Advent Reflections

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cinder

cinder

Senior Member
Mar 26, 2014
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So, I have this cool little christmas tree pocket advent calendar. If I were a normal person, each of the pockets would have a chocolate in it. Since I'm trying to cut down on sugar, I stock it with teabags instead. But I thought it would be really cool if someday the pockets had writing prompts or good deed missions in them. So in that spirit, and because I keep thinking I want to write more, but then think that I'm too tired to put forth the effort, I scribbled out 12 writing prompt / reflection questions to journal my way through between now and Christmas. And since I like to think they could lead to some interesting discussion or rumination, I thought I'd create a thread to share them with you as I journal my own way through them. Feel free to discuss or just take the questions to your own journal and think about them there (and yes wandering thoughts the circle round the topic but don't decisively answer the question are perfectly ok).

Question 1: What is the best gift God has given you this year?
 
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Perspective. Yeah I had perspective before this year. But the older I get, the better my viewpoint on life in general and a lot of things in particular seems to get.

What's so good about a better perspective? Glad you asked. When you have a better perspective on life you don't get near as uptight about stuff that doesn't really matter.
 
In the meantime, be glad you're not Zeno.

advent_calendar.png


I think you would be okay until about 11:59:57 but then you would have trouble swallowing chocolates fast enough. You might need a liquify-and-chug setup to get over the 11:59:59 barrier.
 
The best gift I got this year was a successful DIY repaint of my car. I was very nervous since I've never used a paint gun before and never painted such a large part of my car before. Thank you God for making it turn out well! :D
(I'd post a pic but I know you guys are probably sick of me posting pics of it in the streams thread by now :p)
 
Hey Cinder,

Love your idea for the advent calendar. I admire your self-discipline. I'm pretty sure I'd just be greedy and would reward myself for answering the question each day with a bar of a chocolate. :D

The things I'm most thankful for this year are:

1. Settling into work, getting the hours I was hoping for, and finally being able to make use of their health insurance plan.

2. Some family members have a clean bill of health.

3. I've developed some closer friendships this year with a few people on CC, and it's been a real blessing.

Whew... Ok. I answered the question... Now where do I sign up for my daily dose of chocolate? :)
 
Cinder... great idea for a thread! :)

Best gift from the Lord this year (aside from the usual Jesus juke obvious ones): new friends, some of whom may or may not be female. ;)
 
Question 2: What makes you so joyful that you can't help celebrating?
 
Eggnog season. A wonderful thing to celebrate when eggnog is once again being sold.
 
cinder said:
Question 1: What is the best gift God has given you this year?
Click to expand...

Others who listen to God, not just for Him, is one of the best gifts.
This yields the best in my life; maybe not what is wanted, but certainly the best.
 
Wonderful thread Cinder!

The best gift this year has been new friendships formed on a deeper level, and the hope of blessings to come.
 
Having a family. I just love them so much. That's the greatest gift God could give.
 
Love this idea!

Thankful for beautiful friends.

Excited about one day meeting Jesus face-to-face.
 
Last year friend of mine and his family calculated how much they would spend on gifts among themselves and then resolved to use the money to help out a struggling family in their congregation. That really challenged me. I'm thankful for friends like that.
 
Question 3: What does it mean that Christ is Wonderful Counselor?
 
cinder said:
Question 3: What does it mean that Christ is Wonderful Counselor?
Click to expand...
"You've prayed the prayer of faith
Now you're standing on the truth
While you're waiting for the answer
He has a question for you

Is anything too hard for God?
Who's got a problem beyond his power to solve?
Are there situations He's not the master of?
Is anything too hard for God?"

Mostly God's counsel has been to show me where my perspective is wrong and how I should change it. Solved a lot of problems that way, or rather I got over some things I thought were problems that really weren't. Just my personal experience, YMMV.
 
cinder said:
Question 3: What does it mean that Christ is Wonderful Counselor?
Click to expand...

For me, I can bring all of my dilemmas to Christ and pray for discernment, for wisdom, for advice, and He is always faithful to give me clear answers in time, either through other people or through the spirit within me. Even when I don't "ask" for advice, He overwhelms me with peace or unrest in order to help me listen to Him and do what needs doing. I can trust him not to let me falter for very long in my flesh.
 
Beautiful thread, I came to it a little late. The best gift God has given me this year was protection. He protected me against myself. The thing that makes me joyful is my nephew who loves me dearly. Christ is a wonderful Counselor means to me that He has helped me to accept something hard, something I did not want- but something that was for my own good. This poem reminds me of how Christ has kept me from going down the wrong path.

The Collar[h=2]Related Poem Content Details[/h]
BY GEORGE HERBERT
I struck the board, and cried, "No more;

I will abroad!

What? shall I ever sigh and pine?

My lines and life are free, free as the road,

Loose as the wind, as large as store.

Shall I be still in suit?

Have I no harvest but a thorn

To let me blood, and not restore

What I have lost with cordial fruit?

Sure there was wine

Before my sighs did dry it; there was corn

Before my tears did drown it.

Is the year only lost to me?

Have I no bays to crown it,

No flowers, no garlands gay? All blasted?

All wasted?

Not so, my heart; but there is fruit,

And thou hast hands.

Recover all thy sigh-blown age

On double pleasures: leave thy cold dispute

Of what is fit and not. Forsake thy cage,

Thy rope of sands,

Which petty thoughts have made, and made to thee

Good cable, to enforce and draw,

And be thy law,

While thou didst wink and wouldst not see.

Away! take heed;

I will abroad.

Call in thy death's-head there; tie up thy fears;

He that forbears

To suit and serve his need

Deserves his load."

But as I raved and grew more fierce and wild

At every word,

Methought I heard one calling, Child!

And I replied My Lord.






 
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