Jesse Tree Devotional for December 10th

December 10

A Scarlet Cord

Today’s reading: Joshua 2:1-21
And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there. 2And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country. And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate. And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have showed you kindness, that ye will also show kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token: And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way. And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear. Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

Scarlet. Certainly not a muted color or one easily missed. Scarlet is the color of blood…and often the color that most aptly describes my sins. For who can hide a color like scarlet? Like Rahab, I am known for my flagrant sins. There is no hiding my heart and the sins that lie therein. But scarlet too is the color of my hope. Like Rahab, I too toss a cord of scarlet, the color of Christ’s sacrificial blood, out my soul’s window.

So when You come, You know I am Yours.
And by that scarlet rope, I am rescued.

Lord, You come to save me--Your blood is the lifeline that I wrap around myself and the scarlet rope that lifts me up out of the mire. I am holding on.

Jesse Tree Devotion for December 9th

December 9

Part of the Family

Today’s reading: Ruth 1:1-2:3, Matthew 1:5,16
Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. 5And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband. Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread. Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons; Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me. And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;

And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Ruth was an outsider, a Moabite, a Gentile, a lost one. Without husband, without blood relatives, and without children, here is a woman who intimately knows what it means to be alone. At a cross-roads, Ruth takes up a mother-in-law, a faith and a God to be her family, her hope and her future.

Little does she know where it will lead: right to the foot of the manger and its wee Perfect One swaddled there. Because her family line is Jesus’ family line.

But, then again, that is just like You, Lord: to lead outsiders and loners and lost ones to Yourself, to come to make those who have no family part of Your family.

Lord, You come…so I always have a home to come home to, a family to belong to, and a hand to hold on to.

Jesse Tree Devotional for December 8th

December 8

The Tutor

Today's reading: Deuteronomy 5:1-22
And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, (I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to show you the word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying, I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods before me. Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Neither shalt thou commit adultery. Neither shalt thou steal. Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour. Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour’s. These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.

There are only ten commandments—as many as I have fingers… You’d think I could keep them. But I can’t. Which is no small matter. If I break even one of the commandments just once, my holy God considers that I have broken all of the commandments entirely. Thus the relationship between You and I, Lord, is permanently severed. So yes…it matters.

But You gave those 10 commandments for good reason. So I read them over again and again. And they do that which You intended them to do: those 10 commandments drive me into the arms of Christ.

For You are the hope—the only hope—to which I cling.

Lord, You gave the law to be my tutor, to bring me to Christ. Oh, what if there were only Law and You had never come?

Jesse Tree Devotional for December 7th

December 7

God's Gracious Good

Today's reading: Genesis 37:31-33 and Genesis 50:15-20
And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no. And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

The coat was woven into a tapestry of flaming colors, brilliant hues, rich tones. A gift from a father to a precious child, Joseph slipped the coat of many colors on and slowly turned round, captivated at the way the colors shimmered in the sunlight.

And now we too are like swirling, mesmerized Joseph. You have taken the sins of our lives, and all that we have meant to harm and destroy, and You have dyed it in the blood of Your Son. You have woven our lives, tattered and torn, into something good and draped, us, Your cherished children, in a breathtakingly beautiful cloak.

For You have clothed us in the beauty of Christ.

Lord, because You come, I can be transformed into good, attired in the richly woven robe of righteousness. Oh, Lord, Your beauty takes our breath away!

Jesse Tree Devotional for December 6th

December 6

Jacob

Today’s reading: Genesis 28:10-22
And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

Tis the season of going: banquets and reunions, concerts and plays, caroling and rejoicing. The calendar squares nearly bulge with dates and times, people and places. Preening and perfuming, we don our best and head out.

And You come too, tenderly whispering, “I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places wither thou goest…” Do I forget that You come to all these places too? Are You, the Unseen Guest, given front row seating in my heart in all these venues?

Like Jacob, I too am awakened to the truth: “Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.”

But we know it now.

Lord, there is a ladder even to this place here. You, in the person of Jesus, descend it. You are with us wherever we go. You are in this place—all places. And we know it.

Jesse Tree Devotional for December 5th

December 5

Laying Down Isaac

Today’s reading: Genesis 22:1-14
And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

I use that word, “sacrifice” but I don’t really have the foggiest heart-comprehension of its meaning.

Hold a baby, look into his or her eternal black eyes, and think “sacrifice.” And I don’t mean diapers, or parenting or college savings. Think of the sacrifice of an altar and blood and death…and empty, lifeless eyes. Wild horses couldn’t drag that baby out of a Mama’s arms to throw up on a cold tablet of stone. But a Father’s love compelled Him to lay down His only begotten Son on a rugged cross…and He knew that from the beginning. From that first inhaling of manger air, You knew sacrifice, God. You came for it.

Lord, Abraham called that place “The Lord will Provide.” And I call this moment in time, “The Lord has Provided”. Provision for my salvation has been made—by the most staggering sacrifice.

Jesse Tree Devotional for December 4th

December 4

LAUGH!

Today's reading: Genesis 21:1-7
And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.

Laughter is such a relief---from the tension, the stress, the weight of it all. I don’t laugh when in the death grip strangle of sin.

But You have come, Lord God. And now I can. I can throw my head back and let waves of joy just shake me down. God, You have been gracious, just as You said. You have done it all, just as You promised.

Yes, God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears of the release of the sinners will laugh with me! Who would have thought that the likes of me would ever experience such grace?

It’s laughable—gloriously, wondrously, ecstatically unexpected!

Lord, You come…so we can laugh at the sheer bliss of freedom.

Jesse Tree Devotional for December 3rd

December 3

Living by Faith

Today’s reading: Genesis 12:1-7
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

Abraham had no map, but was told to go. Abraham had no children, but was promised to become a great nation. Abraham had no leader…except One alone.

Abraham set aside his agenda, his plans, his own dreams, and picked up Your dreams for Him, wherever they took him. People may have questioned, challenged or even outright mocked him. But when eyes are on You, Lord, and faith is in You, God, then You, Father—and Your way—are enough.

Faith is terrifying, lonely…and exhilaratingly life transforming. You come, Lord, in this moment and ask, “Do you trust enough to go My Way?”

With trembling voice, we take Your Hand and whisper, “Yes, Lord. Here is my mustard seed of faith. Lead on!”

Lord, You are coming…oh, I so need faith, trusting that You--always-- will take me to a good place.

Jesse Tree Devotional for December 2nd

December 2

Saved

Today’s reading: Genesis 6:5-8
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

You looked and You saw, Lord, as You do right now. As You looked at the hearts the men and women on this planet, Your own heart ached with pain. Oh, to fathom the heart of the Creator of the very Universe wounded with pain—what infinite, blinding, searing, lump-in-the-throat pain. Because of hearts inclined, leaning, bent away from You. And the span of Earth floods with water, a picture of Your tears of grief and heartache, Lord.

But instead of humanity entirely drowning in Your grief, You send a raft of wood to save us from ourselves. Only You could love so powerfully when pained so deeply. You are coming again—again, on another rough hunk of wood, to save us eternally. Towards those life-saving beams of wood, we turn, incline, bend our hearts towards the Son---and hold on for dear life.

Lord, even in the storms and the rain, the bow of Your love writes Hope all across the skies…and from out behind the clouds, comes the Son.

Jesse Tree Devotional for December 1st

December 1

The Fall

Today’s reading: Genesis 3:1-21
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Only two chapters into the story and it all falls apart. The curtain has just opened, the first characters have only stepped onto the stage, their first lines hardly out of their mouths, and already the grand script of humanity is a colossal, nearly-irrevocable mess.

It is the part of our history referred to as The Fall. It is the part of which I am intimately acquainted. For it is part of my own personal—daily—history. The venom of sin and the strangling grip of the father of lies, tangles up my walk, so I fall again and again…day after day.

But the play has only begun, the breathtaking, nearly-unbelievable turn of events is yet to come. For You will come onto the scene, Lord. And with Your coming, comes the hope of being tenderly helped up from the scene of my wipeout, the promise of the bandaging of my bloody, dirty knees, the assurance of walking without stumbling. With Your coming, we fall again…fall head over heart in love with You, our Redeemer.

Lord, “The Fall” says it all---it is my life encapsulated. But You have so much more to write of my story---for You wrote Jesus into my story. And that has changed everything.

Jesse Tree Devotional for November 30th

November 30th

Life

Today's reading: Genesis 1:24-31

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

The Christmas story begins in the beginning.

And in the beginning…there was no life.

No breath. No blazing sunsets, no laughing babies, no leaves whispering in the wind. No deer standing at wood’s edge, stilled and watching, no pungent oranges hanging in sun’s warmth, no dawn breaking on dangling dewdrops.

Just cold, barren nothingness. Like my life before You.

I too lived in deadness, in the dark shadows, groping in the black emptiness for something good.

Inexplicably, driven by mind-boggling, incomprehensible love, You came and breathed life—the

Abundant kind—into my nostrils…and the shadowy haunting of existence before You has given way to pulsing, pregnant, abundant, wondrously full Life in You.

You looked at all of the Life You created and said it was good. I look at this life You’ve created and can only agree. Yes, life is so very, very good.

Lord, I see it everywhere I look today. Life is good.

Because of You.

Christmas Devotional

Last year we started a new Christmas tradition. I found out about something called a Jesse Tree. Each day, beginning on November 30th, there is scripture reading and a devotion. Each devotion has a corresponding ornament. I thought I would share the devotions in case any of you would like to start this tradition. It really made Christmas come alive for us last year and helped us stay focused on 'the Reason for the season.' I bought a little artificial tree to put our ornaments on. I will share more this week, but for now, here is the first part of

The Glorious Coming:

A Jesse Tree Celebration of Advent

By: Ann Voskamp

A Jesse tree can be either a banner or a poster on a wall, with the ornaments fastened to it; or a tree, with the symbols hung from the branches. If you choose to do a banner or poster, it can be made from poster board. Using markers, draw a stump with a single green branch growing from one side. Then tape the ornaments onto the branch. You may want to have a tree (real or artificial) to hang the ornaments on. Those little decorative artificial trees you can get at the discount stores would work great for this!

Preparing for the Coming

Advent, derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning "coming," is upon us. These are the days of preparation; preparing for the celebration of Christmas, preparing our hearts for the coming of Christ. Many families mark the days of advent with a traditional advent calendar, opening a wee door for each day leading up to Christmas. The Jesse Tree, however, is a different kind of advent tradition, one that focuses on the grand panorama of God’s story from the beginning of time. The notion of a Jesse Tree stems from Isaiah 11:1:

“A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch shall grow out of his roots.”

The father of King David, Jesse’s branch points to a new King of Kings, Jesus. Instead of tucking back Advent calendar flaps, consider decorating a tree branch with ornaments representing the pageantry of all mankind, from Adam to Messiah. A testament of what family means in the story of Jesus' birth, the symbols on our "Jesse Tree" bear witness to thousands of years of ancestors in the faith. This Jesse Tree Advent tradition leads to a rich reading of Scripture, a time of thoughtful reflection and worship. During Advent, you may choose to have one family member hang that day’s ornament after your evening meal. Another family member may then read the accompanying Bible verses and prayer. He’s coming. Let’s prepare.

A Jesse Tree Invitation

Every family has one: a family tree with its arching branches of grandfathers and grandmothers, its sheltering leaves of aunts and uncles. To make a Jesse Tree is to trace the family line and heritage of the family of God, of human beings from the beginning of time to the coming of God Himself, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. We will hang the symbols of our story on our corporate Family Tree, the Jesse Tree. We will open God’s Word and read God’s story—our story—as He wrote it on the pages of people’s lives. And Jesus will come to us, and we will come to Jesus. It is Advent. Come.

Advent

Today's reading: Isaiah 11:1-2

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

This is Advent, the season we celebrate Your coming, Lord. We read the words and yearn for its truth: “And there shall come forth…” We ask You to come again, Branch of Jesse, not just to this world, not just to this family…but to grow up in each of our hearts individually.

Perhaps, more accurately, Advent is about our coming back to You.

When we think about the Jesse Tree, about the genealogy of Jesus' line and the span of Your breathtaking story, we cannot help but think upon the shoot of miraculous Hope that springs up from the despairing stump of our existence.

In the midst of barren winter, New Life is budding, a New Spirit is taking root: a spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord. Plow the soil of our hearts, Lord. Break new ground in us. It is Advent. Come.

Lord, let there come forth out of the stem of Jesse a New Life

and a New Spirit in the soil of my soul.

The twins turned 8!

Well, November 10th was the twins 8th birthday. Can you believe it's been 8 years?! I certainly can't. Where has the time gone?

We started out the day with the twins making their own birthday cake (by their request).

Yummy cake batter!
While the cake was in the oven, Jacob played "Happy Birthday" on the piano.
Then it was gift time! Abbi got her beloved 'Kit' American Girl doll. She is so cute. Kit has gone everywhere with us since Abbi opened her. And we discovered that the next American Girl movie scheduled to come out next July will be about Kit. We are so excited to see the new movie!
Caleb received his long-awaited bow & arrow. Jon took the kids in the backyard to set up Caleb's new target and show him (along with Jacob and Abbi) how to use it. Caleb is a natural, which was not a surprise.

They also received books, Legos, gift cards and money. My grandma sent Abbi a cute nightgown and some K'Nex for Caleb which he didn't hesitate to open and put together. My mom sent Abbi a Bible that was given to her by her grandparents on her 8th birthday. What a special gift! After gift-opening, the cakes were cooled and the twins each decorated their own.

Can you tell Abbi did a bit of licking of the chocolate frosting?

Caleb sure thought hard about his wish before he blew out his candles. I think Abbi already knew what she was going to wish for.

Psalm 139:13 - 16 "For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. "

The Purpose of Education

"The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals…We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate…"
Martin Luther King Jr.

Tallulah Gorge

Psalm 24:1 - The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.
Jon's parents were in town the 1st and 2nd weekends of this month. The weather was beautiful so we decided to drive up north to Tallulah Gorge. I've driven by it several times but have never actually stopped and hiked down. What a gorgeous sight! First, we climbed down a few hundred stairs to the suspension bridge where we took a little break and decided where to go next. Our options were to go down another few hundred stairs (and then have to climb ALL of them back up), go back up the way we came or go back up another way that had less stairs but more hike. We chose the last option and were so happy we did.
Psalm 146:6 - The Lord is the maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them - the Lord remains faithful forever.