Category: Advent 2024
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December 24 – Christmas Eve 2024
Christmas Eve Devotional “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5 On this sacred day, we celebrate the culmination of a journey—both the Advent season and the shared reflections found in Stories of Christmas Past. Each story written and read has been a gift, reminding us that Christmas…
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December 23 – Advent 2024
Writer’s Name: Duane Marburger Writer’s Ministry: Lake Deaton Care and Visitation Pastor Scripture: Isaiah 7:14 On December 23, 1996, when I was serving a couple of churches in rural Nebraska, a state patrolman showed up at my door to pass on the sad news that my brother and his wife had been killed in a…
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December 22 – Advent 2024
Writer’s Name: Jim Divine Writer’s Ministry: Pastor, Lake Deaton Scripture: Galatians 2:20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So, I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Christmas…
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December 21 – Advent 2024
Writer’s Name: Kristyne Young Writer’s Ministry: Pastor, Edison UMC and Kindergarten Teacher, Clay County Elementary Scripture: Lamentations 3:22-27 Growing up, my mother always had a very organized routine, not just at Christmas but all year long. There was a rhythm to how things were done in our home, and my siblings and I knew what…
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December 20 – Advent 2024
Writer’s Name: JulieĂnnă Davis Writer’s Ministry: Lake DeatonEvent Coordinator, ERT, Outreach, CELEBRATE Praise Team & Choir Scripture: Proverbs 3:27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. How true this is during the Christmas season. We spend money on things we don’t, and others struggle to put…
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December 19 – Advent 2024
Writer’s Name: Bill Eyler Writers Ministry: Lake Deaton Small Group Facilitator Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-9 As believers and churchgoers, we are given many opportunities through Lake Deaton UMC to help improve the lives of those in need. Opportunities like Shoe Box Ministries, Angel Christmas Trees, food drive donations, and more. These are all great opportunities…
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December 18 – Advent 2024
Writer’s Name: Barbie Strome Writer’s Ministry: Lake Deaton Mission/Outreach Scripture: Philippians 4:4-9 In December 2010, my husband and I were in Hawai’i, celebrating the holidays with our daughter, son-in-law, and two-year-old granddaughter. On Christmas Eve, my sister called me, “The doctor said if you want to see Mom alive, you need to come home NOW.” …
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December 17 – Advent 2024
Writer’s Name: Janice Braden Writer’s Ministry: Lake Deaton Office Manager Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34 Our cats, Jamie and Ty, are the picture of contentment. Obviously, a creature that sleeps 18 hours a day doesn’t worry about much. They don’t worry about where their next meal is coming from, who will fill their water bowl, or how they…
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December 16 – Advent 2024
Writer’s Name: Mary Kay Fritts Writer’s Ministry: Lake Deaton DIM Dancer, VIP Co-Coordinator, Member Reconnect Team Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:12 – I know there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. Reflecting on Christmas’s past, one immediately comes to mind…. I grew up in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin,…
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December 15 – Advent 2024
Writer’s Name: Rick Elliott Writer’s Ministry: Lake Deaton Worship Director Scripture: John 6:1-13 My grandmother, Nanny Elliott, was a woman of faith. She worked hard all her life and loved even harder, raising five children with the added blessing of 10 grandchildren. She worked at a textile mill all her life, never earning more than…