Join Me at my New Website!

Hello Friends!!

Thank you for joining me on my writing adventure! You all have the sweetest and most encouraging things to say to me that I truly cherish! Though my blogs have not been as frequent as I would like, I am still writing. Please join me at my new website to continue reading my latest posts.

https://pamelajune.wixsite.com/website

With a humble Love, 

Pam

I am His

When I was younger, I struggled with the idea of last names. Unless you happen to be the queen of England, last names are passed down through males. I was labeled by one man’s name and when I got married, my name would change to a different man’s name. I sort of felt like something that was simply exchanged. Like as kids when we had to have our names on school supplies, I felt like someone had taken a Sharpie marker and written across my forehead to whom I belonged. Whenever I would think about this, bitterness and anger would stir up inside me and I thought about how I should go about life with just my first name. It seemed to work out okay for Madonna or Cher. Then I wouldn’t belong to anyone. I would be my own person.

Then, Troy Carlson came along and when we started dating, I knew I wanted to be with him forever, but that idea of being tagged by even him still nagged at me, though I loved him. I realized that there would come a day when I would be a Carlson longer than I was a Kohler and decided to embrace this new title of Mrs. Carlson. Honestly, I didn’t really have the energy to fight the social stigma that would come from just being Pamela. Plus, my name isn’t cool enough to stand on its own.

As Troy tenderly loved and cared for me, those feelings of bitterness began to melt away. I no longer felt that I was a piece of property to be owned by a man, but I began to feel more like a treasure who was valued. Then the day came when I felt in my heart that I loved being labeled as Troy’s, not because I was something to be possessed but because I loved that my place was with him. I wear the Carlson name as a badge of pride and honor. I love being a Carlson because I love being Troy’s wife. Troy is loving, safe, wise and thoughtful. Belonging to him means I have a better idea of who I am as a person because I can exercise that within the freedom his his love.

Most of us struggle with this idea of control and the illusion that we have it. Our need to be our own boss and have our own identity has become the standard of our time but goes against the plan that God has for us. He made us and so we do belong to him, whether or not we choose to accept this reality. The thing is, God never meant for us to feel like we were just another marker in his school supplies box with his name written across the side. He too tenderly loves and cares for us and when we realize that we are His, then we also have a better idea who we actually are.

We are treasured. We are loved. We are valued. We are cared for. We are worth the transgressions that Christ bore for us. We are forgiven. We are co-heirs with Christ. We are children of the Living God.

I don’t know about you, but I love all those labels. I love those labels so much that I don’t mind at all that I belong to God. In fact, I gladly grab that Sharpie and write his name on my heart! In his fold, we are safe and loved and while that doesn’t mean we get to live easy and cushy lives, it does mean that our lives have purpose and meaning.

Today, when I think about to whom I belong, the bitterness and anger are gone. They have been replaced by love and gratitude.This realization did not happen overnight. I am still continuing to grow into the woman that God wants me to be but I can say with great pride that I know who I am. 

My name is Pamela Carlson. 

I am the wife of Troy and the mother to Zachary, Sadie and Ellie. 

I am organized, positive and on occasion, really funny. 

I am a mistake maker and a forgiveness receiver. 

I am a tuna hater but a french fry lover. 

I am a writer, a reader and a mover and a shaker. 

I am a radio rock star and a family dance party participator. 

I am Rock, Paper, Scissors giant and a directionally challenged navigator. 

I am a lose-motor-functions laugher and label maker queen. 

I am the kisser of the boo-boos and the celebrater of birthdays. 

I am deeply loved by my favorite person on the planet - who then showed me how deeply loved I am my by Creator.

But above all, I belong to the Lord.

I am His and He is mine.

One Handed Meals

A couple summers ago, we went to the zoo and there was the cutest little baby gorilla. We loved watching her as she held on to her mama and her mama didn't seem phased by the fact she had an infant holding on to her. She continued to swing and jump wherever she pleased as her little one held on with the jaws of life. That summer, we nick-named our Sadie, who was a baby at the time, our little gorilla baby because she was the same way. If Sadie was awake, she needed to be strapped on to me at all times. as she got older, I could even take my arms away from supporting her weight and she would still be clutching onto my body. Since then, I have gotten pretty good at doing things one handed or planning ahead for when I needed both of my hands. I have gotten back into the one handed groove as my Ellie is also a mama's girl and being baby number 3, she wants to make sure that she doesn't miss out on any of the action, so my one-handed skills have come in handy.

I was thinking about how I know so many stellar mamas, who are also rocking out daily tasks with just one arm and I thought maybe we could collaborate our secret skills when it comes to one of the hardest times of the day - dinnertime. Besides the fact that everybody seems to be COMPLETELY losing it during this time, and we are all desperate for Daddy to come home, in this season in my life, I am not a fan of planning, shopping, prepping or making dinner. I also, don't want to eat take out or frozen pizzas every night so you see my conundrum. I decided to hone in on my craft of one armed meals and I have been quite pleased. I thought I would share a few of my dinner recipes that are family favorites that you can make with one hand doing the cooking and the other hand snuggin' on your sweet babe. I will break down the recipe to tell you what you need to prep with both hands during a nap time or quiet time and how to prepare the meal with just one hand. Alright, let's get cooking!



CROCK POT CHICKEN - I use this for lots of recipes and whenever I make this, I always make a ton so I can freeze in batches for future recipes which also helps with one handed cooking.
Ingredients:
4 Large Chicken Breasts (at least, if you have a large family, maybe cook 6)
2 Cups Chicken Broth (or enough to cover the chicken to keep it moist - sorry for those of you who detest that word)

Directions:
2 Handed Prep:
Cut fat off of chicken and discard fat. Put chicken in a ziplock bag. Put in fridge until morning.
Get Crock Pot out and put on counter (This always helps to my mom brain to remember that I need to put something in the pot in the morning)

1 Handed Prep:
Open ziplock bag (okay, you need to hands for this, but you can still do it while holding a baby) and slide chicken into crock pot. Cover with chicken broth (again, you may need 2 hands to open the can but you are a pro and you totally got this.) Cover crock pot and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours. 

When cooked, shred chicken then place back into the pot and stir with the broth. At this point, you can use for your meal tonight or freeze in small batches for future meals.


BBQ Chicken Pizza - this is stupid easy and a family favorite. Double win!
Ingredients:
Shredded Crock Pot Chicken (The above recipe will make about 4-6 pizzas depending on how much chicken you like on your pizza)
Store Bought Pizza Crusts (I usually buy a 2-pack and make 2 pizzas so I can freeze one for a future meal)
1 Bottle of your Favorite BBQ Sauce (We usually use Sweet Baby Rays or if we are feeling fancy, Montgomery Inn BBQ Sauce)
1 Small Red Onion, Chopped
1 - 8 oz bag of Shredded Mozzeralla per pizza
Oregano

Directions:
2 Handed Prep:
Chop red onion

1 Handed Prep:
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees or whatever the pizza crust directions say. Put pizza crusts on pizza pans. Squirt a healthy amount of  BBQ sauce all over the pizza crust. (I often have my 4 year old and 2 year old help me. They each make a pizza since I always make 2 at a time. I have found they are more willing to eat a meal that they helped to prepare.) I give the kids a spoon and have them smear the BBQ sauce all over the crust. 
After squeezing the excess broth from the chicken, spread the chicken all over the pizza as well as the onion (I usually do this part because the chicken is messy and I don't want onion juice getting in the kids' eyes.) 
Cover with cheese (I give each kid a bag of mozzarella and they dump the cheese - I just help them spread it to the edges.) 
Sprinkle with oregano and pop in the oven for the amount of time the crust package says, usually about 10-12 minutes.

Serve with a pre-made salad bag and you have a yummy dinner that is a crowd pleaser, which you made almost entirely with one hand AND you included your older children in the process which built life skills for them and patience for you AND counts as quality time AS WELL AS having a hot meal that the husband loves which essentially makes you Mom of the Year or Wonder Woman or both. Probably both.


CHICKEN AND GRAVY w/ MASHED POTATOES- this is soooo good, you will eat until your belly hurts.
Ingredients:
Shredded Crock Pot Chicken (The top recipe will make about 8 servings - we generally have enough to make 2 full meals out of this which feeds 2 adults and 2 children)
1 Small-Medium bag of Russet Potatoes
Sour Cream and/or Cream Cheese
1 Stick of Butter, unsalted
1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
Corn Starch
2 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
1 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Poultry Seasoning
4 cups Chicken Broth (If you are making your Crock Pot Chicken the same day, you can use the broth that cooked the chicken and then add more chicken broth until you get to 4 cups)

Directions:
2 Handed Prep:
Peel and chop potatoes. Put in a stock pot and fill with cold water until the water covers all the potatoes evenly. Put on the stove until you are ready to cook. (Sometimes I leave the potatoes on the stove like this for hours because I will do this during nap time.)
Cut the stick of butter into 2 - 4 TBSP (or in half). You will use half for the gravy and the other half for the mashed potatoes.  Then cut each of the halves into smaller pads to make the melting processes go quicker.
Measure out the spices and combine in a small bowl. 
Measure out the flour and put in another small bowl.
Unwrap bouillon cubes.

1 Handed Prep:
Turn on burner to cook the potatoes. Periodically, stir the potatoes so that they don't burn at the bottom of the pot. Cook for about 20 minutes on medium high heat or until the potatoes are very soft and break apart easily when you put a fork through them.
Combine the chicken broth and bouillon cubes in a glass measuring cup. Microwave and stir until bouillon cubes are dissolved.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and spices and cook for 1 minute to cook the flour. Slowly whisk in the stock until smooth and bring to a boil. Slowly add a tablespoon at a time of cornstarch until you get your desired thickness. Reduce to a simmer and cook, whisking, until smooth and thick, about 1 minute. Add all the shredded chicken (drain if you did not use the broth from the crock pot for your gravy.)
Once the potatoes are soft, use a slotted spoon and transfer the potatoes from the stock pot into a mixer bowl. Add the remaining 4 TBSP of butter, a healthy tablespoon full of sour cream and/or a half a brick of cream cheese, as well as 1-2 TBSP of salt. Cream together. Mashed potatoes are a taste test process. You may need to add a little bit (like a 1/4 a cup) of milk to make them more creamy. You may want to add more salt or sour cream for flavor. My grandma always said to season lightly; you can always add more but you can't take it out.

Plate this dish with a healthy helping of mashed potatoes and then the chicken and gravy over top. Serve with your favorite steam-in-the-bag frozen veggies seasoned with a little salt and pepper and then snap a picture of your delicious meal to Instagram to all your followers that shows you are a culinary goddess, who just made a slammin' meal for your beautiful family - all while holding your gorilla baby. Sure, you'll need an extra application of deodorant, but your family will praise you and this meal has a pretty good tract record of ending with your husband doing the dishes.




Alright! Here are a couple of recipes to try and you should be able to get at least 2 meals out of both which is a bonus in my book because that is one less meal to plan in the future. I hope you enjoy these meals! Please feel free to send me your favorite one handed meals that I can post here and allow you to bask in the one handed culinary glory. Extra credit goes to those who also send me a picture that I can post along with your recipes.

Advent Story for Kids (with Instructions for Ornaments)

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I love the lights, the garland, the Christmas music, the anticipation my kids have, but I especially love how easy it is to talk about Jesus during this season. After all, he is the birthday boy! We use his birthday as an opportunity to talk about him even more frequently. When we see Christmas lights, we talk about how people are decorating for Jesus's birthday like we decorate for our birthday with streamers and balloons. When we give gifts, we talk about how the wise man gave gifts to Jesus all those years ago and how Jesus is the greatest gift ever. And we love making and eating Jesus's birthday cake for dessert on Christmas day. Zachary has told me, "Jesus won't mind if we eat his cake." We want to make sure that we really focus on what we are celebrating. It is so easy to get caught up in the Black Friday sales, shopping, Christmas lists and eating sweets. None of those things are bad, but we need to make sure we are always shifting the focus back to Jesus.

One way that we do that with our kids is by telling them about God's big love and the how that theme is strung all the way through the Bible. Last year I wrote out 25 short, kid-friendly Bible stories that start at Genesis and go all the way to Revelation. Each day, we open a box from our advent calendar, eat a piece of chocolate (the kid's favorite part) and read the story that goes with that day. Then we hang an ornament that I made that depicts an image from that story. It was pretty successful last year and with the kids being a year older, I am excited to see how it will go this year.

A sweet mama reached out to me and asked if I would tell her how I made my ornaments, but since I made up my own pictures and patterns, I wasn't able to give her a whole lot of direction. I decided to trace out the patterns and write out instructions for each ornament. I thought I would post them to my blog in case anyone would like to make these ornaments as well. Please know, this is a very easy task. I have never sewn anything like this before I started this project, so don't be intimated. You can do it! I am hoping that this will be a meaningful family tradition and bonus point for the fact that they are durable heirlooms.

I am also reposting the stories because last year I found a few typos and I also wanted to adjust the font to make it look more attractive. I tried to format the pages so that the stories would take up only half of a page. My plan is to reprint them on card stock and then use pretty scrapbook paper for a background.

May you and your family have a blessed Christmas season and know how deeply loved by our Savior who we get to celebrate this time of year.

Click Here for Link to Advent Stories

Click Here for Link to Ornament Instructions

Click on Image

Click on Image

The Top Knot

A.K.A Sticky Bun, A.K.A. Messy Bun, A.K.A Mom Hair

I know a handful of ladies who have what I like to call, Barbie Hair. The basic stipulations to Barbie hair are as follows: thick, long hair with large loose curls that look as though they have been kissed by the salon fairies. The hair on these ladies is so pretty, I have actually asked one woman if I could reach out and touch it. She laughed at this request, but I needed to make sure that these luscious locks were real and not just a mirage of Paul Mitchell promises in front of me. (Can I just tell you that not only was her hair as glorious as I imagined it would be - it smelled like a meadow of daisies shimmering in the morning dew.)

My hair longs to be like Barbie hair, but most days I am lucky if I can pull off Skipper hair. You remember Skipper, right? Barbie’s younger, less endowed, somewhat nerdy sister who still gets a nod from the popular kids because her older sister is BARBIE. My Skipper hair usually comes out on days that I make the effort to blow dry and then straighten my frizzy, wavy/curly/wild hair, but generally I just rock the top knot, because I don’t feel like messing with my hair when I could go downstairs and enjoy the one hour of alone grown up time with the hubs, watching TV shows in our DVR cue that are three to six months old.

I don’t know how some of these moms have the time or the skill set to fix their Barbie hair, but I would love to take a crash course to learn this talent. I am hoping that it is actually a magic potion that you spritz on your hair and then seconds later, your Barbie hair is revealed because after I bathe, jammy and put three kids to bed, I often have a small amount of energy left which I use to stand in my shower and clean off the stank of the day (or lift a glass of red up and down.) And waking up early to shower is just not in my wheelhouse.

Sometimes, I like to play off the top knot like I meant to wear my hair in a wet bird’s nest on purpose. This works occasionally, if I also make the effort to put on clothes that do not contain any elastic which, three months postpartum, is the equivalent to seeing a unicorn passing out free Girl Scout Cookies that have more than ten cookies inside each box. So, basically, I am lying to myself and avoiding mirrors.

When I see other moms out and about rocking their top knot, I have to fight the urge to salute them. I generally just smile while I wait for her to put her red blend in her cart and wonder if I should choose her bottle as well or stick to the $8.99 bottle that has been working for me thus far. I also want to high five those with the Barbie hair because parenting is straight up hard and if you are finding time to make yourself look beautiful, gosh darn it, I am going to tell you that you look lovely! (Also, if you are looking for a fun game, compliment another woman. We are so hard on ourselves and generally overworked that the look that comes over her face is fabulous when you tell her she looks pretty or you like her shoes or she has Barbie hair. Complimenting strangers is one of my favorite hobbies.)

So when you see me shopping/dropping my kid off at preschool/breathing and my hair looks like it is in a wrestling match with my ponytail holder at the top of my head, just know that there is Barbie hair in there somewhere. I am just still working out the magic potion.

Armor of God - Study Overview

As we say goodbye to 2016 and look forward to the new year, now is a great time to stop and reflect the many blessings bestowed to us last year. It is also a good opportunity to keep our eyes open to lessons that the Lord is grooming for us in the year to come. 2016 was a year of huge growth for me. Personally, I had cultivated a strong group of friends and mentors who have poured into me in amazing ways. Mentally, I became a stronger and more assertive person by slowly stepping away from my role as a people pleaser and really meditating on doing what is right for my family, which sometimes means saying “no” to people. Spiritually, I entered into a season of discipline as the Lord revealed to me that I needed to stop being a timid victim and start being the powerful woman he created me to be (2 Timothy 1:7).

It is amazing when the Lord is teaching us a lesson; the theme seems to come at us at all angles. Perhaps you first heard a little nugget from a friend. Then the following Sunday, maybe you heard a similar message at church. Later on in the week, a television program touched on the subject and before you know it, you begin to string together all of these “coincidences” and the lightbulb goes off. This was true for me when it came to the revelations I mentioned above but the meat and potatoes of my lesson came from a Bible study I did at my church.  The mentor moms for our class selected Priscilla Shirer’s The Armor of God and from the moment I opened the book, I could feel God whispering to me truths for my life. This seven week study focuses on nine small verses which had a lasting impact on my life.

Ephesians 6:10-19

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.

Because this Bible study is saturated with meaty and applicable material, I could easily dissect each week but that would essentially be walking you through the entire study, which I really suggest you study on your own or with a group.  I will share with you a few of my major takeaways from this study. This is also a great opportunity to mention that you will only get out of this study what you put into it. I have been a part of Bible studies were I did a bare bones minimum and walked away without many tools to help me and then there were the studies where I threw myself into the work and experienced God’s truth in a whole new way. I would encourage you to do the later with this study. I promise, you will get something amazing out of it.

Priscilla starts out her study with a powerful realization that whatever circumstance, person or problem that is taxing for you right now is not actually your real enemy. The real enemy in Satan. The Father of Lies wants us to believe that there is not a spiritual warfare going on, “because as long as you’re focused on what you can see with your physical eyes, he can continue to run rampant underneath the surface” (page 11). The enemy is not particularly creative when it comes to snagging you and me but he does know how to use the right kind of bait for each of us. On page 33, Priscilla lists the ten most favorite strategies Satan uses, specifically against women, which I have copied below. (If you do this study, I would highly encourage you to mark this page for future reference.)

Strategy #1 - Against your Passion

He seeks to dim your whole desire for prayer, full your interest in spiritual things, and downplay the potency of your most strategic weapons (Eph. 6:10-20).

Strategy #2 - Against your Focus

He disguises himself and manipulates your perspective so you end up focusing on the wrong culprit, directing your weapons at the wrong enemy (2 Cor. 11:14).

Strategy #3 - Against your Identity

He magnifies your insecurities, leading you to doubt what God says about you and to disregard what He’s given you (Eph. 1:17-19).

Strategy #4 - Against your Family

He wants to disintegrate your family, dividing your home, rendering it chaotic, restless and unfruitful (Gen 3:1-7).

Strategy #5 0 Against your Confidence

He constantly reminds you of your past mistakes and bad choices, hoping to convince you that you’re under God’s judgement rather than under the blood (Rev. 12:10).

Strategy #6 - Against your Calling

He amplifies fear, worry and anxiety until they’re the loudest voices in your head, causing you to deem the adventure of following God too risky to attempt (Josh. 14:8)

Strategy #7 - Against your Purity

He tries to tempt you to wear certain sins, convincing you that you can tolerate them without risking consequence, knowing they’ll only wedge distance between you and God (Isa. 59:1-2).

Strategy #8 - Against your Rest and Contentment

He hopes to overload your life and schedule, pressuring you to constantly push beyond your limits, never feeling permission to say no (Deut. 5:15).

Strategy #9 - Against your Heart

He uses every opportunity to keep old wounds fresh in mind, knowing that anger and hurt and bitterness and unforgiveness will continue to roll the damage forward (Heb. 12:15).

Strategy #10 - Against your Relationships

He creates disruption and disunity within your circle of friends and within the shared community of the body of Christ (1 Tim. 2:8).

When I did this study and learned Satan’s tactics, I realized that he was attacking me using eight of the ten strategies above. Now that I have more clarity on my personal issues, I can see, I was actually being attacked with all ten, unbeknownst to me. I foolishly believed the lies that my problems were with people and not the unseen. I allowed Satan to put blinders on my eyes and focus on anything but the real problem at hand, which only lead me down a path of unhappiness, guilt, and drama. After I learned these strategies, I was able to be more on guard and not fall into every trap that Satan set for me. With each trap I avoided, I became stronger, less timid and more assured that I was walking in God’s truth.

Satan is no fool. He knows how to lure us, even when we are aware of his strategies. He aims to work on what I call the Control Center. The control center has four levels: your mind, your will, your emotions and your conscience.  Priscilla describes how Satan works with the control center like this:

“Your Mind: distorting your thinking with lies about God, His Word, and even yourself, trying to cripple your soul through negative, unbiblical throught processes.

Your Will: redirecting your ambitions away from eternal, godly pursuit, luring you toward interests that are temporal, short-sighted, even directly opposed to the will of God.

Your Emotions: tampering with your feelings, piggybacking on runaway responses like anger, discouragement, revenge or sadness to persuade you into making unstable choices.

Your Conscience: influencing your conscience so it steers you to live in a way that doesn’t line up with biblical guidelines.” (page 71).

The most common way that Satan achieves his goal of attacking the command center is by using anger. He whispers to us that comments and actions of others are hurtful and purposeful and then encourages us to lick our own wounds until we are in such a pit of self-pity that it is too late to realize that he trapped us. We have become overly sensitive and take offense to anything and everything that is done to us, without trying to see the other person’s point of view or offering a heaping helping of grace which the Father always seems to deem appropriate for us. Priscilla says this, “When we are easily wounded and hurt by the words and actions of other people, and then choose to nurse those wounds instead of offering forgiveness and grace, we provide the enemy ample opportunity to plant a root of bitterness in our hearts - a root that’s sure to bear rotten fruit for many years to come.” (page 48) I have this sentence underlined and starred in my workbook because I was guilty of this. The Lord showed me that I had allowed bitterness to take root in my heart and it had started growing thick, black, ugly lines that would surely choke out all the love and grace quickly. I had to get real and honest and allow myself to experience past hurts again so that I could acknowledge them and then forgive and then let go. It was the only way to save my heart. This continues to be a work in progress for me, but when I am feeling like the victim and wanting to lick my wounds, I am reminded of Ephesians 4:27, “and do not give the devil a foothold.” I do not want to allow Satan to use my anger as a foothold for bitterness to take root. During this time, I also walked through “The Steps to Freedom in Christ” by Neil T. Anderson with a pastor from my church. A valuable exercise I took from that guidebook was when I remembered an act that was done to me to harm me, I first stop and acknowledge that it happened. Then, (out loud if possible) I say, “I choose to forgive (insert offender’s name) for (insert offender’s action).” I have found this to be extremely helpful in destroying the bitterness that was attacking my heart.

Priscilla ends this study with a number of valuable verses that prove our inheritance and identity in Christ (pages 178-179). Satan wants us to believe that we were not worthy of the sacrifice that Christ made for us. The Destroyer wants us to think that the gifts and worth that God bestows to us is for a more elite and righteous group but he is wrong. No matter what path led you to where you are, you are deeply loved. No matter what your past actions entail, you are covered by the blood of Christ and are forgiven. No matter who you are, what you look like or where you live, you are God’s workmanship.

Before you begin your study, I want to take a moment to pray for you.

Lord,

You are a good, good Father. You love us deeply and in a way that our human minds simply can’t even comprehend. You rescued us from our sin and because of your power and love, we have the opportunity to claim our inheritance here on earth as well. Thank you for your provision.

You know our innermost being. There is nothing we can hide from you. As we walk into the new year, I pray that you would guide our hearts to be bent to you. Help our ears to hear you more clearly. Prompt us to walk in your ways.

Protect these women who are about to embark on a journey of self discovery through Priscilla’s study. Show each of these women what you want them to know about you and themselves. Bless their time together. May you remove any hindrances that might keep these women from learning the revelations you have in store for them.

Thank you for your undying faithfulness. We love you, Lord!

Amen

**Originally written for Emerge Mothers Academy's Parenting Class**

Big God Story for Christmas

I love Christmas. I am one of those crazy people who gets excited to see Christmas decorations at CostCo in October. For me, the anticipation of the holiday is the best part so of course I love a longer anticipatory period. Since having children, Christmas became very important to me because it is paramount that Zachary and Sadie know that this holiday is not about Santa or presents or even those fabulous decorations at CostCo. It is about how God prepared a rescue plan for his people and that hero was Christ. In our family, we talk about how we decorate our house because we are celebrating Jesus, just like we decorate the house for the kids’ birthdays. We make Jesus a birthday cake, complete with dinosaur candles or something of the like. We talk about how the gifts under the tree symbolize the greatest gift ever given - Christ.

Last year, we introduced the advent calendar. Each day, we opened the next door of the calendar, Zachary would get a piece of chocolate and I would read a card and a verse that I got from our church. However, some of the cards were confusing, even to me and all Zachary cared about was the chocolate. I vowed to fix this for the following Christmas and decided to make my own advent story.  I figured I was a strong writer and this way I could make sure it was done the way that was the most effective for our kids. I decided to go through the whole Bible in 25 days all while being kid appropriate. Using my Bible and the Jesus Story Book Bible, I wrote out beloved Bible stories that oozed God’s love for his people. After I wrote my daily stories, I thought that because my kids are so young, it would be good to have a visual to help them remember the story. So, I made felt ornaments to go along with each story. The plan is to show the kids the ornament while I read the short story (and they eat their chocolate because let’s face it, chocolate makes everything more fun) and then they can take turns putting the ornament on a little tree we have just for such a thing. My hope is that this will become a treasured tradition in our family that will help to solidify God’s big story in hearts of my kids that they can recall throughout the year.

If you would like to share God’s big love story with your family, please feel free to use my advent stories with your family. Each day has a story, a Bible verse and a visual to help kids remember the story (the visual is in parenthesis). You could even add a creative activity for each day. Maybe you aren’t interested in sewing up 25 ornaments, that’s okay! Head over to your local craft store and find little trinkets to put inside your advent calendar or have your kids draw a picture of the story and tape them up in your home. Or print up the photos of my ornaments and use them how you like. The main idea is to talk about the love of God with your family and keep the focus on Christ this holiday season.

I wish you a blessed holiday season. May you experience God's love in a new way as you reflect on how He has a part for you to play in His Story. Merry Christmas!!

December 1 - Creation  (Earth)                            

In the very beginning, there was nothing - well, nothing except for God. God decided to fill up the emptiness with his beautiful creation. He created daytime and nighttime. He made the mountains and the oceans. He made all the flowers and trees and animals. God looked at what he had made and thought it was good. Then he made his best creation of all, people, named Adam and Eve and then he stepped back and thought his creation was very good. Just like you look like your daddy (or mommy), Adam and Eve looked like their daddy because God made them to look like him. God loved them with all his heart and they were beautiful and lovely because he loved them. Everything God made was good because God is good.

Genesis 1:1   In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

December 2 - Adam and Eve (Tree)

Adam and Eve lived in a beautiful garden that God created for them called Eden. They enjoyed eating delicious fruits and vegetables. They relaxed under the shade of the trees and enjoyed sunrises and sunsets and walks with God in the cool evenings. Adam and Eve had everything they ever needed because God took care of them. They only knew happiness and joy. There was no sadness or meanness in the Garden. Those things didn’t exist. God did have one rule for Adam and Eve and that was that they were not to eat the fruit of one of the trees in the garden. He told them that if they ate the fruit from that tree, they will think they know everything and stop trusting God and then sadness, meanness and death will come into the world. God gave Adam and Eve this rule because he loved them so much and wanted to keep them safe.

Genesis 2:16-17   And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

December 3 - Sin (Apple)

One day, while Adam and Eve were enjoying the garden, Eve found a snake slithering near the tree that God told them to stay away from. This snake was Satan, who was jealous and angry at God and wanted to ruin God’s beautiful creation, so he tricked Eve. That is what Satan does, he takes the truth and twists it into a lie and hopes you will disobey God. Satan told Eve that if she ate from the tree that she would be able to see the difference between good and bad; however, Eve had never seen anything bad. She only knew good, so Satan only wanted to show her what was bad. Satan was sneaky and tricked Eve into thinking that she knew more than God. Sadly, she chose not to listen to God’s words and she ate the fruit. Then she gave some Adam to eat and suddenly, they knew that something was very wrong. They felt scared – a feeling they never knew before - because sin had entered the world. This made God so sad. Adam and Eve couldn’t live in the garden anymore but God had a plan to get his beautiful children back.

Genesis 3:6   When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was pleasant to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

December 4 - Noah (Boat)

Years went by and now the earth had lots and lots of people but most of these people did not love God or listen to his words. This made God sad and frustrated. There was one man who still loved God and wanted to make him happy. His name was Noah. God told Noah to build a huge boat, called an ark and to fill it with two of every kind of animal on earth. The ark was going to be like a floating zoo! Then he wanted Noah and his family to get on the boat and take care of the animals. Noah was an old man, and even though this idea sounded strange, he built the ark because Noah loved God and knew that God’s plans were the best plans.

Genesis 6:8 & 19   But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. “You are to bring into the art, two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.”

December 5 - Promise (Rainbow)

Noah built the ark. Even though people laughed at him, he knew it was important to obey God. After Noah brought all the animals and his family onto the ark, God shut the door and then it began to rain. First it was just misting and then the mist turned into raindrops and the raindrops got bigger and bigger and then there was a huge storm. Pretty soon the puddles on the ground started to run together until the ground was completely covered in water and the water continued to rise. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights and the rain washed away the sadness and meanness that had grown since Adam and Eve left the garden. Then the rain stopped. After a while, the earth became dry again and God made a rainbow as a promise never to flood the earth again. God always keeps his promises.

Genesis 9:16   Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of ever kind on the earth.”

December 6 - Abraham (Stars)

More time passed and people were still mean and sad. Another man, named Abraham, loved God very much, so God told Abraham that he was going to give him a big family, with as many kids as the stars in the sky! Abraham was happy but very confused. He and his wife Sarah always wanted to have kids, but they were very old and Abraham wasn’t sure how God would keep his promise. But our God is a big God, who can do anything and he always keeps his promises. Wouldn’t you know it, God put a baby in Sarah’s belly and soon a baby boy was born. Abraham and Sarah were parents! They named their boy, Isaac and in the years to come Abraham and Sarah would be the grandparents and great-grandparents of many children who loved God.

Genesis 17:19   Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.”

December 7 - Joseph (Coat)

Isaac grew up and had a son named Jacob and Jacob grew up and had a son named Joseph, whom Jacob loved so much that it made Joseph’s brothers jealous, especially when their dad gave Joseph a fancy coat with lots of pretty colors. Joseph’s brothers decided to get rid of Joseph, so they sold him to some men who took Joseph to a place called Egypt. Then they told their dad that Joseph was eaten by a ferocious animal. You might be feeling pretty bad for Joseph, but God was in control and he had a plan for Joseph. He gave Joseph a special talent of being able to explain dreams and this came in really handy when the king of Egypt had a dream about . . . . cows. Yep, cows! First the cows were big and fat and then the cows were tiny and skinny and the king didn’t know why he was dreaming about cows or what it meant, so he called Joseph to help him figure it out. Joseph told the king that his dream meant that there would be a time were there would be lots of food to eat and then there would be a time were there wouldn’t be any food to eat at all. Joseph was then put in charge of saving up food for the times when there wouldn’t be any. During that time when food was scarce, Joseph’s brothers were feeling really hungry and went to Egypt to see if they could get some food. Joseph recognized his brothers right away and not only did he forgive them for how they treated him, he also moved all their families to Egypt so they could be together! Wow! What a great way to show love!

Genesis 37:3   Now Israel [Jacob] loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him.

December 8 - Moses (Burning Bush)

Many years passed and Joseph’s family was now huge and Egypt had a new king who forgot all about Joseph and how he helped Egypt all those years ago. This new king also didn’t love God or the people who loved God so he made them work all day long, without pay, and were very unkind to them. God’s people prayed to God that he would help them. God heard their prayers and decided a man named Moses would be the one who would lead his people out of Egypt. He spoke to Moses through a burning bush, but even though the bush was on fire, it wasn’t hurting the bush. This was very strange, even to Moses. Moses obeyed God and went to the king and told him to let God’s people go free, but the king didn’t want to lose all his workers, so he said no. God sent all kinds of gross things to Egypt, like millions of bugs, hail and sickness, but the king wouldn’t let God’s people go. The king thought his way was better than God’s way, so God had to do something drastic to get the king to change his mind. Moses warned the people that great sadness would be coming and that families needed to put a sign on their door that showed they loved God. Anyone who did not have this sign on their doors would lose their first-born son. That is what happened to the king. His son died and he was so sad and so angry that he finally agreed to let God’s people go. The king didn’t realize that God is in control and his way is the best way and when we follow God’s plan, he will keep us safe.

Exodus 3:2-3   There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that the bush did not burn up. Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight – why the bush does not burn up.”

December 9 - Crossing the Red Sea (Parting Sea)

After Moses led God’s people to freedom, the king in Egypt was mad and changed his mind and wanted to make God’s people his workers again. He gathered his army and chased after God’s people, but God always takes care of his children so God made a great pillar of smoke and fire so that his people would know where to go in the day or night as they left Egypt. God led his people to a big sea but his people were scared because the thought they were trapped and the king would surely get them. They shouldn’t have been scared, because God is in control. God sent a strong wind to blow on the sea. It was so strong that it cut the sea in half and a dry path opened up for God’s people to walk across. All of God’s people got across the sea but by this time the Egyptians had caught up to God’s people and were walking across the dry sea floor too. Then when the last of God’s people safely reached the other side of the sea, the wind stopped and the sea came crashing back down, right on the Egyptians and washed them away. God had protected his people in an amazing way!

Exodus 14:21-22   Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it to dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

December 10 - The Ten Commandments (Two Tablets)

After God saved his people from the Egyptians, they started to do a lot of whining which made God sad because he had just saved them and he was feeding them every day with food from heaven called, mana. He actually had their food rain down to them while they were in the desert. God wanted to help his people know him better so he called Moses up to a mountain to give him ten rules, called commandments. The most important rule was to love God more than anything else. There were other rules too, like don’t take things that aren’t yours or tell stories that aren’t true and to listen to your mom and dad. Remember that God gives us rules because He loves us and wants to keep us safe. God’s rules show how life works best.

Exodus 20:1-17   And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out the Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself and idol in the form of anything in heaven or above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord you God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor you manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his manservant or maidservant, his ox, or donkey, or anything belongs to your neighbor.”

***Due to the length and content of this scripture, it may be more appropriate to paraphrase this section.

December 11 - David and Goliath (Five Stones)

There was once a group of people called the Philistines, and they did not like God’s people. In fact, the Philistines were going to fight them and their chief warrior was a giant named Goliath. All of God’s people were afraid of Goliath because he was huge, but we already know that we don’t need to be scared because God is in control. A boy named David knew this and so he volunteered to fight Goliath. He knew that God would help him. The king tried to give David his own royal armor to wear but David didn’t need it – he had God. So, he went to a nearby stream and picked up five smooth stones. When the time came to face Goliath, he put one of those stones in his sling shot aimed for Goliath. The stone struck the big giant right between the eyes and Goliath fell to the ground. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they all ran away. The boy named David was a hero because he trusted God’s plan.

1 Samuel 17:40,49   Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.

December 12 - David's Promise (Heart)

David grew up and became a great king. He loved God but that doesn’t mean he was perfect. David made a lot of mistakes but God can take all our mistakes and make them work in his plan. David asked God to change his heart and forgive him of his sins. God heard his prayer and forgave him. He even promised David that one day the True King would be born from David’s family and this King would fix everything. This King would erase all the sadness and meanness from the world.

Psalm 51:10   Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

December 13 - Isaiah's News (Candle)

The world continued to be full of meanness and sadness, so God decided to share his plan that he told David with a man named Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet and his job was to listen to God and tell the people what he heard. God told Isaiah to tell his people that he loved them very much and he was going to send a Savior to be a bright light in our dark world. He told Isaiah that this Savior would come as baby and he would be born to a young mommy who was not yet married. This Savior would be a hero but there would be some people who won’t like him and they will make him suffer and die. But this Savior won’t stay dead. He will come back to life and one day He will rule forever!

Isaiah 9:6   For onto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

        

December 14 - Jesus is Born (Baby)

The time had come for God’s rescue plan to happen. There was a young girl, named Mary, who was going to marry a man named Joseph. An angel came to Mary and told her that she was going to have a baby boy and she needed to name him Jesus. Mary was nervous because she wasn’t married yet, but she was excited that God had chosen her to take care of his precious Son. About the time that Jesus was to be born, Mary and Joseph had to take a long trip to the City of Bethlehem. When they got there, they couldn’t find anywhere to sleep which was a problem because it was time for the baby to be born! One man said that Mary and Joseph could stay in his stable which is a fancy word for barn. That night, by the cows and the sheep, Jesus was born! A beautiful star shone brightly and it guided people to come and worship the new King.

Luke 2:11-12   For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

December 15 - Jesus is Baptized (Water)

Jesus grew up and it was time for him to start teaching everyone about how much God loves them, but first, he went to see his cousin John. John loved God and knew God was sending a Savior and it was John’s job to tell everyone to get ready for him. John would baptize people in water, which was a way to show that they wanted to follow God and start a new life. Jesus came to John to be baptized too. John knew his cousin was God’s Son and did not think that he was important enough to baptize Jesus, but Jesus wanted to be baptized to show us what we should do and because God told him to. God was so proud of his Son that his voice came down from heaven and said, “This is my Son, whom I love; and with him I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:17   And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; and with him I am well pleased.”

December 16 - Jesus' Disciples (Fish Nets)

Jesus needed to find some helpers and friends who would share with the world how much God loves us. First Jesus found some fishermen. He said to them, “Follow me,” and at once, they left their boats and fishing nets to go to Jesus. Jesus didn’t choose his helpers because they were really cool or had neat tricks. He chose ordinary people to show us that we can all be helpers for Jesus and share his love with everyone.

Mark 1:17   “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people”

December 17 - How to Pray (Hands)

Jesus taught people many things and one of those things was how to pray. He told people that God loves them and wants to hear from them and that we can talk to him about anything. Then he gave an example on how we can pray and it was like this:

God,

We want to know you and be close to you. We want you to be in control because your way is the best way. Please give us what we need for today.

Please forgive us when we hurt people because we know that it makes you sad when we are unkind. Please help us to forgive people when they hurt us, because you always forgive us. Help us to love other people, to be kind and to do what is good and right in your sight.

Keep us safe from those who want to hurt us. You are in charge and your plan is the best plan. We love you, Lord! Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13   “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”

December 18 - Birds (Bird)

It was really important to Jesus to talk about how much God loves us and has promised to take good care of us. Because of sin, our meanness and sadness are a part of our world and people tend to worry a lot. People worried a lot during Jesus’ time too. He told them to look at the birds. Birds don’t go grocery shopping at Kroger or Target. They don’t have pantries full of Goldfish or fruit snacks, but they don’t worry about what they’ll eat because God knows what they need and he feeds them. Then Jesus said that we are much more important to God than birds, so we don’t need to worry either because God will take good care of us too!

Matthew 6:26   “Look at the birds in the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable then they?”

December 19 - Miracles (Fish and Loaves)

Jesus did many amazing things while he was teaching. Things that people couldn’t explain because they were so awesome. These are miracles. There were times when Jesus made people who were sick, well again. There was a time when he calmed a big, scary storm. He fed a whole crowd of people with only five loaves of bread and two fish. He even brought people back to life who had died. Jesus did these miracles because he was the Son of God and to show us that we can do anything that God wants us to do.

Luke 9:16-17   Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

December 20 - The Last Supper (Bread and Wine)

Jesus was celebrating with his dear friends. After they ate dinner, Jesus got up and washed his friends’ feet. He did this to show his friends that he loved them and that he came to the world to take care of people. After his friends’ feet were clean, he took some bread and wine that were on the table from dinner and explained what was going to happen soon.

[“My body is like this bread. It will break,” Jesus told them. “This cup of wine is like my blood. It will pour out. But this is how God will rescue the whole world. My life will break and God’s broken world will mend. My heart will tear apart and your hearts will heal. I will die instead of you. My blood will wash away all of your sins. And you’ll be clean on the inside – in your hearts So whenever you eat and drink, remember,” Jesus said, “I rescued you!”[1]]

Jesus’ friends were sad and scared that Jesus was going to die, but Jesus told them not to be afraid and that God’s Helper would come after Jesus left. Then Jesus prayed for his friends, and for us.

Luke 22:19-20    And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

December 21 - Jesus Death (Cross)

After dinner, Jesus and his friends went to a garden so Jesus could pray to God.

[Jesus knew it was time for him to die. He and his Father had planned it a long time ago. Jesus was going to take the punishment for all the wrong things anybody had every done or ever would do![2]]

While in the garden, an army of soldiers came to arrest him even though he had never done anything wrong. The guards made fun to Jesus. They hit him and spit on him and made him carry his heavy cross up a hill where he would die. Then they nailed Jesus’ hands and feet to the cross.

Jesus could have climbed down from that cross. He could have said a word and made it all stop, but he stayed because he loves us. It was the middle of the day but the sun stopped shinning. The earth shook. Jesus cried out, “Father, I give you my life!” and then he let himself die. Jesus’ friends took his body and put it in a new tomb carved out of rock. Soldiers were sent to guard the tomb so that no one could get in. Or out.

Luke 23:45-46   for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

December 22 - Resurrection (Open Tomb)

Jesus’ friends were so sad. They didn’t understand how he could die. He was the Rescuer. How could this be? In the early morning on the third day, God sent an angel from heaven to roll away the huge stone in front of the tomb. Some friends of Jesus came to the tomb that morning and saw that the stone was rolled away and Jesus’ body was gone! The angel appeared to the women and told them not to be scared. Jesus wasn’t here because Jesus wasn’t dead! He was alive!!

Jesus appeared to his friends who were overjoyed to see their friend again. Jesus stayed with his friends for a little while and told them to tell his love story to everyone. Then he went up to heaven to be with God.

Matthew 28:6   He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.

December 23 - Pentecost (Flame)

Before Jesus went to heaven, he told his friends that he had a special present for them, a Helper, the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ friends were all waiting in a room together, waiting and wondering about how and when the Holy Spirit would come to them. Suddenly, a great wind came through the room and above everyone’s heads were flickering flames, like birthday candles, but bigger. Then inside their hearts, they felt something warm and fuzzy, almost like a hug. Their hearts were being fixed and now they could love people like Jesus loved people.

They were so excited that the Holy Spirit was going to live with them forever, that they ran outside the little room and told everyone that Jesus died for us because he loves us. Instead of running away from God, we need to run to him.

Acts 2:2-4   And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

December 24 - Spreading the News (Megaphone)                                              

Jesus had told his friends to share the Rescue Plan with everyone. Everyone needs to know how much God loves us and we need to believe that Jesus died on the cross to free us from our icky sin. Jesus told his friends that we need to spread the good news to our friends, our neighbors, to people who are hard to love and even to people on the other side of the world! When we have such good news like this, we just can’t keep it to ourselves!

And that’s just what the disciples did. They shared God’s love with everyone and many people believed and churches were formed and people were rescued! But sharing the good news was not just for Jesus’ friends back then. We are friends with Jesus too, so it is our job to share God’s love as well.

Acts 1:8   But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.                                                                        

December 25 - The Second Advent (Castle)

Many years after Jesus went up to heaven, he appears to one of his friends, John. John was very old now and had spent his years talking about Jesus. Jesus told John he was going to show him God’s amazing plan and it was John’s job to write it all down.

John saw a throne and Jesus was the king sitting on the throne. Everyone was bowing down and worshiping Jesus. They were singing and cheering for the Rescuer, Jesus. John saw Satan, the one who tried to ruin everything, defeated. There was also a beautiful castle made of precious stones and a street paved with gold and this city was coming down from heaven to earth. There was no sun to shine on the city because Jesus was the light that shone everywhere. There was no more crying, no sickness, no death or loneliness. No one was scared or running or hiding. It was wonderful! And Jesus wiped away every tear from every eye. He had made everything new and beautiful.

It was hard for John to write down all the amazing things Jesus showed him but someday we will get to see for ourselves what Jesus showed John. Someday we will get to live with him in heaven and there will be no more meanness or sadness. Jesus will come back to rescue us because he loves us so much!

Christmas celebrates Jesus coming to earth the first time as a baby boy born in a stable, but Christmas also celebrates Jesus’ second coming when he will fix everything. Thank you, Jesus!

Revelation 21:4   He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

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[1] Lloyd-Jones, Sally. The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name. Zonderkidz. Grand Rapids. (2007). page 292

[2] Lloyd-Jones, Sally. The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name. Zonderkidz. Grand Rapids. (2007). page 294