DOTY FAMILY JOURNAL

Partridge in a Pear Tree

2010-12-20T21:29:00.004-05:00

We decorated the main Christmas tree this evening. The childrens' eyes seemed to glow with excitement! They decorated the Kids' Tree a couple weeks ago and did a great job, but this was different. This tree has all the beautiful ornaments and a lovely angel on top. They know the story of the song - The Twelvel Days of Christmas and talked of the birds and Partridge in this tree. It also has lots of butterflies and several pears.

As usual, we all wore our Santa hats to decorate the tree and I, of course, wore my Elf boots! Long story, but suffice it to say I've been wearing elf boots and an elf hat at Christmas time for several years. In the background, we had some beautiful Christmas music playing.

I'm off to fix hot chocolate for the kiddos, then put them to bed. We'll read a bedtime story and I'm guessing they will each have sweet dreams tonight.

Christmas is my favorite Holy Day, by far! It always has been. What a wonderful, beautiful time of the year! God gave us His only Son - Jesus Christ - to save us from our sins!!! What a wonderful, perfect gift!!! Thank you, Holy Father!

Blessed, Broken, and Given

2010-11-07T10:03:00.004-05:00

Today is National Adoption Sunday. There are 147 MILLION orphans worldwide. That's huge! God has given the mandate that we must all care for the orphans and the widows.

James 1:27 says, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

My challenge today (to you and even more to me) is to look for ways to make this verse central to our lives. What can I do today to help orphans and widows? That's what it really takes. WE are His hands and feet. What will WE do to help those in need? What would God have you do?

Folks, I struggle with that very question every day. Orphans are certainly my passion, my heart. But what can I do to help? I pray we will each search for God and may we each find Him. And actually be able to see Him when He is standing there.

Lyrics from Cece Winan's song:

Two men walked on the road to Emmaus
Blind to a stranger they met on the way
Late in the evening, they asked him to supper
To break bread together at the close of the day
The stranger took the bread and bowed his head
Then asked for a blessing then he broke it
Into pieces of three
He gave to these blind men this bread
Blessed and broken
And suddenly their blinded eyes did see

His life was blessed far more than I could ever imagine
He was touched by God's grace more than I'll ever know
Then he was broken by the hands of the father
To bring sight to all blind men who were lost on their way
After God blessed him and after God broke him
He was given to bring sight to all men
When he was blessed
When he was broken
and after he was given
God blessed him and broke him again and again

My life is blessed far more than I could ever imagine
I've been touched by God's grace more than I'll ever know
So let me be given to the hands of the father
Let me feel, what you felt, when you were broken for me

After my blessing, and after my breaking
Let me be given to bring sight to all men
When I've been blessed
When I've been broken
then after I've been given
Lord bless me and break me again and again
Lord bless me and break me again and again

Apron Pics

2010-10-12T11:27:00.001-04:00

Jonathan's Message....

2009-09-30T11:06:00.013-04:00

Please watch this short video clip. This young man has a fantastic message for everyone! He has a dream! Oh, that more people were like him! Can you picture Jonathan in the White House some day? I know I can.

Applause! Applause! Let's all back his cause. To learn more about Jonathan, check out his Facebook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=94130692093. I'm sorry, but I cannot get the link to work at this time, so you will need to copy/paste for the link.