Merry Christmas 2013!

Today,

"May God grant you:

The LIGHT in Christmas, which is faith.

The WARMTH of Christmas, which is love.

The RADIANCE of Christmas, which is purity.

The BELIEF in Christmas, which is truth.

The ALL of Christmas, which is Christ."

-Wilda English

A Very Merry Christmas

To You!

Sincerely,

Julianne

What We Are Reading This Advent Season

Advent is upon us.

A season of Hope, 

Peace, 

Love, 

and Joy.

Christ has come!
And though we have longed for heaven,
we can not reach it, and so,
Heaven came down.

Gratitude pours forth,  Oh  how thankful I am!!  

Our family, cat included,

is relishing the time of drawing near to the Savior.

  One way our family does just that is by devoting our evening reading to that of Christ's coming.

In years past, we have loved reading and re-reading
These wonderful Books,  by Arnold Ytreeide.

but  though we love them, this year we are trying out something new, 

along with our beloved Advent book.

. 

I found  25 readings for Advent from The Jesus Storybook Bible on Pinterest.  

This is just right for our little ones. 

click here:  advent reading plan

And inspiration for the rest of us comes from a well loved author and blogger, Ann Voskamp, 

with her new book, The Greatest Gift. 

 Ordered on Amazon, it was delivered to our door in two days.  

 In the bittersweet cold, sub-zero weather,

 we draw near the fire, 

gathering to read about the one True Light. 

 The One who warms our hearts with his love.  

Who gives us hope.  

In whose presence is peace found,

 and joy immeasurable.

Advent is a gift to unwrap and cherish.
Come and draw near.

Come and adore him.

The gift
is His presence.

Log Cabin Christmas Decor

 The weather is very cold, 

the fire is blazing, 

Advent has begun, 

which means...

it is time to decorate the Lodge for Christmas!

We celebrate Advent, we do not have a tree, or gifts, 

and we decorate for the whole winter, 

which we think is very fun and festive.

 Keeping with a non-materialistic idea of the holidays, 

our decor is mostly the natural greens and flowers, 

candles, plaids and woolens,

and the opportunity to rearrange furniture ....

again.

(chuckle)

Ya' all asked for a peek, so here we go....

From the dining room working to the right through the living room, 

and ending in the sitting area next to the kitchen:

 Notice the little bundle napping in the window seat. 

These days of no little wee ones to rock to sleep, I count every day of littles napping a joy to behold.  Children at sleep are just so adorable.

I adore big bountiful mantle arrangements, 

but such would burn the house down over a real warming fire such as ours, so minimal it is.

A favorite reading and napping spot equipped with a pile of quilts at the foot of the cot.

Our Advent wreath this year on the piano.

The children's nativity in the window sill.

and then the kitchen-

Christmas is a great time to relish in the joy of homemaking; 

whether it be feathering our nest with seasonal beauty, 

creating delicious yummies in the kitchen, 

or inviting others in for fellowship and hospitality.

There are oh so many ways to glory in the wondrous season!

Advent Days

It's the most wonderful time of year!

There's excitement in the air as Christmas Day draws near.  

All kinds of special events fill the calendar bringing festivity, cheer and good will.  

 Here is a look at some of the fun.

Daddy took Rose on a daddy/daughter date to see a play of Little Women. 

 Gabe and Olivia just had to be in the picture too.

Rose followed that up with a special craft with the children. 

 They had a ball making cards 

and then planning on who shall receive them.

In the spirit of the season,

 as night falls on freshly fallen snow, in what Brian called perfect weather,

 he led a group caroling to local shut ins,

 bringing good cheer (and many a tear) to warm their hearts, 

as well as a basket full of home made goodies to warm their tummies.

                        At the end of the day, twinkling lights and pine garlands decorate the lodge,

               a crackling fire and a mug of mulled cider awaits those who have been out and about. 

  All ready for bed,

 the children gather  round as Brian reads the familiar Christmas story in the Advent book,

 a story they have fairly memorized by now,

 but still has a captivating appeal.

                                             These are days filled with bits of treasures 
                                              that glow in my memory from year to year.

Embracing Advent: JOY

During the last few weeks of Advent, 

sickness and sadness,

 along with difficulty have filled not only our home, 

but many we know and love

 and many whom we don't know, but feel for them just the same.

Oh, there has been plenty of love and laughter here,

 as there always is when small children are present,

 but finding joy has been less than easy, 

in fact, it has only come by making a deliberate choice.

 Joy doesn't always come in laughter and mirth. 

 Joy isn't always dependent upon our circumstances. 

 The deep joy that comes from what Christ has done for us constantly fills our hearts, 

and sustains us through trials and difficulty. 

 I have been thinking that it was this kind of joy that upheld Mary 

through what must have been a very difficult time for her socially 

when she was carrying the baby Jesus. 

 Knowing the effusiveness that usually ascends upon women when they are pregnant, 

I can only imagine how alone, hormonal, and weary she must have been....

yet, if she kept her mind set on WHO she was about to give birth to-

 the deep joy of the Lord would have given her great comfort and strength.

  My heart breaks for those who don't know this kind of joy because they don't know

 the One

 whose presence fills one with joy.  

There are many who are hurting and alone, dealing with pain and tragedy,

 and my prayer is that they would come to KNOW 

the 

Joy-Giver, 

and find their souls delight in Him,

 even when times are rough.

These are the things we have been discussing in our home these last few weeks as we celebrate the season.

It has been a bitter sweet time:

 knowing so many are hurting and lonely,

missing our own family far and away, 

dealing with sickness and difficulty ourselves...

When I drove the van off the road into the ditch and had to be pulled out, 

I found it difficult to be joyful. 

 A brother challenged me as to whether the joy of the Lord was my strength.

At that moment, I felt pretty weak and sick to my stomach for the near miss of a tree,

 but later, as I am sometimes a rather slow learner,

(smile)

I came to see the good in it. 

 Instead of it getting me down,

 I could choose to be joyful, 

by an act of my will. 

 By focusing on Christ instead of the situation. 

 By seeing the good things..like the fact that we didn't hit the tree.

We choose joy. 

 We choose what we think about and focus on. 

 Giving thanks, and... well, giving.. 

are ways we can focus our minds into activities to lift the spirits.

Each day at dinner, we each give thanks for something as we begin our dinner.

Even during hard times there are always multiple things we can be thankful for

 if we only take time to think of them.

This has been really helpful to me, and good for the children as well.

This is the season for giving, 

and that may not always be gifts, but the best of gifts, which is, ones self.

Contrary to what comes naturally,

 putting others first and GIVING of ourselves is a most delightful and joy-filling thing to do,

 or, way to live.

Wanting to get this across to our children, and practice it ourselves,

yesterday, we spent the afternoon baking up goodies to send to loved ones

 and goody plates to give to neighbors.

Jim and I tag teamed 5 kinds of cookies, Rose helping too.

It was fun, 

and the thought of our neighbors sinking their teeth into 

some of the best cookies we make

 filled my heart with delight.

(feeding people is my spiritual gift...

or love language---

perhaps both.)

This holiday season, may we all take to heart 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Be joyful always; 

pray continually; 

 give thanks in all circumstances, 

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Why?  Because God knows it is good for us, for our hearts.

  A joyful heart is good medicine.

Maybe  that is why we are all well and healthy now...

and carrying on with the fun and adventure of Advent celebrations with new gusto.

So this is my prayer,

That we, 

and all you dear readers,

have eyes to see the bountiful blessings that are all around us this Christmas season,

 that we then, like unwrapping the gift, 

give thanks for each one of them,

 and therefore,

 are filled with JOY and good cheer.

Then, it will truly be a very Merry Christmas indeed!

Rejoice!

Rejoice!

Christmas is the day we celebrate love come down, 

God incarnate,

Jesus is born.

Halelujah!

We rejoice, in His love today,

 we rejoice that He is the King of Kings!

We rejoice that He Reigns over this Earth...the victory is His!

We rejoice that He, and He alone, saves!

We rejoice that through Him we have hope!

We rejoice that through Jesus, we have relationship and fellowship because of what He has done, and not through acts of worthiness, as they did in the Old Testament!

We rejoice that He came! 

Praise the Lord!

Have you ever thought of what it would be like if He hadn't come?

Let your mind ponder that one.

The result should be unexpressible thankfulness, 

worship, and amazement.

REJOICE!

Merry Christmas form all of us at Providence Lodge.

Beginning Advent

Our fondest Christmas memories began to take place ten years ago, 

when a few odd circumstances set into motion a new tradition for our family, 

one which we would come to anticipate with great joy, 

relish its duration, 

and look forward to next year. 

The tradition of Advent.

The first thing that happened, was that we moved away from family

into a very small parsonage with our (then 5) children.  

Christmas time came, and we had absolutely no room for a Christmas tree.

  Secondly, we would not have family to celebrate with, 

and thirdly, we had very little means to purchase our chilren gifts. 

But alas, Brian found a wonderful book that inspired us to new beginnings. 

That would be The Advent Book, by Jack and Kathy Stockman. 

I think back on that year as a providential "accident"

that led the way for our family to let go of what we thought Christmas should be like 

and simply embrace celebrating the coming of Christ.

The way in which that formulated for us, was each evening for family devotion and reading time, 

we let the children take turns opening a door in the new book.  

All the children would eagerly gather together at daddy's feet to see what came next. 

We opened the last door Christmas day, and celebrated with a nice brunch, 

in which I made a new found recipe which would become another part of the tradition, 

Christmas Bread.

Our celebration that year looked so different from years before, 

and was so vastly more Christ centered,

that everyone agreed we should do the same thing next year.

Ten years later, we have added to the splendor of our Advent celebration,

and deterred from "Christmas" as our culture celebrates. 

We have found it to be a wonderful, simple, serene, focused season. 

Our children love it. 

I love it.  

We all cherish the rituals that hallmark this season.

The festivities include adorning the lodge with the natural beauty of evergreens 

and the capitvating and alluring glow of candles, 

a  Child friendly nativity,

an Advent wreath on the coffee table , 

and 25 handmade cards with some of the prophecies of the coming Christ.

To this we have the daily ritual, which we partake of in the crisp winter evening;

lighting  the wreath,

opening of doors in the Advent book, 

and the reading of a fictional book, such as Jotham's Journey,

while we gather by the fireside in the living room sipping a relaxing tea that will ready the children for bed.  Thus, each evening is oppulant with the warm companionship of family and meaningful readings.

Each Sunday night, the table is set lavishly for tea

as a way of emphasizing a new candle to light in the wreath, 

another virtue to learn and embrace. 

So many of our holiday memories have found their beginnings around the  family table, 

where family ties, discipleship, and home cooked fare join our hearts to one another. 

In our home, someone almost always spills their water. 

It would hardly be a Providence Lodge dinner without it,

but these are the very things that endear us to each other, and cause us to smile. 

Around our home, you will see the Wise Men, 

having set off on their journey to the Christ Child with a long way to go in the next 5 weeks.  

They are currently in the dining room window.

Mary and Joseph await their firstborn son on the newly fashioned mantle,

where a shepherd boy watches his sheep nearby.

The words of Advent,

Faith, Hope, Love and Joy, 

that teach us and instill in us a profound sense of the history,

the longing of so many,  

the full story and meaning of Emanuel, God with us.

This first week of Advent, we recall the Faith of so many over thousands of years,

looking for the promised one.  

As we sing O come O Come Emanuel, 

I cannot help but envision the multitudes whose souls longed to see the Messiah come. 

They had faith, they knew it would be, and they waited expectantly.

These people of Faith  held the 450 some prophecies of the Messiah close in their hearts, 

waiting and watching. 

They had Faith to believe God's Word and live by it, 

no matter what the rest of the world was doing.  

Inspiring faith. 

Oh to have such steadfast faith! 

When Christmas Day comes, 

and the last door is opened, 

the last candle lit,

the Christmas Bread made and enjoyed, 

we will make a little journey ourselves to visit family not so far away.

Our prayer then, is that through this focused season of Advent,

we will have embraced the Savior so thoroughly 

that the aroma of Christ is very present on us

as we live each day of the next year

for Him.