22

I'm 22 today. Crazy. It doesn’t feel like my birthday. So I'm wondering.....how is it supposed to feel? Happy? Excited? Joyous? A deep sense of self worth? It's your birthday! Everyone's there for you!! It's all about YOU!

Growing up, my mom always made a big deal of our birthdays. We would get to pick out all 3 meals for that day, including the snacks that we wanted. And labor was no object. The cake was our choice too with your favorite ice cream. And the party! Everyone is there just for you lavishing their gifts on you like you are some kind of royalty. (Do not come into my presence with empty hands! How dare you! Throw him out!) And EVERYONE told you Happy Birthday! Completely you centered!! And lets mention the presents again!!!

That is the best thing you can do to a kid to set them up for disappointment! When you grow up, still in the back of your head you have those expectations.........butnothing! You're lucky if 2 people remember that it's your birthday!! I think how you celebrated birthdays growing up will determine how disappointing they are when you grow up!

No Cake, no ice cream, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Natalie Y Jansen

A safe god? or Not

"The safe god asks nothing of us, gives nothing to us. He never drives us to our knees in hungry, desperate praying and never sets us on our feet in fierce, fixed determination. He never makes us bold to dance. The safe god never whispers in our ears anything but greeting card slogans and certainly never asks that we embarrass ourselves by shouting from the rooftop....A safe god inspires neither awe, nor worship, nor sacrifice." - Mark Buchanan

"Is-is he a man?" asked Lucy.

"Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion-the Lion, the great Lion."

"Ooh," said Susan, "I thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."

"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver; "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."

"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver; "don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

- C.S. Lewis - Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Natalie Y Jansen

ONE THING CONFERENCE

Stephen and I are going to the One Thing conference in Kansas City. I am soooo excited! We need this really bad!! And I am really excited that there will be snow! (Watch it melt now)

We are trying to leave on the 27th if I can get someone to fill in for me at work. We have to be there by Friday morning.....we hope to leave on Thursday.

4 days completely focusing on God! How awesome!! I can not even describe how much I am looking forward to this!! Stephen has been to this conference a few times and has told me all about it! One thing that is really cool is that they pray as the new year comes in. For the nation, our leaders! Incredible! Thousands of people coming together to seek God and His desires! Wow. Bring it on.

Stephen's birthday is this Friday. 26 I'm getting a party together for him on Saturday. It's hard to do things in December because everyone is so busy. My birthday is on the 20th so thats even worse. :-)

O money, where art thou

I know it's better to give than to receive. But what do you do when you don't have anything to give? Can you say BROKE!

....I'm thinking about using some of the wedding gifts that we got that I don't need.

(They'll never know)