Torn

Matthew 27 :51
"At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split "


This verse comes right after our Lord and Savior calls out his last. The symbolism of the curtain in the temple being torn in two, is that the curtain separated the "Holy of Holies, the part of the temple where the spirit of God was, from the part of the temple that the people would worship and pray. Thus separating God from man. When Jesus took his last breath, He took away that separation, giving us access to our Father. Jesus paid the price for our sin, through His death and resurrection. As we prepare for the upcoming Christmas season, remember God with us, Emmanuel, is truly the reason for the season. Amen.

I'm feeling a bit "torn" today. I don't want to rush the Christmas season, I want to enjoy fall and Thanksgiving; but I want to be prepared for all of the joy of Christmas. Torn (just a little). So today, I'm going to at least get some lists together. Gift lists, Menus, decorating and activities. I'm also going to need my calendar to make sure I have scheduled my time. I may even put on some Christmas music to put me in the mood. While I don't want to rush away the abundance and thankfulness of this season, I certainly don't want to miss out on the peace and joy of the next.

Here's a link from one of my favorite blogs, StoneGable to help you get started.

Love, love this blog!

And here's a pic to help motivate me to get going on those lists!

This was truly a home-made Christmas from 2013.
All of the decorations on the tree were handmade by all of my children (all 7 of them!) over the years.
And... I made all of the stockings, too, with felt and scraps of fabric (it's really super easy).

I hope you've found a a little inspiration and a few good tips. What are you doing to prepare for the upcoming holidays? Please comment below (click on the comment link) and share, I'd love to hear from you.

 I pray today you enjoy the present, but look towards the future.