Christmas is right around the corner. My husband and I have been preparing for Christmas, buying presents and getting ready for relatives! Starting this weekend, family will start to arrive. :) We are looking forward to it! I've missed all my brothers and sisters a lot.
Really.
We have 15 days before everything is wrapped and shoved underneath the Christmas tree. So the big question is this: Is anyone done with their Christmas shopping yet? Done? Ha! I bet some of you are saying, "I haven't even started shopping yet."
Yes, Mom. I know. :)
Is Christmas shopping stressful for you? Or is it fun? Do you purchase all your presants from the comfort of your couch, or do you brave the frantic Christmas shoppers fighting each other for the perfect present? I try very hard to pick something I think the other person will like. My husband and I don't have a swimming pool of money like Scrooge McDuck, so we really have to put thought into gifts for our family and friends. That's the point though, right?
Right.
And if that thoughtful gift is a Mrs. Potato Head set for a friend who shares your twisted sense of humor, more power to you.
Which brings me to Christmas traditions. We've all got Christmas traditions. Special foods, places we go, sweet things to do. One of my traditions with one of my best friends is to buy totally random...how do I put this? Junk. We buy real presents for each other, too, but we always get a few random, strange things for fun.
My favorite place to get all this junk?
Books-A-Million, or better known as BAM! among us crazy fanatics.
If you want to find a big red button that sings, shouts, and mutters "NO!" over and over, look no further. If you have a dedicated music lover, grab the electric guitar shaped spatula. If mustaches are your thing, look no further. Mustaches cover necklaces, scarves, and note pads. You can even buy the crazy stick-on mustaches just for some laughs. If you want lip gloss that smells like bacon... Well, that's actually kind of gross, but to each their own. Oh, and the very best reason of all: books! And the coffee shop. Books and coffee - now that's the prefect present! :)
What about you all? Do you ever just see something in the checkout line and think, "Oh, that's so weird! She's going to love it!"
Anyways.
Really.
We have 15 days before everything is wrapped and shoved underneath the Christmas tree. So the big question is this: Is anyone done with their Christmas shopping yet? Done? Ha! I bet some of you are saying, "I haven't even started shopping yet."
Yes, Mom. I know. :)
Is Christmas shopping stressful for you? Or is it fun? Do you purchase all your presants from the comfort of your couch, or do you brave the frantic Christmas shoppers fighting each other for the perfect present? I try very hard to pick something I think the other person will like. My husband and I don't have a swimming pool of money like Scrooge McDuck, so we really have to put thought into gifts for our family and friends. That's the point though, right?
Right.
And if that thoughtful gift is a Mrs. Potato Head set for a friend who shares your twisted sense of humor, more power to you.
Which brings me to Christmas traditions. We've all got Christmas traditions. Special foods, places we go, sweet things to do. One of my traditions with one of my best friends is to buy totally random...how do I put this? Junk. We buy real presents for each other, too, but we always get a few random, strange things for fun.
My favorite place to get all this junk?
Books-A-Million, or better known as BAM! among us crazy fanatics.
If you want to find a big red button that sings, shouts, and mutters "NO!" over and over, look no further. If you have a dedicated music lover, grab the electric guitar shaped spatula. If mustaches are your thing, look no further. Mustaches cover necklaces, scarves, and note pads. You can even buy the crazy stick-on mustaches just for some laughs. If you want lip gloss that smells like bacon... Well, that's actually kind of gross, but to each their own. Oh, and the very best reason of all: books! And the coffee shop. Books and coffee - now that's the prefect present! :)
What about you all? Do you ever just see something in the checkout line and think, "Oh, that's so weird! She's going to love it!"
Anyways.
This past Saturday, I was in major hermit mode, then my mother-in-law called me about the time for the afternoon tea we were going to that day. The donations from this tea help support the fire department in our town.
The tea that I had forgotten completely.
Whoops.
So, I got ready really quick, and went to pick up Jasmine, one of the girls from the youth group, who was coming with us. The roads were awful thanks to the snow fall. Winter is definitely here! Thank God, we had no issues while driving, and made it there and back safely.
Here are some pictures from the tea!
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| The chandelier's over each table! They did a nice job with those! |
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| Me and Jasmine! |
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| Me and Jasmine again! |
It was fruity. That's the part that counts. ;)
So for any of you that read Snack Time Devotions or Snack Pack for Kidz, I apologize if this is the second or third time you've read something akin to this, but this topic has just been on my heart lately.
The story in 1 Kings 3 with the two woman of questionable morals. They each had a baby, but one night, one of the woman rolled on top of her baby, and the poor baby died. She woke up, and realized what had happened. Then she crept over to her friend's bed, and stole her baby while she slept!
Of course, by the time this got to King Solomon, it was all he-said-she-said. How was he supposed to know who was telling the truth? Was he supposed to pick the desperate, determined woman, or the frantic, hysterical woman? What was he supposed to do?
Well, you guys know the story. He had a sword brought out, and made a terrifying statement:
Divide the baby into two pieces. Each woman will get half.
The lying woman went right along with the plan, declaring that it was perfectly fair that neither of them got the baby. The true mommy screamed and begged for the child to be given to the other woman - the only thing that mattered to her was that the baby lived.
The reason King Solomon was able to discern who was telling the truth, the reason he even came up with this bizarre plan was because of the wisdom of God.
"But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand." Job 32:8 ESV
"For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity." Proverbs 2:6-7 ESV
When I was still a kid in youth group, my youth pastor (who is also my aunt) always knew when someone was telling the truth. I was always amazed at how she was able to do that. I wanted to have that kind of discernment in me, too.
It's simple. It's God's wisdom in our lives.
There is so much to be confused about in this world, especially in today's world. What's right? Who's right? What belongs to God, and what is evil? Lies so carefully cloaked and twisted that even Adam and Eve decided poorly.
It's the Spirit of God in a person that guides them and gives them the wisdom to know what's what in this crazy world. It's easy to get sidetracked and devastated with life, but as long as we got God's wisdom, then will be able to navigate this road.
That's my Biblical/Spiritual reflection for this week. :)
As I type, we are being bombarded with another winter-y storm. Lots of ice. Don't ever take warmth for granted! Sometimes it feels like we are living on the set of Frozen. Until we meet again, my friends! Have a good day, and I will see everyone on the 20th!
V. Joy Palmer
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