Merry Christmas!

From our Families to yours, Merry Christmas!  We are grateful that 2012 years ago, Jesus Christ came and was born to eventually die so that we all may have life. The message still blows us away. We celebrate with you the joy of knowing that all things, all questions, all fears, all joys, all pain, all love, all deep longings can and will ultimately be answered in Jesus Christ. 

Merry Christmas!

Jill and Leeanne

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Luke 2

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. ² This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. ⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, ⁵ in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. ⁶ While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸ In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; ¹¹ for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴ 

“Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

¹⁵ When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹ But Mary ^(O)treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

That Holy Night

"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,    who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,from you shall come forth for me    one who is to be ruler in Israel,^(D)whose coming forth is from of old,    from ancient days.

Therefore he shall give them up until the time    when she who is in labor has given birth;then the rest of his brothers shall return    to the people of Israel.

And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great    to the ends of the earth.

And he shall be their peace."

Micah 5:2-5

English Standard Version (ESV)

"Here in a dark cave as a flickering torch casts high shadows of long-horned oxen on the rough-hewn logs, there is no sound but the munching of hay by the cattle.  In the midst lies the young mother, forgetting for the moment her discomfort, for in her arms lies the Babe, her baby boy.

Who would dream that He is the Kings of kings and Lord of lords?  Those chubby little hands that clasped the straw in His manger crib were soon to open blinded eyes, unstop deaf ears, and still the troubled seas. That cooing voice was soon to be lifted to command demons to depart and teach men of the Way, and to raise the dead. Those tiny feet were to take Him to the sick and needy and were finally to be pierced on Calvary's Cross.

That manger crib in remote Bethlehem became the link that bound a lost world to a loving God. From that manger came a Man who not only taught us a new way of life, but brought us into a new relationship with our Creator. "

Billy Graham, Christmas the Father's Gift p.24

Family Fun and Christ-focused Christmas

Something that has truly become special to our family is looking for and going to a live nativity. For young children (and even for adults) there's nothing quite like seeing the Christmas story come to life. We especially love the ones where they have real animals! There have been a number of times that I have been brought to tears watching the show, and wondering what it must have been really like. What a great opportunity for my children to see the story come alive!! 

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I love decorating my house for Christmas. Half of my attic is without a doubt all Christmas things. But a few years ago, I was challenged at a workshop. If someone walks into my house at Christmas, will the see Jesus? Sadly, they couldn't. Don't get me wrong, I still have trees and wreaths and garland and pretty lights everywhere, but I've tried to change my focus. If not just for people coming in my home, but for my children who live here and whom we want to know the real reason for Christmas. Since then, I am always on the lookout for a Nativity set to buy or to make. Since I've had children, I search the Internet for kid friendly sets as well. Now, I hardly ever buy one full price. I'm always looking at thrift stores, Goodwill, or hand me downs. I try to have a Nativity every where there's a focus on decorations. I also try to have one kid friendly one in each of the boys rooms so they can play with it. Here are some of my favorite kid friendly sets.

You can never go wrong with the Little People Set. If you don't have one, ask for one for Christmas!

One free printable is from the following website:

http://www.makingfriends.com/biblecrafts/nativity_scene.htm

Instead of having them standing in a box, I laminated them, put a piece a Velcro, and attached them to a poster board with a little stable, then hung it on the wall. They love it!

Here's another free printable using toilet paper rolls!

http://catholicicing.com/2009/12/diy-printable-nativity-for-kids/

They love this one too.

I do also have my nicer ones on display, they're just more out of reach :) Here's an example of a Nativity silhouette I want to try and make this year:

http://tencowchick.com/2010/12/01/nativity-silhouette/

As cliche` as this saying has become, Jesus is the reason for the season, and I want my house to reflect that.

Merry Christmas!

--
In Christ,
Rockie Mehaffie <><
www.themehaffies.blogspot.com
www.rockiescrafts.blogspot.com

Our Hope

As I was getting ready to publish a post yesterday regarding fun advent activities to do with our children during this season the world erupted with news of this shooting. This time it was personal  because a little 6 year old boy from my extended family was sitting in the class when the shooter walked in and started firing. He saw his teacher and friends die. He ran and praise God was safe. 

How do you process this? More eloquent people than me will come out with better explanations so all I can offer today is this:  Our Hope is in Jesus. 2000 years ago Jesus came and fulfilled the hope of the scripture. He is the hope of the past, the hope of the present, and the hope of our future. Only in Christ will we be able to find hope in the middle of all this chaos. Yet, I'm reminded over and over that Jesus calms the storm with His very breath. We may feel chaos but He is most certainly calm. We beat our chests and cry out "why" but Jesus quietly says, "be still  and know that I am God." Right now, I rest in His hope. Without hope we can't find peace. 

So today, I thank the Lord he protected the sweet boys in our family and I pray He will comfort the families who lost their sweet children. I am grateful I can grieve we hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Jesus is a great light in the midst of a dark place. 

With HOPE,
Leeanne

The Perfect Gift

 “I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs”

Psalm 69:30

Many of us have searched this Christmas season for the perfect gift for someone. There are three parts to this gift.  First, it is the actual gift.  It is what you are tangibly giving to the recipient.  Next, you have the outward wrapping. It is what conceals the contents inside. We go to great lengths to wrap presents because we know it builds up the anticipation.  Lastly, the gift has an intangible component.  It is the thought and meaning behind the present.  Isn’t that the best part for the giver?  You wait to see the reaction on the face of the person receiving the gift. How does this example describe our worship experience with God? Often we go to great lengths to present gifts to God.  Whether it is from how we dress on Sunday, to our tithe, to serving in an area of ministry.  These things are good but if we don’t have the proper heart of worship then it isn’t pleasing to our Savior. Has someone ever done something nice for you but spoiled it because they looked at it as a duty or seemed burdened by it? It is in the moments that we give thought, love, and excitement into our “gift” that great joy comes!!  So is true for God! We must have a true heart of worship before the Lord for our gifts to be pleasing to Him! 

 

Do you have the right spirit of worship?

 

Lord, the greatest gift I can give you is a heart of worship. May my worship be pure and pleasing before You. I bring my gift and lay it at your altar. Help me during this Christmas season to keep a spirit of worship for you. Amen.

May you continue to meditate on the "coming" of our great Savior this season!  

With JOY,

Leeanne

Isaiah 9:6-7

 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

Advent Wreath

The Advent Wreath

We love celebrating advent. I love how the advent wreath is part of our Sunday morning worship services at church. It's actually what encouraged my husband and I to start doing it at home even before we had children.

What you need to make an Advent wreath:

1. Any kind/size greenery wreath
2. 3 purple candles
3. 1 pink or red candle
4. 1 white pillar candle

I found all my materials at the Dollar Tree. You can embellish it in any way would like.
These are the Scripture and Hymns we do on Sunday nights. I got them from an Advent Workshop I went to a few years back.

First Sunday of Advent
The first candle lit on the first Sunday of advent is the Prophecy candle and reminds us that Jesus' coming was prophesied many years before He was born. The candle is purple to represent Christ's royalty and His title, the King of Kings.
Some verses to read are:
Isaiah 9:2-7 & Luke 1:30-35
Some hymns to sing are:
O Come O Come Emmanuel & Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus.

The Second Sunday of Advent
On the second Sunday of Advent, the second candle is lit as well as the first one. The second candle is the Bethlehem candle, reminding us where Jesus was born. It too is purple, for our King who was born in a manger.
Some Bible Verses to read:
Micah 5:2 & Luke 2:1-7
Some Christmas Hymns to Sing:
Away in a Manger & O Little Town of Bethlehem

The Third Sunday of Advent
The third candle, the Shepherd's Candle, is lit on the third Sunday of advent along with the first two; the Prophecy candle and the Bethlehem candle. We are reminded that God sent the angels to proclaim His arrival to common man and that He uses common people still today to spread the good news of Christ. This candle is pink, or rose and represents God's love and faithfulness.

Some verses to read:
Isaiah 52:7 & Luke 2:8-12
Some hymns to sing:
Angels We Have Heard on High & While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks

The Fourth Sunday of Advent
The fourth candle, lit on the fourth Sunday of Advent, is the Angel's candle. The candle is lit along with the other three candle's. When we light this flame, we are reminded of the heavenly hosts who proclaimed Christ's arrival with, "Behold, I bring you good news of great joy!". The angel candle is also purple, reminding us that the angels proclaims a king's birth. As the number of lighted candles increases, the room becomes brighter, reminding us that the time for the Light of the world to arrive is drawing near.

Some verses to read:
Ezekiel 34:23, Luke 2:13-20
Some hymns to sing:
O Holy Night, Hark, the Herald Angel's Sing, Angels from All Realms of Glory.
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve/Christmas Morning

The fifth candle, the Christ candle rests in the center of the wreath and is lit on Christmas Eve. The candle is while symbolizing Christ's holiness, purity and perfection
Some verses to read:
Isaiah 9:2-6, John 1:6-13
Some hymns to sing:
Silent night holy night, Joy to the world

Having small children means that Advent wreath devotionals don't always go so smoothly. But don't be discouraged! Keep it up, remain faithful, and trust God with the rest.

Merry Christmas!

  
 



In Christ,
Rockie Mehaffie <><
www.themehaffies.blogspot.com
www.rockiescrafts.blogspot.com