This Thanksgiving we visited Steve's side of the family. My in-laws treated us to a night at Great Wolf Lodge. I had forgotten how much fun water could be.
It's amazing how fast time flies especially when you don't see people often. My oldest nephew (on that side) brought his girlfriend, my niece is driving, and my other nephews are already 8 & 6 - wow! To you, probably no big deal, to me, another sign that time keeps moving on...I am blessed to be a part of this family.
With Thanksgiving past, we look toward Christmas. Today is the first day of Advent. I found this morning that I cannot merely read the advent scriptures and expect fireworks. I am reminded that God often speaks to me in a whisper. So I am going back to quiet myself.
I ran across a book this year called, "Advent & Christmas Wisdom from Henri J.M. Nouwen." Since I am a fan, I decided to use this as an accompaniment to the scriptures.
Here is an excerpt from Day 1, entitled, In the Midst of Our Dark World,
"I keep expecting loud an impressive event to convince me and others of God's saving power....Our temptation is to be distracted by them...When I have no eyes for the small signs of God's presence-the smile of a baby, the carefree play of children, the words of encouragement and gestures of love offered by friends-I will always remain tempted to despair.
The small child of Bethlehem, the unknown man of Nazareth, the rejected preacher, the naked man on the cross, HE asks for my full attention. The work of our salvation takes place in the midst of a world that continues to shout, scream, and overwhelm us with its claims and promises.
Advent action: Today I will look for one small sign that God is present in my daily life. I will give thanks for his presence. If he is absent, I will resolve to find out why."
1 comment:
I like this. Thanks. (And the water place looks fun, too!) Hope you're feeling a bit better.
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