Sea Salt and Caramel Fudgelicious
Happy New Year, y'all! I decided to stop on a dime and share this recipe during Christmas last week because I sorta, kinda, developed it accidentally and the beloved farmer and I think it is worthy of opening our own bakery. Yes, we're good at celebrating the small things. But, it occurred to me that y'all may have been looking for new goodies to wow
Choosing Christmas, Day Twenty-Three
Day Twenty-Three December 25 Merry Christmas, friends! It’s been an absolute pleasure to walk through these very special days with you. Christ has come. Our challenge in the coming days is to not put the baby away with the manger scene. Let’s allow Him to grow up in the Bethlehem of our hearts, for that baby became a man
Choosing Christmas, Day Twenty-Two
Day Twenty-Two December 24 Did you know commentaries are split on whether Mary stayed until Elizabeth actually gave birth, or if she left right before Baby John made his way into the world? It’s another one of those details the Father doesn’t believe we need to know. While Elizabeth would’ve come to full-term in her pregnancy while Mary was there as her houseguest, we can’t say definitely
Choosing Christmas, Day Twenty-One
Day Twenty-One December 23 Again, I wish I could read your answers from yesterday. I expect they are fascinating. I suspect that many of you touched on the possibility that God forever protected what was happening under that roof as Mary and Elizabeth feasted on the faith-fortifying similarities of their miraculous callings. I know, for me, I see a loving heavenly Father almost “incubating” Mary as she
Choosing Christmas, Day Twenty
Day Twenty December 22 While it was far from an exhaustive study, yesterday we looked at the last verses of Mary’s Magnificat. Today we’ll focus on the relationship between Elizabeth and Mary. Luke gives us one more piece of information on their visit, and its brevity is tantalizing: “Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home” (Luke 1:56). That’s all the information we’re privy
Choosing Christmas Day Nineteen
Day Nineteen December 21 A few days ago, we talked about Mary taking the long view on God’s work. We see this again in the last words of her song. “He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever.” (verses 54–55) As Mary closes her song of praise, she traces her pregnancy to
Choosing Christmas, Day Eighteen
Day Eighteen December 20 I’ve told you I’m trying to keep our daily readings brief, right? Toward that end, I thought I’d better let this line of Mary’s song have a day all to itself, because these words resound with one of my favorite promises in all of God’s Word. (He repeats it cover to cover, and I never tire of talking about it.) Feast with me,
Choosing Christmas, Day Seventeen
Day Seventeen December 19 Let’s begin today’s devotional by reading the next five lines of the Magnificat: “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name. And His mercy is upon generation after generation Toward those who fear
Choosing Christmas, Day Fifteen
Day Fifteen December 17 Can you put yourself in Mary’s shoes as she lands on Elizabeth’s doorstep? This young girl is aware that life, as she had expected it to unfold, is over. Scholars suggest that it’s likely Mary hasn’t told anyone of her pregnancy at this point—not her parents, nor her peers, and not the man she planned to marry. By this time, yours truly here
Choosing Christmas, Day Thirteen
Day Thirteen December 15 Let’s dwell for a minute on the unborn babies in this scene. Perhaps we could picture Elizabeth and Mary meeting for lunch after their visits to their OB/GYN’s office, and they’re comparing notes on their babies’ development. Elizabeth is thrilled to report that her child is almost fully formed in her womb. Mary, however, is somewhere in her first trimester. We can’t pinpoint