Day 3

Have you decorated your home yet for Christmas? If you have, you are a step ahead of our family this year. We aren't even going to get our tree until Sunday! I can't wait!!! I love decorating the tree while listening and singing along to our favorite Christmas songs. Ever since I was a wee little one, the first song we play when the tree goes up is Barbara Streisand's version of "Jingle Bells"! If you haven't heard it before... fasten your seat belt and prepare to... well... laugh at me, probably! You can listen to it here if you want to take a trip to the 1960's. 

Anyway, back to decorating... Today, I am going to challenge you to follow a pattern, decorate, and examine your heart! Can someone say, snowflakes? Wait..., what? It had been a long time since I had cut a snowflake out of folded paper, so I ran into some challenges before I finally went online to find a template. Once I had the template it was a breeze. It's amazing how instruction, better yet, detailed instruction can help guide us.... even if it is just cutting out snowflakes. So today, have fun decorating with some cut out snowflakes (you can always use your creativity here and of course let the kiddos make their own unique snowflakes). As you follow the pattern of the snowflake, consider God's detailed instruction, in Exodus 25, to the people of Israel to decorate the tabernacle. 

Personally, I love how the chapter begins in verse 1-2 "The Lord said to Moses, “Tell the people of Israel to bring me their sacred offerings. Accept the contributions from all whose hearts are moved to offer them." As you hang up your snowflakes, examine your Christmas decorations and how they signify your relationship with Jesus. Are our hearts moved to offer everything we have to Him? Are we moved to offer those things that are most sacred to us? God prefaced His instruction, in Exodus, of what would be accepted based on the condition of their hearts. He then gives detailed blueprints as to how to decorate. To conclude the chapter, God stresses the importance of remaining in accordance to the "pattern" shown to them. Just like staying within the pattern of the snowflake, God has given us the ultimate blueprint for our lives through His living Word! His word is something we should always have with us to help us navigate through life. After you hang them somewhere in your home, I hope each time you see your snowflakes, they are a reminder to you of the well thought out detail God has for your life, and the instruction manual He has given us. 

Here's how some of mine turned out!

Today, the cheer is for you, given through God and his amazing love!

Day 2

Great job for everyone that was able to complete Day One!! Wasn't that such a great feeling to leave something for someone and just imagine the smile it put on their face? I love sowing seed for God, because he is always faithful to see it through. So even though we may not have seen the person when they received their greeting, we can trust that God was able to move in their life, in that moment, to some degree... And He used YOU to do that!! Great work!

So, day two!!! Are you ready? Let me ask you a question first... When was the last time to thanked a soldier? Well, if it's been a while, here's your opportunity! Today's task is to hand write a letter to a soldier and send it snail mail for a hero to receive for the Christmas season. We are able to share the love and truth about our Lord and Savior because the brave men and women that defend/ed those freedoms. Regardless of their personal agreement with political decisions, they still stand united for our country with a hope that they are making a difference. Often times they are deployed and far from their families for long periods of time, enduring and witnessing what we couldn't even imagine. So, that is the task for today. Take some time to express your gratitude for their sacrifice and share the comfort of God with them in your own words. You can find more details about where your letters will be going and find your nearest Red Cross, here. Once you write your letter, address the envelope (you can use the one we used listed below also), pray for who will receive it and drop it in the mailbox (the deadline is the 5th).

Don't worry I didn't forget about today's reading. The scriptures today are talking about the generations that led to the birth of our Savior in Matthew 1. The first 17 verses breakdown the lineage of Jesus and the remaining verses illustrate how Jesus was given to the world. While reading the first section, I was reminded how much history and foundation was laid to create the perfect situation for Christ to come. God in His sovereignty, strategically watched over His word to bring it to pass! Have you paid notice to the history and foundation in your own lineage that has paved the way for you to fulfill what God has in you? For some, your past or family history may look broken, but I want to assure you that as you read through the Old Testament, Jesus' ancestors didn't have it all together either (which is why we needed a savior). God knew all along that we would need Him to overcome this world, and indeed we did, through Jesus Christ, the ultimate gift!!

In addition, I pray today you take some time to reflect on just how blessed you really are! Where you live, the freedoms you have, the God you serve, the history you have, and the destiny within you! Amen!?

See you all tomorrow! Don't forget to post about Day 2 using #CheerfulDecember.

Day 1

Let it begin!! Today's task is to leave a special note for someone to find. It can be a hand written note, a drawing of Christmas, or you can use this Cheerful Note our family used. We decided to print out several and conspicuously leave them on cars in well lit parking lots, but you can certainly decide to leave it for a special someone you know, on a neighbor's door, or on someone's desk. We included the information for the advent on our note, so if anyone else along the way wants to jump in on the fun, or post about how they were blessed, they can use the hashtag! 

Today's scripture is Luke 2:21-40 to read and talk about as a family as we begin this 25 day journey of reigniting the reality of this season! In our reading we especially rejoiced in the knowing of verses 30-32 that say: "I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel". Doesn't that just bring peace to your soul? There is a Savior, who brought salvation for all people! 

My prayer for the duration of this advent is that you and your family would have another reason to discuss how great our God is, or rediscover how overwhelming His love is for you. I pray that you will be blessed and be able to be used as a vessel for the working of the Kingdom. In addition, my prayer is that we can bring joy and light to those around us by initiating a smile or a leap of joy wherever this journey may take us.

Here are just a few pictures of us distributing our notes! What joy we found knowing that someone would walk out to their car, maybe after a day at work, or on their way to work, or just a quick drive over to the grocery store, and find a cheerful note waiting to greet them! We prayed for each person that would find the note and had so much fun deciding who (or what car) would be blessed.... wondering, who will it be? How will they react? Will it be blown away in the wind before it is found and end up in someone else's hands that needed it more? Oh how I love the mysteries of God and how he includes us!! 

Cheerful Note Printable

Ok everyone! Your turn! Have fun being a blessing today! I can't wait to see all your #CheerfulDecember posts!