Dearest Friends, Family and Followers,
Thank you for your continued support through this “unlikely advent.” Incredible, here we are the night before Christmas, the beloved Christmas Eve. The eve marking the birth of Jesus, the birth of true Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. You and I can have all four at the same time because of Jesus and because of this, we can face any battle set before us with confidence.
It is my earnest desire that you have a beautiful Christmas and that Jesus is your Savior, guiding your steps through life. He is the Light of the World. Life, my friends can be cruel but even in the midst of our trials, disappointment and even our grief…we can be set free and give thanks to God. There are always something to be thankful for, we only need to open our senses to them. When was the last time you thanked God for creating you(?). You are divinely created by God with purpose and a plan, God has not made a mistake.
Star rising over Bethlehem created by Me.
Jesus’ Birth Foretold by Isaiah the Prophet
The people walking in darkness
— Isaiah 9:2-7
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his governmentand peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.”
This advent, the “unlikely advent” has not been as I had planned in my head or even on paper, yep I still use paper and pen! I love to give, I’m a giver of things and of myself and this year I’ve been on the receiving side of other givers in God’s enormous family and I am so grateful for this experience.
I have the privilege of reading part of the Christmas story from Luke at my church’s Christmas Eve service today. My work keeps me away during Sunday morning services and recently family responsibilities have kept me away from home. It is my sincere hope to start attending other church activities in the coming year. Connecting with God’s extended family is good for the soul, plus it can be a lot of fun as well. Just as our bodies need food for survival, our soul/spirit needs nutrition to grow as well.
This is what God wants us to know…
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
— Micah 6:8
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.”
God wants a relationship with all His children and it may look different from someone else’s relationship…AND THAT’S OKAY! Unless, God specifically ask you to walk around with a poster of Himself declaring you are a follower…try just being KIND! Hold a door for someone, return a smile or better yet, smile at someone you just might make their day! I love this last week of Advent for many reasons but most importantly because of LOVE. The single most important thing we can do as Christian’s; as human-beings is to love one another. Not because any of us deserve it but because we can.
Love~
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:4-13
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