Hammer on Anvil '

I began learning a very valuable lesson from my friend & church youth pastor about 5 years ago. The concept is exceedingly simple, but can be revolutionary: Every important event in a Christian's life is worth preparing our hearts for. We put this into effect in our youth group frequently. Summer camp, DiscipleNOW, winter retreat--all of these events are preceded by weeks of "heart prep". This consists of time taken to focus on our relationship with God and clearing out any junk that's preventing us from experiencing Him in a big way during the event.

This week, I heard the words that every adult dreads each year: "Only 54 more shopping days until Christmas!". These words have become the catch-phrase of how culture perceives this season. As the celebration of Christ's birth becomes more and more commercial, and less and less about Him, I'd like to take some time to focus the attention back where it belongs.

These next few weeks, I want to focus on the upcoming advent season. (This makes me laugh a little: I'm going to 'prepare' to prepare for Christmas!) Christmas truly is my favorite time of year, and as I get older, it goes by faster and faster. My hope is that blogging through the next few weeks will slow down the coming days and help us savor the time with Christ.

Every important event in a Christian's life is worth preparing our hearts for. What event in a Christian's life is more important than this one? "Unto us a Child is born. Unto us a Son is given." The greatest act of love from the God of the Universe.