No Cards for Christmas!

We didn't get around to cards this year but if we had it would have been something like this...

(photo by Aimee Vandenberg)

If you can't read it, it says,

Have yourself a Mary Christmas!
.....Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet....
Luke 10:38-42

I never made the card but got the idea from a book I heard about on one of my favorite radio stations, KMBI 107.9.

Can Martha Have a Mary Christmas? by Brenda Poinsett

It really just made me think, that is what I want. I want a Mary Christmas, I want to sit at Jesus' feet and be with Him.

Around the same time a friend posted on FB about their families advent book. She gave me the info and we ordered it @ www.adventbook.com

Most nights we open the doors in the book and read the Christmas Story, one exciting moment at a time. It has been wonderful to re-read each day over again as we work our way to day 25. To ponder each detail of the Christmas story is fun.
*To think of how willing Jesus' mother Mary was.
*To think of what it would be like to have angels come and speak to me.
*To think of how John the Baptist leaped in the womb when Mary entered the home.
*To think of becoming a mother at an old age like Elizabeth.

After we read we turn off the lights and sing carols in the candle light and light of the tree. It doesn't really sound pretty to any human ears, but I know Jesus is smiling.

The kids love it. They love the mystery of what is behind the unopened doors. They love time together and they love when we do a little extra and top off the night with cider or hot cocoa. Eli sings with us and gets so excited when he helps open a door. Gavin even asks to do advent. He is often difficult when we try to do family devotions. He doesn't want to participate and be quiet, but with this book and the songs he is fully engaged and loving every minute of it.

We love to do fun Christmas stuff, buying gifts for the kids and watching them hide in their room while they make gifts for us. We love decorating and eating cookies. And We loved being part of a beautiful Christmas Drama at church. These really are great things, but as it comes closer to the celebration of Jesus' birth, I really do just want to sit at his feet, just like Mary.

"Slow Obedience is Disobedience"

This saying has been going through my head so much over the last 6 months and I am reminded of it daily. I am reminded every time I need to put the dog in the kennel. I say, "Lucy, kennel" and she looks at me and begins to move as slowly as possible to the kennel. I again say, "Lucy, kennel" and she continues on in the slowest possible manner. She is in no hurry to obey and I know if I walked away she would turn around and go bark at something again. It isn't really obedience, it is more like discipline prevention.

So, last night I read one of my favorite blogs and I love this blog post I just want you all to read it if you haven't already. I could not say it in such great words.

God is working among His people, He is calling disciples, He is calling us. He is calling us to obey, to follow, to lay down what hinders us and run the race He has set before us. What race is He calling me to today?

I want to obey immediately. I want to follow at once.

Just in case the race God is calling you to is ministering to the orphan, ( I think that includes all of us) here is another great blog post to read.