Merry Christmas! I love to celebrate the ultimate gift! I know many are in the middle of celebrating the Christmas season in ministry! As if it couldn't get any busier, there is craziness of additional church activities in addition to establishing and keeping your own family traditions. This is a huge tight rope for you to walk but one suggestion is to include your children in your church traditions. Make some of the church traditions as part of your family time together during the holidays. Then draw a boundary and set aside purposeful time with just your family to enjoy this most blessed time of year!
At our first Church we began a tradition of an annual Christmas open house. We would open our home to the people of the church for three days. In those days everyone would come and have an opportunity to see where the preacher lived and what he had in his house. I wasn't ignorant to the ways of some as they checked out a closet or a drawer or two. Yes, this really happened - more than once in my life in ministry! It makes me smile even now.
I decorated with something connected to the season in every room. Each passing year church members would bring me a gift to be used for decorating the next year. I am convinced that some came back the next year to see where I had placed the newest decor. It was a very good time. The final night we invited our neighbors to join us and at the end of the evening my husband would read the Christmas Story. We practiced this tradition for more than 15 years. I loved to celebrate Christmas then and I love to celebrate Christmas NOW! Celebrating the ultimate gift was and is a cause of great joy!
Each year my collection of nativity scenes grew. It was unplanned by me but over the years it became a real collection. After hurricane Katrina we discovered most of our Christmas decorations had survived in plastic tubs in the attic. This survival was a precious gift from the Lord. I am posting pictures every day for the rest of December on our Devotional and Facebook page. I know that some of the nativities are funny looking and even ridiculous in way of characterization but I smile each time I place them out. There is a story associated with almost each nativity. I'm aware that it looks like Christmas exploded at my house but I don't care! It is the one time of year that gaudy Christmas decor is displayed all around me and so I will join the throng and celebrate the TRUE gift and reason for this incredible season.
I would love for you to PLEASE add your own pictures of nativities in the coming days on Contagious Joy's Facebook page. We could make quite a list! Come on let's do it! I'm posting photos here in hopes that you will click on them and join me on the Devotional page for more.
Our very first nativity. One lamb has been bitten by a puppy. Another lamb has gone astray along time ago and we lost Jesus for a little while but he finally appeared in the Barbie Play house. :)
A souvenir from Krakow, Poland
What Christian Family doesn't have one of these?!?
Meet me in the devotionals or forums and let's talk about Celebrating this Season with a true focus on Christmas and the balance of keeping your own family traditions while ministering to the masses Share your thoughts of how you do it! Or just post your pics - can't wait to see if your "collection" is as eclectic as mine!
Merry Christmas! Praying for you! Love, Diane
Divine Appointment
Anita is the author of "Divine Appointment"
God will not share His Glory with any other. Divine Appointment illustrates God's orchestration of lives that result in His glory. When people follow God's direction, He uses them to exhibit His love and compassion in our world for Our obedience allows us to participate with Him. He is intimately involved in the details of everyday life. Obedience to follow God allows us to participate with Him, for God will not share His Glory with any other.
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