Just The Beginning

It's Christmas time, so we love to talk about Jesus' Birth-Let's start by reading that story in the Bible

Jesus’ Birth:

Read Luke 2:1-20

Jesus is the ultimate gift-Why?

            -B/c he is fully God and full man!

At Christmas we focus on His birth, but that’s just the beginning of the story.  His perfect life without sin, death on the cross, and resurrection are what make him our Savior.

Read Mark 15:22-37

If His death was the end of the story, Jesus wouldn’t be our Messiah, so let’s see what happens next.

Read Matthew 28:1-10

So you see, that sweet baby in a manager was just the start of the Christmas story and miracle!

People often say that Jesus is the greatest gift of Christmas-that is true, but what He gave us by being human, dying on the cross, and raising from the dead, those are the real gifts we should be sharing with others at Christmas: Forgiveness and Eternal Life

Coffee Filter:

Here’s my soul-it starts out clean and fresh, but soon I start sinning

What are some sins we all do on a regular basis? (Write the sins they name on the coffee filter in WASHABLE marker)

Now it’s dirty and I can’t wipe these off myself (get out a rag/napkin and try to wipe the words off)

The only thing that can truly get these sins from my soul is the blood of Jesus (take cup with red-food coloring dyed water and pour it over the filter slowly)

(Hold up the coffee filter) See, the sins are gone! Also, if I were to dry this filter back out, would it ever be white again? Why not? B/c once you ask Jesus to forgive your sins and have faith that He will do that, you belong to him forever.  AND you will have eternal life with him forever. 

Closing prayer.

What is that Brown Stuff on your hand?!

 

We LOVE Nutella in our house-it borders obsession really, so we eat it in some form or another pretty much every day! I don’t pretend to believe that’s good for me, but man, it just tastes SO good no matter what you put it on!

Anyway, it was a normal Tuesday morning-getting up early to get Natalie ready for school.  She asked for Nutella with toast on it-yea, I wrote that correctly, after all, it’s the Nutella that’s the important part! So I get her the Nutella with toast on it and give Annie, my 2 year old, a bowl of cereal, as per her request.  I always wanted to be one of those “hot breakfast every morning” moms, but well, cold cereal and toast is where we’ve landed, and I am totally fine with that-oh the grand ideas you have BEFORE you actually have kids!

The girls finish their breakfast and we’re off to get Natalie to school.  On the way, I hear the girls giggling in the backseat b/c Annie keeps “Ripping-one” (thanks Grandpa for teaching her that!) and is going poop in her diaper-For my regular readers, I told you I’d end up back in the bodily fluids genre sooner or later! They’re laughing at every little noise that Annie is now making a good effort to squeeze out.  I had to laugh along, kid’s giggles are just too sweet, no matter what their reason!

As we pull in to Natalie’s school, she begins to yell “EWWWW!” I asked what was the matter and she explained that Annie somehow ended up with poop on her hand.  I get Natalie out of the car and investigate this brown substance on Annie’s hand-just as I turn to grab a wipe, she shoves her hand in her mouth and says, “It’s OK, Mommy, No, poop, just Nutella like Natalie’s breakfast!”.  I am paralyzed with disgust, but before I can yank her hand out of her mouth, the mysterious brown substance is already licked clean, with Annie making a weird face, but still saying, “YUUUUUMMMM!” 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Kids are GROSS!! If it was Nutella, how on earth did Annie get it on her hand? She ate cereal, so that means she would have been playing with Natalie’s mouth? I guess, I don’t know.  If it was poop-Nope! Can’t even go there with my brain! I guess we’ll never know if it was poop or Nutella-the evidence seems clear, but with toddlers is anything ever really what it seems? In this case, I choose to believe that Annie’s love for Nutella trumped her grossness….Either way, I’m still shuddering with a BIG case of the Yuckies over this one!

Holiday Traditions

My kids are starting to get to the ages (2 and 4 years old) where I'm dying to start traditions that will last a lifetime-you know the kind that they remember forever and do with their own children someday.  That's a pretty tall order when you start surfing the internet for "Family Holiday Traditions"....as a matter of fact, in first 30 seconds of seeing all the amazing things people do, I shut my computer and resigned to the thought that there is NO way I could do any of those on a regular basis and still make happy memories!

My husband and I have been married for 8 Christmases-each year has brought something completely new, surprising, and unforeseen the previous year.  I won't bore you with the details, but in the past 5 years we've moved across the country twice, had 2 of our own kids, been blessed with 2 nephews and 1 niece, and lived in 5 houses (all in different states!).  This Christmas we are in Tampa, Florida, but only until January.  If you'd asked me last year where we'd be doing Christmas 2013, I would have said my family would be coming to our house in Maryland to celebrate all together.  Nope, not even close!

I'm not complaining, but rather making an observation that so many of us try to avoid, hide from, or simply don't notice: Life is constantly changing! It seems so obvious when you say it like that.  But when you think about holiday traditions and where you'll be with family next year, it's easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle and focus on what the plan is for the next thing, rather than enjoying the now!

So, as I'm looking at starting some holiday traditions that my little ones will cherish, I am reminded that the needs of others is something we can always help to meet-so we go to the store, the kids each pick their favorite toy and give it to some organization helping families/kids who wouldn't otherwise have anything.  We read the Christmas Story and talk about Jesus Birth.  We go to the Candle light service on Christmas Eve and come home to unwrap new jammies and watch "The Christmas Toy".  We make an expertly decorated (by my 2 and 4 year olds) Birthday Cake for our infant Savior and sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus on Christmas morning. 

These are simple things, but when I think about the holiday, wasn't Jesus' birth in the most simple circumstance, really?  I'm so thankful that during this Christmas Season, in our ever-changing lives, Christ is never changing! When I wake up on Christmas morning and enjoy watching my toddlers in the magic of the holiday moment, I will remember that this is a day that God has given me to cherish b/c those two most precious gifts from him will never be this age again!

I would love to hear what Holiday Traditions your family has that you just LOVE :)