A Christmas Prayer

Dwell with me, Lord,Dwell in me.And give me graceTo dwell with Thee. Open my eyesTo Your sweet birthAnd to the hopeIt brought to earth. Grant me wisdomTo see Your face.I'll praise You dailyFor Your grace. Create in me aBrand new heart,Full of praise —How great Thou art! Grow my faithThat I may beA fruitful branchFor all to see. Forgive me, Lord,For the ways I fail.Hold me, Lord,For I am frail. You alone bringLight to life.On You aloneI set my eyes. When darkness comesAnd I am weak,Your ... [Read More]

The 4 Ps of Lopsided Living during the Holidays

Hey friend! I'm so glad you are here and I can't wait to share some thoughts about one of my favorite topics as it relates to one of my favorite times of year. About ten years ago, I realized all the talk about finding balance in our lives didn't sit well with me. And the more I considered why that was, I began to recognize that the times in my life when I've been most content and most certain I was doing exactly what God had called me to were seasons when I was definitely NOT living the ... [Read More]

20 Family Advent Resources {2019}

Y'all, I know it's barely November and Thanksgiving is late this year but, seriously, it will be December 1 before we know it. And if you are anything like me, you always have great aspirations for doing Advent as a family but somehow the execution always ends ups being not what you'd hoped. This year, I wanted to create a list of easy family Advent resources ... and by easy I mean, even I could probably manage these! :) But before we get to the list, I want to remind you of a couple of ... [Read More]

Family Advent Resources

I love Advent! And when Casiday was little, I loved the idea of making each day leading up to Christmas meaningful and fun.  But in a pastor's home, it can be hard to do anything for 24 days straight through December and she danced in The Nutcracker for several years. So, our family Advent was typically touch and go.  I say that to remind you of this — whatever you do to guide your children's hearts toward the true meaning of Christmas is good! And enough. Don't let Pinterest or Instagram or ... [Read More]

My Favorite Advent Devotionals and Books

My favorite resources for preparing myself, taking stock of my soul, during the Advent season: God With Us: Rediscovering the Meaning of Christmas — This year will be the sixth year I have used this book as my guide through Advent. My dear friend Kristin sent me a copy after she used it in 2012 and it has been, second only to the Bible, the book I love the most at Christmas. I have the original hard cover but there is a less expensive reader's edition as well. Come Let Us Adore Him ... [Read More]

The Advent Invitation

Advent. Advent is an invitation to more than checking days off until Christmas. It's an invitation to take stock of our souls, to prepare our hearts for celebrating the One who has come and will one day come again. It's a season of preparation. I need this. Maybe more than ever this year.2018 has been a mixed bag for me. Yes, we've had some incredible and fun moments. But, on the whole, I've felt a little more disconnected from people and a lot less accomplished than the previous few years. I've ... [Read More]