We don’t know the exact date of Jesus birth, but we do know where and how Jesus was born. We also know that Jesus’ birth was planned long before the earth was created when He was still in heaven with the Father. Prophecies throughout the Old Testament were foretold long before His birth. Here are just a few: His pre-existence and place of His earthly birth: Micah 5: 2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from …
An Angel Promise
Luke 1: 30-38– “But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit …
Are You Ready For Christmas
For the past few weeks, I have had numerous people that I have come in contact with ask me, “…are you ready for Christmas?” For some strange reason (yes, I say that very sarcastically), those five words have been on my mind all morning as I really thought about what that meant. “…are you ready for Christmas?” Ironically (yes, I also say that very sarcastically, because I know that nothing with God is ironic or coincidental), one of my co-workers came into my office this morning, put something in my inbox and asked me, “So, are you ready for Christmas?” …
The Light that Shines in the Darkness
Hey everyone- Carissa here! One of my favorite Christmas passages comes from the words of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist and the one who held the honor of hearing a word from the Lord for the first time in 400 years. “Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79) The mercy of light in the darkness… anyone who is sitting in suffering today understands …
When Your Christmas is Blessed
When Your Christmas is Blessed “And Theirs Isn’t” Christmas, like any holiday, can be a blessing for some and a painful reminder of loss and loneliness for others. We often hear advice on how to keep our chins up when we’re struggling through Christmas, but what if you’re like the majority who are having a very Merry Christmas and yet know of someone who isn’t? Guilt settles in as you realize that it could have easily been you in their shoes, but you were spared. Maybe the person who popped in your head is struggling financially, lost a …
That’s the Power of Love
This third week of Advent is all about love: how love came down to redeem mankind, how love covers all sins through sacrifice… how Jesus is love. I appreciate how the love of God plays out in my life, particularly when it is revealed through friendship with other believers. I am excited to share one such friend with you all today. Deb’s authenticity is just one of the many reasons why I love her so much and I know she will bless you as she has blessed me. -Carissa When Carissa reached out to me and gave me the opportunity …
The View From God’s Perspective
Kids understand things often much better than we grown-ups do. Caleb handed me a pair of glasses and told me to look at the Christmas tree. I put them on and everything changed. The view showed prisms of Christmas snowflakes everywhere there was a light. How awesome! There was a pair of these lovely little view changers for his brother and sister too. We’ve had a year. If I just looked at things the way they are I’d be in a hard place. It is what it is sure fits. I could name everything “bad” that happened this year. But …
What Is A Perfect Christmas?
I must confess the picture in my mind of my house decorated for Christmas looks far different from the actual situation at this time. In my mind there are no dishes in the sink and no sale papers on the coffee table. In my mind the mantel is absolutely perfect. In reality it’s well… it’s getting there. What used to take hours now takes several days. I feel like my theme this year is Random Acts of Décor. LOL Sometimes it feels like God’s design is Random Acts of What? We see chaos, mismatch, and a continual mess that needs …
Heart Warming Is God’s Specialty
Last night I went to our 10 year old grandson’s Christmas concert. After the balmy weather we’ve had I was freezing. I know, it’s not even winter yet, but I am already anticipating spring. Chilled to the bone, I was wishing I had at least worn a sweater. I rode with his family to the concert and back to their house. The three grands showed me the Christmas lights in their bedrooms and I got hugs from them all and headed for the car. As I approached I heard the motor and wondered if I’d forgotten to turn it off …
God’s Presence Unwrapped
Wrapping presents is one of my favorite things to do. I get a lot of joy out of thinking about the reaction each person will have over the gift picked especially for them. Sometimes I get busy wrapping and forget whose gift is whose. I’ve even been known to unwrap something to see what it is. At any rate wrapping a gift is fun. But watching each loved one unwrap those gifts is absolutely joyful! Oh beloved, God has already given you the best gift anyone could have. He has given you the gift of Salvation. This gift tops all …
Victory at The Nativity
I love nativities, so when Danny found another one we had purchased on an after Christmas sale I was thrilled. I knew the grands would enjoy putting it together because it was made like LEGO’s. When they came over they were indeed excited. The box showed what it would look like and they opened it up and began to work. The only problem was the size. The pieces to this nativity were so tiny! Not regular LEGO size but so small pieces fell down into the carpet. It wasn’t going to be easy at all. It was rather complicated. They …
Rejoice!
“How my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For He took notice of His lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and He has done great things for me.” These are Mary’s words shared in Luke 1:46-49. She was a young girl, probably 15 or 16 years old, and she was ready to marry a man who was righteous and good. These are Mary’s words after the Angel of the Lord came to her one night, a night that otherwise would have …