What a Week!

Last Thursday our friend Kelly took a bunch of us out for his birthday. (He's a firefighter with an abundance of gift cards, bless him!) He turned 47. But, um, his kids told the wait staff he was turning 50, which our waiter proudly announced to the other patrons while the kids (okay, we all) laughed. Hard. Our waiter never did realize how he'd been manipulated!

The next day my friend Crissy arrived from Fort Hood with her kids and stayed overnight so I could go with them to the airport and help get them situated on their flight to Pennsylvania. Her hubby is in Iraq for fifteen months, and she has three kiddos under the age of five. Imagine all these little ones and the stroller and ten bags getting checked and through x-ray. Oy! She did it once alone and swore never again!

The day after they left, my gourmet cook friend Mary had a fab brunch for some of her friends. Imagine screeching to a halt during the insanity of the season and taking time to savor good food and fellowship. Delish!

Later that day, my parents arrived from Oregon. I had seventeen here for the big Christmas feast, a highlight of which was hearing from my student Deepthi and her husband, Immanuel, about how they celebrate Christmas in India. Apparently they have an all-night caroling party during which they visit every single church member. (That'd cut down on the number of churches with 6,000 members, eh?)

Yesterday was my birthday. My sis had us all over for dinner at her place, and my niece made my fave cake: chocolate on chocolate. Yum! Then my bro-in-law dragged out the old slides of us all 25 years ago. Ohmygoodness--it was too funny. I'm not crazy about aging, but if the alternative is to relive the polyester double-knit years... Know what I mean?

This morning at 4:30 my folks left, and tomorrow I take off for four days to meet up with our church's sister church in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. They have established a mission church in an area that has no plumbing or electricity, and every year they ask us to bring a few hundred boxes of gifts for families (toothpaste, toothbrush, washcloths, soap, balls, dolls, stuffed animals). For most of the recipients, it'll be the only Christmas gifts they receive. My friend and neighbor, Reiko, coordinated the box effort this year. When she was a little girl in Japan she was on the receiving end of such gifts and it meant so much to her that she is now giving back. It's a joy to get to be a part of it. Would you please say a prayer for us and our team and our efforts?

Gracias, amigos!

Some Links for You

FYI, Dallas Seminary has posted a profile titled "Hitting the Shelves: Professor Sandra Glahn Talks about Her New Novel" on their web site. You can read it by going here.

Also, here's a link to an article I wrote in Kindred Spirit magazine titled "The Gift God Still Wants" about what's at the top of God's "wish list" this and every Christmas.

I had a blast on Sunday meeting making a surprise visit to a book group in Denton that was discussing Informed Consent. I'll post a photo as soon as they send it.

Joy to the...Wierd?

As I write this, my daughter is downstairs practicing her violin. What a delight to hear "Joy to the World" and "Deck the Halls" live and in tune.

The serenity of her music stands in stark contrast with this week's big news in the world of biotech. Did you hear? Some South Koreans have cloned cats that glow in the dark. As Dave Barry says, "I swear I am not making this up." Apparently these scientists have cloned cats by manipulating a fluorescent protein gene, which they say could help develop treatments for human genetic diseases. And glowing in the dark turned out to be a side effect.

Just think of the ramifications for humans... You go on a Scouting campout and forget your flashlight but remember your protein pills. Voila! Swallow a tablet and you can light up the path on the way to the outhouse. (You can read more and see a really weird photo of glowing kittens here: RedOrbit.)

Wordless Wednesday

Creative Soul

Do you know a creative soul (other than yourself)? Tell us about him or her. My Creative Soul Award goes to a former co-worker named Jon. Whenever his little girls didn't want to put their shoes on to go somewhere, instead of yelling at them, he would grab a few pairs, line them up, and pretend to be a shoe salesman. He'd get them to try on what looked best with their outfits, and voila! Ready to go!

Home Again

Wednesday after the class I co-teach, I hopped a plane to Little Rock, Arkansas, so I could speak to a group of women who did my Premium Roast with Ruth study this fall. My hostess asked if I'd like to stay with her or in a hotel, and I opted for her place. Little did I know I was choosing my own suite at the top of a cliff overlooking the river! When I awoke yesterday morning, from my bed I could see the dazzling sunrise over the river. What a gift!

And if that weren't enough, many of the women wrote thank-you notes to me, which meant a lot. I couldn't believe it when they presented me with an entire bag full of them.

I returned home yesterday. After I landed around 4:30, I dashed straight home to get to my daughter's Christmas concert. Way fun.

If you are one of the 248 people waiting on an email reply from me about something, now you know why!

Wordless Wednesday

World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS day. World Vision has a great resource site, where I learned about caring for/feeding an AIDS orphan for $26/month.

I also love what my friend, Heather, is doing in Kenya!

James 1:27 says," Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."