A Verse to Chew On for Christmas

Hi there!  I hope this post finds you doing well and enjoying this Special Season!

We are in the final countdown phase now aren't we!?!  Are your...

Lights Strung... 



...and Stockings Hung?

Cookies Baked...

... and Gifts Bought?

If you are among those with a checked-off check list then brew a cup of something warm and yummy and spend a few minutes relaxing...



If you are in my camp with a host of stuff yet to be done then skip the yummy and opt to sip on something with immune boosters included cuz we have work to do! :)



But what ever situation best describes you I hope you can take a moment or two to Chew on this Verse...

"...and they bowed down and worshiped HIM.  Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts."

Matthew 2:11 NIV

For those of you intimately acquainted with the Real Christmas Story you know that the 'they' referred to here are the Magi...commonly referred to as the Three Kings...

Truth be told...we don't know how many Kings or Wise Men showed up.


What we do know about this band of travelers is that...

* they journeyed a long distance to see  the "king of the Jews"

* they found Jesus by following a star

* they sought Him to worship Him

* they gave Jesus 3 gifts

There are so many rich bites in this part of the Christmas Story and so many interesting facts regarding this band of men...how they knew to follow the star...when they actually found Jesus...but we just don't have the time for all of that right now.

What I do want to focus on is that they presented Jesus with Gifts as part of their worship...and we should too...it is His Birthday after all! :)

For years now my family and I have made giving Jesus a gift at Christmas a priority. 

We begin to pray over Thanksgiving weekend asking the Lord to tell us what He would like for His Christmas present...when we feel confident that we know what His wish list is we write it down on a piece of paper...then we place it in our own special box under the tree...

On Christmas morning these are the 1st gifts opened...we share our gifts with each other...placing our focus on the true meaning of Christmas...and responding in like in a small way to the Ultimate Christmas Gift from our Father - JESUS!

Our gifts are usually a year long commitment of some sort ranging from...praying for unsaved friends to taking better care of the body He has given us to being in charge of bringing food to the church food pantry each week to doing better at obeying mommy and daddy the first time they ask.

The gifts vary year by year and family member by family member but the heart of the process remains the same...to acknowledge that this Holiday really is about Jesus and to draw closer to Him through this Season and walk with Him more closely through out the coming year.

I know we only have 6 days left until we celebrate His birthday and we may have countless things left on our to-do lists but we have plenty of time to seek Him for what He wants this year and wrap that up and place in under the tree and at the top of our heart!

Serving Him and you,
~Michelle...ApronGirl

A Verse to Chew On

It seems like just a minute ago it was Thanksgiving...and now we have just 17 days until Christmas!  My how time flies when you are trying to keep up with life!

I knew that it had been a while since my last blog entry (at first my absence was purposeful...necessary to complete preparation for a speaking engagement that I had) but I had no idea that it had been well over two weeks!  Good grief...this is what happens when I get out of what little routine I have left these days! :)

If you think my absence from the blog world was bad, you should have seen my house before my whirlwind cleaning this morning (please don't look upstairs quite yet)!!  What a mess it was!...and when my environment is a mess then I feel cluttered.

Now that the lower portion of my home is tidy and the halls are somewhat decked for the season I have a sense of much needed calm and mental clarity...but unfortunately not much time for a decent post (my cupboards are about as bare as Old Mother Hubbard's).

I did want to take a quick minute to jot just a thought or two though and give you A Verse to Chew On.

So that in everything they may be an ornament...to the teaching...about God our Savior.

Titus 2:10 Amplified

A good word for this Holiday Season...don't ya think!?! :)

Girls when we are busy with the hustle and bustle of preparing our homes for this Christmas let us remember that our calling goes beyond the baking of the gingerbread men, the getting of gifts and the tinseling of the tree.  We are called to be an ornament.  Just like the ornaments we hang draw the attention to the trees we place in our homes so our lives, character and conduct should draw the attention of those around us to the true meaning of Christmas...which is Christ! 

Remember that the Christmas Tree in our homes would really mean nothing if we don't look ahead in historical time to the Tree at Calvary! Is that confusing...sound almost like an oxy-moron?  I mean look ahead from the Baby in a manger at Christmas to the Savior on the Cross at Easter...not trying to rush holidays like the Retailers...just trying to illustrate a point! :)

So as we clean our homes in preparation for the Holiday let us ask the Lord to give us a clean heart and pure mind...and as we decorate for the Season let us ask the Lord to use us as His ornament to draw people to Jesus and bless them as we celebrate His birthday!

Serving Him and you,
~Michelle...ApronGirl