Christmas Story

The Quiet Beauty of Christmas

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

“Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them.”

Luke 2:19 CSB

A little bit ago at this point, we had a small amount of snow come to North Carolina. By snow of course I mean a wintery mix of rain and “snow,” but that’s not the point. What I always love about these moments, is the beauty that comes. I was able to be outside at night and just listen to the snowfall and watch the little bits of it build up around the Christmas lights on the house, it was wonderful, and in this quiet moment, I was able to reflect on all of the joys that I have in my life.

I adore these quiet moments of Christmas, whether it’s the sound of laughter from Violet playing, nothing but the light of the Christmas tree in the living room after everyone is asleep, or the sounds of wrapping paper covering gifts as dear Danielle and I sit on the floor of our room. To me that’s the magic and it reminds me of the importance to embrace the quiet moments in our lives.

When you embrace the quiet beauty in life, your perspective shifts to the holy gift that Christ gives to each of us.

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Joy in Every Season

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

“But the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

Luke 2:10 CSB

Every night during our bedtime routine with Violet, we pray, and always end our prayers by saying “amen.” Violet loves this part, because since she is basically a sponge soaking everything from us up, and she belts out a big, “AMEN,” and it’s just so perfect. It’s her saying something we say every night with so much joy.

I love it so much every time I hear it.

It reminds me of the core message of this Christmas season, that we can have great joy because of God’s great gift.

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Peace: The Blessing of Uncertainty

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

I am continually amazed by how terrifying life feels. It never seems like there is a clear direction, and as much as I would love for someone to show up and tell me what I need to do, this has never seemed to be the case. Maybe it would be to bizarre for me to understand the plan, or maybe my current way of thinking hasn’t gone through the growth it needs to experience the plans of the future. Last week I talked about the reflection and growth that comes with the new seasons, looking back at the blessings of what brought you here. The thing is, it brings us to now, and what do I do now?

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Piñatas, Star Wars, and Jesus; Stories of Hope

/ Joshua Thomas / 2 Comments

Can you believe it? In exactly one week, Christmas will be here. Wow, that’s kinda frightening, especially if you have to finish gift shopping and gearing up for the family travels, there are many working parts that happen during this time of year. Not to mention the high levels of depressing that this season can bring, losing lost ones, thinking about fears you have of the future, wondering if what you do actually means anything; the struggle hurts in a very real way. I’ve been thinking a lot about this. The stress and the sadness that surrounds Christmas can seem overwhelming, but the truth is, we can have hope during this Christmas season.

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