Christmas
In Preparation
I have two Facebook friends who have recently had babies. They shared their journeys from first announcing their pregnancies, to showing their growing baby bumps with each passing month. There was great joy in every shared photo. Then there were showers when well wishers gathered to give gifts in celebration and preparation of the lives … Continue reading
A Christmas Prayer
My children are out of school for the Christmas holiday, so I’m going to take a couple of weeks off to spend as much time as possible with them and the rest of our extended family. I pray that anyone who reads this will have a peaceful and meaningful Christmas. I pray that if you … Continue reading
Lessons from Mary and Joseph
In an attempt to keep fresh in my mind what Christmas is truly about, I recently read through the Christmas story in Luke and Matthew. I really gave some thought to who Joseph and Mary were and what qualities they had as human beings that would allow God to choose them to raise His son. … Continue reading
Holiday Christianity
My hubby and I did a little Christmas shopping yesterday. As we approached the entrance to one of the stores we visited, there was a bell ringer from the Salvation Army. My hubby asked me if I had a dollar. I quickly scrounged for one. I rarely carry cash these days. My teens make sure … Continue reading
God With Us
Have you ever had one of those days where nothing particularly good happened? Have you had one of those days where nothing catastrophic happened, but as you sat down from a long day of being productive, you couldn’t think of much to be thankful for? Yesterday was one of those days for me. I went … Continue reading
Participating in the Story
Yesterday, our church choir performed a Christmas Cantata. It was complete with readings that told the story of Jesus’ birth. A narrator would read about an event like Mary’s visit from the angel Gabriel, and then the choir would sing a song about it. I didn’t really love the music selection this year for the … Continue reading
George Bailey Wisdom
It’s Christmas time and tis the season for Christmas movies and specials. Thanks to cable, you can see everything from Rudolph in claymation, to Frosty the Snowman in animation, to Christmas Vacation, all in one evening. Last weekend, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” was on and due to some type of Christmas miracle, my sixteen-year-old, was not only … Continue reading
Can You See Jesus?
Yesterday, I subbed in a gifted classroom. My first two classes of the day were fourth graders. Their task for the first fifteen minutes of class was to make a drawing of their own using these squiggly lines. They could draw anything they liked, but they were supposed to include lots of details and give … Continue reading
Upsetting the Status Quo
The season of Advent is a time when we are supposed to prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus. The prophet Isaiah often gets quoted during this season. “A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.” Isaiah 40:3 … Continue reading
Bring What You Have
Our local Christmas parade was last weekend. I live in a small town and my little town really turns out for the Christmas Parade. This year, my son was marching in it with his high school band. They were supposed to wear their uniforms and a Santa hat, which I went to Walmart and purchased … Continue reading