Christmas Time Pretty Thrifty

  Hi everybody! Happy New Year! I have great news! I passed my driver's test Monday! It was great. I got everything right except turning my wheels to the left parking up the hill. I even parallel parked! This was the second time I tried to pass, and I got 97%. YEAH!

  Sunday was the last day of the season for the restaurant. Please be praying for guidance for my parents and God's peace to permeate our family. Good news is my Dad is finally going to get much deserved R&R. 

 I wanted to say something about forgiveness. I've been dealing with a lot of it lately. The way that I have been dealing with it is this. I thought about the people I needed to forgive, and then I chose to forgive them. I told God I forgive them, and I am depending on Him to change my hurt feelings. Trust me, if I waited for the feelings to get healed on their own, I would die with them. The Bible says if we don't forgive others, God won't forgive us.

   Here's my Pretty Thrifty for this month.
   Emily

    Cardigan (thrift store): $3

    Skirt (garage sale): $1

    Boots (garage sale): $2

    Necklace (Precious Moments): gift

    Total: $6.00

 

 

What is Christmas all about?

 Hi everybody!
 I was thinking about something today, and I'd like to share it with you.
 I think most of us know the basic story of Christmas, so I won't bother narrating it. If you haven't read it, check it out. Here's a link.
 I also think a lot of us have had a few choice words to say concerning the "commercialization" of Christmas. True, businesses have taken the marketing of Christmas to an extreme. And some people do celebrate just for pleasure, but the simple truth is we can't force people to stop celebrating. If we did, it would cause more harm than good. Christmas, just the way it is, is good for most people.
  What if we didn't focus on trying to fix everything about Christmas and instead focused on enhancing the concepts that God was trying to communicate to us through Christ's birth. Concepts like these:
Love: John 3:16
Faithfulness: Fulfilling the prophecies of a virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14) and Herod's execution of the baby boys (Jeremiah 31:15).
Omnipotence: Infinite power that goes beyond the natural (Matthew 1:23).
Protection: From Herod's bloodthirsty orders (Matthew 2:13).
Providence: The census brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-7) fulfilling the prophecy (Micah 5:1-2).
Provision: Even when there was no room for them, God provided a place for Mary to deliver her baby (even if it was a stable) (Luke 2:6-7).

  These are only a few, but they are remarkable. If we focus on trying to honor God with our giving, love for people, or just anything we do this season, we will be celebrating the goodness of God and bringing glory and honor to Him.
  So instead of being a Debbie Downer about Christmas, choose to enjoy it. You can still enjoy something while giving glory to God, can't you? I think you can!

  Merry Christmas to you all!
  Emily