Thinking back to this time last year I can’t help but laugh at the events that transpired. I was in the middle of choosing my word for 2020 and I was so excited about the new decade and what thrilling adventures it would bring. We were all excited about kicking off a new decade with “20/20 vision”. We were planning to push ahead with dreams, desires, goals, and achievements. We were going to travel more, spend more time with family, work harder, show more hospitality, learn new things, and really start enjoying life as it should be enjoyed. We were going to thrive.

We can all agree that the adventure that was 2020 can be described as anything but thrilling. Other events had been set into motion that none of us could have even imagined at the start of this new decade. Events that were beyond our control, events that would change our lives, events that would effectively bring our world to a halt.

2020 hit and had a promise of a good year…until we heard the word COVID-19. In early March our country was hit with this brand new virus and we shut down. Many lost their lives, many more lost their livelihoods. Churches were closed, schools and sports were cancelled, business shut down, families were separated, and we were isolated from everyone and everything. Fear set in and has only taken deeper root in the hearts of most. Graduations were missed, weddings were cancelled, birthdays were celebrated via Zoom, and we all got used to hearing “social distancing” driving a deeper wedge between each other. Depression and anxiety soared, fear gripped the hearts of all, and it wasn’t long before unrest set in. We then turned to face political turmoil, increased violence, angry protests and riots, and even natural disasters with devastating fires. It was easy to lose hope and give in to the darkness settling in around us.

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With the pain and suffering that 2020 brought, how do we go into another new year without fear and trepidation of what more we will face? How do we get excited about hope when we can’t see an end in sight to all of the heartache this year has brought? It’s easy to quote verses like I Peter 5:7 (“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”) at each other, but it’s a lot harder when it’s you having to do the casting. When it’s the person we look at in the mirror having to actually put in to practice what we’ve been preaching, well that’s a different story right? It’s easy to read stories in the Bible and say “well that was different” or “that’s not like this at all”. It’s easy to pass the story of Peter in the midst of the storm off as just a story, not to be taken seriously. It’s easy to say “well Jesus was right there with him so that’s different”. My friend, Jesus may not physically be standing in front of you today, but if you are a child of God you are not alone. He has sent another in His physical place and the Holy Spirit has just enough power to calm the storm as Jesus in the flesh had 2,000 years ago. You may look around at the turmoil in the world today wondering where in the world our Savior is, but friend all you have to do is look up. The curse that sin left on this world is dark, and tribulation is part of the effects that curse has had. While Jesus may not be calming the storm we’re in right now, He sure is standing with us in the thick of it.

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With this is the forefront of my mind, the word I have chosen to focus and meditate on for 2021 is the word

Peace

Peace is a word with many meanings. One definition is to represent the absence of war or conflict. Another definition refers to a state of rest, calm, or quiet. However, Biblical peace is more than just the absence of conflict or state of rest. It means completeness and it points to the presence of something, or someone, else. It points to our Savior and it is a peace only He can provide.

How then do we get to a point where we can experience His peace?

1.) Separate the Lies from the Truth

Fear is the biggest liar.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

We all have to be honest and admit that 2020 was a fear filled year. Some more than others, but all nonetheless. Fear will rob us of God’s peace by taking our focus off of Him and putting it on the circumstances surrounding us. Fear will lead us to believing the lies spread by media and news. Fear will have us believing that God is no longer in control, but that we have been abandoned. Fear is a liar.

The truth is that God is in control of every situation. While He may not stop the storm, he knows every outcome and every consequence. That alone should bring comfort to our hearts.

2.) Stop Trying to Gain Control

We cannot control the curse we were brought under, nor can we control the outcomes. When we learn to stop grasping for control that we will never have, we will find calm while the storm carries on. Instead of grasping for control, grasp the Father’s hand.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34

Cling to His promises for you and let Him carry you through.

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:15-17

3.) Realize the God is Sovereign

God may allow the consequences of the sin curse to play out in our world, but He is still sovereign over all. In the end, He gives and takes away. He allows and he halts. He creates and He destroys. He judges, and He loves.

 “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.” Isaiah 45: 7

The most important thing to remember is that God does not work on our timetable.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, ”declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55: 8-9

4.) Renew Your Mind Daily with Prayer and Meditation

Choosing to ignore the things of this world and choosing to focus your mind on Christ will bring calm and peace in troubled times. Read and meditate daily on the scriptures. Keep a scripture journal as you study and note the things God is showing you as you read through His Word. Put yourself in a quiet place and note the emotions your heart feels. Pray though and tell God specifics on what has you anxious, and then leave those things with Him. If we start each day like this, we will experience God’s peace and calm in a chaotic world.

“He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.” Psalm 201:17

This year it is going to be really hard for people to want to set goals. It’s going to be hard to dream again. It may be hard to continue on with no knowledge of where this year will take us. Hopefully you found some encouragement in the above words. May you find God’s peace this year and experience it like you’ve never before. May your heart be calmed as you go about your days. May you find rest in God’s promises knowing that He knows the end of the story. May you learn to trust Him more and cling to Him during this storm. And may your 2021 be the start of a renewed relationship with our Savior.

This song has been an uplifting encouragement to me, especially as I wrote this. I hope it is the same encouragement to you as you start the new year.

Paige

Christmas week is finally here. I wanted to share something with you that encouraged me as we head into this week. With the darkness that this year has brought has also come the very painful reminder that we are living under a curse. A curse that was cast thousands of years ago during the fall of man. A curse that seems to be building as time marches forward. Heartaches of all shapes and sized remind us that this isn’t the way it was supposed to be. Genesis 3 tells the painful story of the fall of man that changed our future and cast humanity into shadow.

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,“ Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” 16 To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” 17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it, ’“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

However, as the long awaited season of Christmas approaches we are reminded not only of the curse we live under, but we are also reminded of a promise. A promise of a hope. A promise of a Savior. A promise that one day that curse would be broken. A promise that we would be provided a way to restore fellowship with our Creator.

Isaiah 9: 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Matthew 1:20-21 …an angel of the Lord appeared to him (Joseph) in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

As we approach and celebrate Christmas this year, let us not do so with fear and trepidation of where the year has led us, or where the next will lead. Let us celebrate Christmas under the hope of the fulfilled promise that we were given over 2,000 years ago. Let us approach the new year with confidence in our Savior and a hope like this world have never seen.

I truly hope you feel the thrill of hope that this reminder brings to us at this time of year. Take a break this Christmas from the presents and the food, and meditate on the greatest gift that we’ve received. The gift of a Messiah, a Redeemer, a Friend, a King, and a broken curse.

Merry Christmas friends,

Paige

I’m going to be honest with you, I am having a lot of trouble writing about hospitality this year. Whether it’s people to fearful to gather or governments imposing restrictions we all have to admit it’s hard to practice hospitality in 2020. I had my entire December posting schedule mapped out. It was breaming with hostess secrets and tips on Christmas dinner, bake-offs, parties, gift guides, open house events, and so much more. I have been pumped to write and share since last Christmas.

I feel lost friends. I’m sitting here realizing that Christmas is only 1 week away and there hasn’t been a single party, dinner, gift exchange, or bake-off. I’m even behind on my own Christmas shopping. I do have a little bit of an excuse as I announced the expected Summer arrival of our first child early this week over on my social media, but it’s hard to even use that as justification for slacking off this Christmas.

With the pandemic stealing so much from us this year, how do we go forward in love? As we quickly march forward into the holiday season and the new year that is waiting just around the corner, how can we still practice hospitality and kindness to those around us?

Here are 5 unconventional ways to show Christmas love and kindness to others without gathering together:

1.) Send a week worth of groceries or meal delivery kits.

Meal kits such as Hello Fresh will have great deals around Christmas time. Consider gifting someone a week of meals. If that’s not an option, consider going shopping and buying them a weeks worth of groceries instead. Items such as cereal, oatmeal, pasta, crackers, canned goods, and jar soups are great options for meals that will stay good for a long time.

2.) Send a Christmas card with a variety of gift cards.

If you have a larger blessing budget consider blessing someone with a variety of gift cards. Include establishments such as grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants to hit all essentials. If you’re sending them farther away, consider a Visa or Mastercard gift card to be sure they can be spent anywhere as some local chains might not be available across country.

Write a letter to include in that card telling the recipient how much they mean to you. Offer some encouragement and maybe a written prayer for them that they can go back and read when needed.

3.) Send a surprise box with games and activities.

I like sending packages from Amazon. I can shop and send straight to the recipient all while hiding payment information. There are many places that will allow you to send packages straight from the shop, so do a search and pick the best option for you.

Board games, card games, activity books, puzzles, and brain teasers are excellent choices to provide cheer and entertainment through the winter (and pandemic) months.

4.) Do a surprise porch drop.

Put together a cocoa bar basket with drink mix, peppermint sticks, mini chocolate chips, and marshmallows and drop it on their porch for a fun surprise. You could also do a basket with freshly baked breads and cookies.

This is an excellent choice for someone who is sick or recovering, new parents, single parents, older adults, and quarantining friends.

5.) Put together an essentials package for someone in need.

Include items such as toilet paper (a rare commodity these days), laundry soap, hand soap, toothpaste, sanitizer, Lysol wipes, diapers, etc.

This could mean the world to someone who has lost their job or part of their income for the holiday season. If no names come to mind consider reaching out to your local church and see if they have some people that need an extra blessing this season.

This might not be the Christmas hospitality we were hoping to share this year, but we can still be a blessing to those around us! So many are suffering in many ways this year. Whether it’s health, relationships, or finances, we don’t have to look long before we find someone in need of encouragement and help. This Christmas I encourage you to look around and ask God to show you who you can be a blessing to this year.