The Christmas Issue - December 2020

The Christmas Issue

DECEMBER 2020

The Everyday Crown Rocker Christmas Wonder

Who Gave Me This Baby?

Gratitude & Garbage

Kelly Garcia resides in Flagstaff, Arizona where there are reportedly two seasons, Fourth of July and winter, or more affectionately known as a beautiful town of four seasons. She enjoys writing, as well as all things social, looking forward to the one producing the other after this Covid season. There are more houseplants and cats in her home than she openly confesses, yet enjoys them all, as well as a good long drive through beautiful country.

Follow her on her blog at godspeak.home.blog.

Janet Taylor is navigating times and seasons in her own life. She continues to seek wisdom through mentors as well as being a mentor and guide to young women as they seek to find their purpose in this world and fine-tune their message to be a voice for the passions and desires God has placed in them for this season. She is the President/Co-Founder of BECOME, Becoming Truly Liberated and newly launched Stewards and Servants. For such a time as this. www.becomingtrulyliberated.com Janet Taylor is exploring a new season of life. She is President /Co-founder of BECOME and Becoming Truly Liberated.

Being a redeemed follower of Christ fuels all that she does as a daughter, sister, mother, and grandmother. For such a time as this.

Danika is a Jesus loving, intentionally living, principality fighting, woman of God! She is the director of The H.O.P.E. Network which provides practical solutions to restore H.O.P.E. Since Danika Deva has a God-given PH.D. in “hard knocks” and “God rocks,” she delights in coaching kids and family to find HOPE and RESTORATION in the areas of Home, Outlook, Purpose, and Education. As you can see, her heartbeat is to “Be Intentional” as a hope dealer who distributes simple, life-changing solutions through her international teaching, speaking, coaching, writing, music, and prayer! She resides next to the Blueridge Mountains in Virginia, has four amazing adult kids, and loves sunrises and sunsets! Follow her at: www.Facebook.com/DanikaDeva www.DanikaDeva.com https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Danika+Deva&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

Carol Griffiths is a God chasing, Jesus loving, Holy Spirit-empowered woman. Her primary life goal is to tell everyone that God loves them unconditionally. Self-employed at PATH...WAY, Carol uses her vast work and life experiences to serve as a Kingdom Life Coach. She helps women know, love, and be their best authentic selves. Her work focuses on setting clients free from inadequacy and insecurity and empowering them to unapologetically live the life God created them for. Additionally, Carol Griffiths has published a self-development book entitled “Free to Be Me: 3 Keys to Living Loved and Free.”

Website:https://pathwayteam242.orgFacebook https://www.facebook.com/CounselLife/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/path.way242/ Join the Community http://eepurl.com/gi1mJb

THE CONTRIBUTORS

Dawn Hill is the founder of faith voyager ministries and Dawn’s Destiny Coaching. She is a wife of 30 yrs and a mom to four and grandma to five!She partners with women to help them pull back the layers of lies the world adds to them. She also partners with people and her company New Age Ariix to provide tools to help them restore their health and finances!

Founder of Lisa Norman Project, Lisa Norman is a life coach for women who want to take their life to the next level. Her area of expertise is teaching strategies that help women do “all the things” & then some. She is passionate about working with moms who take care of the kids, keep up the housework, run their own business, & make time for personal relationships all in one day. Through LNP coaching you learn how to utilize your WHOLE Self—Mind, Body & Spirit. So, you can better live out biblical principles in EVERYTHING in your life from kids to your spouse to your business & to even dirty laundry.

As a first-time Christian author, I am super excited to announce that my book, ‘Type A Christian’ is now published on Amazon! This has been a project I have worked on for the last 8-9 years, and I believe the idea and text for this book was truly inspired by God. I have been a Christian since I was ten years old and have mastered my Type A personality for the last 30 years! It was only when I faced specific trials in my life and was unable to rely on my Type A traits to succeed and persevere that I realized my behaviors and characteristics did not encompass the fruit of the Spirit as mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. In fact, several of my Type A personality traits were actually the complete opposite of the fruit as granted by the Holy Spirit! Once I understood which negative traits to prune, I was finally able to submit to the Holy Spirit who provided room for my fruitful growth. I’m super excited to teach you everything you ever wanted to learn in having a Type A personality as well as how to improve your own personal fruit! And, I can’t wait to hear from each of you as we grow together in the conversation!

Follow the Author: FB at https://m.facebook.com/TypeAChristian/ Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/type_a_christian/ Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/typeachristian/ Author Page & Free Personality Quiz at https://www.chasingkites.com/authors/autumn-hoover/Type A TalksTo schedule Autumn for a speaking engagement, please email TypeAChristian@gmail.com

THE CONTRIBUTORS

at

EDITORS NOTES. At the beginning of 2020, my mentor encouraged me to do some soul tie mapping. For those of you not familiar with Soul Tie mapping, it is basically looking at my life and identifying the people I formed connections with. It is to evaluate sexual, spiritual, emotional relationships in my past and to see how those have led to the choices and decisions that have led me to my current circumstances. (Some biblical examples: Ephesians 5:31, 1 Corinthians 6:16, Samuel 18:1, Numbers 30:2)

She suggested this at the beginning of the hardest wilderness journey of my life! The catalyst was this question I had posed in my frustration: “What is wrong with me? Why do I keep picking men like this?!�

Yet another marriage was coming to an end in spectacular fashion and because of sexual impurity. My first husband in my teen years was never faithful but promiscuous. I caught my second husband posting nude pictures of me online and asking for bidders to have their way with me when he was at work; and as it turned out, my 3rd husband was a pedophile. The 3rd was the reason I found myself in this deep despair and fumbling blindly, lost and disoriented in the dark wilderness place.

The soul tie mapping was the equivalent of me lighting a campfire. It helped illuminate some of the darkness around me. It caused me to stop stumbling blindly and start somewhere. It offered me some light.

There

is

SO

much

more

to

my

wilderness

journey

that

I

will

unpack

in

coming

posts

(chapters?), but I tell you this because often we continue stumbling and falling in the darkness instead of standing still and finding the light.

When I got still, I was able to know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10). When I lit the fire and started on the journey of looking at the cycles in my life, the stillness gave me a starting point to understanding the wilderness.

The wilderness, the dry, desolate place can kill you, but only if you let it. The wilderness can seem lonely, empty, and barren if you keep stumbling in the dark and only looking at what is immediately in front of you instead of looking up at the One above it all.

EDITORS NOTES. The wilderness IS a place of death, but it does not have to be the place all of you dies.

On day 2 of a 3 day fast, I remember writing this desperate, broken prayer in my journal at the end of my rope, suicidal ideas tickling my thoughts: “God, don’t let me die in this wilderness!”

At the end of the fast, His answer was swift and clear. I will share part of it with you now.

You walk THROUGH the valley of death. That means along the way, things must die.

Your idols of busyness, victimhood, laziness, slothfulness, and self need to die.

Your pride, resentment, envy, bitterness, guilt, shame, and lack of forgiveness need to be purged.

Your lack, orphanhood, mis-identification, distorted image, and alien status must be dealt with.

The wilderness is a place of preparation. Preparation for all that God has

in store for you.

You cannot enter into His promised land the way you came. In order to carry His glory, for your territory to be enlarged for the completeness of His promises to manifest, there are things in you and around you that you need to put to death.

There are relationships that won’t survive the cross over the Jordan, so in the wilderness, they die.

There are attitudes, thought patterns and ways of being that do you a disservice. There are statements you make that hold you back and keep you stuck in cycles… these need to die.

There are desires, idols, false beliefs and twisted truths that God will strip you of in the wilderness so you can go unencumbered into the land flowing with milk and honey.

YOU don’t have to die in the wilderness. Instead, if you let Him, God can introduce you to who you really are in the landscape's emptiness. Where things die, God brings to life the truth of who you are.

EDITORS NOTES Where your excuses fall away, He leads you to a friend who can help you put systems in place that move you forward and render the excuses obsolete.

Where toxic relationships fall away, God raises up mentors, friends and online communities that build up who you truly are in Him so that you no longer cling to the distorted images others would have you claim as your own.

He gives you beauty for ashes, He pours the oil of Joy over you and gives you a garment of praise in place of the filthy rags that don’t fit you.

The wilderness does break you. But when you commit your wilderness to God, you are gracefully broken. God as your Father corrects, instructs and resurrects the truth within you.

Even in the barren land, you feel hope, joy, and contentment well up in you as living water quenches your thirst. You do not fear the animals howling in the night because you know you are protected under His wing. You understand that though you break, you are put together in the master Potter’s hand. You start to understand the Casting Crowns lyric “Your life is not falling apart, it’s falling into place.”

Beloved, while there are things that die in the wilderness, you are not one. Rejoice in the wilderness, for out of the nothing, God is doing the something that will part the river ahead of you and allow you to walk into the land of His Promise on dry land.

The end...nope, not at all because you didn’t die in your desert season. There was a reason for it. Proverbs 25:2 - It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them.

So ask Him,: "What is the reason for this season?

Hair: @TwistItSistah Makeup: @Jah Woo Beauty Accessories: @Dainty Dazzle Adornments Photography: @WithUNMindPhotography Follow them on Facebook

Jasmine Tambo Editor-In-Chief

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Christmas Wonder by: Danika Deva I wonder what Mary thought as she held her baby in her arms. She didn't have Netflix or Facebook to occupy her as she fed her baby, but probably heard the sounds of the night, the animals, and her prayers going upward.

Let's look at what she said and thought. New mamas, you might feel the same way.

Luke 1:46

Mary responded, "Oh, how my soul

praises the Lord.

Luke 1:47

How

my

spirit

rejoices

For

He

took

notice

in

God

my

Savior!

Luke

1:48

of

His

lowly

servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed.

Luke 1:49

For the Mighty One is holy, and He

has done great things for me.

Luke 1:50

He shows mercy from generation to

generation to all who fear Him. Luke 1:51

His mighty arm has done tremendous

things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.

Luke 1:52

He has brought down princes from

their thrones and exalted the humble.

Luke 1:53 He has filled the hungry with good things

and

sent

the

rich

away

with

empty

hands.

Luke 1:54

He has helped His servant Israel and

remembered to be merciful.

Luke

1:55

ancestors,

For to

He

made

Abraham

this

promise

and

his

to

our

children

forever."

Luke 2:7 She gave birth to her first child, a son.

She wrapped Him snugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

Luke

2:8

staying

in

That the

night fields

there

were

nearby,

shepherds

guarding

their

flocks of sheep.

Luke

2:9

Suddenly,

an

angel

of

the

Lord

appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's

glory

surrounded

them.

They

were

terrified, Luke 2:10

but the angel reassured them. "Don't

be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.

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Luke 2:11 The Savior— yes, the Messiah, the Lord —has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

Luke 2:12

And you will recognize Him by this

sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger."

Luke 2:13 vast

host

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a of

others—the

armies

of

heaven—

praising God and saying, Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace

on

earth

to

those

with

whom

God

is

pleased."

Luke 2:15

When

the

angels

had

returned

to

heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

Luke 2:16

They hurried to the village and found

Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.

Luke 2:17

After seeing Him, the shepherds told

everyone

what

had

happened

and

what

the

angel had said to them about this child.

Luke 2:18

All who heard the shepherds' story

were astonished, Luke 2:19

but Mary kept all these things in her

heart and thought about them often.

Notice things

that in

last

her

verse.

heart

"Mary

and

kept

thought

all

about

these them

often." Mamas do that often. We smile at a sweet memory, a funny moment, or while we watch our little one sleep.

Christmas wonder didn't stop at Jesus' birth.

It

continues as we wonder why He would die for us, why He loves us so much, and why He would make a way for eternal life.

Why? Because of His unlimited love!

Ponder that!

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Times & Seasons BY: JANET TAYLOR

December is the month we traditionally celebrate the birth of Christ.

In this season, it is common to

hear people say “Jesus is the reason for the season” beckoning us to remember His birth and not to concentrate so much on the busyness that the season can bring.

Collectively, most people who call

themselves Christians celebrate the birth of the Messiah at this time of year even though Scripture and history shows us that Jesus was actually not born on December 25. We also mix in other traditions such as Santa Claus, decorating, parties and gift giving which is what causes the distraction and overwhelm for many that created the need to be reminded by that phrase “the reason for the season”.

It is good

to celebrate together holy days and milestones as a remembrance of the grace and goodness of God. In the Old Testament, this was how God’s people were instructed to pass on traditions and stories from generation to generation.

Many festivals and symbols to mark special events were common and

expected in those days. This year as we reflect on this season, let’s also take a few moments to reflect on all seasons of life, the reasons for them and how we can mark them for remembrance to pass on to other generations.

Seasons One of the most well-known scriptures about times and seasons can be found in Ecclesiastes 3.

“There’s a season for everything and a time for every matter under the heavens”.

Seasons of life. There is a time and purpose for everything under the heavens-on this earth.

Humans are always in a hurry. Internal and external noise is especially high in this season in the United States. When we find ourselves overwhelmed and distracted, God knows that about us and is not mad at us for being that way even if we are not doing all we think we should be doing. I heard Graham Cooke teach that God wants to go with us when our thoughts wander to bring back our distracted minds.

He travels with us especially when we are not in a place of peace.

Instead of being frustrated

with ourselves, we can lean into who God wants to be for us to bring us back to that perfect peace.

How could the current season of your life bring you closer to God and all that you were born to be?

Each season allows us to learn more about how to be like what we were created to be – an imagebearer and reflection of Christ living in you from transformational faith and trust. learning about becoming more like Them – Creator, Redeemer and Teacher.

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Each season is about

What season are you in right now?

Globally we are all experiencing a common crisis but we are not experiencing it in the same way.

As

COVID-19 has defined much of 2020, differences in cultures, access to healthcare, and economic factors have us in different stages during this crisis season.

We have also seen political shifts, racial

conflicts, fires, hurricanes and so much more but we still each experience each predicament in different ways and from different points of view. Adding to all the extra of 2020, we each are experiencing our normal seasons of life.

All of our life is made up of times and seasons.

Each season contains lessons

needing to move to the next.

Who is God for you during this time?

There is a story I used to watch on video with my girls called “The Magic Thread”.

It was from The Book

of Virtues by William Bennett. The story is about a boy who was given his life in a magic ball of thread.

Any time he didn’t want to be where he was in life, he could give a tug on this ball of thread and his life would move past that season. But he could never go back. Eventually, he had pulled the thread so many times to get past difficult times or times he just didn’t want to deal with, his life was over and he had missed out on most of his life including the good parts.

I think of this story often as I have learned

about times and seasons and how God uses both to bring us closer to Him and to the kind of life that is full of peace and contentment.

Don’t get ahead of your season. You cannot skip any of your seasons without consequences. Although God lives in eternity, we are placed in time for a purpose. steady.

Kingdom people are steady because God is

No matter what the season we are in, we can be steady.

We can have peace.

We can have

joy. We can have all that God has for us through the fruits of the Holy Spirit. We can find it in his never changing nature when we listen to his still small voice.

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Learning to hear from God God promises to never leave us nor forsake us so we

can

believe

it

is

normal

for

God

to

be

speaking all the time and into every situation.

It

takes practice and faith that we can hear from the spirit of God to give us insight and revelation to help us. God speaks internally in our spirit and mind when we are tuned into it. God does not have any crises. Nothing is a surprise to God.

He

knows what is going to happen. We must learn to tap into the revelation so we can be prepared in season and out.

God will save us in and through

the storms of life and be with us as we celebrate victories. Understanding God does not remove us from every uncomfortable situation but instead He wants to be with us. from

God,

actions

for

we any

can

Once we learn to hear

control

season.

our

thoughts

Knowing

there

and is

a

purpose for everything, we can stay in continuous peace when in celebration of good in our lives or when we are grieving or mourning.

Who has helped you in previous seasons?

We gain wisdom from going through a season. We can ask for wisdom from the Lord and it will be given to us.

Many times it comes through another woman who has already walked through the same season

whether that is personally or professionally. Gleaning all that you can from it to be used later for yourself or for someone else is the purpose for every season. Accumulating Wisdom Warriors to help you through the next season while becoming one yourself is an amazing benefit of community with other Kingdom minded women. Hope is found in knowing that everything in life is just a season. It is temporary; just one segment of time moving you to another segment of time.

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You decide how to live through each season

This year has me re-evaluating many things including past seasons, lessons learned and yet to be learned. Some lessons have not been learned yet so I know I have a “do-over” coming. I have begun to flip the switch in my mind from “this is happening to me” and have begun to look at each situation as “how is this happening for me”. the next season?”

Asking myself “How can what is happening right now prepare me for

I know that seasons are temporary.

Even if some are longer than others, nothing on

this earth is eternal. It is all bound by time and seasons. Our God does not live in time.

They are firmly

placed in eternity, with no time, so their perspective on our situation is quite different from ours.

Celebrating victories and breakthroughs with others and passing on our wisdom to other generations completes each season and ushers us into the next.

I want to encourage you to begin to look at life from Their perspective and not yours because becoming more like Jesus is always the reason for every season. Embrace it. Own it.

Face it.

Take all that it has

for you. Don’t leave any of it to waste. It is just a season and another one is on its way. May God open your eyes and heart to all that is available to you for your wisdom and grace during this season and every season to come and remember to pass it on. The reason for every season.

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WHO GAVE ME THIS BABY?

A dose of evidence that will change your heart.

BY: LISA NORMAN

Y’all! 2020 has been a weird year. & no, I don’t typically start my sentences with “y’all,” but this year has been absolutely nuts in every way possible.

So, again… Y’all! 2020 has been a weird year!

There I was in the home stretch of all this weirdness trying to mentally wrap this year up with my pretty little sparkly bow like I do every year during this season, but this year the bow just looked wonky. If you know anything about me, I don’t do wonky well.

Just so we are on the same page, here’s a few things that happened in my family in 2020 to aid to the wonky vibe:

Weird conversations about toilet paper.

My hubby legit called me at 1:37 pm on a

random Tuesday & said, “stop homeschooling the kids & go stock up on toilet paper right now!” First, it’s probably a good thing that this was a phone conversation because I would have been in TROUBLE if he saw my face.

Anyway, I reminded him that we are

a (when I feel like it) cloth diaper house & I just pulled out all the wipes. So worse case, we can use those if we can’t get toilet paper as gross as that initially sounds.

Just

saying….

Grocery Stores ran out of canned Corned Beef Hash.

I was over 40, 4 weeks pregnant with my 4th kid, & having some killer gross canned Corned Beef Hash cravings & I couldn’t find it ANYWHERE.

I got the Prego Sugar Diabetes.

Ok, so this wasn’t the worst thing that could happen.

But the diagnosis came right after the first shut down & at that point, I was coping with my 3 stir-crazy kids by hiding in my bathroom & eating chocolate (multiple times a day), So I had to find a new, less satisfying vice.

What do you mean I have to pump too?

This last pregnancy was ROUGH on my old

bones. So I kept telling myself that everything will be fine once this baby pops out. God had different plans & part of that grandiose plan was letting me nurse & pump for my baby for about 8 solid weeks.

If nothing in the previous sentence makes you cringe, I’ll

break it down like this. The kid would nurse & syringe feed for 45 minutes. Then I would pump for 30 (to keep my supply up).

All this was followed by me needing to hand was

everything. Then it would start all over again and again and again. Every. Two. Hours.

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Magically growing a baby.

This

may

sound

weird,

but

it

got

so

old

when

we

started

to

be

social

again

&

EVERYONE was in my face asking where the baby I was holding came from. Truth be told, I’m very anti-social when I’m pregnant & shortly after that.

So, when you add

social distancing to this random fact, the outcome isn’t pretty.

Anyway, my brain hurt from trying to unwonkify what the past 12 months looked like for my family. So, I gave up & I started a conversation in my head with God & asked him to help me understand the wonky bow that 2020 created. & then it happened…

You should know that I’m not one to prophesize….it’s not my thing & I’m totally cool with that.

But prophecies are REAL & you need to check out what this guy Zacharias said.

I

mean, this guy was speaking to every bit of the 2020 weirdness that is happening all around us.

So, get cozy where you are & grab a cup of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or whatever you need to make that cozy happen.

You do you & I’ll be right here, ready to tell you about

what this guy Zacharias said…

Sometimes I think the world overlooks the importance of this guy named Zacharias but isn’t that often the case?

The world tends to ignore the importance of a lot of things.

So what

did this guy say that…..

Luke 1: 68-69 (NKJV) – “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David.

Get cozy, and let me tell you about EVIDENCE of God’s power to save.

Go ahead & sit

with this for a minute. The prophecy says that the EVIDENCE of your Salvation is found in a slobbery diaper-wearing snuggly baby.

Try it on like this. A baby will fix all the wonkiness that 2020 had barfed on you. Ok, maybe you are a step ahead already & you already know that Jesus is where it’s at when your life goes awry.

But did you know that Zacharias talks specifically about the 3 main things that society as a whole struggled with this year? Well, he does & here it is…

Luke 1:71-74 “That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us, to perform the mercy promised to our father and to remember His holy covenant, The Oath which He swore to our father Abraham: To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear.

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Beyond the weird new lifestyles that 2020 has brought us, we have all had some tough & sensitive topics thrown in our faces. Issues like hatred, feeling forgotten or abandoned & the fear of your freedoms.

None of these topics are fun to explore alone, but when you put all 3 together in your face every day after day, I don’t know about you, but it wore me out.

I have NEVER felt a tired

spirit like I have in 2020.

Hatred took on many new and savage forms from racial tensions, to political views, to medical opinions (mask wearing or not).

We were all caught somewhere between deep

unaddressed emotional wounds & over processing what we believe in—hoping to find some mental rest from the constant overthinking things.

Again, hatred filled the world.

Social distancing brought up feelings of abandonment & longings to not feel forgotten by our friends & loved ones.

Some of us dealt with having tough conversations with our kids

about why their friends can’t come over to play or why birthday parties had to be canceled.

Not to mention strangers literally stopped smiling at each other as if our smiles were what were contagious & not some virus.

Again, the world told you that you were forgotten &

abandoned.

Fear crept into each and every one of us in so many ways I don’t even need to elaborate, but I will.

We were fearful that not leaving our homes for 14 days meant we needed to

overbuy basic necessities.

This then led us to grocery store shortages that planted roots

down for fears of starvation. go away.

& of course, there is the fear of the virus itself that just won’t

Again, the world brought you fear.

Again this guy Zacharias wasn’t just prophesying about Jesus being born…..He was talking to YOU in 2020. Sit with this for a moment if you need it. I know I sure did.

My tears of joy started to fall when I realized that he also tells us exactly how a baby will fix all of this.

Luke 1:77-79 To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us: To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death to guild our feet into the way of peace.

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So, here are your 3 gifts for 2020.

This baby will teach you forgiveness, the remembrance

that new days will keep coming & understanding to calm your fears.

Use the

gift of forgiveness

for all the hatred the world keeps stirring up.

Forgive social

media for all its sharing of what’s wrong with this world, Forgive your friends who see the world differently, Forgive your family when your emotions are high & most of all, Forgive yourself.

Again, let forgiveness dominate the hatred of 2020.

Use the gift of remembrance when social distance wears on your heart. Look to the sunrise as your reminder you aren’t forgotten.

Remind yourself you are loved by friends & family.

Embrace technology and all the joys & blunders that video chatting can bring. Smile more at strangers under your masks to remind them that we are all in this together.

Again, let

God’s remembrance dominate all the feelings of abandonment of 2020.

Use the

gift of understanding

to combat all the fear this world now offers.

understand more how God will provide for your needs.

Seek to

Seek to know where joy can be

found in tough times. Again, look up to God for an understanding of all the crazy fears that 2020 has offered.

Back to my wonky bow……

God answered & said this.

Think about the last time a baby told you that your wrap job was wonky. Oh, wait! No baby EVER said that.

& then He chuckled.

My child, all the answers you seek are found in a

baby. So, who gave you that baby? I did…..

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The Everyday Crown Rocker Magazine is the collection of stories like yours that lend to the heartbeat of this magazine. The magazine serves Christian women ages 25-55, who are looking for real, practical ways to grow in their relationship with Christ and co-create with him a life that matters. Our readers are mothers, entrepreneurs, in the workforce and all come from diverse ethnic and social backgrounds. ** There is no cost to be a contributor in this magazine** Be a Contributor — The Everyday Crown Rocker Magazine https://www.theeverydaycrownrocker.com/be-a-contributor

COME, LET US ADORE HIM By: Kelly Garcia

Here in America we have many traditions that we enjoy, but generally none so much as Christmas.

Why is that? The retail outlets announce soon-coming holidays, traditions, or celebrations with products galore all throughout the year, but what is it about Christmas that makes it stand apart? In my estimation, it’s the music.

I can say just one word and I’ll bet you’ll start singing: “Hark…”

“Joy…” “Silent…”

We have learned these songs throughout our lives, and for many of us it instantly makes our hearts feel warm. Christmas music often takes us to joyful places in our hearts. Not necessarily from memories, it’s the songs themselves that brought us joy; therefore, we love to bring them out every Christmas season.

There’s something about music and singing that lifts our spirits. As a believer in Christ, I have been worshipping the Lord in song for pretty much my entire life. Songs unexpectedly spring up within my spirit because the Lord Himself is singing over us.

(Zephaniah 3:17) I believe we are resonating within our person the songs that come from our heavenly homeland, and Christmas songs are no exception. Some of these Christmas songs are born out of hymns that have been sung for centuries.

“Come, Let Us Adore Him” is a line from the Christmas song titled, O Come All Ye Faithful, which uses the lyrics translated from the hymn Adeste Fideles, by John Francis Wade, written in the eighteenth century. Maybe you have sung them. The lyrics of that hymn are as follows:

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Adeste Fideles 1 O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

2 For he alone is worthy, For he alone is worthy, For he alone is worthy, Christ the Lord.

3 Let's praise his name together, Let's praise his name together, Let's praise his name together, Christ the Lord.

4 We'll give him all the glory, We'll give him all the glory, We'll give him all the glory, Christ the Lord.

Believers adore Christ our Lord in hymns, choruses, and worship songs. We give God all the glory for the salvation He brought us when He died on the cross at Calvary, and rising again from the dead three days later, giving us the hope of eternal life in heaven with Him. The faithful followers of Jesus delight in praising Him in song year round for His coming, death, resurrection, and ascension. We are joyful in the power He displayed in paying for our sins to reconcile us to God, then crushing the power of death and the grave under His feet. We worship Christ our King for He is Lord of all. The entirety of our relationship is based on what He did for us, therefore our hearts burst forth in song!

Every Easter we praise Him for the victory His death and resurrection brought us, but for Christmas, we sing of when He came from Heaven to be born as a man.

What is the difference between the songs of “Easter”, and the songs of the Christmas Season?

Turning to scripture we can evaluate what “music” rose up at that time, 2000 years ago. Let’s play the “soundtrack”.

On Good Friday Jesus sang a hymn with his disciples at their last supper together (Matthew 26:30), but we don’t know which one that may have been. The next sounds were from Jesus’s lips in intercession for His disciples and those who would later believe, and to petition His Father when He fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." (Matthew 26:39) Several hours later, Jesus “cried out” twice while hanging on the cross, once when His Father turned His face away from our sin that Jesus was dying for, and secondly, to give up His spirit when the atonement was completed. (Matthew 27:46, 50) The “songs” of that season might be better labeled as lamentations, if we derive our opinion from what was recorded in scripture at the time. No one was singing. It was a time of wailing and sorrow.

But thirty-three years before this, when God entered our world, laying down the glory He had with the Father to become one of us…

A brilliant angel came announcing!! (Luke 2:10) “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.”

Vast numbers of angels started singing!! (Luke 2:14)) “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

The shepherds went running to tell the news!!

(Luke 2:15-20) “…glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen.”

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Simeon held baby Jesus in his arms and blessed God, saying (Luke 2:30): “My eyes have seen Your salvation.”

The wise men came worshipping with gifts!!

(Matthew 2:2) The difference between the songs of Jesus’s birth and His death and resurrection, is that the arrival of the long awaited Messiah broke the barrier between heaven and earth!

These beloved Christmas songs announce that Jesus came to bring peace between God and man. This long-awaited Messiah was to be named:

“Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23) Our Savior had come and would dwell in our hearts through the work of the atonement He brought to us as the Son of God and Son of man. Hallelujah!

And the faithful saints have been singing ever since!!

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GRATEFUL FOR THE GARBAGE BY; DAWN HILL

Christmas 2020! Did you think it would ever get

So to be transparent even if he tried to help by

here? This year has been tough, we really had no

this point I was harboring such bitterness I could

idea what was coming from one moment to the

not receive it. So you are probably like, “You are

next. Here’s a thought: I am grateful for 2020.

really not inspiring a lot of holiday cheer here!”

Yup! I said it. I am grateful for 2020.

Well, hang on I am going somewhere with all this, I promise.

Let me explain!

Our relationship became toxic and abusive in July Throughout

2020

of 2018 and I had had it. I asked him to leave and

seasons. Even as a child it seemed I had to cling

after two weeks of the silent treatment, he moved

to one thing, God, to get by. Growing up poor

out. I was relieved. I truly believed all my troubles

and

went

then

my

life,

I

carrying

have

the

had

many

baggage

from

my

with

him.

I

spent

the

next

three

months

upbringing into married life left me in a world of

crying, praying, and rediscovering something I had

hurt. From an early age, all I knew is I wanted to

lost - ME!

be a wife and momma. Into my life enters my

a women's conference and on the way home,

amazing husband in our junior year of high school

God broke me. I cried so hard I could not see the

and even before graduation we were planning on

road,

getting married.

apologize

Planning a wedding turned out

(if

Then something happened.

you I

were

should

on have

the

road

pulled

I went to

that

over

night

and

I

don't

to be a tumultuous event and so one month after

remember the drive at all). I finally admitted to

graduation and six days after my 18th birthday we

God and myself that I wanted my marriage back, I

eloped.

wanted my childhood dream back, I wanted to be a

This began the wildest ride of my life. Bringing in so

much

bad

baggage

from

childhood

I

wife

and

more

specifically,

I

wanted

to

be

Scott's wife.

was

clueless as to what a good wife even looked like.

A month later, I found out that Scott was dating.

First I was angry! I mean our divorce wasn’t even

I began doing a lot and kept taking on more until I

final yet. Secondly, I was crushed that my dream

was

was dead!

basically

house,

and

controlling jobs.

I

it

all

was

--husband,

tired,

kids,

stressed-out,

burdened, and a grumpy nightmare to be around.

My

kids

at

some

point

nicknamed

me

But God!

‘The

Krakken” on bad days - and there were many.

Two months after that conference,

God asked

me to pray for my marriage. My response went We spent 27 years raising kids, paying bills, and

something

taking care of sick relatives until they passed on.

mind?” Yes, I have great faith, but I was angry

This left me empty, angry, and hopeless. So the

and hurt and I didn’t want to pray. However the

final straw came in 2016 when my mom passed

nudge of the Holy Spirit was persistent and so

and handling her affairs was all left up to me. I

reluctantly I agreed to read a prayer devotional, a

handled it as well as I could even as my brother

very short one, and dedicate it to my marriage.

dropped

and

On the 21st day of this devotional, Scott and I

vanished into thin air. I developed this pipe dream

were in the same store at the same time. My son

of saving my mom's reputation by straightening

needed something and I had taken him to the

out all of her mess.

store

the

entire

estate

mess

on

me

My husband and I grew even

farther apart. You see it is hard to love and help

and,

like

lo

this,

and

“God,

behold,

have

there

you

was

lost

his

your

dad,

Scott, actually helping him find what he needed.

someone who can’t receive either.

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Side note ladies: the past three months I had been working on myself and I was looking good!

As I left the store I thanked Scott for his help and was amazed that he seemed so kind and sweet; just like the guy I fell in love with in high school. Over the next few weeks, we began talking again.

More than that, we actually started communicating well. Four months after the conference that changed my life, we decided to go on a date and see if this would actually work out. It did work out and we have been happy as we continue learning and growing together.

So even in my 2020 seasons, I had always held onto one thing: gratitude.

This month and year are no different. When we learn to be truly grateful, even in hardship, then I believe we will see victory in every season.

So what is THE REASON FOR THE SEASON: gratitude always, and forever gratitude.

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THE REASON FOR THE SEASON BY: AUTUMN HOOVERÂ

In preparation for this year’s Christmas service at our church, my husband who is the senior pastor thought of an interesting idea to engage each family’s participation. Because of the Covid

virus,

my

husband

and

our

founding

pastor

have

recorded numerous sermons and communion meditations that were streamed on our church’s social media accounts. Both would agree that preaching to an empty church while staring into an iPad has not been easy, but they went above and beyond

to

maintain

congregation

as

the

well

spiritual

as

online

growth

for

viewers.

our

(Our

church

church

is

canceling our combined Christmas service due to increasing cases of Covid in our community).

During the early summer months, our church split into two services in order to maintain safety and to prevent further transmission of the Coronavirus, but it has been heartbreaking in watching the division of our church family. Because the worship services separated, my husband is planning to unite our congregation during our combined Christmas service by asking each of our families to pre-record answers to various questions about Christmas. We are excited to watch a slideshow of our families’ videos together since our church secured a

larger

venue,

which

will

allow

us

to

comply

with

social

distancing recommendations

I

reviewed

my

guaranteed

to

husband’s spark

open-ended

some

thought

in

questions answering,

that such

are as

naming a favorite Christmas tradition or describing a favorite Christmas

memory.

immediately

knew

But

that

upon I

reading

wanted

our

all

the

family

to

questions, answer

I

the

question, “If you had to be trapped in a Christmas movie, which would it be?” My daughter and I are huge movie buffs, and I know she would easily come up with a creative answer.

However, when my husband told us what question we would be answering, I was a little troubled—not in the question…but in my vacant answer.

OUR QUESTION TO ANSWER IS “HOW DO YOU KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS?” The Everyday Crown Rocker Magazine Page 30|

Sure, I am a pastor’s wife, a Christian author, and singer on our church praise team, but I couldn’t come up with an answer. I was more than troubled…I was shattered in my lack of a response!

Since our daughter’s birth, I have always tried to find ways to make the Christmas season fun as she also celebrates her birthday during the month of December. Most of the fun involved “Pippa the Elf,” which I purchased with the best-selling book “The Elf on the Shelf.” Since 2005 the mother-daughter authors introduced this contemporary Christmas tradition in which parents hide their elf each morning in a new spot as children believe their elves have returned from a visit with Santa at the North Pole.

Now, I’m not going to lie; I have had some real fun with hiding this elf, and my daughter even believed that Pippa magically brought her gifts throughout the year, like Christmas cereals or cookies.

But, all that changed last year, when she asked us the critical question….”Mommy, is Santa real? Tell me the truth!” I will never forget that Sunday morning before church as I stuttered in answering her while waiting on my husband to join the conversation. She was very upset after we told her the truth, but when she learned that Pippa the Elf was fictional, she cried… miserably. I felt terrible but we told her that she could join in on the fun the following year and could even hide Pippa from her father and I, which seemed to lessen the lies we had been telling her over the last decade! Thankfully, she forgave us and then asked to hide Pippa the next few nights. Thankfully, Christians took notice of this new phenomenon and created Christian alternatives, such as “The Shepherd on the Search,” “The Little Christmas Angel,” “The Kindness Elves,” and even “The Christmas Star from Afar” to name a few.

So, even though our daughter knows that Pippa isn’t real, I felt guilty when my husband informed us about our question to answer. I also felt remorse in not focusing my efforts on the real reason for the season but instead using fictitious characters based on the world’s imagination. My daughter has been saved since she was eight years old and loves Jesus with her whole heart, but I realized that I needed to do more to keep Christ in Christmas…but not only for her, but for my sake as well.

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After discussing our answer together as a family and recording our video for the church slide-show, we realized our answer was simple. We know as believers that in order to keep Christ in Christmas we must

follow

His

two

greatest

commandments,

which

is

to

love

God

and

love

others

as

Jesus

mentioned from the book of Matthew (22:36-40). However, we haven’t been charged to keep these commandments only at Christmas, but throughout our daily lives. Jesus taught us the importance of praising our Heavenly Father through prayer, loving our neighbor through provisions, showing both love and forgiveness to others, and the urgency in spreading the Gospel. We shouldn’t wait until Christmas to talk about Jesus! The birth of Jesus was the greatest miracle for those who awaited God’s promise of a Redeemer, but Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is the true miracle for those of us who believe and accept Him as our Risen Savior. And, fortunately for our daughter, we do not have to lie about His existence or God’s plan for humanity, but instead, we can teach her that God has a purpose for her life—and I can guarantee that God’s plan is much better than any imaginative character she could play in a Christmas movie role.

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'TIS THE SEASON TO BE...

BY: CAROL GRIFFITHS

'Tis the season to be... ...sad ...hurt ...bitter ...regretful ...jolly!

The popular line ends with the last option but I've lived long enough to know that Christmas isn't jolly for everyone. Even from my own experience, I have had Christmases that fit each of the above sentence endings.

So as we prepare for the Christmas season, I want to share 5 tips to help you close off the year in a meaningful way. Please know that as I write these suggestions, I am mindful that you may not be where you want to be in life right now. I know that can be very painful. This is why I want to point you to my very best Friend. He happens to not only be the reason for the season, but also the One with the keys to unlock your true joy.

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” Matthew 1:23 NLT

Jesus, the reason for the season was called Immanuel, which means God is with us. We don't physically have Jesus with us now in human form. Yet, He is still with us. The Bible tells us that when He left, He sent His Holy Spirit to be our Comforter and Helper (John 14:16, 26).

Sometimes we forget that salvation-activated Holy Spirit within us. Instead, we believe the lie that God has left us or forgotten us. However, God promised never to leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6).

The

following

5

strategies

will

help

you

acknowledge

God's

presence.

It

is

important

to

recognize God’s presence because in His presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).

1. Pray short simple prayers throughout the day. e.g. “Jesus I need You.” or “Jesus I love You.”

2. Appreciate what is good in your life no matter how small or insignificant it seems. e.g. You have internet, an internet-capable device and eyesight to read this edition of Crown Rocker Magazine. Thank God for what you have.

3. Unplug from social media and technology for at least 3 hours of your day and do something fun or relaxing. e.g. Go for a walk or long drive, journal, or create something.

4. Sleep! You would be surprised how getting more rest improves your mood and opens you up to connect with God, asleep or awake, in new ways.

5. Encourage someone else. Ask Holy Spirit to highlight people you can encourage with a call, visit, card, email, groceries, or a small gift. Be open to Holy Spirit's leading and remember that the acts of kindness that cost you no money often are the most appreciated.

As you go through the holiday season, be kind to yourself and make time to PAUSE - Pray.

Appreciate. Unplug. Sleep. Encourage.

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Merry Christmas

Crown Rocker