Alaska Trip 2015

This was a trip of a lifetime for Ben and myself.  It has been a trip that was high up on our bucket list of places to visit.  We were so excited to go on this adventure and we highly recommend visiting this truly indescribable natural state--Alaska.   We traveled to Anchorage in early June and rented an SUV for a few days of exploration before we embarked on our Princess Cruise.  The following pictures are from our 11 days that began in Anchorage and ended in Vancouver, Canada.  My friend Nolan has been posting pics of nature on his website ( Check out Nolan's site here! ) and that reminded me that I have not posted any pictures from Alaska.  Thanks for posting those beautiful pics!

So grab a bowl of popcorn and sit back and enjoy the beauty of Alaska.

Living on $1 a Day

No, the Agee Family has not simplified our lives to the point we can live off of $1 a day.  If you've been following our sporadic blog lately you would find that we have been trying to simplify and live with less.  We have been doing so much better--and we are still trying to get down to one refrigerator/freezer--almost there.  Maybe after we finish the deer meat and our last turkey.  But here's the real reason for today's blog.

Stop and read the title of this post.   I am going to ask you to watch this documentary on Netflix.  It's not the world's greatest documentary, but it explains how 1.6 billion people in the world live off of $1 a day.  It explains it well.  It shows accurate pictures of the kind of homes people live in, how they can't complete their education due to poverty, how expensive a doctor can be, and how little healthy and nutritional food people in 3rd World countries eat.

Every time  I go on a mission trip out of the country one of the questions I get is, "Why aren't you doing things like this here in America?"  One answer I always give is-- I am.  But then I tell them that even our poorest poor have access to clean water, healthcare and nutritional food if they seek help.  It IS available. The people in these 3rd world countries  DO NOT.  It is not available to them if they can not pay for it.  It is not a matter of them going to their government for food stamps and WIC, those programs do not exist.  They need proper education, and jobs. Those are not readily available.  Wait till you see the list of items they need to get a loan from a bank.  

I believe that is why the orphans of the world break my heart even more.  They have nothing.  No family support, no access to work, no way to get food, clothing, or shelter. They are the vulnerable, the exploited, the weak, and parentless whether by social circumstances or death.  It's an unfathomable existence for an orphan in a 3rd world country.  

So please take the time to get a little real life education on Netflix.  If you've never traveled out of the United States to a 3rd World Country--it will open your eyes.  

"Living on $1 a Day"  on Netflix.  

Post a comment and let me know what you think.

O Come Let Us Adore Him!

It's Christmas--one of my favorite times of the year!
We have our tree up and it's sparkling.  We had our annual decorate the tree while we drink egg nog and nibble on finger foods time on Sunday evening.  
It's both fun and tiring until the last thing is put up and then pure JOY!  
Last year our favorite nativity set had one too many pieces to break. Over the years we've glued shepherd's staffs back to their hands, donkey ears back in place, and even the hand of Joseph had been mended.  But we decided to retire our lovelies.  While they were well used and loved, they looked quite worn down.  
In holding with our new resolve to simplify, I'm not ready to purchase a new set.  So I found a bag in our Christmas decorations that housed a nativity set that was used for a Christmas party some time in the past. It's not glamorous or stately, but it lets us remember that the sole purpose of this season is not the glitz, sparkles or shining tinsel.  (Even though I do enjoy those things.)

The real purpose of this season is remember the birth of our Savior Jesus.  

This morning I was looking at our tree all lit up and as I looked past the white lights and the ornaments, my eyes were drawn to the picture on the mantle and my tiny nativity set.  

"O Come Let Us Adore Him!"  

So many times I get caught up in the business of this season that I don't take the time to "Adore" Him. 

a·dore

əˈdô(ə)r/

verb

1.  love and respect (someone) deeply

2. to worship or honor as a deity or as divine

3. to take great pleasure in (something)

These words made me sit and wonder--How can we show 

Jesus our adoration this season?

1. Obedience-  When God calls us to a task, it is for a 

purpose.  Yes, there are other people that could fulfill the 

task, but if God calls you, then obey.  If you don't, someone 

else will, but you will miss the blessing.

  

2. Worship with your Whole Heart- Spend time with your 

family and remember the blessings your family has 

experienced this year.  Then spend time praising the Lord 

and thanking Him.

3.  Love Others More than Yourself- This season be intentional about looking for others to bless.  It doesn't have to be financial.  Is there a young couple that has children to shop for? Volunteer to babysit a couple of hours.  Is there an older family that has family coming for the holidays?  Show up with your cleaning supplies and help them clean.  I do know that if you are not intentional--it will not happen.   We decided to do this with our Youth Group this year.  We are not having a traditional party.  We are taking them to do Random Acts of Kindness all around St. Marys and Kingsland.  They have been saving money since August with this plan in mind--to bless others at Christmas.  They are so excited--so beware fellow Camden County residents--we will be out soon to share some love.

4. Get in His Word: One of our Christmas traditions is to sit down and read the Christmas Story from the Bible.  Our kids put the nativity characters in place as we tell the story.  (You can imagine why we have had to glue so many pieces back together.) Over the years we even had them tell it to us from their memory.  I'm pretty sure some of those stories could be used in the next Madea movie because they were a little convoluted.  But after minor, somewhat minor corrections, we got the story back on track.  No, Noah was not around when Jesus was born just in case you were wondering. 

So with the remaining 24 days leading up to Christmas--just how do you plan to Adore Him?

Love,

Julie