Perfect Military Spouse Care Package

Last spring I attended a retreat sponsored by the Army Wife Network. Though I am an Air Force wife, the ladies at Ft. Sill welcomed me with open arms. One intriguing session covered creative care packages for our deployed service members. I considered the options: fiesta in a box complete with mini pinata, chocolate overload, or a birthday party including balloons.

My husband doesn't revel in celebration themes even when he is home. I could imagine his shock if I mailed him a complete Valentine's Day party - for one. But what I noticed was the ladies' excitement at the clever ideas. Women love decorating and color coordinating party favors. So what about care packages for military spouses? These women spare no expense and thought for their husbands yet neglect their own need for relaxation and pampering.

My answer is the Queen of the Homefront Care Package containing all the items a queen needs to revel in her role.

1. Wardrobe: Every Queen needs a sparkling tiara to serve as a reminder of who is in charge while daddy's away.
2. Tea Time: Beautiful tea cup and saucer, tea bags, shortbread cookies or scones add the perfect touch to a moment alone in the kitchen.
3. Royal Correspondence: Ornate stationary for those moments when email just won't do. (Especially when the royal subjects monopolize the computer.)
4. Quiet Moments alone: After an exhausting day meeting the needs of the royal subjects, the queen needs to get away. Lavender aromatherapy and a good Christian fiction novel help her to escape the stresses of managing the realm.

My husband believes that wives carry the more difficult burden in military life. See what other women are saying about Military Spouse Care Packages at Wives of Faith. You might be inspired to bless a military spouse this holiday season.

Blessings to you!

Christmas: A Story of Sovereignty

Civilians see military life as a structured existence. Military wives in the midst of PCS or deployment will testify to the unpredictable, exhausting, randomness of it all. (Can I get a witness?)

In the past two months our family has encountered a happy homecoming from deployment, multiple delays in PCS orders, an emergency surgery, a minor traffic accident (does a bumper tap at 5 mph count?), a DITY move, and five children who think New Mexico is a barren land like Moses travelled during the Exodus. Each glitch forced us to revise our plans and eventually abandon plans altogether. Our new agenda was to begin tasks while on the alert for detours.

When I look at the Christmas story in light of the entire Word of God, so much seems random, yet the God of the universe had a plan. I delight in knowing that each step along the way, God was leading His people to a Bethlehem stable.

God revealed His sovereignty through the fulfillment of hundreds of Old Testament prophecies and foreshadowing of His Son. A garden. An Ark. Tablets of stone. A march across the desert. A big fish. A vision in a fiery furnace. A great wall. What once appeared random is now knitted together in a beautiful story of our redemption from Christ's birth to his death and resurrection.

Just before our PCS, someone asked me how I could be so calm with all of the chaotic circumstances in my life. My answer was simple. I know that God is sovereign. He takes the small pieces of my life and weaves them into the story of His love.

Take a step back this season and thank God for the random life of a military wife. You will see His sovereign hand guiding you.

Other ladies are sharing their thoughts about Christmas on the Wives of Faith Christmas Carnival. Check it out!

Blessings to you!
Casey

Mom's Christmas List

Thanks to Wives of Faith I have a perfect reason to post my Christmas list online!

1. Legos: My husband says the kids have too many already, but I am certain that we could build something amazing if we just had a few thousand more.

2. Books: I'm currently hooked on Jenny B. Jones (NOT Junie B Jones books for kids) but I'd take any Christian fiction titles.

3. Hills Brothers Double Mocha Cappuccino mix. They don't carry it in Clovis. I might die.

4. Pillowcases: I know this is a strange request. My friend Rachel Eggum Cinader takes pillowcase dresses to various missions around the world. Click here to Dress a Girl Around the World.

Thanks in advance, Santa!

My Favorite Christmas Foods

Every December we make Candy Cane cookies. When my children were younger, they knew the season was in full swing when we spent the day making our own candy cane edibles.

We divide a regular sugar cookie recipe into two bowls and add red food coloring and peppermint extract to one bowl. Each child makes 6 inch ropes of dough. Then a red and white rope are twisted together to form a candy cane shape. Crushed candy cane pieces may be sprinkled over the surface before baking.


Looking for other great holiday recipes? My friends from Wives of Faith are sharing their favorite recipes today. Check out the Twelve Days of Christmas Carnival!

My Little Town of Bethlehem

The world had been awaiting the arrival of the Messiah for decades. They speculated how He would reveal Himself. The day would bring celebration with a grand entrance of the Savior of God's people. Parades. A week of parties. Decorations. Can you see it?

Instead, hope came in a simple town much like the one you may live in today. It was a typical evening where families gathered, animals were fed, children sent to bed. (I wonder how many times they asked for drinks after being put to bed?)

The scene depicted in the Christmas carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem, speaks volumes to my heart each holiday season. Over and over, the writer, Philips Brooks, describes the scene: "The town is dark and quiet... Mortal man sleeps... No ear hears His coming."

Then "silently the wondrous gift is given." Though a star and multitude of angels announced His arrival to the shepherds, many spent a normal evening at home unaware that the King of Kings was making His spectacular debut.

The ways of God amaze me. In the mundane tasks of my life, Jesus continues to give hope and love and joy. I pray that each day of this season, God reveals His hope to you and your family.

Want to read more inspiring stories for this Christmas season?

Wives of Faith is hosting the 12 Days of Christmas Blog Carnival.

A Christmas Gift

For many of us, the Christmas season is a celebration of the humble beginnings of a Savior. The gospel of John reminds us that the story of Christ, the Redeemer, began long before this day. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Our human minds package the Christmas story neatly with Mary and Joseph in the stable surrounded by peaceful animals and visiting shepherds. Then we place a big bow on top with angels singing praises and a few fancy gifts from afar. Our picture comes from other gospel writers. John simply calls this gift “The Word made flesh.”

Our mortal eyes see the life of Christ fixed in time – beginning at Bethlehem and ending on a hillside outside Jerusalem. From the appearance one angel to a young woman named Mary, and another to Mary Magdalene outside an empty tomb. For John, the story dwells between two leaders for the kingdom – John the Baptist to warm up the crowd and Peter who would take “The Jesus Show” on its first world tour.

This season as we approach the manger where Jesus was born, let us consider the words that John uses to conclude his gospel. Just after the establishment of Peter as the future leader of Christ’s message, John writes, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”

John says we have just a glimpse of who God is through His Son. He is a living God, not confined by a mere story. If Jesus’ life on earth cannot be contained within the pages of a book (nor the entire volume of cyberspace), then how much greater must be His presence throughout the ages!

His birth is merely a piece of the picture. The Word – Jesus – has been in the story of the world the whole time. The Son of God was present in the garden of Eden. The Word of God was with Moses. The King of Kings stood with David. The Messiah walked with Daniel. The Eternal God appeared to John.

And what about today? Yes, the story of Jesus Christ the Redeemer continues in my life and in yours. He offers the gift of Himself this Christmas season. A gift that keeps on giving.