Posts (page 2)
I put 2 wonderful books on my blog that make my Christmas a wonderful memory! Do you have any Christmas memories or traditions that make it exciting for you and your family? We usually celebrate Christmas Eve with Brian's mom and sister, and niece. Christmas day, we skip breakfast and go straight to the presents. Then we have lunch with Brian's dad. In the afternoon we read stories, and enjoy our new toys! This year Brian gets the whole weekend off. So we are pretty excited over that.
One year I remember, I had our youngest a few weeks prior, and didn't have any time to wrap presents. So at the last minute, I put all of Tristan's toys into Wal-Mart bags. He didn't know the difference, plus he didn't care! We still had a wonderful Christmas. I just hope that I don't have to do that again.
Every year as well we have an Advent Wreath, which we read every Sunday until Christmas. One year my parents gave us an Nativity Scene Christmas countdown.
This year I've not done much of our Christmas Traditions. Up at our shop has been busy, kid's activities has been pretty much been everyday! The only thing I have done was read the Christmas books, and have the presents wrapped, and have the Christmas tree up. So at least we have something.
I cannot wait til Christmas. It's a time to rejoice Christ's birth.
Matthew 1:18-25
18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c] because he will save his people from their sins."
22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"[d]—which means, "God with us."
24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Matthew 2
The Visit of the Magi
1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east[b] and have come to worship him."
3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ[c] was to be born. 5"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:
6" 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'[d]"
7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east[e] went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
The Escape to Egypt
13When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." 14So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."[f]
16When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18"A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more."[g]
The Return to Nazareth
19After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."
21So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."
Here in Iowa..it's a little cold...and snowy. The good news is we are going to be getting 9-12 inches by tomorrow! I hate this kind of weather, but oh well. I live here, so I better get used to it!!!! LOL
Peace is one of the greatest gifts the Lord has brought to us. In the verse above, the prophet Isaiah helps us to recognize the peace we will have upon Christs arrival, and goes on to proclaim the glory and majesty of who He is and His purpose for coming.
Wonderful Counselor points to the Messiah as Kinga king who will direct and guide, and carry out a plan of actionbut also One the world will know as loving and compassionate; One who cares about each and every one of us and the smallest details of our lives.
Mighty God refers to His divine power. He spoke, and the earth, sun, moon and stars came into being. He parted the seas, stopped the waves, and performed miracles that we talk about to this very day.
Everlasting Father indicates that His grace and mercy are never ending, and that He will never leave us or forsake us. Ever.
Prince of Peace reminds us that only through Jesus Christ we will have true peace of mind and soul. Faith in Christ brings peace with the Father, and it is on believers that Gods favor of peace will rest.
Take a moment now to discuss and think about these elements of Gods nature, and why we have peace in His completeness.
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How are you most likely to spend your summer? Whats your favorite part of the school day? Which is most like you? What is your favorite light in the dark? One day youre ideal job will involve: |
Which of these is most important to you? Which of the following is your favorite holiday? Your biggest weakness is that sometimes you can be: Where would you rather live? If you saw something unbelievable, what would you do first? |
Whichever letter you scored the most determines with Nativity character you are! Share your results with each of your family members and talk about how many different kinds of people it takes to complete just one part of a beautiful storythe birth of Christ.
If you answered mostly As then youre a MAGI.
Thats right! Youre most like the wise Magi. You love to learn new things and are curious about the world around you. Traveling to new places, trying new kinds of food, and reading plenty of good books are some of your favorite activities. Someday youll help lots of people understand all that youve discovered, and maybe even have time for a little star gazing. But youre so clever, you probably already figured that out!
If you answered mostly Bs then youre a SHEPHERD.
Congratulations! Youre about as loyal as a person can get. You love animals and being out in nature where life is nice and simple. Taking care of your family and your small group of close friends is very important to you. I In the future youll be the person everyone goes to when theyre feeling a bit down because you make everyone feel special and safe. Take care of that flock!
If you answered mostly Cs then youre an ANGEL.
You are quite the social butterfly! You light up a room with all your stories. You spend lots of time talking to your friendswhether online, on the phone, or in person. Chances are you have a great smile and people like being around you. Someday you could have an excellent career in communications, acting as a heavenly herald every day of the year! Spread those wings and fly.
If you answered mostly Ds then youre an INNKEEPER.
Now, youre probably thinking this doesnt sound like you, but wait! This is one of the most important roles in the Nativity story and in life itself. People like you make the world go round because youve got a head for business. You understand how to organize people to work together. In essence, youre a good leader and an independent thinker. But you also help people out by providing security and protection to anyone who comes knocking on your door. One day youll probably be in charge of a lot of people, but theyll know your good heart and will always trust you.
Christians we have a great reason to hope! John 1:1 proclaims that, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:14 goes on to say, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. The Word is Jesus, the living God! We know that everything Scripture tells us is true because it is not only from God, it is God, the Word.
When the prophet Isaiah foretold the birth of Christ, a new hope was born into the world; a hope that lives in us today. And after Jesus came in the flesh, He promised to return and take us to be with Him, giving us eternal hope that surpasses the condition of our life on earth.
Take a moment and talk about the things you want and the things for which you hopeas individuals and as a family. Many of them may be of temporary value, but some will have deep eternal longings as well. Now think and talk about the things you hope for this week, this Christmas season, the new year to come, your lifetime on earth and your next life in heaven. Now ponder in your heart what it will be like to see Jesus face-to-face in all His glory and splendor, and imagine what it will be like to go where He is. Talk about the hope and comfort we have as believers, and that someday Christ will take us home where sin and death have no place.
Your spiritual journey begins the moment you believe in this extraordinary hope, and lasts through all eternity. We invite you to open the Word and open your heart, and begin this day in a deeper relationship with the One and Only, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
You may have noticed that during the Advent season, some churches display the color purple in their sanctuaries, and some display the color blue. And you may have even heard that the color purple is the color of royalty, but do you know why? Well, it all has to do with expensive snails!
Thousands of years ago, when Christ was living on the earth, the color purple was the most expensive dye to produceonly kings could afford such fashionable extravagance. In fact, one ounce of dye (the weight of just five nickels and one penny) cost much more than an entire pound of gold. Why was it so expensive? Believe it or not, the royal dye, called tekhelet in Hebrew, was squeezed from snailsa type of mollusk! The extracts were boiled down and mixed with other chemicals to make just the right color. It would take over 10,000 mollusks to make enough dye for just one toga or robe. The process was lost somewhere in the eighth century AD and people throughout history have spent years trying to recreate the dye because of the mystery over whether it was purple or blue.
In ancient documents, the color tekhelet is often described as violet, but other sources refer to it as the same color as the sky or sea, which would mean it was blue. Even today, scientists are analyzing biological, chemical and archaeological data to try and figure it out, but no one has been able to find an answer. Regardless of whether your church chooses to use purple or royal blue in the weeks leading up to Christmas, the meaning is the same. During Advent we prepare the way and honor Christ the Lord, the one true King, with the most royal color we can find.
Aaron's 3rd birthday
Playing Indians on Thanksgiving Day
So, who was up at 3 o'clock on Black Friday??? Not me. LOL!! I am not one to do Christmas shopping, but my family and I did go into the city to do some shopping at the mall, and play in fun land. Then off to Wal-Mart. My husband and I buy throughout the year. So by the time Christmas and Birthdays (hubby, and 2 kids are in November and December for birthdays) we have the birthday and christmas pressent shopping done. I hope those who did get up extra extra early had a fun day!
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