O Christmas Tree

By Raquel Soto
    
While I was writing this article, it was amazing to see how early people were starting to shop for Christmas presents. My husband even asked me what I wanted for Christmas months in advance! I’m still working on my list.

I was thinking about Christmas in October of all things. I was on a business trip in London and they have a fabulous store called Harrods. By the time I got there in mid-October, they had their Christmas floor flowing in a beautiful array of colors. Ornaments from small to large, from pretty to down right corny could be found. It was quite lovely. I couldn’t resist buying a few ornaments that just yelled out: I’m from Britain! I even bought one for myself made of magnificent crushed, red velvet in the shape of a teapot.
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Christmas Traditions

By Jennifer Kearson

It all started about fifteen years ago, when I was with my parents eating our annual Thanksgiving feast. Feeling like stuffed turkeys and bored from watching losing football games, we decided it was time to bring out the Christmas decorations. We figured, why not? After all, glistening trees had already started popping up in stores and radio stations were beginning to be flooded with Christmas music.

After digging like chipmunks through the boxes in the attic, we quickly began to prepare our hearts for Christ while decorating the tree. Each ornament gave hints to its age or significance through its shape and color. Some represented my childhood artwork while others represented Santa and his reindeer. Most importantly, the angels, crosses and spiritual verses on the ornaments ushered in a feeling of great joy. Every year we find ourselves gasping at our finished pieces and the lights on the tree that remind us of the true meaning of Christmas. For every time we turn on the lights, we are reminded of the Light of our world, Jesus Christ.
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The Gift of Grace

By Lisa Buffaloe

I was a teenager in my first car when I wondered how fast I could go in my little Toyota Corolla. A two-lane farm road afforded me the opportunity to find out. On a perfect day for driving, I decided to put the pedal to the metal. Yep, I stuck my foot on the gas and let it fly. That little engine whined and screamed.

Freedom! I probably got up to 75 mph (pretty good for such a small car). I was flying.

And that’s when I saw him, the patrol car sitting on the side of the road. I was caught. It had to be obvious.  How many little Toyotas whiz by at break-neck speed? The first opportunity to stop was a gravel road leading to a farmhouse. I pulled over and waited.
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Advent

By Christina Puntigam

I remember when I was pregnant with our daughter.  There was talk of the nesting syndrome.  It didn’t happen in the way that I thought it would.  I think it came out in my reading every chance I could get and by sleeping in excess of 12 hours every day.  My body was preparing me for the road ahead.  The one frocked with sleepless nights and little time to read or do much of anything else for that matter.  

It becomes vivid to me when I see other new mothers doing the same kinds of things.  The frenzy that occurs before the birth seems to be universal.  But now that I’m on the other side of it, I can see a sense of peace in it as well.  And it is probably why Advent, the 24 days before Christmas, means so much to me.
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Finding Time for Relaxation

By Jennifer Kearson

Whew! What a week I had this week! Monday was Bible study; Tuesday was Gwinnett Young Republicans, Wednesday, choir practice, and Thursday, lesson plans for school. The week seems to never end. When I try to go to sleep each night, I find myself thinking about all of the things I still need to complete. Needless to say, my sleeping habits have not been the best lately.  I’m sure many of you know all too well what I’m talking about.

It’s so easy to get stuck into the everyday rut and forget to keep the Lord first.  In fact, it is during busy times like these that I think back on the early days with my women’s Bible study.  I do admit that I wasn’t very interested in going when I first signed up because I had so much to do! My first few meetings seemed very strict and overwhelming. However, after awhile, I loved it and I started to feel more alive.  I have learned a lot and cannot wait to discover even more!
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