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Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room: Preparing Your Heart for Christmas

Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

“Let every heart prepare Him room…”

Earlier this month, I introduced our Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room series, posts dedicated to Christmas reflections.  Each Monday in December, through Christmas, we’ll look at different ways that you can make room for Jesus this Christmas.  Today’s guest post is written by Kathy R. Bruce, my beloved Mom.  Please visit her blog, The Looking Glass.

One year, a friend of mine wanted me to add more commitments to my already hectic schedule at Christmas. I told her that I could not squeeze anything else on my plate, to which she replied, “You need a bigger plate!”

things to doAre others’ expectations of and for you crowding out the true meaning of Christmas?  Are you so busy that you are forgetting what Christmas is all about?  Is busyness stealing your joy? How can you prepare your heart to receive the Christ for Christmas?

I love Christmas. It’s one of my favorite times of year. Approximately a month before the big day, I begin to prepare my house by making room for all my treasured Christmas items. I pack up my photos, everyday dishes, mantel clock, and loads of trinkets to make room for my decorations, trees, gifts and cards. All of these things are carefully put in the perfect places where they can be beautifully displayed.  I want everyone who visits our home to enjoy them as much as I do.

In all the preparations making room for my things, I can easily forget to make room for the main reason for the season. Yes, Christmas is for giving, loving, fellowship and glad tidings. But the main reason for this season is to celebrate the coming of The Lord Jesus Christ.

My desire is to celebrate His great love for me. To worship the One who put skin on and came to earth (via a humble birth) just to save me. That’s worth celebrating! So this and every Christmas going forward, I want to be intentional about preparing my heart for Christmas. I want to receive ALL He has for me.  I want to be intentional about recognizing that He is The Lord of Lords and The King of Kings. No more stumbling over the manger on my way to embracing the good but not the best.

If you want to be intentional too, here are some ways to prepare your heart for the Christ of Christmas:

1. Tell God how much you desire to focus on Him.

2. Confess that you can become easily distracted and caught up in the ‘hoopla’ of the holidays.

3. Ask Him to speak to your heart and show you what making room for Him would look like in your life.

4. Listen to His voice. Is He asking you to stop the frenetic pace of life so that you can spend time with Him?  Is He desiring that you spend your days in His Word rather than devouring latest Christmas magazines searching for ways to make your Christmas festive and meaningful?

5. Intentionally set time aside to be with the One whose birth you’re celebrating. How about the first moments of your day?  Offer the day and its schedule to Him.

6. Go and offer the Hope of the World (and the real reason for Christmas) to everyone you meet. Offer Jesus.

In all your preparations to make this the merriest Christmas ever, remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.  Jesus, Simply Jesus.

Kathy R. Bruce answered the call from God to ‘come to Me’ on Monday, June 23, 1980.  Her journey with God so far has been transformational, to say the least.  She has seen God enlarge her borders in many leadership capacities.  In 2008, Kathy earned a certificate in Leadership from the Women’s Leadership Development Institute.  Kathy is married to her biggest cheerleader, her husband John.  They are parents to 4 grown children and grandparents to 7 grandchildren.  She blogs regularly at The Looking Glass.  You can also follow her on Twitter.  

Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room

Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

Christmas is all about preparing for the celebration of Jesus’ birth and all of the details that come along with that…planning menus for holiday dinners and parties; choosing outfits for pictures and performances; shopping, lots of shopping; decorations for trees and houses; making room in closets, attics and garages for hidden gifts and packages.

Advent is also all about preparing—your heart.  Think of it as making room for Jesus.

Luke 2:7 tells us, “…there was no room for them [Mary and Joseph] in the inn.”  No room.  Every room taken, filled to the brim.  That can often describe my life during this time of year.  This year, I am vowing to make different choices so that I don’t crowd Jesus out.

It is very easy for me to be side-tracked and distracted with all of the preparations that need to be made, so I need to be more intentional.  Maybe you can relate.  Spending time daily in the Word and prayer, using an Advent devotional, writing in my journal, making time for solitude and setting aside more time to enjoy the people God has placed in my life are at the top of my to-do list this Christmas.  It’s not so much about doing more—it’s about a change in perspective, focusing on the most important things and not forgetting why we celebrate.

Starting this Monday, and continuing on each Monday through Christmas, we’ll look at different ways that you can make room for Jesus this Christmas.  I’ve invited some very special guests to share their thoughts with you; I know that you’ll be blessed by their stories.

I hope you will join me by making room for Jesus this Christmas.  As the song says, “Let every heart prepare Him room.”

Enjoy a little music to get you in the Christmas spirit!

Dealing with Disappointment in Ministry

Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

Poor attendance for an event that you’ve poured hours into.  Feeling unappreciated.  Being let down.  Broken promises.  Being overlooked.  Feeling stuck.  Not getting your budget increased.  Not having a budget.  Lack of volunteers.  Lack of committed volunteers.  Have you ever dealt with any of these scenarios in your ministry?

Earlier this week, I lamented about a recent disappointment.  The truth is disappointment is a very human emotion, even for leaders.  Even for ministry leaders.  Please hear me:  I am not saying that God isn’t present in the midst of our disappointments.  And in no way am I talking about someone with a constant, complaining spirit.  What I’m talking about is a real human emotion that all of us have felt at one time or another.  Just because we are church leaders doesn’t mean that we don’t feel this very real emotion.

What ministry leaders need to realize is that it’s okay to feel disappointed.  People fail us; we fail people.  While we strive to offer the very best ministry that we can, we will experience shortcomings and unmet expectations.  And that’s okay.

What we have to fight against is believing the lies from the enemy when we allow disappointment to linger.  When we allow Satan’s lies to become truths in our heads, that is where the problems begin.  He will have us believe that we’re worthless; that what we’re doing is pointless; that we’ll never attain the dreams that we have; that God can’t use us; that we’re really not good at what we do because if we were, we’d have “this” or be “that”.

My dear friend, I want you to know that the enemy (Satan) uses those moments for our detriment but God wants to use them for our benefit.  The Bible says, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.  My (Jesus’) purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” ( John 10:10)

If you are feeling discouraged today about things that aren’t going right in your ministry, talk to God about how you feel.  Ask Him to help you rebuke the lies of the enemy and walk in the confidence that He has called you.  Trust that He will equip you to do the work He has planned for you.  The road won’t always be easy and won’t always be filled with high moments, but the highs as well as the lows help you to be the leader that God intends you to be.

Walk in confidence knowing that “God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.” (Philippians 1:6)  And that’s a promise!

How do you deal with disappointments in ministry?

What I Learned From NOT Attending the KidMin Conference

Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

Many of my ministry colleagues are returning home today after five days in Chicago for Group’s KidMin 2012 Conference.  I was heartbroken that I had to cancel my registration at the last-minute, as I thoroughly enjoyed attending last year.

As I reflect on the “conference that wasn’t”, my mind was flooded with things that I learned as a result of NOT attending the conference.  Here’s the shortlist:

  1. Pouting and sulking are for toddlers and preschoolers, not a grown woman.
  2. Disappointment is a part of life.  It just is.
  3. Being green with envy is NOT a good look for me.
  4. Limiting my time on social media during the conference was a good thing.  (Refer back to #3.)
  5. Getting a nasty head cold the day before I was scheduled to leave for the conference was no accident.  I spent much of the weekend in bed with a box of Kleenex and hot tea.  God knew that I’d much rather be at home sick than in a beautiful hotel with thousands of KidMin leaders enjoying the conference without me.  And–I can be a wee bit grumpy when I’m sick. 🙂
  6. Interstate love is palpable.  A few of my ministry colleagues actually said that they missed me being there!  That makes a girl feel so special!

The bottom line is that we all have disappointments.  It’s how we deal with them that show what we’re made of.  And I was reminded just how tough I am.  Besides..if God wills, there’s always next year!

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