The Season of Lent Is Upon Us

 A couple weeks ago,

 I found out I was the lucky winner of the SHE READS TRUTH Lenten Study.

This was exactly what I needed to push me during Lent to make time for Jesus.

I won this beautiful SHE READS TRUTH Study Kit from Emilie at Flourish & Hope

and you should definitely check out her blog as well! 

This kit includes a beautiful book to use for your study 

along with three beautifully designed business-card-sized verses 

and two gorgeous 8x10 prints.

The book includes each of the 47 days 

with verses, prayers and spaces for journaling your thoughts. 

There are also several pages of hymns which I love 

because I could play them as part of my devotional time.

Music is a very important part of my time with Jesus.

When I am really stressed out, I will sit down at the piano

and play my favorite hymns. It always calms me

and fills me with a great peace.

The pages are beautiful and the words on the pages remind us of His great love for us.

Beginning tomorrow, I will be devoting time each day, for the next 47 days to this study of Jesus and his great gift of dying on the cross for us and His miracle resurrection.

I have my Bibles ready.

I have scheduled it into my days.

I have prayed about this study and how it can be help me grow in my faith.

If you would like to join me, you can also read along 

by getting the SHE READS TRUTH App on your device. 

Unfortunately, the study is all sold out. 

But, if you are interested in this type of kit/study,

you will want to stay tuned for their release of the next study. 

I am hoping to share often about what I am feeling and learning over the next days and weeks during Lent. But, I don't want to feel burdened by this study at all. I want to devote the time and energy necessary to study and pray without the pressure of sharing.

But, when I feel led to share with you, I will.

I won't be giving up anything for Lent, 

but I will be giving more of myself to Him.

Which, really, it what it is all about.

I can't wait to get started.

Book Review: Every Valley: Advent with the Scriptures of Handel's Messiah

EVERY VALLEY
Advent with the Scriptures of Handel's Messiah

Forward by: Albert L Blackwell

Compiled by: Jessica Miller Kelley

Published: September 26, 2014

Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press

Non-Fiction/Christian/Devotional

It has been years since I have heard Handel's Messiah or seen it performed live. It is one of the most beautiful musical and spiritual pieces I have ever heard. Listening to Handel's Messiah is part of many Christmas traditions and one I have enjoyed listening to the last few weeks.

EVERY VALLEY gives readers a more in depth look at the scriptures and offers insights into the history of the readings. Each movement offers a reflection on the verses the music is based on. You will understand why the music reaches highs and lows and the basis for the lyrics.

You can read it while listening to Handel's Messiah or read each chapter daily as you work your way through Advent. There are forty reflections with forty being an important biblical number. Forty is the maximum number of days in the Advent and Christmas seasons combined. This allows the book to be read through the start of Advent and continued through the twelfth day of Christmas. You could also read through before or after listening to a performance of Messiah. There isn't a better way to reflect on the real reason for the Christmas season than by reading and listening to God's word. You will never hear the Messiah the same way again.

Since the Advent and Christmas season can be hectic, stressful, and for some a difficult time, readers can find comfort in the Scripture, reflections and the music. Reading and hearing the assurance of God's promises can offer a hope and a calm like nothing else can.

I found many of the reflections on the movements interesting and once listening after reading the scripture background, I understood the meaning behind the movement even more. In fact, from Movement 11, I realized the correlation between Advent beginning during the darkest time of our year and how our days get shorter and shorter only to reverse right before Christmas. Our sunlight hours begin to lengthen and remind us that Jesus has come to be our light, leading us out of darkness.

If you are looking for a way to connect with Christ during this Christmas season, I highly recommend EVERY VALLEY as a way to dig deeper and appreciate Handel's Messiah even more.

Just this weekend, my mom sent me this amazing video of the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah. This video from the small Yupiq Eskimo Village of Quinhagak, Alaska. It was a school computer project intended for the other Yupiq villages in the area. Much to the villagers' shock, over a million and a half people have viewed it.




To purchase a copy of EVERY VALLEY, click the photo below:

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ebook copy for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. I was not compensated in any way for this review. If you choose to purchase this book through the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com reviews. 

Are You Like Martha or Mary?

Mary, Martha and Jesus

Everyone is busy.  Everyone seems to be in a hurry.  Christmas seems to be one of the busiest times for people, yet it is also the time when we want to slow down and cherish the moments that happen and build memories to last a lifetime.  It is a time that we create traditions and celebrate with family.

In the Book of Luke, Chapter 10, Jesus tells of his visit with sisters, Martha and Mary.  In this story we learn how Martha was busy cooking, cleaning and preparing for Jesus' visit.  She wanted everything to be perfect for Him.  Martha became frustrated because Mary just sat and listened to what Jesus had to say while Martha was running around.

I am such a Martha.  Whenever we have company coming, I am a crazy person running around picking up the house, making food, trying to make sure everything is just right for our guests.  By the time they arrive, I am exhausted and often times focused on the timing of food, etc.

Christmas is also like this as well.  We rush from store to store to find the best deal, to get the next gift, to get all the groceries, etc.  We burn the candle at both ends getting our house decorated just right, wrapping the presents, and baking all the goodies.  By the time Christmas rolls around, you just want it all to be over.

Jesus wants us to live in the moment, like Mary did.  Stop and enjoy it.  Make hot chocolate. Drive to see all the beautiful Christmas lights. Make a gingerbread house.  Bake cookies. Read books. Watch your favorite Christmas movies together.  It is ok to be a Martha, as long as you are still enjoying the moment like Mary did.

Is there something you can cut out this year?  Rather than making 7 different varieties of cookies, you make multiples of your two favorites.  The process will go much quicker that way.  Maybe you do most or all of your shopping online so you aren't fighting the crowds and standing in line.

This year, I decided to cut back on my decorating.  I have four, yes four, large tubs of Christmas decorations.  Some are heirlooms or special things that I want to hold on to forever and others were gifts or things I bought for our family.  But, I just decided I didn't want all the time and effort of putting it out and then in a month, putting it all away.  So, I got out the minimum.  I just put out some of our favorite things, and placed them around the house, so we have a hint of Christmas in each area.  It is enough for us and was one way I felt I could cut back this year.

Not just at Christmas, but anytime that life is hectic.....don't miss out on life just because you are trying to make it all perfect.  Take the opportunity to enjoy the moments and the people without worry.  Clear your mind and be present with the people you are with.

Lessons from Luke

This month I was in charge of the lesson for our church circle.  In preparing, I was looking up verses from Luke that are important to me.  Of course, the Book of Luke is full of verses related to Jesus' birth.  But there is so much more to Luke....

In Chapter 12 Jesus warns us about worrying:

Luke 12:22-23, 25 NIV
Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.  Life is more than food and the body more than clothes...Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Luke 12:34 NIV
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Luke 10:27 NIV
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself.

This verse from Luke 10:27 went right along with the lesson I was planning to give.  My lesson was on being good neighbors...not just during the Christmas season, but all the time.

Over 2000 years ago, Jesus became human and moved into our earthly neighborhood.

John 1:14 The Message
The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.  

Jesus was not always welcomed into our neighborhood and still today has been met with ridicule, hatred, and closed doors.  Jesus chose to leave his life with God and lived the life of a human.  He was a loving neighbor.  He was caring and forgiving.  Sadly, many have neglected, ignored, avoided and refused Him.

How are you treating your neighbors?  I'm not talking about the family next door to you, but our neighbors in our school, in our community, in our state, in our nation, and in our world.  Each one of us are neighbors to each other.  If we choose to ignore those neighbors who need us, we are also choosing to ignore Jesus as our neighbor.

One of my favorite Christmas hymns is "Joy to the World".  Isaac Watts wrote this as a song of rejoicing, taking it from Psalm 98.

Joy to the world, the Lord has come.
Let earth receive his King.
Let every heart, prepare Him room.

Let      every      heart,      prepare      Him      room.

Every one of us needs to open our hearts to those in need this season. So many men, women, and children are suffering.  Don't close your door, your eyes, and your heart to those who need you to welcome them into your neighborhood.  Share a smile, be loving, be forgiving, share what you have, pray, and be a witness to others.

Matthew 25:40 NIV
I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.

Saying Grace

Nearly every Wednesday after school we offer a program at our church called "After School Jams". Children preschool-6th grade come after school and have a snack, sing songs and learn about Jesus and how much he loves each one of them. Yesterday I was responsible for the lesson and I decided to incorporate Thanksgiving with saying grace. I had the preschool-1st grade group and we talked about the kind of prayers we say before our meals and before bedtime. Then we talked about how before Jesus fed the 5000 with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, he said Thanks to God. Then each of the kids told the group something they were thankful that God gave to them. The kids completed the lesson with a foam craft that said "Let us thank the Lord for his many blessings". I reminded them that Thanksgiving is an excellent time to think about God and his many gifts that he has given us and to share that with our families. This lesson really got me thinking about my many, many blessings. The Lord has provided me with so much love throughout my life and I just don't thank Him enough for that. I am also sad to admit that we don't always thank God before each meal or even before we go to bed. It is usually one of the kids that reminds me. I get into the mechanics of getting the food on the table and getting everyone food on their plate and milk in their glass and usually by the time I sit down everyone is already eating. So, I am going to try to consciously stop and take a minute to thank God for our food and as I am laying in bed, thank God for the blessings he gave me this day.











At Bible Study Fellowship (http://www.bsfinternational.org/) they handed out a lesson talking about giving thanks at mealtimes with your children. So, if you haven't started saying grace with your children at mealtime, here are some examples to try:









Come Lord Jesus
Be our guest
Let these gifts
To us be blessed
Amen



For fruit and milk,
For bread and meat,
For all our food so good to eat
we thank you, God



Thank you, God
For food so good
Please help me do
The things I should.


Our children also like to throw in extra things like Thank you, God, for my brothers, or for my teachers, or for my mom and dad. I think the more personal you make it, the more likely your family will be to start this new tradition. If it just comes from memory it gets to the point where it is just words and has no meaning. But, the above prayers are a good place to start and a way to get comfortable praying if you haven't ever prayed before. Saying grace at the table acknowledges that all things come from God and gives God a seat at your table. What an excellent way to bring calm to your meal. If you haven't ever said "grace" please try it at your next meal. Fold your hands or hold hands around the table and thank God for all he has provided for your family.

God's Light

Tonight I have the devotions for my church's Circle meeting. I thought I would share it to remind you that God is always with you.

The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. Psalm 121:8 NLT

A mother and her four-year-old daughter were preparing for bed one night. The child was afraid of the dark, and the mother, on this occasion, felt fearful also.

When the light was out, the child caught a glimpse of the moon outside the window. "Mother," she asked, "is the moon God's light?" "Yes," said the mother.

The next question was, "Will God put out his light and go to sleep?" The mother replied, "No, my child, God never goes to sleep."

Then out of the simplicity of a child's faith, she said these words which gave reassurance to the fearful mother: "Well, as long as God's light in on, he's awake, and we might as well go to sleep."

I would rather walk with God in the dark than go alone in the light. Mary Gardiner Brainard

Taken from the book "What A Wonderful Life for Moms".

Mary, Mother of Jesus

As our family has been thinking of Christmas and reading the Christmas story, I began thinking more and more about Mary and her very important role in the Christmas story. I wanted to share some of my thoughts with you and how Mary and Joseph’s faith applies to each one of us.
The following is a lesson I gave at my church circle on Mary, mother of Jesus.

Mary, as the mother of Jesus Christ, stands apart from all women in history. She is known as the most blessed among all women. She has become all that is fine and noble. No woman in the entire history of the world has been so honored and revered. Yet, Mary had a very humble beginning. She was a peasant girl living in Nazareth. Mary was probably in her early twenties or even younger at the time of the conception. Mary was told she was to give birth to a son and he was to be conceived through the Holy Spirit. Mary had to choose to make God’s will a priority over her relationship with Joseph. She had to put Joseph in God’s hands and trust that God would help him understand what was happening to her.
Before this, Mary and Joseph had been betrothed, which is a legally binding relationship, but is not sexually binding. The betrothal in these times usually preceded the wedding by about a year. Mary’s faith through this period was stronger than I can imagine. She had to have been scared of what Joseph would say when she told him an angel came to her and told her she would give birth to God’s son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. She also had to have been very concerned for what her family and friends would say about her pregnancy when she and Joseph were not married. She, of course, was extremely concerned about her future with Joseph and whether he would stand by her. At this time, Mary went quietly to her old and more experienced cousin, Elizabeth to tell of the angels visit. In these times such a journey, requiring three days, presented many problems but Mary surmounted all of them, thinking not of the difficulties, but only of the urgency of her visit. Elisabeth was already 6 months pregnant with the future John the Baptist and blessed the “fruit of thy womb” and called Mary “the mother of my Lord”. After approximately 3 months with Elisabeth, she returned to Joseph in Nazareth. Even though she was faced with serious problems of her coming marriage and the social implications of her pregnancy, there is no reference to her unwillingness to give herself to her Creator.
Joseph by this time had also had a visit by an angel in a dream. Joseph is caught between his love for Mary and his righteous unwillingness to expose her to public disgrace. Joseph agreed to follow his faith and take care of Mary and their coming child. Their journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem was some 90 miles by donkey up and down hill. The nights were likely cold and rainy and many nights were likely spent under a large tree. Then once they entered Bethlehem and finding no place to stay, having to sleep in a barn and give birth there just shows their incredible faith and perseverance in following God’s plan for them.
Do you have this same faith and perseverance? What is God asking you to do for him today? Are you listening? Is he telling you to spread His word to your friend who doesn’t have a relationship with God? Is he telling you to stop at the homeless shelter you drive by every day and offer to volunteer your time? Is he telling you stop holding that grudge and forgive the person who wronged you? Is he reminding you to go to Him each day in prayer? Mary’s divine mission of being the mother of the only begotten Son of God never faltered from the manger to the cross on Calvary. What is God’s mission for you and are you listening?