Restoring Hearts Blog

“Advent. The coming of quiet joy. Arrival of radiant light in our darkness.” Anonymous The days and weeks prior to the arrival of our kids’ Christmas visit are ones of preparation. We’ve decorated the house, put up the Christmas tree, baked and cooked ahead and stocked the refrigerator with their favorite foods. By the time they arrive, the shopping and wrapping will be done, the house cleaned and the handmade gifts hopefully completed. All this with great anticipation of bei

“Christmas is the gift from heaven of God’s Son given for free; If Christmas isn’t found in your heart, you won’t find it under the tree.” Charlotte Carpenter With Christmas just eight days away, it’s easy to become consumed with finding the best gift ever for those we love. I believe the best gifts are those with an element of surprise, those not on our list, yet ones which display a great deal of thoughtfulness from the gift giver. Followers of Jesus Christ, know that the b

“Christmas is the gift from heaven of God’s Son given for free; If Christmas isn’t found in your heart, you won’t find it under the tree.” Charlotte Carpenter One of my favorite Scriptures during Christmas season is Isaiah 9:6: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah prophesied the Messiah’s coming and he listed four descri

“Man is most truly himself…not when he toils but when he adores. And we are learning more and more that all innocent joy in life may be a form of adoration.” Vida Scudder I collect nativity sets and when you look at most crèches, Jesus is in the center. I’ve never seen one displayed where the babe in the manger is off to the side or hidden in the background. Usually baby Jesus is in the middle and all eyes are focused on Him. My favorite nativity scenes are the ones where the

“Christmas began in the heart of God. It is complete only when it reaches the heart of man.” Anonymous STOP. Take a deep breath. Exhale all the stress from the busyness of the season and inhale the Babe in the manger in the form of the Holy Spirit. I encourage you to take a few minutes, make yourself a cup of tea or coffee, put your legs up, and sit quietly before the Savior to ponder all He’s done. I love this time of year, Advent, when we wait expectantly for the arrival of

“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” Alexander Pope It seems many expectations are placed on us during Christmas. For numerous years I hoped to create a picture perfect Christmas for my family, the kind that is a cross between a Norman Rockwell and a Thomas Kinkade painting. I imagined softly fallen snow, joyful children dressed in red, pine trees adorned with homemade ornaments and the scent of holiday cookies baking while Christmas carols