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Are you ready to bring more peace, joy, and hope to your December? As we get closer to the Christmas season, I’d like to take a little time to share about Advent in case there might be some questions. Honestly, I didn’t really know much about it until six years ago. At that time December was approaching and I wanted a way to keep the focus of the month on Jesus. That’s when the Lord prompted me to write 25 devotions on the names of Jesus to help keep myself and others focused on Jesus during the season that celebrates his birth. It was at this time that I began to understand the true purpose of Advent, a time to turn our focus to Jesus . In this post I’ll be sharing what Advent is, why it should be celebrated, and how to make it meaningful. So let’s get started. What is Advent? Advent is the four-week season leading up to Christmas. The word Advent means the coming or arrival of Jesus into the world. It speaks of both the first coming of Jesus, his birth in Bethlehem, and the future coming of Jesus when he returns. Celebrating Advent is simply being intentional in taking time to prepare your heart for the birth of Jesus and the hope of his return. Without this intention, it’s easy for December to become busy, rushed, and distracted from what truly matters. The same is true about the future return of Jesus. If you are not intentional in expecting and waiting for his return you may find yourself preoccupied and unprepared when he arrives. “Watch, keep alert, and pray; for you don’t know when the time is.” Mark 13:33 “True Christians are men of expectation. They live looking for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.” — J.C. Ryle Why celebrating Advent matters? It centers your heart on Jesus. It helps you slow down the busy season. It builds appreciation for the birth of Jesus. It creates meaningful family traditions. It reminds you of the hope of his future return. How is Advent celebrated? There are many ways. But here are a few: Lighting a candle each week in December along with reading a short passage of Scripture or a prayer. Reading an Advent devotional. Adding small amounts of quiet into your routine to read Scripture and pray. Choosing to simplify the season by limiting commitments to make room for Jesus. Who can participate? Anyone is welcome to participate. How to participate in Advent? As I mentioned above, there are many different ways to participate in Advent. My personal favorite is by meditating on the names of Jesus. Meditating on who Jesus is helps draw your heart to worship and prepares you for His coming. If you don’t have a way to focus on Jesus this season, please download my devotional . It is free and easy to save to your phone or computer. It’s a great way to help you slow down, prepare your heart, and reflect on who Jesus is each day of December. Simply read one devotion a day starting December 1st. They will only take five minutes of your day. In these five minutes you will learn a name of Jesus, what the name means and how it applies to you personally. There is also a daily prayer. I know you will be so blessed spending this time each day with the Lord. With all this said, Advent invites you into a slower, more reflective December that prepares your heart for the incredible truth of Christmas; God came down from heaven to draw near to you. May this beautiful truth draw you closer to him this season. If you'd like a sample of one of these devotions, just click here . Also make sure to follow my Cherished Word blog, Facebook page where I will post the devotions daily. One last thing. In my previous blog post I mentioned I created a set of 25 Advent cards with the names of Jesus that accompany the devotions. If you are interested in this card set you can find out more about it here . They are a beautiful visual reminder to display in your home. You can view a picture of the cards below. I pray you will join me in preparing your heart for Jesus. Much peace, joy and hope to you. ♥️ Jenny ... We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. Titus 2:12-13 NLT
It’s been a while since I’ve written, so it’s time for a little update. First, a personal update. This December is the four year mark of my life completely shattering. Many of you know that I lost my marriage and my ministry. The road to recovery has been extremely painful, but also mixed with sweetness. I definitely could write a book sharing how the Lord has been bringing me through but for now I will share a few of my sweet joys. My number one joy is the daily presence of Jesus in my life. He continues to show me His faithfulness and never ending love. I'm thankful for the healing, peace and hope I have in Him. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” Psalms 107:1 Another sweet joy: my grandchildren. They bring sunshine and smiles to my heart. They are so full of energy and entertainment. We have so much fun together. I added two pictures of them below. At Grandma's house, they love playdough and playing the piano. The next joy I have to share with you is my job teaching piano lessons. I absolutely love what I do. I teach all ages, in person and also online. If you happen to be interested in information about taking lessons, please contact me and I’ll reach out to you. Okay, now for my big announcement. December is almost here, and I will be sharing my Names of Jesus Advent devotions again on Facebook. Last year, I took a break from posting them, but this year I really want to share them again. I want to ask if you will please join me in setting time aside in December to focus on the beautiful names of Jesus. I’ve written 25 devotions that are free to download . It's a wonderful way to reflect and worship Jesus in the upcoming season. I pray that you'll join me. This year, I also have a limited number of sets of Advent cards with each of the 25 names of Jesus. They are pictured below. They are 4 x 4 inch, professionally printed cards designed to accompany the devotions. If you are interested in purchasing a set, let me know. I have received many encouraging comments about both the devotions and the cards. Recently, a mother bought several card sets to give as Christmas gifts to her adult children. I also had a women’s ministry purchase them as early Christmas gifts for all the women of the church. This blessed me so much. Again, I only have a limited quantity of these cards. They will only be for sale for the next couple of weeks. Please contact me to purchase them. I don't have anything set up for purchasing them online, so we'll have to do it the old-fashioned way. They are $12 each, plus shipping. Just send me an email here , and I'll get your info and ship them out to you. Or, if you live locally, we can arrange a time for you to pick them up, and there won't be a shipping charge. I pray you are all well and that you, like me, find sweetness in the midst of the trials and challenges of life. That’s it for now. I will write more soon. ♥️ Jenny
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