With love from,
Leigh, Elias & Donovan and
Amanda, Lydia & Asa

Wonderful means exciting wonder – marvelous and astonishing…

Psalm 98:1
O sing to the LORD a new song, For He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.

Psalm 96:3
Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.

Psalm 119:129
Your testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul observes them.

Psalm 145:5
On the glorious splendor of Your majesty And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Here is the most wonderful news of all:  For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  (John 3:16)

This is why we celebrate Christmas – Jesus sent to us, God with us… Emmanuel.

How wonderful…

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Holy means exalted or worthy of complete devotion, as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.  God’s holiness is not simply the best we know made infinitely better.  God is absolutely untainted. His holiness stands apart—unique and incomprehensible.

Isaiah 6:3

And one called out to another and said,
“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory.”

1 Peter 1:15-16

…but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”

Revelation 4:8-11

And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.” And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

Holy also means that God is without any sin. Are we as people without any sin? No, only God is without any sin!  God calls us to be holy, as He is holy… and we can only do that through Him.

Lord, please help us to be holy as You are holy.

Jehovah-rophe means “Jehovah heals.” God alone has the remedy for the healing of mankind. The Gospel is concerned with the physical, moral, and spiritual healing of all people.

Exodus 15:26

And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.”

Deuteronomy 32:39
‘ See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand.

Psalm 6:2
Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away; Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed.

Psalm 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Jeremiah 17:14
Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise.

1 Peter 2:24
and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

God does not just put a bandage on our wounds – He is the Healer who can take away all our pain.

Thank you, Lord, for healing Your people!

This is another guest post about Santa–this time from the perspective that by taking Santa out of Christmas we are keeping Christ at the center. It is from another one of my great bloggy friends, Heather from Not a DIY Life. She’s such a good mama, a strong woman of God and a servant in her church. Please read, comment and enjoy!

Sometimes as Christians, we have to make decisions about how we will live our life differently because of the difference that Christ has made in our lives. And sometimes these decisions are not popular with other people.

It’s difficult to go against the flow.

We made one of those decisions recently. We are not including Santa Claus in any of our Christmas celebrations. It’s been difficult. And our child is only two and a half years old. How much harder will it be when she’s in school?

First, there are the random strangers who ask our daughter if she’s ready for Santa Claus. Then there are our 8 and 10 year old nieces who claim they still believe in Santa Claus. (We may not follow the crowd on Santa Claus, but I am not about to rain on any kid’s parade.) Then there is the rest of the family. Some are Christians and some are not, but they don’t understand why we wouldn’t want to include Santa Claus. After all, EVERYONE is doing it.

How do you deal with the criticisms, the looks, and the sometimes-harsh words regarding this kind of decision? As you would with any matter of faith.

Know what you believe. Know why you believe it.

We have prayerfully considered how the decision to not include Santa Claus will impact our family and our daughter as she grows. We have listed our reasons WHY we do not want to celebrate Santa. And we are ready to share with those who want to listen.

This decision was not made lightly. And it wasn’t made with the intention of rocking the boat. We are respectful that other people hold very dearly to the Santa Claus story and all that he represents.

I’m not sharing all of this to try to convince anyone else of what they should or shouldn’t do. I’m sharing because it’s hard to be different, and it’s comforting when we find others with similar beliefs and values.

Paul tells us in Romans 12 that we are not to “copy the behavior and customs of this world.” (v.2, NLT) That tells me that “just because everybody else is doing it” isn’t a good excuse. (And I have a feeling that I will be reciting that verse a lot as our daughter gets into her tween- and teen-age years.) Paul says it’s okay to be counter-cultural.

However, Paul also reminds us in Colossians 2:16ff that we are not to condemn other Christians who observe customs of the culture. Just because we do something that is counter-cultural doesn’t make us or our children spiritually superior.

Back to the original advice: Know what you believe and why you believe it. Be able to explain why you celebrate Christmas (or any other holiday or cultural custom) differently. Plan ahead. Talk to parents that have made the same decision who have older children and ask them what obstacles they have encountered.

And be prepared. Your children will question why your family does things differently. They may feel left out. Let them know that it’s okay to be different. Use age-appropriate words to explain why this decision is best for your family.

It may not be the easy road. But teaching your children to honor Jesus will be worth it.

photo by Timothy K Hamilton

Day 15: Repurposed Jewelry Box Silhouette Diorama of the Stable

“She gave birth to her first baby. It was a boy. She wrapped him in large strips of cloth. Then she placed him in a manger. There was no room for them in the inn.”  Luke 2:7

Day 16: Repurposed Jewelry Box Manger with Spagetti Straw and Christmas Ball Baby Jesus (*whew*)

“She gave birth to her first baby. It was a boy. She wrapped him in large strips of cloth. Then she placed him in a manger. There was no room for them in the inn.”  Luke 2:7

Day 17: Trashbag Lamb. Inspired by DadCanDo.com

“There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby. It was night, and they were looking after their sheep.” Luke 2:8

Day 18: Stamped Scroll declaring the GOOD NEWS that Jesus is Born!

“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy. It is for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-12

Day 19: Shepherd Who Praised God AND Told Others About Jesus

After the shepherds had seen him, they told everyone. They reported what the angel had said about this child…They gave glory and praise to God. Luke 2:17 & 20

Don’t forget to look at all our Advent Calendar Ornaments!

A victory is an achievement of mastery or success in a struggle or endeavor against odds or difficulties – it is an overcoming!  We can go from triumph to triumph and say, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

1 Chronicles 29:11
” Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.

Psalm 98:1
O sing to the LORD a new song, For He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.

1 Corinthians 15:54
But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ” DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.

Lord, thank you for being our Victory!

I promised more Santa posts and here is a beautiful post by one of my best blogging buds, Brandi! She is a a mom to 2 a sometimes blogger at Will Blog for Shoes and one of the funniest people I know! Here is her view of Santa and how they incorporate him into their Christmas traditions! Please show her lots of love by leaving a comment!

Saturday morning, I snuggled into bed with my three year-old to watch a movie.  It was a Christmas movie, so I took the opportunity to ask him, “What is Christmas about?”  His response:  “Santa Cwaus!”

Yikes!  Had I been wrong to sit him in the lap of the jolly old elf every Christmas since he was six months old?  To start two months out using “the naughty list” as my sole crutch for bribing good behavior out of my son?  Ok, the latter really isn’t earning me Mommy of the Year, but desperate times… you know?

If you asked me to sit down and convince someone to incorporate Santa Claus into their Christmas, I wouldn’t.  To be honest, I couldn’t.  Every single time I read someone’s blog post on why they choose not to introduce the concept of Santa to their children, I totally get it.  You see, I’m a Christian.  I believe with all of my heart in the virgin birth.  I get really steamed when I hear a story of one more christian symbol being removed from some public Christmas display.  I want my children to know about Mary and Joseph, about the shepherds, the wise men, the star.  I want Christ at the very center of their holiday.

For me, the notion of a man in a red suit delivering presents to excited children while they sleep doesn’t negate any of that.  To me, Santa epitomizes the spirit of Christ — a lifetime of giving, unconditionally (ok, maybe the whole “naughty list” thing is a little Old Testament), without asking for anything in return except that we believe.  He inspires selflessness, generosity, and anticipation– all things I associate with Advent.

For me, a Christmas without Santa is like a Christmas without lights, without a tree, without exchanging gifts, without gathering with family, or without chocolate– all things that can overwhelm us and distract us from Jesus.

How can I say all that after having just heard straight from my three year-old’s mouth how Santa was the center of Christmas?  Easy.  He’s three.  He tells anyone who’ll listen that he just pooped.  He’d vote for Dora for president.  He uses Play Doh as currency.  He cries crocodile tears if his Woody pajamas are in the dirty clothes hamper.

He’s also the little boy who sat enthralled, in the rain, watching the whole living nativity at his grandparents’ church.  He was just as excited to give his teacher a gift as he was that a classmate gave him not one, but two bouncy balls.  As I type, he is curled up asleep with a Joseph figurine (he insisted that I sleep with Mary, his little sister have Baby Jesus, and his daddy take the donkey.)

I think he may be more Christ-centered than I am this Christmas… and I know “the truth” about Santa.

photo by vanil.noir

God as Father is the first person of the Trinity.  The Creator of the universe cares for each one of us as if we are the only child He has.  Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9), and the Spirit of God taught us to cry, “Abba, Father,” as in the intimacy of the family.

Isaiah 64:8

But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.

Romans 8:15-17

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

Just as our earthy fathers treasure each little thing our hands touch, how much more does our Heavenly Father treasure us?!

We praise you, Abba Father!

All that God is, He has always been. All that He has been and is, He will ever be. He cannot change because He is perfect and will remain perfect.

Psalm 102:25-28
²⁵“Of old You founded the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
²⁶“Even they will perish, but You endure;
And all of them will wear out like a garment;
Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.
²⁷“But You are the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.
²⁸“The children of Your servants will continue,
And their descendants will be established before You.”

Mighty mountains may fall, but the Lord never changes.

We thank you, Lord, for your unchanging ways!