The Christmas Story

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was a governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with
whom He is pleased!"

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.~Luke 2:1-20





Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him." When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him,
"In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of
Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers
of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
Who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found Him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship Him." After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh."~Matthew 2:1-11

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope all of you have a great Christmas. Don't forget Who we are celebrating on Christmas. Not only are we celebrating His birth, but we are celebrating the reason of His birth. RelientK says it very well: "I celebrate the day that You were born to die so I could one day pray for You to save my life." He was born to die for us! That is pretty incredible. Praise God for the sacrifice of His Son - Jesus Christ, our Savior. Emmanuel. God with us.

Enjoy your Christmas - here are some pictures from my Christmas season



Merry Christmas! And as Tiny Tim would say - "God bless us - everyone!"

~Madison

The Amusing Innocence of a Child

I've been brought up in a Christian home from the day I was born. My mom and dad taught us about Jesus and the stories of the Bible as soon as we could understand them.
But then it started coming to the time when we would branch out.... we couldn't rely on our parent's faith. We had to believe for ourselves. I became a Christian when I was 6 years old, but needless to say, there's a lot you don't know or understand when you're 6. But my parents still instilled in me and my brother the importance of reading our Bible, praying, and the like. Well, when I was 8 years old, I decided it was high time for me to start using a prayer journal. And looking back now, I love seeing how small and innocent the desires and worries of a child are.
For example, here are some prayer requests I had one day soon after I started my prayer journal - "That my fish will be O.K. [note - my pet fish at the time usually looked like they were about to expire], that I will win a sweepstates [I meant sweepstakes] to American Girl place, that I will win my award for the birds study soon, that I can play with my dolls today, and that I will have a good nights rest tomorrow." You see. My prayer requests were rather childish. Flipping through I chuckle to myself at the way I put things. Like this: "That I will be able to play with my bear today (but he is small)." Or another one, "That I will get bunnies (two)." I was also quite a specific child, "That I will finish school at 3:00 or 3:30." Why did it have to be exactly 3 or 3:30? Couldn't it have been 2:45? Wouldn't that have made me more happy? Ah, the mind of a child is amusing.
But nonetheless....
I grew up.
And I stopped praying that I would be able to play with my toys.
And I went a little farther and a little bit deeper.

Paul was right, "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways." ~1 Corinthians 13:11

Joy

Joy.
Christmas cheer.
It's about all you hear about this time of year.
And yeah, it's pretty cliched I have to admit.
I mean, we hear the same thing every single year, "Oh tidings of comfort and joy." Everyone sit around the fire and roast marshmallows and we'll all be happy, right?
I think not.
Lately, my life hasn't been exactly what you call "joyful." Nothing majorly bad, just regular things all teenagers go through, I guess. And I'm sure that not everyone around this time of year is singing "Have a holly jolly Christmas" and really means it.
But then joy kinda brings me back to what Christmas is about. Jesus. I mean, He is WHY we're supposed to be joyful right? I think a lot of times we just hear the word joy and it goes over our heads. I mean think about: Joy. True joy. Where does real, honest to goodness, bona fide joy come from? Well obviously from Christ. I know a lot of times, without even noticing I'm doing it, I just try to find joy in other things. In my friends, in relationships, in family, and even in this fun time of year. I look for joy in all the wrong places. Especially lately. And lately I have been looking at all the bad things going on in my life, and I'm thinking, "Why is this happening to me?" Well. Maybe it's because the things that are going wrong are the places where I was looking for joy. And maybe these tough things are really going to bring me to true, pure joy that only my Savior can give me.
As this Christmas season begins, I have really been evaluating where my joy is coming from. I have realized I haven't been seeking joy from my Savior, but from other things that are distracting me from Him. So from now on, whenever I start singing Joy to the World, I need to remember where I can only find true joy. Within the past few weeks I have just started thinking a lot about how lost I am without a Savior. I mean, I've always known that, but it has hit me so hard with all the tough things that I go through. And I have started lately trying to really focus in on finding my joy in Christ.
Also, I think a lot of us have a huge misconception of joy. We think, "Oh joy is being happy and jolly and frolicsome and smiley and delighted and dancy and giggly and ladedadeda all the time." Ahem. ~game show wrong answer buzzer~ That's not true. Joy is not just being happy. It's learning to be content in whatever circumstances we happen to have. Example: James 1:2 "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds." 'K hold it right there. Do you think trials are fun and happy and jolly and frolicsome... okay you get the picture. Well obviously they aren't. No. This joy is learning to be content in our circumstances, and realize that God is using these circumstances to build us up in Him.
So. I guess what you could say is I'm trying to learn right now how to be joyful in circumstances that are less than frolicsome. And I know that Christ will teach me how to do that, if I just trust in Him. And for those who aren't having a terribly jolly Christmas season thus far, just remember where to find your true joy, peace, and solace.
I'm learning a new sense of the word "joy."

Lovelovelove and Christmas cheer
~Madison

~serenity~

Serenity.
Something I haven't had enough of lately.
I think there is just something in the human soul that requires some amount of serenity. Away from the hustle and bustle of people, school (or work, as the case may be), and just life in general. One of my favorite ways to gain some serenity is going out into God's marvelous creation - especially around this time of year! - and just enjoy a cool breeze and a bird's song and the changing leaves.
But however we find quiet, I think we are indeed supposed to find it. Think about all the times Christ went out seeking quiet to be with His Father. Just one example is Matthew 14:23 - "And after He [Jesus] had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone." Jesus is often found in the gospels going out into the wilderness to pray to God. Spending time alone with our Savior is the most calming thing ever, and it rejuvenates us so we can go out into the world and live for Him.
We all get tired sometimes. We all get this feeling at some point that we can't keep going. That we need to stop. Breathe. Look at the stars. Think. Sing. Pray. Just something that will get us away from everything and get us alone long enough that we can really live life.
I think I could really learn this lesson.... this week alone, I have: done a drama at my church, gone to mock trial meetings, done school, had a piano lesson, played for a children's choir, planned, put together, and held an annual activity for our homeschool group with my brother and friend, went to chorus, ran a 5k... so you get the picture. Not once this week I have just sat down quietly to read my Bible and pray. And how do I feel right now? Fine. But sort of.... bland. I nearly never make time to just be silent and be still. And I think this goes as much for everyone else as it does for me. We are going so much that we don't take time to just sit quietly before God.
And especially as the holiday season approaches (ah, yet again), I think we could all spend a little time just resting. When you find yourself stressing about Thanksgiving's fried turkey, Christmas presents (gosh, what ARE you going to get for your second cousin once removed?) , getting the house ready for guests.... well you'll probably end up feeling a little Grinch-ish right? Well of course. Because we were not created to spend our time constantly running. Neither were we created to sit around and do nothing. But there is a balance of rest and quiet and busyness. And we have to find that balance, especially this time of year. So hopefully we all can find some quiet as the holidays approach.
And maybe I'll find some more time to blog? (haha)


~Madison

Happiness

So. I have definitely had the best night ever tonight, and I feel like skipping down the street at 10:24 in the evening screaming at the top of my lungs in joyfulness. Unfortunately the neighbors would not appreciate that, so I suppose I won't.So instead.I shall post pictures of happy things that make me happy. Enjoy:
Winston, our dog, wanting to eat my M&Ms. He actually stuck his face on the coffee table to eat them.... he's so naughty


Aeropostale flipflops in the grass on a sunny day <3



My purity ring



School work... Gulliver's Travels paper


Sunny day


The edge of my new dance dress =) It sheds glitter everywhere... in other words it sheds happiness everywhere



The obvious: a flower




Have a delightful evening
~Madison

Life & Stuff

So since I have really no where that I had planned to begin this blog, really, then I will simply just begin.
Updates, and such, even though most of you won't really... well... know exactly what I'm talking about since I just began this blog. But here we go:



~School
Well. School has been interesting. Being in my sophomore year has been a little bit more crazy than I expected. It seems like I have added on twice as much stuff in school than last year. History, science (ornithology to be exact) , logic, geography, math, Latin (intense stuff), art, literature... it gets crazy. But since no one really wants to hear about school (I mean, who does?) I shall go on to my next topic.




~Church
Church. My favorite place in the world. <3 The church I go to I have to admit is pretty big. But that allows for opportunities I never would have imagined I would have had a year or so ago. For instance, our church has recently started doing several different services on Sunday mornings. Since our family tends to lean towards the traditional style, we go to the service at 8:30. But that leaves us an hour afterward until we have Sunday School (for my parents) and highschool ministry (for me and my brother). So, that has allowed me to start volunteering with the preschool ministry. I'm starting next Sunday and I'm SO excited about it! Also, we are having a mission thing this weekend. On Friday night we are having a dinner with a missionary speaking, and I'll be serving drinks at that... not to big of a deal. But Saturday I will be babysitting basically all day. So... that will be interesting. But I think it will be fantastic. Although I'm hoping I won't be bawling by the end of it. . . I love little kids but they stress me out so much after several hours. BUT. God will give me the strength I need. =) And then I also am in the drama team at our highschool ministry. It's pretty awesome. And although I have never had experience with drama (as you can tell when I'm up on the stage ~cough cough~), I find it really fun! Drama has always been intriguing to me, so I'm excited to get to do something with it. And then of course I have Wednesday night stuff at church, and I have the BEST small group leader ever, Becca. And then we have the best youth pastor ever as well. He speaks the word of God as it is, and I really like that. So overall, church is a huge part of my life. I love being able to learn about God, and getting to fellowship with other believers and encourage and be encouraged. Church is awesome.

~Exercise
SURPRISE. Exercise is actually a part of my life. Haha. Stifled giggles I hear. . . . in any case, at the present moment, I am preparing for my first race ever!!!!!!!!!! (!!!!!!) So I'm super excited. Me and my cousin are running every Tuesday and Thursday. And sometimes by some miraculous chance, I am able to knock myself out of bed some other days of the week when it's still dark and freezing cold out. So although exercise is not a huge part of my life, it is worth taking note of it.



~Just Life
Life. &. Stuff. It's what I do. Chorus, mock trial, piano, and hangin with friends. So. Explanation of each: chorus is awesome. Currently we are working on Christmas music, which has been super fun. Usually we have one thing we perform at before Christmas, but this year we didn't, so we've been working on Christmas music all this school year so we'll be really good. We've been working on Carol of the Bells (acapella! We do it every year. It's pretty amazing), Angels Gloria, God Rest You Merry Gentleman (in a jazzy style), I Saw Three Ships, and my absolute favorite song we do in chorus: One King (which is by Point of Grace; but for the record, we sing it WAY better than Point of Grace. Seriously) So that is chorus right now. And then mock trial... ohmygosh we JUST got the case today, and I'm so flippin excited! I already know what part I want to do. Although the likelihood of me getting that part is small... but we shall see. I'm super excited. Btw, if you don't know what mock trial is, then look it up, 'cause I seriously don't feel like explaining it to someone for like the billionth time in my life. And if you don't feel like looking it up, just know mock trial is legend. Piano. Ah. My love/hate relationship with the thing will kill me yet. Currently I am playing a Concerto by Mozart (I'm drawing a blank on which one exactly), an Etude in A flat by Moszkowski (try saying THAT five times in a row), a nocturne by Chopin (my FAVORITE <3 <3 <3 ), Soft Lights, and a couple of hymns. I'm probably playing something else too but I forget... way too much to practice. And then last but not least, hanging out with my friends. Ahhh, my friends. They're pretty off the wall insane. But hey, I love them to death, and they love me, so it's all cool right? As of late, I have gone bowling with my youth group, hung out at some of my best friends house with some other awesome friends, eaten at Chick-fil-a after church on Wednesday nights, and went to a play tonight that had some of my friends in it. So basically friends fill up like half of my life, and I love that. <3


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So basically you're probably sick of me talking about my life. If you made it all the way through this post, I congratulate you and gape at your attention span.
Thank you.
G'night and God bless

This Habit of Mine....

I have a habit.
And that habit is to make blogs and then to stop them when they're just getting good.
On THIS blog however. I intend for that not to happen.
I am hoping I will make some time for this blog and tell you about my life through little stories I write, pictures I take, and just little oddities that make life good.
So.... here I go!