Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.  The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.  The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”  And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2: 8-14

Confession: This Advent; I have said the names “Santa” and “Saint Nicholas” more than I have said the name “Jesus”.  I know, not a good thing.  However, I know my weaknesses and since I am determined to teach my child how much Jesus loves him, I reached out to DaySpring and asked if I could review The Shepherd on the Search Advent Activity Set.  Thankfully, DaySpring agreed to send me the kit and allow me to host a giveaway!  I can honestly say, I am so glad we are actively participating in this activity in our home!  After reading our son the book and completing some of the fun games and crafts that accompany it with our son, I can share why I LOVE this gift set and would recommend it to everyone who celebrates Christmas!

Five Reasons Why I LOVE DaySpring’s The Shepherd on the Search

1. The Shepherd can be used with or without the Elf!

If you already use the famous Elf on the Shelf; you can easily add the Shepherd to the mix.  In fact, you could probably have a ton of fun teaming them up to do some entertaining things and allow your children to find them both together some mornings.  However, if you are not an elf fan – you can use The Shepherd instead!  We don’t have an Elf.  Our view is – Santa sees you no matter what – all the time.  I will say, sometimes I wished we had one.  The Shepherd was exactly what I was looking for . .. we can still have fun with looking for the little guy in the morning – but we are always reminded of who we should always search for . . .

2. Your child or children can touch The Shepherd and it’s all good!

I’ve heard that for those who do participate in “The Elf on the Shelf” that no one is allowed to touch the Elf.  I’ve also heard, that when children inevitably touch him, that creates more work for the parents.  The Shepherd can be touched and in fact, DaySpring offers online activities that go along with The Shepherd’s search – and our son’s FAVORITE involves hiding and seeking the Shepherd. That leads me to my next reason . .

3. The Daily ADVENTures found on DaySpring’s Website

DaySpring offers lots of ideas to use The Shepherd as a teaching tool and gives me ways to simply spend quality time with my son.  Our son, Xavier, is 4 years old.  He loves to cut and use scotch tape!  So, I was thrilled when I saw the first suggested activity was to create a paper chain countdown!  We made that chain together and it was a great activity for us.  We don’t get to do each ADVENTure – but again, that’s okay! One of the suggested activities is “Find the Shepherd”.  My son is so into hide and seek right now, so I thought, “he’ll like this game”.  Well – he LOVES it and wants to play EVERY DAY! I’m sure there is an ADVENTure your child will love as well!

4. Your child gets to name the Shepherd and he gets to look for him in the morning

You can hide him – or you could lose him for three days and say he must have found a really good hiding spot (cough, cough – that might have happened here).  Sometimes he’s in a funny spot.  No matter where he is, when Xavier finds him he smiles and is so happy!  I get a kick out of where my husband puts him sometimes.  Other times, I like to be creative and silly.  It’s fun – for all of us!

5. And Finally, The Shepherd is based on Scripture and the true meaning of Christmas

When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”  So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.  When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.  All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.  And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.

Luke 2:15-20

The Shepherd on the Search book uses this Bible verse as a starting point.  The Shepherd, who comes with the book and your child names, is a child that helps the adult shepherds.  The men tell the child to stay back – but he is to excited and follows behind – but not to close, because he doesn’t want to get seen (since he was told not to come along)!

It’s a great book to add to the nightly bedtime routine.  The illustrations are fantastic.  The story is fun and clear.

Want one?  DaySpring and Prayer Wine Chocolate have teamed up to give one Set away!! Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post The Shepherd on the Search {Review & Giveaway!} appeared first on Prayer Wine Chocolate.

I can remember being young and sometimes wondering, in certain situations, what is the RIGHT thing to do?

As I reflect on the past – whether it was in grade school or this year – sometimes the RIGHT choice – is not always obvious or crystal clear.

Most of us want to do the right thing.  In my mind and heart – the right thing is synonymous with God’s will.

Thankfully, as I have aged, most situations in my life do not bring confusion.  God wants me to be kind and patient – with everyone.  Now, sometimes that is quite challenging, but I still know that is what is right.

But, there are times where we wonder – what is God’s will?

I look back at my 20’s.  I had a boyfriend.  Did God want me to do whatever I could to make sure that relationship stay in tact?  Or did he want me to move on?  At what point do we stop holding ourselves accountable and just let go and let God?

Being far removed from that situation now, I realize I needed to “let go and let God” a lot sooner than I did.

Maybe that lesson needs to practiced in my life a lot more.

I feel like a lot of us like to have control – or at least feel like we are in control.  But really, are we?

As I thought about the day ahead of me this morning, I looked up yesterday’s Gospel reading.  Then I looked up today’s readings.

What a feeling of relief came over me when I saw the passage from Galatians!

What is God’s will?  God wants us to be:

loving

joyful

peaceful

kind

generous

faithful to Him

gentle

God wants us to display self-control

I am so grateful that I can not only see God’s will in Scripture, but also in the words of holy men and women who have modeled a deep love for Our Lord.

Perhaps I need to keep it simple and remember the words of Saint (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta:

“Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you.”

What I am starting to realize is, when I struggle with the question, “what is God’s will”, I am putting to much emphasis on me.

I need to let God do His job and trust Him.

God’s will is not complicated.  Love Him first, and our neighbors as ourselves.

Live in the present.  Trust God with the future.

The post What is God’s Will? appeared first on Prayer Wine Chocolate.

Your Kindness should be known to all.  The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.  Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:5-7

A few years ago I heard my brother-in-law talking about “The Secret”.  He spoke with such elation and excitement.  As I heard him describe it, I recalled a book I had read years before titled, “Manifest Your Destiny” by Wayne Dyer.  My brother-in-law and Wayne Dyer were both speaking about the Law of Attraction.  I was intrigued and very interested.  I bought a copy of The Secret DVD and watched it.

As I sat there with a pen and notebook, I recalled that I have heard almost all of this advice before – in Scripture.

Ask. Believe. Receive.

 Be Grateful. Be Joyful. Visualize.

Seek abundance.

All of these messages are from Our Lord. They’re really no secret.

As a Catholic, we sometimes forget that our faith not only values suffering.  Sometimes God wants what we want.

 I love the fact that the only miracle story in all four Gospels is the story of the loaves and fishes.  Jesus brings abundance, even when we don’t see how it could be possible.

Now, I am no theologian. I am just a simple Christian who loves her faith and often finds comfort in it.  As I watched and listened to “The Secret”, I heard three main themes. Each theme reminded me of a bible passage (or passages).  I would love to share how these themes reminded me of God’s word!

1. Ask. Believe. Receive.  More than once, Jesus directs us to ask our heavenly Father for our heart’s desires. In Matthew, 7:7, Jesus literally says “Ask and it will be given to you . . .”. And again in Luke 11:9, “And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; . . .”

In each of these passages, Jesus reminds those who are listening of parental love.  Our parish had a priest for years that would end almost every homily by telling us how much his parents loved him, then he would add, “BUT THAT LOVE DOESN’T COME CLOSE TO THE LOVE OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN HAS FOR US!”  I loved when he reminded us of that! He would often quote the hymn, “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, what God has ready for those who love Him.”  That song makes me feel so excited about God’s love!

Jesus not only stressed that we should ask, but that we should also believe! I just re-read Matthew 17:14-21 and I found some relief as a former teacher. As a teacher who often found myself so frustrated with my students, it’s a relief to see that Jesus got frustrated with His students too!

A man asked Jesus’ disciples to heal his son, but they could not.  The  man then went to Jesus who then healed his son.  The disciples later ask Jesus in private why couldn’t they heal the boy.  I picture Jesus wanting to -and forgive this urban dictionary phrase but, slap them upside the head. Jesus starts his answer to them by saying,

“Because of your little faith…”.

I see Jesus saying it while He was throwing His arms in the air and shaking His head.  I feel like he was wondering why don’t they listen?!  I remember how I felt when I would collect homework from my high school students and how some would not have their names on their work!  I would be beside myself wondering how a 10th grader still didn’t think to put his or her name on his homework or her test!  This must have been how Jesus felt when he said to them,

” …I say to you,if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’, and it will move. . . .”.

 Jesus was saying, “Believe”!!!!  I think He was also saying, I’ve told you this a million times!!!

2. Be Grateful. Be Joyful. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus heals ten lepers but only one returned to Him to say thank you.  Every time I hear this reading I think, “I would have thanked Him!”  Somehow I think we all believe we would thank Jesus if he healed us from leprosy.  As I reflect on that, I think Jesus was letting us know that we could all be a little more thankful.  That leper that returned to Jesus to say thank you, didn’t just say thank you.  He “…returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him . . .”(Luke 17:15)  That’s not just saying thank you, that is feeling thankful so much you feel like celebrating!  That is a happy gratitude!  We could all be and feel more grateful!  Last year I bought a gratitude journal and I am so glad I did it.  Almost every night I wrote down what I was grateful for and I want to order another one for this year. There are other places in scripture that talk about gratitude.  Here is an article I found if you are interested in reading where the Bible mentions being thankful.

3. Visualize. Seek Abundance.  Let’s go to the Wedding at Cana (this is prayerWINEchocolate, isn’t it.  How could I not bring up the Wedding at Cana!?)

Most of us have heard the old expression, “God gives us what we need, not what we want”.  And this is often true.  God is our Father, and like any parent, we don’t give our children things just because they want them. However, sometimes we do!!  I’m going to go out on a limb here and say no one at that wedding NEEDED wine to help sustain their lives.  They already had wine.  Jesus made MORE wine! And not only did Jesus make more wine, he made GOOD wine! So good the headwaiter commented on it. And by the way – six jars that could hold anywhere from twenty to thirty gallons – that’s an abundance of wine! That’s a celebration!

Before Jesus suffered and died, he performed so many miracles.  The one miracle story recorded in all four Gospels, the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, is a miracle that demonstrates abundance!  I once read a reflection on this passage written by Elizabeth-Anne Stewart.  Stewart stated that, “The multiplication of the loaves and fishes demonstrates that grace is not bound by either logic or arithmetic.” She later states, “In [Jesus’] presence, scarcity becomes abundance . . .”!

I believe Jesus desires us to dream, imagine, set goals and ask Him for help in attaining them! Think about what you want, ask the Lord for it and believe that He will bring it about!  While you wait, give thanks for all that is good!  I know there are times when it’s difficult to be thankful.  But there is always something to be thankful for!  The last thing we ate, the bed we slept in, a friend, a family member . . .

From this day forward, let’s not be afraid to ask the Lord for abundant blessings!

What abundant blessings have you already received?  Please share in the comments!

The following are affiliate links.  Thank you for helping me continue to write!

The book “The Secret” and /or the DVD can be purchased on Amazon.

To purchase the Gratitude Journal I used last year, click here:  Gratitude Journal That journals also comes in this kit.   Dream big and enjoy the abundance the Lord has planned for you!

The book Manifest Your Destiny is also a great resource.

I first heard of Wayne Dyer when I read his book “There’s a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem“.

In this book Dyer writes a chapter on each phrase in The Prayer of Saint Francis.  It helped me through a tough time, so I figured I would share :).

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