Just in time for Christmas…
It has been a minute. Actually, it's been a year since I posted my last blog. The longer I live, the more I realize that I process life through writing. Whether it is in a journal during my Priority Time or on a keyboard typing, there is something about the written word that helps my mind and heart find clarity. After blogging weekly for over a decade, my blog has been on the back burner for the last few years. I have missed blogging and engaging with my gracious readers, but sanity won out as I added several new jobs to my plate.
Recently, I was asked to teach a Christmas series at One City Church, which I have titled "Peace Beyond Christmas." As I prepared for the series, I could not help blogging about it. The truth is that Christmas is a tricky time of year for many of us. It is not all jolly and kisses under the mistletoe for most people, but it is also not all coal in the stocking. My guess is that the most common experience is that the Christmas season is more like a roller coaster with several highs and a few lows. Ironically, the busyness and cultural expectations of Christmas also tend to make it LESS likely to connect with the Lord daily during the very season we celebrate our Savior's birth. (I can hear Chris saying, "busyness is the enemy of intimacy" as I type. Oh, it is so true!)
So how do we find peace NOW, let alone beyond December 25th? If you have known me for any length of time, you will know that a daily unhurried time to get to know the Lord through the Bible and prayer has been one of the most life-giving and enriching tools of my walk with the Lord. This thing we call a priority time is so much more than a quiet time, but it is the one priority that determines all other priorities. God wants to meet with each of us and fill us up each day, so the overflow of our time with Him honors Him and demonstrates His love to all we encounter each day.
With this sermon series, I have created a 10 Day Christmas Priority Plan, and I want to invite my blog family to join me on this adventure. Starting December 14th, you will receive one email each day for 10 days. The first five days will use Luke's account of Christmas, and days six through ten will focus on Matthew's account. I pray these familiar biblical accounts of Christmas will allow you to experience God in a fresh way this Christmas season. It is easy to overlook the most familiar passages in the Bible. I am excited to hear how God surprises each of us with how personal His word is to our own lives this Christmas.