Christmas Eve - Traditions (Blog post #200!)

Merry Christmas Everyone! It is Christmas Eve! And it is the day of the year that my family always celebrated Christmas with my grandparents and extended family. It was a tradition that I loved. I love my family and I love being able to spend time with them.

However, this year was different... This year, my grandparents are no longer with us. They are truly Home for Christmas and I miss them dearly. The song below reminds me of one of my sets of grandparents. In some ways, it reminds me of all four of my grandparents. It is a beautiful song!

When I began writing this post, I noticed it is the 200th post I have written on this blog. I would like to dedicate it to my grandparents. My grandparents were people who I felt completely loved by and I felt like I meant the world to them! They were my cheering squad. They always wanted to hear what I was doing and were always excited for me. They listened to me and were there for me. They were the best grandparents ever!

So each Christmas Eve, we celebrated with both sets of grandparents on this day. This is the first year without them here. My parents are carrying on the tradition with their children and grandchildren to celebrate Christ's birth on Christmas Eve. I am thankful for all of my family and thankful we can celebrate the birth of Jesus on this day and I am thankful for all of my family and friends. As we usher in these new traditions and a new generation, the change is difficult for us all, but I know that, with God's grace, He will get us through and will give us what we need. I pray that as you celebrate this Christmas, you will feel God's presence, His grace, salvation, love... Whether you are able to continue on with your current traditions, or are creating new ones this year because of life circumstances, you can believe that Jesus will be with you. Remember, He came for you. To save you.

“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.” 

Isaiah 9:6

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 

Luke 2:11

My prayer for the families in CT

In recent days I have seen a lot of tragedy happening in our country. These tragedies, the recent shooting, have been hard to deal with. They are happening all over our country, in CT, in my home state, in my county, and even in my town.

While I have not been impacted by these on a level of losing someone I love, I believe we all have been affected in some way. For me, I see the amount of evil that is in the world. I don't believe it was the guns that killed the victims, instead the guns were the tools used by the shooters. Our human nature has a tendency to look for the reason why these people did what they did. I believe it is because we are sinful people. We need redemption and salvation from our sinful ways.

This time of year, we celebrate the birth of the One who came to save us. We celebrate Jesus and we look to the time when we celebrate what He ultimately came here to do - die on the cross, take our sins- past, present, and future sins- upon His shoulders and set us free. He wanted to make a way for us. Because of His work on the cross, we have access to the Father and true freedom from sin, if we are willing to accept Him.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:4, 5 ESV)

My prayer...

Father,
I thank you for being who You are. Thank You for sending Your Son to die for us, so we might live. Lord, I think of the CT teacher that so recently gave her life to save all of the children in her classroom. She was an example of what Jesus did on the cross. I pray for her family as they are grieving her loss. I pray for comfort for all of the families of the CT children and school workers that lost lives on Friday. I ask for Your peace to be with them, especially as they go into this Christmas season. Be with all of the country as they grieve. Send revival, Lord.
In Jesus' Name I ask these things. Amen.

I saw this prayer from Max Lucado and I feel it is appropriate.***

Dear Jesus,

It's a good thing you were born at night. This world sure seems dark. I have a good eye for silver linings. But they seem dimmer lately.

These killings, Lord. These children, Lord. Innocence violated. Raw evil demonstrated.

The whole world seems on edge. Trigger-happy. Ticked off. We hear threats of chemical weapons and nuclear bombs. Are we one button-push away from annihilation?

Your world seems a bit darker this Christmas. But you were born in the dark, right? You came at night. The shepherds were nightshift workers. The Wise Men followed a star. Your first cries were heard in the shadows. To see your face, Mary and Joseph needed a candle flame. It was dark. Dark with Herod's jealousy. Dark with Roman oppression. Dark with poverty. Dark with violence.

Herod went on a rampage, killing babies. Joseph took you and your mom into Egypt. You were an immigrant before you were a Nazarene.

Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your day. Won't you enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise men, are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger.
This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us.

Hopefully,
Your Children

***http://m.christianpost.com/news/max-lucados-prayer-in-response-to-conn-school-shooting--86681/

I Need a Silent Night

Have you heard the song "I Need a Silent Night" this year? Amy Grant sings about how busy this time of year is and how we can easily let the chaos get in the way of the true meaning of Christmas. This song probably speaks to a lot of us. We are so busy - cooking, shopping, wrapping gifts, school finals, decorating, etc... We lose track of the reason we even celebrate.

Below are some of the lyrics to the songs (in Italics), the chorus and a few of the last verses of the song.***

I need a silent night, a holy night  

To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise 

I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here

To end this crazy day with a silent night


December comes then disappears 
Faster and faster every year 
Did my own mother keep this pace 
Or was the world a different place?


What was it like back there in Bethlehem 
With peace on earth, good will toward men?
 
Every shepherd's out in the field 
Keeping watch over their clock by night 
And the glory of the Lord shone around them 
And they were so afraid
 
And the angels said fear not for behold 
I bring you good news of a great joy that shall be for all people 
For unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord 
And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace

I love how the song brings us back to the true meaning of Christmas. It is about Jesus. He is the reason we celebrate. And it is only through Him that we can have true Peace on Earth. Are you looking for peace this season? Are the situations in your life or the holiday busyness getting in the way of remembering the reason we celebrate? If you want true Peace, look to God. He sent His Son. For YOU! If you want that Peace, this website will help you on your journey: http://peacewithgod.jesus.net/

Merry Christmas! My prayer for you is that you will know true Peace through the Prince of Peace!

I Need a Silent Night by Amy Grant

A picture of the snow we got last night!

***Lyrics from: AMY GRANT - I NEED A SILENT NIGHT LYRICS

OFFER EXTENDED - College Plus Offer-Free Kindle with Enrollment

The offer has been extended! You now have one more week (until Dec. 14th) to enroll and receive your Kindle. What a great Christmas gift - a plan for college and a Kindle! 

College Plus Offer-Free Kindle with Enrollment

Just wanted to let you know, if you enroll in CollegePlus by Nov. 30th Dec. 14th, you will get a free Kindle Fire!

"If you enroll in a Bachelor's degree through the CollegePlus program by Saturday, December 1st, you will receive:

* A free Kindle Fire HD or a $200 Amazon Gift Card

But not just that, by enrolling before the end of the year, you will have the opportunity to begin 2013 on track to earn your Bachelor's degree on your own schedule, with little or no debt, and with the flexibility to discover and pursue your unique life purpose as part of your higher education."

Please use this Code: 7379
Or click this link: http://www.collegeplus.org/?requestinfo?tellafriend=7379 for more information. They will send you a packet of information. Or you can comment below with your questions.

Hallettsville, TX

I recently got back from vacation. One of my favorite places that we went while on vacation was to a small town called, Hallettsville, TX. It was completely by accident, we took a wrong turn, but it turned out to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The town was centered around a beautiful building in the middle. This building was decorated for Christmas. The town, at least the part I got to see, was like a square with this building in the middle and then a road around it with the rest of the town around the main building (I think it is the courthouse). Below are the pictures of the beautiful town all lit up! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

One more thing to note, we got there about 1AM while driving through and there was no one around, but there was Christmas music playing! I loved everything about it!

1st side - Love

2nd side - Joy

3rd side - Hope

4th side- Peace

The town from a distance

Here is a short video clip so you can hear the music!

College Plus Offer-Free Kindle with Enrollment

Just wanted to let you know, if you enroll in CollegePlus by Nov. 30, you will get a free Kindle Fire!

"If you enroll in a Bachelor's degree through the CollegePlus program by Saturday, December 1st, you will receive:

* A free Kindle Fire HD or a $200 Amazon Gift Card

But not just that, by enrolling before the end of the year, you will have the opportunity to begin 2013 on track to earn your Bachelor's degree on your own schedule, with little or no debt, and with the flexibility to discover and pursue your unique life purpose as part of your higher education."

Please use this Code: 7379
Or click this link: http://www.collegeplus.org/?requestinfo?tellafriend=7379 for more information. They will send you a packet of information. Or you can comment below with your questions.

Give Thanks for...

This morning I was thinking about Thanksgiving as I was helping my family get ready for the holiday. Each year on Thanksgiving, before dinner, our family gathers around to pray. Before we pray, each one of us says something we are thankful for. So while I was helping get the house ready, I was contemplating what I will say I am thankful. In past years, I have said I am thankful for family, friends, freedoms, God's grace, among other things. I am truly thankful for all of those things, but what will I say this year?

One part of tradition that I like to remind everyone of is what they are thankful for can't be the same as everyone else. My point being- I don't want everyone to say the same thing, like family. I want everyone to be creative in telling what they are giving thanks for. And to make everyone really think about it before saying something.

But back to my original pondering...what will I say this year? What am I truly thankful for this year? How has God blessed me?

My family has gone through a lot this year. We have been very busy and we have had many things happen with our family this year, including the loss of my Grandpa this summer.

So at the top of my list, I am thankful for...

-God's faithfulness and love

-My family

-The years I was able to spend with my grandparents. I miss them a lot.

-My friends- My long time friends and my new ones. This year, I had the opportunity to meet many new friends, younger and older than me. You all are dear to me.

-My electronics. Laptop, Kindle, and cell phone.

-Finishing college and getting my diploma! (long awaited!)

-Memories. One in particular was last Thanksgiving when my family was gathered around. It was the last Thanksgiving with my grandpa, he had written a list of what he was thankful for. He had thought about it in preparation. The one thing I remember he said he was thankful for was each one of us family members that were gathered. It is a special memory.

-Books

-God's Word

I give thanks to God for all of these things listed here and all of the things I don't have room to list. God has blessed me greatly and it is my prayer that I see His blessings everyday, even in the hard times.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I pray you are able to spend time with loved ones this holiday and that you take time to give thanks to God for your blessings.

*What are you thankful for?