Merry Christmas, lovelies!

I'm sure you've heard it many times, but in "Christmas" is the word "Christ." Christmas. Christ is at the center of this holiday, and no matter how much this culture tries to deny that, whether by saying some other greeting without His name in it, or insisting this holiday is just about giving or love, it all comes back to Christ.

No matter how much the world tries, it can't get rid of Christ. Especially not at Christmas.

Some people say Christmas is all about love. Well, it is! It's about God showing us His perfect love though Jesus, and then Jesus showing us His perfect love to God and also to us by obeying His Father.

Others saying Christmas is about giving. God gave Jesus to us and we celebrate His earthly birth. That is why we give gifts at Christmas - to remember the ultimate gift God gave to us.

See, even though people try to take away Christ from Christmas, they still grab parts of the truth and part of His actions. Just as Christ is at the center of "Merry Christmas," so should Christ be in the center of your heart - this year and always.

Quick shoutout to my amazing guest writers, Drew, Emma, Gabriel Brown, Gloria Kluth and Leanne Zuiderveen. Couldn't have done this series without you guys, so thank you for all the time and effort you threw into your beautiful posts. You. Are. Awesome!

Lastly, thank YOU, my readers, for sticking around and reading my blog. Hope you have a fabulous holiday celebrating the birth of our amazing Savior. May God bless you with the incredible joy that comes with knowing the truth about Christ - His perfect love, example and sacrifice given to us so we could become sons of God. Merry Christmas.

HAPPY EASTER!

If you have any questions about committing your life to Jesus, feel free to contact me via the contact form. I'd be happy to chat with you and answer any questions you have.

Though it's been almost 2,000 years since Jesus' resurrection, it still continues to affect people all around the world, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, culture or situation. If you've walked with the Lord for many years, Jesus' life will continue to inspire you to live like Him. If you are just starting a relationship with Him, let me tell you that God will treat you as He does Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross for sinners (you and me), in that time frame He was treated like us. Instead of us getting the wrath of God, it was all upon Jesus. And now, we get to be treated as Sons of God, just as Jesus is treated now. We can have that life-changing personal relationship with God, spend eternal life with Him in heaven, and share the good news with others.

This Easter, I pray that you would truly apprehend the goodness and power of Jesus' life, death and resurrection.

Good Friday.

Why was it good? Wasn't that the day Jesus had to die? Shouldn't that be the day that Christians mourn and groan because of the invalidity of their faith? Wasn't God distraught when His innocent Son had to die this scandalous death? Shouldn't we forever feel guilty because it was our sin that nailed Him there? Wasn't that the day Satan won? Shouldn't it be named "Bad Friday?"

No!

What made Good Friday so good was when Jesus died, He broke the barriers holding us back from a personal relationship with God.

What made Good Friday so good was when He cried, "It is finished," Jesus mended the broken relationship between God and Man.

What made Good Friday so good was when Jesus died on that cross, He died for YOU so that YOU could live in eternity with God. Jesus took your place so that you could be treated like Him. So instead of Jesus being glorified by the Father, the wrath of God was taken upon Him. He didn't deserve it at all. But He willingly died for sinful, selfish people. How often would someone die for a good person? And yet "Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6). Instead of us being punished, we now have the choice of salvation and being treated like Jesus was. We can be children of God. Because Jesus died in our place, we have a reason to live and we can have that personal relationship with the Lord. 

Now, you don't need to be afraid of death.

Now, you can have a personal relationship with the Father.

Now, because of this great love that Jesus demonstrated to us, we can share it with others so that it may transform their lives.

Merry Christmas, friends!

Can you believe it's Christmas already?! I certainly can't. This morning, I remarked, "Wow, this year is over," to which my dad replied,

"Yep. And it just gets faster and faster every year." He looked at me, and I'll bet he was thinking about how little I used to be.

 I chuckled somewhat. "Yeah, I've noticed that."

"I mean, how does the time pass this fast?" Dad continued. "You just really gotta cherish every moment."

I totally agree. Jesus, in His short, thirty-three year life span, definitely cherished every moment and used them all for the glory of God. We should follow His example and live every day as if it's a miracle. We should give without worrying, pray without ceasing, and love without fearing. I believe, if everyone in the world did this all year, it would feel like Christmas everyday, everywhere.

I have one more song for you. Here's "Heaven Everywhere" by Francesca Battistelli.

Do you feel sad when the festive and bright Christmas decorations and lights come down? It's easy to forget what the holiday is really about. Sometimes, it feels like we're de-festivizing (I made that word up) our houses by physically removing the markings of the season. We can get caught up with the visible things, that we forget the invisible, more important things. "For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal," as 2 Corinthians 4:18 puts it. Though the decorations will waste away, Jesus will not. Christmas doesn't have to be in December only. You can carry the truth and joy of it in your heart by remembering Jesus' birth and life, always.

This Christmas, I pray that you would draw nearer to Christ. That you would understand and appreciate Christ's sacrifice of coming down to our lowly earth. Christ came to earth for YOU. He came so that you could have a personal relationship with God and spend eternity with Him if you simply believe. Do you believe it? I do! I have the assurance that I am His child. And because of that, Christmas is even more special to me.

I hope you've enjoyed reading the 12 Days of Christmas 2016 series, because we've drawn to its end. May you and your family be filled with God's true love that sacrifices, His peace that assures, and His joy that multiplies. Have a blessed Christmas. Wishing you all the best in 2017!

~ Kaitlyn

This quote is like a palindrome. Here's one way to break down this quote: Jesus became a man so that we could be like Jesus. I like to go to the Bible to check things like quotes, since it's the ultimate truth. Galatians 3:26 (ESV) says,

This verse backs up Mr. Lewis' quote, and really thinking about the statement that we can be sons of God just blows my mind. Being sons of God doesn't just mean being God's child - it means we're heirs of Christ, like Paul in Roman 8:17 (NIV) writes.

When I read that, all I can say is wow. For me, at least, it's amazing that I can even say I'm God's child. Think of it this way: what if you met a kid, and that kid told you she was the daughter of one of your favorite bands? The fact that that girl's parent is in that band kind of ties to her identity. If you were related to a celebrity (or maybe you already are!), how would make you feel? I personally would feel, well, kinda special...maybe set apart even. The same way is with God -- even more so with Him, actually. If you are a Christian, then you are already a child of God; an heir of the Most High God. Do you live like you're the child of a King? Are you aware of what Jesus had to go through so that you could live as God's child and heir? Think of the quote. Jesus became a man so that you could live like him. I encourage you, especially during this Christmas, to really think over what it means to be a child of God and to live like it. Live like sons of God.