Christmas Break

Hello, friends.

I apologize for the extended Christmas break. I caught an illness and have struggled to overcome it for the last couple of weeks. I'm now in recovery and better able to think clearly. I'll have regular posts for you again soon.

How were your Christmas and New Year holidays?

January TBR Reducer Challenge

If this article makes little sense, that would be because it's past three a.m. as I'm writing it, and I just remembered that I hadn't so much as thought about my blog and it's already Monday morning. I was busy all day, celebrating my daddy's birthday and finishing up a couple of books for challenges on Goodreads and taking breaks to stretch and eat a little something. Yep, I'm pretty exhausted right now. But I'm turning off my alarm and sleeping in if I can. Fat chance if a train happens by...

Happy New Year! May 2019 be filled with joy, laughter, and most of all, faith in God. I hope we all will dig a little deeper in our walks with Him this year.

Our first challenge of the new year will be...

Merry Christmas!

by Andrea Renee Cox

As we gather with our families to celebrate our Savior, Jesus Christ, let us remember our heavenly Father's divine design to bring us back home to His Presence.

The Fellowship

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him;

male and female He created them."

Genesis 1:27

"And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day."

Genesis 3:8a

Notes for a New Year (One Word & Reading Challenges)

by Andrea Renee Cox

Before you heckle me for jumping straight over Christmas, let me assure you, I am not forgetting this most special of holidays. I'm already brainstorming an article for the week of Christmas, which I'll most likely post on that Sunday, since the twenty-fifth lands on a Monday this year.

This article, though, is to give you a heads-up of what's heading your way in the new year.

Firstly, let's talk about One Word. This year was my first experience with it, and I feel like I wasn't as intentional about it as I had intended to be. That's something I'm planning on working on for 2018, to be much more intentional about applying my One Word for the year.

During 2017, my One Word was see. Throughout the year, I gained a new perspective on many things. I learned that God has already been moving in mighty ways in my life, and He opened my eyes to see much more than I had imagined when I put up my new calendars last January first.

Setting Goals

by Andrea Renee Cox

Can you believe it’s 2017 already?

It’s a bit hard to imagine, but it is that time of year again. Time to crack open a new calendar. To eat black-eyed peas (if you’re into that; they aren’t to my liking and I don’t buy into the superstition of the tradition). And to make new year’s resolutions.

I stopped making resolutions probably fifteen years ago. I never saw them through. Most of the years, I barely made it two weeks. Of course, I was a teenager at the time and hadn’t yet developed good follow-through skills.

Favorite Books of 2016

by Andrea Renee Cox

Did you have a merry Christmas? My family certainly did. I chose to simply enjoy it rather than take pictures. In a social-media world, it's sometimes pleasant to slip away from technology for awhile and live in the moment instead of try to capture it.

Would you rather capture moments to savor for later or enjoy them as they come along?

This year was a huge reading year for me. I completed my thirty-fifth copyediting job in only three years, and on top of that, I read over ninety books in my spare time. These are a few of my favorite discoveries during 2016:

What's Your Favorite Christmas Movie?

By Andrea Renee Cox

Instead of doing my end of the month movie wrap-up, today I thought we’d talk about Christmas movies. There are so many options out there, too many to squeeze into one month of TV time, or even one blog article. What I like to look for, when choosing which ones to watch, is a good message of hope, which reflects the reason for the season: Jesus Christ. He is my hope, and I love seeing rays of hope in films during the season that celebrates His birth. When I watch movies with this theme, especially around Christmastime, I feel so inspired to keep working hard to overcome my weaknesses and, in the process, gain more characteristics that reflect the God I love and serve. With His grace, these characteristics will help me serve Him in new and wondrous ways that will spread His Light into the world around me.

Here are some of the Christmas movies I try to watch every year. They each make me hopeful in different ways and make me smile (and sometimes cry) every time I view them.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

You can’t really go wrong with Henry Winkler. Ever since he played The Fonz, this man has made me laugh. When you team him up with the holiday spirit, there’s much laughter to be shared. In this movie, Winkler’s niece schedules everything about Christmas. Can a vagrant show her how to “do Christmas” before her son stops believing in Santa Claus?

Iron Will

Now, this one isn’t technically a Christmas movie. It’s about a kid and his dog sled team that try to beat the odds to win a dangerous cross-country race. If that’s not a story filled with hope, I don’t know what is.

Arthur Christmas

When a child gets missed on Santa’s trip around the world, Arthur launches a rescue mission of sorts to make sure the present ends up under the tree before the sun comes up. Will he make it in time? This animated flick is humorous and fun and allows adults to feel like kids again. And tell me … can anyone not bust out laughing at Arthur’s unique chortle?

I’ll be Home for Christmas

What happens when a college student’s rival dumps him in the desert, dressed as Santa Claus, right at the beginning of the Christmas break? He has the adventure of a lifetime trying to find his way home and win back his girl … and maybe even discover a little bit of humility and self-respect along the way. (There is some crude humor and inappropriate language in this one, so please use discretion when watching with your children.)

It’s a Wonderful Life

Jimmy Stewart at his best. How can I describe this film to bring across its sense of family, despair, hope, and joy? An impossible task. But I’ll give it a shot. Unexpected things happen to a guy who aspired to escape his boring little town, trapping him there for a lifetime, it seems. One night, he receives a gift. He gets to see what life would have been like if he had never been born. As he sees the results of the lack of the impact he made on the lives of the people in his boring little town, will he learn to appreciate the life he had in time to get it back? One of my favorites, it will renew your hope when you feel like life is spinning out of control.

White Christmas

Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye might be an unlikely duo, but they’re really going places in this movie. What happens, though, when Danny’s character tricks Bing’s into joining forces with a couple of dames in order to help an old pal in the Army? A little comedy, a little music, some dancing, and a whole lot of fun! This one is, by far, my favorite Christmas movie of all time. Bing and Danny are a great team, and Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen hold their own with the boys quite well. Again, it’s difficult to get across just how special this movie is. You’ll just have to see it for yourself to get the full experience of the hope it spreads around. I challenge you not to cry by the end!

What themes do you look for in Christmas movies? Which holiday flicks do you like to watch with your family? What other traditions do you enjoy for Christmas?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

See you in 2015.

Thanks for stopping by today! I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comment section below. And don’t forget to drop by next Monday for my latest article.

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Holiday Wrap-Up

As the holidays come to a close for yet another year, I’ve been thinking about the memories I’ve made with my family and friends this year. Good times and bad, both documented and tucked away in my mind to draw upon later down the road of life. The best part about this year for me was having God by my side. He was very evident in my life this year, as He is every year. Through the valleys, He held me as I wept. Up the mountains, He lent me the strength to climb when I felt I couldn’t go another step. At the peaks, He shared my victories, my joys. Every moment He was there. That fact always amazes me. Why should He love someone who is so flawed? Because He created me, He loves me. And because He loves me, I love Him. Loving God is the best place I could ever be.

When did God make Himself known to you this year? Was it during the good, easy times? Or did you see Him best when things seemed dark and lonely? What was your favorite memory (or at least one of your favorites) of 2013? I look forward to hearing your stories in the comment section below.

May the Lord bless you abundantly in the new year!