Turning Christmas Chaos into Christmas Joy – Advent Devotional – December 5
Turning Christmas Chaos into Christmas Joy Mary Southerland Today’s Truth So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen which were just as they had been told (Luke 2:16-20, NIV). Friend to Friend According to the American Institute of Stress, more than 110 million Americans take medication for stress-related causes each week. During the holiday season, another one million people battle what experts refer to as the holiday blues. I am very familiar with depression and the pain it holds and must constantly
Christmas Lights – Advent Devotional – December 4
Christmas Lights by Ryan Duncan Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. – James 1:12 When I was still a child living in Illinois, my father drafted me into his yearly Christmas decorating. Every December, with the snow heavy on the ground, the two of us would bundle up and tramp outside to begin putting up the Christmas lights. I hated putting up Christmas lights. The process always took forever, robbing me of my well-deserved break from school. To make matters worse, my father had a fondness for those icicle-styled lights that were supposed to drip down from the rooftop in merry "winter-wonderland" fashion. Except the high winds always blew the strands of light up into the gutters, so once again we would have to go outside and set
The Strains of Christmas – Advent Devotional – December 3
The Strains of Christmas by John UpChurch But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. (Galatians 4:4-5) Christmas at my house meant preparing for the worst. The worst didn’t always come, but you couldn’t be too careful. You see, the thing about holidays is that people tend to be together, pushed into the same room by tradition and baked turkey. My family spent most of the year avoiding such things, as we hurried off to school or work, buried ourselves in music and books, and generally enjoyed the comfort of a closed door. We could usually navigate the raging Scylla and Charybdis of Thanksgiving because it only meant a day together before we scattered again. But while we chewed stuffing, my father would chew on his
The Real Reason for Christmas – Advent Devotional – December 2
The Real Reason for Christmas And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. - Philippians 2:8 Do you plan on taking the time this Christmas to tell your children or friends about the purpose of Christmas? If so, what will you tell them? Although we usually meditate on the birth of Jesus at this time of the year, His purpose in coming to earth was not to give us the sweet picture of a baby in a Bethlehem manger. That little baby was born to die for you and for me and thus pay for the forgiveness of our sins. He was born to die on the Cross that we might be reconciled to God. For this reason, I always told our sons when they were young, "Don't just think of a baby in a manger at Christmastime. Christmas is about much more
The Thrill of Hope – Advent Devotional – December 1
The Thrill of Hope by Shawn McEvoy May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 "A thrill of hope; the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn." ~~ O Holy Night Does Christmas thrill you? Children get excited at the coming of the season, and often we might feel a bit of a charge through experiencing their amazement, but the chores we go through to provide that for them are often the very things that rob us from knowing the wonder for ourselves. Plan the party, trim the tree, max out the MasterCard, wrap, ship, take a trip. And that's assuming we aren't one of the multitudes who find themselves with a case of the Holiday Blues. So if Christ's coming into this world offers hope, and hope, as
Making a List, Checking it Twice – Advent Devotional – November 30
Making a List… Checking it Twice Mary Southerland Today’s Truth For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope - (Jeremiah 29:11, NLT). Friend to Friend Every year, I make a Christmas list comprised of every person for whom I am buying a gift. Beside each name, I put a dollar amount, a limit of how much money I will spend for that gift, vowing not to spend one penny more than the set limit. (Somehow, the amount I actually spend rarely coincides with the amount I intended to spend. Can you relate?) With every purchase, I then draw a beautiful red line through that name. Done! I carry that list everywhere I go because sometimes I find a gift during a random shopping trip but mainly because I can’t
