This week, 101 years ago, the Great War (WWI) was ripping the world apart. By the end of the war in 1918, more than 9 million combatants and 7 million civilians would lose their lives, becoming one of the deadliest conflicts in the history of the world.
But something unique happened during Christmastime in 1914…
Along the Western Front, there was an unofficial ceasefire between British and German troops. On Christmas Eve, the Germans decorated their trenches in a holiday fashion and began singing carols. The British responded by singing carols of their own, and all night long they shouted Christmas greetings to each other across the No Man’s Land between.
On Christmas morning, in some areas along the Front, British and German troops met in the middle of the war zone to talk, exchange food and souvenirs, play football matches, and even participate in joint burial ceremonies for the dead.
On British soldier wrote, “I wouldn’t have missed that unique and weird Christmas Day for anything.”
This brief reprieve in what would become a brutal war is only a tiny glimpse of the peace Jesus will eventually bring to the world. Just as the host of angels announced to the shepherds the night Jesus was born: “on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased” (Luke 2:14).
A Prayer for Peace in Your Home
The Bible says Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). He brings peace between us and God (Romans 5:1; 10:15; Ephesians 6:15), and He is the one who brings true and lasting peace between nations (Ephesians 2:14).
Unfortunately, the Christmas season can easily become a time of strife in the home. Instead, I pray as you spend more time with your family, you will experience the peace of Christ…
Lord, help us to “seek peace and pursue it” (1 Peter 3:11), not retaliating when things don’t go our way. You are the perfect Judge, and You bless those who endure hardship because of doing good. Lord help us to “pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” (Romans 14:19), not exasperating one another or causing one another to stumble. Help us to be peacemakers, and show ourselves to be your children (Matthew 5:9). God of peace, the God who brought Jesus up from the dead, I pray you will equip us with everything good that we may do Your will (Hebrews 13:20-21). Sanctify us completely, keeping our whole spirit and soul and body blameless until the coming of our Lord Jesus. You are faithful; you will surely do it (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). Amen.
As we prepare for 2016, we have two big announcements to share with you…
Big Announcement #1: A New Chapter for Our Website
When we started Intoxicated On Life in April 2012, it wasn’t much more than a hobby blog for random theological musings, yummy recipes, and random rants and thoughts. Fast forward about 3½ years, and quite unexpectedly, our website has become a thriving ministry to families all over the world. We’re seeing a 100 times more traffic than we did 3 years ago, and we now have over 50 books and other products to our names.
So, starting January 1, 2016, Luke will be leaving his work at Covenant Eyes so we can both work for Intoxicated On Life full time.
Covenant Eyes has been so good to our family over the years, and we never pictured Luke quitting. We love the company, the people there, and its mission.
That said, we’ve also been excited to see how God has opened a door for us to work more closely together as a couple and create educational resource for families.
We are also excited at the new opportunities that working for ourselves will open given our flexibility. For example, we’re excited that we’ve been invited to speak at all three Teach Them Diligently conferences (Atlanta, Nashville, and Sandusky) in 2016. We hope to meet many of you at those conferences! It will be good to shake your hand and hug your neck.
So, to all our faithful readers, thank you for all the comments, e-mails, and conversations over the years that has helped to make this website what it is. We are excited to see what 2016 will bring.
Big Announcement #2: A New Addition to the Family
If you had asked us about 2 months ago, we would have said with about 90% certainty we were done having children. We love our 4 boys, but pregnancies are notoriously hard on Trisha’s body. Each pregnancy Trisha’s hyperemesis seems to worsen. Our last twin pregnancy involved several visits to the ER, in-home health visits, a PICC line, and many anti-nausea medications and home remedies that never really worked all that well.
Well, as it turns out, God had other plans. We found out recently Trisha is pregnant with our 5th child. She’s about 10 weeks along at the moment, and despite the health complications, we feel so blessed. Your prayers for our family are definitely appreciated.
Prayer Requests for 2016
As the new year starts, please pray for our family…
- Pray we will find a new rhythm in our home as we learn to work together full-time from home and as we homeschool our boys together.
- Pray our business and ministry would continue to thrive.
- Pray for relief for Trisha’s hyperemesis (a.k.a. the severe vomiting and nausea).
- Pray for Trisha’s health, especially her Lyme disease, both during and after the pregnancy.
- Pray for the health of our new baby.
Congratulations. Omg I’m so excited for you guys. Totally need to come and visit. We will definitely be praying for you and your growing family. Prayer request for us is to expand our family. We have been going through fertility treatments for about a year now with no positive success. We have been thinking and praying about iui but unsure. So just another pregnancy and healthy one ☺
Thank you so much Brittany! We do need to visit, it’s been much too long. We will be praying for you. I’m so sorry to hear of your trouble in getting pregnant. Praying God blesses you with another bundle of joy 🙂
Congratulations on both accounts! 5 kids is the best! Merry Christmas!
Thanks, Katie!
TRISHA and LUKE!!! Congratulations!! I am sooo, soooooooo happy for you! God is blessing you and will continue as you keep seeking His face. Praise the Lord!
Thank you Amanda! Blessings to you this Christmas 🙂
Congrats to Trisha!!! I am so happy for you both! We have 5 children! I pray she feels better each day!
Thank you Shelly! I’m sure 5 children will be just perfect 🙂 Have a Merry Christmas!
Congratulations Luke and Trisha! So happy for you that you can come home Luke and now God has another blessing for you! Happy New Year to your family!
Thank you so much Cynthia! Praying you have a Merry Christmas 🙂
Excited for you guys! I really appreciate all you do! Have a very Merry Christmas!
Thank you Amber! You have a Merry Christmas too 🙂
Oh, girl! I hear you about the hyperemesis. Mine got worse with each pregnancy as well. I will be praying for relief for you. It is definitely miserable. But knowing you get a sweet thing at the end makes it all worth it.
So very true Sherri. Keep the eye on the prize… a sweet little bundle of cuddly baby goodness 🙂
Congratulations! Many blessings through in the New Year!
Thank you!
I’m so excited for you both, and your children! I’ll be praying more for Trisha’s health, I didn’t know about the hyperemesis. I have a friend with Lyme who has had a few pregnancies since her diagnosis, and she continues to get better, which is encouraging.
That is very encouraging to hear your friend with lyme continues to get better even with the pregnancies. It seems with this pregnancy I’ve swapped my lyme symptoms for vomiting and nausea…though that’s always par for the course with pregnancies and me. Thank you so much for the prayers, we really appreciate them.
Oh what a blessing on both announcements! Congratulations! Your website and resources are incredible. Thank you for this ministry! I will hold your family in prayer in the season of change. God is so gracious and so faithful.
Thank you for your kind words! We so appreciate the prayers. Merry Christmas!
Congratulations! God is good!
From my experience, my nausea gets worse with each baby, would be in bed after supper, no, no morning nausea!! but with the last one I discovered Noni juice from Hawaii! took it, and was up the next day, husband came in and was wondering why I wasn’t in bed, Felt great and did not come back, Would take it again!
God bless and a Merry Christmas !
Yes, God is good. My hyperemesis has progressively gotten worse with each pregnancy. Though, my last was a twin pregnancy and was just awful. I don’t think this one is quite so bad yet. You know, I’ve tried just about every remedy out there, but have never heard of Noni juice. I’m off to check that out now! Thank you for the recommendation. Merry Christmas to you as well!
Congratulations! Blessings to your family in this time of transition to working at home and also on the journey to meet the newest addition to your family!
Praying for all the requests you shared! I am thankful that you have Trisha’s lyme diagnosis going into this pregnancy and so can be on appropriate treatment to protect Trisha and baby. I was undiagnosed with my Lyme through all three of my pregnancies. Hope you’re feeling better soon Trisha and wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.
Thank you so much Amber! We’re praying we can avoid passing lyme to this little bundle of wonderfulness. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
You know, I learned a long time ago that if Heavenly Father wants you to have more children that you are planning on having, they will come along. Fourteen years ago, I was told my body had went into menopause although I had always wanted at least six children. At that point, I had given birth to three boys and had a really horrible miscarriage. Well, about a year after getting the news from my doctor, I gave birth to my fourth son. We call him our surprise package. He wasn’t in our plans, but he was in our Heavenly Father’s plans and we couldn’t be happier!
God Bless and good luck with all your plans in the coming year.
You are so right, our plans certainly can not thwart God’s plans! Praying you have a Merry Christmas 🙂
Congratulatiin to both of you!
Great to work with you. Hope to grow as well. Merry Christmas. God bless you.
Thank you Adelien! Blessings to you as well 🙂 Merry Christmas!
*hug* How exciting! Congratulations! I will be praying for your family! After #3, I felt like my health was in the worst shape of my life in some ways. My hormones were way out of whack. When we got unexpectedly pregnant with baby 4, it was like hitting restart. I will pray the same for you. Pregnancy can do crazy things! <3
That would sure be nice! I will say, my lyme symptoms have mostly disappeared since becoming pregnant. Though, my doctor says this is pretty typical and they’ll likely come back with a vengeance after baby is born (boo!). My twin pregnancy was very difficult and I felt like I never really recovered from that. But, I’ll be praying that maybe the pregnancy will help some things along. 🙂 Thank you so much for the prayers, my friend.
Congratulations on the new addition! My two pregnancies sounded a lot like Trish’s last one. Good luck this go round.
Thank you so much Jennifer 🙂
So much exciting news!! So happy for you as you head into new chapters in your lives! I will certainly add Trisha to my list of pregnant mothers to be praying for. Even with the hyperemesis, though, you are experiencing a great blessing, one which God has chosen to deny to my husband & myself. I would give anything to be able to experience the blessing of a child (yes, even hyperemesis!). You are greatly blessed! Praying you have Merry CHRISTmas & a blessed New Year!
Thank you Linda, the prayers mean so much to me. I’m so sorry to hear of your infertility, I can’t imagine how painful that must be. Praying the Lord will give you peace and joy. Yes, each baby is certainly worth the pain and discomfort of pregnancy. You also have a Merry Christmas!
Prayers for you in the new year on both accounts. Thanks for your awesome work on the website. It has helped our family get started on having devotions every evening with your The Ten Commandments that you gave out.
Thank you so much Nickey. We appreciate the prayers and are so happy to hear that your family has been able to start doing family devotions! Praying it continues into the new year and your family is able to grow together in the Lord.
I will just say that my twin pregnancy(ies) were double tired, double sick, double hungry. I believe I miscarried one baby and kept one baby, then I felt single pregnant. The midwife thought I was nuts. I didn’t like her either…
My twin pregnancies were first and eighth. I was 21 and 39.
Anyway, praying for a healthy and easy pregnancy, mommy and baby!
Congratulations!
Congrats on both counts!
If you could keep our family in prayer it would be most appreciated. We are having financial struggles as well as still trying to overcome some extended family problems.
Personally, I am working on a new venture. I started a blog (A Mom’s Quest to Teach) to journal & share my experiences with my two littles.
Merry Christmas
So sorry to hear that, Kristen. We’ll be praying for you. Thanks for the link to your blog!
Congratulations! You will be in my prayers.
Thanks, Darcy!
Many prayers for the blessing of a new life!! Congrats!❤
Thanks, Elizabeth!
Oh such exciting news! Congratulations on EVERYTHING and I pray God’s tremendous blessings on your family!
I hope to get to meet y’all in Atlanta at the TTD convention!
Thanks, Kela! It will be great to see you there!
Oh, Luke and Trisha, what exciting news! I will definitely be keeping you and your family in my prayers–for a smooth transition to your “new” career, and for health and peace for Trisha during this pregnancy. I hope that you will find some relief from the nausea and vomiting, and that you and baby are both healthy as can be!!
Congratulations to you both. Prayers for Trisha. I know exactly what she is going through – 6 pregnancies, hyperemesis with all, and 4 PICC lines. Most people don’t quite get it unless they have experienced it first hand. Praying this time won’t be quite so bad for her!
Thanks, Cathy!
Congrats! I’ve had hg with each of my 4 too. I will for sure keep you in my prayers!
Thank you so much!
Chills and tears!! How awesome an opportunity to add a child AND work so closely to your spouse on the same common interest (homeschooling)! Congratulations and prayers for a safe and healthy pregnancy/delivery. Thank you for your ministry! It is a blessing to have found your resources!
So exciting! God bless!!
Thank you!