December brings many things to us...
decorations, festivities, gifts,
and a constant reminder
of God's love for us.
A few weeks ago, I came across this Jesse Advent Celebration as a free download off of Ann Voskamp's website aholyexperience.com. I printed it off, put it in a binder with protective sheets, cut out the ornaments, laminated them, and added thin twine to hang them on our Charlie Brown tree that we're using as our Jesse Tree. Each day, we read Scripture and a devotional to remind us of the Christmas story...God's love for us from the beginning on Genesis. My boys ages 10 and 7 love taking turns hanging the new ornaments that remind us of the story we've read for that day!
Our Gratitude Tree has gotten new tags for December! We take turns each day writing down something that we are thankful for on these red and green ornaments. We can't wait to see what we each write. I've recently been reminded that being thankful is something 1. we have to teach to our children and 2. that sets us, as people who love Jesus, apart from others.
In everything, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. ~I Thessalonians 5:18
We love to decorate for our Christmas season. Yes, we hang stockings...no, we don't believe in Santa instead of Jesus, but we do remember what a wonderful man Nicholas, who lived long ago, was by showing his love for God by loving others.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. ~James 1:27
Our kitchen cabinets have room on top for decorations. I love to change them with the different seasons of the year! Recently a friend gave me a great tip for easy cleaning of the top of my cabinets...lay down newspaper on the top of the cabinets. When I'm ready to clean off the tops again, just roll up the newspaper and wipe down the edges of the cabinets! (Thanks, Carol J.!!!)
We have a couple of sets of the nativity scene. My 7 year old recently set them up together and both my boys were comparing the differences between the two sets. "Almost all of the pieces are the same, Mom!" and "Mom, the big set that Daddy got you has NO eyes! With no eyes, they look like they have rocks for heads!" Children are just so funny :)
We have a homespun Christmas tree. All of the ornaments are ones that are hand-made OR ones that we have received as gifts OR made when we were young. We had a mishap this year with our tree, though. After it was completely decorated, it fell over on my dear husband (dh) as he was plugging in the timer for the lights! No ornament or husband was injured in this fall. And my dh made a new sturdy tree stand :)
We love the change of seasons that come with this corner of the world...my boys are looking forward to shoveling some snow, making snowmen, and having snowball fights!
******************************************************
Lord,
Thank You
for this Christmas season
filled with fun,
festivities,
and reminders of
the love You have for us
by sending Your Son
as our Savior,
our Redeemer,
and our Bridge
to You.
For God so loved the world that He sent His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have eternal life. ~John 3:16
This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess with our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ~ I John 1:5-9
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. ~Romans 5:1-11
Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we don't know where You are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." ~John 14:1-6
No comments:
Post a Comment