Happy New Year News

There she goes. Saying it again, better than I would ever dare. Yup, Ann says about this 2014 New Year:

"She preached the Gospel to herself:

Sure Mount Everest might loom in front of you, that mountain you have to climb in the next 364 days.

But the deal is: Every mountain that every Christin ever faces, the Lord levels with sufficient grace: The Lord Will Provide.

You don't have to climb mountains named I Will Perform.

You don't have to climb mountains named I Will Produce.

Jesus flattens that mountain before you with His Grace: The Lord will Provide. With enough strength. With enough wisdom. With More Than Enough of Himself.

More important than you trying to muster up sufficient grit and determination for the new year -- is that you simply accept His sufficient grace and liberation every day." ~Ann Voscamp (writing at A Holy Experience. Posted 1/1/2014)

So when a dear friend asks, "HOW in the WORLD do you do that??!! How WILL you do that???"

I reply honestly, "I won't." "I will fail...we will fail."

Because it is only, truly by His grace that any of us are able to face anything that comes our way.

I don't think I believe this all the time. Though my mouth says it is so.

My heart tells on me.

The fact is I know I don't live it.

Not all the time, or some days or not even most of the time.

Never in a kazillion (yes, it's an actual number...just ask any of the 5 year olds living in my home) if we would be walking through right now, in this new year, what we are walking through, I probably would have told you to "check yourself before you wreck yourself...cuz that is CrAzY talk!!"

So a list of resolutions this girl will not make. No more "to do lists," but to know and to trust the One all the more who will provide. Always. In every. single. way. as I walk hand in hand with the one I call, Love.

So here is a little Happy New Year Update from all us 6 Popes.

And can I just say, before you read on, that we are just. SO. EXCITED!

Dearest Ones,

For our Christmas letter this year we’ve decided

To keep it light and have some fun

 

Cuz one thing is for sure

Most of this past year

Has flown by like a blur

 

With 6 in the crib

And one little monster running about

There have been some rough times, we ain’t gonna fib

 

At least they can all buckle themselves

With only two exceptions

This all makes for only occasional yells

 

The buckle test, it’s a big one in our crib

And no more bottles, no more diapers

And certainly not one single bib

 

Those bibs, bottles, diapers and more

All belonging to babies

We were done for sure!

 

Certainty can be a slippery slope

So when Kari got sick for 12 weeks

We knew it was no joke

 

The date of arrival is early in June

So lets get excited

For this little life is already in bloom

 

Now, don’t worry, fret or frown

Yes, we can see it

Some of your mouths are turned right upside down L

 

We ask you, yes, to be excited with us

To be thoughtful with words, and prayerful and kind

And to not make a big fuss

 

Unless of course you wanted to make

A big donation to their college funds

For the children’s sake

 

Ok not really

That’s merely a joke

It’s good to laugh at ourselves not just other odd folk

 

So now that you know our BIG news

Also know that we love you all

And please have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year too!