The Ultimate Gift

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 

Watching some cartoons on kids' TV with my children one lazy afternoon, I was dismayed to find how twisted our values have gone. A music video was shown of a song "Chintzy" with a couple of famous cartoon characters portraying some gift-giving. A notorious friend was having his birthday and his friend gave him a personal gift, a picture of them together when they were young, framed, and obviously, well-kept and treasured. And the birthday celebrator's reaction? A song that goes along these lines... A picture framed, chintzy! A sweater you made, chintzy! Give me a Ferrari, a trip to Hawaii and throw in a million bucks!

Hands On (and More) Part 2

Gifts

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above" (James 1:17). The joy of working with our hands in service and the privilege of enjoying the fruits of our labors comes only from our Creator.

But what if you don't know what your gift is?

Growing up, I thought I knew what I was going to be and where I was going. But having gone through so many detours and u-turns, I had become very confused. God, though, has been very patient with me.

Hands On Part 1

Craft-y

I've never been crafty with my hands as my younger sister is. She is utterly awesome that she has made a business out of it. (Check out some of her work below or visit her website www.estherspalace.com. No apologies as I am just so proud of her.)

I wish I am as skillful as her but I haven't quite mastered the use of my hands or explored the wonders it can do.

Actually, I have done some exploration back in high school. We had to do a sewing project for our Home Ec class, but being one who can't construct anything out of nothing, much less a mass of threads and pieces of cloth, I pressured my mom into teaching me how to sew together an apron. (Uh-huh, pretty ambitious. An apron! Should have set my sights on a handkerchief and passed it on as a table napkin.)

Snow

She can't get enough of the snow...

It's winter here in Russia. Snow is everywhere.

The family was out up in the mountains with friends for some barbecue in the snow. We dressed up pretty warmly to avoid the cold and to really enjoy the moment. We are appreciative of the scene outside. It looked pure, undefiled, soft and WHITE.

Very white. I wondered then how snow happens to get so white.