Ordinary Feelings and Mighty Spirit: The True Chrismtas Spirit

 

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.  

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths 

and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the in.

- Luke 2:6-7

"I'm just not in the Christmas 'Spirit' this year"
"I don't know what it is, I just can't get 'into' Christmastime"

Christmastime is here.  Come this time next week, presents will be unwrapped, New Years Resolutions will be considered and the holiday hubbub will be drawing to a close.  Another year over.  Some will be relieved, some will feel longing... either way, it will be the fact of life.

In my own household, Christmas "spirit" sentiments like those above are confided every year.  Some really tough stuff has gone down in my family's lives around the holidays.  Not because of the holidays, but simply in conjunction.  This year is no exception. 

For me, I lost my mom unexpectedly when she was at the young age of 48 on October 28, 2002.  I was pregnant with my youngest, spent the first week of November making funeral plans, casket selections, grave plot choices and following a hearse too soon to her final "resting place" - a memory I always mist at - and the rest of the month combing through her life's belongings.  December that year was cold and lonely and full of pain, waiting the final weeks till my daughter's birth and longing for my mother though she be gone.

But the Spirit was there.

When we read on in the historical narrative of Christ's arrival, we see the ritual presentation of the infant at the Temple.  While there, we are told of an old man, Simeon.  I won't just sum, the Bible says it too beautifully to detract:

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.  And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.  And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, 

according to your word;

for my eyes have seen your salvation

that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for the glory to your people Israel."

- Luke 2:25-32 (emphasis added)

 Let me make a suggestion here: what if the "Spirit of Christmas" isn't what everyone thinks it is.

It isn't a jolly old man in a red suit jumping down chimneys.  Sure, he has always visited our home and we enjoy reading and making up various stories upon his adventures.  He was a real man once.  A man so devout to the true Spirit of Christmas and generosity towards children and the under-privileged that the church made him a Saint.  But while we enjoy that frivolity, all my kids are beyond Santa Claus age, it isn't where the "Spirit" of the holiday lies.

No, the original motivation of the real Santa can be our clue.

Look at Simeon.  What was he filled with?  My answer... the original and first ever Christmas Spirit.  The Holy Spirit of God and the joy of promises being fulfilled and hope coming to a dark world.  God through Jesus didn't instantly do everything he promised in that moment as Simeon's eyes met God incarnate.  No, but God had shown the people hope had come.

Simeon was ready and waiting, room in his heart to see the wonders of God.
The days were dark, the plight of the people was dim, but the Light of the world helped them rejoice.

Common every day people with room in their hearts to consider the promise. 
Shepherds going about the fields.
Wise men going about their observations.
Residents and travelers going about their days.
Devout Jews going about their temple rituals.

Ordinary days made extraordinary by the arrival of a Promise and the twinkle of Hope.  And inside the ordinary comings and goings we glimpse the true Spirit of Christmas in Simeon.

In my Bible, next to Luke 2:7, I have penciled, "Leave room for Jesus".  The inns were full of everyone and everything else, they could not receive Him.  No Christmas Spirit there.  Just business.

Perhaps I'm going too far out on the limb, but somehow this speaks to me deeper than any other passage on the hope and promise and True Spirit of Christmas.  The year my mom died looked to be the 'worst Christmas ever'... but it wasn't.  It was lonely without her.  Many tears were shed.  My marriage was rocky.  Our finances were strapped.  My children were too young at the time to understand... they needed me. 

In the midst of this dark time in my young life, I never lost the "Spirit of Christmas" because the true Spirit of the season isn't something you can loose.  And it isn't something which just exists in December.

It is the celebration of our salvation which was made possible that O Holy Night when the Promise issued into the cold dark world and gave Light to mankind.

Lights on a tree or strung along a home's gables are merely symbolic of the Light in the darkness.
Gifts chosen and given with heart are symbolic of the Greatest Gift all mankind could ever hope to receive.
Evergreens bedecked with baubles and berries are a reminder of eternal life, even in a winter's storm, we can know strength and beauty in the most harsh of climates and conditions.

If our Christmas Cheer is done with a heart to love, be relational, and share hope, all as God did through Jesus Christ, then the Christmas Spirit is in us.

But what if you just can't "get into" the Spirit of Christmas.  May I make a suggestion?  Perhaps you are going about it all wrong.

Getting "into" the Christmas Spirit isn't about buying more gifts, hanging more lights, going to the next Christmas Party or decorating another corner of your home.  Those things aren't bad... but they aren't the source of Holiday Joy. When we celebrate birthdays and occasions of significance, we decorate, make a cake and give meaningful gifts.  I believe Christmas frivolity to be an extension of this concept.  But, no, it is not the headwaters of joy and love and Spirit.  Even during the worst times of our lives, Christmas Spirit can simply be the clinging to hope.  If frivolity is our focus, we will forget.  But if HOPE is in heart, the frivolity is the outward manifestation of the inward work of the Spirit. 

Not sure how to get to that place?  That Heart of Christmas?  Here are some navigational tips:

• Get into your Bible more.  Not a glaze over, "Yeah, I did my 15 minutes of Bible 'study' today: check."  No, read closely each and every line of the wonderful first Christmas narrative.  Look up the cross-references.  Dig into passages on salvation, Christian living, hope and strength and truly consider Christ and the magnificence of the salvation and eternal hope He has given you. Contemplate His Truth and make ready to modify your life in areas His Word shows you need deeper application.
• Pray.  Talk to God.  Give Him your cares, your worries, your struggles.  Invite Him to clean house in your heart!  Not white-wash, no, ask him to bring a bucket of hot soapy water and a high-grade scrub-brush!!  Get all sparkly clean.  I won't lie: it hurts at first.  But the harder more space you give for Christ to scrub, the easier it will become... you will learn to LOVE being cleaned up!
• MAKE ROOM for Jesus.  Clear out the clutter in your heart.  Old hurts: forgive them.  Longings: give them to God for His timing (if) and delivery.  Broken relationships: ask God to heal them.  Everywhere anxiety, stress, control, insecurity and any other counter-productive feelings are sitting in an easy chair making a mess, ask God to help you usher them out, clean up the debris and REPLACE it all with Jesus.  Anxiety and stress: surrender and trust Jesus, regardless of outcomes, God has a plan.  Control: you were never in control to begin with, quit trying to grab the wheel from God and let Him do the steering (I promise, He won't steer you wrong, even if the road gets bumpy).  Insecurity: may need some DEEP elbow-grease scrubbing to wash away, but here is a starter: in Christ you are Secure and it is OK to own that truth!

Make Room for Jesus and the Spirit will fill you.  The lights of Christmas will seem brighter, the decorations cheerier, the Jolly Old Man more purposeful and the manger... that manger will appear as more than hay and babe.  No, it will become the brightest light and fullest Spirit of Christmas you have ever experienced.


You don't have to forgo traditional celebrations to enjoy the true "Spirit of Christmas", you simply need to prioritize your heart, what you are thinking on through the holiday season, and the drive of your frivolity.  We don't forget hurt and struggles at Christmas, we simply put them into their proper perspective: God is in control and what matters most in life is the hope of salvation we have because He sent a babe to a manger.  A babe who would one day become a Man ready and willing to not only teach the most profound lessons in life but also to DIE so we could live forever with Him.

Sweet friends, I pray, this Christmas season, that you are able to make room for Jesus in your heart.  It doesn't have to be perfect and clean for Him to take up residence, nah, he's good with the broom and scrub brush, he'll help you clean house!  I pray, also, you may find faith like Simeon: not yet seeing ALL that Christ will do for you and others, but recognizing the hope and promise He brings to your life and be FILLED with the Holy Spirit... the true Spirit of Christmas ♥️

Merry Christmas Blessings,

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

Looking for an Advent Bible Study?  It's not too late to jump in. 

Option 1: Follow me on Instagram (link in text) where I have posted a link to my FREE Advent Bible study

... OR... 

Option 2:Subscribe to my newsletter by December 20th and I will send you December's issue which contains the Advent Study along with other great articles and FREE printables!  Info below... 

*Are you subscribed to my newsletter?  You might want to be.  Why?  Well, the newsletter contains bonus material you won't find on the website... not to mention, in those busy months when I can't get regular blog articles up, you can count on this periodical popping up in your email in-box each last Thursday with all new content!  What exactly does the newsletter contain?

• Encouraging articles on Faith, Home(making), and Homeschool
• Free printables under different themes each month
• Insider info on the latest goings-ons with all things on my blog and writing related

You won't find all this great bonus material on the blog so be sure to sign up so you don't miss out!  It's Ok, hop over real quick, right there to your right, see it on my sidebar where it says, "Subscribe to my Newsletter" with a  picture of the "Faith and Home Times" logo above it?  Ok, now enter your email in the box labeled "email address" then click "Subscribe"....(don't worry, it doesn't hurt and I promise not to spam you!). You should receive a confirmation email from me.  

Also, with your new subscription, I will send you December's newsletter which includes a FREE printable Advent Bible Study and bonus PDFs to help you organize and enjoy your holidays more!

Ordinary Circumstances and Mighty Plans

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus 

that all the world should be registered.

...And all went to be registered, each to his own town.  

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, 

to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, 

because he was of the house and lineage of David, 

to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

- Luke 2:1, 3-5

How many of us have this iconic Christmas passage from Luke memorized?  Don't feel bad if you don't, my point is simply how this passage is among the most quoted from the historical story on the account of Jesus' birth.  It is easy to take for granted and begin to quote as rote.

My passion each Christmas is to not take this life-changing TRUE story for granted and this year, my angle is to see the extraordinary inside the ordinary....

A call had gone out for all to report to their "own" towns, where lineage lied, to be counted.  If God is a God over ALL, including governments, it could be reasonably stated that this call was inspired by God in order to have Jesus born right.where.He.wanted.  And so there they were... in the town of Bethlehem, the city of David.  What is so significant about that?

The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, 
since I have rejected him from being king over Israel?  
Fill your horn with oil, and go.  I will send you to Jesse 
the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons."  
And Samuel said, "How can I go?  If Saul hears it, he will kill me."  
And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come 
to sacrifice to the Lord.' And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, 
and I will show you what you shall do.  
And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you."
Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem....

- 1 Samuel 16:1-4a (emphasis added)

Every single detail of Jesus' birth was prophesied about: when, WHERE, how and so on, another fact which can quickly become rote if we are not careful.  Aside from prophesy, what grabs me about this narrative today is how Jesus' birth; a consecrated event of the Lord; mirrors that of another consecrated event centuries before in DAVID's city. 

Samuel was greatly upset at King Saul's waywardness.  But God says, 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps man, I got this...'  God has a plan, he never didn't have a plan, and HE knows what he is doing.  Samuel is scared though... if Saul learns of his excursion it could be death, so God says, you know what, let's go into this under the auspice of a sacrificial ceremony and we will make it happen that way.  No one is the wiser, Samuel lives to pray another day.  From there, a child, David, is whom God says YES to. 

Fast forward and the ruse is a Census, the 'child' is a baby born, and the work to be done... will be the greatest, most profound in all of history.  They walked the streets Samuel and David walked.  They revelled in hope and mighty God as Samuel and David did.  This trip to Bethlehem was no ordinary trip... no.  It was wrapped in something much more extraordinary.

Wonderful.
Powerful.

You may be in awe right now.... or, you may be thinking, 'Yeah, that's cool and all, but....' other than the 'awe' is there a take-away?

I think there is.

Where are we right now?  Physically, emotionally, spiritually.... God has us in a specific place, at THIS time, in particular circumstances, for a specific reason.  Mary traveled heavy with babe.  Google maps tells me their trek took, at minimum 4 hours and was just over 9 miles.  That may not seem like a lot but OVER four hours, 9+ miles on sandaled foot over harsh terrain....pregnant.  Circumstances weren't peachy-keen.

They may have traveled simply thinking on responding to Cesar's order, however, we have the benefit of a historical lens, able to see how it wasn't really Cesar commanding their presence, but rather, God called them there using Cesar.  God knew Mary's condition.  God knew the inns would be full.  One could have mourned the situation, as Samuel did with the Saul dilemma, or they could see God's hand, and go.

Do we see God's hand right now?  Are we prepared to trust Him?  To be used by Him in what appears to be the ordinary in order for Him to perform the extraordinary?  It could be as big as a ministry response He is calling you to.  It could be as simple and ordinary as letting a frazzled mom cut in front of you at the grocery store.  Whether you are having a good day or a bad day... whether your finances or marriage or relationships are in good shape or not... GOD SAYS GO and we can trust Him to take care of it all.

We know the rest of the story here.  Long journey, tiered body, no room, baby is coming.  They were put up in a dirty, germ-infested, animal filled stable and there, in the middle of ordinary filth and darkness, something extraordinary and pure took place.

I pray your heart would find go at Christmas.  To respond to God, even in the form of ordinary duty, and welcome opportunities to be part of extraordinary blessings which breathe hope to those in vicinity.  

Merry Christmas Blessings,

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

Looking for an Advent Bible Study?  It's not too late to jump in. 

Option 1: Follow me on Instagram (link in text) where I have posted a link to my FREE Advent Bible study

... OR... 

Option 2:Subscribe to my newsletter by December 20th and I will send you December's issue which contains the Advent Study along with other great articles and FREE printables!  Info below... 

*Are you subscribed to my newsletter?  You might want to be.  Why?  Well, the newsletter contains bonus material you won't find on the website... not to mention, in those busy months when I can't get regular blog articles up, you can count on this periodical popping up in your email in-box each last Thursday with all new content!  What exactly does the newsletter contain?

• Encouraging articles on Faith, Home(making), and Homeschool
• Free printables under different themes each month
• Insider info on the latest goings-ons with all things on my blog and writing related

You won't find all this great bonus material on the blog so be sure to sign up so you don't miss out!  It's Ok, hop over real quick, right there to your right, see it on my sidebar where it says, "Subscribe to my Newsletter" with a  picture of the "Faith and Home Times" logo above it?  Ok, now enter your email in the box labeled "email address" then click "Subscribe"....(don't worry, it doesn't hurt and I promise not to spam you!). You should receive a confirmation email from me.  

Also, with your new subscription, I will send you December's newsletter which includes a FREE printable Advent Bible Study and bonus PDFs to help you organize and enjoy your holidays more!

Christmas Newsletters and Our 5 Faves

It's newsletter week.  No, not my Faith and Home Times edition (check the bottom of this post if you are interested in that one!)  No, the annual family Christmas newsletter writing week.  With ALL of our family and the majority of our friends living long distance, this is a critical part of catching up we all look forward to each year.  Print AND pictures help us 'see' each other grow and go♥️ (we don't all have/use Facebook or Instagram)

I know some of you may have already stamped and sent your yearly correspondences but I am a bit behind the game this year... and I suspect others might be as well!  So, to inspire my fellow stragglers out there and get our creative juices flowing  I thought I would share our top 5 favorite annual updates from years past!

17 Stats From 2017

... was an homage to my oldest's university graduation with double majors in business and economics.  We re-capped the ups and downs from the year, ranging between graduation travels, book publishing, formal dances, new jobs and my step-dad's cancer diagnosis along with various other in-betweens! It took one page, front + back, and family loved the details!

"The Jones Family 2008 In 150 Words or less!"

... was actually a time and money saver resulting from my husband's lay-off during the recession!!  I could fit TWO color copies on ONE page printed from my home computer!  Short, sweet and garnered many emails and phone calls from family I hadn't heard from in years.  They were desperate for more details and I loved the unexpected opportunity to catch-up!!  We broke the updates down by family member and included a favorite picture from the year of each of the kids.

Top 20 of... (year)

Inspired by popular Late-night T.V. lists of the time, we highlighted highs and lows from the year.  Similar to the 17 Stats from 2017, but different in that the top 20 list was more incremental; building to big praises from the year. It took one page, front + back and included updated pictures of the kids.

The 12 Months of Christmas

 

My personal favorite as we looked back at the year with the focus on pictures captioned with brief descriptions.  This letter took just ONE page (front only) and really helped all of our long distance family SEE life from the past year.  I ordered copies from the printers in quality gray scale (a small handful of color prints for grandparents, aunts and uncles) since the heavy picture load didn't print well at home (and likely cost less in ink from a printer!)

"The Jones Family By the Numbers..."

 This was an all-time extended family fave.  Years after it's issue I had relatives tell me how they STILL had their double-sided bookmark style family update tucked into favorite books/Bibles to this day!!  The idea was found in a Family Fun magazine article.  I don't remember if it was originally a 2-sided bookmark but that is what I went with (pictures on one side, stats on the other)!  I printed them on my home printer using card stock.  I think I fit 4 on a page and used a paper-cutter to separate them.  Each was mailed in regular letter envelopes with Christmas Greetings.

So now for 2018...

• Another graduate (only one left now)
• Adult "children" with not a ton of pictures or news to report on them.
• Travels to highlight
• Some interesting 'news'

Still not sure where to begin with this year's missive!!

How are you doing (or have you done) your newsletter this year?  What has been your favorite family Christmas newsletter from the years?

Merry Christmas Blessings,

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

In case you haven't heard, I put together a HUGE printable package for December's newsletter which I would still love to share with new subscribers!  It contains information and an array of helpful worksheets to get all the tidbits of your holiday season organized including pages for tracking names, addresses, and Christmas card correspondences by the year.

Anyone who signs up for my newsletter by December 20th will receive this month's issue which includes "The Homebody's Guide to the Christmas Season" and MORE!  Details below...

*Are you subscribed to my newsletter?  You might want to be.  Why?  Well, the newsletter contains bonus material you won't find on the website... not to mention, in those busy months when I can't get regular blog articles up, you can count on this periodical popping up in your email in-box each last Thursday with all new content!  What exactly does the newsletter contain?

• Encouraging articles on Faith, Home(making), and Homeschool
• Free printables under different themes each month
• Insider info on the latest goings-ons with all things on my blog and writing related

You won't find all this great bonus material on the blog so be sure to sign up so you don't miss out!  It's Ok, hop over real quick, right there to your right, see it on my sidebar where it says, "Subscribe to my Newsletter" with a  picture of the "Faith and Home Times" logo above it?  Ok, now enter your email in the box labeled "email address" then click "Subscribe"....(don't worry, it doesn't hurt and I promise not to spam you!). You should receive a confirmation email from me.  

Also, with your new subscription, I will send you December's newsletter which includes a FREE printable Advent Bible Study and bonus PDFs to help you organize and enjoy your holidays more!

Five Minute Friday: Balance

As I stared down at my half-filled journal page this morning I couldn't get past the gnawing sense that something was "off".  Here we are, basking in the glow of the brightest, most beautiful time of year... and yet I was feeling progressively more over-run.  I don't have one of those crazy schedules like many do.  My drive is more intrinsic.

Christmas presents purchased... check
Family letter on the burner... check  
Advent study on schedule... check 

What was this gnaw.  And then I realized.  In the bustles of checking my lists, plowing through my advent study and posting pretty pictures of morning musings, I hadn't been taking that real, meaningful, valuable quiet time to just sit with the Lord.  To spill and soak and be.

So, I laid my pen down, took a deep breath, and began fumbling out my 3 days past due prayer.  Each sentence halted and returned because I knew in my Spirit it wasn't getting to the heart of the issue.  Another deep breath, a quiet heart, and suddenly it came to me...

Lord, please help me find balance.

I could pray and ask for mountains to move but the fact is, that wasn't what God wanted for me today.  No, if we are called to pray into HIS will, not our own, I knew I needed to search deeper.  I needed to go until I felt I had struck gold and there it was: balance.

Life in this Christmas season had been so caught up in the play of tradition and rote, I had forgotten to FOCUS, collect, rest in His presence, and breathe.  All parts of the critical balance this time of year benefits most from.

I pray you know His divine hand and presence of balance in your life this Christmas season.

Blessings,

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

This has been a Five Minute Friday Post where writers tap away for 5 minutes, un-edited, on a predetermined topic.  Check out other great posts by visiting:

When Holiday Home Isn't So Merry

As December dawns and the chug of the Christmas engine seems to pick up speed, I look at my lists and to-dos and remember the traditions and practices of years past.  Yes, you have seen me promote how keeping track of your yearly holiday plans can become a reference point aiding in greater efficiency as time go by..  But what happens when looking back stirs emotions almost too deep to bear?

The last few years have held the hardest Christmas season years in my life.  Even harder than the year we lost my mom 2 short months before holiday celebrations hit.

• My kids aren't "kids" anymore. 
• An engagement break-up weeks before the New Year's Eve wedding.
• An adult child who opted to spend a few of the Christmases with people other than us.
• Favored traditions falling by the way-side.

In the midst of this growing and hurting, I sat in front of my computer screen one Christmas Eve, Facebook chatting with an old friend.  I never saw myself FB chatting on Christmas Eve before, but there we were, crying across the miles together at what Christmas was becoming with babies no longer babies anymore.

Younger moms out there: hold those babies close.  Treasure each beautiful tradition.  Read that same story for the 100th time.  And don't loose hope; these truly are golden years, even when Sally won't shut her eyes and go to bed or Billy begs for just one more hug!

Older moms: You are not alone.  The more I talk with other parents of late-teen and adult age "kids" the more I actually find peace.  Most kids go through a stage of groaning and stretching.  Some, sadly, flat out wander off while we are stuck just watching them fumble through darkness and brambles, our hearts aching and begging them to take the easier path.

But this is their time.  Their stories.  Their opportunity to learn even the hard and tough lessons in some of the most difficult ways.

Ours... ours is to be there, like the prodigal son's father.  We give them the world and then set them free.  We leave them their choices and wait for their return. When the day comes, whether months or years down the road, and we see them walking towards us again... we can run to them and embrace them with love and grace.

My mom came to Christ a few years before I did.  My grandmother was a fire and brimstone Southern Baptist and I didn't like the taste of her hard handed 'testimony'.  But my mom, gentle and patient and peaceful, a stance that truly was never her character with me and my unruliness before, was truly a prodigal mother.  She gave me the world and let me go.  I wandered.  I said mean and hurtful things.  I ignored her.  I hurt her.

But then, one day, I quit fighting.  I quit wandering and turned around.  I spoke softly and asked genuine questions.  I noticed her, and our relationship began to heal.  She stood, waiting, and, I am certain, crying.  But she Trusted and hoped and, before long, I went to her and she ran to greet me on the path, celebrating my return.

I owe a lot to her and how obedient she was to God's Word.  Through her, God showed me what strength and grace was.  I am grateful for the space she gave me, even though I mucked up quite a bit in that span.  We are never too far from grace when the time comes.

So, in our holiday homes this Christmas, even if you have a loved one who is running the wrong direction and making your heart hurt as you remember what was and isn't anymore, be strong.  Stay firm where you are in Christ, seeking to show hospitality and love to those who ARE still around you.  I think we can get so wrapped up in what we don't have anymore and what we miss, that we miss what we DO have and all the new ways God may be calling us to share or spend the holiday cheer.

• That lonely neighbor we could invite in
• The children's shelter we could donate time and resources to
• The goodies we can make and share with the community 
• A nursing home elder who would delight in companionship
• A cancer ward patient who might welcome being read to

The list could go on.  Simply put: let Christmas, with or without the void of a child or family member struggling, become the catalyst to new life you can walk forward in year round, sharing hope and grace and peace with those who are just waiting for it.  Christ doesn't call us to trust and be strong after the storm is over... nope.  He calls us right smack-dab in the middle of it and he gives us the strength we need when we trust Him for it... especially in a season filled, at every turn, with reminders of His great Love and grace!

Most of all, trust... the money will be spent and the experiences will take their toll and one day, your dear one will come back.  Remember, they are watching you.  They may not act like it - but they ARE.  They will see your love for others, your warmth, your grace.  They will miss your affection and remember that home is always home.  Be ready to run and greet them on the path, with open arms and a heart full of grace, but don't stop living NOW.

Put a candle in the window for those who wander.  Pray they see the Light in the Darkness, whether by your holiday home or someone else's, and that they will bow their hearts this season to renewed in hope.

Do you have hard holiday memories you are working through this season?  I pray you will find strength in letting go and allowing God to light up your heart and your home in spite of it all.  If you don't have this struggle, can I encourage you to pray for God to show you someone in your life who might need to see that Light in the darkness.  Someone whom you and your Holiday home could be the vessel God may want to pour that Light through to reach? 

Merry Christmas Blessings,

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

In case you haven't heard, I put together a HUGE printable package for December's newsletter which I would still love to share with new subscribers!  It contains information and an array of helpful worksheets to get all the tidbits of your holiday season organized. 

Anyone who signs up for my newsletter by December 20th will receive this month's issue which includes "The Homebody's Guide to the Christmas Season" and MORE!  Details below...

*Are you subscribed to my newsletter?  You might want to be.  Why?  Well, the newsletter contains bonus material you won't find on the website... not to mention, in those busy months when I can't get regular blog articles up, you can count on this periodical popping up in your email in-box each last Thursday with all new content!  What exactly does the newsletter contain?

• Encouraging articles on Faith, Home(making), and Homeschool
• Free printables under different themes each month
• Insider info on the latest goings-ons with all things on my blog and writing related

You won't find all this great bonus material on the blog so be sure to sign up so you don't miss out!  It's Ok, hop over real quick, right there to your right, see it on my sidebar where it says, "Subscribe to my Newsletter" with a  picture of the "Faith and Home Times" logo above it?  Ok, now enter your email in the box labeled "email address" then click "Subscribe"....(don't worry, it doesn't hurt and I promise not to spam you!). You should receive a confirmation email from me.  

Also, with your new subscription, I will send you December's newsletter which includes a FREE printable Advent Bible Study and bonus PDFs to help you organize and enjoy your holidays more!

Advent Fun 2016

"It's the most wonderful time of the year..."  Oh how I LOVE Christmastime.  #1, my Lord and Savior's birth is celebrated with gusto for an entire month!!!  #2, the hope and love for a full season pours out from even the most unexpected places springing life which lights a path well into a new year.  #3 gift giving, I LOVE giving gifts for any reason or occasion and Christmas is my favorite.

Even now that all my children know who is eating the cookies and stuffing those socks, they (and I) relish the timeless tradition of waiting for Santa.  My Parable in Modern Form article touches on my heart in this matter.  Part of this tradition includes a count-down to Christmas, something I shared in depth about last year in the article here.  I prepared a new advent calendar for this year and thought of you, my faithful reader, in the event you might like to join me!  You can click on the image below to download and print.

There is a second page with directions included in the download.  Last year we colored the bells yellow as we did one activity a day.  We did not follow the list top-to-bottom, rather, we picked an activity we had the ability to do on each day.  We used stickers placed in each square of the calendar to count-down to Christmas. This advent calendar balances the holiday fun as a family with holiday fun in serving and thinking of others; something my family has come to look forward to most during advent each year!

Also in the article from last year, referenced above, is a link to a Bible advent I developed on our old ministry website.  Walk through scripture as you count down to the celebration of Jesus' birth!

 

 

I pray your Christmas season is full of Christ and hope and joy that comes in knowing a baby in a manger paved a path that we all might meet Him in heaven one day!

 

Blessings, 

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Pondering Christmas

As crisp December air pushes at the car windows and we take in the lights of houses sliding by, I am often reminded of an article I wrote a few years ago about what I call the Parable of St. Nicholas.  This year it is especially poignant as the first year in 21 where no anxious children will be spending a sleepless Christmas eve listening for sleigh bells.  Brooke, our last, found out the hard truth this year, though I delivered it, as always, in a classic Yes, Virginia, form. 

What does it all mean?  To suddenly switch views of the man in red from anticipation to remembrance?  My grandmother often says Christmas isn't the same without children around.  While her faith is strong, I believe the hardships of life have given her a certain measure of Christmas cynicism.  While a Child is at the heart of Christmas, we don't have to be children, wide-eyed in wonder expecting a jolly man with a white beard, to see the wonder that makes Christmas magical.

  But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

- Luke 2:19

As all the glorious events culminated at the birth of Christ; the shepherds, the star, the angels; one line is slipped in their midst... Mary treasured.... pondering them in her heart.  She couldn't return to those moments again.  There was no magic re-wind button or instant replay.  It happened.... and then it was done.  Decades would pass before the full scope and significance would come into view.  Before all would truly understand what it meant that the Christ child had been born.  Yet Mary treasured and pondered.  

I wonder; did she look on her son, thirty-some-odd years later, hanging battered and torn on the cross and still ponder that one magnificent, significant day so many years before in meager beginnings when shepherds carried news of angels and stars?  Or kings and wise men came with gifts of great value?  Did her mind cast to a chili night in a stable and celebrate the culmination of something truly magnificent and wonderful?  Thirty-some-odd years later there are no gifts, no child any longer...  simply the gravity of the great gift of salvation for the world.

We don't know.

But there is more.  

17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.

18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them

 Luke 2:17-18,20

The shepherds response.

They made known what the angels told them about Jesus.  And people wondered.  They visited Mary and Joseph and Jesus and when they returned they glorified and praised God for it all.  How long did this 'magic' last?  How long were their Spirits lifted and the glory and wonder of it all?  Did they, too, stand in the crowd and watch this baby-grown-to-man hang in disgrace?  Did they feel the earth tremble and see the tombs open that fateful day?  Were they some who Jesus visited in his 40 days before ascension?  Where they in the crowds at Pentecost, remembering and praising and marveling how they saw it all at the start?

We don't know.

I still believe Santa is a modern day parable.  But just like Jesus' parables in each of the Gospels, he isn't the story.  He is merely symbolic of something greater we can't fathom or understand.  He isn't where our faith and joy rest, he is simply the model of faith and joy to man. And like those whom Jesus shared parables with then... many simply can't grasp the significance of faith and giving without a parable now.

Santa will still come down my chimney this Christmas while my brood nestles cozy in their beds.  Milk and cookies will still set out and gift tags may bare his name... but not because we worship him.  Not because he is why we celebrate.  Simply because he reminds us what giving selflessly, like Christ did, is all about.  He makes us children at heart, even if no children abound, so that we might treasure, ponder, make known and glorify and praise God for all He has done in Christmases and years past to hope for all God might do through the years and Christmases future.  

The only child I need around at Christmas is the child CHRISTmas is all about.  I pray your Christmas is CHRIST filled too!

Blessings,

*To understand how and where we place Santa at Christmas, read my blog article from December 2011, Parable in Modern Form. 

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Counting Down Christmas

The Christmas season is finally here.  No one looks at me strange anymore when they walk into a room I'm busy in and the air is filled with the familiar tunes of Christmastime!  Our tree was up within a couple days of Thanksgiving and preparations began for the bustling month of December.

One tradition we have in our family is the advent calendar.  Most years we have done it as a Christmas Paper chain... but with a twist.  When my children were still very young I wanted to instill in them the understanding that Christmas wasn't just the gift getting season, as Lucy would say in the Peanuts Classic.  I wanted them to grow with compassion and an eye to help others, big and small. 

Our Christmas chain was set up to have one link tore off each day and on that link would be a task.  I intertwine goodwill tasks with family fun so there is an even balance of both throughout the season. Some goodwill projects: buying a gift for another in need or sending a 'thinking of you' message to someone far away.  Even the animals around the yard were blessed by my children's pre-Christmas activity when the chain told us to make them a special treat (pine cones, peanut butter and bird seed, so easy!).  Some of the chain-links were simple Christmas fun as a family.  My favorite was to go for a walk or drive to look at Christmas lights... preferably while singing carols!  The kids' fave is pizza picnic in front of the Christmas tree!

No matter the activity, it has provided TWO essential elements to every Christmas season: they don't just think of themselves in what could be a very me-centered holiday AND I rarely hear "I'm bored... how much longer till Christmas?"!  Waiting for Christmas is FUN and I am almost bummed when it actually gets here!

Here is a PDF of the count-down calendar we are using this year.  The 'directions' are on page 2 of the document. The chain has become more difficult in recent years because we are not always able to do said activities ON the day and then they pile up and become difficult to enjoy when en-mass.  This year I made a calendar with a list at the bottom so we can pick and choose what works best that day.  The kids (ages 12-17 [still at home]) are having a blast with it! 

Click image to go to PDF

It isn't too late to use the above calendar or make your own on paper-chain OR list form. For a complete list of ideas, click on the image below.  this is the general list I have collected over the years and draw from each November as I make our Christmas Count-down.

To make your own paper chain:

• start a list of days till Christmas
• note any events on each of those days which might affect what you can do for advent.  For example, if I know we will be out-and-about late, I will schedule a look at Christmas lights activity that day.
• begin to filter in the activities you think your family would enjoy on the given days.
• Cut strips of red and green construction paper across the width about 1" thick
• in the center of the paper strip, write the day on one side in marker
• in the center of the opposite side, write the activity in pen
• attach links with tape or glue stick and re-enforce with a Christmas sticker (optional)  (you can use a stapler but the other method is 'prettier!)
• hang your chain in a central location
• take turns each day taking off a link

One year my youngest (age 10 at the time) asked if our count-down chain could be the story of baby Jesus in stead!  We were traveling a lot through Christmas that year for missions work so we were already outward thinking and it was especially perfect since all other typical advent happenings just weren't possible.  This special count-down inspired a advent study on our ministry website you can see by visiting here. 

To make this chain, follow the directions for the advent chain above, however, instead of writing the activity, write the scripture passage reference (not the WHOLE passage, just write, for example, Luke 1:26-27) and when that link is pulled, everyone opens their Bibles together and shares the passage.

I pray your Christmas season is filled with joy!

How do you spend the advent season?

Blessings,

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