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Basic RGBrecently i attended an all sons & daughters / tim tommons concert in the area.  during one of the familiar worship songs, tim timmons stopped and challenged us.  he asked, “what if we really, whole heartedly believed the amazing words we were singing? how would our worship be different?”

what a simple, profound thought.  we often worship so flippantly, allowing words to casually fall from our lips before taking time to examine our heart.  my worship the rest of the evening was altered.  i could no longer just sing to be a voice.  with each song, i had to consider what i truly believed about each word i voiced.  more often than going through the motions of the song, i fell silent in prayer.

as we enter the Christmas season, i can’t help but think about applying this same principle.  we will have the opportunity to hear and teach scriptures we have studied countless of times.  carols and worship songs we sing are so familiar we could easily sing the last note without ever truly pondering the truth the tune holds.

so, i ask myself this Christmas: 

 what if i lived like i really believed the miraculous truths of Christmas?  

what if instead of “lip service”, i celebrated Christmas with “life service” grounded in deep belief?

what if, as i taught the lessons of Christmas to children, i could support them with examples of where i have allowed Him to be faithful to me?

my Christmas could be different if:

as i pondered the way our Savior and King entered the world, i could eagerly trust that His ways are not like mine.

i believed beyond the shadow of a doubt that “nothing is impossible with God.” (luke 1:37)

i not only taught children about how an angel told mary, joseph, and the shepherds  “not to be afraid” (luke 1:30, matthew 1:20, luke 2:10), but i lived a fearless life trusting God’s plan.

mary’s song caused me to examine if my soul truly “glorifies the Lord.” (luke 1:47)

like the shepherds, my reason to hurry was to spend time with Jesus. (luke 2:16)

i, like the wisemen, may have some valuable gifts for Jesus this Christmas.  i could lay down some idols and my “precious” time. i could tightly wrap up control and trust it to the One who holds me in the palm of His hand.  and, i could consistently lay my future at my Savior’s feet.

one day at a time this Christmas season, may i live more and more like i believe!

 this is guest post two of three from my dear friend, nancy duggin.  (read post one of three HERE.) she has such a heart for parents, children, and families as a whole to experience the reality of Jesus in every day life.  i look forward to how she will challenge us all as we prepare to celebrate Christmas 2013. 

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The mental image we have of God and of Christmas has everything to do with how we celebrate.  For those who know and love Him, it’s the time to focus on Jesus’ birthday with a heart-felt desire to celebrate Christmas in a way that honors The Messiah—our Messiah.

Throughout history, God has used ordinary, unqualified people through whom He accomplished extreme feats. So I know He can use us, if we are willing.

As we consider experiencing an extreme Christmas filled with more blessings than we could ever imagine, I suggest we begin by decorating our hearts before we decorate our homes and by spreading the fragrance of Christ before any other fragrances. This would be extreme in the eyes of the world and, sadly, in the lives of many Christ followers because a Christ-honoring Christmas may have never been a priority in years past.

How do we decorate our hearts before our homes? I Peter 3:15 tells us “but in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks us to account for the hope that is in us but do it courteously and respectfully. (Amplified Bible) The entire world would experience an extreme Christmas, if believers were truly purposeful in and lived out the hope within them. How would that kind of ‘habit of heart’ change our attitudes about shopping, how we spend our time, and how we guard and measure every word that comes from our mouths this season—No more wishing the season were over, or complaining about gifts to be given, or how crowded the stores are and how expensive everything is.

An extreme Christmas would involve a total refocus for most of us—one that would center on celebrating the birth of the Messiah by giving to and serving others in His name. We need a reality check and a heart check!

After decorating our hearts, let’s ask God to fill us with the desire to spread His wonderful fragrance. “But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ’s victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere. For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which exhales] unto God, [discernible alike] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. I Corinthians 2:14-15 (Amplified Bible) Does your heart cry out for Him to spread His fragrance in you, and then into the world through your actions and deeds?

Our extreme Christmas will come from our desire to seek and know God’s heart, from our thirst for Him and our desperation for Him. Consider the verses below. Do they give you insight concerning what He might desire us to give as gifts, to His Son, this season?

Proverbs 11:30 The seeds of a good deeds become a tree of life.

Colossians 2:7 Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.

Titus 2:7 Be an example . . . by doing good works of every kind.

I Timothy 6:18 Be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.

Our extreme Christmas will NOT come from listening to the world’s messages and hype concerning ‘black Friday’ and the need to have all the latest gadgets and fashions. What image will our children have of us? Images based on Titus 2:7 and I Timothy 6:18? or images of us sitting around with the latest technology in our hands, with little attention being given to those whom we say we love, much less serving others in need of the love of Jesus, a love that should come naturally from the overflow of thanksgiving, for all He has done for us.

Only through the power of the Holy Spirit will we experience an extreme Christmas. Being a Christ follower should be the most exciting and extreme lifestyle any of us could ever imagine! Take a moment to praise Him for who He is and thank Him for His steadfast love and His goodness toward you and your family.

Stay tuned for some examples of extreme Christmases of others in past years.

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Nancy Youree Duggin taught public school for 24 years and served on a city school board for four years.  She also is a mother to two and grandmother to three with one on the way. This October she will celebrate 40 years of marriage.  Even with her plate full with family and training teachers, she spends countless hours encouraging and mentoring young moms.  

 this is guest post one of three from my dear friend, nancy duggin.  she has such a heart for parents, children, and families as a whole to experience the reality of Jesus in every day life.  i look forward to how she will challenge us all as we prepare to celebrate Christmas 2013.

extreme-Christmas-1

Our society, it seems, is all about extremesextreme makeovers, extreme sports, extreme weight loss, etc. Would you desire to experience an extreme Christmas in your heart, mind, and soul? a Christmas with surprises at every turn? surprises in the form of miracles from Jesus Himself?

Extreme would certainly describe the events leading up to the first Christmas: the “be it unto me” confession of a pregnant virgin, the Infinite pressed into the finite, Joseph not divorcing Mary quietly as tempted, the birth of a king (the King) in a dark, cold, and, most likely, dirty stable.

How might Jesus desire to come into you and bless you this holiday season as He did Mary, and in turn use you to be a blessing to countless others? Pray individually and as a family, for God to reveal to you what gift you can give His Son this Christmas, one even as extreme as Mary’s gift of herself (see Lk 1:38). Ask God to show you how to live and give like Jesus. Pray audacious prayers (like Lk 1:46-55). Ask God to be the difference in you that makes a difference in the life of others—for all eternity—with NO thought of anything in return. God doesn’t need our works, but there are countless individuals all around us who do, works that are the overflow of the love we have for the Christ of Christmas.

In the Old Testament we read about God asking Moses if there was “a limit to His power”. How would you answer that question? Since there is NO limit to His power, how might our Omnipotent God desire for you to see and to be an extreme Christmas.

Stay tuned. (Read post two of three HERE.)

580675_3362700941153_1823353765_nNancy Youree Duggin taught public school for 24 years and served on a city school board for four years.  She also is a mother to two and grandmother to three with one on the way. This October she will celebrate 40 years of marriage.  Even with her plate full with family and training teachers, she spends countless hours encouraging and mentoring young moms.  

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