Month: November 2017

Posted in Encouragements, Journal, memories, Miscellaneous, organization

Weekly Verses…

Posted on by JosephinesDesigns.com

Monday

[The shepherds] hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby [Jesus], who was lying in the manger.  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed…  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. 
—Luke 2:16-20
New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
The shepherds reaction to baby Jesus is exactly what our reaction will be when we see the returning Jesus:  we will glorify and praise God for all the things we see and hear and will find that they are just as God has promised them to us. Since God kept his word in the first coming of Jesus, we can be assured that he will do it with the Second Coming of Jesus!
MY PRAYER…
Faithful and all powerful Lord, thank you for being trustworthy and true.  Help me to be faithful to you in what I   do and say and think during this stressful yet marvelous time. May I never lose faith in the coming of Jesusand may my faith in him ever shape my life to be more pleasing to you.  Amen.
Tuesday
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
—Isaiah 9:6
New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
While Jesus is God’s Son and Mary’s son, he is also our Son. He is the child given to the world so you and I can become God’s child.  What greater gift can we have than Jesus, and through Jesus, God as our Father.
MY PRAYER…
On a day so glorious, when the world pauses and acknowledges your gift of Jesus, all I can think to say is simply “Thank you!”  Amen.
Wednesday
Simeon took him [Jesus] in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.  For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
—Luke 2:28-32
New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
God’s gift to Simeon was truly precious and touching.  He is the embodiment of every nation, race, and culture that is seeking God’s salvation.  God’s salvation, as Luke loves to remind us again and again, is for all people!
MY PRAYER…
Lord God of all nations, not only do I pray for peace on earth, but I pray that the knowledge of Jesus may be spread to every nation this coming year.   Please make me sensitive to those around me who need your grace and give me courage and the right words to say.  Please stir me to be generous to those who are spreading your Gospel throughout the world.  Please bind the work of Satan that keeps nations in darkness and away from grace.   Make your Kingdom triumph through the growth of your word throughout the world.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.
Thursday
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.  Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
—Psalms 103:1-3
New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
Praise must not come just from our lips.  Praise must emanate from deep within our soul, recognizing all the great blessings God has given us.  While God is worthy of praise because he his holy and majestic and mighty, we have even greater reasons to praise him.   He has bee so very gracious to us!
MY PRAYER…
Holy and loving Father, I praise you for your gift of creation.  I praise you for your love in granting us free will to accept or reject you.  I praise you for choosing Abraham to be the beginning of faith and a people through whom Jesus would come.  I praise you for sending Jesus.   I praise you for providing the sacrifice for my sins.  I praise you for raising him from the dead and triumphing over sin and death.  I praise you for those who shared the Gospel of your grace with me.  I praise You for what you are doing through me and for me.  I praise You for what you are about to do and yet remains enshrouded in mystery to me.  I praise because you are Almighty God who has chosen to be my Abba Father.  Through Jesus Christ my Lord, I praise you. Amen.
Friday
[Jesus said,] “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” 
—Matthew 11:28
New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
At the end of the year, it sure is nice to be invited to rest in Jesus.   So before we begin a new year, let’s pause and place our hopes, our future, our dreams, and especially our burdens down at his feet and let him give us rest.
MY PRAYER…
Teach me, O God, to learn to rest in your grace and providence more and to worry less.  I want to surrender my burdens to Jesus and let him teach me his way and how to find his rest.  Sometimes I am so tired and weary I don’t think I can continue, so please, dear Father, let me find rest in Jesus.   Through whom I offer this prayer.  Amen.
Saturday
[Jesus said,] “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.   In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.   I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
—John 14:1-3
New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
He’s coming back!  As much as the world likes to remember Jesus’ first coming during the Christmas season, we need to remind people that his Second Coming will be even greater.  We want to be prepared –lives dedicated to his glory and hearts full of expectation at his coming.
MY PRAYER…
Loving God, I know Jesus will come again.  May I be found faithful and expectant when he returns.  Thank you for sending him the first time to live in my world and take away my sin. Thank you even more for his next coming to take me to live in your world and share in your victory over sin.   Through Jesus I pray.  Amen.
Sunday
[Jesus said,] “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!   I have overcome the world.
—John 16:33
New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
This world is a place of struggle.  Yes, we can live above the struggle for awhile or can find a way to simply ignore or re-label the struggle for a time.  But in the end, the struggle will find us.  But in the midst of struggle, we can remind ourselves that our victory is secure.  Jesus has won!  We will share in his great triumph.  In case you didn’t know, the final outcome is already determined and Christians win big through
Jesus.
MY PRAYER…
Thank you, God, for giving me the victory through Jesus Christ my Lord.  I greet the future with anticipation because I know that each day brings me closer to you and the glorious future you have planned for all of your children.  Until then I pray that I may never lose sight of that victory and I yearn for the day of its arrival! Through Jesus, the triumphant Rider on the white horse, I pray.  Amen.
Devotional credit: Oneplace.com
Posted in Encouragements, Journals, memories, memory keeping, Miscellaneous, Project Life

6 Ways to Prepare for the Holidays

Posted on by JosephinesDesigns.com

Preparing for the holidays can be a lot of work. In fact, during the next few weeks, your Christmas to-do list is probably about to grow into an outrageous, poster-sized banner. Am I right? And then, before you know it, your Christmas experience turns into a frenzy of challenging task after challenging task.

Why not do it differently this year? Let’s get a head start on this season to ensure that this Christmas is about the celebration of the birth of Our Savior. Below you will find six ways you can prepare for Christmas while remembering the reason we celebrate the season.

1. Add an advent calendar to your nightly routine. An advent calendar is a wonderful way to prepare your family for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Not sure how an advent calendar works? Check out our article on How To Use An Advent Calendar and get a head start on the celebration this year.

2. Decorate your Christmas tree as a family.  Choose lights and ornaments that represent the true Christmas story. With the Twelve Names of Christmas Ornaments, you can start 12 days before Christmas—read one story each night with your family and have your children hang the corresponding ornament on the tree.

3. Serve others. Start a card ministry, organize a bake sale for your favorite charity, deliver pre-cooked Christmas dinners or easy-clean-up meals to your elderly friends, or volunteer your time at a local food pantry. By serving others at Christmas and year-round, you are answering God’s call in your life. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 ESV

4. Decorate gradually. Slow down the process of putting your nativity scene out. By displaying your manger scene one piece at a time, you will be able to truly focus on the involvement of each person in the miraculous first Christmas story—of course, topping it off Christmas Day with the arrival of baby Jesus.

5. Find time to sit quietly. As the busyness of the holiday season approaches, set aside a designated time each day to fully focus on listening to God’s voice. Pick up some prayer resources to help deepen your personal relationship with Jesus as we approach the celebration of His birth.

6. Study the Christmas story. Read enlightening books about the amazing birth of Jesus. The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamphelps readers celebrate the lineage and the majesty of Jesus Christ; while The Women of Christmas by Liz Curtis Higgsfocuses more on the biblical stories of Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna. Looking for materials to help your children or grandchildren learn more about the birth of Christ? Check out our Christmas-themed activity books such as Christmas Joysor Jesus Is Born!

We all know how easy it is to get caught up in the Christmas rush. At DaySpring, we want to come alongside you this season to bring you inspirational devotionals, helpful tips, and fun ideas to remind us all of the reason we celebrate Christmas. We hope our six ways to prepare for the holidays will help bring your focus back to the amazing Christmas story and His unfailing love for us.

Devotional credit: Dayspring.com

 

Posted in Encouragements, Journal, memories, memory keeping, Miscellaneous

Discovering the Advent Season

Posted on by JosephinesDesigns.com

Every year, I plan on buying a traditional Advent calendar to help my family get ready for Christmas.  I like the idea of daily Advent readings that help build anticipation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth.  Unfortunately, I’m usually busy and forget to buy the calendar until after Advent has already started.  There is so much going on at Thanksgiving, and then the parties start, and before you know it, Christmas is upon us.  The calendar itself is not the most important thing; it’s about what celebrating Advent does for us during a very busy time of the year.

Advent is the season that starts four Sundays before Christmas.  For hundreds of years, Christians have used this season to remember the coming of Christ, and to prepare for Christmas.  It’s more than just a piece of history, though.  So, why do we celebrate Advent?  Celebrating the Advent season can help us today to follow Christ more faithfully in at least three ways.

Advent helps us focus on Jesus.

We’ve all heard the clichés like “Jesus is the reason for the season” and “Let’s keep Christ in Christmas.”  Even though they are clichés, they contain nuggets of truth.  One of the reasons that they exist is that it is just so easy to let all of the activities, and shopping, and parties overwhelm our focus on Jesus.  Celebrating Advent gives us daily and weekly reminders through Scripture about who Christ is and what He did for us when He came to earth.

Advent helps us honor Jesus.

The word “Advent” means the arrival of someone or something important.  When an important event like a graduation or wedding is coming, we work hard to make sure everything is perfect.  When an important person is coming to visit, we work hard to properly prepare for them so that they will know they are valuable to us.  We plan the menu and the decorations; we clean the house and edge the lawn.  We don’t just wait until the last minute and throw something together.  Similarly, celebrating Advent helps us give Jesus the proper attention and focus He deserves.  By focusing on Him throughout this season, and not just on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we honor Him more faithfully.

Advent helps us remember Jesus is coming again.

Advent is not only a celebration of Christ’s first coming as a baby; it is also a reminder of Jesus’ return that is yet to come.  Just as God’s people awaited the first coming of the Messiah, His people now await the return of our Savior.  The four weeks of Advent remind us of both of these comings.  In weeks one and two, the Scripture readings look forward to His second coming and remind us of the importance of being prepared for His return.  Weeks three and four look backward and help us remember the excitement and expectation that the hope of the Messiah brought to the ancient Jews.  It has always been important for God’s people to remember that God is up to something, and that we need to live in expectation of what He will do when He comes again.

In our world, there are so many things that can occupy our attention.  The Christmas season is one of the most exciting times of the year, but it is also one of the most distracting seasons of the year.  Even for those who want to keep focused on Jesus, it is difficult to do so.  By celebrating Advent, we acknowledge that celebrating Jesus is more than one evening and the following day.  The ‘how’ to celebrate Advent isn’t as important as the connection you make with Him, so create special traditions as a family and grow in Him together.  Let us be a people who acknowledge God’s great love and generosity for his people every day this Advent season.

Devotional credit: Dayspring.com

Posted in Encouragements, memory keeping, Mini Albums, Miscellaneous

Simple Advent Activities for Your Family

Posted on by JosephinesDesigns.com

I often think of the crazy holiday season countdown as a great big package we tear into (earlier and earlier!) every year. It’s bright and flashy, but we don’t find a whole lot at the heart of it.

And then there’s Advent.

Advent is like a small and carefully-wrapped gift that invites us to open it slowly, day-by-day, to discover new treasures inside each year. It’s the quiet, magnificent story unfolding beneath all the shopping and celebrating. It’s the real journey that will still be beautiful and true when everything else passes away.

This is the story I want my children to be swept up in.

They love anticipation and discovery; They love creating and celebrating.

I want to help them pour that God-given energy and excitement into the stuff that truly matters.

If you’re looking for some simple, meaningful ways to celebrate a special Advent season this year, read on. Find a few easy Advent activities that feel right for your family, and give them your personal touch! Starting your own Advent traditions is a wonderful way to celebrate the marvel of the season.

Start simple.

Hang a traditional Advent calendar that includes Scripture near a busy place in your home. Let children take turns opening each day, and spend a few moments talking about the message that’s revealed. Or place a small dry erase board orchalkboard in the kitchen to keep track of how many days until Jesus’ birthday.  As simple as it seems, even taking a few moments each day to shift our focus toward the One we’re truly celebrating can make a big difference.

Pray each day.

Have the kids decorate a prayer jar, box or basket. (Check out our Bible journaling craft supplies for some great inspiration!) Cut 24 small slips of paper and sit down together to fill them out with names, situations and even parts of the world you want to pray for. Set it in the middle of the dinner table or living room, and have a child draw one out each day of Advent as your family gathers to pray.

Shine your light.

Set out an Advent Wreath, and take a moment to light one of the candles each Sunday during Advent.  Talk about what it might look like to shine God’s light in the coming week.

Then consider putting His love into action with a weekly family outing to bless someone in need. It could be a nursing home visit, flower delivery, or a grocery store run for a homebound neighbor. Make a reverse advent calendar collection box and add one new item each day or week to donate to a food pantry or other organization. Get the kids involved and see what creative ideas they come up with!

Have some fun.

Our family doesn’t have the magical plush toy that shows up in some houses at the holidays, but we do love to have fun with our Shepherd on the Search. We hide him around the house each day of Advent, and he makes his way to the manger on Christmas Eve.

Create your own advent calendar countdown.

Make an advent calendar together for a personalized way to count down. Gather some supplies and give the kids a few hours one afternoon to create their version of a Christ-centered Christmas countdown. There are no rules; it can be as simple as stickers on paper, or elaborate as a colorful clay sculpture. Talk with them about how we each have a special journey to take, and theirs is unlike anyone else’s. Remind them how much God delights in walking with us every step of the way. Allow their creativity to guide you through the Advent season as you draw inspiration from their homemade advent countdown.

Go all-inclusive.

If you’re looking for a more comprehensive guide for the season, there are some wonderful advent devotionals that include Scripture, devotions and activities for your family to share. One of my favorite Advent books is Ann Voskamp’s “Unwrapping the Greatest Gift.”

No matter what, remember that every little step we take toward the heart of this beautiful season matters: every meaningful conversation we share, every prayer prayed together, every act of kindness that shines His light. Don’t let the celebration of Advent become another burdensome thing to check off a holiday to-do list. Pray about your plans; do what’s right for your family in this season of life, and enjoy the journey of a Christ-centered Advent celebration together!

Devotional credit: Dayspring.com

Posted in Encouragements, memories, Miscellaneous

Finding Peace in the Face of Family Stress

Posted on by JosephinesDesigns.com

Life is full of choices, isn’t it? One of the hardest choices for me personally is choosing my response in stressful situations. And the situations that seem the most difficult? Family matters. Ah yes, you know what I’m talking about? Aunt Susie and Uncle Billy enjoy a wonderful marriage, but all the sudden, on a holiday weekend when the entire family is finally together, they choose to argue and complain to one another loudly in front of everyone. The underlying tension that results is thick enough to cut. Or maybe all the children of the extended family are running around together when one of them suddenly takes a tumble and tears flow. One after another, toddlers melt down and preschoolers throw tantrums. Maybe your family doesn’t have these moments because long ago, two sisters decided they no longer would speak to each other. So rather than stemming from reactions within the family, stress results from having zero interaction with one another.

Regardless of your personal family circumstances, whether health problems, differences of opinion, or distressing issues, finding peace in the face of family stress is challenging. How can we discover harmony within our families in stressful times? Check out these practical and inspiring ideas!

1. Choose a light-hearted approach when possible.

When I was growing up, my parents often hosted missionaries and ministry workers of all kinds. There were no restaurants in our small town and folks had to eat somewhere. One day, the visiting missionary’s son spilled his entire glass of milk at our dinner table in a typical child-like fumble. His parents looked ready to crawl under the table, but with nine kids of his own, my dad just continued passing the potatoes. In a quiet voice, he said “That’s never happened here before.” Then he glanced up at the missionaries and everyone began to laugh. Whenever family bumps occur, a little laughter can go a long way.

2. Remember that time together is precious.

Learning to overlook oddities or parts of family relationships we don’t appreciate is much easier when we keep them in perspective. See your family often? Treasure the memories you are making. Family living all over the country? Enjoy those cramped moments of sleeping in odd spaces and eating in tight places. In the face of stress, embrace the time you have because time is not a commodity we can purchase.

3. Build in quiet moments during family time.

Regardless of the family size or family member ages, one simple way to enjoy a calm family conversation moment is to ask each person to say one thing they appreciate or admire about the person to their right. Moving a conversation around the table in this fashion brings a sweetness to spirits.

4. Recognize that the best peace comes from the Lord.

Psalm 147:13-14 ESV reminds us how the Lord provides:

For He strengthens the bars of your gates; He blesses your children within you. He makes peace in your borders; He fills you with the finest of the wheat.

Reading the above verse in the face of family stress or saying a short prayer asking for peace is a beautiful way to approach burdens or worries that threaten to steal the joy of family. When we choose to face the challenges with the thoughts above, a peaceful perspective results! Trusting the Lord to provide “impossible peace” results in incomprehensible peace. As Isaiah reminded his people:

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3ESV

Devotional credit: Dayspring.com