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Getting excited about opening those brightly colored Christmas packages hiding in the closet or under the tree? Take time to read one more Advent devotional before going about your day. Did your parents teach you not to run with scissors? Did they warn you not to put your fingers in electrical sockets? Did they train …

We are almost halfway through Advent! Christmas will be here in less than two weeks! Are you prepared for Jesus’ arrival? Here’s a somewhat lighter lesson for you. One holiday season, a newlywed friend of my mother’s called on the phone. The bride wanted advice on how to prepare chicken using her grandmother’s family recipe. …

You came back for another Advent devotional! Your being here encourages me but also tells me you are anxious to prepare your heart for Christmas. Long ago, my husband Gene bought a unicycle at a yard sale. He wanted to learn to ride it but never put forth the effort. It sat in our attic, …

Are guests visiting for your holiday celebration? Take a moment before they arrive to read a brief Advent devotional so you will truly be prepared! What steps do you take to get ready for guests? Planning a menu and setting the table. Making up guest beds, laying out towels, perhaps even putting a chocolate on …

Will you be traveling over the holidays? Don’t forget to check in here each day while we continue with these Advent thoughts about preparing our hearts for Christmas. Many years ago, before I was married, I worked in Mexico with Wycliffe Bible Translators. My father, a godly pastor, never really understood the work that I …

Welcome back for another Advent devotional about preparing our hearts for Christmas! Can you imagine buying all the boxes and wrapping paper and bows for Christmas but forgetting to buy the gifts to go with them? Or preparing for a huge family gathering and forgetting to send out invitations to guests? Something appears to be …

Surprise! Another day of Advent has come and another devotional thought awaits you here! Thirty years ago, my family made plans to come to Pennsylvania for Christmas. My father and mother would drive up from Virginia, my brother David and his family planned to fly in from California, and my brother Robert would come too. …

How are your preparations for Christmas coming? Are gifts bought and wrapped? Today we are looking at one more way to prepare our hearts for the holiday. Early in our marriage, my husband and I had many friends who enjoyed decoupage, applying multiple layers of glue to paper or fabric on wood. That first Christmas, …

Welcome to the fourth of these Advent devotionals on “Preparation.” Perhaps you want to invite a friend to join you on this journey. About 35 years ago, when my children were still very young, I wanted a way to help Tim, Prisca and John grasp the true meaning of Christmas. The world around them distracted …

Glad to see you have returned for a third day as we tackle the Advent theme of “Preparation.” Our family always remembers the year that my young daughter Prisca opened a Christmas package to discover she had received a package of light bulbs. Her face said it all: Disappointment combined with confusion. Little did she …