I always have high expectations for Christmas. I blame that on Hallmark movies. Some years Christmas has been wonderful and some years Christmas has been nowhere near a Hallmark movie! I can only imagine how that first Christmas must have felt for Mary and Joseph. What a rollercoaster of emotions: giving birth to the Savior of the world in a barn, with no midwife, with your new husband, probably still trying to grasp this whole “virgin” thing,  and then these random shepherds show up and the bright star! Whew! It gives me anxiety just thinking about it all. I can only imagine their emotions were all over the place.

Click HERE to download a printable version

Peace that passes all understanding… I can’t even understand that! Guess that is kind of the point. In a world that is chaotic, Jesus is peace. When my mind is chaotic, Jesus is peace.  When my feelings are chaotic, Jesus is peace.  When I feel afraid, Jesus says  NOT to Fear. Jesus is Peace.

This week as we look at the stories of Joseph and Mary and their versions of receiving the news about Jesus, the Prince of Peace coming, may we experience His peace that transcends circumstances, experiences, feelings, and even understanding.

Advent, Week 2! Let’s Go!

For a downloadable version of Advent Week 2: Peace  – Click HERE

Advent literally means the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. Today the season of Advent (including 4 Sundays) leading up to Christmas is a time when the church reflects on the long-awaited, planned out, and thought through arrival of Jesus.

This season lends itself to an opportunity to connect spiritually as a family as well as to spend some time in God’s word. The Christmas season is full of hustle and bustle. Grace Life has put together some Advent reflections. Each week we hope you find something for everyone! There is no pressure to do it all or any of it but simply to use it as it helps. There are scripture readings, devotional questions, music and movies suggestions for all ages, a mission opportunity, an advent experience, and a suggestion to share on social media. Our heart through these Advent pages is to offer some options that may help our families be reminded and our minds be renewed on the Person of Christmas.

As we read the stories this Advent season, we remember what God did to win us back and celebrate that Christ has come! It is finished! The work of the cross has been done! And we have been made new! We can experience all of Christ today.

We hope you enjoy this season of Advent as we remember the work that God has done and continues to do in and through us today. May this be a resource for you to share your faith and connect spiritually with your family and friends.

Here is a fun Advent Trivia Fact:

Did you know the Advent Wreath tells a story? The wreath is a circle that reminds us God is eternal. The wreath is green which reminds us of our hope in Christ. It has candles in it, and when lit reminds us that Jesus is the Light of the World.

Note: If a daily scripture reading is something you would enjoy this holiday season, The Jesus Storybook Bible has exactly 25 stories from creation to the birth of Christ. It is a great read for kids or adults.

Bible Recommendations:

All of these bibles may be purchased at the bookstore at GLF

-Families with children 2yrs of age – 3^rdgraders: The Jesus Storybook Bible

-Families with children 4^th-8^thgrade: NIV Adventure Bible

-Families with teens: new NIV or ESV Teen Study Bible

-Adults: NASB or ESV

Merry Christmas. Advent Week 1 is NOW!

Click HERE  to download a printable version of Advent Week One.

I am the perfect parent. Well, that sounds so presumptuous, doesn’t it? It’s hard for me to swallow too. But it’s true. Maybe it would help if I told you how I define perfect. The word perfect found in the book of Philippians also translates complete and mature.

You see my identity is not based on my behavior but in my personhood as a child of God. God has made me complete. God has made me mature. God has made me perfect. Whether I choose to behave like who I am or not doesn’t change the truth about me.

God has also made me a parent. He has made me perfect and a parent. He has picked specific kids for me to parent. For these kids, I am the perfect parent. Most of the time, I do not FEEL like the perfect parent for these kids. Most the time, I feel like I should be saving money for their weddings, college education, and all the counseling they will need because of how much I am screwing them up.

BUT the truth is despite how I feel and even how I act at times, God has made me perfect in Him.

Let’s break this down…

In the book of Philippians, Paul has this awkward little section where he says, “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:12) then he continues… Let us, therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you.” (Phil. 3:15)

Huh? He calls us imperfect and perfect within a few statements! Here is his point: live like who you are: parent out of our perfectness. If our attitudes/ feelings/ actions don’t line up with this truth God will reveal that.

Here is a question I have been asking myself a lot lately… so how do I parent perfectly? I know lots of “parenting gurus”, I have
heard lots of great advice…but what do I want to live from … “what would ______ do?” or even “what would Jesus do”. NO! I want to parent from “Jesus, what would you have me do?”.

Jesus is Love. Jesus lives inside me and He has made me perfect. And you know what? If you have chosen Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He lives inside of you. He has made you perfect.

You are the perfect parent for your child. It’s not based on how you feel, or how you act. If God has entrusted a child to you, He has decided you are the perfect person for that child. If you are a parent and God lives inside you. You are a perfect parent. Now, let’s enjoy Him and enjoy them.

For a week, the shoe was missing. I had asked my daughter where it was. She said she didn’t know and I moved on. No big deal. I can replace the shoe. She is my more responsible daughter, not like her to lose or misplace something, it’s fine.

Then a week later, it turns up in her dance bag. Yay! “Wonder how it got in there”, I say and my daughter burst into tears.

Let’s back up… a month before this her sister had lost a tennis shoe. And I may have overreacted… ok I did overreact but this daughter is careless with her things. She throws things, leaves things places. It drives me crazy! So I yelled and made her feel guilty when her tennis shoe went missing. In the moment, I felt fine about my response. She needed to feel guilty, she needed to be more responsible. And my loud and reactive response was going to get her to behave the way I wanted (sense the sarcasm).

So now here we are a month later and my other daughter is in tears. She knew her friend had been playing with her shoe as they got ready for dance but wasn’t sure where it had ended up and didn’t want me to be upset with her. So she didn’t tell me.  She had been feeling bad about it all week.

We had a great conversation. We talked about why it is important to always tell the truth and that we don’t keep secrets from each other. We talked about why we feel that way when we don’t tell the truth.  And I apologized for the way I had responded a month ago to her sister. (Side note: I did go apologize to that daughter too.)

This was a big moment for my daughters and me. They needed to know they can trust me. They can trust that I love them even when they mess up. Even when they don’t tell the truth. Even if they had purposefully thrown their shoes away. They need to know that my love is not based on behavior. THE RELATIONSHIP IS MORE IMPORTANT. Because when the big mess ups come in life they need to know I can be trusted to help through the mess.

And I need to choose differently next time. I WANT to choose differently next time. I want to respond and not react. I want to earn their trust and respect.

Recently someone said to me, “How beautiful would it be if when our kids messed up, they rushed into our arms to help them. They could share their failures knowing we love them so much we want nothing more than to help them work through them.”

In other words to trust me more than they fear the consequences. Please hear me, I am not saying there shouldn’t be consequences. Maybe I won’t buy a new pair shoes right away or they have to help pay for them. Or maybe I will buy them a new pair that moment because the relationship is more important than the lost shoes! MY  heart is always for them and my response to them needs to reflect my heart.

So…I need to take a chill pill. I need to let God, who is peace and love, share His LIFE through me.

My kids are going to make mistakes (a lot of mistakes) and my response to them matters. Big and small mistakes, on purpose or accidents, how I respond matters.

Good news! I have Jesus living inside me! So I have all the patience, all the discernment, all the love living inside me. May I live out of this truth. And may you too!