Christmas Eve...

"So That At The Name Of Jesus Every Knee Will Bow." Phil 2:10
May you and I bow, at the very thought, of what God has done for us...


"Glory to God in the Highest Heaven and Peace on Earth to all whom God favors."

God, I am overwhelmed with love and gratitude....Come again Lord Jesus.

Merry Christmas everybody,

DCC

Christmas Haircut...

“God has given a son to us. His name will be Wonderful Counselor.” -Isaiah 9:6

This is what someone's hair looked like as he fell asleep.

However, the same someone (allegedly), decided "his bangs were really long and hanging all in his eyes"

Naturally, he did what any non-licensed-professional-7 year old-beauty-school-drop-out would do....
He took the law (or the scissors) into his own hands.
He made an executive decision, along with the support of encouraging and giggling cousins.

By sunrise? Problem solved.

No more bangs.


Sometimes Christmas doesn't exactly, look like what you think it should look like

Plans change...
People are missing...
Hair isn't perfect for pictures...
Chairs that used to be filled are empty....

One thing is not empty?
The manger.

He came for you.
He came for me.

God was there then.
God is here now.

God, Thank You for leaving perfection to come to the place where there are broken hearts and jacked up bangs.

In His Dust,
DCC

His Wings, His Peace...

"He will cover you with His feathers. He shelters you with his wings." - Psalm 91:4

It's rainy...and cold...it's crowded...there is nowhere to park...it's the hustle and bustle of Christmas!
Recently, I have been forced to slow down and thus able to recognize in the midst of it all-
there is a stillness...
a silence...
a peace...

"Therefore I will not fear, nor will I be dismayed, for behold,
The Lord will save me from afar, and I will have rest and be quiet."
~Jeremiah 30:10

God is good. God is faithful. God is closer than the very breath you just took.

God, Thank You for blanketing me and my family with Your Protection and Peace.

In His Dust,
DCC

Thank You God for Momo....

Today is Momo's 88th bday.....and although she is celebrating in The Very Presence of God Himself, I thought she deserved an earthly "shout out"

So, Happy Birthday My Little Momo....I sure do miss you.

Your family, by your example, has

"Strength and gladness in place" ~1 Chronicles 16:27

For we know that right now,

you are surrounded by loved ones that you have missed for so very long.

We also know, full well, that God has

"turned your sorrow into joy and your mourning into good days" ~Esther 9:22

We bless God for His Promise of resurrection...for life eternal...for complete healing.

No matter what life may bring, we will enjoy the ride, just like you taught us to do.

God, I bless you from the depths of my heart today for Susan Cherry Mims Blair, "Momo".

I bless You for her life, her love and her laughter. I know she has heard from Your Own Voice,

"Well done good and faithful servant...You fought the good fight, you finished the race, you kept the faith."

In His Dust,

Susan Blair's Granddaughter

Linus and Mikey...

Yesterday morning, before the sun came up, in strolled a bleary-eyed, bed-headed Mikey D.
He held out his empty little hands and handed over the blankie.
Mikey: "I'm done."
Mom: "With what?"
Mikey: "With my thumb and with blankie. Take it."
Mom: "Way to go Mike! Why today? Did something happen?"
Mikey: "No, because I said I'm done. So I am."

Pretty impressive for a 7 year old.
I enjoy a man with integrity!

Flash to 8:30 that night...." The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. He again found them sleeping,
because their eyes were heavy." ~Matthew 26:41b, 43

God, Thank You for comfort.

In His Dust,
DCC

Not In Vain...

I had the privilege of talking to a group of 8th grade girls at
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery yesterday.
It was a somber, inspirational, humbling blessing....as going there always is.“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” ~Psalm 23:4.

We talked, we walked and we asked questions, as we wandered though graves.

Finally, our group stopped here.
Upon closer look....this is what we saw...A hometown hero. One of their own.
Their faces dropped as they realized he had walked their school hallways...
played on their football and baseball fields....eaten at their restaurants...
Overseas battles that used to seem so far away, were suddenly before their very eyes.

After hearing their questions and seeing their eyes, I have full confidence that these girls are going to make sure that Ben and all of our fallen heroes,

will not have died in vain.

They sat and wrote letters to troops....They listened and contemplated, with tears in their eyes…They watched with compassion and appreciation, as grieving family members sat, kneeled,
decorated and cried their eyes out at tombstones.

We talked at the end about how important it is to thank our service men and women, no matter where they are. Stop what you are doing....approach them and thank them for serving our country.
Period.
No excuses.

As 4 year old Kate just told me: "I saw a tamo person" (camo to those of you who might pronounce your "c"s) "I told them thank you so much- you saved country."
You're right Kate.

They did save us.
They do save us.
They will save us.

Now, the question remains, what can we do for them?

God, Thank You for the great plans you have for all of our lives, the fallen included.

In His Dust,
DCC

So do you...

Hmmmmm..... should Kardashian have divorced so quickly? Is Bieber really a daddy? Did Cain do it? Why didn't Paterno tell? Is Sandusky guilty? How long will Conrad Murray be in jail? Why isn't Lindsay Lohan ever really punished?

My first reaction? “Point my finger"
Jesus' reaction? “Go get water.”

I feel, like it's my duty to decide whether they are wrong or not.

Jesus feels, it's my duty to, “love them.”
My attitude: If they are in the wrong, they deserve to pay a penalty.

Jesus' attitude: You’re right, but so do you..."

God, Thank You for forgiving us, in spite of ourselves.

In His Dust,

DCC

Amen...

"Blessed be The Lord, The God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
Let the people say Amen." ~Psalm 106:48

One of the most widely known words on earth is amen.
However, is it's meaning that widely known?

Contrary to the thoughts of my youth...
it does not mean the prayer just ended or it's time to go to Luby's...(although ironically, both used to occur as soon as the word was uttered.)

Amen is a Hebrew word, that means, “surely, indeed, truly.”
It comes from a root form, aman, which signifies “to be firm, steady, trustworthy, faithful.”

So, in English, what you and I are saying, when we say "Amen" is...

or....

"May the Lord answer you when you are in distress,

may The Name of The God of Jacob protect you. "~Psalm 20:1

Amen.

God, Thank You for the depth of Your Words.

In His Dust,
DCC

At Your Door...

Oh, make no mistake about it...

He IS at your door.As well as the car next to you....
behind you at HEB....
in front of you at Tekas...
He's everywhere, just might not look like what you'd expect.

God, Thank You for your constant presence among us.

In His Dust,
DCC

Taylor...

We went to Taylor Swift last night...wow!

It was as if Broadway, Disney, Cirque de Soleil and Taylor had a baby...

and it was witnessed by almost 15,000 people shaking their glow sticks among other things

A certain Godson may or not have been a slight nap in a few of the slower songs, towards the end....I couldn't blame him.....it's tiring jumping for almost 3 hours while trying to convey your love to Taylor, over a crowd of this size.

What a great way to end the day...you have danced your heart out...you have sung all the songs...you have "left it all on the field"....you have yelled "I love you", to the point of physical exhaustion.

The snoring snuggled up on my lap this was the sweetest thing I heard all night.

God, May we be heard, saying I love you, above all other noises and then resting in Your Arms.

In His Dust,

DCC

Wrestlers...

Big Mike D is fascinated with Wrestlers...it's all we hear about 24/7...stats...nicknames...moves...terms...To be honest I am not quite sure if any of it is in English.

For his birthday present his daddy took him, with a friend, to see the real deal...live...front row!

Or as Mikey told me, "The row is called front."Why are they wearing masks?
Why are they beating each other up?
Why are they saying things like, "you can't see me?"
All good questions.

Oddly enough, I am afraid I might recognize some similarities
in their behavior and mine.
We are ALL wrestlers, aren't we?

We are wrestling God for control....

We are wrestling The Lamb for His Crown...

No matter what we are calling it...our anxiety, our fears....our restlessness....

make no mistake, we are wrestling

God, Thank You for Your Patience with our weak attempt at wrestling You.

In His Dust,
DCC

Stamped...

"God has ordained work as something good. So whatever you do,

do it as if Jesus is stamping his name on your work" -Max Lucado

Everyone seems tired today...
Seems like an easy day to take short cuts...
to be impatient with others...
to blow off commitments...

Whatever you do- do it, "as if you were serving The Lord and not merely people"~Ephesians 6:7 We must remember "the stamp" we leaving behind us, in all things we do....is not just our own.
More importantly, we must remember The Stamp, of God Himself, that we have on us.

God, Thank You for loving us enough to Stamp us with Your Name.

In His Dust,
DCC