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Be a peacekeeper. Did you know that’s what we are as believers? We are called to keep peace! The Bible tells us repeatedly to seek peace and to pursue it. We are called the salt of the earth, and one of the things salt does is preserve things. We are a preservative in this world’s system. When everyone else is in turmoil, unset, or living in chaos, we are the ones who set the standard of peace. We know a soft answer turns away wrath. We know that we don’t have to have the last word. We know that we don’t always have to state our opinion, when we know it will bring a conflicting view. We do know that we can raise the standard of righteousness by how we respond and react in any situation. We don’t fight fire with fire! We are called to bring peace, and because the Prince of Peace has come, we get to bring His message and live his message everywhere we go. So why not bring a higher level of peace to each situation you enter. Remember what Jesus came to do. That little tiny baby, was the Prince of Peace. He came to bring peace on earth. He brought joy to the whole world, and came as to bring peace to you, in your home, in your situation, today! Even though we live in a world where there is tribulation, we can still have peace. Let him reign in your heart and life. You are called to peace!
Advent Activity: Create a playlist with your favorite Christmas songs. Have it as background music around your home. (Use Pandora or Spotify or just play your favorite CD’s!) Turn off the TV and enjoy the music!

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Phil 4:7 God’s peace shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace, which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount a guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. How can we experience that tranquil state of soul, that peace that passes understanding in a world that is stressed out at Christmas time? One of the best things to do, during the holidays and really anytime is to speak peace to your soul. Jesus spoke to the storm, and He speaks peace to us through His Word. We can remind ourselves of his words and speak peace to our inner man, to silence the turmoil, or even the feeling that things are out of control. Mary and Joseph surely felt that way, a pregnant woman, on a journey, to give birth to a king. They had lots of unknowns in their world. Do you think their had peace in the midst of their circumstances? Even if your head is screaming at you, peace can mount a guard over your heart and mind. As believers we can know that everything is going to be ok. We’ve read the end of the book. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of that fact. God is our provider, protector and promoter. He is taking care of us. We know that even if the enemy attacks us, what the devil intends for evil, God can still turn it around for our good. So say to your mind, your heart and yourself, soul, be still. Speak peace to your inner man, and live fearlessly and victoriously. God has a great plan for your life and it is full of the peace that only he can give.
Advent Activity: Take a selfie as you play a game, or do some fun activity after you finish dinner tonight with friends or family. Post it on Facebook or Instagram, with the hashtag #agfadventactivity. Randomly we will pick one to win a new family game, and give it away on Sunday the 14th.

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One of the most beautiful songs of Christmas is Silent Night. It was written by two church members in a mountain village in Europe. Unfortunately the church organ wasn’t functioning and the song was first played on the guitar. When the words and music were put together, it was the perfect song for Christmas. They sang the brand new song that Christmas Eve service, accompanied by Franz Gruber’s guitar. The hymn was loved immediately. It was the organ repairman who saw a copy of the music on the organ and decided to spread it around that region in the alps. We think about the night when Jesus was born as a quiet celebration. The scene in the stable was certainly quiet as the newborn slept in the manger. One way that we can have a worshipful heart is to take time for quiet and calm. Often in the busyness of everyday, we need to speak peace to our soul. We need to realize that peace is what Christmas is all about. The Prince of Peace is here. He came to bring peace to the world, to our homes, to our relationships, and to our own heart. Let’s experience that peace and calm not only after all the busyness is done, but as we accomplish the necessary tasks that need to be done. It might be good to reconsider what really is important. Let’s live peaceably with all, and be peace makers, and pursue peace with a worshipful heart, because the Prince of Peace lives within us.
Advent Activity: Nap day…..put on some of your favorite movies and just lounge in front of the TV! This is your day for Shalom! Light candle number 2, which is the candle of peace, today.

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Be it unto me according to thy word. Every time I read those words in the Bible, I am amazed. Instead of being hopeless that she was an unwed mother, Mary had hope in God. She responded with hope when she was told that she was going to have a baby, and this baby was the song of God. She acknowledged that nothing is ever impossible with God. I don’t think we can even remotely relate to what was going on in her mind, her heart or her life, but in the midst of chaos, she said, God, I want your will for my life more than anything else. I don’t know what you life looks like right now, but can you say those words? Be it unto me, according to your Word. Whatever we are going through, we can look into the Word of God and find answers. We can know His will for us. His will is found in His Word! Are we willing to say, God, I want your will more than anything. I lay down my pride, my ego, my life, my all, and say, be it unto me, according to your Word. Can you believe that all things are possible with God? My prayer for you this Christmas season is that God’s Word becomes nearer and dearer to your heart than ever before. I pray that as you take time to read and study your Bible, or even look up todays verses, your life will be filled with hope and that you can see a bright future, serving an amazing God, and seeing His will and His Word come to pass in your life.
Advent Activity: Today is St. Nickolas Day, and the day our family puts up our big Christmas tree. This year we plan to cut one down in the mountains. When we put it up today, we’ll get one gift, usually a fun game or movie to play or watch together in the light of the Christmas tree. Tonight is the Community Christmas Concert with Jerry Nelson at 6:30 PM at AGF. Don’t miss it!

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To me there is not a more welcoming place to be than in the presence of God. From the time I was young, I have always loved church, loved God’s people and loved serving God in any way. When Jesus came to live inside of us, we can have His presence with us everyday, not just when we go to church. Our hope is fulfilled in knowing that He is always with us. So, my encouragement to you is to make God feel welcome in your life everyday! God takes attendance daily! He notices if you notice Him! Even though the song says that Santa knows when you are sleeping and knows when you are awake, God is the one who really knows everything about you. He counts the numbers of hairs on your head, and knows the thoughts and intents of your heart. Nothing escapes Him. So we should lay out the welcome mat for God permanently. He wants to be involved in your life moment by moment. My hope is that during this season, that you realize that God’s hopes and dreams for you are more than you can even believe. He says your future is filled with hope! He places great value on you and wants you in His close circle of friends. Friendship with God is wonderful and rewarding. Getting to know God up close and personal bring us hope for tomorrow. Knowing that God wants that for us, and was determined enough to make it happen through a baby in a stable, makes the Nativity story come to life. It is more than a story, it is God revealed to us, to live with us, and reside within us as our Emmanuel, to change our life forever.
Advent Activity: Do you have a relative who lives far away who won’t be able to spend Christmas with you? Take time today to make a little video of your decorations, maybe including some singing by your kids, or some of your special Christmas traditions. Get it in the mail, so they can have it to watch by Christmas.

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During the time of preparation for a baby, Mary and Joseph were on a journey. It was unexpected for both of them. They probably had their life planned out a little differently how things were going. They made their way on this long journey to Bethlehem, to do, of all things, pay taxes. Didn’t anyone know how inconvenient it would be for a pregnant woman to travel on a donkey during her 9th month of pregnancy? Joseph and Mary weren’t quite prepared for this, but this was their reality. I’m sure all of us have had our plans changed unexpectedly, but none quite this dramatically. Our earth journey is really preparation for heaven. Earth really is very short, and heaven is really very long. What we hope for in heaven is way beyond what we can imagine with our finite minds. What the young couple on a journey to Bethlehem was hoping for, with God’s own son living in their home, was way beyond what they could have imagined. But they made room for Jesus. And when they did, God gave them a taste of heaven on this earth. When we make room for Jesus, He does the same for us. The kingdom of God is within us. God’s desires that His will is done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matt 6:10) The very presence of God, His life, His nature, and His ability resides in us, empowering us to make our earth life, a little bit of heaven. Jesus gives us foretaste of things to come. What hope that brings.
Advent Activity: Create a gingerbread house in the shape of a stable. Perhaps you can use a store-bought kit, and remake it into a stable for baby Jesus.

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Southern Hospitality – it is famous around the world. If ever you want to feel really welcome, find a hospitable southern home. They act like they’ve been waiting all year for you to arrive, and when you leave, they can’t bear to see you go. That wasn’t exactly what Mary and Joseph found in Bethlehem. I guess the middle easterners haven’t been to the south, and learned about southern hospitality! Needless to say, the red carpet wasn’t awaiting them, and no welcome mat was at the door. It not only was a bother for Mary and Joseph to go on the trip, it was a bother for anyone to be prepared for them when they arrived. No one was hoping for, or anticipating their arrival. Do you know that hospitality is a great tool for evangelism, and a great opportunity for fellowship that we often overlook? I encourage you to open our homes to others. It happens more during the holidays, but I want to encourage you, be hospitable. People are looking for the warm family feeling that they find in the house of the Lord. They are hoping to feel welcomed. When we open our homes with welcome, we bring the hope of friendship, the hope of companionship and the hope of belonging. Everyone wants to belong, so this season, find ways to invite people into your home. If you’re thinking your home isn’t perfect, or as good as someone else’s, who cares!!! It is yours and God wants you to share it to promote His kingdom. Why not make your domain, HIS? Make your house, God’s house! Rejoice that you get to invite people to share in the hope of belonging as they visit your home. Ps 122:1 I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.
Advent Activity: Invite someone over spontaneously today! Have cookies and hot cider or something simple and share God’s love this Holy season.

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Our God is the God of all hope. When we think about how much the world was looking for hope before Jesus came, we realize how amazing it is that He became hope manifested to the world. Heaven came down and kissed earth, and we got caught right in the middle of the smack! Jesus was the kiss of heaven! He brought hope that would change history with his story! The story of Jesus is all about hope for the world. There doesn’t have to be darkness and despair, the light appeared. Darkness had to flee. Jesus came! Everything is better with the light of Jesus shining on it! What does hope do to the human heart? It reveals a future that is bright. It fills us with joy and peace in believing as it says in Romans 15:13. Hope overflows through the power of the Holy Spirit. When we know the plans God has for us are filled with hope, we can live filled with joy, knowing that our future is going to be awesome.
So my prayer for you today is that you know the God of all hope. That he would fill you with all joy and peace as you trust him, and that you will overflow with hope, and it will spill onto others who are all around you. You can be a hope infuser to your world! The light has come and He lives in you.
Advent Activity: Make a Christmas card for a soldier and put it in the mail. Your words on a card can bring hope to someone serving our country.

One thing that I have noticed as I study the Nativity story each Christmas is that it becomes more meaningful. It really isn’t about the trappings that we associate with Christmas, even though I love every part of Christmas. What it is really about, is a gift of hope, peace, joy, and love from God. Christmas is about a precious gift, in the form of a baby, who was an offering, and became a seed that would reap a tremendous harvest in each of us. He was a gift wrapped in flesh, clothed with humanity, and destined for greatness. He is the substance of things we hoped for (Hebrews 12:1) The simplicity of a baby born in a stable, contained the amazing revelation that God is with us. No longer do we have to wait for Him to manifest, He is Here. What an awesome thought! Our waiting and our search is over. He found us and now we can find Him! He came to us, now we can come to Him. He offered His life to us, now we offer our lives to Him. His loved was demonstrated, so that we can demonstrate our love back to Him.
I hope that during this season of hope, joy, peace and love, that your heart gets expanded to really know how much God has for you. God was determined enough to make it happen through a baby in a stable. Let the story of the Nativity come to life in you this season. It is not just a story, but an unfolding of God’s breath of life, manifested in humanity, wrapped in divinity, so that we can know Him, experience His presence and then live for Him, filled with hope, enveloped in joy, surrounded by peace, and wrapped in love.
Advent Activity: Mondays are usually a good night for family togetherness. Why not make family ornaments tonight for your Christmas tree? Keep adding a homemade ornament to your tree each year. Maybe make about something memorable you did as this year.

Breath taking…..Unbelievable…….Inconceivable(!!)……that we can know this wonderful Savior. Then, if knowing Him weren’t enough, He wants us in His Family, and has made us joint heirs with Him and seated us in heavenly place with Him. We get full benefits and privileges of being a son or daughter of the King of kings because Jesus made the way from outside of time and came into our space! And it still gets better. He calls us His friends. You and I are friends of God! Could there ever be a better friend? Royal blood flows in us because we are part of His family! We get the right to use His Name, and to be His friend. WOW!

I hope that during this season of joy, your heart gets expanded to really know how much God loves you. He places great value on you and wants you in His close circle of friends. Friendship is wonderful and rewarding. Getting to know God up close and personal makes life rewarding. Knowing that God wants that for us, and was determined enough to make it happen through a baby in a stable, makes the Nativity story come to life. Not just a story, but an unfolding of God’s breath of life, manifested in humanity, wrapped in divinity, so that we can know Him, and then live for Him.

Today, let’s not only anticipate the remembrance of His first coming, let’s remember what He did for us on the cross….. He was born a baby, but born to die, so that we could have life eternal. Let’s never forget.

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