Happy New Year!

A Very Merry Christmas to You!

With the craziness of 2016, I have seen the good and the bad in life, but I have also seen God work in so many ways! I am so grateful that God has given me another year to live life, learn, and even grow!

My prayer for you this Christmas Season is that you find God's goodness and His Love!

Thankful Beyond Words!

Happy Thanksgiving!

After a year of craziness, being a new grandma, and so much growth in our family, I can tell you that I am thankful for all that God has done in our lives. Not always is everything easy, there are ups and

downs, but I know that God is with us every day and everywhere we go.

We have watched our children grow into amazing adults, we have added this new bundle of joy who is now 10 months old and a very active boy. We have moved into a bigger home to allow room for our daughters and Lucas to stay with us a little longer. We have seen job changes, vehicles work, die, and work again, We have laughed, cried, and laughed again. We have seen God show up in so many things and we have seen Him come through, in the nick of time.

We have said "hello" to new lives and we have said "goodbye" to several loved ones, friends, family, and others. Our hearts have been full of joy, sorrow, wonder, and surprise, but through it all, God has walked with us, holding our hands and hearts.

I pray you and your family has a fantastic Thanksgiving and we pray you are able to take the time to share with your family what you are thankful for this holiday season.

With all our love,

The Clausens

No Strings Attached!

1 John 4:7-8, 11


"Beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also love one another."

This scripture tells us that we are to love others as God has loved us. As He loved us... what does that mean? Verse 9 tells us that God loved us so much that He sent His son to die for us. That we might live through the shed blood and death of His son on the cross. Verse 10 tells us that Christ was our substitution for us, for our death for our sins.

He isn't telling us to die for one another... John is telling us that we are to love one another, as God
loved us. That He loved us sacrificially, that He loved us with every fiber of His being! We can't even have a small ounce of compassion or love for our fellow neighbor, for a coworker or someone we see out in public, but God extends that love to us everyday!

If you say you love, don't be afraid to show it to others. Lend them a word of encouragement, a smile, let them know someone is praying for them, then pray for them. Not always do we have to do something monetarily to show someone that we love them, but sometimes someone you know may need that too, even if we don't know it. All God is asking you to do is love one another! Show them the love you want to see for yourself.

He did, over 2000 years ago, He showed us just how much He loved us. Neither you or I can ever repay that gift of love, it's a gift. He wants you to share it with others, freely, with no strings attached. Can you do that today? I know I am going to give it my all!

Now There's None!

Being a mom isn't that easy, but oh is it rewarding. Watching your baby girl, the last one in the nest

walk across the stage and receive her diploma is so rewarding, yet strange. Already so grown up and independent that I don't feel like she needs me at all, but also watching her crawl into my arms, crying like a baby when she realizes it is almost over and she has finally completed the struggle of what was high school for her.

I must accept the next step of this stage of life, so proud of the woman she is becoming, knowing that I have to trust in what I have taught her along the way will be enough. I pray that my prayerful influence and God's Word screams loud enough above the crowds trying to pull her away. I am so grateful for the time God has given me with KayCee, and for letting me be her mom.