Wednesday, December 7, 2022

🎄🎄 Currently- the December edition 🎄🎄

 



Happy Wednesday, friends! I'm so happy you're here for the December Currently link party! Today we're all sharing what we're currently loving, gifting, wrapping, hoping and attending this festive month. I can't wait to read all your posts! Make sure to link back here so that we can all see each other's blogs. I'll jump right in! 


Loving:



This will seem like a vague answer, but it really does encompass everything about this month that makes my heart full to overflowing. I love all the festivities that the season brings about. Sure, it's busy, but I know this about this time of year and I just try my best to go with it. I'll have time to be home at night and to go to bed early after the holidays. I love all the togetherness, the parties, the singing, the decorations, the music that plays everywhere, that people are a lot kinder, the smiles I see on faces around me, the giving, all the extra things...I could go on. I love it all. Someone asked me yesterday (about choir) that wouldn't I be glad when our program was over and done with, but my answer wasn't what she expected. I really do love all the extra things the season brings, even it means singing for two hours straight on a Monday night for a tech rehearsal and mic check. Here's a picture we took from Monday night. We are all the singers of the praise team that help lead in worship each Sunday. It's so much fun when we're all together! Joshua, our worship pastor is in the middle and his wife Hannah is on the end with their daughter. Their son was there as well, but he's not pictured. I love them and their kids and I love that they brought homemade candy to us to fortify us for the night. 



I also love that he made us a "playbook" to guide and instruct us on our night of worship. It's done in Christmas colors and is also VERY detailed, which are things that I love and appreciate in people. 


Gifting:


Big and small tokens that show our love to family. I've done a tiny amount of shopping so far, but have hopes to finish on Friday, when my best friend and I are going out of town just for one day. We're traveling to a little town in Mississippi called Canton, where they have lots of cute shops and places to eat. Without giving anything away, one idea I had about gifting is to give someone I love a present of my favorite things. I know they will love it as well! 


Wrapping:


I am wrapping up the end of the year blog posts! I do plan on continuing to blog almost daily through the month of December. I may take off a day each week on the weeks of Christmas and New Years, but I'll have to see. I have all the posts scheduled already, all I have to do is write them. Make sure to keep coming back to check, because I'll be sharing fun things like what I learned this year, one or two things that stood out from each month, and my favorite books of the year, along with one final "what I read" post for the books I read in December. 



Hoping:


I am hoping that this season brings about what people need right now. On a serious note, all of the world needs hope in Jesus. That is why I love this time of year the most—we celebrate the birth of Jesus when we celebrate Christmas. Even people who don't know Him are celebrating His birth and I think that's amazing. My prayer is that all would know Him and believe in Him. I know people who have let the bright flame of their faith in Jesus grow dim in recent months and I am hoping that He draws them back to Him. I share this verse all the time, but there is so much truth to it that it's worth the repeat. James 4:8 a says this: Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. When we don't spend time with Him, He feels far off. If you truly know Him, though, He never leaves and He never moves away—we are the ones who turn our back from time to time and who push away from Him. There are so many opportunities to find Him again this season! I can never encourage you enough to consider making church attendance a top priority in your life. It's encouraging and faith building to be around other believers each week. I honestly feel like my church family is just that—family


Attending:


And on that note, I am attending all the church services! Christmas falls on Sunday this year, so we will be there on Christmas morning. We're serving then as well, so it's something we look forward to. We have two different candlelight services leading up to Christmas eve, then the service on Christmas day. I look forward to all of our sons being there with us—two of them have work schedules that prohibit this from happening often these days. I also hope to attend some other fun festivities while they last, like a Christmas lights date night with my husband, and whatever else I can find for us to do. 


It's your turn! I can't wait to read all of your posts. I do have plans of continuing this link party in 2023! The prompts for January are loving (expect to see this one each month), organizing, resolving, eating and anticipating. We will do that on Wednesday, January 4. Thanks for participating and thank you for reading my blog each day and leaving comments. I know it takes time to do that, but it's always so appreciated and I always try to reciprocate in that. Love to all! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

21 comments:

Amy from www.coffeeandcocktailsatthecasa.com said...

Thank you for this fun link up! Ilove your positive post of hope and joy! The present participles you picked for January are spot on!

Maria Rineer said...

You have been busy and sounds like you will be until Christmas! Our church doesn't have a choir. I am hoping to go this weekend to my friend's performance at a church in Cincy. I know how how she and the others have practiced. Those amazing sounds don't come about accidentally! I'm glad that you love everything about being in the choir. Your upcoming day trip sounds fun. Hope it's filled with laughter and lots of Christmas purchases ;).

Jennifer Goodwin said...

Amy, it is so much fun, isn't it? I love it as well! I'm always humbled when I see how many people join in with us each month. I loved those too! I always look forward to a new start, and thought they would be easy to work with.

Holly said...

Thank you for hosting Jennifer! My hope is similar to yours- hoping our friends and family find some JOY this season XO

Dara @ Not In Jersey said...

We had the same idea when it comes to wrapping and I need to start thinking more about those posts!

Jennifer Goodwin said...

I'm so glad you joined in with us, Holly! Amen to that. Have a great day, friend!

Jennifer Goodwin said...

Dara- great minds think alike! I haven't wrapped the first actual gift yet, so I had to improvise. I'm a planner too, though, and am always thinking ahead. I'm glad you joined us today!

Debbie said...

Jennifer, I love your attitude about the busyness of the season! Christmas only comes once a year, so we really should enjoy the festivities more!

We also have a town called Canton, which has a craft weekend, once a month. It's a big deal in Texas :)

Thanks for hosting this fun link up party!

Have a great day :)

Rebecca Jo said...

I didnt know you took over this link up - good for you! I'm seeing it everywhere!

Jennifer Goodwin said...

Thnaks, Debbie! I have to remind myself of that constantly, because I am a home body. I am, however, joining my first day at home all of today in ages. It feels WONDERFUL to be home to catch up on all the things I've fallen behind on. That's funny that you have a Canton too!

Jennifer Goodwin said...

Thanks, Rebecca Jo! I am always amazed by how many people come to link up. Anne started a great thing! I knew people loved it, so I asked her if I could keep it going and she was glad to hand it over. It's a fun one!

Wendy said...

Thank you for hosting and I'm glad to read that you'll be continuing next year. I'm looking forward to reading some of your other end of the year posts!

Jennifer Goodwin said...

Thanks for joining us today, Wendy! It's a fun one, for sure and I love it as much as the rest of you. I was glad to keep it going! Thanks for that and for stopping by!

Joanne said...

I had originally planned to take the week off from blogging between Christmas and New years but I already have a good 4 posts started for that week! I love all the wrap up posts that come at the end of the year too much to just walk away. LOL.

Kym said...

Most years I love all the things and activities in November and December, but with our move this year is different and I feel disconnected. I guess it's a helpful experience if it makes me more compassionate towards others who don't have the family, friends, connections that make the holidays joyful. I love what you're HOPING and wholeheartedly agree!

Alexandra EyeLoveKnots said...

I just read about this link up over at My Slices of Life. Looking forward to joining in in January - thank you!

Kristin said...

Thank you for taking over and keeping up with this link-up :)
I agree that it's amazing that all these people who don't believe in Jesus (or refuse to) continue to celebrate His birth year after year. We can keep praying hearts and minds are changed.

Jennifer Goodwin said...

Joanne, I was going to do the same, but I would miss making those posts. I have certain things I love to close out the year with and I really would regret the decision not to write those if I had stuck with my plan to take a break that week.

Jennifer Goodwin said...

Kym, I am sure that has been so hard! I'm hoping you're able to feel more and more settled in your new place as time has gone on since this post. January will be a month you may look forward to- full of promises and new beginnings. ❤

Jennifer Goodwin said...

Alexandra, I'm so glad to hear that! I'll look forward to reading it then!

Jennifer Goodwin said...

Kristin, I am so glad to do this and that you're joining in with the bunch of us! It's such a fun little blog party. Anne did a great job starting this one and I'll forever be grateful! And amen to what you said about praying for hearts and minds to be changed! God can use anything and everything to draw someone to Him. I just watched a video today that an actress who is a new believer (Danica McKellar) said that Christmas song lyrics are so much more meaningful to her now. I thought that was beautiful!

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