So it begins...

Tomorrow is the beginning of Advent and the excitement has already begun at our house. "What is to come?", are the silent pleadings coming from the kids hearts. Well perhaps not so much from my 13yr old. However even I am calling out, "What is to come?" Im expecting something new this year, something beautiful. Im praying that, no matter what it takes, God will bring us out of our normal everday lives and into a life lived in him. Im praying that Jesus finds a safe place within our hearts.

Today, all I can do, is do my best prepare my heart and prepare the hearts of my children. I will read the description given to the future Messiah in Isaiah (52:13-15,53:1-12).....

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquitites; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."

"He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth."

"he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the trangressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the trangressors (us)."

I will tell them of God's love for us and how he had a plan of redemption already in place. Honestly, sometimes I need to be reminded of that myself. I need to have that love penetrate me because without it Im just a bundle of fear and anxieties. Im just running around trying to make Christmas special instead of just allowing the wonder of it to take hold of me.

So it begins....

We wait in patient expectation.
His love bursts forth in jubilation.
Our hearts cry out, "We need MORE!"
His calm reply, "You need your Lord."
We grasp, we take,
And still he makes...
no raging scream, no tyrants wrath,
no pointing finger, no menacing laugh
Our souls cry out, "We need YOU, Lord!"
His sweet reply, "I need you more."

It's True...

Before playing video go to my playlist and pause the music

So Mary trusted God for more than her eyes could see......

The words to this song are so beautiful and sum up the hope I have.

When doubts threaten to overwhelm I am trusting God for more than my eyes can see. Im trusting that Jesus is more than just a beautiful story. Im trusting that the tiny babe was more than just flesh and blood, but love in all its glory. Im trusting that one day I will meet my Jesus and that he, with open arms, will welcome me into eternity. I am trusting, as my heart leaps within me, that it is true! It is true! It is true!

Special thanks to "Girl with Blog" for sharing this song.

Putting things in perspective...

I started this blog with good intentions. I wanted to share the joy of Christ and encourage others to celebrate Christmas fully. However I'm feeling guilty because I feel the endless organizing could be the one thing that distracts the most from the holiday. Planning is important, but is planning the best Christmas for your family excactly what God had in mine when he sent his son. My heart says, "No."

These small traditions were meant to bring my family closer to Christ and for the most part they do just that. However I dont want to replace one form of consumerism with another. I guess my hope was that if I could take the focus off the gifts than I could make the focus Jesus. Yet I worry that I have just traded one evil for another.

You see the picture of my family snug in their pajamas driving in our SUV to look at Christmas lights is starting to bother me. Although it is a very special time for our family, but lately it seems God is expanding my vision. He has given me a vision of the poor, the needy and the lost. He has made me want to look outside these four walls and celebrate our Christmas in a way that honors the heart of God. Afterall God's heart is with the poor, the widowed, the orphaned, and the lost. I want to be where God is and God is not in our celebrations. He is on the streets with those that are suffering the most.

The babe in the manger is crying out for justice. The question is.... "Will I listen?"

100 days and counting.....

We are well under way with our Christmas planning. Well somewhat. So far I have managed to...

1. Put myself in the fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas spirit.
2. Avoided a whole lot of everyday living by making a new blog... WELCOME!
3. Made a list of everyone I need to send a card too or make a gift for.
4. Filled in some of my advent list
5. Cleaned off my front porch
6. Organized a notebook for Christmas planning
7. Spent time pondering the true meaning of Christmas

Did you get the last one? Well if you didnt. Let me state why I am planning 100 days in advance of Christmas. I want to have more time for Jesus. I want to awake everyday during advent and spend time in his prescence. I want to center our homeschooling around the Christmas story during the month of December. I want to center our lives around that. I want more of him more than I want a perfect Christmas. Honestly we are simple folk. I long ago minimized my stress over Christmas & chose to worship Christ instead of  commercialization which is why Im wanting to give back. I want to share that with others. Thats you.  I want you to know there is more to Christmas than gift buying, gift wrapping & gift giving. I want you to share it with your kids. I want you to take it into your heart and live it out in your daily lives and if that means you put all the planning aside and just plainly let him in well then do it. Do it now so that when Christmas comes around than you will understand why it is we celebrate Christ birth. You will understand the greatest gift ever given. You see "Christmas began in the heart of God, but it is only complete when it reaches the heart of man." (author unknown)