December 1
SMALL GROUP | I’m so thankful for small groups @NCCSEagles. Once a month, @annagmatthews14 and I get to meet with the most incredible 10th grade girls to have fun, eat snacks, study the book of Philippians, and grow together in Christ. Today we played super fun games with Christmas Carol trivia and decorated Christmas cookies. Our singing really added some Christmas cheer! God is good! He shows us so much about himself as we fellowship together in community. #GoEagles #WeAreNCCS #NCCSFamily
December 3
TWINS | “Hey Guys…want to watch Elf?” “Sure!” @clintstrange32 did mention that he didn’t know if he’d make it to the end. I’ll just note here that the movie has been on for 10 minutes. 🤣🤣 My handsome guys! #7000days
December 4
HOPE AWAKES | What a powerful night of worship @wildwoodbc as the church presented Hope Awakes, a Christmas concert! Emma and I had a great time and loved all the music that was played and sung and the great word from Pastor Ric Cadle about what hope in Christ is truly all about. Special thanks to @stevecoleman66 for his incredible leadership as worship pastor and also as our @NCCSArts Council President! What a joy to have our @NCCSEagles Mastery Orchestra, Upper School Chorus, and Academy Singers helping lead the way along with our very own @amykwallace and Patrick McDonald! What a special night to sing of the One who is our source of HOPE and the reason for Christmas. #GoEagles #WeAreNCCS #NCCSFamily
December 6
LOOK AND SEE + WONDER AND BE ASTOUNDED | This past week has been one of both great celebration and the deepest of heartaches for a friend. We know this broken world is going to be like this…it will never be perfect, but Heaven will be (Revelation 21) and we have to keep our eyes focused on the end goal.
I can resonate with Habakkuk’s lament, but I’m so grateful for the Lord’s response time and again in Habakkuk 1:5.
My vision is limited.
My understanding is finite.
My God is doing a work that I could not comprehend even if He drew it out for me.
HOPE (confident expectation of good) is where I’ll keep my focus today.
God is faithful. He is working.
December 8
ELIJAH | Happy 10th Birthday to the son God clearly chose for our family! Eli brings so much joy to our Strange crew. What a blast to celebrate our little guy! Eli loves sports…especially basketball right now, teasing his sister, loves school, eating cookies, playing outside with friends, and reading! Clint, Emma, and I are so blessed by him and we love celebrating Eli today!
Eli asked us the other day if we knew what time he was born. Unfortunately we do not, but I assure you that he must have burst on the scene just like the does all day everyday! Birthdays are always interesting because we can’t help but think of Eli‘s first Mom and the incredible gift she offered him by placing him in a Christian children’s home in Ethiopia when she knew she wasn’t at a place in her life to raise a baby. I don’t have his baby pictures and she doesn’t have these pictures, but God knows. He sees and He covers all those things. #Adoption
Happy Birthday to our amazing son! We love you buddy and we know that God has incredible plans for your life! #7000days
December 10
SORT THEM OUT | The kids were supposed to finish up birthday thank you notes while we were out this evening. My precious boy was so proud to tell me he finished writing all of his and sealed them up. He just needed me to address them. So…sorry about the tape, I had to break into the cards to figure out who they should be sent to 🤣🤣 #7000days
December 15
THE NIGHT OF THE STAR | We had a blast at The Night of the Star Family Christmas Experience at NorthStar tonight. The production was awesome and loads of fun for all ages and they did a remarkable job sharing the true meaning of Christmas. Of course, it will be a long time before @richsethhardy outlives his role as Buddy The Elf! Congratulations Kids Ministry team led by my sweet friend @kristywebb99 and so many others that led so well tonight! Our Pastor @mikelinch even served us our @wafflehouseofficial dinner tonight. If things go south with pastoring, it’s great to know he’s got a lead on a solid back up gig! A fun family night all around! #7000days
December 16
CHRISTMAS BREAK | Roaring into Christmas Break with the most incredible Upper School team @NCCSEagles! So grateful for each of these men and women and what they mean to me and to our school community. They love Jesus, they love investing in students, and they love their teammates.
We spent time this morning eating breakfast together, competing in some funny Christmas games, and sharing stories of God’s faithfulness to us and to our school. The Lord is so good and gracious to us.
Praying for a wonderful time of rest and fun for this team until we reconvene in January to kick off an awesome spring semester! #GoEagles #WeAreNCCS #NCCSFamily
CHRISTMAS BREAK | He goes a million miles an hour all day everyday. And then he sleeps. Christmas vacation Eli is a fun one. So excited for this special time at home all together. And if it gets as cold as the forecast looks…you can find us here on the couch with all the blankets. #7000days
December 21
ACWORTH CHRISTMAS PARADE | We had a blast cruising the streets of Acworth tonight spreading Christmas cheer in the Annual Acworth Christmas Golf Cart Parade. We saw lots of friends along the parade route and were reminded once again of how much we love our city! #WeLoveAcworth #7000days #WeBroughtTheFamousElf
December 22
PROMISEKEEPER | Grateful for the truth of Christmas…yet another promise fulfilled by the only One who keeps all of His promises.
Romans 8:31-32
[31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
-Paul David Tripp
Come, Let Us Adore Him
December 24
CHRISTMAS EVE | Such a treat to have my Mom in town with us for Christmas this year! We had a great lunch at @1885grillacworth followed by a special time of worship with our church family at @nsckennesaw. Really appreciated @mikelinch’s message reminding us to look and see and to wait with great anticipation because God ALWAYS fulfills his promises. The last service is today at 5:30pm today…there is still room to get there and take whomever you know that needs that word of encouragement from Scripture.
@clintstrange32 and I have so much to be thankful for. Excited for the next few days of family time with no rushing around to be anywhere in particular. Christ has come!
John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Merry Christmas!
December 25
WATER | After 48 hours of frozen pipes…it’s a Christmas Miracle!! Emma was THRILLED to wash the dishes…we will see how long that lasts 😂 Thanks to sweet friends, we had showered! Merry Christmas everyone! Never more thankful for running water! 💦 #FirstWorldProblem
GINGERBREAD HOUSES | Great news…we’ve realized none of us are destined for architecture or construction. That saves us all from having to live in a ski chalet that is missing one side (looking at you Mimi…supposedly ski in and ski out). Eli ate most of his house. Emma’s was the most artistic and Clint and I were doing our best to take a pic before ours fell down! Great way to wrap up a fun day together! #7000days
December 31
SCRIPTURE | Whether today is the last day of this year’s Bible reading plan or the first time you’ve even thought of reading the Bible…it is worth reading. Everyday there is something new to be learned about the Lord and His perfect love and plans for my life.
I read an article several years ago that @johnstephenpiper wrote regarding his own Bible reading. He mentioned four things he asks the Lord to do in his heart and life as he studies Scripture. I wrote them in the front of my Bible as a reminder.
1. Open my eyes to wonder (Psalm 119:18)
2. Have mercy on me (Luke 18:38)
3. Make me a doer of your Word (James 1:22)
4. Open my eyes to Jesus (Luke 24:45)
