Quiet....For A Couple Of Reasons

I know that it has been quiet for the last few days here at A Pair of Bartletts....but for two very good reasons.  The first reason (and the most important) is that I have been spending a fabulous four day weekend with my resident Sugar Pie AND Honey Bun, Rob.  This four day weekend was actually brought to us by way of a very Pagan "holiday" called Mardi Gras...one in which we choose not to participate.  However, the only "perk" of Mardi Gras to us is that we get these last two days of "revelry" as holidays...although we have not been active "revelers", as the rest of our city has been.  Instead, we have spent this four day weekend with each other...resting and relaxing.  It has been SO nice and I really hate to see it come to an end.  I actually got to sit in Barnes and Noble with Rob for about two hours today...sipping a Venti Earl Grey hot tea and reading....sheer Heaven, I tell you. 

The other reason for being so quiet is that I wanted to get a jump start on a project that I have really wanted to work on for quite some time now.  I have started working on both of our family trees through Ancestry(dot)com.  MERCY.....It's been SO much fun, not to mention interesting!  I LOVE history and have had the most fun finding out where we really "came from".  It's so neat to know that we had relatives back in the 1400's stomping around in England, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, Russia, and New Zealand...just to name a few countries.  At any rate, it's been SO neat to see our family histories.  I have also had the BEST time reading some of the old names!  I have so many favorites, I would not even know where to start!  Well, I'm about to head back out to my little genealogy project for the evening.  I'll be revving back up to blogging in the next couple of days, so stay tuned!  Once very special post coming up will be "Marriage Monday", which will be the first Monday in March...so please come back and visit!! 

Oh...and for those of you who are in our families (both me and Rob)...please watch for an email from me either tonight or tomorrow (if you haven't already gotten one).  I have sent some out already directing you to the family tree online.  The ones that I have not sent yet are those who I had not gotten as much info entered for.  But, I'm just about "there"...so check your email! 

Christmas Catch-Up

Well, we are writing to you from somewhere in Georgia at a hotel that "will do" for the night...it's not my typical favorite hotel brand (starts with an "M" and ends with a "T"), but with a dog in tow, our options are more limited!

I will be trying to catch everyone up over the next few days of all the events that have taken place this past week.  What a GLORIOUS week in the Lord we had!  And today was my birthday, which means that all of these events have made for one of the greatest birthdays ever! 

I can't wait to sit down and catch you all up....but let me get unpacked and then I'll start on the saga.  We should be home tomorrow night!!

I pray that everyone has had an incredible Christmas week!!

Putting the Christ Back in Christmas

Well, here we are again.  It's almost Christmas and everyone is scurrying around trying to finish their shopping.  But, in the midst of the shopping, have we really stopped to remember what the real reason for this Christmas season is?  It's as simple as the first six letters of the word itself.....C-H-R-I-S-T.  But in all the hustle and bustle....now it's just "Happy Holiday's", if you get that much out of it.  Jesus has been pushed right out of the greeting itself.

When I opened my email this morning, I got a sobering reminder of how Jesus has been pushed out of as much as he can be pushed out of, even to the far corners of the earth.  My brother is in a foreign country right now, doing some work that is very important.  He will be home next week, so I will talk more about it then, since I would rather him be back "in the motherland" before I talk too much about it.  Suffice it to say, he's in a lesss than friendly country.  When looking at some pictures this morning, one of them caught my eye.  At first glance, it appears to be a beautiful cathedral.  But knowing the story behind the country it resides in actually turns it into a very sad picture.  Cathedrals and church buildings are just buildings--they always will be.  But just knowing that there is really not much of Jesus' love that graces the doors of this building....not much worship, not much of the body of Christ coming together to pay hommage to Him and His death on the cross for us....just makes this building a shell--and a very sad shell at that. 

I pray that as we go throught the rest of the Christmas season, and even into the new year ahead, that we will all remember that without Christ, there is no Christmas.

The BIGGEST little verse

As I was reading my devotion this morning, on patience (which I confess, I possess very little when it comes to certain things), a verse in Habakkuk 2:3 just jumped out.  It's a very "user friendly verse".  It small, tiny, compact and will fit even in the smallest of pockets or purses.  But small as it may be in size, it's GI-NORMOUS the message that it packs.  It's got a message that is applicable to almost anything that I may run across in my daily struggle to gain more patients patience (sorry, I work in the Healthcare industry...can you see where I sometimes have to ask for patience??) At any rate, this very useful morsel that God has given to us in Habakkuk simply says this: "Though it tarry, WAIT for it."
How great is that verse I ask you?  I hope that you will glean from it as much as I did.  And even though some of us are working hard on our commitments to Memory Monday and Joanne Heim's site "The Simple Wife", this one is a "gimme".  We can all commit this verse to memory instantaneously.  See how easy that was....now we are armed with another morsel of God's instruction to us that is ready and available when you go to reach........ah but wait......."Though it tarry, WAIT for it!".

Wife of Rob

Additions of Traditions

I wanted to share something that I read today that I believe is a really great "addition to tradition" for our family.  I have to credit this to Joanne Heim over at The Simple Wife for submitting such a wonderful post on the lighting of Advent Candles.  I would certainly not add to or take away from her post, since she has written it so beautifully.  But, I would encourage you to check out her post, as it is a very worthy topic of family discussions, especially in this over-commercialized age that we live in.  She also has a link to a set of Advent Bookmarks that contain Advent readings for the entire season of Advent leading up to Christmas.  I will post the readings below, but if you can, go and check out her link in the post.  the bookmarks will be very useful to keep in our bibles during this season so that they are ready when needed. 

What a great reminder for everyone to continue to make Jesus the center of the Christmas season....instead of a/the/that ____________ at Wal-Mart, Target or wherever you would have gotten/bought a/the/that ______________. 

I know that typically, most people associate Advent with certain religious groups, such as the Roman Catholic Church.  I do not believe that any church building will grant eternal life to an individual but ONLY that they must confess and turn from their sins and ask Jesus into their hearts to save them from their sins, as their personal Lord and Saviour.  Because of this, I personally believe that Advent itself is a reminder for every born again believer (no matter what church they attend) to remember the reason of Christmas itself, the birth of Jesus Christ, who is the ONLY Messiah and Saviour of the world.

Celebrating Advent

First Candle:

The Candle of Hope

Romans 15:12-13

Second Candle:

The Candle of Preparation

Luke 3:4-6

Third Candle:

The Candle of Joy

Luke 2:7-15

Fourth Candle:

Candle of Love

John 3:16-17

Fifth Candle:

The Christ Candle

John 1:29, 3:1-8

Four Weeks Before Christmas

Sunday: Isaiah 7:14, Micah 5:2

Monday: Matthew 1:18-24, Luke 1:26-33

Tuesday: Luke 2:1-5

Wednesday: Luke 2:6-7

Thursday: Luke 2:8-9

Friday: Luke 2:10-12

Saturday: Luke 2:13-14

Three Weeks Before Christmas

Sunday: Luke 2:15-16

Monday: Luke 2:17-18

Tuesday: Luke 2:19

Wednesday: Luke 2:20

Thursday: Luke 2:21

Friday: Matthew 2:1-2

Saturday: Matthew 2:3-6

Two Weeks Before Christmas

Sunday: Matthew 2:7-8

Monday: Matthew 2:9

Tuesday: Matthew 2:10-11

Wednesday: Matthew 2:12-15

Thursday: Galatians 4:4-5

Friday: Ephesians 2:8-9

Saturday: 1 John 4:7-16

One Week Before Christmas

(may not be a full week)

Sunday: Ephesians 2:12-22

Monday: John 7:37-38, 14:6

Tuesday: Matthew 28:19-20

Wednesday: John 8:12

Thursday: John 9:4-5, Matthew 5:14-16

Friday: Psalm 98:1-6

Saturday: John 1:1-3, Romans 6:23

Christmas Day

Psalm 100, Revelation 3:20-21

Wife of Rob

Great Gain

To see these two guys together, my nephew Johnny and "Little Buddy Bartlett", our dachshund, it's just precious. Johnny doesn't have a pet, so when he is visiting here, he LOVES to spend his time with Buddy. They are both so content with each other. It just reminded me about contentment in the Lord, so I put this little word picture together.

Wife of Rob

Blessing Our Mates

There was a time when it would be very hard for me to see someone get something that I have wanted for so long, only to know that it might now be the right time for me to have that something. 

Well, my husband desperately needed a new cell phone.  But this time, due to his business, he needed much more than a regular cell phone.  He needed a Blackberry....an 8820, to be exact.  It has every bell and whistle that you can possibly imagine.  It will handle your email, your directions when you are lost (yep, it has GPS), your calendar and all appointments, and you can surf every web page from here to kingdom come.  I think it will even go by the drycleaners and pick up the laundry, if you program it just right.  Needless to say, Rob has been like a kid at Christmas.  Since our anniversary is only 2 days apart from his birthday, this is what he really wanted (and needed), so this was my gift to him.  It's taken it a couple of days to get here, but it's here. 

Used to, I would have really been selfish in my heart and wanted one before anyone else (I like to call it a "bratty heart").  My bratty heart would have just not had it any other way but to have this new fangled piece of electronic bliss as soon as I could possibly get it.  But, I'll have to say, all the joy of having this Blackberry is in me handing this brand new toy to my husband and knowing how much he truly loves what I got for him and how much he appreciates it and will use it for God's glory.  The Lord takes so much delight when we put our selfish bratty hearts aside and bless others (and truly be hapy in the circumstance).  I thank God for such a wonderful husband that I do not deserve. It's humbling to know that in God's infinite wisdom, He knew that Rob and I were soulmates.  He fashioned each one of us for the other.  He blessed us with each other and now we look for ways to bless each other in this life.  It's not always about an expensive Blackberry.  It's certainly far from material for us.  But the blessings for us are found in the scores and scores of little things, like Rob picking me up from work on a weird middle of the week day, just to take me out to dinner across the bay for some quality time together.

Thank you Lord for my husband and thank you for the means to give him a gift that will benefit and bless him in his business so that He can serve you as the leader and provider for our home.  Amen.

Wife of Rob

Secular or Spiritual?

I watch more than my share of news throughout the day (it's not just on my computer at work, but every time I walk down the hall at the hospital, guess what? We have lots of TV's at the hospital!). I have been bombarded with all sorts of thoughts on the upcoming Presidential Administration. My flesh has it's own extremely outspoken opinion about the new President Elect. HOWEVER, my spirit is bound to something much stronger in scripture that I cannot gloss over as if I never saw it. Tonight I was having a devotion time with my "John MacArthur Daily Bible" (if you have this bible, I'm specifially on pages 1170-1171). I was meditating on the passage from Hebrews 13:17 that says:

"Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.""

As I studied what it said there, I noticed that the obvious references could be to those as leaders in the church and that of my husband. However, as I re-read the passage, I began to think about those to whom we are subject to outside of the aforementioned. While studying further, the notes made by John MacArthur indicate that thought as well. He aludes to the fact that even though someone in a secular position of authority, such as the President Elect, "who do not acknowledge God are nevertheless ordained and used by Him (Romans 13:1-4)."

I know that it's incredibly difficult to be submissive to authority who holds extremely different views than we may hold, but God's Word is true. God will always be faithful. If we are faithful to believe His word, the chapter goes on to give a promise worth remembering if we will work to do His will:

"Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:20-21)

Wife of Rob

Dusty Cards and Letters

Dusty cards and letters

cluttering shelves and drawers unknown

One day uncovering the treasure trove

that brings tears of healing to the

heart of a father in need of love,

acceptance, forgiveness, healing;

Old wounds now covered in the healing

poultices and salves of love and affection

placed there by those who never forgot

the touch of his hand, the pictures from his pen,

the keys to his heart; welcoming warming words

reach out and embrace the man who is

so deserving of the stored up love of his

children who now delight in his warm, gentle,

fatherly fingers as the reach up to wipe tears away

from eyes and say "Daddy's here now, it's going

to be better now" to a house now overflowing with love.

 

Jennifer Bartlett copyright 2008 All Rights Reserved

Wife of Rob

A Hymn of Thanksgiving

With the election approaching and being in the midst of very uncertain times, we can still be thankful. Thankful to God for salvation through Jesus Christ, thankful for freedom of worship of the one true Living God, thankful for the infallible and unchanged Word of God--our Bible, thankful for our families, thankful for precious friends.....just thankful. "Let us come before Him with thanksgiving, and song and extol Him with music and song." Psalm 95:2 COME, YE THANKFUL PEOPLE, COME Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home; All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin. God our Maker doth provide for our wants to be supplied; Come to God's own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.

All the world is God's own field, fruit unto His praise to yield; Wheat and tares together sown unto joy or sorrow grown. First the blade and then the ear, then the full corn shall appear; Lord of harvest, grant that we wholesome grain and pure may be.

For the Lord our God shall come, and shall take His harvest home; From His field shall in that day all offenses purge away, Giving angels charge at last in the fire the tares to cast; But the fruitful ears to store in His garner evermore.

Even so, Lord, quickly come, bring Thy final harvest home; Gather Thou Thy people in, free from sorrow, free from sin, There, forever purified, in Thy garner to abide; Come, with all Thine angels come, raise the glorious harvest home.

Words: Henry Alford (1844) Music: George J. Elvey (1858) http://www.cyberhymnal.org/

A verse for today....

Entering the Fall Thou art my Lord Who slept upon the pillow Thou art my Lord Who calmed the furious sea; What matter beating wind and tossing billow If only we are in the boat with Thee? Hold us in quiet though the age-long minute While Thou art silent and the wind is shrill; What boat can sink when Thou, dear Lord, are in it? What heart can faint that resteth on Thy will? (From Amy Carmichael’s Edges of His Ways)

A Prayer to Ponder

I love old writings, especially prayers and hymns, even better when they are from from historical figures. This prayer was posted by Cyndi on Christianwomenonline . It is a prayer from Sir Francis Drake (the first man to circumnavigate the globe from 1577-1580). I find it equally as moving as Cyndi did and desire for the Lord to "Disturb" me, as this prayer so vigilantly requests.

The Prayer of Sir Francis Drake "Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, When our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, When we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess We have lost our thirst for the waters of life; Having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity And in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision Of the new Heaven to dim. Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas Where storms will show your mastery; Where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask You to push back the horizons of our hopes; And to push into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love."

Let me be a woman

Just fabulous...another quote from Elisabeth Elliott:

"We are women, and my plea is let me be a woman, holy through and through, asking for nothing but what God wants to give me, receiving with both hands and with all my heart whatever that is."