Day 4/30 Days to an Unstuck Christmas: The Great News!
Day 4 is MORE!!
Good Morning! Happy Sunday!
Today is the first day of the Advent Season! It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…La La La, La La (can you hear the song?). My decorations are strewn about the house and my candle scents have changed from pumpkin to evergreen! Yum!!
Advent is the period of time beginning four Sundays before Christmas. It is when the focus of the entire world–whether they realize it or not–is on the birth of Jesus!!
What a precious opportunity for us as Christians, to share our faith. Let’s not miss it! Let’s not allow ourselves to be so caught up in the packaging that we miss the gift!
Speaking of “caught up” how is your TO DO and TO DON’T list looking?
Let’s take a few minutes today, before church, after a nap or even before bed to continue with Dr. Luke’s story shall we? Let’s “stand in the presence of God today!!”
He is with you!
Pat
DAY 4
19 The angel said to him,”I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. Luke 1:19 (NIV)
Just like that ANGEL, we have been assigned to “share the good news” and that task is GOOD NEWS!
In Greek, Good News is also called The Gospel. The term Gospel is used 75 times in the New Testament. Christmas is about hearing, believing and RECEIVING the Good News of The Gospel. No other news trumps it! Not headlines or bank statements, not a doctor’s diagnosis or an employer’s bad report.
The GOOD NEWS, The Gospel, is so simple.
The virgin birth.
The coming of the Kingdom of God through His Son.
The death of Jesus on the Cross.
Jesus’ resurrection to restore our relationship with God.
The Holy Spirit – a gift to believers.
The second coming of Christ.
Be like Gabriel! Shout the GOOD NEWS today!
Starbucks barista? Laundry clerk? Grocery cashier? Bus driver? Drug store attendant?….
Prayer: Father, thank you for the simplicity of the Gospel. Thank you that I can simply receive it and I can simply share it. As I step into the Advent season help me to embrace the gift of an Unstuck Christmas. Help me to truly and intentionally keep you first and foremost in my mind and heart. Allow me to remember that you sent Jesus to be born to a sin-filled world in a musty barn and laid in a makeshift manger. I stand in your presence today Lord. Speak to me. Speak through me. Amen
Prayer Sticks: An easy way to incorporate daily prayer
(as seen on callherhappy.com)
I’d like to stick with the theme of simplicity today. I’m always looking for sweet, easy ways to incorporate prayer into my daily life. After all, we’re all “on the go” and the first thing to fall away seems to be prayer. This adorable idea is GREAT, especially for kiddos, and emphasizes an intentional effort to chat with Jesus.
Step 1: Jazz up a mason jar (no pressure here-make it YOU)
Step 2: On tongue compressors (or stationary if that works), found at a craft store or even the dollar store, write an intention, action, or prayer. Perhaps one for every day of the Christmas season
Step 3: Place the jar in an obvious, cannot-be-ignored location (on your nightstand, next to the coffee pot, in the fridge next to the milk:-)
Step 4: Pull out one stick a day & voila! You have a purposeful, easy prayer activity.
You know those news stories we hear every so often… a restaurant server writes a note on the check thanking his/her customer(s) for their service in the military? Often times, the server even pays the bill. Well, what strikes me is that, in those scenarios, an individual will take that extra thought and 5 minutes out of a harried, fast paced work day, to write a note of THANKS!!! It’s the time, the effort, the intention that makes the gesture grand!
In what way today might you pluck a few extra moments to bestow kindness and thanks on someone? Take the time to really SEE someone today. “I love your haircut;” “Your smile is brilliant;” “You look like you’re having a tough day – It’ll get better. I will pray for you.” If those words of praise, comfort or thankfulness are rolling around in your head, take the extra seconds to engage in our common human and divine experience. Be Gabriel. SEE someone. SEE God. Today!
PLEASE SHARE your thoughts on my FACEBOOK page.
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Lastly, If anyone would like to submit a “Harvest” idea that I can share in future e-mails, please email me patlayton@mac.com! Hearing from my friends makes my heart sing and I am writing these posts as we go so any new ideas are welcome!
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