CELEBRATE CHRIST MAS!

Okay i am getting giddy about this month long Christmas celebration...

....it could be the brightly colored lights my boy insisted we hang on our house for Jesus' party....that make me both cringe and laugh with joy when i see them.

...it could be that i know that possibly 60 other families will be praying with us for 25 people groups from around the world that need to know GOD's great love.

...it could be this Christmas Fair coming up this weekend where we are hoping that thousands of dollars get raised to take care of the basic needs of over 250 orphans! Come on out 100% goes to help the orphans!

...it could be the overwhelming realization of who and what we are celebrating this season.....i feel overwhelmed.... do we really get it....the kind of love it took for the HOLY ALMIGHTY GOD to come as a baby in a human body...
overwhelmed to tears....

God, may i take your word literally and may this season put all of us in AWE of YOU!!!!!

overwhelmed

today i left church overwhelmed... overwelmed by my sin... my lack in everything... my effort leads to nothingness....i am limited... i am a failure...but HE is not...

and all day today... running through my head was my minuteness....

and tonight after folding a house full of laundry and listening to the below powerful lesson about the reality of GOD's goodness and mercy.... i am left overwhelmed .. but this time not over my GREAT lack... but of HIS great sacrifice for this great failure (me).

Paul Washer says:  "Where did all of the stars go this afternoon? ......there are still there you just can't see them because of the GREAT LIGHT of the sun..... only against the pitch of darkness can you see them.....You can only see the diamonds of God's grace against the pitch black darkness of our filth. It is then you see the grace of God shining..."

Listen and be overwhelmed with truth....

It is so easy to lose sight of the reality of the TRUTH he speaks of here.... often that clip from that Matrix movie comes in my mind (yes.... i know...lame to compare matters of truth with an action movie... but it is the closest thing i can think of right now to describe what God has been revealing to me) ...

It is like i am still living in a lie - most people seem satisfied to live in this lie - ....wrapped up in so many things - ..... even though i say i believe the truth the reality of WHO Jesus is and what He did in my life.... i really don't or i would be living differently.... right??!?!

..... Yes.... i do believe...  and I know it is not a pill i need to take.... but it is HIS SPIRIT revealing truth to my heart even now.

THANK YOU HOLY SPIRIT! HELP ME TO WALK OUT what i say i believe... He me to be your follower... wherever... all of the time....


AND thank YOU for unmerited GRACE....THANK YOU....those words seem so meaningless... they don't hold where my heart is in this very moment.... overwhelmed by YOUR love, GOD.

what do you want for Christmas?

shouldn't the question be what does HE want for Christmas? After all it is HIM and His birth we are celebrating.

Isn't He enough anyway... who needs made up magic when you can have real miracles from God who is truly amazing?!

and not only that but what in the world do we need or want besides HIM... isn't HE enough. (Yes, Jesus, is).....the Lord is my shepherd i shall not want.... right?!

So sweet little lady at the grocery store... don't ask my kids what they want for Christmas... if you do expect and answer from me that they want to celebrate the KING for Christmas.

And so if the question is WHAT DOES HE WANT FOR CHRISTMAS? what is the answer?...

That is exactly what my kiddos and i have been studying over the past year. He wants our praise, our lives, our worship, our focus, our love.... He said when you give to the least of these you give to Him...He said if you have His love in your heart you will show His love to others.. He wants us to show love to the poor and the needy.

Every year we have lots of Christmas Traditions (see here for a few) that don't include the focus on us but on HIM. And no we don't do gifts for each other at Christmas.... never have since the kids have been born and never will...

WHY? 
Life is all about HIM, we don't need or want except for HIM.

"So sad for Children"? ....no....according to Jesus (our Creator)...  very blessed children. And celebrating Him is what we are created to do and FUN!


We do give to the poor the destitute, the needy, because that is what pleases HIM. Check out the GPPD catalog for opportunities to give to HIM this Christmas...

May sound crazy to you... but not to HIM....it is completely biblical... our God is worthy of all our adoration all of the time and this Christmas. We praise HIM for the miracle of coming as a humble man to earth to show us a powerful love that is like nothing this world offers.

Global Dolls bring help and hope

GPPD has just come out with Nations Dolls...

Each beautiful handmade 18" doll represents a people group somewhere in the world. They are made by women in poverty that went through our Sewing Micro Business Training. They each come with a card that tells the story of a real little girl in that people group and details on how to pray for the people they represent. They also come with a link to a interactive website from the Doll!

All of the money goes to help these impoverished women start their businesses and provide for the basic needs for their family AND build a home for orphans and destitute widows in India.

So make a donation, change the world, and get a beautiful doll! 

Meet Bujjamma who made the Bedawi doll. The money she earns will help her go to nursing school. Bujjama was 7 years old when her parent died and she lived in the GPPD children's home since she was 8 years old. 

BANJARA FROM INDIA

 BEDAWI FROM EGYPT

 PINGDI FROM CHINA

AFAR FROM ETHIOPIA

 TAI DAM FROM

coolest advent ever

This has become one of our favorite family traditions...

The kids are giddy with anticipation each night as they run to the calendar. They dig in the deep burlap pockets and find a yummy treat, a little 4 inch Nations Doll ornament, a verse ornament that tells the purpose of Christmas, and a piece to our nativity. They snuggle on the couch with us as one of us reads the short passage that tell us the why of the Christmas miracle and eat our treats. Then the other one of us (parents that is) reads the little card that comes with the handmade nations doll which tells the story of a little child in that people group and gives you information on how to pray and a picture of where a child from that people group lives. Then together we pray for the millions of people that this little doll represents. Most of the people the dolls represent have never heard the about the miracle of Christmas.

After we pray the kids go hang the doll ornament and verse ornament on the tree and play with the piece from the nativity.

On Christmas morning i am really giddy.... before the kids wake up we latch each of the hooks on the hands of the dolls and hang them in the tree or as a garland on the mantel. There they are all holding hands worshiping Jesus.... people from every nation....and then we talk about the day when we all will be doing just that. Revelation 7:9-10

Three Christmases ago i shared about our calendar and many people said they wanted one too. We thought that this would be a great way to help start sewing Mirco-businesses for women in utter poverty.

So this year we are introducing these Calendars and 24 Mini-Nations dolls handmade by women in poverty. A portion of the money given will be given to these ladies to help them build a business that will support their families or give them future educational opportunities. The rest of the proceeds will go to help build a widow and orphan home/Training Center in Siddipet, Andhra Pradesh, India.

GPPD is asking for a $150 donation toward these causes and we will send you a handmade beautiful calendar and 24 handmade mini nations dolls with stories. Go here to make your donation today and help women, orphans, and widows in poverty. As well as create a beautiful family tradition that celebrates Christ.

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1:27

here are just some of the 24 Nations Dolls......

busy bee

Busy bee that is me...

I have been so busy recently ... doing good things... things to show the nations HIS love... things that show HIS love to my 3 little ones ...

though all of those things are good i miss my time with HIM.

I miss my time smothering myself in HIS all powerful life giving word... i love to swim in the truth till i start to soak the nourishing waters in. I miss my walks alone and my time of fervent prayer has been so minimal...

oh Martha... so busy...

I am ready for a Mary Fast. Can i do it during this busy season with these little ones and a busy hubby coming home soon?

I must.

I NEED HIM! He is the bread of life.... and i am starving! I don't just want a bit here and there i want to feast!!!!

I can't do this busy in passing relationship with GOD ALMIGHTY CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE.

HERE IS A GOOD MESSAGE to you hungry Jesus lovers out there that need a little truth to kick you in the behind... like i do. :)

MUST WATCH VIDEO

truth is powerful... (warning: this has graphic content)

plump crazy

For the last few years i have felt something inside my heart that has been welling up even more over the last several months...

this song keep coming to my mind...


I know it sounds funny... every time i hear some big news report i sing the chorus tune to Jonathan.

....but seriously... i have this sense that the world is going to change drastically from the way we know it now... i don't know when Jesus is coming back (none of us do according to scripture)... but something is happening and about to happen.

GOD is doing something. - not the American President, not country leaders worldwide, or nations.... it is something bigger that only God is allowing.

I feel that there is going to be a pruning... a time of dead branches coming off.

I feel even more urgency to live for eternal to share and show His love and to teach my kiddos the same.

As i seek God i feel Him leading me to not waste time...

Things i keep seeing:
It is going to get worse in our eyes. And be very different for our children. But the worse is going to draw us to HIM which is better.

It is time for the followers of Jesus to really follow Him - not others, not ourselves, not things of this world. This is where the pruning will come in.

Now you may think i am crazy... but i know a lot of other Jesus followers that are feeling the same things.

So, maybe i am prophet yelling in the wilderness, but i can't just keep quiet. PEOPLE SOMETHING IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.... TURN YOUR HEART/MIND/SOUL to JESUS!

So Christians... start living for and in Christ and not in yourselves... don't be so easily distracted by the things of this world (preachn' to myself here too!!!) and non- followers of Jesus.... read about Him in His word, the Bible, ask Him to show Himself to you, He will - admit your need for Him and follow Him.... just like the disciples did long ago... drop everything... even their nets full of fish and followed Him.

Yep.... plump crazy...
or maybe not..... 

yes LORD

Amber Hasson is a GPPD Associate in the slums of Haiti, now the poorest country in the world. Please pray for her and, if you feel lead by God, support her finically  God is doing something amazing and it is beautiful to watch her say yes Lord use me...whatever it might be.
https://www.gpartners.org/amber-hasson