Merry Christmas from the Stricklands!

Wishing you so much love and joy and peace this Christmas and in the new year!

These verses have been stirring in my heart with hope and sometimes I feel like I might explode with the kindness and love of God. We were in dark. Lost. And then He came. The Word became Flesh. For me For you. 

The people walking in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
    a light has dawned.
Isaiah 9:2

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1-4,14

It's because of the Word becoming Flesh, it's because of Jesus that there can be peace and joy. No matter the situation, no matter the circumstance. There is peace and joy because of Jesus. 

Merry Christmas to you!

Christmas cards

I love sending Christmas cards as much as I love receiving them. Actually I think I love sending Christmas cards more. Is that weird? So be it. I'm weird. But you all knew that already, right?

Look at our wee family in 2009!

Ah yes. This was a goodie from our first Christmas in Africa. Good times.

I've used Tiny Prints and Minted to send out cards. I've designed my own and had friends help me. This year I decided to try somewhere new. I was originally thinking Shutterfly but they were going to charge me $31 in shipping costs alone! Nuh uh. Ain't nobody got money for that. Well, obviously some people do. But I don't. So I looked elsewhere. A friend suggested Printstagram and I remembered that I had wanted to use their company but had forgotten so I went online and realized they have an app {Print Studio} that you can download onto your phone and print pictures with them {and greeting cards} without having an instagram account {which is the whole premise behind Prinstagram.}. So I edited our family picture that my sister took and then from my phone I ordered our Christmas cards! Technology is so amazing, eh?

They'll be simple this year and I'm okay with that. Kinda like what I'm aiming for in our lives. Simplicity. Beauty. Family.
When they come in the mail, I'll make sure to give you a full review but I'm definitely excited to use Prinstagram to print off a huge poster of my instagram pics of this past year.

Do you send Christmas cards? Do you design them? Buy them from a company with templates {like Tiny Prints, etc.}? Send them via the interwebs? Give me all the informations!

merry christmas 2012

wishing you all this and more as you celebrate christmas this year.

Hark the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King.
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled."

we've been singing this song a lot this season with the boys. perhaps because it's the song they sing at the end of charlie brown's christmas, but either way i like it. 
but one night i found myself explaining to the boys what that last line means. and it hit me afresh. this is what christmas is about. this is why we celebrate. we've been reconciled with God because of jesus humbling himself to enter into time and earth as the most helpless of creatures - a human baby. 
this christmas season, i am thankful again for the love of a saviour who would come as a baby, a light into the darkness, to rescue me. to reconcile me to God. 
amen and amen.

blue christmas

...actually, more like a green christmas. and i don't mean in a "save the world" kinda way.

i mean with palm trees and sunshine, shorts and t-shirts, flip flops and bathing suits.

it does feel a bit surreal, but i am so happy to be here. so thankful. 

and

my brother flies in tonight {Lord willing he catches his 3rd connecting flight!}and i'm so super excited to see him and have him experience our little ugandan life and christmas and get a great big bear-hug from him!

noah is watching a christmas cartoon and jude is wearing his bunny as a cape shouting "merry christmas!", the stereo is playing folk angel and sufjan stevens and sarah mclaughlin and michael buble and jamie just left on a boda boda to pick up some last minute food items {it's just not worth the insanity to drive our car this close to christmas!} and i'm off to shower and then make lunch and then do some christmas baking with noah.

so a very merry christmas to you from us in uganda!

the people walking in darkness have seen a great light. on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.
isaiah 9:2

good news of great joy!

And they're off...

Tomorrow starts the beginning (ending? climax?) of the Christmas crazy travelin'.
My heart feels so much more ready for Christmas - that is, to celebrate Jesus' birth - than it has been in many, many Christmases past.
I am excited to be with family and friends.
I am excited to love on my hubs and my boys.
I am thankful for friends and family and you!

Merry Christmas from the Stricklands!

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and of peace 

there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

to establish it and uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

from this time forth and forevermore.

The zeal of the lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 9: 6-7

A very, merry Christmas

...to you!