"advent"ure

we love advent our the billingsley home. the idea of celebrating daily leading up to the birthday of our King Jesus is awesome. it is amazing how fresh revelation of Jesus is always life-changing. the last 4 years (lainey was barely 2) we did our first Jesse Tree. our dear best friend emily introduced us to this most wonderful tradition. Jesse Tree is based on Isaiah 11. it is a compiliation of the prophetic lineage of Jesus. we have done a Jesse Tree with each day marking a new ornament symbolizing a person in Jesus' lineage. we've done a jesse tree book and jesse tree banner...all same idea. this year mike asked to modify our advent tradition.

it was inspired by our dear friend meg who earlier this fall challenged the folks in our housechurches and even some families outside of NCC to take the "bootcamp" challenge. she wrote this incredible resource/challenge called "bootcamp" it is 3 weeks of daily readings, scripture, prayer, listening to the Lord, responding to Him, problem-solving, challenging each other and overall growing closer individually, as a couple and as a family to the Lord.

so advent 2009 is being marked as "advent"ure with Jesus for the billingsley home. we are actually opening up the Bible together and reading through "Heaven Invades Earth" KID VERSION. Lainey has really liked it i think. i would recommend the book. the first night we talked about Bungoma, Kenya. basically it was testimony of the kids in this village totally seeing the Presence of God come and invade their village. the actually ended up closing a hospital because it wasn't needed because so many people had received healing and ultimately met their savior and King, Jesus.

one of my favorite parts of "advent"ure is the fact that when we draw something to symbolize what we talked that night beau always just wants to draw "monji" and "nala" (this is what he calls mike and i's cars) you can kind of see the black pen drawings he did with mike. he also likes to talk about Bungoma but not sure how much he is really grasping in all of it. i think he mostly likes to just say "bungoma" at this point.

"I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father." John 14:12

"May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven." Matthew 6:10