her chevrolet broke down

_8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
_luke 2

this is amazing to me.
i say it. a lot of the time. but it is very true. and it is very amazing.

please smell the flowers they are in my mind

i just really love friends
all of them
every single one of the kids
ohman. i really love being able to live. especially for Christ.
and friends help me desire to do this. and they make me laugh. different ones in different ways.
this is just a lame post
so lame
but i love friends and christ and everything that comes with it and today.
i really love kelly's cranberry bliss bars.


photo credit jenny james

we would walk and not say anything.but because we like it that way sometimes

ive been amazed at how God loves all people. God does not just love polo wearing khaki and puma kids. he loves all of them.
and i need to. i dont need to love what the people are doing, thats not what i am saying. im not saying i am going to love that people are crack addicts. but that they are made in God's image i need to love them. its so easy sometimes to say "oh ya, i love all people." but when we go into the store and some loud kid swears at you its hard to be able to react the right way. our natural inclination is to be angered. or whatever your response is that is not god glorifying.
sometimes it is hard for me to reach out to people. people that to me arent ones that i would just go up to and talk to about sweaters and the moon and coffee and God. and God is slowly showing me. that with his help i can learn to reach out to people i can learn to love them. the more extreme folks, and the kids that are around me regularly that i can invest in.
i think that God is amazing that he loves us. we sin and we yell at eachother and fight over little things like smarties or big things like relationship issues. and he sitll loves us and extends his mercy to us. and His son he gave His son.

photocredit.matthew wahl.

whyd you have to steal my heart(i didnt mean to go berserk)

guys. its christmas.
aoiudoifuojldkjflkj.
christmas is amazing.

christ being born is so hard to grasp. i just love him so much. and he came here on earth and that is so amazing.
but no your holiday sweater isnt. its just bad.
i think someone should start a trend. bring back holiday sweaters for the kids. im not cool enough. but someone should.

merry christmas guys. think about christ.

decataur or a round of applause for your step-mother!

Though the fig tree should not blossom,nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;he makes my feet like the deer's;
he makes me tread on my high places.

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.
_habakkuk 3.17-19
i dont know guys. i just think. i really love this.
it is on my board.

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

these scriptures are crazy. reading them while listening to npr morning jazz.
i think that i will listen to jazz in heaven. i think jesus will listen to it with meand we will talk about these scriptures.
because they are so good.


sketch credit. connie jimenez.

youll just have to

its true
it snowed in el dusto
its real snow.
and it was cold. and its true. and then we did the tree last night.
als you and your ornament are going on.
really bad photos of me though. i cant get one of the kids off. sothere are two. sorry.

holden carries cases

its thanksgiving.
you probably know that. because canadians have americans telling them, and americans know already and i dont have foreign country friends, or friends that live in space shuttles.
happy thanksgiving.
i think thatits pretty crazy how blessed we are when we think about it.
also, it is cold and cloudy today which is extra points because thanksgiving is supposed to be like that.
im thankful for
the gospel
the church
family who desires to serve god and helps me desire this.
friends who appreciate proud humour, and love glorifying god.
thrift stores
america
cameras
cooking
scripture.

that was a random list. but its morning and im not so much a
HEYYY GUYSSS. ITS MORNING LETS HAVE A DANCE PARTY
girl. but im happy. and its thanksgiving. and if you are one of the sczebels, warnocks, the evan kid, olearys, wilkins, dams, calabellos, jess, or tina.
i love you.

fish are safe

I have a problem with commercials.
Thanksgiving, Christmas commercials right now.
The people are more attractive.
Their white teeth show more when they smile more.
Everyone gets along.
And wow, the food looks like Martha Stewart just happened to drop by and help prepare and present it.
Buy our turkey gravy, and you too can be hot , happy, and an accomplished cook.
Everything is perfect. and its all plastic.
And the thing is, both the folks acting in the commercials, and the folks sitting on their couches eating potato chips watching the commercial know it.
No holiday is perfect. I dont like the potatoes this year.
Or the kids are all crabby.
Its not perfect.

Commercials make you want to have your holiday perfect. so you buy the turkey broth. but when you wake up in the morning, youre not amazingly good looking, and you burn your toast.which puts out the hot, and accomplished cook thing, and consequently it makes you unhappy. I think sometimes, I can think about life like this. I see something i like in the world, something that promises me happiness and when i try to get it, it doesnt work. And i feel like bunk.
Of course it doesnt work. Maybe the eyeliner doesnt run down, and i am happy because i no longer look like a racoon. or chipmunk. but 7 minutes later, and i am going to be unhappy with something else.
Material things are not the things that bring us true happiness. I have to find happiness in Christ. Happiness that im not consumed in fire. That God loves us enough to send His son to die for us. Im saved. I could go on and say that in every post.
im not in hell
im saved.
Christ died for me.
holler. thats amazing.
and i should. stop looking at the commercials kara. theyre dumb. and no youre not going to look really good if you buy their products. Start looking at the cross. and the gift of mercy god has given you.
and why would you waste 37 seconds watching a plastic thanksgiving dinner anyways.


note: yes holiday commercials still give me the whole fuzzy stomach feeling. i was just trying to explain something. but my stomach is warm.

nils bjortgen

pray for kay.
shes the best

50x fantaisk.

lack of post.

heart it races

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
_ROMANS 5

This is one of my favorites. It just makes me realize. I did not deserve to be saved. I deserve to be burning up in hell. And Christ died for me and because of this i am saved from God's wrath that i deserved to have poured on me.
Ahhh, this one is so good. (the scripture.)

abraham lincoln

corn maze on saturday was fun stuff
they seriously have the best corn ever and churros
CHURRRROOOSOSSS
but it was good. the cotton feilds are all in bloom and we picked some and i made a boquet of cotton
and i raced J
and we got so lost but just kept singing
sing hoooo for the life of a bear sing hoooo for the expedition
we went throughthis part where the corn stalks were all falling together, and it cut my fingers but it was just little cuts and courtney and i were playing safari.

and the photo has nothing to do with corn mazes it just has memories.
of choking and pennies and worms and are you dying.

with you. today.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. For whatever one sows that will he also reap. The one who sows to his own flesh will reap from the flesh corruption, but the one who sows to the spirit will from the spirit reap eternal life. And do not let us grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
So
then, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

_Galatians 7 thru 10
memorization.

bones in hands

6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
7 You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.

8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
psalm 4

scriptures and random pictures. ahhh that rhymes. im not happy it ryhmes. im a poet
and i didnt even know it.

puff pastries

take a long drive with me
on california one
on california one

theres more. but not now.
i really dont think you should be riding any commercials tomorrow.

myname is maxmillian

Sometimes



words




are



not



enough
_L.S.

cacti. for you.

this morning i read some of a book written by Steve Wilkins.
Face to Face.
In it, he writes about how friends are not a privilege or luxury. They are a necessity. We were not created to dwell in solitude away from people and away from accountability and human contact. We were created to be friends to one another.
When Adam was created God did not say. "He is good alone." He said " It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper for him" and he created Eve.
It is not good for man to be alone.
Friendship is something that is vital in our lives, and not only simple friendships but godly friendships that are daily being cultivated and bringing glory to God.

somehow i didnt like the tast

4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.
1 peter 3.4

yes, i can work on this.

spanakopita

kara jenny mich michal alcantar's life for the past few days.
lauren liana and i had a party. we did breeds on our heeeads.
i love the old testament. its crazy. ireallydoloveit.
i got a really good facial, and some new face stuff.
i made spanakopita for the first time and it came out.
alex ate something i cooked. now on to josh and joe.
ive seen Gods amazing faithfulness and mercy in my life.
getting something in the mail is a terribly lovely thing.
i found old f.scott fitzgerald books in the office, theyre like.worn and fringed
i listened to eric simmons NA messages. i recommend them.
i cant do anything apart form the grace of God
i apparently made two people happy with letters. which made me happy.

song of the week
no cars go