Our Advent Door

For his 60th birthday, I collected cards and letters from people who love Brad and I tucked each one in an envelope, one for each of the 24 days of April leading up to and including his birthday.  He truly rushed downstairs each morning to open each day's gift, and the folks who sent them would check, "Has he opened mine yet?"

It made his special season wonderful and personal.

I wrote in my last post about our Advent wreath tradition, and this year I've incorporated a card a day into Advent too.  Using 25 days of Bible verses I located  here after a google search, I've made an Advent calendar door.  During a quick trip to Michael's I found these gold envelopes and little gift stickers.

Sorry for the blur, school nights don't allow for pictures perfect.

I cut card stock of red and green alternating for each envelope, and on each card I wrote the subject on one side and the corresponding verses on the other side.

As much as I wanted to pre-read some of the verses, I did not.   Day one, Saturday, holds a card that reads "Sharing" on the front and John 3:1-21 on the other.  You can go ahead and read that if you'd like, just don't tell me what it says.  Yet.

Really, they're gold.

It's kind of bland now but as cards are read, the red and green will peek.

From a design standpoint, I was thrilled with the gold envelopes when I came across them, but I may spend 2013 looking for something with more oomph.  Regardless, I am excited at the prospect of sharing time in the Word with Brad each evening, and for that the wrapper matters not.

It will make this special time of year wonderful and personal.

May you usher in Advent well.


P.S.  Brad decided we should turn all the cards to make the door more colorful, so after our first reading tonight (Christmas is for Sharing, John 3:1-31), we did just that.

Preparing for Him

Advent...

It's almost here.  I have some ideas.  One I'll share now, one closer to the end of the week.

Two or three years ago, Brad and I started sharing the tradition of an Advent wreath.  It brought us closer to God, quieted us down, and we had some great talking prayer times after we did each week's reading.  Its value impossible to calculate.

This past week, I decided to start an open facebook group to encourage others to share in this practice and/or to share their own Advent wreath traditions.

If you haven't seen it, or if you've seen it but haven't yet joined, please click on over and say you're with us.  The idea of many family and friends, and even a stranger who found this group via Pinterest, sharing readings each Sunday evening simply causes us to feel united and closer to God.

Be there with us?

Shopping for Chicks On Line

For many reasons, I ask my students to work on service projects with me or on their own at the holidays in lieu of giving me gifts.  Parents seem to like this idea, the kids get into it, but still, some present me with presents.  Last year I received some truly meaningful gifts--most notably two donations to local food pantries, and a gift of ducks through World Vision.

From my Nick and his family came this gift that helped others and warmed my heart.  What a memory that gift made.  I like to think it continues to make an impact on those who received the ducks--eggs for food, ducklings for more eggs, eggs shared with neighbors, families growing stronger and seeing God at work in their lives all because of a thoughtful gesture.

This year, Brad and I received the World Vision gift catalog, and we decided he would "give" his grandkids chicks for Christmas.  Living so far away from them, it's hard to know what they're into, and like most kids, they are generously gifted at Christmas from all sides.

I don't know that his giving chicks to his grandkids will be something they value this year, but I'm hoping it makes an imprint on their hearts.  Seasons from now, I hope they'll remember and maybe one day willingly pay it forward, just as Nicholas' gift caused me to.

Check out the catalog. Perhaps a goat, cow, duck or chick is in your loved one's future?  There is such a great variety of things to choose from:  food for family, soccer balls for school, a bike for a girl to get to school, school supplies for American children, meals...

A note though, the website can be finicky.  Be patient with it!