REJOICE!

This is the third week of Advent. Some people use an Advent wreath for the four weeks preceding Christmas with 4 candles around a central 5th candle. The 4 candles are usually purple (3 of them) and pink (one of them), and the central candle is white. The first week of Advent one purple candle is lit, and the second week 2 purple ones are lit. But on this third week of Advent the pink one is lit.

Each candle has a meaning associated with it. The first one is the candle of Hope or the Prophecy candle, symbolizing our hope in God's promises through the prophets that he would send the Messiah. The second one is the candle of Preparation or Peace, or the Bethlehem candle, symbolizing our peaceful getting ready for the coming of the Christ child in Bethlehem. The pink one, lit on this third week of Advent, is the candle of Joy or the Shepherd candle. It symbolizes the rejoicing of the shepherds in the fields and our own rejoicing that God's promised Savior was born. The fourth one lit is the candle of Love or the Angel candle focusing on the angels' good news of God's love coming down to earth to dwell among us. The fifth candle which is lit on Christmas is the central white one, the Christ candle. It reminds us of Christ's purity, that he is the spotless lamb, the sinless Son of God, sent to give us new life!

So on this third week of Advent, let us focus on the joy we have in Christ, the Savior. Let us give thanks regardless of our circumstances. Let us look forward with anticipation at the celebration of his first coming, and to his return at the second coming. Rejoice!

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. I Thessalonians 5:16-24

written by Jan Andersen, rejoicing at His coming!

Saturday Devotional...12/101

A Few of My Favorite Things

Crayon colored wish lists, and peppermint candy twists

New winter fashions, and cinnamon apple crisps

Children preparing to sing “We Three Kings”

These are a few of my favorite things

White paper snowflakes, gazillion fruit pies to make

Keeping the secret of Santa from neighbor Jake

Popcorn and fruit loops are hung on a string

These are a few of my favorite things

Red and green paper chain, sound of a stormy rain

Steamy hot cocoa and bubbly white champagne

Toast our flute glasses, they click a ring

These are a few of my favorite things

Jimmy Stewart

Julie Andrews

Chevy Chase with some blonde

Enjoying a few of my favorite things

Is like waving a magic wand!

Tree with a side that’s flat, dog with a Santa hat

Santa brought baseballs and shiny new bats

Mom gets a stocking that’s full of new bling

These are a few of my favorite things

Grandpa’s old choo choo and sweet Cindy Lu Who

Shaking the presents to find a good clue

Searching the attic for white angel wings

These are a few of my favorite things

Warm Toll House cookies, ivory nativities

Getting together for presents at GG’s

Bundling up to go caroling

These are a few of my favorite things

Bing Crosby

Tim Allen

Will Ferrel in tights

Listing a few of my favorite things

Could take up the rest of the night!

Tinsel filled holes and cinnamon rolls

Charlie Brown Christmas

And the one the Grinch stole

Sneaking around to fill the stockings

These are a few of my favorite things

Deacon Dave’s Christmas lights

Butterball cooked just right

Getting the children tucked in for the night

Dreaming about what Santa will bring

These are a few of my favorite things

The birth of our Lord

and how He’s adored

Insisting the reason

is never ignored

Let’s not forget,

He’s the King of all kings

These are a few

of my favorite things

Oh Tannenbaum

Oh Holy Night

What Child is this?

I could not be singing of favorite things

If it weren’t for the birth of Jesus!

Amie Spruiell
December 2010

Friday Devotional...12/9/11

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

When Christmas time rolls around each year we often find ourselves humming to the old familiar Christmas Carols of days of an old era gone by. Often times children bundle up to weather the cold with scarves and mittens attired to sing these old familiar memorized verses  at the steps of houses looking in at warm fire places blazing as families listen carefully to the beautiful harmonized voices at their front door. Church congregations sing these old familiar tunes most having to have a copy of the words to capture all the verses to sing out the vocal cords.

But I wonder if most stop to consider what these songs are saying to us as these wise men of old penned these lines….let us consider:

(Verse 1)

God rest you merry gentlemen,

Let nothing you dismay

For Jesus Christ our Saviour

Was born on Christmas-day,

To save us all from Satan’s pow’r

When we were gone astray;

O tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy,

O tidings of comfort and joy

I take this as saying… let nothing trouble you for Jesus our Saviour was born to save us all from Satan’s power…for we were all gone astray. Oh what tidings of comfort and joy!

(Verse 3)

How that in Bethlehem was born

The Son of God by name

O tidings of comfort and joy

I take that as a big Hallelujah !! For we know the NAME of the Son of God….His name is Jesus ! What Comfort and Joy!

(Verse 6)

To free all those who trust in Him

From Satan’s pow’r and might

O tidings of comfort and joy

We’re Free, We’re Free, We’re Free because we trust in Him ….No longer captive by the devil’s power and might.

(Verse 7)

Now to the Lord sing praises,

All you within this place,

And with true love and brotherhood

Each other now embrace;

This holy tide of Christmas

All other doth deface

O tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy,

O tidings of comfort and joy

Written by

Glenna Williamson

Thursday Devotional...12/8/11

Who Am I Battling?

I am naturally very sensitive. The slightest inflection or tone has me wondering if I’ve done something wrong. Even when people honestly don’t mean anything personal, I have been the master of taking it personal. Then when someone does mean it personally, I am their victim, fully accepting the words they send out – even when there is no truth in them.

It was an eye-opening experience to realize that my very sensitivity was being used against me by my enemy, the Devil. I look back and laugh in embarrassment and sorrow at how hard it must have been to have a conversation with me.

“Mary, I’m wondering if you could try doing it this other way.”

“What? Am I doing something wrong? Don’t you like this? Why don’t you like it? I thought this is what you wanted. I am doing it your way!” I would answer, missing the whole point and putting my boss, friend, or husband in the awkward position of having ‘rejected’ or ‘judged’ me when that’s not what they were trying to do at all.

That’s the reality of being ‘in the flesh’ and not having the ‘mind of Christ.’ I was susceptible to every emotion, every word, and every mood of everyone around me. I knew I needed to ‘not care’ about what other people said, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stay off the roller coaster ride of what other people thought of me.

I know that my value and my worth (and yours for that matter) are not dependant on what others think of me. That God sent His son Jesus to save me (and anyone who will believe) from my sins, sickness, disease, brokenness, and weakness. Although I can say I believe it, and know in my heart that it is true, how could I get my mind to accept it?

For instance, it was total freedom to learn that just because a thought occurred to me didn’t mean it had some special meaning or power over me. What was true and is oftentimes still true today, is that where my emotions are kept in my mind, is a junk drawer. It isn’t a useful place full of all sorts of handy odds and ends, but more like a trash bin loaded with broken and wrong thoughts. Just like when I discover trash and dirty dishes in my kid’s bedrooms and make them clean it up – that’s what I need to do with those incorrect thoughts in my mind.

Who am I battling? I would usually say me, that my flesh and my bad habits and my incorrect thought patterns are my worst enemies. But God’s Word says we battle not with flesh and blood but with spiritual beings in heavenly places. We have an enemy who is sneaking around looking for some distracted or guilt-ridden person whom he might be able to trick, trap, or tempt. How can I escape from him?

Ephesians 6:11-13 (The Message)

A Fight to the Finish

10-12 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

13-18 Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

Dear Lord, Thank You for opening my eyes that the real battle is happening in an invisible world. Please help me to recognize incorrect thoughts and be brave enough to get rid of them. I desire to learn how to apply your weapons. Please give me Your wisdom as I read Your Word that I will know and recognize what is true. I know I cannot do this on my own (in my own flesh). In Jesus name, amen.

Written by

Mary M. Wilkins

Door of Hope

Therefore, I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert (the wilderness is not a place of punishment but a place of privacy) and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor (means trouble) A DOOR OF HOPE (God redeems situations). There she will sing (respond) as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. In that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master’.

What does this say? God is leading me into the desert, a solitary place, a place I don’t understand and in this strange place he is going to speak to me. In this hard place I will hear him; he will be near to me and provide for me, this will be a place of privacy for him and me.


He says this place of trouble will be redeemed and become a place where I begin to have new hope. It is in this desert wilderness I WILL GAIN HOPE, this does not compute! I should have blessings in easy situations, where the goodness and honey flows, but not here in the desert. There are times God leads us into the wilderness to speak tenderly to us, and then after we have heard His voice in this place, restore and redeem our lives and we sing, have joy.


He begins to and responds to the Lords voice, as when we first knew Him. Have you ever experienced this first love’s joy after coming though to the other side of something hard and what do we take out of it?

The Lord says it is here that you begin to call me my husband and no longer call me my master. He is our husbandman, our covering, our provider, our healer, our protector, lover of our souls.

Ah, my friends be blessed today for the one who understands all things is walking with you…Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning...Psalm 30

Written by
Kathy Bireley

SLOW DOWN!

There is always so much activity this time of year in my life. Decorations to get out, go through, decide which and where to use, inside and outside, etc. Sometimes some things need replacing, so a trip to the store is in order. Then there are the Christmas cards - first a check of the list to see if there are any that need to be removed or updated or added, then a note to write to include in them, a trip to get the cards if I haven't bought them on clearance the year before, signing, addressing... and at least one trip to the Post Office for stamps and/or mailing them. Also, a gift list is started, refined, added to, and used as a guide with another trip - shopping for the gifts that can't be found on line, wrapping and... did I mention another trip - to the shipping place of choice?

I was traveling the highways again Saturday early morning, as I usually do for my typical weekend activities, but this time it was unusually busy on the roads. It was way too early for all this traffic on a Saturday! Why was everyone going so slowly, too? If you are going to do the speed limit, for goodness sake, get in the slow lane! I'm in a hurry here, trying to get to all my regular things and also trying to have time to squeeze in the extra stuff. As I was getting tense and anxious, a thought came to me, "Perhaps God wants me to slow down!"

My husband has a negative attitude about all the Christmas preparations. He feels Advent, the 4 weeks before Christmas, does not get enough attention. It is supposed to be a time of preparation, but more of a quiet, reserved waiting with anticipation than what we often turn it into. If my husband had his wishes, the tree and decorations wouldn't go up until Christmas Eve, and would stay up for the 12 days of Christmas, and come down on Epiphany, January 6th. Needless to say, he does NOT get that wish at our house. But I try to not go overboard ahead of time either.

Advent is a time to slow down, to enjoy the season of anticipation. Joseph and Mary must have been full of eager waiting as Mary came closer and closer to delivering the Son of God. At least they had a slow mode of travel to that historic destination - walking or riding a donkey. This gave them plenty of time for reflection on God's amazing gift about to enter this world as a baby. May we also take time to reflect on this season of preparation and quiet our hearts, filled with awe at this most amazing moment in time.

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 NIV

written by Jan Andersen in anticipation

Saturday Devotional...12/3/11

Captive at Christmas?

He Came to Set You Free!

This has always been my favorite time of the year. Regardless of whatever it is I’m going through, I love the feeling of this season. I love the visual beauty, the sounds, the aromas, the fashions and the memories. It’s true that I have many wonderful memories of Christmas…not only the day of, but the days leading up to it, and the days afterward still enjoying family and friends.

I know that often throughout the Christmas season, however, I will become emotional. Sometimes it’s just a matter of sweet nostalgia, and at other times, I will feel some sadness. There have been years when I’ve had to work at getting along with others around me which made me rather frustrated, and so there’s some hesitation inside of me due to those past experiences. I remember growing up, I sometimes would feel nervous about being around certain people who just did not like the Christmas season. It’s taken years for me to understand how and why people get like that, but it’s never stopped me from loving this time of the year.

There’s been Christmas’ when I was sick with pregnancy and others when we enjoyed watching our little ones with their first Christmas experiences. There’s been Christmas’ when we barely had more than a “Charlie Brown” Christmas tree, and others when the whole house was decorated. There’s been years when we’ve lost loved ones right at this time of year or experienced broken families. Then there have been others when a new life was born into ours.

I know there are a lot of reasons for people to become depressed at this time of year…finances, past hurts, loneliness. I’m so very thankful that I’ve never experienced the demons of depression regardless of what I’m forced to go through. I could say that it’s due to my relationship with Jesus, and I would never minimize that, but I know that many fellow Christians experience such emotional oppression even though they know exactly who they are in Christ. There’s definitely no easy answer to these things. It’s not simply one end of the spectrum or the other. It’s not always clinical requiring medication and it’s not always spiritual. Sometimes it is one or the other, but most often it’s a combination of both. Though regardless, God can deliver anyone no matter where on the spectrum they are.

I heard yesterday that there was a sudden traffic jam on a nearby freeway no doubt holding up countless people from making it to their destination in due time. The cause was a man who decided to end his life by stepping out into traffic. In the midst of my joyous time of watching my children decorate the house while busying myself in the kitchen making a winter stew, someone’s holiday depression completely overcame him. I don’t know if he knew of the hope of Jesus, the real reason for the constant festivities at this time. I’m not going assume one thing or another. I’m still at a loss of how to feel, and I just wish it hadn’t happened.

No, I don’t understand it, and I’m not sure if I’m supposed to. When faced with the opportunities, I know there are a lot of things I can do to help others like offering acts of service or donations. But when the situation is beyond anything that I could actually do, then what? I know that, if I were given the opportunity to talk to that man before he took his life, I’m not sure if anything I could’ve said would’ve helped him. There’s only one thing I know for sure that I can do…and it not only can help but will help anyone in any situation regardless of who they are and what they’re going through. I can pray, for praying is not just offering up good and warm thoughts, but it’s activating the power of God into the situation.

As I said, I am so very thankful that I am not someone who suffers with depression at this time of year. I’ve felt financial difficulties, mourned death and experienced loneliness, but I’ve never let it stop me in rejoicing in the birth of my Lord. That doesn’t mean there’s something great about me because of it. The only thing great about me is my God, and He is the one who can deliver all those who do suffer. He came! Yes, He came to be born, to live and to die. Yes, He came to die so our sins can be forgiven, but that’s not all His death did. His salvation is not just for the afterlife. His salvation is to bring joy in this life! He came! He came to bind up the brokenhearted, and proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners. And that applies to us while we are still in this life.

I love this time of year, but I don’t love how others suffer. Yes, there are some things I can do, but when it requires something beyond my capacity, I can pray these words over them. Anyone who is bound like a prisoner in their hopeless life can be set free by the power of Jesus, and our prayers for them release that power. If you find yourself as a prisoner, He can, and it is His will to set you free. If you find yourself knowing someone who is a prisoner, don’t give up laboring in prayer for them. You’d be amazed how much your prayers can do for them.

Amie Spruiell

12/02/2011