Happy Birthday, Jesus!

It's been a beautiful morning here. Luke was up first around 6am, but didn't wake us because he was so focused on his new legos from last night. Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa for the extra sleep on Christmas morning! I woke up around a quarter to seven and made coffee. :-) Erik and Paul joined us within the hour. While Erik and I enjoyed coffee time on the couch, the boys played with their new toys from last night. You might ask yourself how we achieve this level of sanity on Christmas morning...pretty simple. I leave the presents and stockings in my closet until after our first and most important tradition...birthday cake and birthday presents for Jesus. I also seed the grandparent's giving on Christmas Eve with a few things I KNOW will keep them occupied! I'm no fool!!
So after coffee time, a morning staple in our household, we had our birthday cake time. Yes, we sing. Yes, it's a little cheesy. Yes, we blow out candles. Then comes my favorite part. We pass around the Compassion catalog and each of us gets to pick a gift to give to Jesus. (Thanks, Jill, for the AWESOME idea!) In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus relates what it will be like when He comes again. He says in verse 40, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Makes sense. It's His birthday and He has made it clear how we can give Him gifts.
The boys picked great gifts for Jesus this morning. Paul was stoked about giving a goat. Luke gave a soccer ball. I gave educational supplies. Erik gave a mechanic workshop to another dad.
Jesus, thank You so much that we have such an abundance in our lives. Thank you that we can give You these gifts because of Your grace and Your mercy in our lives. We love You. Happy Birthday!!

Let Every Heart Prepare

I don't think it was coincidence that there was no room in Bethlehem's inns for Mary, Joseph and the soon-to-be-born Jesus. I know there were many reasons why God placed His only Son on earth in such humble circumstances. But the one that struck me today had to do with making room. That first Christmas, nobody made room for the Christ. Too busy with the census crowds. Too many other paying customers. It happened exactly as God planned, but I see an illustration for me today. The majority of people in Bethlehem that night couldn't be bothered to notice the coming of the Messiah. Not one could manage to provide for the basic needs of two fellow human beings. Really? There had to have been a couch available somewhere! But I guess that would have been pretty inconvenient. I hear the Holy Spirit prompting me, asking me, "Amy, have you made room? Spiritually? Can you let go of your expectations for tomorrow morning and worship Christ the Lord with a clean heart? How about making some room physically? Is there room in your car for a few more people to come to church with you tonight? Is there room at your table for families who don't know Me? Will the "least of these" be welcomed or shunned by you?" I am so convinced that when I love the folks that our society ignores, when I serve my neighbors selflessly, when I am inconvenienced by making room for others, I see Jesus Christ more clearly and worship Him more fully.
And now for what has to be the most realistic nativity scene I've ever witnessed. Our five-year-old helped my mom set up her nativity a few weeks ago. Take a peek.




I love how everyone has their backs to us, looking instead at the wonder, the miracle of God in the flesh.

Sunday Surprises

Yesterday, the fourth Sunday in Advent, was filled with so many joyous surprises that I almost don't know where to start. How about the beginning? :-)

Each Sunday morning begins with a phone call to Shepherd's Door, a shelter and recovery program for homeless women and their children just down the street from us. We are blessed to pick up any women who want to attend Mosaic. I call each Sunday to see how many women have signed up to come so that I can have the appropriate number of seats in the car. Lately we have just had one regular, a wonderful woman whom we are coming to know and love. Yesterday when I called, there were three women signed up! Add in the other young woman that I sometimes transport and we are talking about a nearly full mini-van headed to church. Glory to God! In addition to this, we had a phone call from close friends saying they were super excited to be headed to Mosaic for their first visit. All told, there were eight of us filling up an entire row worshiping the newborn King together. Some had never met before and some had been friends for over two decades. Didn't seem to make much difference. So much joy! I can't really explain it, but when I have brought people to church with me who would otherwise be unable to get there, my worship experience is richer and fuller. I've said it before. My heart is softer when I worship alongside women who have lives that so amazingly reflect the transforming power of the Cross of Jesus Christ. Recently homeless, drug addicted, and lost, they are now transformed to hope-filled women who can (and do) talk personally about the emotional, physical, and spiritual healing that only Jesus can bring. I could hang out with them all day!

Anyway...the fun Sunday surprises continued as we headed home after church. The boys were getting a little unruly, when I remembered/noticed the Advent gifts from Grandma and Grandpa up on the mantle. Sweet! A distraction! The boys pounced on the gifts, nearly missing the card, which became my favorite part. Grandma and Grandpa bought chickens for a family in the third world through the World Vision gift catalog in honor of the boys. In addition, amazingly clever Grandma purchased adorable little play chicks and hen and rooster. The boys adored the toys and when we explained to them about the chickens they were excited about those as well. I told Paul about how the chickens would provide eggs for a hungry family. He replied by saying, "Oh, I love scrambled eggs. They are so good." I thought for a minute I was going to have to change my dinner plan, but he was able to agree that the children who received the chickens could enjoy scrambled eggs. We didn't have to at that exact moment. Whew!

Our final surprise of the evening came after nap. It began to snow on our street. This is not a common occurrence in our area of the world. We all went into the living room to watch out our big picture window. I headed to the kitchen to make popcorn. While I was gone, Erik turned the couch around to face the window. We all must have sat watching for at least a half hour. Anyone who drove by would have seen all four of us watching out the window like it was a giant screen TV. I notice that my kids, who are almost completely deprived of television, are so willing to watch real life for long periods of time. I love it.

Once the bark dust was covered with a thin layer of white, the boys decided it was time to venture out into this strange white world. Bundled, layered and hilarious looking, they headed into the backyard for a grand total of about twelve minutes. Snowballs were made and thrown, mostly at Mommy until she came up with the inspired idea of hitting the stone wall instead. I will include pictures for your enjoyment.

On a final note, I'm SO thankful that God has slowed me down and quieted me this Christmas. In years past, we would have been running and doing yesterday. Shopping or caroling or visiting or baking...none of which are bad things. But instead, I watched probably the only snowfall of the season with my family and thanked God for sending such beauty to grace our little lives.

Watching the snow with Daddy

Out we go!

I think Paul just wanted there to be more of it. Sorry, buddy.

Luke loves the snow! Until he gets cold. :-)

Isaiah Devotional

We are studying the book of Isaiah this year with Bible Study Fellowship. It has been so incredible. Just this past week I encountered a passage that I am certain I had never before read.

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says:

"In repentance and rest is your salvation,

In quietness and trust is your strength,

but you would have none of it."

Isaiah 30:15

Isaiah is speaking to the people of Judah and they are completely uninterested in the beautiful promises of their Sovereign Lord. The following verses go on to outline how they would rather trust in the swiftness of their horses and their alliances with neighboring Egypt, than the Omnipotent God who created them. God knew when He gave these words to Isaiah that Judah would not listen. But He gave them anyway because He knew that close to 2,700 years later, they would pierce the soul of this stay-at-home mom as she struggles with how best to celebrate the birth of her Savior.

You see, I am a do-er, a loud, noisy get the job done type. My nature is to be busy, and because I am a follower of Jesus, I am often doing and being busy for Him. And I convince myself that this is a good thing. Especially at Christmas time. Go here. Do this. Serve there. Bake that. Decorate some. Wrap some. Isn't this fun? And at the end of it all, I am usually left lying in my bed thinking, "Really? Did I encounter Jesus today or did I just get stuff done?"

In repentance and rest is your salvation.

In repentance...I'm so sorry, Lord, for turning the celebration of Your birth into a to do list.

and rest...So hard for me. Help me, Lord, to let go of all the things I think I HAVE to do and instead do only that which You have for me.

In quietness and trust is your strength.

In quietness...I can hear myself making excuses. But Lord, it's such a busy time of year. I don't have time to be quiet, to be still before You. I have to ask myself - Why is it so busy? Honestly I'm getting the feeling it should be less busy than all the other months. Less hectic. What would happen to Christmas if I resolved to spend more time being quiet in the presence of the God who created me and knows me best? Actual minutes, dare I say hours, in quietness before Him. Lord, that is going to require a lot of...

Trust...If I am going to spend real time in quietness before You, then I am going to have to give up some of the hustle and most of the bustle that has actually defined Christmas for me. Will it still be Christmas without all this activity? Without the wrappings and trappings of all that has been traditional for me for so long?

I can hear His still, small voice whispering. Trust Me. It will be more like Christmas. Be still, My child, and know that I am your God, Incarnate, the Word made flesh, eternal and cosmic, yet imminent and human, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

O come, let us adore Him, in the repentant, restful, trust-filled quiet of Christmas.

Practical Matters

I think it is important to share how Advent Conspiracy works practically in our home. We DO exchange gifts on Christmas. Each year we look at our budget and decide how much we want to give away. The amount leftover is what we can spend on gifts. In order to use those funds most effectively we have been known to buy used gifts for our boys. (!) They seriously don't care. To them something new to them is new. And I'll tell you right now that the absence of toy packaging is brilliant! Another completely hilarious thing we've done is give them toys that have been removed in the past. Often when the boys fail to clean up the playroom, mom or dad cleans up with a big box that we store in the garage. Perhaps a toy they lost six months ago reappears from the box in the garage. We did this last year and it was a huge success! I know. What kind of mother am I? Only time will tell if I have permanently scarred my children by reducing the hype that surrounds the birth of Christ. Each boy does receive three gifts from us on Christmas morning, corresponding with heart (a toy), soul (something for spiritual growth), and mind (an educational gift). Actually this year, I found these AMAZINGLY cool shields for $5 each, but I already had their toys. So...I fudged a little. We homeschool these guys and we have been studying medieval times with knights and such. That makes the shields their educational gift this year, right? :-)

Regardless, the goal is that on Christmas morning the boys will experience the joy and wonder of gift giving and receiving without having it be blown out of proportion. I'll let you know how it goes!

Dialogue With My Son

I recently asked our five-year-old, "What are you most looking forward to this Christmas?" Don't ask me what response I was expecting. I don't really know. Moms can have such crazy expectations of their kids, and I'm no exception. He was on the verge of saying, "I don't know," his favorite answer right now, but stopped himself.

"Oh! The presents!"

Such a natural response. I said, "The presents are pretty great, aren't they? Do you remember why we give each other presents on Christmas?" Notice the mom trying to salvage the teachable moment.

"Nope."

"We give each other presents on Jesus' birthday to remind each other that Jesus is the best gift that has ever been given."

He smiled and asked to be excused from the snack table. I excused him and thought, "Oh well. He doesn't get it yet." I went back to doing dishes and he headed into our living room to sit in his favorite chair. Moments later I heard his sweet, small voice singing.

Joy to the world, the Lord has come.

Let earth receive her King.

Let every heart prepare Him room.

And heaven and nature sing.

So often thoughts my boy cannot articulate in words instead appear in his play or his singing. Perhaps his heart, like mine, is striving to prepare Him room amidst a culture that seems uninterested and distracted. I'm praying that when Christmas morning arrives this year, we will sing joyously and experience the ultimate blessing of honoring Jesus Christ as the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

Letters from India

In case you are under the impression that I have it all together, I'm going to burst that bubble right now. I am very much a work in progress. I have a decent amount of baggage that hangs on Christmas, stemming mostly from a childhood spent at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder in suburban America. I relate the following as an illustration of how Christmas is changing me this year.

About three weeks ago, I shared with my husband that I really wanted to be surprised this Christmas by something special under the tree. I could see him groan inwardly. I thought, "Come on! I work hard all year, raising these boys, cooking your meals, doing most of your laundry and keeping this house moderately clean. I deserve something special." Seriously. I was thinking these thoughts and feeling pretty justified in having them. We never reached any conclusions about how my poor husband would accomplish this task, but we left the conversation committed to the idea that Amy should get a surprise.

Last Wednesday I rushed to get the mail, looking for Christmas cards, and found two letters from the girl we sponsor in India. Asha is twelve years old. We have only been sponsoring her for about six months through an organization called Compassion International. She writes to us more than we write to her. These letters are so honest and heartfelt. They are filled with unadulterated gratitude, and they make me cry every time I read them. More so today.

Her birthday was in September. We sent $20 so that adults who work in her village could buy her a gift from us. They purchased her some clothing. One of her letters was focused solely on thanking us for this gift. She begins each letter by greeting us in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, followed by words conveying that she and her family are all well by the grace of God and telling us she prays that we also are well. She prays for us. Then she goes on to tell us how happy she felt when she received our gift, a Salwar suit. She finishes by thanking us for our love and support.

Folding the letter, I looked across my living room at our Christmas tree, and my heart underwent a radical transformation. It was better than the Grinch. I no longer wanted a surprise under the tree. Instead I want to give away lots and lots of money, as much as we can stand. I want to sing the praises of Jesus on Christmas morning, read the account of His miraculous birth, eat homemade birthday cake, open homemade, slightly tacky gifts, and know that children like Asha have clean water, clothes, food, and education. I think that we will re-read her most recent letter that morning. I'll probably bawl like a baby, but I need the reminder. Christmas does NOT come from a store. Christmas is about the love of God come to earth in a place we wouldn't expect to give us a gift we don't deserve. Nothing embodies this more for me right now than the love of Christ seen in a twelve-year-old girl from India who prays for my family and gives thanks to God in all circumstances. I'm so grateful for her example.

Where is Amy's Christmas Letter?

Dear Friends,

This year is different. We are different. In an effort to spend less and give more, I decided to forego sending out a Christmas letter this year. This was actually a pretty big sacrifice for me. I love writing the letter, addressing the envelopes, thinking of each of you individually. But as I contemplated the price of the cards and the stamps, I realized I wanted to give that money away instead. Does that sound crazy? It feels a little crazy, and I know there will be those who won't understand. That's okay with me.

In lieu of the card and the letter, I invite you to join me on this blog to read how our family is celebrating and worshiping during Advent. We have certainly not "arrived" and are in no way a perfect example, but we press on toward the goal of being like Jesus Christ, the child born in the manger, Immanuel, God with us.

And now, because some of you only read my other blog for the pictures of my boys, here they are decorating our Christmas tree last week. I will write more about that experience soon!

The Beginning

It all began three years ago. Mosaic, our church, introduced us to something called Advent Conspiracy. The idea is that Christmas has become something that is no longer about the birth of Jesus Christ. The shopping. The lines. The debt. The stress. Not very pretty. And not what people who follow Jesus are supposed to focus on during the celebration of His birth. Not only that, but there is so much MORE we could be doing. Christmas can still change the world. (I stole that line.) What if Christians in America stopped buying crazy expensive gifts for each other and instead gave the money to those who literally have nothing?

It's a pretty radical concept, and it has taken us a few years to embrace it. I wouldn't say we have arrived, but this blog will attempt to chronicle our journey as we seek to spend less, give more, worship fully and love all.