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Nouns and Verbs | an eternal reason for the season
NOUNS AND VERBS, AN ETERNAL REASON FOR THE SEASON Editor’s Note: This is a guest story by June E. Titus. Here’s a great devotional to end this week’s Diva Christmas 2019 – reason for the season! Here are some of the phrases we hear as we approach the Christmas season: “So, what do you hope to get under your tree this Christmas?” “I hope the family can get together for Christmas.” “I hope this Christmas is better than last year!” Reminds me of “The Griswold Family Christmas” . . . not the kind of Christmas most of us really want as part of our celebration. We sold live Christmas trees…
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Unlocking Christmas | The Reason for the Season
This is a guest story by Devotional Diva founder Renee Fisher! Here’s the third installment of Diva Christmas 2019 – the reason for the season! One Christmas, I spoke on the 3 Keys to Unlocking Christmas at a woman’s tea. I started with my favorite phrase from my book, Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me. “Thereis freedom from your past hurts, present circumstances, and future fears.” There. Is. Freedom. From. Your past hurts. Present circumstances. And future fears. Saying that out loud still haunts me today. Past The key that unlocks the past is forgiveness. You and I may not have a perfect past. It may not be filled with magic like…
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The Good Shepherd | reason for the season
Editor’s Note: This is a guest story by Agnes Amos-Coleman. And this is the second post of Diva Christmas 2019 – the reason for the season! My friends, this Christmas season reminds me of shepherds who tend, feed and guard their sheep. Jesus Christ symbolizes for us the Good Shepherd. The scriptures in Luke 2:8-11 talk about the announcement of his birth “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.…
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The Nativity Crèche | Diva Christmas 2019
Editor’s Note: This is a guest story by Sheila Lloyd. Welcome to Diva Christmas 2019 – the reason for the season! I stand before the nativity crèche , looking at it as I have so many, many times before… Enjoying the colors, smiling at the way the expressions are carved in each face, thinking about the artist’s choice of costume. My eyes move to the center figure, the baby in the manger; and I am struck a new with wonder. That baby lying in the manger truly was King of kings and Lord of lords! In his eyes was all eternity past and all eternity future combined into a shining…
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Diva Christmas 2019
Well, last week’s devotional wrapped up our fall stories. Now, I’ll be announcing our Christmas series and opening submissions! I just moved (again, I know.) to Washington State and we are already SO excited for Christmas. Well, this year we’ve been excited for every single holiday because my husband has been able to be with us for them 🙂 I’ve been pondering what the Diva Christmas 2019 theme should be. As Don Draper on Mad Men said, “Just think about it deeply, then forget it. An idea will jump in your face.” That’s what happens every year for me when I’m coming up with the theme — I don’t think…
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What Did I Learn Through My Husband’s Stroke? – a devotional
Editor’s Note: This is a guest submission from Sheila Lloyd. Sheila’s husband had a stroke in 2014, and this is part of their story of recovery. Thanks so much, Sheila! WHAT DID I LEARN THROUGH THE STROKE? How I am more like Jesus because of this experience? I WILL ADMIT, WHEN ONE OF MY EDITORS POSED THESE QUESTIONS TO me, I was at a loss. So…as I am flying in a plane at 20,000+ feet, I will endeavor to dive into that question and see what happens. Couldn’t pay me to strap on a parachute and jump, but then again, this kind of feels just as precarious. Do I wish…
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Can You Be Happy and Single? – a devotional
Editor’s Note: This is a guest submission from Jennifer, the Sunflower Mom! Thanks for sending this in, Jen! “Are you happy?” she asked me. A friend I hadn’t seen in a few months asked me this question early one Saturday morning over coffee. She knew some of the depression I’ve been wading through the last few years. “Yes,” I replied, closing the conversation so the discussion could move on to more comfortable topics. Later that evening I thought about that question. Happy is a fleeting emotion. When I look back at my life, I’d only describe one season as truly happy: those first few months of awestruck wonder when my…
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Because You Are More Than Just a Number – devotional
Editor’s Note: This is a guest submission from Maggie Meadows Cooper – one of my favorite Christian mom bloggers, and she just happens to have a great name!! Y’all, lately I have been feeling the pressure of numbers. So. Many. Numbers. The number of likes or followers on social media. The number of minutes ticking away from time with my family. The number in my bank account. The number of mistakes I make in a day. The number on the scale. The number for attendance at school events. The number of books sold. Number after number after number. This world will tell you that numbers define you. That they form…
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The Faith that Endures – a devotional
Editor’s Note: This is a guest submission from Agnes Amos-Coleman, who just writes the best devos for us! Thank you Agnes! My friends, I don’t know about you but there are times in my journey of faith when the journey just gets hard and I think, it is extremely difficult to make it through the day as a Christ follower. It is during these times that the word of God in James 1:2-3 provides strength “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance”. As we grow in Christ, our faith will be…
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The Calendar – a devotional
Editor’s Note: This is a guest submission from our dear friend June Titus! Thanks so much for sharing your stories with us, June! And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, and to record, and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel: I Chronicles 16: 4 What sort of gift does a family give to aging folks who seemingly have no needs of the usual birthday or holiday gifts? When my parents were living, this question always came up with me. Now that my husband and I are “aging folks,” our family most likely asks the same questions, especially since we are newly weds with a blended family. This past Christmas we were pleasantly…
