Second Christmas...

 Jefferson and Jaya came from Canberra for a short visit earlier this month...

We had a second 'Christmas lunch' at Marnie's...

Jaya gifted Marnie and I with some of his framed artwork...

They accompanied me on my morning walk...

We spent some time at the beach...

And at the Forth river...

Eating pizza...

Visiting the goats at Denver's workplace...

And all too soon, it was time to see them off at the airport...

We hope to see them again later in the year :)

So now I'm getting back to my 'normal' routine.  I haven't really done much knitting since before Christmas, apart from not having the time, it's also been too hot, and I've had quite a lot of headaches.  But I have been continuing to savour my Teatime Discipleship book...   

From the 'Feasting on God's Grace' chapter...

"Many years ago, living as a missionary in Austria, I attended a Christmas party hosted by dear friends and team members of the organization with whom I worked.  At this event, our friends spoke to all of us about Christ as the ultimate gift.

Standing in a corner was a young Austrian woman I had invited who worked as my friend's au pair.  Claudia could hardly have looked less engaged in the message being shared.  I turned towards her, attempting conversation in my halting German.  We barely shared a language, but before we parted, I managed to invite her to a nearby cafe for a cup of tea and a pastry later in the month...  Before we left, I pressed a German Bible into her hands.  "This is a gift," I said.

The next week, I saw her again.  She came up to me with a sparkle in her eyes and showed me the Bible, already dog-eared and underlined.  "I hope I've been doing the right thing," she told me.  "I've been reading this every day.  I want to know God.  I have wanted this for many years."

...A long time ago, I came to Christ because a complete stranger took the initiative to share Christ with me.  I was a college freshman living on the tenth floor of a dorm, secretly praying, If there is a God in the universe, can You please make Yourself known to me?  I deeply longed for love and purpose.  On the outside, no one knew or observed my desperate prayers.  The meeting with the Austrian woman reminded me of this.  There are people in each of our lives who have never heard or understood the love, forgiveness, and grace of God.  How important it is that we reach out to those who have such longings.  And sharing a cup of tea, a meal, or a treat is often the way to open hearts.

Perhaps you are like me, naturally reticent or shy to share Christ with others.  But I often think how different my life would have been if the shy girl who knocked on my door had not taken the initiative to talk to me.  Extending friendship, hospitality, and love is the pathway to the opportunity to share His life-giving messages."

And I wanted to tell you about my 'Bible Word of the Month' I'm doing.  Choosing a different Bible word each month and then looking up and writing out the verses that contain that word. 

For January I've chosen 'Peace'.  So far, I've found 24 verses.  I'll tell you more next home post...

Just to finish (as this post is getting waaay toooo long), last Sunday afternoon, Denver, Sophie, Marnie and I went on a walk at Warrawee Conservation Area...

Till next time...

Stay safe and 'happy days' :)

xx