What so Amazing about Grace?

I just finished probably one of the most influential books on my Christian walk - "What's so Amazing about Grace?" by Philip Yancey. It has opened my eyes to a deeper understanding of grace - this awaking has truly changed the way I view God, myself, and others. As a therapist, I spend most of the day listening to the pain and, to be honest, sins of others. But I don't think I take the necessary time to look at my pain and sin and allow God's grace and forgiveness to bless me. One of the greatest things I learned from this book was the truth that we can only experience more of God's grace and intimacy when we acknowledge our sin, be humbled by our own failings and become vulnerable with Him and other believers. My hope for this next year is to learn how to dispense more grace to the world around me and become vulnerable with other believers. If you ever find yourself struggling with an understanding or experiencing of grace, READ THIS BOOK!

Bringing in 2008

We had some ladies over from Steph's work (unfortunately, none of the married ones could come and bring their hubbies, so J was the only guy!) We had a blast playing games, dressing up in 2008 regalia, and adorning ourselves with glow sticks. Happy New Year!

New York, New York!

Our Christmas present this year to each other was a weekend in New York - it happened to be the weekend before Christmas, so it was packed with other tourists! It was also bitterly cold - probably in the mid 30's most of the weekend. It definitely gave it a Christmas-y feel. We bundled up in our biggest coats and hats and drank lots of hot liquids while we walked thousands of blocks around Manhattan looking at the various sights. After buying a $3 McDonald's french fry, we were ready to get back to our "normal" world!

Times Square

Ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center - brave souls facing the bitter cold!

Famous Christmas tree & statue at Rockefeller Center

Jason inside the Empire State Building

At the ice skating rink in Central Park - one of our goals was to ice skate, but the thought of putting our bodies on ice while we were already frozen didn't sound appealing!

Bloomingdale's - one of the many well-known stores we visited with the famed Christmas storefront displays