December comes rolling in with a vigor that can be full of childlike excitement or of the dread of “too much to do and too little time.” I’m not going to lie, I’m going to have to fight for the childlike wonder this year. In addition to all of the other added expectations the holidays […]
“For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” […]
Christmas is such a funny time, really. For the span of a month, there are unique experiences that completely hijack schedules, radios, and household decor. This holiday is drawn out over five weeks and is the only holiday to have its own “season.” This particular holiday also seems to cause memories that generate a myriad […]
DAY NINE: CHASING JOY Today…I will chase after JOY. Maybe that sounds like my theology is bad. Maybe that sounds like I’ve got my priorities mixed up. But my JOY is my JESUS. They can’t be separated. Psalms 16:22 tells us it is in HIS PRESENCE there is JOY. AMEN! Because there is nothing that […]
DAY EIGHT: UNWRAP YOUR GIFT I have a gift for you, He says. A gift unlike anything you could ever buy in a store; a gift people have sought after for centuries. It’s yours. It’s there, every Christmas. So many times you haven’t seen it. It goes unnoticed amongst the shiny bows and boxes of […]
DAY SEVEN: THE SOUND OF HOPE Hope is one of the most precious things we possess. We need to fiercely guard and protect it because, without it, what we see in front of us is the only page of the book with which to draw our conclusions, when, in reality, there are many […]
DAY 6: THE CHRISTMAS BANQUET Come and sit. There’s a Christmas banquet that’s been prepared for you – a feast like none you’ve ever seen. The white table cloth spreads out before you with bright red cloth napkins rolled up and tied with a red ribbon holding a sprig of holly and shiny […]
DAY 5: LISTEN The sounds of Christmas give us so much to be thankful for, a reminder of His provision, a sacred echo of His grace. Last week we focused on “Come, Let us adore Him” which, hopefully, began to prepare our hearts for this Christmas season. This week, we come […]
DAY FOUR: COME JUST AS YOU ARE We’ve reflected over the last week about what it means to come…Come, let us adore Him. Our study guide on day one taught us that “erchomai,” the Greek word for “come,” is better translated, “to begin something new.” People may feel December winds down the […]
DAY THREE: IN THE DARK STREETS SHINETH The song, “Light of the World,” by Lauren Daigle starts out with these lyrics, The world waits for a miracle The heart longs for a little bit of hope Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel A child prays for peace on Earth And she’s calling out from […]