A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. ~ Isa. 11:1
I'm so excited to be starting our Jesse Tree again this week! (I originally thought we'd be starting tomorrow, the first day of the Advent season, but after we hunted down and cut the perfect branch to put into the stump, I dug out the book and realized we don't actually start till Tuesday!! Oops.) Of course, it won't look like this just yet, but by Christmas day it will!
Since I started blogging 4-1/2 years ago, I think I've seen this idea surface every Advent season. Though I liked this particular way of counting down to Christmas, I didn't really know where to start. There were many online resources, but many required buying or making a bunch of ornaments. I didn't want to spend a lot of money and I'm decidedly UN-crafty!
But last year, Ann Voskamp created an e-book that she made available. For FREE. Naturally, I was sold! Honestly, I'm not really a big fan of her writing style and I often shorten her long, wordy sentences when I'm reading the devotionals, but I do love having an all-in-one (and did I mention FREE??) resource to use. Even all the graphics are included. All I had to do was print them out, cut 'em up, glue them onto cardstock, and tie on some ribbon. (which is about the extent of my crafty-ness!)
I love how each day begins with a reading from God's Word, a journey through the Old Testament, giving a better overview of history ~ His story ~ each story pointing towards the coming Messiah. I also like how there's a little practical element at the end of each devotional. Last year, because we started only two weeks before Christmas and had to double- and triple-up our readings, I didn't bother much with those. But because we're actually starting on time this year, I hope to focus a little more on those suggestions of how to apply the lesson to our daily lives and share Christ's love in our homes and abroad.
If you're interested in starting a new Christmas tradition and would like to check out the e-book, click here and follow the download instructions. I hope it will be a blessing to you and your family as you prepare your hearts for Christmas!
5 Comments:
We do the same one. I went ahead and laminated the ornaments so that they would last a tad longer and so far so good.
Have a lovely day my friend.
Kim
I felt the same way about her writing style. Some of it I found would go over our kids heads too. Several of them have a perfectly related story from our "Jesus Storybook Bible". I don't think I'll have time to do this this year (but who knows, I may just end up doing it one night and stay up way too late finish it - totally something I would do) - but I was debating going through each one and putting that story in instead, and changing any of the other ones I didn't "like" as well. IF I do - I'll send you a copy :)
I'm thinking about giving it a try. We've just moved to South Africa as missionaries and definitely won't be having a traditional Christmas so this might be nice to do.
Thanks for the great idea! This is something my two-year-old might really enjoy.
Found you through TWW link-up!
Very nice idea~ want to do this with my son! :)
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