Mixed Nuts: The Advent Jesse Tree

Quotes

"There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark." - Helen Keller
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me." ~Erma Bombeck
You may never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice.- Unknown
Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow' ~Helen Keller
Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."- Dr. Seuss
"Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it."
"God doesn't give children with disabilities to strong people: He gives them to ordinary, everyday people, then He helps the parents to grow stronger through the journey. Raising a child with special needs doesn't TAKE a special family, it MAKES a special family."Author Unknown
I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go – Abraham Lincoln
Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. ~ Benjamin Franklin
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is a miracle - Albert Einstein
The journey of a 1000 miles starts with a single step
Sometimes in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives you a fairy tale
Where there is great love, there are always miracles - Willa Cather
The Difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer
Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness
There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots. The other is wings.
Be the change you want to see in the world
Don't tell God how big the storm is, tell the storm how big Your God is..........
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it
Fall down seven times - get up eight - unknown
Despite our differences, we sink or swim together
Life may not be the party we expected, but while we are here, we might as well dance
"The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." -Confucius

Sunday, November 27, 2011

The Advent Jesse Tree

Last year, I read a few blogs where the people were doing Jesse Advent Trees. I thought it would be a great tradition to start with our family. The Advent Jesse Tree seeks to tell the story of God's redemptive plan for the world thought 25 symbols from the Old and New Testament. The symbols trace the heritage of Jesus Christ from the beginning of creation.

So, throughout the year, we have been collecting ornaments that go along with the book.

The book tells you what ornament to buy/make, and then we went on a hunt. I was able to find most of them online (mostly on Etsy - they make some beautiful home made ornaments) and a few we made.

So today is the first day of Advent. We hung our first ornament today. The first ornament is a globe.

This first symbol takes us back to Christ's pre-existence before all of creation. The first chapter in the book is called "The Light in Creation". The have a children's devotion in the book that we read and talked about and then we hung the first ornament on the tree.

You will notice our tree has red and silver bulbs on it. I got this 6 foot Christmas tree last year after Christmas for like $5. It is perfect for our advent tree, but it is a bit big for 25 ornaments, only. So - we added a little color. :)

Each day I will share the bulb we are putting on the tree and the name of the Devotion. I think it is a great way to mix the excitement with Christmas with the true meaning we celebrate as Christians. And Arlington, especially, loves the stories and the idea. So it has been fun.

"In the Beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1