Taking Christ out of Christmas?

Source: vox.com

I'll admit it.

Ever since I was a young adult, I've always felt slightly offended whenever I'd see "Xmas" instead of "Christmas."

"Xmas Trees for Sale"

"Xmas Cards 50% Off"

"Merry Xmas!"

Whether it's in retail stores, Christmas tree lots, or on Christmas cards, "Xmas" still seems to be pervasive this time of year.

In the past, I simply assumed this was just one more way the secular world was minimizing the importance of Christ at Christmas, and I would personally avoid using this shorthand at all costs.

Until this year...

Just last week, I overheard a friend of mine explaining to someone that "X" was simply the Greek letter "chi" which resembles our English letter X.  Chi is the first letter in the Greek word "Christos" which means Christ.

Was this true, I wondered?

Sure enough, I did my research and yes, it is true.  For centuries, scribes would use the Greek letter chi to symbolize Christ, and it did no disservice to the church and was never taken offensively.

So whether retailers realize it or not, whenever they post "Xmas" on their signs, they are proclaiming the name of Christ.

This Christmas season, be encouraged, dear friend!  There is NO taking Christ out of Christmas.

He was, is, and will ALWAYS be what this special season is all about!

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The Power of Small

Source: www.f-pc.org/a-night-in-bethlehem

It always amazes me how the Christmas story can fall afresh on me in different ways each year.

One year, I was spell-bound by the gospel message visually depicted within the Navitiy Scene.

Another season, it was learning about how Jesus was my heavenly Bread, the food for my soul, as He lay in a manger (aka feeding trough).

This Advent season, "Bethlehem" keeps leaping off the page at me, and it stands above the other words in the carols we are singing at church recently.

Bethlehem was a small town in the southern nation of Judah, truly insignificant apart from the fact that it was King David's home town.

Scholars say that it didn't even make the list when Joshua conquered the Promised Land and registered the towns and cities there (check out this podcast to learn more).

"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, those coming forth is from of old, from ancient days." Micah 5:2

It seems that it is just another example of the way God works, like how He often chooses to bless the second born son over the first.

Consider God's choice of Jacob over Esau, Ephraim before Manesseh, the youngest son David above all his older brothers.

We see over and over again how God uses the simple, the weak, the insignificant to shame the strong and the wise.

I think of Gideon, the nation of Israel (in contrast to great world powers like Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon), the boy with a few fishes and loaves, a virgin peasant girl.

The unbelievable power of small makes me marvel this Advent season, dear friend.

May God do mighty things in the small and ordinary moments of your life and mine this Christmas.

And may we marvel in the small and give Him ALL the glory!

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Traditions are Not To-Do Lists

Sunshine with Santa, circa 2010

Last week after church, we pulled into our neighborhood's clubhouse parking lot to meet Santa and enjoy some hot cocoa and cookies, a tradition we've done since the kids were infants.

But this year, Santa was scheduled to arrive about an hour after his usual time.

Hungry for lunch, we decided to head home (a mere three-minute drive down the street) to eat lunch and change out of our church clothes.

After we'd eaten and dishes were cleaned up, we asked the kids if they wanted to go back out to see Santa.

The tween had no interest.

The middle child didn't want to talk to a "fake" Santa.  He'd rather mail his wishlist to Santa and talk about his requests to Scout, our Elf on the Shelf.

Our youngest confessed to still being too shy to sit on Santa's lap.

So, we stayed home, and about an hour later, cozied up under some afghans and watched large powdery snowflakes cover the backyard (the beginnings of 5 inches of snowfall for our area!).

It was sort of strange for me, I confess.

No meeting Santa this year?

No photo opportunity?

But then, I was softly reminded in my spirit that traditions are just that: Traditions.

They point to a greater reality: providing time together as family to make a memory, to enjoy and marvel and experience the true meaning of Christmas.

Traditions are not to-dos to check off a list.

They don't make or break the holiday.

They serve us--we don't have to serve them.

So, dear friend, may I ask what traditions you may need to change up, let go of, or embrace that will better serve you and your family, in THIS season of your lives?

I hope years from now, if I happen to notice that our family scrapbooks and photo albums are devoid of pictures with Santa in 2018, I want to smile.

That was the year we chose what was right for our family.

That was the year we had our traditions serve us, and we were not a slave to them!

And I trust that we--you and I--will experience a bit more peace, and a bit more joy, as we prepare our hearts for Christmas this year, in the way that is best for us, right here, and right now.

Blessings for Advent, dear one!

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Advent: From Rush to Hush

                             

How is it possible that it is almost Advent already?!

Whether you are ready or not, the Advent season is soon upon us (it starts this Sunday!).

If you and I are not intentional, we will spend the entire month doing all the things--decorating, shopping, wrapping presents, baking cookies, attending parties, mailing Christmas cards, going to Christmas plays and recitals (the list could go on and on!), while completely neglecting to prepare our hearts and souls and ready them for the arrival of Christmas morning and all that this day means to us as followers of Christ.

So friend, I just want to take a quick minute to pop into your Facebook feed (or inbox!) today with a few ideas and suggestions that have

profoundly helped me, and my children, over the years to tend to our hearts in anticipation of Christmas.

If you've never established a personal or family devotional Advent tradition, this is the perfect year to do that, my friend! A great place to start is with a short yet meaningful devotional book. Check out this post (and the links it contains) for a meaningful, gospel-centered book by Nancy Guthrie or e-devotional by John Piper, to start off each day.

Feeling ready to try something outside the box?  I can't tell you how much Bible journaling through Advent completely blessed my socks off last year.  I plan to dive into that again this year, too.  Check out this post to learn all about it.

Looking for a way to teach your kids about the meaning of Christmas?  We've loved having a Jesse Tree (for a decade now!), and I love the way it builds upon each Old Testament story, culminating in the birth of Christ on Christmas Day.  It is a fantastic way to see just how Jesus fits into the redemptive history of the entire Bible, as it doesn't just focus on the Christmas Story of the gospels of Matthew and Luke.

Even discussing the Nativity scene can bring a fresh look at the gospel message for you and your children!

May we quiet our hearts to hear from God in a special way this holiday season! I pray we would learn and grow and experience the wonder of the incarnation in a fresh and profound way this Christmas.

Let’s approach Christmas with an expectant hush, rather than a last-minute rush. --Anonymous

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Bible Journaling Through Advent

  

Hi friend!  I hope and trust that you are enjoying a blessed Advent season so far this year!  I am trying something new and Bible journaling my way through Advent with the help of this wonderful resource, Advent Illustrated: Waiting 'Round the Wreath by Sara Laughed (love that name!).

I just wanted to take a quick minute to let you know more about this practice because it is just blessing my socks off!  It has been a wonderful way to meditate upon the Scriptures focusing on the four weeks of Advent: hope, peace, love, and joy.

So what exactly is Bible journaling?  In short, Bible journaling is the practice of using both words and pictures to read the Bible, study it, mediate upon it, and memorize it in a fresh way; it uses both your right-brain (creative side) AND left-brain (analytic side) as you process and interact with God's word.  I have found this particularly useful during the Advent season as I am encountering very familiar portions of Scripture.  Bible journaling has helped me to slow down, visualize what God is saying through His word, and consider familiar verses in a fresh way.  

What do you need to Bible journal?  It is easy really: any combination of pens, pencils, markers, and a Bible.  Many folks like to use a journaling Bible with wide margins to allow room for drawing or hand-lettering.  Some Bibles, like the one I use, have blank interleaved pages. (For more information about the various Bibles you can use, be sure to check out this previous blog post here.)

This first week of Advent has been focusing on hope.  Through this devotional, Sara has provided particular verses from both the Old and New Testaments to consider about waiting in darkness and hoping for the Light of the World.  It has allowed me to consider images such as light and darkness and to think about questions such as: why is the darkness so scary?  What makes light such a comfort?  When considering Jesus' statement, "I am the light of the world," do I picture a light bulb or a bonfire?  A mason jar of fireflies or the sun?

Here is an illustrated example of this particular concept from my journal earlier this week (feel free to click on the image to see it larger and in more detail):

                       

As you can see, I think of God's light being like a campfire.  Warm, comforting, close, and evoking images of eating together and singing around it in community on a cool evening.  He is not a light bulb in my mind--something to be switched on and off at my whim.  And He's not altogether safe and containable.  But He is good and warm and inviting, and to be carefully respected.  As you can see, many of my Bible journaling entries involve prayers and words, too.  I like the combination of words and pictures, black ink with color.

One thing that is vital to understand about Bible journaling is that it is NOT about making pretty pictures!  In truth, you really don't need any artistic ability at all; you can use stickers, stamps, washi tape, and other supplies that can be found at your local craft store like these pictured here:

But don't lose sight of the fact that you truly do NOT need any special supplies!  Like explained above, plain-old colored pencils, markers, and pens are just fine, too!

So, how about you, dear friend?  Are you plugged into an Advent study or devotional that is helping you to slow down and reflect upon God's Word in a fresh way this season?  If not, I'd love for you to join me in Sara's Advent Illustrated study, or try Bible journaling on your own using verses that are meaningful for you.  I trust you will be blessed if you do :)

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Abiding in Advent

Source: prodigalthought.net

As we approach Advent season this year, I am reminded about the teaching of Christ when He revealed to us His final "I Am" statement: 

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.  John 15:5

Abide means "to dwell; to remain."

Abiding speaks more about a state of being, rather than a state of doing.

It is about relishing our relationship with Christ, immersing ourselves in His presence and His truth.  In some ways, it seems easy.  It doesn't involve ticking off a bullet-point list of To Dos.

However, I must admit: as someone with a goal-oriented, type-A, "doer" personality like myself, abiding is very difficult!  It truly is something I must be very intentional about, especially in a busy season like Advent!

How will I abide in Christ this Advent season?  I'd like to focus on that FIRST this season, before considering all of our usual family Christmas traditions, weekly commitments, and holiday travel plans.  I want to view my calendar like the proverbial mason jar: being careful to fill it up with the most important things--the big rocks--first, followed by the lesser important things--the sand--and finally the truly inconsequential things--the water.  Only by layering it in this way will it all fit!

Source: blog.schedulinginstitute.com

So, before I plan a day for my family to visit the Christmas tree farm, decorate gingerbread houses with friends, or sit upon Santa's lap, I want to plan on abiding with Christ.  Like He taught in the vineyard, if I truly abide in Him, treasuring the gift of His Word and savoring time spent with Him, then the rest will surely come.

I must ask myself: What will abiding in Christ look like for me this Advent season?

Well, it will look a lot like art journaling my way through the Christmas story using this illustrated Advent devotional.  It will look like writing in my prayer journal and continuing to record what Jesus teaches me through journaling and blogging.

What will abiding in Christ look like for my family this Advent season?

Well, it will look like revisiting the Old and New Testaments through our Jesse Tree ornaments each morning over breakfast.  It will involve time in the evenings around our piano singing Christmas hymns and reading parts of the Christmas story at family worship.  It will also look like reading through the Gloria Christmas hymn study during our homeschooling time.

Now I must ask you...what will abiding in Christ look like for you, dear friend, during this Advent season?

It might very well look different from mine!  Perhaps you will meditate upon praise songs while you run, or read an Advent devotional book.   Maybe you and your family will light candles around an Advent wreath each week, or discuss the nativity scene as you assemble the creche and figures on your mantle.  Whatever it consists of, I pray that it would enable you and yours to slow down and truly savor the season and your relationship with the Savior, dear one.  May we all abide in Him this Advent season!

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The Empty Tomb

Photo source: FrancisCorps

My kids and I enjoy creating resurrection gardens around Easter time every year with our friends and neighbors.  They remind us of the three crosses of Good Friday and the empty tomb the disciples found on Easter Sunday.  If the grass sprouts, which may or may not happen in our climate (that is where green moss can come to the rescue!), it also makes for a lovely Easter-themed centerpiece for our dinner table.

As I have been eating meals around our resurrection garden these past few weeks, I have reflected upon the meaning of the empty tomb and the power of God's resurrection in my own life.  I have discovered that there are several straight-forward, yet transformational truths, that shine forth from this compelling symbol.  Here are just a few, of many, I am sure.

The empty tomb means:

• God is powerful.  He can bring life out of death!  This is a power that is unknown by modern science and technology, unlike any power we understand here on Earth.  

• Eternal life is certain.  What is most exciting is that Christ's resurrection becomes my resurrection!  Because Christ fought the battle against death and WON, so will I, as His child and as an heir to His Kingdom.

• There is hope.  God can infuse hope and joy to any dire situation or circumstance, even an unjustified death on a despicable cross.

• God is faithful.  God keeps His promises!  Jesus told His disciples numerous times that He would die and rise again.  They never quite got the message (I remember as a child wondering why the disciples were so surprised on Easter morning...I mean, they were told ahead of time!). But Jesus foretold it, and He kept always keeps His promises (see Matthew 16:21, John 2:18-19).

• Jesus is alive today.  Unlike any other prophet or holy man, Jesus lives today!  This validates Christianity and sets it apart from all other world religions.  And what is Christ doing this very day? The Scriptures say that He sits at the Father's right hand, interceding for us as believers (Romans 8:34). 

• God is in control.  No matter how crazy life seems, or how many bad things are happening to you or around you, we can reflect upon the empty tomb and see that God is ultimately in control over ALL things.

• Jesus is coming back.  Did you ever notice the detail within the Scriptures that tell us that Christ's face cloth was found folded and set apart from the other grave clothes on that first Easter morning (John 20:7)?  I recently read a story about the significance of that gesture.  It spoke to the fact that in ancient Hebrew culture, the master, having eaten his meal, would wipe his fingers, mouth, and beard and wad up his napkin to signal to his servant that he was finished with his meal.  However, if he got up from the table and folded his napkin, laying it beside his plate, then the servant would know that the master was coming back.  Jesus WILL return one day to usher in the new heaven and the new earth, gather His children to Himself, and ultimately destroy Satan, death, and Hades (see Revelation 20-22).

This is all GOOD NEWS, my friends!

May you be encouraged this Easter season, when you reflect upon the empty tomb of Christ and ALL that it means to you and yours!

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The Wonder of the Incarnation

Photo courtesy of www.thecripplegate.com

At Christmas time, we enter into a special season to consider one deep and yet mysterious spiritual truth: the Incarnation--the belief that the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, became "flesh" by being conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary, becoming completely God and man, to walk among us on the Earth.

We see this truth unfold as we consider the manger scene in our homes and churches, as we behold baby Jesus in the manger, surrounded by angels, shepherds, Mary, Joseph, and in some cases, the Wise Men.  It is an event in which Luke, in his gospel account, is very careful to set into a very specific historical time frame, so that we would be sure that this is no mythical account, but history itself, as incredulous as it may seem to its hearers.

But I wonder how many of us stop to consider how radically counter-cultural the theology of the Incarnation truly is--that the spirit world would intersect with the material in the God-man of Christ Jesus... and for what purpose?

Surely Plato or Buddha could never conceive of this!  For they exalted the spiritual above the material, and exhorted man, through logic/philosophy and spiritual enlightenment, respectively, to throw off the shackles of the material realm in order to pursue the more important and lofty spiritual realm.

But, the most scandalous truth is that the spiritual and material realm are perfectly united in the Incarnation. One does not negate, taint, or contradict the other!

Theologian Thomas Howard puts it well when he states, "The human mind, and perhaps especially the 'spiritual' mind, has a deep-running suspicion of anything that really does bridge the gulf between spirit and matter.  The Sadducees hated the threat of this very thing which surfaced in Christ's claims about Himself....All transcendentalists, logicians, Buddhists, and Manichaeans hate this sort of thing.  We must keep spirit and matter in two different realms, they urge.  Spirit is material and may not be supposed ever to come upon matter, even though just this seems to have happened at the Annunciation [announcement made by the angel Gabriel to Mary, the mother of Jesus, that she was going to bear a son], with the starkest results."

You see, God does not beckon us away from our humanity!  Far from it!  Instead, He enters into it and redeems it.

In the Incarnation, God Himself comes to Earth as a baby to eat, grow, become a man and take up a trade, endure temptation, preach, teach, heal, cry, suffer, and die.  You see, all these things that belong to our humanity (for angels do none of these things), God Himself purifies and glorifies and delivers them back to us perfectly in the person of Christ.  God did not set out to belittle or bemoan human life, but rather to redeem all those things of life and living that had been stolen away from us in service to other gods, and came to set us truly free.

That, dear friend, is the shocking scandal of the Incarnation.

Spirit meets Material--and redeems it.

Praise be to God for this indescribable gift!

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The Light of the World

Photo courtesy of www.wallpaperhdwide.com

A friend of ours down the street is moving this week, and just the other day she appeared on my doorstep with a box of lovely candles that the movers couldn't pack.  She knows I love candles, especially this time of year when the days are short and the twilight hours are so long!

It turns out that the ancient Church is a big fan of candles, too.  The Advent season is a time in which many of us Christ-followers light a candle each week as part of the Advent wreath tradition in our homes or churches.  This special wreath contains four candles around the perimeter, often in hues of pink and purple, and a large white pillar candle, the "Christ" candle, sits in the middle.  This candle is most special and it is only lit on Christmas Day.

As the Advent wreath grows brighter throughout the month, we are reminded that the coming, literally the "advent," of Christ is nearing.  More and more darkness is displaced by the light, signifying that Christ would come, in all His holiness, to likewise dispel the darkness and usher in the New Covenant, bringing an end to the reign of sin and death in this world.

And yet, of all lights that can signify Christ, I must pause and reflect that the candle is the perfect choice.  For you see, as it gives its light, it is simultaneously consumed.  It gives of its own "life" as it were to usher light into a dark corner.  And is that not what Christ has done for us, dear friend?  Giving of His own life, so that we could share in the light of His truth and His Word, imparting His light into our own hearts as the very fire of the Holy Spirit, as it came down in tongues of fire that very first eve of Pentecost?

I admire the flicker of the flame on this chilly December night...and I am spiritually undone.

Praise be to the Lord Jesus Christ!

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Feed On Me

Photo courtesy of www.garylellis.com

It always amazes me how deep and rich are the biblical truths which are so blatantly and simply declared in the nativity at Christmastime.

As I was appreciating the wooden nativity scene my son has on display in his room, my eyes fell afresh upon Jesus laying in the manger.  A baby, the Son of God, Divinity Himself, making his bed in a feeding trough.  Instead of hay for the stable animals, we see Jesus Himself laying in a feeding trough to be considered as our holy meal.

Throughout His ministry and on the eve of his death, Jesus beckons us to participate in this Heavenly meal and even to share it with the world.  It is ubiquitous within the Scriptures--Jesus in the NT scriptures, and God Almighty in the OT scriptures, beckon us to feed on Him:

• "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied." (Matt 5:6)
• Nourish your souls on Me alone, for I am the Bread of Life and I am the Living Water (John 4, 6)
• "Taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8)
• "Open your mouth wide and I will fill it" (Psalm 81:10)
• Feed on Me.  If you love me, you will feed my sheep. (John 21:17)
• "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”  (John 6:51)

And as we see in the verb "to eat" that Jesus uses above in the John 6 passage, this is not a polite and dainty nibble.  Oh no.  This is a word that is most graphic and is best translated "to gnaw;" one used to describe the way ravenous animals behave.  They rip part, devour, and scarf down their food, knowing their very lives depend upon the sustenance of their killed prey.

Jesus, in essence, is commanding us to do this with Him--to gnaw and devour and feed upon His life-giving truth.  If eating is believing (or believing is eating...or any combination thereof), then this is something which every Christ follower must soberly consider and unabashedly take a part of, regardless of what they consider the Eucharist to be or represent.

It is an invitation for each one of us, not to merely spectate, but to actively participate in this Christmas season and beyond!

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Hosea Resurrection

Photo courtesy of crossleadership.com

Easter is a joyous time to celebrate and reflect upon the resurrection of Christ.  After all, if it were not for His rising again on the third day, the Christian faith would not exist--Christ would have just been another zealous and deluded religious man who had made false claims and died in the grave.

But instead Christ has RISEN and the grave stands empty! Hallelujah!

While this truth is profound and forms the bedrock of our Christian faith, I have been struck with another, more personal, appreciation of Easter in recent years.  You see, I have come to realize that the Easter story is not just about Christ, but it is about me, too, as a Christ-follower.  As a born-again, regenerated believer, the Easter story is also my story.  I have died to the power of sin, and I have been raised again in new life through Christ!  Paul speaks of this in Galatians chapter 2, verse 20:

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

And as I have been meditating upon Hosea this Passion Week, I have seen this promise of resurrection unfold in its pages as well!

See it with me in Hosea chapter 6..

“Come, let us return to the Lord;
    for he has torn us, that he may heal us;
    he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.
 After two days he will revive us;
    on the third day he will raise us up,
    that we may live before him.

Do you see it, dear one?  Do you see how we, too, have been afflicted, struck down, bound up, in effect, crucified?  And then, too, we have been revived, resurrected to new life on the third day, that we may live forever more with God?

And once again, I am in awe.  Who would have thought my journey into Hosea this week would so vividly retell the story of Easter?!  

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The Nativity Scene Teaches

I see our Nativity scene set out in our home, and I am suddenly caught off guard in a fresh way at the radical truth it so flagrantly illustrates, in all its quietness and its unassuming way.

How many times have I seen a Nativity scene in my life?

And yet, I am awed in a new way how it so visually represents the call to come to Christ.

There are both rich Magi, bearing their gifts of wealth, and poor Shepherds.
Men and women.
Jews (Mary and Joseph) and Gentiles (the Magi).
Angelic Hosts and mortal Man.
Creatures (livestock) and Mankind.

The Nativity scene so visually announces that there are NO gender, cultural, economic, ethnic, or class barriers to come to Christ...we must only come with humility...with bended knee, a steady gaze, and bearing gifts (as we are able) to lay at His feet.

I am forever changed...forever grateful...

Thank you Jesus for this indescribable gift.

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Advent Recast

Photo courtesy of ideasget.com

In years past, I approached Advent a bit apathetically.  Passively. Reflectively.

Advent, the season of Christmas which literally means "to come"...a time when we eagerly await the arrival of the Christ child, like the people of God did centuries ago.

The truth was, I reasoned, Christ HAD come.  He HAD already come to that manger in a little town called Bethlehem.  The Advent season seemed as though it was solely a time of remembering the past.  Remembering how Christ came to Earth as a babe to Mary.  Rereading the Christmas story, with the shepherds, and wise men, the angels and the bright star.

But this year is different.

This year, Advent has been officially recast in my heart.

This year, I am desperately yearning for the Savior to come...to come and bless a heart, to redeem it and soften it and change it and transform it.

This year, I eagerly and anxiously await the Savior's appearance in his heart, actions, words.

I pray that He would not tarry and come quickly!

I realize how dark the world can be without His presence and His transforming work in our souls!

Right now, I have my sights set on that bright Star, the Light of the World, who guides and leads me as I parent, shepherd, and disciple my unruly crew of pint-sized sinners.

Come and heal us, dear Lord!

Come and save us, Christ the Messiah!

Perhaps, you too, long to see the heart and life of a friend or family member changed this Christmas season.  Perhaps you are discouraged because, like me, the daily snapshot of the current situation looks bleak.  Hearts are hard.  Frustration, anger, and hurt have snuffed out joy.  But do you sense it?  Do you see the promises in God's Word that point to hope and redemption?  Do you long for the Savior to come right here, down to earth, to transform a heart and give a new dwelling place for the Spirit of God among us?

God with us.

Emmanuel.

God in us.

The biggest mystery of the gospel...the deepest mystery of all.

Well, dear one, let us join hearts and hands this holiday season and cry out for Advent in our hearts and in our homes!  Dear Lord, the Promised One, our only source of hope and joy, come down from Heaven and come to earth in a fresh way, in a changed heart, so that we may praise your name throughout the ages!

That is my Advent prayer this season.

I eagerly and hopefully await His Advent in hard hearts...so we can give Him ALL the glory.

Yes Jesus, we long for you to come in fresh and mighty and palpable ways in the hearts and souls of all of our little ones. We need it! They need it! We cannot parent without You dear Lord as YOU are our only hope for their (and our) heart change and life transformation! We cannot change them! Oh, how often do we try! But we choose to give you ALL the glory as the One who can and ask that you would do so very soon! Please do not linger...please come and regenerate their hearts to new birth in you! May we celebrate your Advent in their lives and hearts this Christmas season!

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Jack-o'-lantern Truth

Photo courtesy of telegraph.co.uk

I LOVE the month of October--the crisp air, pumpkin-flavored foods, corn mazes, and pumpkin patches.  But I think that we as the Church do not know quite what to make of Halloween.  Some of us ignore it, oppose it, celebrate it...it is really a mixed bag.  But I heard an analogy in recent years relating a common fixture this time of year--a Jack-o'-lantern--to our new life in Christ, and I just had to share it with you!  I pray that it would redeem this time of year for many of us and also serve to spark spiritual discussions with your little ones if or when you observe this Halloween tradition.

Have you ever considered that what we do to create a Jack-o'-lantern is what Christ does with us when we enter into a saving relationship with Him?  

Think about it for a moment...

We hand-select a pumpkin from a field (or store).  

Christ choose us to be His elect, before the creation of the world (Eph 1:4).

We cut open the top of the pumpkin and scoop out the pulp and seeds, discarding them.  

Christ removes the ugly sin from our hearts, as far as the east is from the west (Ps 103:12).

We carve out a face on the pumpkin.

Christ transforms us into a new creation, using His Spirit and 

His "sword," the Word of God (2 Corin 5:17, Heb 4:12).

We put a light inside so it will glow at night and display it on our front porch.

Christ puts His light inside us, as He gives us His Spirit inside our hearts, 

to be a light in a dark world for the display of His glory (Matt 5:16, Phil 2:15).

Fortunately for us young parents, this story is also told in a children's book called The Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs (pictured below).  This is a book our family has recently added to our seasonal book library and it is a great springboard for spiritual conversations with our children this time of year.

So this Halloween season, I'd encourage you and your children to reflect upon and be encouraged by these gospel truths whenever you spot a Jack-o'-lantern or carve your own!  May we be reminded of the transformative grace of Christ as He chose us, forgave our sin, and continues to transform us into a new creation, to be a light for His glory in a dark world! 

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Dear Santa

Saw this in a catalog recently (yes, recently!...and it is still August!) and it made me just roll my eyes--what a culture we live in!  And yet, don't we do this in our heart of hearts with our Almighty God?

(Photo: emblibrary.com)

In so many ways we just cannot listen to God's Word as it discusses our sin and how pervasive and deadly it is...so we prefer to look around and feel better about ourselves as we deem ourselves to be better than the next person.  But God does not "grade" on a curve!  However the hope of the Gospel is this...God may not grade on a curve, but He grades on a CROSS!  As believers in Jesus, we can be declared righteous (justification) and be ushered into God's presence and spend eternity with Him!  Praise be to Him!

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Happy July 4th

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The Eternal Palm Sunday

Happy Palm Sunday to you, dear friend!  It is a special day to celebrate as Christians, as we remember Christ's procession into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey.  It must have been exciting to see Christ himself, triumphantly entering into the beloved city as the crowds shouted, "Hosanna!" (literally, "Save us!"), waving palm branches and throwing down their coats on the road for him to ride over!  However, as much joy as it gives us to look back on that exciting and prophetic event, we cannot forget that it is but a mere shadow of what is to come for us as believers in Heaven as we worship Christ forever!  You see, Palm Sunday is not just a day we celebrate by looking back into Biblical times...but it is a day to be celebrated as a FUTURE event that WE will partake in!

We see a glimpse of this through the disciple John, in his Revelation on the isle of Patmos (Rev 7:9-12)..."After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Let us not forget to enjoy the FUTURE Palm Sunday as we stand together with people from every nation and from every age and worship God our Lord and Savior!  Let us not forget to teach our children and remind our loved ones about THIS Palm Sunday today, too, friend!  What a blessing THAT day will be!

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Resurrection Garden

Here is a fun AND meaningful activity you can do with your kids to learn more about Easter (Resurrection Sunday). This is called a Resurrection Garden and I got the idea from Pinterest.  Here is the picture I pinned from this site...

As always, real life is not QUITE like Pinterest...haha...as I truly let the kids do EVERY step (minus handling the hot glue gun) and didn't futz with it to make it "perfectly pinnable."  The kids had a blast getting dirty and messy!  I laid out a vinyl table cloth to make clean up easy.

We've had fun talking about the three crosses and the EMPTY tomb!  I had enough supplies on hand so each child could make their own, which they really enjoyed.

Here are the supplies you will need:
14" clay saucer (I used plastic to wash and reuse each year--they stack and are light!)
4" Terracotta pot (I will probably use 2" size next year to make it easier to cover with soil)
Potting soil
Grass seed--I used Vigoro fast grass (Walmart) but wheat grass also works well--you basically want to select a FAST germinating grass! (green craft moss could also work)
Small rocks--I used black and brown river rocks I use decoratively in vases throughout the year, but you can just grab some outside or use gravel
1 large rock (to prop up against the "tomb")
Assorted sticks (for crosses)--the kids also had fun scouring the yard and their playgrounds at school for these
Hot glue gun (to glue the sticks into crosses--you could also tie with twine)
Spray bottles (to mist grass seed each day with water)

This blog has a wonderful tutorial--check it out for step-by-step instructions!  I was pleased with how fast the grass started to germinate! 

Hope this gives you and your family something fun AND meaningful to enjoy this Easter!  And as always, thanks for stopping by!

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Resurrection Eggs

Back again today with a little Easter devotional idea that I use with my kids.  During the 12 days leading up to Easter Sunday, we take the time each morning to reflect upon one aspect of Christ's Passion week.  This is done with a short Bible reading from one of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) and a visual aid that is enclosed inside a plastic Easter egg.  The kids have fun with this and are excited to see what "surprise" is inside each egg for each day.  You can find these "Resurrection Eggs" in Lifeway Bookstore or you can simply make your own like I did here.  All you need are a dozen plastic Easter eggs and just little trinkets you can find around the house.  Last year, my MOPS group made each of our families a set as a group and it cost about $1 per kit!!

Here's a quick listing of the contents of each egg.  

Day 1--Perfume (cotton ball spritzed with perfume)
Day 2--Palms (use plastic plant clippings to last)
Day 3--Silver coin (nickel)
Day 4--Communion cup (or you can use brown Play-doh or foam to resemble a loaf of bread)
Day 5--Thorns (whole cloves)
Day 6--Cross (you can cut foam into a cross shape, make a cross using toothpicks glued together to form a cross, or jewelry)
Day 7--Nail (short and not too sharp for little hands!)
Day 8--Dice (use 1 die from a board game)
Day 9--Q-tip (cut in half to resemble a sponge on a stick)
Day 10--Spices (short cinnamon sticks)
Day 11--Stone (small rock)
Day 12--Leave EMPTY (He is RISEN!)

I have the Scripture verse references mounted on a card as a quick reference

So this set can be used in various ways.  We use it to count down to Resurrection Sunday, sort of like an Advent Calendar, the 12 days preceding Easter during our morning devotional time.  However, you could also go through each egg in one lesson and tell the entire story of Christ's Passion week.  For older children, you could even mix up the contents of the eggs and have them arrange it in order by memory, telling the story themselves.  Be creative!  It is entirely up to you and your family!

You also might be interested in watching this video from Lifeway that walks you through this helpful tool!  Their set is a little different and uses slightly different trinkets, but it is the same idea-- Lifeway Resurrection eggs video

I place my eggs in this cute little Easter egg plate (given to  me as a gift, but I think it was bought from Kohl's) and place it in our kitchen during the Easter season.  For the remainder of the year, I store them in a foam egg carton along with the Scripture reference card along with our seasonal decorations.

I hope this gives you another TANGIBLE way to teach your children the Gospel message of Christ during the Easter season!

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Lent Devotional

How many of us rush from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday without contemplating all that the cross means? If we are not careful, the Easter season can be overrun by chocolate bunnies, Easter dresses, and dying eggs...and we will miss the beauty of what this season means for each of our lives!  If I could recommend ONE read this Lenten season, it would be this little gem compiled by Nancy Guthrie entitled Jesus, Keep me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter.  It is a compilation of sermons and essays from contemporary as well as classical theologians written on the subject of Christ's passion--authors include Martin Luther, John Piper, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon, John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, and Tim Keller, to name a few!  It is brief, yet spiritually deep and meaty and really illuminates the wonder of the gospel displayed at Easter.  I love starting my day with this devotional to help me prepare for the Easter season (this is my 2nd year enjoying it), and I trust that you might, too!

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