Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Advent Wreath!

Advent, a time to prepare. Anticipating a big event stirs the senses and builds excitement. The word "advent" refers to the coming or arrival of Jesus Christ and traditionally consists of four Sundays prior to Christmas Day. Advent is a time for us to focus on the scriptures that herald Jesus' birth and to prepare our hearts to celebrate anew His coming.

A traditional part of advent that you might want to incorporate into your celebration is a wreath consisting of four candles evenly spaced around is circumference with one candle in the center. The circle represents God's eternal love that knows no end and the wreaths greenery represents the everlasting life that Christs brings. Each candle symbolizes an important aspect of Christ's birth and is lit on a particular Sunday in advent.

The first candle is lit on the first Sunday of advent, shortly after November 30th. Is is called the prophecy candle and reminds us that Jesus' coming was prophesised hundreds of years before He was born. The candle's purple color represents Christ's royalty and His title, the King of Kings. Suggested Bible reading: Isaiah 9:2-6, Luke 1:30-35 { I usually will have one child light candle or myself and one read the scriptures}

The second candle, is lit on the second Sunday of advent along with the first candle, is the Bethleham candle, reminding us where Jesus was born. It too is purple, for our king who was born in the manger. Suggested Bible ready: Micah 5:2, Luke 2:1-7

The third candle, lit on the third Sunday of advent along with the first two candles, is the shepherds' candle. We are reminded that God sent the angels to proclaim His arrival to common man and that He uses common folks still today to spread the good news to Christ. This candle is pink or rose and represents God's love and faithfulness. Suggested Bible Reading: Isaiah 52:7, Luke 2:8-12.

The fourth candle, lit on the fourth Sunday of advent, si the angles candle. When we light this flame, we are reminded of the heavenly hosts who proclaimed Christ's arrival with, "Behold, I bring you good news of a great joy!" The angel candle is also purple, reminding us that the angels proclaimed a King's Birth. As the number of lighted candles increases, the room becomes brighter, reminding us that the time for the Light of the World to arrive is drawing near. Suggested bible reading: Exekiel 34:23, Luke 2:13-20.

The fifth candle, the Christ candle, rests in the center of the wreath and is lit on Christmas Eve. This candle is white, symbolizing Christ's holiness, purity, and perfection. You can also light this candle for the entire day on Christmas. Suggested bible reading: Isaiah 9:2-6, John 1:6-13.

Supplies needed: 1 advent wreath, 3 tall purple candles, 1 tall rose candle, and 1 white pillar candle.

Instructions taken from Celebrating a Christ-Centered Christmas by Sharon Jaynes.

Here are some pics to get an idea of what one might look like. You can do it anyway you want really.




God Bless you!!!


Advent, will start Sunday, Dec 5th. But don't feel bad if you don't do it on that day. Do it on a day that works for you. Christmas Falls on a Sat this year. So maybe do every Saturday, or whatever. Theres no wrong way to do this. The point is focusing on Christ this CHRISTmas.

In His Love,
Adrienne






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God Bless you!
By His Grace,
Adrienne

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What is the Truth?


What is the truth?
Truth is not a feeling. Truth is not an idea. The truth is found in the Bible.Sincerity and good works do not bridge the gap of sin between God and man. Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse a person (Heb. 9:22; John 14:6). Sincerity and good works are merely the reliance upon what is in the individual to merit favor with God. Sincerity is a form of pride when it is appealed to as a justification for being accepted by God: "But God, look at my heart. See how sincere I was? I deserve to be in heaven."No. If sincerity and good works were good enough to satisfy God, then He wouldn't have given us the Bible to correct our sincerely wrong ideas, and He wouldn't have sent His Son to do what our good works cannot.Truth is what God says is true.The truth is important not because it is simply true. It is important because truth is what defines who and what we believe in.Eternity is a long time to be wrong. Especially about Jesus.

What me and my Family Believe

What We Believe
WE BELIEVE the worship of God should be spiritual! Therefore we remain flexible so the Holy Spirit may direct our worship.
WE BELIEVE the worship of God should be inspirational! Therefore we give a great place to music in our worship.
WE BELIEVE the worship of God should be intelligent! Therefore, in our services, we emphasize Bible teaching so God may instruct us how He would be worshipped.
WE BELIEVE the worship of God should be fruitful! Therefore we look for His love in our lives as the greatest evidence that we are truly worshipping Him.

How To Know God

How to Know God

Realize that you are a sinner. No matter how good a life we try to live, we still fall miserably short of being a good person. That is because we are all sinners. We all fall short of God’s desire for us to be holy. The Bible says, “No one is good—not even one” (Romans 3:10 NLT). This is because we cannot become who we are supposed to be without Jesus Christ.Recognize that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you.The Bible tells us, “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while were still sinners” (Romans 5:8 NLT). This is the Good News, that God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die in our place when we least deserved it.Repent of your sin.The Bible tells us to “repent and be converted” (Acts 3:19 NKJV). The word repent means to change our direction in life. Instead of running from God, we can run toward Him.Receive Jesus Christ into your life.Becoming a Christian is not merely believing some creed or going to church on Sunday. It is having Christ Himself take residence in your life and heart. Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door (of your life) and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in...” (Revelation 3:20 NKJV).

If you would like to have a relationship with Christ, simply pray this prayer and mean it in your heart.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe you died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I confess you as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.If you just prayed that prayer and meant it, Jesus Christ has now taken residence in your heart! Your decision to follow Christ means God has forgiven you and that you will spend eternity in heaven.

The Bible tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NKJV).

Praise the Lord, if you just asked Jesus in your heart I want you to know that the Angels in Heaven are rejoicing for you and so am I. Go to http://www.calvarychapel.com/?show=Churches and click on churches to find the closest church to you and go. Go and tell them that you've just accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart. They will be able to lead you to the next step.

God Bless you Brethren.
In the Mighty Name of Jesus!!! Amen!!!
Your sister in Christ Jesus!!!
Adrienne