-05:00

I've always been sad about not being able to do Christmas cookies with my children each year. It was something I had wanted to do every year with my children since before I was a mom, but now I'm too sick to bake and decorate cookies.

However, this year I found a great alternative! We dipped pretzel sticks in chocolate and covered them with sprinkles. It was so easy! I sat on the floor in front of the microwave. I was able to take the chocolate out of the microwave without even standing up. I dipped the pretzels, put them on the cookie sheet, and the children put on sprinkles. That was it! Easy-peasy and so much fun. William and I have decided that this will be our yearly Christmas cookie tradition.

William and Adelaide were in charge of sprinkles.

We didn't even get very many on the carpet!

My Handsome Little Chef

My Pretty Little Cook

Seminary Graduation

2011-12-22T17:12:00.002-05:00

I am excited to announce that Will has graduated from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary!

Graduation Ceremony, December 9, 2011

Southern Seminary

My friend, Adina, had a great view of the graduates from her seat in the balcony. I was lying down (you can barely see the top of my head in the back corner), so I'm thankful for friends who could take pictures for me!

Seminary Graduation

Will receives his diploma from Dr. Mohler

Will graduated with a Master of Divinity.

I am honored to be this man's wife.

Will's dad, Uncle Eldon, and Aunt Doris came for the graduation.

My mom and dad came for the graduation also.

Chapel at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

We are thankful to the Lord for providing for our needs while at seminary, and we praise Him for His faithfulness to us. Thank you to everyone who has supported us during this time. We are so grateful for your prayers and gifts.

We don't know yet where we will be going for future ministry, but we are excited about the possibilities and we look forward to seeing where the Lord leads us.

Photo Credits:

Adina Caskey

Southern Seminary

A Thanksgiving Gift

2011-11-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

This week I received a very special delivery. My church had been putting together fabulous Thanksgiving gift boxes for all of the home-bound members. I was given this very large (and beautiful!) box full of wonderful presents. Being home-bound can get lonely, and the thoughtful gifts are a tangible reminder that my church loves me and is thinking of me. I am so grateful for a church that loves the Lord and serves its members with such kindness.

I had so much fun opening the box. It was filled with lovely Christmas ornaments, homemade bread, music, DVDs, a devotion book, journals, tea, lotion, nail polish, make up, cards, pretty towels, a gift card, and more. What a treat!

Oooh, look! Girly stuff!

Sharing some girly stuff with Adelaide

William and Adelaide had fun helping me to dig for more treasures.

Look at all these little treasures!

The bottom of the box was filled with chocolate!

The Thanksgiving gift box made for a very fun day for me! Even the box itself is a present. It is beautiful and sturdy. I am planning to use it to store yarn and crochet supplies.

This is the second year that I have received a Thanksgiving gift box from my church. They gave me one last year also, and it meant so much to me. I was newly home-bound, very sick, and overwhelmed with the difficulty of my new limitations. We were still living in Kentucky at the time, and I knew that our home church in Georgia was collecting Thanksgiving gifts for the shut-ins. However, I had no idea that they had included me in that list.

When my parents and sister came to visit us for Thanksgiving in 2010, I was so surprised to find that they brought a huge gift bag filled with thoughtful gifts from our church family in Georgia! I remember being so excited and overwhelmed by the love and affection shown by my church. We were living a few hundred miles away at the time, but they still remembered me and took the time to bless me with their cards, gifts, and prayers. The Lord used them, and continues to use them, to encourage me when life is hard.

Thank you, Providence Church, for loving me well!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends! May your heart be full of joy as we give thanks to the Lord for His many blessings.

Psalm 136

¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
            His love endures forever.
² Give thanks to the God of gods.
            His love endures forever.
³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
            His love endures forever.

⁴ to him who alone does great wonders,
            His love endures forever.
⁵ who by his understanding made the heavens,
            His love endures forever.
⁶ who spread out the earth upon the waters,
            His love endures forever.
⁷ who made the great lights—
            His love endures forever.
⁸ the sun to govern the day,
            His love endures forever.
⁹ the moon and stars to govern the night;
            His love endures forever.

¹⁰ to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
            His love endures forever.
¹¹ and brought Israel out from among them
            His love endures forever.
¹² with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
            His love endures forever.

¹³ to him who divided the Red Sea^[a] asunder
            His love endures forever.
¹⁴ and brought Israel through the midst of it,
            His love endures forever.
¹⁵ but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
            His love endures forever.

¹⁶ to him who led his people through the desert,
            His love endures forever.
¹⁷ who struck down great kings,
            His love endures forever.
¹⁸ and killed mighty kings—
            His love endures forever.
¹⁹ Sihon king of the Amorites
            His love endures forever.
²⁰ and Og king of Bashan—
            His love endures forever.
²¹ and gave their land as an inheritance,
            His love endures forever.
²² an inheritance to his servant Israel;
            His love endures forever.

²³ to the One who remembered us in our low estate
            His love endures forever.
²⁴ and freed us from our enemies,
            His love endures forever.
²⁵ and who gives food to every creature.
            His love endures forever.

²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.

Photo Credit: Our Enchanted Garden

Shelter from a Stranger

2011-11-23T12:59:00.001-05:00

Glenn Highway in the Winter

Today you can find me writing over at Koinonia, a blog for the women of Southern Seminary. The theme for the month of November is hospitality. Please join me over there as I share about a time Will and I were trapped in a snowstorm 100 miles away from home. I was sick; it was cold, and we were in desperate need of someone's generous hospitality.

You can find my post here: Shelter from a Stranger.

Photo by Kelsey Gray. Used with permission.

Congratulations, Muthering Heights!

2011-11-15T12:56:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Muthering Heights for winning the DaySpring giveaway!

I have sent you an email with your $20 coupon code. Happy shopping!

Facebook

2011-11-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Cranberry Tea Time Friends,

I have been looking for ways to better connect with each of you. I would like for Cranberry Tea Time to be more than just me posting my thoughts in this space. I would like to chat with each of you, the way late night teatime with cranberry tea was meant to be. For that reason I installed the Disqus comment system on my blog, allowing me (and you) to personally reply to comments.

I also recently started a Facebook page for Cranberry Tea Time. Please come over and check it out! My hope is to be able to share small things there. Whenever I go for a while without blogging (which usually happens when I am not doing well), I start getting emails and comments on my blog asking how I'm doing. I really appreciate these thoughtful messages, and they encourage me so much on the hard days. I wish I could send long and thoughtful emails to each person who contacts me, but the truth is I just can't keep up with it. My body and brain fog don't allow it. But just because I can't email everyone doesn't mean that I don't want to connect. I just have to use different and easier methods. I can keep up with Facebook on most days, so come on over and "like" Cranberry Tea Time to keep in touch.

Thanks for being my Cranberry Tea Time Friend. I appreciate you!

Blessings,
Rachel

P.S. Have you entered the DaySpring giveaway? If not, enter today! A random winner will be chosen and announced on Tuesday.

Give Thanks Caddy Review and Giveaway

2011-11-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is a wonderful opportunity to slow down and thank God for the many blessings we have received. In the hurry of life we sometimes fail to see the daily grace that God pours out upon us, but when November comes we take extra care to remember the blessings He has given. We pause to celebrate and give thanks for His many good gifts.

This year I am thanking God for:

My husband, children, and extended family members
Better health than I had last year at this time
A good home church
Friends who don’t forget me even when I am homebound
An air conditioned apartment
The Bible
Salvation
Music that encourages my heart
Laughter, joy, and hope

I am also thankful for this new super cute caddy! DaySpring has given me the Give Thanks Caddy to review here on my blog. It is a lovely item! It is well constructed and sturdy, suited for many purposes and years of use. The beautiful and slightly rustic style will compliment many home décor styles. The front of the caddy says, “Give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love. Psalm 107:8 NIV.”

This caddy would make a nice addition to a Thanksgiving table. It could hold silk flowers for a centerpiece or be used to hold silverware for a Thanksgiving buffet. You could even use it to hold a Thankful Tree. If you want more ideas for the Give Thanks Caddy, Teri Lynne Underwood has some great ones.

DaySpring has a pretty collection of Thanksgiving décor items that are designed to not just bring beauty to your home, but to remind you to give thanks to the Lord for His goodness. Several of these items are currently on sale, and there is a special code (table50) to use for 50% off if you purchase the Give Thanks Caddy and the Wood Pedestal together. DaySpring always ships their products very quickly, so if you order in the next few days your items should arrive in time for Thanksgiving.

To read November deals reviews from other bloggers, head over to the Inspired Deals page on (in)courage.

And now, the part you are all waiting for... DaySpring is giving one of my readers a $20 off coupon to use at DaySpring.com (shipping charges will still apply). To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment sharing one thing that you are thankful for this year. A random winner will be chosen and announced on Tuesday, November 15^th.

Disclosure: I received the Give Thanks Caddy for free in return for my honest review of the product. All opinions shared are my own. I did not receive any payment.

* This giveaway is now closed *

31 Days of Joy: Be Joyful Always

2011-10-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends,

Thank you for joining me for 31 Days of Joy! I have been grateful for the opportunity to think and write about joy for a month straight. It has been encouraging for me, and I hope that it has been for you as well.

It is good to take the time to consider joy and how to live joyfully. In 1 Thessalonians we are actually commanded to be joyful! “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (5:16-18, NIV). It isn’t always easy, but because of what God has done for us it is possible to be joyful.

I pray that you will seek the Lord and seek His joy no matter what challenges come your way. I pray that you will be “joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12, NIV). We have so much to be thankful for, so much to be joyful about. And if you know Jesus, the best is yet to come!

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13, NIV).

Blessings,

Rachel

P.S. If you missed any of the 31 Days posts, you can find them here:

31 Days of Joy introduction post
1. Come People of the Risen King
2. Shout for Joy to the Lord!
3. What Is Joy?
4. Why Do I Have Joy?
5. Little Joys
6. Big Joys
7. Joni Eareckson Tada
8. When Trials Come
9. Consider it Pure Joy
10. Joy in Suffering
11. Future Joy
12. Little Joys
13. Big Joys
14. Sara Frankl
15. Sweet Exchange
16. Good News of Great Joy
17. How Can You Have Joy?
18. Spreading Joy for Halloween
19. Little Joys
20. Big Joys
21. Nick Vujicic
22. In Christ Alone
23. A Cheerful Heart
24. Changing Perspective
25. Little Joys
26. Big Joys
27. He Comes to Make His Blessings Flow
28. Faithful Examples
29. I Can Only Imagine
30. Consider Him

31. Be Joyful Always

You can find other 31 Days bloggers at the Nesting Place: 31 Dayers.

31 Days of Joy: Consider Him

2011-10-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Hebrews 12:1-3, NIV

Consider Him. Look to the joy that awaits. Fix your eyes on Jesus.

Photo Credit: Olga Caprotti

31 Days of Joy: I Can Only Imagine

2011-10-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

Today I want to share with you a video from Joni and Friends that was made during their summer Family Retreats in 2010. I’m not able to embed this video, but please click over to Joni and Friends and watch it there: http://www.joniandfriends.org/blog/imagine-dvd/.

This video brings tears to my eyes. Just look at the joy of these people who are suffering from pain and various disabilities. If their joy can be so great on this earth that is under the curse, imagine how great their joy will be on the New Earth when they are given new bodies and new minds, and when the curse is taken away!

For those who know Jesus, their future joy will be great indeed. Imagine what good things await!

31 Days of Joy: Faithful Examples

2011-10-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

Hebrews11 gives many examples of Bible heroes who looked to their future joy: people like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. They suffered on earth and remained faithful to God. They were not looking for earthly treasure; they were looking toward a future reward. They were looking toward Heaven, toward a city made by God, toward future joy.

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect (Hebrews 11:13-16, 32-40, NIV).

There is great joy awaiting believers in Heaven. These heroes of the faith knew it, and they waited and suffered patiently, looking to the joy ahead. Dear friend, if you know Jesus, then you have great joy awaiting you too. It is worth suffering for. It is worth waiting patiently for. Remain steadfast, seek God’s Kingdom, and look forward to your eternal dwelling.

Photo Credit

31 Days of Joy: He Comes to Make His Blessings Flow

2011-10-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

Do you recognize the words above? They are the third verse of Joy to the World, a popular song at Christmastime. Have you ever stopped to think about what this verse means? I never did until I read Randy Alcorn’s book, Heaven.

Learning more about Heaven and the New Earth and the joy that awaits me there is one of the reasons that I have joy today. One day the curse will be gone, and those who are Christians will dwell on the New Earth forever. What will the New Earth be like? Like Earth, only so much better! There will be no curse, no sin, no pain, no suffering. Believers will be given new bodies. We will be strong and healthy, living and working and playing and glorifying God, just like we were created to do.

When mankind sinned, the Earth was placed under a curse (Genesis 3). Today all of creation groans under the curse. Romans 8:19-22 says, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” (NIV).

Life under the curse is hard, and creation groans under this weight. But one day the curse will be removed. There will be no more sin and suffering, no more thorns infesting the grown.

Jesus came not only to save spirits from damnation. That would have been, at most, a partial victory. No, He came to save His whole creation from death. That means our bodies too, not just our spirits. It means the earth, not just humanity. And it means the universe, not just the earth.

Christ’s victory over the Curse will not be partial. Death will not just limp away wounded. It will be annihilated, utterly destroyed: “[God] will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove the disgrace of His people from all the earth” (Isaiah 25:7-8)…

God will lift the Curse, not only morally (in terms of sins) and psychologically (in terms of sorrows), but also physically (in terms of thorns in the ground). How far does Christ’s redemptive work extend? Far as the curse is found. If redemption failed to reach the farthest boundaries of the Curse, it would be incomplete. The God who rules the world with truth and grace won’t be satisfied until every sin, every sorrow, every thorn is reckoned with….

We have never seen the earth as God made it. Our planet as we know it is a shadowy, halftone image of the original. But it does whet our appetites for the New Earth, doesn’t it? If the present Earth, so diminished by the Curse, is at times so beautiful and wonderful; if our bodies, so diminished by the Curse, are at times overcome with a sense of the earth’s beauty and wonder; the how magnificent will the New Earth be? And what will it be like to experience the New Earth in something else we’ve never known: perfect bodies? (Heaven, 107-108).

After learning more about Heaven and what life on the New Earth will entail, it has become so much easier for me to give up pleasures now. I’ll probably never again be able to climb a mountain in this body of mine that is growing weaker. I can’t travel well anymore. My autonomic nervous system probably wouldn’t be able to handle the excitement of a roller coaster ride. I’m not strong enough to ice skate anymore. But that’s okay, because I know that I’ll have all of eternity to live, work, have fun, and praise God on the New Earth!

Do you know if you are going to Heaven when you die? Will the New Earth be a place where you will get to live one day? If so, please leave me a message in the comments sharing one fun thing that we can do together on the New Earth, and then let’s plan on it, okay?

Are you wondering about Heaven and the New Earth? Are you unsure about where you will go after you die? Send me an email; I would love to talk with you more. I want you to know about the joys waiting in Heaven. I want you to know the way to Heaven, and I really want to see you there some day.

And because it is never too early for good Christmas music, here is Joy to the World. (If you are reading this through email, you will need to click over to see the video.)

Joy to the World

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world! the Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

By Isaac Watts

Photo Credit: Alexander Shchukin

31 Days of Joy: Big Joys

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Adelaide is delightful and entertaining, and she has brought a lot of joy into our home. Will says that she is “200 pounds of personality on a 25 pound frame,” and that describes her well! She makes me laugh every day. She loves to entertain us with her singing, by making weird faces, and by telling us about all sorts of things.

Our little girl has lots of spunk, but she has just enough girly-ness too. She loves to paint toenails with me, and put on powder, lotion, and Burt’s Bees lip balm. She gets excited about a new pair of shoes. She likes to comb hair, wear necklaces, and play with her doll house.

Adelaide is very affectionate toward those she knows and loves. She will often come over, say “hi,” and give a hug. Just because. She likes to tell us, “love you!” and she always wants us to respond immediately. If we don’t respond right away then she will continue to say (more and more loudly), “LOVE YOU!” until we say, “I love you too, Adelaide.”

I love having a little one to help me see the world through different eyes. Everyday experiences become fascinating when you have a toddler. Suddenly a dog on a leash is a reason to laugh, squeal, and smile. A load of laundry is a reason to be together and take delight in work. A soft blanket becomes a reason for happiness and glee. Cake is more than just dessert; it is “CAAAAKE!” and is possibly the best thing you’ve ever eaten in your life!

Adelaide is a precious gift, planned by God, hoped for by us. We are so thankful for her and the blessing of joy that she is!