Day 1 Coming Alive at Christmas –as If hearing for first time
Come Alive at Christmas- as if Hearing it for the First time
By the way.. guess what! I am so excited about these devotions and believe they will help you come alive at Christmas. I want you and your friends to enjoy them and be ministered to by them.
So for every post for the next 25 days.. If you comment you will be entered into a drawing (who doesn’t love to win!)
every time you comment on a post = an entry
if you share link on facebook =entry
share on twitter=entry (by the way feel free to be my friend on twitter @comingalivejenn)
What entered for: 35 dollar gift card to anything that makes you come alive. If that is Starbucks I will get you a Starbucks gift card. If a spa.. a spa gift card.
I am so excited to see us come alive at christmas!
Will draw the day after Christmas 🙂
So for every post for the next 25 days.. If you comment you will be entered into a drawing (who doesn’t love to win!)
every time you comment on a post = an entry
if you share link on facebook =entry
share on twitter=entry (by the way feel free to be my friend on twitter @comingalivejenn)
What entered for: 35 dollar gift card to anything that makes you come alive. If that is Starbucks I will get you a Starbucks gift card. If a spa.. a spa gift card.
I am so excited to see us come alive at christmas!
Will draw the day after Christmas 🙂
I wanted to start the 25 days to Coming Alive at Christmas with this challenge to you. Act as if you are hearing the miracle of the birth of Christ for the first time (and whew I pray that there is someone reading this that is)
It’s so easy for it to get normal. Mundane. The story we grow up hearing about. The story we sing along about in Christmas songs. The story we see in the nativity scene as normal.
When I lived in Nepal as a missionary, it became un-normal for me again. I began to see it through new eyes as I watched the wondering, the questions, the how could it be questions when I would explain the Christmas story to those who had grown up in Nepal only hearing about their Hindu gods.
God coming to earth as a baby? To take all our sins?
Emmanuel, God with us?
A virgin birth?
It was all new and all exciting to them.
I worry that for us good Christian church people it’s normal. Yes God came to earth as a baby. Yes He was born to a virgin. Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm , all is bright.. now let’s get to the business, the hustle, the bustle.
I have a Christmas party to get to at church.
I want to share with you an actual blog entry from my first Christmas in Nepal 2007.
Hey to my favorite readers in the whole world. well i had a really great post all written out for you and then my computer froze.. so I am at take two here. But I am not going to complain. In fact, I am going to take this moment and praise the Lord for modern technology. Because of modern technology I can keep up with people on the other side of the world that i love so much. So praise the Lord!
So yes.. you got it.. 635 Christmas cookies.. that’s what I did yesterday. And before you get impressed.. in pride i want to say be more impressed.. i made most of them in the dark, with no electricity…. (Wait as i give myself a pat on the back and then repent for it!) yup. yesterday i was in the cooking making business. knee deep in 5 kg of sugar (which you had to pick the bugs and dirt out of ).. mixing 2 tablespoons of milk, 2 tsp of baking powder, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 3/4 cup flower.. oh yeah and don’t forget the egg. .i. did a couple of times.. but when you are making that many cookies you use the batter anyway! We made about 50 others besides the 635, but those were eaten by us … because you can’t give out a gingerbread man with an amputated arm or leg, a Christmas tree cut in half, an angel with a broken wing (wasn’t that a song once) or a broken heart! so if they broke.. we ate! yesterday for six hours i baked cookies.. and listened to cheesy Christmas music. we made them for the Christmas play to give out tomorrow. I am so excited about the play and ask your prayers.. this is the first big evangelical event they have done like this.. and the people at the church took it seriously when i said invite non Christians.. in fact so seriously several people asked me tonight (church members) if they could come even if they were Christians.. hehehe.. so now we have the cookies packed in cute little bags, the children practiced on how to baa like a sheep, Mary, jospeh and 2 year old Jesus, a stable, and some really hilarious wise men… we are ready- just pray that God’s light and truth SHINE!
This week has been fun of Christmas fun. Monday i had a Christmas party for my discipleship girls. I love those ladies. It’s quite an interesting experience as most of them don’t speak English trying to teach.. but we have a blast and they are really opening up and bonding as a group. And every week a different Hindu person has come. Praise God!
Then Tuesday we went Christmas caroling with the church.. it was an all day event. We went by bus, and it was supposed to be 30 minutes away– translate Nepalese time.. 2 hours! WE went to a house and sang and it was so much fun.. i could actually read the script enough to sing along, which was exciting. There were many Hindu’s who came to hear. Then instead of cookies and cider, the family fed us beaten rice and chicken intestine.. hmm.. ke garne (what to do). Then we went a couple more places. Then Tuesday of course was cooking all day!
Then tonight caroling again. We went to the orphanage and sang and danced with the kids. It was so much fun. I just love them. Then we went to the rooftop or our pastors house and sang for all the neighbors under the stars around a fire. It was awesome! As we sang we wish you a merry Christmas (the only English song they sing.. and it is Hilarious their pronounciations) I realized that I was looking under the same stars in your sky (10 hours earlier of course) so as we sang, I sang it to you all (now doesn’t that sound like a cheesy hallmark Christmas card) afterwards we had soup and danced.. i asked them if I was a good dancer and someone said, well it’s “different”.. hmmmm… different eh! so it has been an awesome. I still have not bought one Christmas present, yet, I am seeing the real reason for the season. To share the glorious light of the gospel of Christ.
So yes.. you got it.. 635 Christmas cookies.. that’s what I did yesterday. And before you get impressed.. in pride i want to say be more impressed.. i made most of them in the dark, with no electricity…. (Wait as i give myself a pat on the back and then repent for it!) yup. yesterday i was in the cooking making business. knee deep in 5 kg of sugar (which you had to pick the bugs and dirt out of ).. mixing 2 tablespoons of milk, 2 tsp of baking powder, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 3/4 cup flower.. oh yeah and don’t forget the egg. .i. did a couple of times.. but when you are making that many cookies you use the batter anyway! We made about 50 others besides the 635, but those were eaten by us … because you can’t give out a gingerbread man with an amputated arm or leg, a Christmas tree cut in half, an angel with a broken wing (wasn’t that a song once) or a broken heart! so if they broke.. we ate! yesterday for six hours i baked cookies.. and listened to cheesy Christmas music. we made them for the Christmas play to give out tomorrow. I am so excited about the play and ask your prayers.. this is the first big evangelical event they have done like this.. and the people at the church took it seriously when i said invite non Christians.. in fact so seriously several people asked me tonight (church members) if they could come even if they were Christians.. hehehe.. so now we have the cookies packed in cute little bags, the children practiced on how to baa like a sheep, Mary, jospeh and 2 year old Jesus, a stable, and some really hilarious wise men… we are ready- just pray that God’s light and truth SHINE!
This week has been fun of Christmas fun. Monday i had a Christmas party for my discipleship girls. I love those ladies. It’s quite an interesting experience as most of them don’t speak English trying to teach.. but we have a blast and they are really opening up and bonding as a group. And every week a different Hindu person has come. Praise God!
Then Tuesday we went Christmas caroling with the church.. it was an all day event. We went by bus, and it was supposed to be 30 minutes away– translate Nepalese time.. 2 hours! WE went to a house and sang and it was so much fun.. i could actually read the script enough to sing along, which was exciting. There were many Hindu’s who came to hear. Then instead of cookies and cider, the family fed us beaten rice and chicken intestine.. hmm.. ke garne (what to do). Then we went a couple more places. Then Tuesday of course was cooking all day!
Then tonight caroling again. We went to the orphanage and sang and danced with the kids. It was so much fun. I just love them. Then we went to the rooftop or our pastors house and sang for all the neighbors under the stars around a fire. It was awesome! As we sang we wish you a merry Christmas (the only English song they sing.. and it is Hilarious their pronounciations) I realized that I was looking under the same stars in your sky (10 hours earlier of course) so as we sang, I sang it to you all (now doesn’t that sound like a cheesy hallmark Christmas card) afterwards we had soup and danced.. i asked them if I was a good dancer and someone said, well it’s “different”.. hmmmm… different eh! so it has been an awesome. I still have not bought one Christmas present, yet, I am seeing the real reason for the season. To share the glorious light of the gospel of Christ.
I love that last line. It still have not bought one Christmas present, yet I am seeing the real reason for the season. To share the glorious light of the gospel of Christ.
How can you come alive this Christmas by wrapping yourself in the glorious light of the gospel of Christ?
Good morning Jenn. I eagerly awaited todays post. I love exciting people!!! I cried as I read it and now I'm gonna share it. Not for the entry of prize, but because it's worthy. Christmas love to you girlfriend. You are awesome.!
Whoo! What a great way to prepare for Christmas! Thanks for the challenge.
wow! That is powerful stuff. changes perspective for sure. I love you!
Michelle