I use to attend a special New Year’s Eve church service every year when I was a kid. Beginning at 8:00 p.m. we had four hours of singing, sermons, and testimonies (hallelujah!) that concluded at midnight with the congregation on their knees praying in the new year. Dropping to your knees in church at midnight [...]

Posted in Anita 6 Comments »

I’m hoping I have one more chance before the end of the day to to post a more New Year’s Evey post but this one has been in the hopper so long it’s either post or delete so I’m going with post it.
Since President-Elect Obama selected Warren to give the invocation prayer at the Inauguration, [...]

Posted in Christian Living and Faith, News and Events 4 Comments »

The winners for yesterday’s Gingerbread House Scavenger Hunt Giveaway were Salt and Catherine who were the ones with correct submissions by the time I crawled off to bed. Congratulations to you both! Send me your color choice and mailing addresses in email!
If you haven’t noticed, it’s Christmas Day and since most of us, including me, [...]

Posted in Contests, Giveaways, and Games 3 Comments »

There is a Time to be Born, and it is Now
There is a time to be born and a time to die.
And this is a time to be born.
So we turn to you, God of our life,
….….….….….….……God of all our years,
…….….….….….…….God of our beginning.
….Our times are in your hand.
Hear us as we pray:
….For those of [...]

Posted in Grace Meditations 2 Comments »

I had NO idea this little guy [image of elf removed] was going to be so hard for everyone to find! Where was he hiding? Look over in the far right column where it reads “SisterFriends Together is an outreach project of Grace Unfolding Ministries in spiritual partnership with Peace Lutheran Church.” Click on “tries” [...]

Posted in Contests, Giveaways, and Games 8 Comments »

Contributed by Guest Blogger Christopher Evans
[Anita's note: I was fortunate to become acquainted with Christopher while we were in seminary and when I read the essay below he'd posted on his Facebook page, I was moved not only by the eloquence of his words but in his framing of considerations that are vital to [...]

Posted in News and Events 5 Comments »

It was so fun to read everyone’s entry on their favorite Christmas present; from Bon’s gift of being encouraged and supported to come out by a friend to the tender story of GW’s ginormous bear to Pam’s shiny new bike that took her through a ride into the azaleas. I loved the variety of stories. [...]

Posted in Contests, Giveaways, and Games 43 Comments »

Last Friday was the final day of The Twelve Days of Giveaway on the Ellen Degeneres Show and can that girl ever give presents! I’m talking Wii Entertainment Systems, Sony Blu-Ray Players, and weekend get-aways. Oh, to be on her Christmas shopping list!
But where Ellen left off Anita picks up by giving away one awesome [...]

Posted in Contests, Giveaways, and Games 11 Comments »

On Friday night’s airing of Dateline NBC Ann Curry interviewed Rev. Rick Warren and I’m more troubled today about all this than I was when I wrote my previous post. It seems the more Warren says these days, the more troubled I become and even if I have nothing new to add to the conversation [...]

Posted in Marriage, News and Events 18 Comments »

I ran errands a month ago in shorts and a teeshirt. Two weeks ago I watched leaves in vibrant yellow, orange and red fall like rain outside our bedroom window. Today I’m sitting in Starbucks under a speaker that’s gushing forth Christmas songs from Sarah McLachlan to Nat King Cole with rain and cold on [...]

Posted in SnapShot Reflections 1 Comment »