2010 Family Christmas Letter

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Jesus IS the reason for the season... It's that time of the year again to update you- our family and friends- about the happenings of the past year!

2010 has come and gone in a flash! It's unbelievable how quickly time has gone. But, here are some highlights of our past year:

Since graduating last December, I've been on the job hunt. I commiserate with countless other Americans having difficulty finding good employment with benefits. Even with my Masters degree, I've yet to secure employment. But, I know God is in control and He will open the doors when necessary. As a good friend once told me, you don't need a ticket until you get on the train! Besides, I get to be a full-time Mom in the meantime, which is the best job a woman could ask for!!

In March, my best friend Camille married her long-time boyfriend Brandon Slatter. It was an honor to be a part of their special, beautiful day! The big story of the day was that I left the rings in the car!! Thankfully, the photographer delivered the message to Arthur mid-ceremony and he was able to retrieve them quite discreetly before the rings were exchanged. Literally, saved by moments!!




In May we made a trip to New York to celebrate Giana's 1st Birthday with all her extended family. She had a lovely Princess Party and was adorned with all sorts of goodies from family & friends. She had a blast and we had fun spoiling her, too.




The summer was full of lots of trips to the pool and the beach along with fires in the fire pit with friends and grilling. Giana is a natural-born water baby. She loves swimming and soaking up the sun and I think its safe to say she loves being outdoors.

Travel was the theme of the Fall. Arthur's brother Adam has been stationed in Germany for four years and finally returned stateside with his lovely wife and daughter. We were able to visit them at their new home outside Savannah, GA for about a week and celebrate our niece's 2nd birthday! Then after recovering for a week, we flew out to the St. Louis area to spend Thanskgiving with my brother, who is in the Air Force and on orders to go to Korea in the Spring of 2011. He had never met Giana, so it was a nice time. My parents also joined us for the holiday and it was the first time the "Maffia" family was together since 2007.




Throughout the year we've been renovating and updating our late 1970s condo in Virginia Beach. We've replaced the windows and roof and are working on the interior. We freshened up the kitchen and dining area and now we're working on renovating all three bathrooms. It's a lot of work, but we really enjoy making this house a home.

The joy Giana brings has only increased since last Christmas. She's already 19 months old, and well on the journey of toddlerhood. She is very independent and smart and keeps us on our toes! She loves reading, Elmo, dogs and dolls. She is a girly girl and a tough cookie, all at once. She prays before each meal, folding her little hands, which always melts our hearts. We know the Lord has big plans for her BIG personality. And we pray for wisdom daily to direct her strong-willed spirit in a positive way. She is growing so fast, and it's a joy to see her blossom. She is such a little light in our lives!




But, what gives our life meaning and purpose and real, true Light is ministry. Arthur and I love using our talents to serve the Lord in our local body, Beach Fellowship. I've been helping with the Women's Ministry team at Beach Fellowship and am hostessing a Cookie Exchange for the Christmas season. I'm also in the process of birthing a Women's Counseling Team Ministry in collaboration with the pastoral team and a few other women with counseling expertise. I've also been in the Choir since early Spring and have enjoyed the worship ministry and friendships that have birthed from that arena. Arthur is busy serving in the homeless ministry. He picks up the displaced some Sunday mornings to bring them to church for breakfast and the service. He also serves once a month in the day-long outreach for the homeless in our area. Additionally, he disciples some young Christian men, whom we've grown to love and who love some home cookin'. :o) We are excited to see where the Lord leads us in the coming year, as we both have desires and ideas of collaborating our interests and serving together.

Arthur is still finishing his Bachelor's degree but will definitely graduate in May 2011! We are overjoyed that he's able to finish. Arthur's planning to get out of the Army in October 2011 to pursue his Masters of Divinity degree at Regent University, specializing in the Military Chaplaincy track. He hopes after he finished his degree he can re-enter the military as a Chaplain. We both know this is God's will for his life and are praying for the Lord's provision each step of the way.

We pray the Lord draws you closer to Him in 2011. We are so grateful for each and every one of you and love you dearly!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Love, Arthur, Jessica & Giana

Joys of Parenthood Update

Giana's toddler stage is full of the average range of toddler emotions: silly or very, very grumpy. The screaming is the highest pitched noise I've ever heard! But watching her grow, learn and develop has been so exciting.

Here's a funny addition. JOP #5: Giana's taking an interest in potty training. Most of the time, though she lets me know if she needs a clean diaper. Yesterday morning after breakfast, she was running around the house without her PJ pants on. Next thing I knew, she walked into the kitchen with a pee-pee diaper on her head, like a hat! I laughed so hard, then immediately went into sanitary mode. I hadn't planned to bathe her that morning, but we did anyway! The impressive thing was she slipped her diaper off in one piece, just like a pair of underpants, to put them on her head. My only regret was not taking a picture to last forever... :o)

Reflections of the Heart

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

I purport this to be the most abused Scripture in this day and age. Christ-followers living in the world of "tolerance" and "do what you want" have used this single verse in the Bible to justify their worldly actions...

While our possessions or appearance cannot be used to judge what's on the heart, I submit that our ACTIONS can be! 1 Samuel 16:7 is talking about a man's stature- his appearance. Yet, the rest of the Bible tells us that what is seen on the outside should be a reflection of what is on the inside. Every outward expression of a believer— whether it is their dress, their manner of speech, or their actions —should reflect the reality of Christ in the heart. So the question is: "Are the actions I make a reflection of Christ?"

Now, that's a HUGE question if you really ponder it. Yeah, I know the argument already that we're fallen and prone to sin. But, what's the POINT of Christianity? It's to conform more and more to the image of Christ. It's metamorphosis from being of the world to being in the Kingdom. Therefore, our heart should become more Christ-like and our actions should be LESS worldly.

I may ruffle some feathers with this, but the sad truth is that people use their "heart" as an excuse to do some pretty worldly things. Example: "I can do _____ if God knows my heart. God only cares about the heart, not the action."

***NEWSFLASH**** Our actions should be the OVERFLOW of the heart. So, if you are choosing sinful/worldly actions because it's only "the heart that matters" than I say that's an even more blatant slap in God's face! Shame on you (and me- I'm not perfect!).

Galatians 5: 22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

If we are truly spirit-filled people, than our actions should reflect the Spirit!! And isn't God awesome? He tells us what the Spirit does- what actions the Spirit chooses... Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

II Tim. 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

We need to become SELF-DISIPLINED in living our outward lives (a.k.a. choosing our actions) to be a reflection of CHRIST and not the world. How else are the unbelievers going to really see or believe that we're any different from them? It's not about religion. It's not about "laws" or "do not's." It's about a real relationship with Jesus Christ- GOD IN ME- through the Holy Spirit. Let's be people who reflect THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH!!

The Spirit of Offense

Holding on to anger and offense separates us from the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. But by focusing on our own relationship with God and trusting Him to make things right in our human relationships, we can begin to experience peace and joy in our everyday life. (Joyce Meyer)

The more my maturity in Christ deepens, the more cognizant I am of trials & tribulation. Recently, I've heard many messages on the spirit of offense, conversed with loved one's about it and have read a lot of things in the Bible about being offended and learning to love and forgive. When I hear the Lord reiterating things to me, a little red flag begins to go up in my mind. And wouldn't you know it, the spirit of offense creeps in like a thief in the night!!

In this world we live in, we are raised even as Christians to believe that it's okay to be offended and that we can "righteously" take offense to things of the world. Yet, the Scriptures teach us quite differently.

The spirit of offense is a tool of the devil, especially in this time! Matthew 24:10 says “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.” This implies that being offended will lead to betrayal and then hate. And we all know HATE is a strong word! And quite the opposite of LOVE, which is what we're called to live in as Christians (John 13:35). We essentially get so caught-up in protecting ourself and making sure we are treated the way we think we ought to be treated, that we turn our backs on love, mercy and grace... without even knowing it.

Those living in the spirit of offense fall priosoner to do the devil’s bidding (see 2 Timothy 2:24-26). They are unaware of their captivity and don’t realize their hearts are spewing out bitter waters rather than pure. When people are deceived, they believe they are right even though they aren’t. (Can I get an "Amen?" Boy, have I thought I was right so many times when I wasn't!)

In Psalm 55:12-14 David laments, "For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; then I could bear it. …But it was you, a man my equal, my companion, and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in the throng." The truth is, people will hurt us. Even Christian people!! And sometimes those are the wounds that hurt the deepest.

So, how do we deal with that hurt without walking the path of offense? How do we confront people who hurt us in a righteous way?

1. We confront them personally and let them know how they've hurt us. If that doesn't work, we take a friend with us. And yet, if that doesn't work, we seek authority to oversee the settling of matters (Matthew 18:15-17).
-Side Note: I could write an entire dissertation on how WRONG the church gets this nowadays! People are always skipping steps one and two and going to the Pastor. That's not the way Jesus wanted us to handle it, because once you involve others in your matters, it gets more complicated!

Anyway...
2. The reason we confront our offender is to grant them forgiveness. So, what is forgiveness? It's like erasing someone's debt (Matthew 18:23-35). It's releasing the negative emotions we are harbouring toward them so we can be free from the oppression of offense. It's an expression of mercy, just as Christ freely gives us mercy. (Acts 17:11) Do the offenders always deserve it? Probably no more than I deserve to be redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb... but, Jesus died for me and you anyway. And if He could die to forgive, the least I can do is release a brother/sister in the Lord from my offense.

Jesus made it very clear that it is impossible to live in this world and not have the opportunity to become offended (see Luke 17:1). We can choose to hold onto our offenses or we can choose to release them the way Jesus showed us to in Scripture. We can choose to sever relationships, or we can choose to be commited to the Christian walk of faith, hope & love (1 Corinthians 13:13). The answers from the Bible are always rooted in God's great love for us... And love does conquer ALL!

Thank you for freedom from offense, Lord! Thank you for releasing the chains and walls around our hearts and souls to be free to love. And thank you most of all for loving me and showing me Your great mercy & forgiveness.

Oh, the moments...

JOP Edition 2:

#3: Giana pretends to brush her hair and put makeup on with a blush brush when we're in the bathroom together. I have never "taught" this to her explicitly; but after observating it a dozen times, she's figured it out!

#4: Now in the toddling moments, Giana has discovered climbing. She climbs EVERYTHING- stairs, safety gates, piano bench, high chair, etc. She tried to climb her toy basket yesterday, but ended up in it instead. She was very mad that it didn't make her stand a little taller, though.

#5: Shoe addiction. If Giana's in our bedroom, she immediately bolts to the closet to pull every pair of fancy shoes I own off the shelf. She loves shoes! I had better keep her away from my Coach bags, otherwise her Daddy's going to need a part-time job. :o)

The Joys of Parenthood

Every Mom always tells new Mom's: "Write down those moments! You will love looking back on them someday." So, I am going to make an attempt to record those moments via this blog. No promises, though; as you can see, my last post was 3 months ago! haha

FIRST EDITION OF JOYS OF PARENTHOOD (April 24, 2010)

#1: No matter what I put in front of and around the dog bowl, Giana can divide & conquer. This morning I put a large bin in front of it and the safety gate around the perpendicular side. So, what does she do? She climbs on TOP of the bin to eat her favorite delicacy- Pedigree Little Bites. GROSS.

#2: As an 11 month old, Giana loves to *clap.* Recently, she's started clapping on her own at very appropriate times. This morning, every time she heard the end of the song "Take It All" by Hillside United, she clapped. I love that she already is catching onto Praise & Worship!

New Blog Page

Since I have lots of things to share apart from my thoughts & feelings, I've created another page:

http://heartofthebriggshouse.blogspot.com

I will use that blog page to post recipes I use, tips on being thrifty and other domestic-related information. :o)

Happy New Year

"You crown the year with Your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance."- Psalm 65:11

I am claiming that verse for 2010 for our family and in my life. I feel the Lord has great abundance in store for us- spiritually, emotionally, financially... Though it will take choices and discipline on our behalf, I know the Lord's bounty is more than anything I could fathom.

I'm not a believer in resolutions for the whole year; instead, I believe in small goals that are achievable. Sure, I'd love to lose a lot of weight, get ahead in our finances, spend more time with the Lord... But, those goals are too vague, too "non-commital" for me. I need something tangible and reachable. Something where I can look back and see the evidence of success.

For many years now, pursuing my education has been rewarding. I learn knowledge. I spew it out on an exam or paper. I put it into practice. I'm good at it. I like it. Some days, I love it. And in the end there's a reward- a pretty piece of embossed paper to say "I did it!" But now that I have my Masters degree on the wall, I wonder "Is this it?" I think maybe I need a PhD. But, that's not it at all (though not out of the equation entirely). I need something that feels as rewarding as becoming educated.

SOMETHING. Well, that's vague.

But the further I ponder what "something" is, the more I realize that it is part of the human condition. It's identity. I need to know "who I am" apart from a scholar.

I spend my days lately at home mothering. I joke around with people that I'm "overeducated and unemployed." But, that's how I feel at my core. Although I know comparing yourself to others is ridiculous, it's human. I look at peers and think "Wow, they have a great career. Nice house. Picket fence. If only I had it as together as _________."

Now, don't get me wrong. I know the Lord has given me the desire of my heart when He gave Giana to me. Being a Mommy is great. It's a huge responsibility to love for, nurture, and mold a little person's spiritual, mental, and physical character. You can drive yourself batty as a mother wondering if your baby is "learning enough" or "eating enough" or "sleeping enough" or "being independent enough." I thoroughly thank God for these moments I get to share with Giana. They are once-in-a-lifetime. They are precious. And she is the sunshine on any kind of day. A true delight.

Yet, as darling as Giana is, she should not be my sole source of "joy."

JOY is my something... Habbakuk 3:17 says "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls..." Now, let's look at verse 18... "Yet I will REJOICE IN THE LORD; I WILL BE JOYFUL IN GOD MY SAVIOR."

So, basically, Habbakuk is trumping me. He's starving and still he finds joy. That makes me want to know joy the way Habbakuk knew it. I want to look at the circumstances of life and find joy. This means:

"If dinners not on the table in time, have JOY."

"If the bills are paid and there's not as much left as you hoped, have JOY."

"If people view you in a negative way, find JOY."

"If my spouse doesn't appreciate me the way I think I deserve to be appreciated, find JOY."

"If my kids are ungrateful or especially naughty, find JOY."

How do you make time for joy, though? Everything's a time crunch, a race against the clock, a "how many things on my 'to-do' list can I check off today?"

Ah, but then we look at the end of those verses... It comes down to one factor- Jesus. HE is my Joy and strength! The same power Jesus held to raise the dead, heal the blind, set the captives free... it's in ME! I have the ability to tap into that strength 24/7. But do I? No, not nearly as oft as I should. It seems that only happens when drama comes. When doom arrives. But, imagine the unspeakable JOY I can have... you can have.... if we learn to use the power of our Savior in the day-to-day.

With my commitment to greater joy, my hope is that it eminates into a joyful home, a joyful marriage, a joyful child. And with JOY comes contentment. And with contentment, GREAT GAIN! And in the grand circle of things, Psalm 65:11 will come to fruition.