Christmas Devotions Epic Fail

The first time we decided to gather our little family for some Christmas readings from Scripture, it was an epic fail. Our son was six years old and loved every minute of it. Our three month old mercifully slept during the encounter, but with two year-old twins, you can only imagine the efforts to enforce listening and discussion. The preschool attention span resembles that of a gnat at times. This particular plan was called the Jesse Tree with lessons for each day in December from the first to the 25th. It was a packet a friend from church shared with me. I thought it might work with our littles because …

RAP up the best gift

As many of us will be attending holiday gatherings with coworkers, friends, and family members, it can be a time where old wounds reemerge. We see someone and remember a snarky comment, hurtful post on social media, or maybe even some bigger betrayal. At this time of year when we celebrate Christ’s birth, we rejoice that He came to earth to show us how to live but also to pay the price for our sins to give us a great gift – forgiveness. In the Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6, we find these words, “Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those …

Invited

Yesterday was the first day of December and my kids are already pointing out that we missed the first day of candy in the advent calendar that hasn’t been filled. (I’m pretty impressed that it is already on the wall!) I have to admit that with each passing year I get less motivated with shopping, baking, decorating, and its been years since I even considered sending out a Christmas card. I used to brainstorm creative ways to write our annual letter with top ten lists, crossword puzzles, and anything I could dream up to not just be another typical letter. As I sit wondering what has happened to my waning …