God With Us... A Five Minute Friday post.

***
With only a handful of days left until Christmas, I hope and pray you are all done with all the madness and chaos... but I know chances are good that at least some of you are running around down to the last possible moment!

As Advent winds down, and our waiting is met with the fulfillment cries of a newborn King, this is our final Five Minute Friday link up of the year!

Here we go:

This is a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer
and free write for five minutes flat on the one-word prompt: WITH

{GO!}


With Christmas being literally just days away...
of course, my mind and my heart go immediately
to the verse in Matthew 1 where we are told
that Jesus will be born and
His name shall be Immanuel,
God with us.

God WITH us... 
I mean...
Come on!

After all the waiting... 
the lamenting and longing through Advent
(and through those 400+ years of silence!)
God promises that He is about to
break through the darkness and
break through the dawn
and He is coming to cram Himself
into flesh and blood and
He will be known as Emmanuel
--which means, 'God with us'!

And all of Creation heaves a sigh of relief...
Because -even before we knew Him...
we've missed Him!

Be Still and Know... A Five Minute Friday post.

***
I see the word and think of something we just chatted about for our latest episode, "The Christmas Story - Gospel Edition" on The Changing Our Minds Podcast... and I also think about how I keep wishing all of this Stillness and Waiting would move along already!

Here we go:

This is a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer
and free write for five minutes flat on the one-word prompt: STILL

{GO!}


When I see the one-word prompt,
my mind goes to an all familiar phrase...
one that we say often and one that has
felt oh so bossy as of late: 

"Be Still and Know that I am God." (~Psalm 46:10)

I mean... I used to love this verse!  
I used to relish in entering in a bit of
Stillness and Silence.  

I'm sure I will come to love it once again,
but over the past month or so
I have grown weary of waiting.

I've been pondering the 400+ years of silence
and it is not lost on me
--how my impatience is so silly
in light of my (relatively 'short') wait.  

And also there is this: 
I know deep down in my bones and my soul
that --always!-- He is worth that waiting...
He is worth the wait!

When Your Spiritual Equilibrium is Out of Balance... a Five Minute Friday post.

***
Hey there, sweet readers!  

I know this is December and the Christmas season
and this is the time of year where this little corner
is normally full of festive thoughts and good cheer.
However, I see the word prompt and I know
the chances of this post getting around
to Christmas Joy is slim... 
but Truth can always be found here... 
as well as honesty! So, here we go!

This is a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer
and free write for five minutes flat on the one-word prompt: BALANCE

{GO!}

We were talking in our home group just the other night...
it was after spending an hour in prayer together,
where we simply speak out
whatever God puts on our hearts
and others come alongside in agreement
and lift our arms and hearts and heads.  

Oh, how we need each other!

We are a small band of brothers and sisters
with kindred hearts and we all have found ourselves
this year in some sort of an In-Between season...
a bit unsettled, and feeling a tad unsteady!

We shared how we seem to be
missing the Thrill of Hope... 
We are most definitely all
feeling the Weary World... 
yet we're still waiting for
the Rejoicing to begin! 

















But isn't that Advent?
  It's the waiting... the hoping... 

And even though we know He came... 
even though we know He is still here now... 
we feel a bit out of balance and we are
longing for a bit of Wonder & Joy!

When You Need a Visual...

  and for Wonder and Joy to Abound!

***
I hope this holiday season has arrived for you with plenty of wonder and joy.

Maybe, for you, this really IS the most wonderful time of the year... or maybe Bah Humbug (rather than Merry Christmas!) is what is on repeat in your head.

Or maybe... just maybe... this season is slowly unfolding and you haven't (yet!) felt the presence of Peace or Goodwill! Perhaps Wonder and Joy haven't shown up and shown off, but I assure you --much like Advents' message... they are coming! 

Sometimes we just need to look for them... 
to seek them out... to ask the Lord to
open our eyes to see them!

Wonder and Joy... 
They tend to go hand in hand.

Different... A Five Minute Friday Post

I didn't really INTEND to take a little holiday hiatus but it seems as if that is what is happening! Life has been full (read:busy!) lately and I've been fighting to (re)find some margins! This truth, plus the fact that it's Christmas time and things have been a bit heavy and hard all year long, and the fact that I am an internal processor, and the fact that I am just plain old tired, y'all... well - all of that adds up to not much blogging as of late!  I have intentions in writing book review posts and end of the year fun and other things, too --but let's just keep this real! I'll pop in when I can for the remainder of the year and will find a normal routine in writing hopefully come January yet again!

Until then, I'll just play along with this -our final Five Minute Friday link up of the year! The One Word Prompt today is DIFFERENT. (This is a Five Minute Friday post, which simply means I set a timer and free write for five minutes flat, add a few photos, and hit Publish!)

{GO}

Hmph... I was talking complaining to God about this just yesterday!  

About how this Christmas season feels different.  
I know we have experienced lows (goodbye Dave!) and highs (hello Lil Miss!) this year and yet the holidays came quickly and I didn't feel ready for them... I wasn't in the mood, yet! 
(Anybody?  Anybody?  Bueller?)

I kept thinking the Christmas Spirit would come... 
but even by mid-December, I was still waiting for it to arrive.

Christmas this year feels different... void... 
Traditions are still shifting and changing 
and we are making necessary adjustments 
but it feels not the same... 
somehow not as good. 

At least that is what the enemy whispers loud to me
in the corners of my spinning mind...

I've been preparing Him room in my heart, 
but it's my MIND that is overworked and overcrowded
and lately it seems I just can't get it to take a break, already!

Now is the Time... A Five Minute Friday Post

I missed out on the last #fmfparty of the year last Thursday, but our Seahawks were playing Thursday Night Football so... #GoHawks  (Still - you know I missed y'all!) ...and then, well - you know how it goes with the bossy lists, full schedules, and Christmas right around the corner... but I'm here now! (Ya see what I did there? Well... you will!)

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt is: NOW

{GO}

Now. 
  ...it's such a bossy word, right?  At least it can be! 

It's very decisive... maybe that is more like it.  

It sets a timer and hits start before you have a moment to settle in and prepare.  

Except... I can't say for you --but for me? I can still manage to put 'Now' off for a little bit... to push him aside, or ask him for grace because 'Now' is so often just a little more than inconvenient. He sneaks up on us somehow while being in plain sight. 

NOW... it can be exciting and full of adventure and 'Finally!' and 'Why did it take so long to get here?' OR it can be dreaded and it can stir up feelings of inadequacy and 'I can't yet!' and 'How is it time already?'

JOY -- A Five Minute Friday Post

I finally made it back to the party and while I didn't write last night, it was so good to jump in and connect with the tribe! This morning, we woke up to a Winter Wonderland and sipped on coffee as Christmas music played softly in the background while sitting side by side silently doing our own reading routine... ah yes... and this brings us to our One Word Prompt today...

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt is: JOY

{GO}

Joy... I know it's all "Tis the Season" and Christmasy and all of that but sometimes, especially in this season, Joy can feel a bit elusive, right?

I mean... we can forget that Joy is available all year round and suddenly, here we are as another trip around the sun is winding down and we look back and we look ahead and we forget to choose Joy!  

We forget that we even have that choice in front of us. 

Instead we accidentally give in to the heaviness and the darkness surrounding and pressing in close and our thoughts wander to the edges of the unknown and convince us of the feelings of abandonment or at least of our own aloneness.

BUT God... But Joy... Unspeakable and full of glory...
We can choose this... 

Crave - A Five Minute Friday Post

I have missed my tribe... but Life, y'all! I am hoping to make it this week for sure! I'm even going to write it on my bossy day planner so I don't forget (theoretically!)

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt is: CRAVE

{GO}

Crave... If you hang around this little corner of the interwebs much at all, it will come as no real surprise to you that when I first saw the word prompt, I immediately thought of what my soul craves...

It seems, always, in this season --my soul craves wide open spaces and room to breathe!

Because, no matter where you are or what is on your bossy lists, who couldn't use a little more of that, right?

That Thing I Do Now - Vol 121 (An Early Holiday Edition)

Merry Christmas Eve!

I know this is coming to you a few days early, but let's be honest - there will not be much blog reading (or writing) going on over the next few days! So in order to still hook you up and take a little holiday break myself, this comes to you a little early... like a gift you can open before Christmas Day!

Featured this week are Advent and Christmas posts by Emily P. Freeman, Tresta Payne, Aliza Latta, Christie Purifoy, Kris Camealy, Graham Cooke, Ashley Larkin, Shannan Martin, plus a post from right here, and - of course - a video to wrap it all up! 

Happy Reading! (Ya'll know to click on the authors' names below to read the entire post, yes?)

Let there be Peace on Earth...

Can you feel it?  That tugging that starts down deep...  In a world spinning fast, all dizzy and blurred, I love that pull that is nearly tangible to slow it down, to stop, to breathe in deep this cold winter air. 

It fights within us... the drive to keep up, and the need to slow down!  

There is a hunger and thirst for more than just some peace and quiet, but for Peace on Earth and a little Silent Night!

Can you feel that, too?  It can go unnoticed, nearly ignored all together. We can rush right by it... push it back down and keep running around, crossing things off our bossy lists. But oh how I pray that we don't do that! No - let's not dismiss it... instead of pushing through, let's lean in!  

Lean IN to the Cradle, and in to the Cross.

Let's agree together that what this weary world needs most is a Holy Night, is a Falling on our knees, is a little rejoicing!  I'm learning more and more about Advent and the glory of waiting... of expecting Him to come!

A Few of my Favorite Things... Christmas 2015

It's almost Christmas. For many, myself included this year, it hasn't really felt much like Christmas yet. 

To be fair honest, I began to feel a bit of Christmas warming my heart over the weekend. Partly because I finally got to spend some face to face time with my girlie, and partly because I finished a large project and I didn't realize how much weight I was carrying on my shoulders until it was lifted.  It was all self-imposed pressure (deadline included!) but it felt oh so nice to wrap it up with a bow and cross it off my list.

So... I wanted to write just a little something today to let you know that I am praying for you. Yes, you.  If you are reading this right now (which - hello... you are!) I am praying for you.

Maybe you too have been grasping for a bit of Wonder and Awe and coming up empty handed... maybe you are frazzled and racing through the month... maybe you are loving all the festivities and activities and are dripping in Christmas Cheer.  Whether it is one extreme or the other, or somewhere gloriously in between, I am praying that Christmas will come... that joy and hope and love will well up from deep inside and no matter your circumstances or situations, the Light of the World will light your path and glory will stream along the way.  

I wanted to share just a few of my Favorite Things this year... and invite you to share some of yours with me too!  Plus... well, a Giveaway, because who doesn't love giving away a gift of two just for fun?

That Thing I Do Now - Vol 120

Can you even deal with the fact that it is December 19th already? 

I am somehow in shock at this fact!  It doesn't feel like Christmas time yet... but here we are, with Christmas just around the corner! Are you ready... with everything wrapped and waiting, or are you a last minute shopper who thrives on Christmas Eve at the Mall? Either way, I am here to offer a little reading material to help you slow and savor a bit of your weekend - even in the middle of all the holidays! 

Featured this weekend are posts by Emily P. Freeman, Shannan Martin, Kris Camealy, Lisa-Jo Baker, Ann Voskamp, Erika Morrison, plus a post from right here, and - of course - a video to wrap it all up! 

Happy Reading! (Ya'll know to click on the authors' names below to read the entire post, yes?)

Tis the Season for Receiving... a Five Minute Friday post.

Oh what a surprise Kate gave us last night... This week flew by and even though I am 'ready' for the holidays, I have not quite been feeling them just yet.  So when Kate decided to let us all choose a word for ourselves, well-- I really wanted someone to boss me around just a little bit! So instead of writing right away... I took a break, sat in my comfy chair without a screen in sight, and I let the One who bosses me best give me a Word... a truth... to write on.  So - here we go... let's see what happens!

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt for the day is actually all up to us! We each got to pick our own word. So the Word I picked, or that picked me, is: RECEIVE

{GO}

"Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing..."

Tis the season, right? The season for Joy... for rejoicing... for preparing Him room... for receiving our King... 

And yet...

Joy feels far away and the rejoicing has yet to really pull us up out of this heaviness we may find ourselves under.

We prepare many things, but often we forget about preparing our hearts. 

And receiving our King? Well, yes... that would be great. 
We should remember to do that.

I don't know about you... but I know for me --I sung the words to this Christmas Carol for years before truly knowing Joy... 

All the Festivities... and All the Social Events (in one weekend!)

It's no secret that I am an Introvert.  

I think I actually am a little of both. I love to be with friends and family... I love a fun party or a dinner date out but not quite as much as I love my pajama's, a good book, and some quiet time.

Close... but not a tie!

Oh and Coffee. I love coffee.

So this last weekend pushed beyond my normal social 'needs' and was filled with all kinds of celebrating and noise and, well, --people. It was a FULL weekend! Good, but full, y'all! (and it's no small wonder that I made it through without feeling overwhelmed and while still mostly being cordial and all that jazz!)

From our first ever Dad's House church Christmas party Friday night, to a full day working on Saturday and another party Saturday night to celebrate the cutest boys' First Birthday, to a great, full day of church on Sunday... there were small wonders all around and much joy and celebrating enjoyed by all (--even us introverts, as it turns out!)

Reflecting on Traditions and the Light of the World... a Five Minute Friday post

Once again, somehow Thursday turned in to an all day work-in-this-chair-and-stare-at-this-screen day! It was accompanied with Adele and lots (and lots) of coffee... but come nightfall, I took a break... stepped away from the light of the screen to spend a little time reflecting with the Light of the World... (Oh - you will see what I just did there in just a sec!)  Then I returned, but not to work... oh no... to party! Even after a long day on this computer, I couldn't imagine not connecting up with my tribe... because, of course! 

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt for the day is: REFLECT

{GO}

In the dark of night, with just a little light... reflections bounce off of every surface and with the glow of candles still burning and fire still stirring, we are surrounded by flickers of Glory.

It's Christmas time when daylight is spotty at best... for when the sun is up - so often lately it is (or feels) hidden and I find myself longing for the warmth of it... of Him.

These Are The Days Of... a Poetic offering of Small Wonders

I don't know how your Monday has started off, but mine started off like this:

Rainy, quiet, still... enjoying a bit of Silence with cozy socks, a homemade eggnog latte in my favorite Santa mug (circa 2001ish!), and time spent with baby Jesus, slowing the busy and making room for the waiting of Advent... Once again, unwrapping the Greatest Gift!

Mostly... that just means it was spent gaining perspective. And who doesn't need a fresh dose of that on any given Monday, am I right? 

He is Standing Right in Front of You, Offering You His Presence and a Present.

Yesterday during worship at my Bible Study, I had a vision of Jesus and oh my goodness, what a gift! (We'll get to that, I promise... just read on.)

***

I pulled out all our decorations this week and decked the halls, cranked the carols, and strung the lights. But in all of my arranging and hanging, draping and dangling, it felt a little-- well, empty.

I shrugged it off as one of those growing pains as we stretch into the new normal of Empty Nesterhood.  

It was partly that, sure.  
But it was also partly this:

I was looking at the month ahead and felt the need to just. push. through. Yeah. Already.

You see, I already lost sight of the fact that in this season of frenzy and fun, of over-scheduled calendars and under-valued quiet --I forget that more than glitter, I want Glory... more than presents, I want Presence.

Aaah Advent... The Glory of Slow and Waiting and Wonder.

We welcome December tomorrow, y'all!

Can you even believe it?

Sunday was the start of Advent.  Advent is something new to me.

I know? I'm still learning about the traditions and deep meaning of it. I've been in love with Jesus for over half of my life now, but never knew much about what Advent was or why people were talking about it. Honestly, I thought Advent was simply a calendar countdown to Christmas, with a bonus of tiny chocolates hidden behind little doors.

It turns out the bonus is better than chocolate.
Wait. What?

It's true! The true bonus of Advent, as I am just now discovering, is the glory of slowing... of waiting... and of wonder.