"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God..."
Almost all of us have memorized this verse.
We use it at camp all the time......I've used it when I present the Gospel.....my kids memorize it at Awana......we all know it.
But like so many other verses, we pull it out of the chapter, memorize it, and seldom ever think about where it came from again. It is powerful enough to stand on it's own.....I've personally seen it open wide the eyes of a lost person as they finally realize all their efforts have been in vain....it's a life changing verse.....
But what about the 'good news' that comes after that verse? Few people seem to mention that....including me. But as I was reading through chapter 3 of Romans, taking in all that Paul was saying about faith and the law, about our position and our righteousness (or lack of..."there is none righteous, no not one!"), I came across the familiar verse, reminding me that we all fall short of His glory. I was reminded that "His glory" is what we should be aiming for....not praise from man, not rest from work, not the "right thing", not even our own satisfaction.....but our goal, our aim should be to glorify God!
But there is a comma after the phrase '...come short of the glory of God,'......that means there's more.....
"being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;"
That is good news....that's the hope. That we have been FREELY justified through Christ...the gift from God....so that we might declare His glory! (that's my "nutshell" version....there is SOOO much stuff in this verse...take the time to study it word by word...it's worth it!!!)
Our goal is to glorify God.....AIM for that daily....let all the other stuff fall away. If I could only truly grasp this and live it out in my life.....wow.....

THANKSGIVING

We were blessed with several Thanksgiving gatherings this season....part of having a divided family. But it was good and I'm thankful for my diverse family....

Mom is always helping in the kitchen...even when it's not her kitchen!






We had more than enough food....a big spread and there were over 20 people around to eat it and no one left hungry!
Turkey, ham, sweet potato casserole, macaroni and cheese, broccoli salad, broccoli casserole, dressing and gravy, rolls, strawberry jello salad, rolls and more.

My plate was empty!!!!






I spent a lot of time outside (it was a very warm, 70 degree, November day!) making crafts with the kiddos.




We made "thankful" placemats.....we all wrote down, on colorful leaves, the things we thankful for....it was fun (and funny) to see what some of the kids wrote down......















I am thankful for my family and the little time I'm able to spend with them. We are separated my many, many miles, but that doesn't seem to hinder our "fellowship" when we do finally manage to meet under the same roof!!!

Because our times together are so far and few between, I cherish them all the more.

We have been able to visit with many family and friends during this cross country trip........
me and my bestie........
our beautiful host family (and super dear friends), the Queens.....
...a crazy couple of days with the Hearns.....
....then down to Georgia,
my Dad and Grandmother Hyde........
....lots of fun cousins.......and of course, Mimi and Pop!!We are so blessed!

6 weeks, almost 5000 miles, and 16 different states.....that's the title of my life right now. We are wrapping up a very long trip back east, visiting family, friends and supporters. It's been a good trip and we have shared many meals and late nights catching up with friends and family.
Mostly it's been encouraging....there have been a few that really want to hear about our ministry, our struggles, our victories, the people that we minister to, etc.....but mostly they just want to chit chat, catch up on family news. That's good, too.

I'm enjoying my time away, but at the same time, my heart longs to be back home knee deep in my ministry. That's a good sign, if I miss my work, right? I miss pouring over my Bible in preparation for a lesson....I miss hearing the neighbors chopping wood.....I miss the wind that always blows in from the west.....I miss the smell of the barn.....I miss the little neighbor boy pressing his face against my the glass on the front door, peeking in to see if Peter is home and can come out to play.....I miss my Ft Wingate girls.....I miss working in the lodge kitchen with Nanette and our long, deep spiritual discussions....I miss going for a run through the pine trees....I miss the amazing sunsets....I miss home.

But for now I will enjoy my time away, try and get some rest, focus on family, and prepare myself for the busy year that lays ahead of me.