newsletter // dec 8, 2023

{when you’re longing for a more peaceful and meaningful Christmas}

I started a holiday series on social media, sharing tips for making this month a bit more peaceful and meaningful. Here are the first two tips:

{1} Start an advent devotional!  It’s not too late to start–just continue into January.

All of the shopping, decorating, gift wrapping, baking, and holiday scheduling can increase our Christmas joy—but it can also steal it! The season often feels overwhelming and stressful.  If you’ve never tried an Advent devotional, I highly recommend it this year to get your heart engaged with the spiritual meaning of Christmas. It’s helpful to have daily encouragement to realign your focus and guide you through the day.

There are endless choices on Amazon, with many advent devotions priced under $10. There are also plenty of options that can be downloaded online. You can find free devotionals from Focus on the Family, Billy Graham, Desiring God, and many more websites!  Try a Google search with “free advent devotional 2023”. If you prefer to simply read through all of the Bible passages pertaining to Christmas, you can find reading plans on most Bible websites or apps.

It’s so easy to jump on my phone first thing in the morning and start checking emails, online shopping, returning texts, or just scrolling mindlessly. I’ve committed to keeping the first part of my day phone-free this month so that I have time for my cup of tea, devotional + Bible reading, and time to talk to God.  I’m taking this season one day at a time so I can experience the joy and peace I know He wants for me!

{2} Set aside time to meditate on the birth of Jesus by imagining yourself there in the stable with Him!

Our imaginations are created by God and can be led by the Holy Spirit to engage with the Lord in powerful ways. Trust me on this. The kind of visualization I’m suggesting is not manifesting or letting the imagination of your flesh run wild.  I’m talking about picturing yourself in a time and place with Jesus or the Father and then letting the Holy Spirit guide the interaction.

I’ve had some precious moments in my mind’s eye, walking with our resurrected Jesus on the beach… touching the scars in His hands, leaning into His embrace, and letting Him speak a word of scripture to me. All of this happened in my imagination while I was singing a worship song in church on a Sunday morning. I implore you to give it a try if you’ve not experienced a moment like this with Jesus!

Years ago, the Lord gave me a visual image in my mind of baby Jesus lying in His manger bed. He spoke to me so powerfully, yet tenderly, through the imagery I saw in my imagination and some whispers from His heart.  I wrote about this experience on my blog in 2013 and have shared it a few times. But this year, the Lord urged me to record it as a guided meditation and share it with you all!

I’ve added it to my podcast as a bonus episode. It’s just under 15 minutes and I think you will be blessed (and possibly undone) by what God gave me to share. Here is a link to find the podcast on your favorite platform: Pressing In Podcast

Merry Christmas, friend. May you meet Jesus in a fresh new way this season.

p.s. I’ll be sharing more tips leading up to Christmas!