December 1, 2008

Before I begin this post, I would like to point out that we are doing 2 different things for Advent. The first one is from TeachingMom.com and the second one I talked about in a prior post which is the Jesse Tree Advent. Some things will mesh well together and some will seem totally seperate. Other than math, this will be our school for the month of December. We'll also be doing a whole lot of crafting, baking, making gifts and so much more.



We set up an area for our Jesse Tree and placed the wrapped boxes in a basket close to it. Opening our first ornament and reading through our Jesse Tree Advent book was so special. The children and I talked for a while about the meaning of prophecy and used examples from the Bible. We talked about God creating the earth and all that is on the earth. Our discussion then led to the sacrifice of God's only Son and how it was foretold in the Old Testament. We talked about waiting for Christ to come again and how God said there will be signs in the heavens. We ended in prayer and thanking our Father in heaven for all that He is and has done. I believe our discussion gave us all some things to think about.

All the ornaments were wrapped late last night while I listened to a very powerful sermon online by Paul Washer. I don't even think I was as focused on wrapping as I was on this sermon. The children thought the boxes were pretty so I guess that's what counts.

This is our basket of books that we read through each year. I also have some of my magazines to thumb through in the back of the pile. We do have a couple new books that we're excited about reading. Jotham's Journey is new, The Advent Jesse Tree and The ADVENTure of Christmas are also new.

I will be making a list of books we'll be reading in my sidebar. Some of the books are longer and we'll read them throughout the month like Jotham's Journey.

Jesse Tree Ornament from Day 1: The Earth

The first ornament we placed on the Jesse Tree was the earth. We discussed Gen. 1:1 (which my children have memorized already) and John 1:1-4. If you're looking for something simple and quick to do each of December, I recommed doing this. I have read through the book and I really think it will be a peaceful time of learning, thinking and prayer for us as a family to enjoy together.