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7 Reason for the Season, CHRISTmas Books You Need NOW!

November 24, 2017

7 Great Christian Christmas Books for kids

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It’s that time of the year! My favorite time! CHRISTmas. I do enjoy watching the many cozy yet cheesy, movies with my children, but it is also VERY important to me that they know why we celebrating in the first place. I have been lucky enough to find several books that point to Jesus, as the reason for the season. My children really enjoy them. Check out the list below!

Seven Christian Christmas Books For Your Child!

Jesus Me, and my Christmas Tree

“Let’s decorate the tree! Little ones can’t wait to put up the Christmas tree-a clear sign of exciting things to come. But what’s the meaning of this holiday tradition? Learn the symbolic meaning of the Christmas tree, from lights and ornaments and the star on top to the blessing of presents underneath” (2-5 years old)

A Star For Jesus

“God made the stars and put them up high to shine down on earth from up in the sky.” But long ago God made a special star. He put it in the sky to send a message: “Jesus our Savior has come
‘ We can look at the stars at night. And we can remember that a long time ago, Jesus’ star shone among them.” (4-8 years old)

My Christmas Stocking: Filled With Gods Love

“What happens on Christmas Eve while children sleep? “Their stockings are filled up with candy and toys, and happy surprises for good girls and boys.” A kindhearted man hid a gift in a stocking, long ago. He did it to “remind every one of the Gift that God sent.” Christmas stockings help us remember God’s love. ” (4-8 years old)

J is for Jesus: The Sweetest Story Ever Told

“I want a candy cane too! Everyone loves a candy cane-but it’s easy to overlook the meaning of this familiar Christmas tradition in all the hustle and bustle of the season. This sweet story reminds little ones that the candy cane represents Jesus’ birth and the gospel message too.” (2-5 years old)

Happy Birthday Jesus

“A family decorates the house and bakes a cake to celebrate Christmas, Jesus’s birthday.” (5-6 years old)

God Gave Us Christmas

“Mama’s answer only leads to more questions like “Is God more important than Santa?” So she and Little Cub head off on a polar expedition to find God and to see how he gave them Christmas.” (3-7 years old)

Christmas in the Manger

“The gentle beauty of the story of the first Christmas is now available as a board book. With a simple, lyrical text and radiant artwork, this book is perfect for the youngest child to be a part of the wonder of the Nativity.” (2-4 years old)

What other books do you know of that point to the true reason for the season?

Merry Christmas and Happy Reading!
XOXO
Raivon Lee,
Vain Mommy

I Don’t Know Where This Is Going But God Does: God, Me and PPD

May 14, 2015

What the heck is this blog about? Can you tell? What can my readers expect from VainMommy?

These are questions I was having a terribly hard time answering. I visit other blogs… they have themes and specific topics that they cover. I know what to expect when I enter their piece of the web.

Then, I looked through my last few blog posts they jump around like Mexican jumping beans!

Celebrating Jesus in Chanukah

December 16, 2014

This year will be our first official Chanukah! We’ve had a few dry runs as they say, but now that Ari is nearly two and able to open gifts and is able to understand (more or less) what we are sharing with him, the next eight nights will be even more meaningful!

Side Note: My spell checks doesn’t like the word Chanukah or Hannukah or Hanukah or any other way of spelling it. So please accept what ever variation comes your way 🙂

Being a Christian family we choose to celebrate Chanukah because Jesus did {John 10:22-30 & 37-42}, and because there is great meaning found in this celebration. We also celebrate Christmas but again, with our focus on Christ. Even though He may not have technically been born on December 25th his birth is something to celebrate for all time! Heck most years I don’t celebrate my birthday on the actual day but I still celebrate and I don’t come anywhere close to being the son the God!

I digress ;D…

How We Celebrate Chanukah — The Jesus Way

I purchased a wonderful Chanukah devotional (for under four bucks!!) on my kindle called Light of Yeshua – A Chanukah Devotional Guide for Messianic Believers. We will be following it this year and I will share with you bits of its content.

We Read:

John 10:22-30 & 37-42

22 It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. 23 He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

25 Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. 26 But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else.[d] No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.30 The Father and I are one.”

…

37 Don’t believe me unless I carry out my Father’s work. 38 But if I do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don’t believe me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.”

39 Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them. 40 He went beyond the Jordan River near the place where John was first baptizing and stayed there awhile. 41 And many followed him. “John didn’t perform miraculous signs,” they remarked to one another, “but everything he said about this man has come true.” 42 And many who were there believed in Jesus.

We Reflect:

What strikes me from reading the scriptures above is this:

Some people need to be told out right in order to believe things. But there is something magical that happens when we can let go and trust — that in it self is a miracle. Because its goes against our natural tendencies. It goes against our worldly human nature.

“I need to see it to believe it.” They saw, but still did not believe in Him. This shows that some things are meant to be and others aren’t, this applies to many areas of life.

Everyone is not yet a sheep…

Tonight we celebrate Miracles: The Miracle of Chanukah, the miracles that are present in our everyday lives and the miracle of Jesus. Who was sent for us out of pure Love from God.

We Light the Shamash–The helper candle with a lighter or matches. I liken the Shamash to Jesus because He is the eternal light that lights all the other candles…US! And we are the light of the world!

We Say the Blessings:

Blessed are you O, Lord, Our God, King of the Universe who has sanctified us by Yeshua the Messiah in whose name we light the candles of Chanunkah, Amen.

Blessed are you O, Lord Our God, King of the Universe who has preformed great miracles for your people, and who gave us the Light of the World, Yeshua the Messiah. Amen

We Light the First Candle with the Shamash (helper candle) and we say the following blessing on day one only…

Blessed are you, O, Lord Our God, King of the Universe who has given us life, sustained us and permitted us to reach this season.

Amen

One Gift! Ari opens his gift <3

Then we kick back, eat, play and sit in awe and gratitude, knowing how truly bless we are to recognize Yeshua … Jesus as our Messiah, and Pray that everyone will come to this wonderful realization.

Happy Hanukkah From our family to yours!

Dear God: A New “Column” with Daphne Richardson

November 11, 2014

Hello Everyone!

I am truly honored to share with you the beautifully: honest, true, private and humble writings of a very dear friend of mine. She and I go way back. We first encountered each other in 6th grade. We were 11 years old to be exact and our friendship has stood the test of time — mis-understandings — and the general messiness of life.

Daphne and I both know that God has plans for us to be a part of each others lives, because it’s obvious that it was not our own doing that brought us here, where we are today.

I recently ~~read~~ listened to A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles” by Marianne Williamson. In her book she mentions writings letters to God. Then, writing a response back to yourself { It’s a form of prayer} When reading the “response” you can not deny that God really does answers prayers and speaks to us — through us!

Daphne has been writing letters to God long before I was introduced to this idea, and here she will be sharing those intimate letters here with us, whenever she feels the call to do so.

If you are familiar with the Law of Attraction you may have heard of the idea of “acting as if” as a way to attract the life, job or material things you believe you want in your life to bring happiness. What Daphne and I know is that pure joy and happiness is already here. It is inside of each of us… because God lives in us.

We ~~work~~ relax into that truth day-in-and-out to remain in alignment with God. Thanking Him for what He has already done for us, in us and what He is doing through us! That in and of itself brings the peace and happiness we are all seeking; that car, house, man, job etc. will only quench your thirst for so long.

We do not act as IF — We act as it IS

Trusting that if our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. If He really is living inside of us — there can be nothing other than perfection. Jesus said on the cross just before he ~~died~~ gave up His life for us, “It is finished”.

There is nothing for us to do, other than accept what is ALREADY done.

You. Are. Already _______ {You fill in the blank}

So here you have it. Private Girl with Public Thoughts…

Dear God, Thank You for “Already”…
November 9, 2014

Dear God,

How are you? I’m feeling a bit excited and weird because I’m writing to you on a computer. Normally, Im writing to you in cursive on a legal pad, or a journal, or receipts… So, going digital is new for me, but I still intend to personally write to You.

God thank you for giving me the opportunity and space to freely published my candid thoughts.

My thoughts are full of appreciation towards You! I appreciate and love You for making me in Your image and likeness. Thank you for showing me who I am and my infite potential in You. Thank you for showing me it’s ok for me to let go again… Letting go… That feels really good and exhilarating! It feels like freedom. It feels good because there’s an effortless feeling and knowing that You’re real in me and that I’m not separated from You. It feels good because I know that Your life is effortlessly happening in and through me. It feels good because I don’t have to struggle with the effort of “bringing it to pass”. I love knowing this because my life is already good in You. Already, already… meaning that my life in You exists now and will continue for ever more. My life is already good! Abiding in You and You in I has shown me my whole life and well being through your eyes, and it’s satisfying! My life is full and complete already. There’s nothing missing, nothing absent from me because You are real and You live in me.

I love knowing what I know from You, because I’m free to live and be unconditionally loved and happy. I love knowing that I can stand right here right now and be confidentially and unconditionally happy because my life is already good in You, and I want to say thank you!

Thank you for preparing me, because I know there is much more good to come and happen in my life that I have in You; I receive it and have it right now — already. Thank you for infinitely blessing me with Your life, I accept, allow, appreciate, and love You unconditionally.

Love,

Daphne

When did you have your “aha” moment and realize that “God’s got this”….? For me it was during the lowest point in my life. Postpartum Depression. Please share in the comments below on Facebook or Twitter use #VainMommyAsks.

See you all soon <3

Toddler Memory Verse: The Lord is My Shepherd

October 26, 2014

I was browsing through the Kindle library and stumble across a FREE (I’m on much needed a spending/buying fast) ebook book that gave a list of memory verses for toddlers.

Greg and I both agreed from day one that we wanted Ari to know God in a very personal way and we understand the value of sharing even little bits and pieces of God with Ari each day even if we think he doesn’t fully understand.

Even if Ari doesn’t get much out of memory verses at this time — I sure did, and honestly what he will benefit from most is a mom that “practices what she preaches”. He will learn by example, doing what I do more often than doing what I tell him to do.

This weeks verse was “The Lord is My Shepherd”. Psalm 23

Short. Sweet. But profoundly comforting. As I thought about this scripture I thought to myself what is a Shepherd? What is his job…his purpose.

shepherd
[shep-erd] noun
1. a person who herds, tends, and guards sheep.
2. a person who protects, guides, or watches over a person or group of people.
3. a member of the clergy.
4. the Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
6. to tend or guard as a shepherd:
to shepherd the flock.
7. to watch over carefully.

The Lord is OUR Shepherd indeed. I shall not want. Why would I? He’s got this…

How do you share God with your children? How old are they?

Motherhood: Resisting The Urge To Follow The Pack

September 8, 2014

As I have the pleasure of witnessing my friends plan and try for their second pregnancies, I can’t help but have feelings of inadequacy wash over me. With each exciting “I’m pregnant!!!”, I’m fearful that I will be left behind and miss the bonding that they will experience as they welcome there new bundles.

I, myself am happy–I feel full, blessed, happy and content with our little family of three. <3

The thought of pregnancy (for myself) turns my stomach. It maybe because I had morning sickness my entire pregnancy and took medication for nausea until the day Ari was born . . .or the fact that our home-birth plan went up in flames . . . or having to have an External Version or conquering my fear of hospitals and having a c-section . . . or suffering from Post-Partum Depression and Anxiety.

Regardless . . .

I know that at this time another child is not what I need or want. Neither Greg or myself are ready to welcome another little one, and it maybe a few more years before we even consider the idea.

So what is this deep rooted “need” to keep up with the Jones’s? I’ve fallen for it many times in my past and I’ve learned to never go after someone’s else’s dreams — and make them my own. Letting go of my “dream” life–the life I thought I wanted before having Ari (4 plus children) was difficult at first, because I felt that I was failing.

Mourning those old ideas or dreams opens doors for a new life that I couldn’t have dreamed of for myself.

I am an individual, here, in this very time and place for a reason. There is a purpose for each of us to fill. We all have our own paths, dreams and goals that are written on our hearts by God. I am constantly reminding myself to listen to the guidance of the quiet voice inside, that wants nothing more than to guide me (you can call it intuition, your gut or the spirit of God) . . . and drown out the blaring voice of the world around me.

I like to think of myself as a leaf blowing in the wind; perfectly content and satisfied with where it {The Wind} takes me. Only my “wind” is God.

. . . and His plans are good enough for me.

In what ways have you struggled to leave the pack and be true to yourself?

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