This time last year the future seemed so daunting. So many things were undefined, crumbling and apparently finished. I remember sitting in the living room in front of my fireplace on Christmas Eve after everyone else was fast asleep. It was so hard to count my blessings surrounded by so much loss.

For the first time ever there were no presents to wrap, no stockings to fill, no Christmas ham to bake. The lights on the tree and the candles glowing around the room felt almost surreal in the midst of so much shifting and transition; these were the only comforting remnants I had of times past, when the foot of the tree burgeoned with tokens of our love for family and friends. Sharing our prosperity on Christmas day was a blessing I had never fully weighed until that moment. Would love really be enough?

The next day our home filled up with children and friends and family. The table was set meagerly with paper plates and plastic forks and pot bless dishes brought by others. As we formed our traditional prayer circle, I was overwhelmed with gratitude and maybe the deepest sense of satisfaction I have ever known. Love was enough.

This year, the wrapping paper and bows have returned. There are brightly colored boxes and dazzling ribbons, gifts from the heart for everyone who gathers in my home. I will sit in the glow of the fire long after everyone has gone to bed and count my blessings one by one. I will start with this; love endures.

The baby in the manger so sweet and new has given me the greatest of all gifts. That one night when angels sang over the fields as God gifted the earth with enduring love; that night is mine to keep forever. I have it in the hands of my friends as they reach to hold me; their laughter warms me, their prayers strengthen me, their peace calms me. The bonds we share were birthed in Bethlehem; not Macy's. 

The year that followed Christmas 2007 has proven to be the year only faith could carry us through. We looked Goliath in the eye more than once. At each encounter we found supernatural supply...stones of wisdom in God's word that took the giant to the mat time and time again. Our house was in foreclosure, our income was insufficient to meet even our basic needs...yet we never lost any material thing. For twelve months we did not make a house payment. For six months we did not make a car payment. My car is still sitting in my driveway and my house was just refinanced, significantly lowering the interest rate and monthly payment. Everything that was stripped away has been fully restored, with great gain, I might add.

In a few days, my home will be filled with family and friends. We will grasp hands, knowing there is only One who is sufficient. He is mightier than Wall Street, Citibank and Wells Fargo. His will for us cannot be altered by credit ratings, unemployment, or forclosure threats. His Kingdom supercedes the kingdoms of this world. He bought our future between Bethlehem and the Cross. Love endures.   

"Fear not, for I bring you tidings of great joy. Unto you this day, in the city of Bethlehem  is born to you a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

Sunset Sally

Moonlight spun on silver wings
like fairies o’re the spires.
Raindrops kissed with gentle lips;
each droplet she admires.

Chill wind enfolds her tiny frame;
she pulls the blanket tighter.
Heavens waits with baited breath,
her cares are somehow lighter.

Father feeds her crusts and crumbs;
a feast of love complete.
With grateful hand she takes the bread
that others wouldn’t eat.

Girls walk by with frilly bows,
She lifts her cup to drink.
Her gown of white is not far off,
they can keep their pink.

The light of love beckons her,
she snuggles in for sleep;
in grander halls she’ll dance with Him.
Her heart begins to leap.

Heaven fills her every thought,
this concrete bed; His gift.
One day soon He’ll come for her;
these sorrows He will lift.

In tear soaked dreams she finds Him;
extends her weary hand.
“Just one more day, I promise…
You will possess my land.”

She takes His whisper into day,
at sunrise seeks His face.
‘Just one last day, I promise…’
Her heart is filled with grace.

She rises from the sidewalk
and smoothes her matted hair;
never does she contemplate
what is or is not fair.


The breakfast line is long today.
She waits on bleeding feet.
The cup of oatmeal warms her hands;
today her King she’ll meet!

‘Sunset Sally slipped away’…
the word passed though the alley.
“carried home by angels”
wept Sergeant John O’Malley

“Did you find her grandson?”
“Yes—he wouldn’t take her.
We told her only yesterday…
now she’s gone to meet her maker.”

Homeless souls slowly passed
the place where Sally slept,
Tossing kisses to the wind
for the promises He kept.

They knew their Sally wasn’t gone
from the twinkle in her eyes.
She’d shared her gift from Heaven;
no one ever really dies.

Sally’s bed was empty now.
Who would take her place?
A woman torn and tattered,
dressed in dingy lace.

“I am the daughter of a King,
would you like to know His name?”
She called to every passerby
and one by one they came.

The hopeless and the mournful
gathered round to hear
of places filled with laughter;
there no one sheds a tear.

They named her Princess Annie
for the stories that she told.
She settled into Sally’s bed
and dreamed of streets of Gold.


As morning sunlight kissed the dew,
Princess Annie filled with Grace,
walked toward the breakfast line
with love upon her face.

A woman dressed in glorious white
dances round the throne.
“Well done, my precious Sally,
you have made your way back home.”

“I have found another Princess
who will lay out in the cold.
Dance for her my precious one,
that she may be as bold.”

Sally twirled and spun and leapt
with joy before the King.
Princess Annie looking up
began to loudly sing

“Glory to the King on High,
I gladly live for you.
I give you everything I am;
you’ve made my heart brand new.”

Others in the breakfast line
began to sing along.
From the bed where Sally slept
was birthed a brand new song.

Hearts were turned toward the King
and tears began to flow.
From the breakfast line arose such praise
as it began to snow.

“I’ll keep them, Sally just for you
I’ll feed them from my hand.
This precious gift you’ve brought to me
brings joy through out the land.”

Sally knelt before the throne,
Princess Annie bowed as well.
Every heart received the King
as silent snowflakes fell...

 There are plenty of angels on the streets of every city like Sally, but you'll never meet them unless you go.  Gather some blankets and warm clothing--maybe that coat you never wear anymore and go make some new friends on the streets this Christmas. 

"What you did for the least of them, you did unto me." ~Jesus 

Is anything better than homespun southern rock belted out too loudly in a tightly packed house full of good people? Or a tear sliding down your cheek as you watch a young woman get married on her parent's front porch? Or dancing in the moonlight with your husband in a friend's front yard while no one is watching? Embracing friends you've known since you were young, never ending laughter, silly jokes and off key sing-a-longs. The men gathered in the backyard, women in the kitchen—our children's children running everywhere making up their own games.

Brisket and beans, pecan corn muffins—the biggest, bluest Texas sky on a nippy January day, watching burly men string crepe paper and argue over birthday decorations because they love each other, then strapping on the axes and melding together into a brotherhood of rock and roll. Hot wing sauce dripping from their mustaches, endless insults and backslapping, corny nicknames and private jokes.

There are moments in time that are rich and full, and leave you knowing what is real in life and what isn't. The real moments are far and few between, for me sometimes.

Too often my days are filled with people who are always searching for more—more money, more things, more prestige; people who are so bent on 'becoming' something else that they can't appreciate who are they are. Life is now. Its about the people that come tumbling at us from all directions and making that inner connection.

I'm not talking about networking human beings for self-serving purposes. I know way too many entrepreneurs who pass themselves off as Christians while they work the church, and have no clue what genuine intimacy is.

Friends are the people who will carry your casket once the show is over. They're the people who will move away but travel several hundred miles to get to you if you need them to. Friends are people you've invested the time to create a history with; eaten dinner with, raised babies with, called once in awhile. They are the people who messed up your house and then invited you over to let you mess up theirs.

Friends are reciprocators—they bring life to your existence. They fill in the blanks and add vibrant colors you never knew were missing. They remember your cat's name and your favorite movie. They know what you 'collect' and they add to it long after you've changed interests, because they want you to know they thought of you. They sing out of tune with you, just because it's fun. They prank people in elevators and get kicked out of restaurants with you for being too loud—they're not afraid to know you when you feel like being silly in public on purpose, nor recant the stories of your behavior at the most inappropriate times. Friends are people who don't just say "I'll pray for you'—they actually grab you by the hands and do it, no matter where you are.

What a drink of water it is to be among friends, to have rich moments, to live and laugh in another woman's kitchen for just a little while, and to share a genuine bond of acceptance. To hug her husband with out a dirty look—knowing that she knows in the simple woman's handbook it means "I've got your back", not "I'm after your man." How wonderfully refreshing to be with confident women who can debate social issues and politics instead of designer purses and decorating. And in the next breath, belt out the lyrics to 'Dead Flowers'. (Rolling Stones, in case you haven't a clue.)

To all my friends—thanks for being real people, honest people, good and simple people. To my acquaintances—sorry, you can't get into the party without the password. (Hint: the password is 'love' but you can't just say it—you have to act it out)