Christianity

A Silent Night

~ Extravagant Hope ~ Leave a comment

From Divine Appointments…The Greatest Gift

The cabin is snug and cozy tonight.

Gently snoring, dogs on soft beds kick and yip as they dream of chasing the purring black cat nestled down and dozing on a warm blanket.

The fire glows brightly.

I watch the dancing colors mesmerize and hypnotize me from my favorite comfy chair; an old quilt jumbled around me. A steaming cup of tea warms the body and soul.

All is warm and pleasant.

The tree lights wink softly in the branches. It’s magical and enchanting.

My wandering mind recalls vivid scenes of Christmases past—pine-scented memories of the perfect tree, glowing lights, and cherished ornaments sparkling as they peek out from their carefully chosen spot on the Christmas tree.

Fragrant mugs of creamy cocoa with floating marshmallows mingle with the homey smells of holiday baking as Christmas carols sing out on the record player.

Memories of laughter and excited anticipation on Christmas Eve—Light of the world, blessed hope, holy and sacred.

The fire pops and crackles busily, snickering to itself as the peaceful evening flows on—past and present thoughts mix and blend, drowsy.

The distinctive sound of falling snow on this silent night.

Photo by hello aesthe

Candlelight

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Psalm 91:4 NIV

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

I was drinking my coffee in the hush of this foggy morning, savoring being alone before the demands of the day started fussing and insisting on attention. The soft light from these brightly glowing candles was soothing and peaceful.

Sitting in my kitchen listening to the world wake up, I noticed how easily the candlelight was swayed and pulled toward any disturbance in the air. The little lights struggled to stay lit, bouncing and fluttering to the whims of the draft, helpless to move, shift, or regain equilibrium on their own.

Watching the brave dancing of the candlelight brought to mind Psalm 91. Aren’t we often like these confident candles? We burn bright, strong, and lovely when things are calm and no disturbances surround us. We are proud and sure of ourselves and our world.

But…drafts happen. Gusts of change, storms of conflict, gales of fear, and the cold winds of diagnoses come, often suddenly, leaving us ill prepared and helpless. We blow around in the confusion and anxiety fearing that our light will extinguished; that we won’t be able to stay steady on our own.

Quietly at first, you hear a still, yet powerful voice echoing through the chaos, breaking through the whims of the wind. We hear Him and call out for help, rescue, and hope. Then, comes the brush of feathers along your cheek, the hush of being wrapped up tightly in wings of safety and peace, the scent of heaven surrounding you as you are sheltered, protected, and delivered from the chaos and debris the world and the wounds of humanity throw at us each day. He is faithful. He is good. He alone is the answer to the fickle winds of chaos that always come as part of living on this earth. But, we don’t have to save ourselves. He came to do that. Emmanuel, God with us. Always. Everywhere.

You are His treasure. Peace be with you.

Greatest Gift

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“Only when you first unwrap the gifts of blessings to you can you be wrapped up as a gift of blessings to others. Only when you are overwhelmed with the goodness of God can you overflow with the goodness of God to others.” – Ann Voskamp “The Greatest Gift”

May we be overwhelmed this Christmas season with the goodness of God. The greatest gift ever given to us is His presence. May the overflow of His gift of Himself and His goodness leak out of our hearts, our eyes, our mouths, our voices, and our hands spilling onto everyone we encounter. Blessings upon blessings, gift upon gift – ripples of peace, love, and kindness spinning and circling wider and wider. His coming, Advent, happening everywhere.

Photo by Tofros.com

Hope

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Hope

The house is silent tonight. Firelight flickers and logs snap in the woodstove. Tucked in and cozy under the quilt I feel peaceful. The only light is from the snickering fire and the Christmas lights strewn along the mantle glowing warm and soft. The small nativity scene nestled among the gentle light is beautiful. The Savior, Light of the world, Prince of Peace came for me all those years ago. He’s still coming. It wasn’t a one-time thing.

Every day He comes for me and He comes for you. The healing, the protection, the peace, the hope, and the rescue; it never stops. It renews and is reborn. His pursuit of us in the midst of the mundane and the ordinary, the fiery trials, the seasons of running from Him, the times of quiet rest, and the brilliance of joy and victory will continue until the appointed time when God Most High welcomes us Home.

This season of Advent is mysterious, supernatural, holy, and beautiful. I’m in awe of it all.

Sitting quietly before Him in the silence and peace of His presence, my heart feels full, safe, and full of hope, so much hope.

Emmanuel

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“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[a] (which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:23 NIV

This scripture shows up a lot during the Christmas season. A beautiful celebration and comforting reminder that the Savior came as a helpless baby into a dark world that so desperately needed Him – it still does. We still do.

If we remember this soul-deep anticipation, quickening of the heart, the feeling of something greater than us coming as the holidays pass and life goes back to the humdrum, ordinary business, trials, and victories – might we live a little differently?

I think we might.

Emmanuel, God with us.

Sit in the stillness of this, the power of this, the holiness of this, the immense love that is in this name.

Everything that humanity strives toward, desperately needs, and seeks in all the wrong places is found in this name, Emmanuel. God with us. Jesus. What more could we need?

Jesus is our hope, our protector, our creator, the One who sees us in all of our human messiness and miraculously draws even closer to us because of it. He searches you out in the dark chaos of the world, and calls you by name to just come to Him. That’s all. Just come. Just let Him love you, restore you, heal you, let you by still waters, and lead you to the cross where all that hurts, wounds, and seeks to destroy can be laid down once and for all at His feet.

What might happen if we begin each day with His name in our hearts and on our lips – Emmanuel, God with us, with you, with me. Not just during the holidays, but every single day. He never stops seeking us and finding us, healing us and loving us, delighting in us and going with us in all things ordinary and extraordinary.

May Jesus, the Prince of Peace, Light in the darkness, Healer of hearts go with you today and always. You are loved. Peace be with you. Emmanuel be with you.

Let go

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Isaiah 41:13 NIV

“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

He sees. He knows. The fear that sneaks into your thoughts and intrudes into your daily routine. He is right there waiting for you to grab onto His outstretched hands that have your name engraved in the palms. He is God Almighty, Warrior, Defender, Prince of Peace, Lover of your soul, and Lord of Lords. He’s got you and is telling you not to be afraid. He will help you. Let Him. Release the tight grip you have on whatever that fear, worry, or wound is and let Him take it. Let Him heal you. He is faithful. He is good. He loves you. Peace be with you.

GIVEAWAY

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It’s time for a holiday giveaway!! 🥳 It will run today, Weds 12/3 – Sat 12/6 8pm PST. ⏰

Winner will choose a book from The Divine Series that I’ll sign and mail off to you. 📚📖

To enter:

Go to my Facebook author page and follow me – https://www.facebook.com/MelissaGiomiauthor

🎄Tag someone you think will enjoy the series, and

☃️Share a favorite holiday tradition from your family.

***Answers must be entered in the comments on the AUTHOR PAGE to count.***

I will use my wheel spinner to randomly choose the winner 🏆🏆🏆

Good luck!

Christmas music and drinks!

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🎀 I’d love to hear about your favorite Christmas holiday music. Do you lean more traditional, modern, carols?

How about holiday beverages! Are you team eggnog? Hot cocoa? Mulled wine? Peppermint everything?

🎄Christmas music – I love listening to Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Buddy Holly, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Anne Murray – the old, traditional music feels so nostalgic and festive to me. It makes me happy and full of anticipation.🎄

❄️ Beverages – I love warm and cozy drinks, so my favorites are rich, hot cocoa sometimes with some Baileys, Kahlua, or peppermint. A nice hot tea is always welcome! And of course, coffee!

Belated Thanksgiving!

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Happy belated Thanksgiving!

My husband and I are empty-nesters and this year with my son in the military overseas and my daughter not having much time off, we decided to do something different and go camping. We love to be in the outdoors whether it be camping, hiking, beach days – if it’s outdoors, we enjoy it! So off we went to a campground we’d never been to before in the Redwoods. It was chilly, damp (so firewood was testy and finicky), and gets dark early especially deep in the trees. We watched DVDs when it was too dark and chilly to be outside, cozy and warm in the trailer.

If you have read any of my books, you KNOW that mountains and forests are my happy place. The hikes we took did not disappoint! The Redwoods were breathtakingly beautiful. I felt a deep peace gently fall on me as we hiked in the stillness. The muted, filtered light was magical and ethereal, the fog soaked forest floor felt spongy and tender under our boots. The tiny spider webs looked like elaborately woven lace as drops of mist clung to each strand. I could feel restoration wrapping me up as I breathed in that one of a kind forest air hiking with my husband, enjoying our time away from busy city life.

We spent aday in a coastal town that we love exploring the shops, buying our favorite homemade jam, and walking along the headlands breathing in the salty sea air. So fresh and clean. The ocean and setting sun didn’t disappoint either!

I am so thankful that we decided to get outside our “normal” and camp in the woods. It was cold, refreshing, invigorating, and a much needed time away for us to hike, laugh, and just be for a couple days. Pressures and stressors melted away for a bit. It was good for our souls. God always knows what we need, even when it looks different than what we always do. For that, I am so thankful.

Thankful

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“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34 NLT

I pray you have a beautiful day today. I pray that you find joy and contentment in little things; that your eyes and ears are open to the hidden delights and glimpses of His presence that He’s scattered about your path today. You may have to pause, breathe, and take a moment to look around, but those glimmers and treasures are there waiting for you. He loves you. You are precious. Peace be with you.