Advent Countdown

 “We must first know that our hearts are created for allegiance. They are also designed to crave full satisfaction, and so we naturally give our allegiance to what we believe will meet our craving for that fullness – what we often call peace and joy. In other words, the form and function of our lives fall in line behind our hearts’ greatest allegiance. We act according to what we love and value most. We give ourselves over to what we love and value most.” ~Christine Hoover, “With All Your Heart”

Our Advent tags began the countdown toward Christmas, and some of our familiar favorites made their much anticipated appearances.  Fondue as we celebrated Jesus' willingness to come immerse Himself in our world:  “And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception).” John 1:14 AMP

Mugs with family pictures: “Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion & robbery & self-indulgence (unrestrained greed). You [spiritually] blind Pharisees, first clean the inside of the cup and of the plate [examine & change your inner self to conform to God’s precepts], so that the outside [your public life & deeds] may be clean also.” Matthew 23:25-26 AMP

We used our weekends for "Serving Saturdays" and Katherine picked out donations for one of our local food pantries,

and we found an Angel Tree offering the opportunity to help out the Salvation Army.

“[Salvation] is a process that is worked out in the intimacy of our hearts and revealed in the transformation of our mundane daily lives. Though we do not, indeed cannot, initiate the process of healing and wholeness – it remains forever a gift – we do need to engage in actions that foster and celebrate God’s lifegiving power within and among us.”

~Norman Wirzba, “Living the Sabbath”

Matching Christmas pajamas that help us stay connected no matter where we live: “So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.”

Col. 3:1214 MSG