Christmas Eve Morning

Whew! Here we sit on Christmas Eve morning.  

The season may or may not have rushed you this year.  For us it has been full of hectic moments.  Moments that do sometimes rob me of joy, but I can say it has not been a season that has robbed me.  Those have happened in the past. 

I didn't want yet another year of praying for January to come.  

A year where all the hustle and bustle begs for a long winters nap.

This year making advent a priority has helped.  It hasn't been perfect. I hasn't been nightly. 

But it has been good.  

Some days we had to do 2, because the night before was full of hectic moments. 

Last night we finished all of them except ONE.  

The last one.

This One waits for today. 

This One waits to tell about the light of the world that came so many years ago to break into the darkness and change humanity.

One ornament, one story, about One Savior.

Here are the ornaments that I haven't written about that we have done through out this season...

Little slave girl and Naaman 2 Kings 5
Naaman had leprosy thus the body parts in an ornament :) The kids will NEVER forget this story.

The Rescuer will come:
prophecies from Isaiah 9,11,40,53,55,60

Daniel and the lions' den
Daniel 6

Jonah and the Big Fish
Jonah 1-4; Hebrews 1:1-2

God's People return from being slaves.
Nehemiah 8-10, Malachi 1,3, &4
Ezra 7
Ezra read the book of rules and it worked like a mirror,
showing them what they were like.

He's Here!!
The Nativity
Luke 1-2

I love that this is not the last one.  I love that the Nativity is just a piece of a big picture...and this little precious baby had a huge job in front of him.  The little baby wrapped in swaddling clothes had to do a  job that only a mighty God could do.....Save the world.

Though my blogging hasn't been as regular as I wish, our moments together have.  My heart takes a deep sigh when each night (Or every other night :-) when we sit down together and here of real moments throughout history that God laid out to point us to Him.  From the creation of time to now and forward He is orchestration all things to work together to point humanity to Himself. 

This last picture is one of my favorites. 

All 4 candles are lit and we are hearing about the birth of Jesus.

Jesus Storybook-

Everything was ready. The moment God had been waiting for was here at last! God was coming to help his people, just as he had promised in the beginning. But how would he come? What would he be like? What would he do?

Mountains would have bowed down. Seas would have roared. Trees would have clapped their hands. But the earth held it's breath. As silent as snow falling, he came in. And when no one was looking, in the darkness, he came.

This song was recently shared with me and it seems fitting for this story...

Merry Christmas

~LL

Advent 13-16 Walking around walls to Shepherding sheep

#13

The Warrior Leader

Jericho 

Joshua 3 & 6

Ok, just for the record....anytime I EVER hear the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho, my mind always goes here......

                                  

So thank you Veggie Tales for always giving me the mental picture of "Silly little Peas" when I think of this story.  And for always giving me a song to sing when  my kids are tired of walking ANYWHERE. 

(Keep walking....but you won't knock down our wall)

But for advent we honored this story with this...

We will call this french horn a "Rams horn" :-)

Advent #14

The Teeny, Weenie...true king

Samuel annoints David

1 Samuel 16

Jesus Storybook Bible- Samuel annointed David's head with oil-which was a special way to show that you are God's chosen king.....

God chose David to be king because God was getting His people ready for an even greater King who was coming.  

Little bottle of oil.

Advent #15

The young hero and the horrible giant

David and Goliath 

1 Samuel 17

Jesus Storybook bible- "It isn't how strong you are or how many swords and spears you have that will save you- it is God who saves you! This is God's battle. And God always wins His battles!"

Stones for the sling shot



Advent #16
The Good Shepherd
David the Shepherd King
Psalm 52, 2 Samuel 7

Jesus Storybook Bible- David was a shepherd, but when God looked at him, he saw a king.
God gave David songs to sing to his people, so they could know that he loved them and would always look after them- like a shepherd loves his sheep. ... Another Shepherd was coming- a greater Shepherd.  He would be called the Good Shepherd. And this Shepherd was going to lead all of God's lambs back to the place where they had always belonged- close to God's heart.

Merry Christmas

~LL

Advent From Joseph to the Tablets

Advent #9

The Forgiving Prince-Joseph

Genesis 37-46

Jesus Storybook- "One day, God would send another Prince, a young Prince whose heart would break.  Like Joseph, He would leave his home and his Father. His brothers would hate him and want him dead.  He would be sold for pieces of silver. He would be punished even though he had done nothing wrong. But God would use everything that happened to this young Prince-even the bad things-to do something good:yo forgive the sins of the whole world."

In Genesis 42 Jacob sent his sons to buy grain in Egypt.  It was there that they encountered Joseph.





Advent #10
God to the Rescue
Exodus 3-13

Jesus Story Book- "MOSES!" boomed a big voice. Moses leapt back. The bush was talking to him! "I have heard my people's cries," God said.  "I have seen their tears. So I have come down to rescue them. Go to Pharaoh and tell him to let my people go free."

Exodus 3:2 NIV There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in the flames of fire from within the bush.  Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.





Advent #11
God Makes a Way
Exodus 14-15

 Moses and God's people escaped.....the journeyed....they panicked when Pharaoh's army came after them and the Red Sea was in front of them. (Jesus Storybook) "We're going to die!" they shrieked.  "Don't be afraid!" Moses said. "But there's nothing we can do!" they screamed. "God knows you can't do anything!" Moses said. "God will do it for you.  Trust Him. And watch!" ...."God sent a wind and it blew on the water of the big sea.  It blew it to the left and it blew it to the right, until it blew it into two towering walls of water, and there-right through the middle of the sea- a muddy pathway opened up. And God's people walked across of dry land."
(Whew I love that!!! "They walked across on DRY land")

Advent #12
Ten Ways to be Perfect
Exodus 16-17, 19-40

I will start with saying how I love this title.  It sets the 10 Commandments up so well.  We can't be perfect!  But the Jesus Storybook goes on to explain - God's people promised that they would keep the rules.  But they were wrong They couldn't do it.  No matter how hard they tried, they could never keep God's rules all the time.  God knew they couldn't.  And He wanted them to know it too. Only one Person could keep all the rules.  And many years later God would send him-to stand in their place and to be perfect for them.  Because the rules couldn't save them. Only God could save them.

This has been a catch up blog :-)  It has been a crazy week full of Christmas parties and outings.  But never has it been a better week for Advent.  For those sweet moments of drawing our attention back to the true meaning of it all.  I won't lie some moments are filled with the kids fighting over who will light the candles and who will blow them out. But some moments look like this:

but then some look like this....

But what would life look like without laughter?


Merry Christmas!

~LL

Advent #7 & #8

          Whew! What a weekend.  We had "crazy" going all over the place.  Makes me so thankful for the quiet moments of Advent.  We missed Saturday because we were all going in so many directions.  But thankfully none of us minds sitting down to do 2 at once.  (In fact it is kind of great because both Littles get to open there own box.)

The two stories that we heard were of Abraham and Isaac and The story of Rachel and Leah. 

The cool thing about hearing these stories for the millionth time is that last night I heard something new in both of them.  I love how God does that with "old" stories. It goes to show you that God's word is living and breathing. It can weave itself throughout the stories of our lives with words of life, that can change us each time we hear them.  The expectation that God's word can and will do that should never change,                 no matter our age.

Advent #7

The Present

Abraham and Isaac

Genesis 22

Jesus Storybook- "(God has just rescued Isaac and provided a ram for sacrifice instead).....God helped Abraham and Isaac understand something.  God wanted his people to live, not die. God wanted to rescue his people, not punish them. But they must trust him."

Advent #8

The girl no one wanted

Jacob, Rachel and Leah

Genesis 29-30

Jesus Storybook- "No one loves me," Leah said. "I'm too ugly." But God didn't think she was ugly. And when he saw that Leah was not loved and that no one wanted her; God chose her- to love love her specially, to give her a very important job. One day, God was going to rescue the whole world- through Leah's family.

 (Two hearts. One for Rachel and one for Leah. But Leah's heart has a crown on it because God saw her as a princess.)

-LL

Advent #5 & #6

#5

A Giant Staircase to Heaven

Jesus Storybook Bible- "And Let's build a really tall tower to reach up to Heaven!" "Yes!" they said. "We'll say,'Look at us us up here!'And everyone will look up at us. And we'll look down on them.  And then we'll know we are something.  We'll be like God. We'll be famous and safe and happy and everything will be all right."

#6

Son of Laughter 

Genesis 12-21

ESV- And he brought him outside and said,"Look toward the heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

Read 2 today because we got home late last night. The kids asked to read today, which is so sweet and fun.  Love watching them get excited over me using their Legos to build the Tower of Babel :-) Our tree is looking pretty interesting at this point.  I cant wait to see it in a week.

~LL

Mexico Trip 2015

A few months ago, our little Pey came walking down stairs with a jar in her hands. 

 She proudly announced that she was going to Mexico next year on the Family Mission trip. So... I guess that meant I was too :-)

(Our church does a trip each year that is designed for families with 1st-5th graders.)

So our journey began.....

Fast forward to Dec. 5. 

Today Pey and I will go and set up our table at the craft fair. Where we will use the money we make, to help support our trip next June.  

Many, many hours have been invested in making "white" boards. For us to sell tomorrow. 

Pey has also made the decision to give up all Christmas presents so that she can  use present money for support for the trip.

The heart of this little girl amazes me. I see her excited to not have anything under the tree. I see her excited when she reads about missionaries.  

     In our ministry years we have seen many mission trips roll through our house. Guatemala, Turkey, Bahamas, Vietnam, and one thing I have learned; Mission trips don't just happen to the person making the trip.  The entire house is affected on some level.  God has used so many trips, that I haven't gotten to go on, to change me.

I am so excited to see what this trip does for entire family!!

How can you support us?

-Pray for the next months for us. That they will be fruitful and faithful. 

-Pey will be writing blogs periodically. Read, comment, pray for her as she walks this road of faith. 

-Support. If you are local.  Come to the craft fair and support missions. 

-Support us through GoFundMe

http://www.gofundme.com/i4sqt8

-LL

Christmas 2014

Here it is!  My Favorite time of the year.  I LOVE CHRISTMAS!  Mainly because the traditions that our family does. Hanging special ornaments first, watching Polar Express, cookies, Momma watching while Daddy decorates everything :)  Each one of those traditions pointing to important things at center of our lives.  God, Family, Fun  :)

Each year we attempt to do Advent at our home.  Last year, I failed.  Tried to be faithful. But the crazy Christmas season got the best of my calendar and we did not succeed at doing Advent each night.  So this year I was determined to do better.  To be focused.  To have a "simple Christmas moment" each night that focused on the birth of our Saviour.  

I love the Jesus Storybook Bible  It has been a staple around our house for a number of years.  I fell in love with it as soon as I read it. I love that each story points to the glory of God.  In the past I have used the Jesus Storybook Advent plan. And that has worked out great. But our kiddos, as they have gotten older just seemed to be "tolerating" it, instead of loving it.   

But this year (after my failings last year).  I decided I wanted to change some things a little. So I started digging.  I saw many expressions of Advent in the home.  But by far my favorites all had to do with a Jesse Tree.
But then I started thinking. (Don't get excited, it can get a little scary when I think!) I wanted to do the Jesse Tree idea with my Jesus Storybook.  So..... I began planning,crafting and hunting.  I needed to find/make 25 ornaments for our kiddos to open each night.

Thus a new tradition has begun.  Each night we read our storybook and there is a box sitting in the middle of our advent wreath.  After we read, the kids try to guess what the ornament inside the box will be.  Then someone opens it.

I am shocked as to how much the Littles love this.  They will NOT let me forget. :)  It is also so wonderful the conversations that we have surrounding the ornaments that they open.  So at this point we have opened 4.  Here are some pics of what we have.

The Story and The Song
Psalm 19 and Hebrews 1
"The Heavens are singing about how great God is..."

The Beginning: A Perfect Home
Creation Genesis 1-2
Jesus Storybook-"In the beginning there was nothing. Nothing to hear. Nothing to feel. Nothing to see. Only emptiness. And darkness. And....nothing but nothing. But God was there. And God had a wonderful Plan.
....God saw all that He had made and He loved them.  And they were lovely because he loved them."

The Terrible Lie
Genesis 3
Jesus Storybook- "Just trust me,"the serpent whispered."You don't need God.  One small taste, that's all, and you'll be happier than you could ever dream..."



A New Beginning
Genesis 6-9
Jesus Storybook- "Noah," God Said. "Things have gone wrong. People have filled my world with hate instead of love. They are destroying themselves...and each other...and my world. "

In the beginning I thought this might turn into a stressful project.  Me....trying to come up with 25 ornaments....seemed like it could be "peace stealer". So day 1, I sat and said a little prayer asking for God to keep me focused on the reason behind my mission.  I asked for peace and joy as I walked this Advent season. Praying that His hand would guide this project and we would all see Him a little clearer.

So here we go.  Advent.  

I pray this season is full of old traditions that remind us of where we have come from.

I pray it is full of new traditions that allow us to see Jesus in brand new ways.

I pray that it is a season that reminds us of how the Light of the World came to chase away the darkness. But also one that builds great anticipation for His Return.

~LL

Living the Gospel

One thing that God has been challenging me with lately is how everything points to the Gospel.
It is a personal journey that He is just beginning to taking my heart on.  You see, before this, I saw the Gospel as words.  Either spoken or written.  Words that we can read in the Bible. Words that are spoken from a stage.  Words that are sung.  Words that are spoken to each other.  Words.  We are taught to go and share the Gospel.  We bring people to church to hear the Gospel. We read books that tell the Gospel.  Words.  All words.  Now don't hear me wrong.  The words of the Gospel are right.  To share the Gospel is right. To read and learn about the Gospel is right.


But there is more.

John 1:14 says "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
The Word became flesh.  The Word was living and breathing and active among us. 

Now you can see where my journey is going.  The Word became flesh.  Living, breathing, active, alive, relational. So why would we limit the Gospel to just words in a book we purchased, a speaker we listen to on a stage, or songs we sing?  Why would we limit the Gospel to just words when we have the daily opportunity to live it too?

It seems almost too simple.  The Word becoming flesh and the Gospel being words.  Gospel.
James 1:17-18 says this "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created."
James says that every good and perfect gift is from God. In other words it all points back to Him.  

A recent sermon series at our church had this video bumper at the beginning watch it for a minute.  If you've seen it...watch it again.  See it talking about the Gospel and how EVERYTHING points to it.
 







Now you see why I began to see everything pointing to the Gospel?

Here's an example:
I recently had a conversation about disciplining children. I was explain to one of my teenagers why it is so important for children to learn discipline and correction.  It hit me as I was explaining the "why" and the conversation darted in a direction I was intending.  It landed smack in the middle of the Gospel.  The basics of that conversation were how we as parents must discipline our children so that they can understand the consequences of their actions.  Without an understand that we will be punished for doing wrong then there is no understanding of why we are separated from God because of our sin.  If we can grasp that there is a deserved punishment when we break the rules then how can we understand that our Jesus took what we deserved.

I have said many times "If you are a parent then you are a missionary".  Our children see God because of how they see us.  The good, the bad and the ugly us :-) That is the lens in which they learn to view our God which one day, God willing, becomes their God.
 
Our lives are and can be the action of the Gospel.  And that isn't just parents.  The way we love the world speaks or doesn't speak the Gospel.  The way we live is the lens in which the world learns to view our God which one day, God willing, becomes their God.

We are so self centered that we think that our lives are just about us.  We think that our joys and failures are only about our happiness and our heartache. In that video we can see that all of creation cries out to the world to make known who it's creator is. But we humans are the only ones that God gave a choice to.  It is our choice about the Gospel.  It is our choice to follow. It is our choice to have relationships.  It is our choice to live it.  It is our choice to make God known through our lives.

We live our lives out each day and each day we make the choice if the Gospel will be shared.  Yes we can choose to use words and share the Gospel, because ultimately we must put lip service to it, but we must also choose to live it out.  We must choose to live in such away that points people to Jesus.  If we aren't pointing them intentionally in one direction then we are by default pointing them in another. 

The Bible is clear...If we don't testify....they will.

Luke 19:39-40 says ^"Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”⁴⁰ “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

~LL