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The announcement

Back in the day, before we flooded timelines with baby pics, families would make announcements of baby arrivals in the local papers. In those black and white pages you could find families sharing all the details— parents’ names, baby’s name, gender, birth date, weight, length, and many times names of siblings and grandparents. It was like an invitation telling the whole town to join in on the excitement of the birth of their new baby.

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:8-11 KJV

This birth announcement we read in the black and white pages of the bible isn’t about a typical birth. It’s not just about parents bringing a child into the world; it’s about a divine plan that God Himself orchestrated.

This birth was announced 700 years earlier by the prophet Isaiah— “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” Isaiah 9:6

The announcement of Jesus’ birth surpasses as a simple birth announcement; it serves as a universal proclamation, resounding as both your personal announcement and mine. You and I can fill in the blanks with our names. “For unto _________________ a child is born, unto ______________ a son is given.”

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news.” The words of Isaiah 52:7 celebrate the messengers who carry these good tidings, proclaiming them on the mountains and beyond.

Today there remains the timeless call to share the news far and wide. Christ’s birth serves as a reminder that we are all welcomed into the extraordinary story of redemption— a divine orchestration revealed in His arrival.

Go tell it on the mountain

Over the hills and everywhere

Go, tell it on the mountain

That Jesus Christ is born.

Don’t miss it

Bare feet on wooden stairs. Red nylon nightgowns that matched. Two sisters clattered down the stairs on a cool Christmas morning, running into a room that had seemed bare when they went to bed, but now resembled Santa’s workshop in all its glory. There were stockings, my favorite, and babydolls from Santa. Presents were wrapped under the tree, their endless possibilities almost dancing in the air before us. We felt like very lucky girls, indeed.

Against each wall stood a handcrafted desk with an attached shelf. We had run past them to get to the Christmas tree. They were beautifully made, polished to a high shine, gleaming in the reflection of the Christmas lights.

Neither girl mentioned the desks. Instead, they ran straight to the stockings. Inside were staples, erasers, paper clips, and all the things one would need to stock a desk. Still, no one mentioned the desks in the room.

One sister had asked for a desk of her own and had wanted it so much. She didn’t see the desk before her because of the lights and sounds of the season that competed with the presence of the desk.

The other sister saw the desks, but thought they were much too grand and special for the likes of her. Surely, they were for her parents. It didn’t seem like she was worthy of such a gift. It must be there for someone else.

Eventually, their mom told them of the gifts that were right in front of them. Of how their dad had made them for his two girls. How they were thought of especially as he made them.

The gift of the father seemed enormous. Shyly the girls eyed the desks then ran to them. They began stocking the drawers with paper clips and staplers and felt very grown up, and excited, and loved.

This Christmas, you might be like these two sisters. Like the second sister you may see a baby in a manger and think he is far too grand a gift for the likes of you. You might think you don’t deserve a gift so special, but your father in Heaven thought about you when he sent Jesus to be born as a baby.

Or, you may be like the first sister and simply not see the manger in light of all the hustle and bustle, and excitement of the season.

Don’t miss the splendor of the season by not noticing the gift in front of you. Jesus was born humbly in a stable, he lived a perfect life, and he died a violent death on a cross so that all who ask him to be Lord of their lives might be saved. Don’t think the gift is too grand or too special for you to accept. Just see the gift of Jesus and take it.

But God can

The other day the baby sister said to me, “Well, if you weren’t walking in cursive.” Cause if you know me then you know when I walk I’m all over the place. 🤣

It got me thinking about this journey we call life. One would assume it would be a straight shot – like normal people walking down a sidewalk. Side eye at myself and my cursive walking.

But it’s not.

It’s not a straight shot, and it doesn’t make any kind of sense. It’s not going to.

Let’s take it back to the Israelites in Exodus. God took them on a journey that was all twisty and turny and every which way. They didn’t understand it. How could they? They couldn’t see the big picture like He could.

What looked like a scribbled up Dora the Explorer map to some was actually a very well planned out excursion.

The pretty, perfect path would have had them ol’ Israelites end up right smack dab in the middle of a war – war they were not prepared to fight.

So God had them walk in cursive. They went this way and then they went that way – and unbeknownst to them they were strategically protected from the waging war that they would have happened upon if they would have taken the so-called pretty, perfect path.

Y’all, God may have you on a journey right now that you just don’t quite understand. And I can almost bet that you would like to play MapQuest for Him.

Don’t do it.

You can’t see the big picture.

You can’t see what’s in front of you.

You can’t see what’s surrounding you.

But God can.

Trust the journey He has placed before you.

And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. Exodus 13:21

The light

Our pastor, Travis Hood, did a sermon on John 8:12 two weeks ago and I felt it was perfect to share with y’all this Christmas season.

I think it’s safe to say that everyone knows we live in a dark world and Christmas time is usually a distraction in the chaos. With all the decorations, lights, family and friend gatherings it’s easy to stay busy and forget about the darkness. But God has given us more than a distraction. He has given us hope that comes from the one who came to us in the darkness to save us.

John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

We are born in a dark world, we stumble through life trying to find our way, bumping into things that are in our way that cause pain and suffering. We search in the darkness to satisfy ourselves and to find fulfillment. We pursue popularity, money, success. We abuse alcohol and drugs to escape the emptiness we feel in our life. We look to relationships to satisfy and comfort us. All of those things ultimately fail us. They only leads us deeper into the darkness.

The only way to overcome darkness is for a light to shine. The good news that Christmas brings is that Jesus Christ was born to bring light to the world. He says, “I am the light…” God didn’t leave us in the dark. He sent Jesus to bring light back into the world and overcome darkness.

Friend, you don’t have to stay in the dark, Jesus said, “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light.” Through Christmas God offers us a light that is much more than just a distraction, God offers us a way out. That’s why we celebrate Christmas. Jesus is the light of the world.

All His

God speaks to me.

He does.

Not in a loud booming voice. It’s actually quite gentle. I remember the first time I heard Him. I was in second grade, and God told me {clear as day} that I would be an educator. We all see how that turned out.

I digress.

The other day I turned the corner from the hallway to the kitchen and He spoke clear as clear can be to this ol’ gal. You see I’d been making excuses. Excuses about why I couldn’t do some things. Important things. Excuses about not having enough time.

And He said – I can take some stuff away from you so you’ll “have” enough time.

That sucked the air right out of my lungs.

Because to be honest, I have plenty of time. I’m just not using it as wisely as I could be. I don’t want anything taken away from me! God has blessed me beyond measure.

I felt strongly that I needed to share this with y’all. Let’s all be good stewards of the time and things God has so graciously given us.

After all, it’s not ours. It’s His.

It’s all His.

15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16

Be still. And know.

The last three and a half months have been the hardest months of my life. They have also been some of the most transformative months of my life. I graduated college, watched my mom get diagnosed with and beat cancer, and finished my first semester of graduate school.

A few weeks ago, when I was sitting at my desk, wanting to give up completely, God dropped something into my spirit: “Don’t place a period where God has placed a comma and don’t place a comma where God has placed a period.” It was a lot to take in. I had never heard this before but after doing a quick Google search (of course), I realized it was a quote that has been referred to quite a lot. “What does this mean?” I thought.

While we often hear to follow the Lord’s call and to trust, leaning not on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6), what happens when we are standing at a crossroads, uncertain of the next step to take, and feel as though we are not hearing from God? In a world that never seems to slow down, where the constant rush can make it tough to find a moment of stillness, God’s wisdom reminds us to: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

At times, when we feel as though we lack a sense of communication from God and it feels like His response is taking longer than expected, we tend to default, pursuing our own desires and decisions. We don’t want to wait for an answer, so we create our own, which can lead us down roads we were never meant to go down.

Sometimes being still is the only way to truly hear what God is telling us. Trust me – this is something that I constantly struggle with. Impatience can truly diminish what God is trying to do through us if we do not listen. Throughout the past several months, many people have told me that God was showing others His strength through my weakness. It sounds great and noble until you are the one that He is working in and through doing this.

Through these months though I have learned a lot of things about myself and about God. Sometimes He answers our prayers right away, sometimes it takes months or years to see Him bring them to fruition. Regardless, we are called to remain faithful, trusting that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6).

If you are holding on to that dream that God has placed in your heart, afraid that it is too late or not the “right time,” remember this: don’t place a period where God has placed a comma. Don’t give up on that dream. The same is true for those pushing hard to sustain something – be it a job, a relationship, or a dream – yet sensing it does not align with God’s plan for you. In these cases, resist the urge to place a comma where God has distinctly placed a period.

May this inspire others to embrace patience, remain steadfast in faith, trust in the unfolding beauty of the journey’s God has placed us on, and encourage us to remain still and know He alone is God and He is good.

Come

Our students sing “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” at the beginning of every school day in December. Their sweet voices singing in harmony inadvertently cause me to question everything.

Come, Thou long expected Jesus

Born to set Thy people free;


The first line has me wondering if I long for this expected Jesus. He was born to set me free, but what I long for more on most days is to not be interrupted, to not have to spend so much at H-E-B, for something to JUST.BE.EASY, and for the love, can I get caught up on the laundry? So trivial and trite. Come, thou long expected Jesus.

From our fears and sins release us,

Let us find our rest in Thee.

I can’t go to sleep again because I forgot that I’m trusting Jesus for everything, everyday. Come, thou long expected Jesus.

Israel’s strength and consolation,

Hope of all the earth Thou art;

Dear desire of every nation,

Joy of every longing heart.

Oh Israel. I can hardly look. But there you are, hoping.

Joy, is that what every heart longs for? Seems safe to say yes. We just don’t know how to get it, so we look for it everywhere, but in the one place it is found. Come, thou long expected Jesus.

Born Thy people to deliver,

Born a child and yet a King,

Born to reign in us forever,

Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.

Grace. Isn’t this the thing that we want to receive, but usually don’t want to give? Come, thou long expected Jesus.

By Thine own eternal Spirit

Rule in all our hearts alone;

By Thine all sufficient merit,

Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

All. Alone. Not to be confused with all alone. All as in complete; alone as in none other. My heart can be ruled by none other than the Jesus in this song. My merit is not needed because His merit is sufficiently enough. His throne is glorious, far surpassing what I call glorious- a prepared cup of coffee served at 2 pm, a sunrise or sunset, a clean house, or a productive day. No, I don’t think any of that will be sitting on a throne, only bowing to it, someday. Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus.

With one more mention of “By Thine all sufficient merit,

Raise us to Thy glorious throne,” I am brought back to where I started… Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus.

The fog

I could feel the fog creeping in last week.

That funky, junky holiday fog.

It happens every year around this time.

I didn’t want history to repeat itself,

so I let the Lord in.

I asked Him to search me and shine His light.

Instead of revealing stress or the need for rest, my usual opponents, He showed me misplaced and mismanaged expectations 🎄🫣

Expectation is awaiting something that has not happened yet. It is the longing for something we don’t yet have.

The Lord showed me how I had allowed the worldly pressures to overshadow the holy expectation of Christmas.

I pressured myself to keep up with

the ever-changing holiday aesthetics.

I expected myself to single-handedly

make all of the holiday magic.

I pushed myself to make it all

presentable and picture-perfect.

For so many years, I tried to resist the world’s way of creating chaos in the middle of Christmas. Yet, here I was folding to unrealistic expectations.

I was hoping that holiday festivities would bring joy,

instead of looking to the One Who is my joy.

I was longing for a perfect Advent season,

instead of setting my eyes on the Reason.

I refuse to let worldly expectations

shadow the light of the newborn King.

So, I will put down the pressures of this world

and refocus on the King of the World.

The One who has fulfilled every longing.

The One who has exceeded expectation.

The One who is the center of our hope.

We can rest in that truth this season,

as we celebrate His birth and

eagerly expect His final arrival ✨

We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including new bodies he has promised us.

Romans 8:23-25

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

Philippians 3:20

24/7

Christmas is such a wonderful time of year! All the lights and happiness and cheer! For someone who doesn’t really love to decorate, (I love decorations, just not the decorating part haha) I have really felt the “Christmas Spirit” this year and put my tree up the day after Thanksgiving. That never happens! Having a two and half year old little boy has brought the excitement of Christmas up as we start new traditions together!

This is the time of year where we show more patience to the person who cut us off in traffic, or we go visit the nursing home, or we volunteer in some way to show kindness. We yell “Merry Christmas” with a big smile as we leave any place we go. I heard someone say once that its like the life is sucked out of the air on December 26th. But why do we feel it’s easier to be kind and generous when we have the “Christmas Spirit”?

Google defines it as “The spirit of Christmas is in the ‘togetherness’, it’s in the thought to which you put into thinking about others, it’s a selfless time, where we forgive, take stock of what’s important and become ‘better’ versions of ourselves.”

Wow. When we show kindness, gather together, forgive, give to others, all turn our hearts to ‘The Reason for the Season’ who is Jesus, take care of those in need, and become selfless for a season, THEN we all find this incredible joy…. I don’t know about you, but this is a joy I want to carry 24/7 365! Do you know the church is called to live out these attributes all year long?

Acts 2:42 says “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

As Christians, we shouldn’t look any different around Christmas time than we do the rest of the year (preaching to myself here)! We are called to a higher standard and to be different than the world! Let’s continue to carry out this joy and love of Jesus through the real Spirit, the Holy Spirit! Let’s continue in the ways of the early church!

What?

I want to begin with a question: what are you believing for? I’m sure all of us have been in or are in a season of feeling like you’re lacking in an area. Maybe you’ve been battling the thought, “the healing will never come,” or “I’ll never be able to catch up financially,” or “I’ll forever be stuck at this job I hate,” or “I’ll never be able to be a parent,” or “I’ll never have a loyal friend group,” or “I’ll never truly walk in kingdom things,” or….you fill in the blank. All of us need something whether it’s for ourselves or someone else.

In Matthew 14:17-19, Jesus & His disciples face an abundance of need. They need to feed 5,000 plus people & all they had was 5 loaves of bread & 2 pieces of fish from a little boy’s sack lunch. Jesus tells the boy to bring the food to Him, He raises it up to heaven, blesses the food, & God performs a miracle! Every person in the crowd was fed AND they had leftovers. Wow! Jesus believed for multiplication & because of His faith, the Father multiplied the food & thousands of people got to see the glory of God. I want to ask you again, what are you believing for? Let your faith arise! Refuse to be inconsistent in your belief system & faith.

Our Father owns a cattle on a thousand hills, HE KNOWS NO LACK. ”Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”“ Psalms 50:14-15 . Thankfulness moves the heart of the Father & it helps destroy a lack of faith & disbelief.

Be blessed!