-Christmas Post-

HO HO HO! The Christmas Blog post is here!

Can you guys believe Christmas is in just 5 days? This year has went by extremely fast: from graduating high school, to choosing Liberty as my home away from home, to moving away from home, to coming back to just visit. Life flies by when your spending it having fun and making memories.

So I wanted to do something Christmassy and crafty. I love baking! Me and my family bake cakes and cookies that everyone loves. I wanted to post a recipe and a craft on the blog to spark some Christmas cheer for everyone. I found the two below ideas on Pinterest.

http://yummiestfood.com/white-chocolate-dipped-sugar-cookies/

http://www.cleanandscentsible.com/2016/11/handmade-christmas-ornaments-popsicle-stick-sleds.html

The bible verse for this blog post is

"She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." - Matthew 1:21

Isn’t that such a beautiful bible verse? Let me go into details about this… Mariah in her Monday post explained Mary and the baby Jesus. The Christmas story including the angels, wise men, animals, and just the birth of Jesus is such a beautiful story so I figured I would go more into detail with that:

The birth of Jesus was not and is not an everyday thing, it is in fact a miracle from God. The reason for the season is this: giving glory and praise to God for the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Isn’t that such a beautiful thing. Christmas is when our savior was born.

As modern world people we focus on the gifts, the busyness, and sometimes the stress. We lose sight of what really matters in this holiday season. This Christmas I am challenging you to keep your eyes upon the real reason for the season. Yes, open your presents and spend quality time with people but instead spread the gospel. Spend time celebrating the birth of Jesus, not the gifts.

Hope you all have a fantastic Christmas! Wishing you holidays filled with love, cookies, decorations, family, presents, and the focus on the real reason for the season. Love you all! Contact us whenever you need to!

Prayer for you:

Dear Lord,

Thank you for the chance to make a blog post just focusing on you. Thank you also for giving me and the girls the opportunity to share the gospel in a new way. I hope you show our readers the real reason for the season. Please just keep everyone safe throughout the traveling, and just keep us close to you. We love you Lord!

Amen.

LOVE,

Autumn

Bible verses of the Christmas story below:

Part 1:

Luke 1:26-38New International Version (NIV)

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Part 2:

Luke 2:1-20New International Version (NIV)

The Birth of Jesus

2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.