Received the below advent devotional last night and wanted to put it on here.
Christmas really means more to me each year. Jesus' birth really does deserve an incredible celebration. The feelings we get around Christmas sometimes are just superficial feelings that come and go and that's okay - enjoying those feelings is great....
but the best thing is not the feelings but the deeper understanding that all the joy and peace and excitement we have now is representative of what's to come. These gifts that the Savior can bring into anybody's life who accepts Him and believes in Him -- are worth celebrating over. Joy, peace, faith, hope, love.
If God gave us nothing else in this world but our Savior who allowed us through His suffering, crucifixion and resurrection -- to have eternal life and reconciliation with God --- then we would be beyond comprehension blessed.... but look at how much more He does for us and gives to us than eternal life and relationship with God. It's amazing!
I love being able to reflect back on each year at Christmas time and look at how much God has blessed us with over the past year. What an incredible, crazy, radical love He has for us!
What an incredible Savior!!! :)
"Who Is Coming To Town?"December 22, 2008The end of this Advent season is just two days away. And with the end of Advent comes Christmas. It's so close now you can almost feel it. For most of us Christmas brings a sense of joy and excitement, if not this Christmas then certainly the memory of Christmases past which were filled with anticipation and excitement. But what is coming and what should we really be excited about? For most kids that's an easy question to answer, "Santa Claus is coming to town." And soon there will be all kinds of new, shiny, exciting packages in their stockings and under the Christmas tree.But if that's the only joy this Christmas brings, it will be gone almost as quickly as it gets here. When the last present has been opened, when the last decoration has been taken down and put carefully away, when the last cookie is eaten, will there be any lasting joy from this season? The Bible gives us a clearer view of what is coming. Advent and Christmas are times of both tradition and anticipation. As the Scriptures remind us, someone greater than Santa Claus came to town that first Christmas. God "so loved the world" He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to become flesh and live among us. His title, "Immanuel"-God with us, tells us He came to stay, not just ride through one starry night and then fly back to where He came. We remember His promise, too: "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20b).The gifts under our tree remind us of the Wise Men who brought their gifts to celebrate the coming of that great King and the promise of salvation He brought. Of course, we know the greatest gift was the Savior Himself. He came clothed in righteousness-the righteousness He gave to us as He bore the thorny crown of our shame. It was our salvation He won on a cross and empty tomb. When Jesus came He brought a gift that is for us and our children. He gives it freely without cost, and it does not wear out or become obsolete over time. This true giver of gifts that the world despises is our only hope-the one who has come and will come again!Written by Pastor Brandt Hoffman
Raymond reading Frosty
Raymond eating Christmas clementines
under the tree - dang I want to fix that skirt - didn't realize it was pushed up like that hahaha
Christmas cards on the piano --- we have had a record number this year - everybody was in the writing mood I guess! :) I have LOVED getting them and reading them!!! :) I think we've gotten about 40 cards. way more than any other year. I'm so thankful for them! xoxo
His "big" present from the 2 of us:
He scores!:
Hess truck from Pop & Granny. This is a fun one:
Playing with his new trains on new train mat:
packing to head to MomMom & Papa's NJ house!! Merry Christmas!!!
and here I am in a silly moment looking back at him. I love nephew Hunter so much.
