THIS is one of my favorite new resources out there—a new podcast about BIG truths for little ones! The first mini-series focuses on hymns of old, and the stories behind their authors! Each episode is filled with scripture, stories and songs—check it out and “subscribe” to hear more weekly! SHAMELESS PLUG: I started this show with my sister as a means of connecting our little ones to heroes of the faith and the God who inspired them. It has been SUCH a joy to produce and we’re having a blast! Our prayer is that it is a blessing to others, as well! Run and check it out!
Today I’m sharing a few more Christmas gems with you all. Hopefully you and your families can enjoy these resources together!
1. Rain for Roots
These guys have produced several fantastic albums. In the last few years they’ve released an advent album and we LOVE it! They melodies are filled with timeless truth and soft rhythms to facilitate a peaceful atmosphere while also reminding the kiddos of rich truths found in scripture. This album is one of our faves. BONUS: it looks like this year they’re doing a sing-a-long!
2. Christmas Uncut
This one breaks down the character and context of the Christmas story in a way that is fun and interactive. We like to read this one every so often to help the kids understand the “who, what, when, where and why” of Christmas.
3. One Wintry Night
We just started this one the other night and the girls are HOOKED! Each beautifully illustrated section(the artist took 4 years to complete the pictures!) captivates the listener with intricate details following a story of a boy named Jesse who learns about the history of the Christmas story. It is a picture book, but broken down into 1-2 page chapters to be read over dinner, sitting by the fire or snuggled up at bedtime.
4. Come Let Us Adore Him
This is what I chose for our family to read around the table for the advent season. Each day features a short meditation by the author as well as a section of questions and activities for the kids. It is a great resource for entire families!
Does productivity make anyone else feel valuable? It only seems fitting that every year December finds me waiting for something. This time last year, I was [quite possibly] bigger than a [tiny] house waiting on our littlest love. I prayed he would come early, but as he wasn’t due until the beginning of this year I wondered if he would. And he didn’t. I was restless, achey, wobbly and harried. The robust energy with which I embraced the Christmas season felt forced and insufficient, which made me feel insufficient. And God, in his grace, met me with peace from every anxiety and rest in the waiting.
This year I find myself waiting, yet again. And there is a sense of goodness in it. At the beginning of the holiday season( literally ON Thanksgiving) I became ill. Not the 24- hour bug kind of ill, the virus kind. Which meant scary things like isolation and quarantine. Even for an introvert, nothing about staying inside appealed to me. I planned to go full-throttle Christmas Queen with my girls, and I was excited to not be pregnant so I could have crazy-mom-at-Christmas energy to go and do all of the things. But then it hit hard. And I was down for almost two weeks. Nothing about that felt productive. I couldn’t even hold my children. I could barely shower, and my fatigue left me feeling useless every hour. Yes, it was that bad. The Monday after resting for what seemed like an eternity(over 2 weeks, people!), I tried to resume normal duties. I couldn’t. I spent the day in bed trying to work on things I had put off, trying to clean, trying to do something–anything! But I just. couldn’t. do it. And I didn’t just feel crummy physically, I felt emotionally depleted. Nothing I did worked. Nothing was accomplished. I felt SO invaluable and SO defeated.
But I’m learning that sometimes the most productive thing I can do is allow myself to rest.
Redeemingthemundane
What is going on, Lord? Why doesn my heart feel this way? I wondered quietly. It wasn’t until yesterday, when I described my emotions to a new friend that something clicked. It was something she mentioned in passing, but as I listened I realized my heart needed it: “Susanna, I’m not enough. And I just needed to admit that. I need help. I need Jesus”.
There’s a sweet song by Rain for Roots that paraphrases Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28-30:
Come to me. Walk with me. Learn the rhythms of my grace. Come to me --I have all you need. Learn to rest even while you are awake. Are you tired? Are you worried? Worn out from the day? Have you been in a hurry?
I will slow the pace.
The words kept running over and over in my mind like a gently babbling brook. And as I pondered my friend’s words, I made the same admission: I cannot do this. I cannot be enough. I need Jesus.
The lie were told as women is that we are enough. And in that, we can do it all. In fact, we can HAVE it all. We can juggle a million and one things. And shouldn’t we? This is the age of women! This is OUR time! What I’m realizing more and more-what God continues to impress upon my heart—is the truth that I am imperfect, flawed and fragile. The sobering truth for me—for us all-is that our bodies were designed to need rest. To be quiet. To weaken over time.
We’re restless, aimless people ever seeking fulfillment in our own pursuits. We need people. We need to do. But more importantly, we need to know that our neediness can only be met with peace by the One ordained it.
Redeemingthemundane
Last night I sat down with my mental “to do” list for today streaming through my mind. That same friend who was kind enough to let me see her imperfections suggested giving myself one goal a day. She said that it was something she had begun to do and it caused her to measure her days without feeling overwhelmed. So, today I tried it. And it worked! Less because of more and more because of perspective. It just happened to be a more productive day than the others. And I was tempted to glory in my flesh until I remembered this lesson.
And so this season, even though I’m humbled to be learning something I (in my pride) feel I should already know, I’m thankful. Thankful for the reminder to slow down and rest. Thankful for the grace given to remain steadfast(even if it’s only breath-by-breath). Thankful for the gift of waiting.
Dear friend, wherever you are, whoever you are, remember the freedom in admitting you are not, in fact enough. Run to the Faithful Savior who always is.
Every Friday I’m hoping to share some of my favorite books/albums/articles/etc. with you guys! One of my favorite things about being a mama is finding good material for life at home with my precious littles. This month I’ll be sharing some of our most loved Christmas books! These are usually shared around the dinner table, or for breakfast every morning. I try to read to my kiddos daily, and it has been SO much fun incorporating rich truths that capture the imagination and stimulate the brain.
SO…without further adieu…here are today’s!
This book is absolutely amazing! But not Christmas-themed, right? WRONG! The author, Sally Lloyd-Jones offers a FREE advent printable every December including ornaments that your littles can color + cut out themselves! The book follows the line of Jesus and every story points back to the truth that WE are a part of God’s BIG story! My girls love it and your kiddos will, too! We always enjoy hanging out ornaments on the “Jesse Tree” every year using these stories.
This next resource is just a sweet, simple tale of Christmas. It’s about a little bear who recalls the wonder of the Christmas season through sensory experiences–namely, smell. My girls are always really invested in scratching every page to follow his journey. Some of my favorite scents include Pine trees and peppermint! This one just gets us into the Christmas mood every time! It was also one of my favorites when I was a wee bairn.
Well, I’m writing from the comfort of my bed this afternoon. This is not something I had planned. In fact, since it is the day after Thanksgiving, I had every intention of letting the Christmas festivities commence. You’re going to laugh…but since 2020 has been a heck of a year I took the opportunity last week to put up my beloved Christmas village and sprinkle bits and pieces of Christmas all around the house. I was careful to preserve the dining room(the center of Thanksgiving dinner), and I tried desperately to save the Christmas music I knew so well for my quiet, solo moments (I didn’t want to exhaust the melodies of Christmas for the rest of my family)! And so today was reserved for indoor Christmas lights(because I put the outdoor lights up last week…when in Vermont one must seize the opportunity during warmer days!) , ornaments and the rest of the house. But…here I am, sniffling my way through a very drowsy morning-turned-afternoon.
It is this kind of day that could make the more productive(or, I should say productivity-seeking) personalities among us(like myself) frustrated. Gosh, I am so thankful that our God is not this way.
HE doesn’t see these rest-filled moments(that masquerade as laziness in my own heart) as wasteful, but rather a necessary reprieve. And isn’t that needed perspective?
I have been camping out in Psalm 119 the past week, and—let me tell you—it has been a balm for my soul! I’m learning that as a mama to three little bitties, my very forgetful brain meditates better when I’m chewing on the same passage weeks at a time. The Psalmist continually speaks of life found in the Word(17, 25, 37,50, 88, 93, 107, 116, 149, 154, 156, 159). Today my physical body is failing me(only in a minor way, but I am still hindered by how weakened this cold has made me). It reminds me of the truth that this life—this body, this world—is not my home. The Lord is ever-refining that I may daily be brought to that remembrance. And there is such goodness in that!
But I wouldn’t have noticed(not today, at least) if my mind was consumed by the Christmas chaos I had planned. No; because my schedule changed entirely, my mind has remembered the source of true rest—found in Christ alone. And that(however frustrated I am, and however foiled I found my plans) is exactly what I needed.
It seems so fitting that the Lord has given me pause before my very favorite(and always busy) time of year. It is His gentle reminder to stop, fixing my eyes on Him, and rest in WHO He is. As we near the Advent season, I’m so grateful He has hushed my restless heart; so humbled that He’s not exasperated to correct me(yet again) but peaceably calls me to quiet reflection. It is a perfect faithfulness of which I am undeserving.
This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts. ~ Psalm 119:56
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! ~ Psalm 27:14
Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes and I will keep it to the end
Psalm 119:33
I woke up lazily this morning, for superficial reasons, of course. My bed was warm; my toes toasty after a long night of sound sleep, and the weather outside truly was “frightful”. But there was a sense of dread forming as I considered the bleakness of the world around me. And I didn’t want to face it. Naturally I had to make the choice between getting out of bed(starting the day) or relishing a quiet, comfortable moment. Which would you choose?
It is these mundane lazy moments that often prompt reflection for me. I know, I know…laziness = reflection?
But there is simple beauty in slowly digesting the day one breath at a time. [for me] It’s a reminder to keep treading along; to maintain perspective.
redeemingthemundane
I often imagine that faithful tortoise slinking along the tracks, giving no thought to the miles logged, or the potential difficulty ahead. He just kept moving towards the goal: the end of the race.
I think, sometimes, I am more like the hare: desperately racing through each day, never mindful of the extraordinary, ordinary moments. Tryng to survive rather than thrive. It is then that I miss the momentary blessings in each breath.
But truth is the ever piercing arrow that daily aligns my weary soul:
I have chosen the way of faithfulness, I set your rules before me... Teach me O Lord, the way of your statutes and I will keep them to the end (keep them as my reward) ~ Psalm 119:30, 33
Isn’t it funny how a single footnote changes everything? I had never before noticed the asterisk by verse 30: keep your [precepts] as my reward.
God has provided the Word as the source all truth(Psalm 119:160) and this is our life-giving hope(Psalm 119:81)! When our souls desire any other thing, we will never know peace. This truth gives life, hope, and sustaining grace to remain faithful to the very end. When our hearts wearily wrestle with the many dangers toils and snares of a world full of divided affections, we must fix our eyes on Christ! We must continue[by God’s grace] to choose faithfulness, to set His ways before our flickering eyes. And we must ever be mindful of the reward that is in knowing Him and gazing upon His perfect goodness forever into eternity(Revelation 7:9-12)
For though our weakening eyes strain to see light, the light itself grows nearer and brighter with every faithful step.
Redeeming the Mundane 