The life of Faith

As I sit here today, I am praying for my friend Courtney. She is something special. You can't help but fall in love with her sweet manner and her calmness. Everybody who knows me, knows that I am always at a break neck speed, going from one thing to another. Getting it all done so that tomorrow I can move on to the next thing. But not Courtney. Today, she sits by her son's bedside along with her husband, Jason, focusing on her sweet Tucker. He has his 3rd cancer in his short nine years. And the past few days have been difficult to say the least. But Court and Jason stay focused on Tucker. No distractions. FOCUS on the moment.
I am being taught volumes about faith watching them. I read this quote by Elisabeth Elliot on Saturday and I cannot get it out of my mind.

"The life of faith is lived one day at a time-
and it has to be 'lived' - not always looked
forward to as though the 'real' living were
around the corner. It is today for which we
are responsible - God still owns tomorrow."

How many days do I find myself saying "if I can just make it to such and such day...then it's going to be GREAT". Or, "when I don't have this anymore it is going to be so much easier." When God meant for us to live by faith TODAY! Having our eye on the prize, yes, but living by faith today, as a witness for His Glory. And that is what Jason and Courtney are doing. Cherishing the day (TODAY) that God has given them. Not worrying about what comes tomorrow, but thankful for the gift of today. I hope you will join me in prayer, lifting Tucker, Courtney, Jason and Lily up to Jesus.

"The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." Is. 40:28-29.

The Cat's Away...

Allie finds her way to "the big bed" when Darrin was gone. She just hopped up, found her spot and made herself comfortable!

Updating Bart's Condition

God has been so faithful to answer prayer over and over again for Darrin's youngest brother, Bart. We just wanted to give you all an update as best we can. Bart's levels are unfortunately showing his his kidney function is really at a dangerous level. He is past the point of beginning the full time dialysis but Bart has really been praying that the kidney transplant would happen before that point. While we do Praise God that his transplant is set for March 10th, we just so want him to be in good physical condition when that date gets here. His diet and medications are crucial at this point. Between Courtney and Janie he is getting great care and we are thankful! Please continue to pray for him. We also thank God for LaDonna as she prepares to give Bart her kidney. We pray for her, Scott, Mary Katherine and Elizabeth. Also, please continue to pray for Don and Janie...I just cannot begin to imagine the depth of emotions they are feeling. It has really been hard on them. We just are praying and believing...God for good things!

"It's Been A Good Day"

You know some days are just better days than others. Darrin and I just talked about today being a good day! Our Connect Group is super! Seriously, we have some of the greatest friends in our group! It's just enjoyable! Then, what can I say about our service! Our prayer in Connect Group was that Pastor Randy would speak the Word boldly and clearly and that we would worship as never before. It did not take long to see that God was up to something!!! And then tonight, Darrin and I are part of a small group that meets at Bob and Jennifer Foster's and WE LOVE IT! The honesty is refreshing and its just an enjoyable group... and not to mention we get to spend time with Raegan "Baby Cakes" too! She blessed my heart tonight! She is funny and smart and just a joy! And we are getting to see Kayden get such a personality! CUTIE! She is just going with the flow with all these people invading her home.

I don't know about you but I just needed a good day and God provided.

This is a hysterical video of the cutest little boy! We have laughed until tears are streaming down our faces! You feel sorry for him but you can't help but laugh!

I am SOOO Sick of being Sick!

Once again, I am still sick! I have coughed until I feel like my lungs are on the outside of my body... and I still have shopping and things to do before Thursday. Yuck! Friday p.m. we had several friends over for a open house, and I coughed and coughed, but still had a great time! Last night, we had Christmas with Darrin's mom over at Wayne and Val's house...my nephew Carter had me so tickled! He wrote a letter to Santa asking for a dirt bike for Christmas. He received a letter back from Santa this week, which was hilarious! Santa explained to Carter that a dirt bike this year would not be good because the elves had too much to build and how getting a dirt bike would be unfair to Carter's dog Molly, because she would not get to ride with him like she does on the four-wheeler. Well, this letter did not upset him at all. On the contrary, it just "proved" to him that Santa was for real. His reaction:

"Santa must be real or else the post office has camera's set up in our houses."
Hysterical! Only Santa would know about him and Molly riding together, so he has his mind made up!

I am looking forward to a laid back Christmas this week. I urge you to take time and go to Hello, my name is God
devotion blog! This week is all about Jesus!

Christmas at The Holmes'

My den tree!


My dining room tree!


The entry tree!

The kitchen tree!

The door wreath!

I love having our home decorated for Christmas, I love the smell of Christmas trees, I would absolutely LOVE a White Christmas ( I LOVE SNOW!!), I love beautiful wrapped packages to give to family and friends! I LOVE JESUS! who btw is the only reason for this wonderful holiday!