Prepare...

It's that time of year! Yes, the Christmas music has been playing for almost a month now. The retail stores had the halls decked just after Halloween. I am sure many of us are making our lists and checking them twice. Shopping, parties, gatherings... so many activities fill up a short few weeks in December.

My home is all ready for the holidays! Many of your took a tour of my home last year via blogland, so you know that it takes a lot of work to put up my Christmas decorations. (I love decorating for Christmas). But the one thing I HAD to do before a single ornament was placed on the tree... I had to prepare my heart. Prepare my heart in aniticipation of the coming of the Christ child. Just as my Christmas trees provide a sparkling light to a dark room. Jesus is the brilliant light that came into a dark world to save us from our sin.

As you begin to prepare for the Christmas holiday, as you walk these weeks of Advent toward the manger... prepare your heart, first for the coming of Jesus! The rest of your holiday preparations will all fall into place. And if something doesn't turn out quite right remember... Christ the Savior is born! The tree might be crooked, your cookies might not look as perfect as the pictures in Martha Stewart's magazine... but the babe will still be lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes.

I am currently using "Our Daily Bread" Christmas Edition for my morning devotions. The insight from yesterday's devotion stated this: Isaiah is the largest of the "major prophets" and contains more prophecies of the coming of Christ than any other Old Testament book. Perhaps you can read through some of those passages during Advent as your prepare Him room in your heart!

As for me... tonight I am enjoying a toasty fire in the fireplace. My Chrstimas tree is twinkling, the cold rain is falling and Rudolph is playing on the television. What a lovely evening! My plans for this week is to finish my shopping. My sister and I are taking our Grandma out on Friday to "enjoy" the mall! LOL! I know we will have a wonderful time! Friday night we will relax and I just might make some cookies. We have a Christmas party to attend on Saturday and of course Sunday we will enjoy worship, breakfast at Jim's mom's and then watching the Colts with friends!

I pray you enjoy these precious weeks leading up to Christmas. I look forward to visiting your blogs to see what you are up to!

The virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. ~ Isaiah 7:14