Happy FIVE Month Anniversary!

 

HAPPY 5 MONTH ANNIVERSARY TO YOU BOTH! 

and cheers to your first Christmas together just around the corner!

Christmas time can be magical, but it is also a VERY busy time of year that can bring a lot of stress (the push to holiday break/stress of finals is real for all of the students you are coming alongside). As I was reflecting on Matthew 3:1-12 last week, I wrote this reflection below.... May you experience the gift of Emmanuel wherever you find yourself this season... and may you keep turning towards one another and to God through it all. 

Advent is the season
to hear John calling out—
Repent.
Change your thinking.
Turn around.
Come home to God.

He says, “Bear fruit
worthy of repentance.”
Not just words,
but a life that tastes like
love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, self-control—
fruit that brings shalom

in the brokenness of our world. 

Jesus, we need you to come—
to sweep the corners,
clear the decks,

till the soil,

so that there is space

to grow.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
into all the places
that are not bearing

the fruit
of repentance.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
into my bitterness,
into my short-fused temper.
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
into my gratitude,
into my joy.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
into my anxiety,
into my scarcity.
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
into my abundance,
into the small gardens
where I’m flourishing.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
into my busyness,
into my clutter—
O come,
O come,
Emmanuel.

We need you now.