Happy Birthday Brother!

*runs hand through hair and sighs*
I can not believe that it's the 9th of December. December? The 9th? Wow.
Not only does that mean that my younger brother is 15 today but it also means that my daugher is 6 months.

I remember when my brother was born! I remember when my daughter (MY DAUGHTER?!) was born!

I wonder if I've lived every moment well. I can't have possibly if I can hardly remember them... Have I lived as if my days with my family were numbered? Have I lived like Jesus could come at any time? After all this talk of births we celebrate His birth in just a few weeks.

I've been doing some research into how to better build up (or count down) to His celebrated birthday and I've decided that instead of a countdown calender (or advent calender) that I remember having as a child, our family tradition will be to have a Jesse Tree.

There are lots of resources and examples and explanations of Jesse Trees online (as there are resources for just about anything - I honestly don't remember how I survived without Google) but I'd like to simply explain it here on my blog.

Our Jesse Tree will remind us for the 25 days of December how the whole Bible, and everyone in it, not only gives Glory to God, but leads up to Jesus' birth. Each day we will place a symbol on a little tree, read a Bible passage and do a family devotional. I'm going to make a magnetic tree out of a cookie sheet and over the course of the next few years I'll make the ornaments. This year my goal is to decide on the Bible passages and make a booklet of the passages and some devotionals. Over the years I'm sure it will grow and change as our family does.
Here's the calender that inspired my magnetic tree idea.
And here's the site that I'm using as a guide for the devotionals and passages.
Also, thanks to Caroline for introducing me to Jesse Trees and for making copies of her tree's symbols. Thanks so much!