Saturday, December 25, 2010
I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...
...and this morning, my dreams came true. Woke up to a beautiful fresh dusting of pure white snow!
Sweet Family Time at Christmas Eve
Grandparents on both sides (Leman and Widmer) along with Aunt Laurel joined us for lunch and games!
Jersey was kinda the hot item, here with Aunt Laurel
Laura Bond (Katie's best friend) is an extension of the family...she stopped by to drop off Christmas cookies, which has turned into an annual event (hope it never stops!) and to meet Jersey Rae
These three Leman Ladies make quite the rowdy bunch!
Grandma and Great-Grandma
Oh Grandpa!
Aunt Katie :D
Daddy....wow!
Uncle Matt and Aunt Tamara
Proud Grandma!
Great Grandma Leman :D
Rummikub, my favorite game to play with Grandma and Grandpa Leman, since I was a kid!
Look closely, Grandma and Grandpa are smiling mischievously, probably cheating...
Oh Jersey Rae, how you've changed us for the good!
i thank my God and Father, my Savior the Lord Jesus Christ, and my Comforter the Holy Spirit for providing such a special and memorable Christmas Eve 2010. I am blessed, and thankful, yet unworthy!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
My Niece and Nephew...Lovin' the name "Uncle Blake"
7:50am, November 28th, Jersey Rae Widmer was born, weighing 6lbs 11oz and just over 19 inches. Proud parents are my oldest brother John and his wife, Brooke.
1:39am, December 16th, Thomas Youngjoon Kim was born, weighing 8lbs 12oz and over 21 inches. Proud parents are my big sister (not biological, but as she says, I am her brother in every way but blood) Robin and her husband, Peter (my big bro).
Mom and Dad Widmer with baby Jersey
Momma and daughter
Great Grandma and Grandpa Leman
UNCLE Blake!!!
1:39am, December 16th, Thomas Youngjoon Kim was born, weighing 8lbs 12oz and over 21 inches. Proud parents are my big sister (not biological, but as she says, I am her brother in every way but blood) Robin and her husband, Peter (my big bro).
Mom and Dad Kim with baby Thomas Youngjoon
Father and son share the same birthday! Dec 16 :D
UNCLE Blake!!
(I flew home the 15th and was able to visit Thomas on the 16th, so thankful for this time to be home and share in the joy with those I love)
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
November e-Newsletter Update
Friday, December 03, 2010
Jamaica's 1st National Sports Day for the Deaf 2010
Check out Kirk Plattner (teammate) and I refereeing a basketball game at the National Deaf Sports Day :)
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Christmas perspective from Zambia, Africa
A message of truth and conviction from one of my best friends, David, who serves at an orphanage in Africa. I pray it speaks to your heart and that you allow it to bear fruit for His glory. So many around us are hungry and cold in this Christmas time. Will you reach out and touch a life? Will I?
"I play my best for Him"
“Do you have a Christmas Carol for them?” Lynette, a Lifesong teacher, was asking me this question on Monday because we are preparing for our annual Christmas party. As part of the festivities, the fourth grade will present some Christmas carols to the rest of the school. Lynette wanted some suggestions for her students.
Those of you who know me well will smile at the thought of someone asking me for recommendations on Christmas songs. I have loved Christmas since I was about six-years-old. The decorations, presents and inspiring music are very appealing to the child’s heart and mind.
As I have grown older, I have come to appreciate Christmas as more than twinkling trees, brightly colored packages and festive parties. Christmas is a time when we celebrate great joy. The joy brought into the world by the humility of its King. The Creator became his creation in order to bring us a future and a hope. The trees, presents and parties are but a small part of Christmas’ joy.
The song I settled on to recommend was “The Little Drummer Boy.” Some of the children have heard this song while riding in the Lifesong truck with me and really liked it. I think the rhythm appeals to the African musical heart. I didn’t realize the appropriateness of the song until I started to tell the kids the story connected to the song. It’s the story of a small boy who meets the wise men on their journey to worship Jesus. He is not wealthy as they are but is nonetheless invited to come and see the newborn king. All he has is a small drum and so he decides to offer his musical talent to the baby Jesus.
“I am a poor boy too. I have no gift to bring. That’s fit to give the King. Shall I play for you?” Goes the song. Mary approves and he plays his best for the King of kings: “I played my drum for him. I played my best for him.”
As I told this story to twenty orphans and vulnerable children in Africa I had to choke back some tears. You see, they are poor as well. They have no fine gifts to bring the King. They have no wealth and no consequence. They will probably have some sort of Christmas celebration at their homes but in comparison to ours, their parties will be shabby and impoverished. In the middle of this contrast between our wealth and their poverty I seem to hear the words of Isaiah confirmed by Jesus, “The Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.”
Good news. For these children, it is the greatest news they will ever encounter. They need not be wealthy and prosperous. They need not spend hundreds of dollars on gifts and parties. They need only bring their best to King Jesus. They, like he was, have been born into less-than-ideal circumstances. They do not know the comfort, wealth and stability that we know. What they can know is an eternal inheritance with wealth and comfort beyond anything we in the States have ever seen.
It remains then our challenge to see past our wealth and live for the true wealth of Heaven. Christmas is not about the ability to buy expensive gifts and host lavish parties. It is about the true riches that Christ brought to us in his humility. He became poor to serve us and is now the wealthiest king in all of Creation.
May the joy of this Christmas season and the love that it brings fill your hearts and souls. If God lays it on your heart, take some time this Christmas season to reach out to the poor in your community. You will be blessed .
To close, I leave you with a quote from one of my favorite stories: Charles Dicken’sA Christmas Carol. In it the ghost of Jacob Marley tells the incredulous Ebenezer Scrooge, “Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop in the ocean of my business!” May we all find the grace to look beyond our worldly concerns to those that will forever impact eternity. God bless you all!
"I play my best for Him"
“Do you have a Christmas Carol for them?” Lynette, a Lifesong teacher, was asking me this question on Monday because we are preparing for our annual Christmas party. As part of the festivities, the fourth grade will present some Christmas carols to the rest of the school. Lynette wanted some suggestions for her students.
Those of you who know me well will smile at the thought of someone asking me for recommendations on Christmas songs. I have loved Christmas since I was about six-years-old. The decorations, presents and inspiring music are very appealing to the child’s heart and mind.
As I have grown older, I have come to appreciate Christmas as more than twinkling trees, brightly colored packages and festive parties. Christmas is a time when we celebrate great joy. The joy brought into the world by the humility of its King. The Creator became his creation in order to bring us a future and a hope. The trees, presents and parties are but a small part of Christmas’ joy.
The song I settled on to recommend was “The Little Drummer Boy.” Some of the children have heard this song while riding in the Lifesong truck with me and really liked it. I think the rhythm appeals to the African musical heart. I didn’t realize the appropriateness of the song until I started to tell the kids the story connected to the song. It’s the story of a small boy who meets the wise men on their journey to worship Jesus. He is not wealthy as they are but is nonetheless invited to come and see the newborn king. All he has is a small drum and so he decides to offer his musical talent to the baby Jesus.
“I am a poor boy too. I have no gift to bring. That’s fit to give the King. Shall I play for you?” Goes the song. Mary approves and he plays his best for the King of kings: “I played my drum for him. I played my best for him.”
As I told this story to twenty orphans and vulnerable children in Africa I had to choke back some tears. You see, they are poor as well. They have no fine gifts to bring the King. They have no wealth and no consequence. They will probably have some sort of Christmas celebration at their homes but in comparison to ours, their parties will be shabby and impoverished. In the middle of this contrast between our wealth and their poverty I seem to hear the words of Isaiah confirmed by Jesus, “The Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.”
Good news. For these children, it is the greatest news they will ever encounter. They need not be wealthy and prosperous. They need not spend hundreds of dollars on gifts and parties. They need only bring their best to King Jesus. They, like he was, have been born into less-than-ideal circumstances. They do not know the comfort, wealth and stability that we know. What they can know is an eternal inheritance with wealth and comfort beyond anything we in the States have ever seen.
It remains then our challenge to see past our wealth and live for the true wealth of Heaven. Christmas is not about the ability to buy expensive gifts and host lavish parties. It is about the true riches that Christ brought to us in his humility. He became poor to serve us and is now the wealthiest king in all of Creation.
May the joy of this Christmas season and the love that it brings fill your hearts and souls. If God lays it on your heart, take some time this Christmas season to reach out to the poor in your community. You will be blessed .
To close, I leave you with a quote from one of my favorite stories: Charles Dicken’sA Christmas Carol. In it the ghost of Jacob Marley tells the incredulous Ebenezer Scrooge, “Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop in the ocean of my business!” May we all find the grace to look beyond our worldly concerns to those that will forever impact eternity. God bless you all!
