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Every year during the week between Christmas and New Year I sort of take an inventory of the past year. Where am I spiritually? Did I learn any new skills? Do I have any new things I am dreaming of? I like to listen to a lot of podcasts and while I have fallen off of them lately, one of the podcasts I have listened to is Emily P. Freeman’s The Next Right Thing.  It’s about 15-20 minutes long and it comes out every Tuesday. One of Emily’s practices is at the end of every season she will write out 10 things she learned during that season. I sort of took a page from her book and I have written out 10 things I learned this past year and I hope you won’t mind me sharing these this week. 

2020 has sure been a rough year hasn’t it? The other day my son and I were riding somewhere and I commented to him that very thing. I was sort of lamenting like in a poor poor pitiful me way. He didn’t let me wallow for long as he looked at me and said “Mom, I think everyone would say that this year.” He was right. Nothing like your kids keeping you in line. So when I sat down to write out my 10 things I’ve learned I had to really reflect in my soul to begin with. And no I don’t think I would be alone in this. I know there were good things that happened to some people in 2020, there were marriages and births, there were people who fell in love, but we have also all had a lot missing from our life in 2020. We have had to learn new ways to do a lot of things. We are missing out on connections that were such a part of our every day lives. Some of the things we were so blessed to do and to have are just not readily available anymore. I went to church with my son yesterday and it was so sad to me that people walked in and sat and did church and then got up and walked out. We used to attend this church as a family and I could look down the corridor of the commons area and just remember faces and people who were hugging and laughing and talking and well, that’s not there anymore, at least not the way it was. But while this has been a very hard year for all of us. I don’t believe that one thing is ever wasted for the believer. I cling to that verse that says: 

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

So while I have thoroughly depressed you talking about what we have lost, I want to move on and talk about some of the things I learned. 

1. Even the best, well thought out plans won’t fly in the face of a pandemic. 
2. Don’t look too far out in the future. 

Those two go hand in hand so I put them together. As I was thinking this idea of making plans way out in the future I had this verse come to mind. 

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 

At the beginning of 2020 we were readying ourselves at our church to launch our new women’s ministry. We had an event in January, that went very well, even though we had to reschedule because of bad weather. We attended an event in February, we held a Ladies Bible Study but then March hit and we got put on lockdown because of the pandemic. We had big plans for the year that just didn’t happen. 

But on another note, if the pandemic had not hit, I may never have had the courage to step out and start writing these devotionals. I feel I have learned so much about God and about myself because of spending time studying and writing something down. I hope and I think ,only because you tell me, that it blesses your heart as well. I want you to know every time someone writes out a thank you or shares a post I am overwhelmed and humbled. Thank you for your encouragement. 

3.  I learned to sketch. 

This one may not seem super spiritual to you but to me it was huge. I believe that God wants us to use the gifts and talents that He gives us. While I have always enjoyed crafts and creating, there are a lot of things I have not been the best at. It’s kind of like the tapestry that may be beautiful on the outside but if you look on the inside or underside of it, it looks like a big mess. Well sometimes what I create also looks like a big mess on the outside. But at times I have actually stood back and thought “did I do that?” I have been painting for about 4 years now and I am not the best but I am not the worst either. I joined a class this year and one of the things that I learned in the class was sketching out a drawing for the painting. I believe that God wants us to continue to learn until the last breath comes out of our bodies and I believe that God wants us to do our best at it. In Proverbs the Proverbs 31 woman is working with her hands. 

“She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.” Proverbs 31:19

What are you learning? What would your list consist of if you did a list of things you’ve learned this year. We will talk about more tomorrow but won’t you join me on this journey this week. Start a list of what 2020 taught you. Share if you like. Have a beautiful day today. 

Thank you for reading. More on my list tomorrow.  

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

Jesus, He is the reason we celebrate Christmas. He came to earth as a baby and was born in a manger. His birth was simple, His mother a young girl, His earthly father a carpenter, they had traveled to Bethlehem for the census but had no where to lay their head. There was no room for them. But the time had come for her to give birth so He was born in a stable with smelly animals and hay and His mother laid Him in a manger to sleep. The most humble of beginnings for anyone but why did God allow this for His son, His only son Jesus, to be born in such a simple, humble beginning? But even with the simplistic form of Jesus birth, God sent angels to announce the birth of His son on a hillside to shepherds who were just doing their job. The shepherds had probably counted the sheep and made sure all were accounted for and were laying their heads down for the night. Maybe they were joking and laughing, maybe they were tired from a long day, but suddenly an angel appeared to them and told them. 

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:10-12 

And then there were a multitude of angels and they were praising God. 

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:14

So Jesus was born in the humblest of beginnings but also with all the pomp and circumstance of angels announcing His birth. Only God could accomplish both. Humble yet magnificent all at the same time. 

Jesus came to earth to show us how to live, how to worship, how to turn our hearts toward Him. He walked this earth and He showed all the human emotions, He wept, He rejoiced, He loved, He ministered, He taught, He even got angry and yet He remained fully God and fully man. So is it any wonder that His birth was simple yet magnificent? Is it any wonder that He had shepherds and wise men seeking Him out?Is it any wonder that the Son of God was born in a manger yet the angels announced His birth?  Because He is the wonder! Because He came for all mankind. Not just for one, not just for one people group but for all! God certainly covered all the bases with His birth, maybe because that is how His earthly life would be lived out. We can know Him as all things because He IS all things to all people. 

I pray that today and every day really He will be your wonder! I pray you will seek Him out when you need a counselor! I pray that when the situation is hard and you don’t know what to pray that you will simply pray “God be mighty for me.” Sometimes when I don’t know what or how to pray, I just pray “God, be God in this.” I pray when you need a Father, you will turn to Him as your Everlasting Father. Whether you had a good example of an earthly father or not, I pray you can look to Jesus to be yours. And even in the midst of hard days, hard seasons and hard years, I pray that we can all look to Him as our Prince of Peace! 

Merry Christmas to you and your families! 

I love going to church on Christmas Eve for a Christmas Eve service. Most churches simplify things quite a bit and the Christmas Eve service is usually just a simple message with simple music and people who just simply want to focus in on the baby Jesus. There is just something about standing with other people and singing Silent Night by candlelight. I’ve been to services where we stand in a circle and I’ve also been where we just stood where we were but somehow it just always seems so Holy! 

But I also love my church all year through. I love the fellowship and the connection of being a part of the church. Church services have been different this year. The church has had to prove over and over that it is definitely more than a building. We have seen in this pandemic year that the church will stand and will adapt and will continue to minister whether they can meet in person or not. I have seen churches pay off buildings and do new hires even in the midst of this whole crazy year. In fact ours did both. We as a people have had church in the building, in our living rooms, on back porches and around fire pits. I for one am grateful to live in a time that even if I can’t go to the building that I can log onto a computer and still worship with my faith family. Oh don’t get me wrong, I love going to the building. But at times when you just can’t it’s nice to know that the building can come to you, so to speak. 

I believe that we were created to crave community. That has been part of what has been hard about this year. We have had to separate from our community somewhat because of this mean old virus. And I for one miss it. We see in the Bible that some of the very first mentions of “church” were in the book of Acts, but think about it. When Jesus was teaching to people on hillsides and in temples and beside water and people were gathering to listen to him teach they were “having church” with him. Isn’t that what the church is? A place to learn about Jesus, to fellowship with other believers, to minister to people and to learn to love each other. And when we get to have church and when we get it right it is a beautiful thing. Church is a place to go to get your heart healed and there is no better place and time than on Christmas Eve. If you have never experienced a Christmas Eve service try to find you one tonight. Even if you can’t go in person I know there are several churches that will be live-streaming theirs. So whether you meet in the building or meet in your homes online, quiet your soul and think on that Holy Night and Jesus and let Him heal your heart just a bit from a very long hard year.

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common.” Acts 2:42-44

Stay with me here! A lot of people wouldn’t want to put Santa in a devotion because they think it leaves Jesus out. Make no mistake, I will never leave Jesus out of Christmas! I couldn’t if I tried. But Santa is not a bad guy. Think of the wonder of children waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve. Can you just remember what it was like to go to bed and to think of that cool guy who left you gifts under the tree that you would wake up to the next morning. Even when I was a child and I wasn’t sure about believing in Santa anymore, I bad wanted to BELIEVE in Santa. As an adult I know now that what I loved about Santa was the wonder and the giving that it all represented. Of course the gifts weren’t bad either. 

My parents did a great job with Santa. I can remember going to bed early on Christmas Eve and we had a time set that we had to wait for the clock to reach before we could wake our parents up to go in and see what Santa brought. Oh it was so hard to go to sleep and then we almost never slept more than 3 or 4 hours. I am the youngest so looking back, my sisters were probably pretty good sports for the lack of sleep for me too. But when I think of the anticipation and the excitement that I felt on Christmas morning every year it just makes me smile deep inside my soul! 

I never want to lose that deep in my soul smile, like a kid on Christmas morning when it comes to Christmas. But as a grown up what really gives me that deep in my soul smile, like a kid on Christmas morning is the love deep in my heart for Jesus. You see when you have Jesus deep in your soul, even when life is hard or the situation is hard, or the year is hard your soul can still be smiling deep down like a kid on Christmas morning. It doesn’t always mean the circumstances are going to be different tomorrow but it means that you know the one who is going to see you through all of your tomorrows. So smile when you see Santa Claus. Let the kids have Santa because maybe someday, one day when they hide Jesus in their heart they will know that Santa was making the way for Him all along so that their little hearts would already know that deep soul smile. 

“But Jesus called them to him, saying, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.’” Luke 18:16

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”  1 John 4:7

What is it about Christmas time that makes us think of love? Is it families gathering? Engagements happening? Is it watching the excitement of children? 

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” 1 John 4:10-12

God loved us so much that He had His son, His one and only son to be born and to be our Savior. Webster says that propitiation is ‘the act of gaining or regaining the favor or goodwill of someone or something’. We needed Jesus in order to regain the favor of God. We have no comprehension of the kind of love God has to have for us to have sent Jesus. I have a lot of people I love a lot. But I wouldn’t want to sacrifice either one of my sons for them. If we even try to comprehend that love then we will have no choice but to love others. You see Love is the one thing that when used, when practiced, when showered on other people, you can’t use it up, it actually multiplies! 

At Christmastime and all the time really God’s love for us is the center of our faith! The love God had for us is manifested in the love we have for others. That’s what perfects our love. And I’m not talking about just those people that are easy to love. We all have people in our life that are not so easy to love. But when you are abiding in the love that God has for you, it is possible to love even the unlovely. Take the extra step this Christmas, even if you have to ask God to help you to love that person that maybe is not the easiest to love in your life. 

“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God and God abides in him.” 1 John 4:15-16

I pray that you are abiding in the love God has for you. I pray that as we focus this week on the baby in the manger that love in our hearts will overflow to others. 

I am sure most of you have heard about the Christmas Star which is supposed to appear in the sky tonight! I am so excited about it. My family will be here and I hope we have clear enough skies to see it! 

When I was a child I loved the Christmas song “We Three Kings”. I’m not sure just why that song struck me so but I can remember just loving the song. Especially the chorus. 

Oh, star of wonder, star of night

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding

Guide us to that perfect light

I do love to walk outside on a clear night and look at the stars. They amaze me and I can remember looking at stars around Christmas time and wanting to see the star that would have led the shepherds and the wise men to baby Jesus. Well I am not sure if this is what happened to lead them to Jesus, because well God is God and He can put a star in the sky anytime He wants right? But this may be the closest we ever get to see a star that could have led them to the baby! 

The science behind this star are two planets getting so close to each other that they will appear to be touching.  They are actually really far apart but they will appear close and that will make them appear to be one bright star! Astronomers call this a conjunction. But because this one involves the two biggest planets in the solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, they are calling this one a “great conjunction”. And because it is this week, the week of Christmas, many people are calling it the “Christmas Star”. 

I’m not sure if this is how God chose to form the star that led those shepherds and wise men. But think about it, they didn’t have textbooks and computers to explain to them the science behind it. They also didn’t have city lights that blocked them from seeing stars. They slept under them, they probably knew the stars way better than we do because they, especially the shepherds, possibly studied them at night and maybe they were fascinated by them. But they did know, this star, it was different. Something in them had to follow this star, and it led them to a baby, lying in a manger. But not just any baby, this was Jesus, the one who came to save us from our sins. They knew immediately that this was different. The wise men knew to follow this star because it was different. 

“And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” Matthew 2:9-10

So get outside tonight. They say the best time to see it is about 45 minutes after sunset, look to the southwest and you will see it. And when you do, think of that baby, whose mama wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger so many years ago. The same one who grew to be a man who walked this earth and ministered, and healed, and touched so many people humanly. Then he died on a cross so that He could touch all mankind and live in our hearts. When we look at that star tonight, I hope deep down in your soul, you are rejoicing with exceedingly great joy because you know this baby, this man, this Savior! 

I can hardly think of Christmas without thinking of Family! One thing about this time of year that sets it apart so well is the way we gather around with family. So many of my memories of Christmas past are as a child going to visit grandparents, as a young Mama packing my kids up and going to visit my parents and now the preparation of my own home waiting for my kids to come visit me. 

I love that family is included in the Bible surrounding the birth of Jesus. Mary was a young girl who had just found out that she would give birth even though she had never known a man. She knew there would be scandal surrounding this pregnancy, but she didn’t turn to her girlfriends to talk this out. She knew that her cousin, Elizabeth was also about to give birth in a miraculous way and she needed her. Elizabeth was older and wiser so maybe she could impart some of her wisdom to Mary. In Luke it says “Mary arose and went with haste”! I think, she wanted the comfort and peace that being with a family member could bring so she hurried to go see her. And look at Elizabeth’s response. 

“And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!’” Luke 1:41-42

Can you just imagine how that made her feel? All along the way Mary’s thoughts may have been ‘how will I explain this?’ ‘Will she believe me?’ ‘Maybe since she has a miraculous birth she will believe me and then maybe others will too!’ How accepted and wonderful Mary must have felt when those were the first words that Elizabeth spoke before Mary even had to utter a word about why she was there. Family can be like that, can’t they? They accept you with all of your stuff and your flaws no matter what. That’s just what families do! 

I love that God included stories of family in the Bible. I love that family is such a big part of Christmas. Whether you gather around a table with your family or with trays around the Christmas tree. Stop and remember family. It was important enough for God to weave a story of family in the Christmas story in the Bible and it’s important enough for us to remember at Christmas and all year through! Make sure that when your family is together this Christmas you step back and breathe it in with a prayer of thanks for your family, the family of Christmas past, and the family of your Christmas present as well as the family of your Christmas future. 

“The only gift I’ll ever need is the joy of family” ~ Pentatonix, That’s Christmas to Me

Noel is a word you really only hear at Christmas time. I grew up singing The First Noel. Yesterday I found myself wondering about the word Noel. So of course just to be sure of the meaning, I looked it up. In French “Joyeaux Noel” means Merry Christmas so Noel is the French word for Christmas. But the word also means news and it also means birth. 

When you are singing The First Noel, you could be saying this is the first news or the most important news. It could also mean this is the first birth or rather the first miraculous birth of its’ kind. This could also mean The First Christmas! All of those are true. If you think on the lyrics to the First Noel it is telling the story of the birth of Jesus. It follows the shepherds and them following the star to Bethlehem and the Wise Men also following the star. And ends with praises to our heavenly Lord. And isn’t that what Christmas is all about? I don’t know about you but I can learn the lyrics of a song so well that I truly don’t even hear it anymore sometime. I can sing along and not think of one thing I am singing. I want to be more intentional than that, especially this time of year when I am singing about the birth of my Savior. I want to hear and know what the words mean that I am singing and speaking all year through, but especially at Christmas time. You may be smarter than I and have known all of these things about the word Noel but even if you knew already the meaning of the word please be sure not to miss the meaning of the song. When you sing the words of these songs, think on them, let them sink deep into your soul so that you don’t miss the meaning of them. I know I have been guilty of getting so caught up in the hustle and the bustle and the decorating and the singing that when Christmas was over I wondered if I had missed it. I am trying not to miss it this year. I want to sing about The First Noel, the miraculous birth of the Savior of the world, the good news! 

“‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means God with us).” Matthew 1:23

I love Christmas trees! I have 2 this year that I can see from my chair that I sit in the most inside my home! One inside and I have one on my front porch too. The one inside has white lights and the one outside has colored lights along with a Grinch who is trying to steal it away from us. Just a touch of added whimsy to the Christmas for the grands to see when they come. My tree would never win any awards for decor. It is mostly filled with memories and traditions. But I love pulling it out just the same. 

I wondered how the tradition of Christmas trees got started so I did a little research.  The evolution of how we got to the Christmas trees of today was pretty interesting. It seems that in the 8th century in Germany there were pagan rituals taking place in front of some oak trees. A Benedictine monk named Boniface took an axe and chopped down the mighty oak tree to try to stop the pagans from worshiping a false idol. Legend has it that a fir tree grew out of the fallen oak and that became a symbol of Christ to them. The tree being triangular in shape, it represented the trinity. Then in Germany in the 16th and 17th century the Germans being to bring trees into their homes and decorating them. Martin Luther is credited for putting the first lights on the tree as he was walking home one evening and he loved the stars twinkling through the trees. He put candles on the tree in order to emulate the twinkling lights of the tree on a starlit night. Then in the late 1840s, Queen Victoria and her German husband, Prince Albert popularized the Christmas tree when a drawing was made of them and published in the London News of their family around a decorated tree. And a tradition was born. A couple of years later the same image was published in America and the soon decorating a Christmas tree became what it is today. 

To me though, while all of those stories and legends are interesting the things that putting up a tree represent to me are the traditions, and memories and just setting apart the season. At this stage of my life I think of the times our family decorated the tree when my boys were young and now it is one of my favorite things to do at the start of the season when my kids are in town to decorate the tree with my kids and my grands! I never have a Christmas season that I don’t remember the year my Daddy surprised me when he brought home a real Christmas tree. I was a senior in high school and we had had an artificial tree for years and he knew I wanted a real tree so one day when he was out cut one down and brought it home. That tree looked just like one Charlie Brown would have cut down and brought home but to me it was the most beautiful tree I had ever seen because my Daddy did it for me. I love a beautifully decorated tree but also love the traditions and the memories and the twinkling lights of the tree in my home. I love the way the tree and the decorations set apart this season from the rest of the year.

As we look at the Christmas Trees think on the trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, three in one, that is the foundation of our faith. Think on the twinkling lights and let them remind you of the stars that would have shown brightly on a Holy night when a young mother gave birth to the Savior of the world in a dark and dirty stable. Think on the ways that decorating our homes for Christmas sets apart this season and let it remind you to set apart your heart for Him.  And then think of the way that we can carry what’s born in your heart to a lost and hurting world for Him.  

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Joy to the World, the Lord has come! Have you ever been able to sing that Christmas Carol without having a little Joy just spilling over into your heart? I know I haven’t. Joy, this is what the world needs a little more of, especially this year, RIGHT? What does the Joy of Christmas mean to you? To me it means focusing on the one who brings us Joy. In John 15 Jesus says to us: 

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full.” John 15:11

What are the things Jesus was speaking to us? 

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” John 15:9-10

Jesus is telling us to have His Joy complete in us we must be abiding in Him. We have to focus on Him. What better time of the year than Christmas to be sure that your heart abides in Him. Abiding means keeping His commandments and spending time with Him. Webster defines abide as: 

1. to remain stable or fixed in a state. 2 to continue in a place. 

Abiding with Him is remaining stable with Him, keep your eyes and your heart fixed on Jesus and Jesus is telling us that is when our Joy will be full. I pray that as we focus our hearts and our minds on Him this Christmas season that we feel His Joy complete deep down in our hearts and that it is to the overflowing. I made the comment to my son the other day that this was a really hard Christmas because I had been sick, I haven’t been able to do the things I normally do. He said “Mom I think everybody in the world could say that this year.” This has been quite a different year. I miss concerts and Christmas programs and plays and just being able to walk into the store without a mask on. But one thing this pandemic and 2020 cannot take from me, is the Joy that is deep in my heart from spending time with Jesus. I pray that you will let your heart prepare Him room today so that no matter what your circumstances of 2020 are you too can sing. 

Joy to the World the Lord has come! Let earth receive her King!