Immanuel- God With Us

She asks me, "Will it be Christmas tomorrow too?" 

I know that feeling. 

That feeling of not wanting any of

this wonder to wander away-

or me from it.

"Yes, it is Christmas forever now," I say

"Because Christ is always with us."

God With Us

O come O come Emmanuel

And randsom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel has come to Thee, O Israel.

Taking Time to be Before the Manger

"If God avoided red carpets and opted instead 

to enter the black stable, 

is there anywhere 

the hallowed presence of God won't appear?

The One who cradles galaxies

in the palm of His hand

curls his newborn fist in a barn feed trough.

He who breathes stars

breathed in heavy, dirty stable air.

I would kneel before the manger, 

and it would be so clear: 

God comes to us not so much in the lovely, 

but in the unlikely.

At the manger. Love came down."

                          -Ann Voskamp

Love Came Down

"Jesus the Christ, born in Bethlehem

A baby born to save the souls of men.

Hallelujah!"

                         -Joy Williams, Here With Us

Unhurried Hands

"Life at its fullest is this

sensitive, detonating sphere,

and it can be carried 

only in the hands of the unhurried."

             - Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts

This Moment

"I profane this moment when I don't stay in it.

Be all here; and be holy.

Because the Presence of I Am

always fills the present moment.

And isn't the only way God can come to us

is through the door of this moment?"

                               -Ann Voskamp

tree decorating randomness

"But the biggest mistake I made is this:

I did not live in the moment enough.

I wish I had treasured the doing a little more 

and the getting it done a little less."

                -Anna Quindlen

Our Gingerbread House

In all its imperfections, it's still beautiful. Because Ellie and I made it together. And that's better than a thousand glamourous gingerbread houses any day.

Pondering Christmas After It's Over

Angels from the realms of glory
Wing your flight o'er all the earth.
Ye who sang creation's story
Now proclaim Messiah's birth.


Come and worship
Come and worship
Worship Christ the newborn King.

Shattered...

Shatter: to be broken into fragments or become weak or insubstantial; to damage or destroy.

Rejoice!

O come O come Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! 

Emmanuel has come to thee O Israel.

Tree Decorating

"O holy night the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn."

My Gift

What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, would I bring a lamb;

If I were a wise man, would I do my part;

Yet what can I give Him... give my heart.

                -Sarah Mclachlan, In a Bleak Mid Winter 

For My Co-op Kiddos

Have a fun and safe Christmas break 

See you in two weeks!