Time to recess

Many years ago, the people of Israel were waiting for the birth of their Savior.
When He arrived, there was great rejoicing in a small stable.

Today we are also waiting. Waiting for His return.

Do we too rejoice, even as we wait in the midst of dark times?

There is a phrase I hear several times a day from my students:

"Time to recess." Every time I hear it, I think, "No, it's not time to recess; it's time for recess."

But then I began to think about it.

Recess means: to take a break from something; a remote or secluded place.

During the Christmas season, life is so hurried and stressful.

It's hard to take a moment to sit back and relax.

But that is exactly what Christmas is all about.

It's about rest. It's about recess.

Taking a break.

Going to a secluded place to worship and bask in our Saviour's presence.

To thank Him for His gift of love.

Giving us a reason to rejoice and a reason to hope.

via

This Christmas, I encourage you to take some "time to recess."

Praying you experience the richness of God's love for you,

found in the gift of His precious Son this Christmas!

Blessings,

Janelle

Christmas:: A Season of Sacrifice

Christmas.

A season of rejoicing. A season of sacrifice. Have you ever stopped to think about how much God gave up when He sent His Son to earth, not just for a moment, but for a period of 33 years?

What love that must have took. What a gift He gave.

I have been pondering this lately. In what ways is God asking me to sacrifice for Him? Not for my benefit, but for His glory.

I feel like God has laid it on my heart to give more financially, whether it be through random acts of kindness to a stranger; putting change or a dollar into a Salvation Army kettle; by taking part in a Christmas project or by sending money to my favorite non-profit organization. There are countless opportunities around me and I want to make sure that I don't just let them pass by, even when Christmas is over. Do I ever give till it hurts- sacrificial giving? God has blessed me abundantly and He desires that I, that we, be good stewards of those blessings.

Has God ever asked you sacrifice people that you care about to His care? I know it has happened to me several times and when it does, it involves pain and even tears. But that happened to our Father as well, so why shouldn't it happen to us?

I recently came across an Oswald Chambers quote that summed this up pretty well:

"If it was God's will to bruise His own Son (Isaiah 53:10), why shouldn't He bruise you?"

Being bruised makes us tender, but I believe that is part of the process, part of the sacrificing.

A sacrifice is: the giving up of something valuable; to make an offering to God.

God has given us so much by sending His Son to earth. What can I, what can we, offer in return?

Christmas ponderings

One of my favorite traditions about Christmas is reading the Christmas story with my family before we open our gifts.  It wouldn't be Christmas without it!  But if you're like me, you've heard it countless times throughout your life.  We get immune to the details of our Savior's birth.  This year, I wanted to look at the story in a new light.  Several things have helped me with this- my school's Christmas program, studying my Sunday School lesson (Bible-in-Life by David C. Cook) to teach my Kindergarten and First Grade students tomorrow at church, and reading a book called, A Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers. 

Just a few thoughts that may challenge you as well~

~ The shepherds were considered lowly in their society because of their profession.  Since they had to care for their sheep all hours of the day and night, they did not have time to follow the many rules and regulations of their day, which resulted in another reason for their fellow men to look down on them.  It was special that God chose to bring the the Good News to these shepherds as they cared for their sheep, a symbol of the Lamb of God.

~ Mary and Joseph were only Jesus' earthly parents.  What His Heavenly Father thought of Him was of the most importance.  Mary and Joseph knew that Jesus was special and that He was the Messiah, but they did not know how or when this would be revealed to the rest of the world.  Can you imagine keeping such a secret?  It's no wonder Mary pondered these things in her heart.  She loved her special son with all her heart and eventually had to watch Him die on a cross for the sins of the world, for her sins.

~ Jesus grew up like other children, yet He was different.  I wonder if those around Him realized that, besides His parents.  He was blameless, even as a child.  What an example to each of us.  If we follow Christ, than we should be different as well.  We're aren't called to blend in; we're called to stick out!

I encourage you to take a few minutes to once again read the account of Christ's birth.  If something sticks out to you, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Blessings,
Janelle

:: Christmas :: These are a few of my favorite things

Christmas.  I love this time of the year!  Family, friends, good food, parties, beautiful decor, music, and occasionally even snow. What's not to love?  I thought I'd sum up a few of my favorites from this special season.

Favorite thing #1: My family.  It is so special to spend time with those that I love.  The older I get, the more I appreciate my dear grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins, in addition to my own parents and brother.  My life certainly wouldn't be the same without them!

Favorite thing #2: Christmas cookie baking.  I had the priviledge of baking some cookies with my mom and grandma the other weekend and boy, was that a fun time!  Lots of laughter and crunchy cookies (much to Grandma's dismay!) added to the memories.  Here's a few snapshots from our adventure:

Yummy sandtarts!  Main ingredients: sugar and butter.  Need I say more?

Favorite thing #3: My church's live Nativity, held the second weekend of December each year. It wouldn't seem like Christmas without it. We've been doing this for years now and it's always a great reminder of Christ's birth many years ago. 

Favorite thing #4: Our church also goes Christmas Caroling every December.  There's just something special about sharing the Good News with others through beautiful songs.  This year I was with a group who stopped to sing for a lady from our church and her widowed neighbor lady.  The neighbor lady said she's often lonely and she appreciated us stopping by so much.  It felt so nice to bless someone else in this way!

Favorite thing #5: Gift giving.  I know so many people enjoy receiving gifts, but I also appreciate the joy of giving them to others.  It's fun to pick out something you know your loved one will enjoy.  Another thing that I like about this time of year is giving gifts to those who are less fortunate.  This is a time of year that is very difficult for some people and it's nice to bring some cheer to those that need it.  By doing so, you experience a blessing as well!

Favorite thing #6: Receiving Christmas cards and pictures in the mail.  It's so much fun to go out to the mailbox, anticipating what you might recieve that day.  It's always interesting to read the letters that are included in some of the cards.  And then we always hang the pictures in our hallway on a closet door to look at all year long.  It can be a good reminder to pray for those people when they come to mind as well.

I've been reminded lately of the importance of the acronym JOY- Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last.  During this season, we often sing Joy to the World.  Jesus' birth did bring great joy and we should carry that joy with us not only at Christmas, but throughout the entire year.  It is also good to remember to place others before ourselves as we spread that joy, something that can be challenging for myself included.

May you experience the love of Jesus, the joy of grace and the peace of God this Christmas and throughout the coming year!

Blessings,

Janelle