My New Favorite Christmas Song

Christmas This Year 

Christmas This Year - TobyMac [Feat. Leigh Nash]

As fall rides off in the sunset/
Sweep the snow from my doorstep/
I just can't help but stop and grin/
It’s like I'm ten years old again/
And everywhere I go I can feel it/
some say it moves like a spirit/

It falls on us once a year/
Like it came on a midnight clear/
Its all love/ the season is a gift/
when love came down to let us live/
Lets open up and let our hearts embrace this moment/

[chorus]
For Christmas this year/
Gonna make a sound gonna make it loud/
We're gonna make some noise let the world rejoice/
for ChristMas this year/
for Christmas/
For Christmas this year/

The Laughter starts/
before the sunrise/
I sneak downstairs before sunrise/
and oh what joy it brings to me/
our family around our Christmas Tree/
And I thank the lord for his favor/
As we sing the songs of the savior/ (our savior)

Its all love/ the season is a gift/
when love came down to let us live/
Lets open up and let our hearts embrace this moment/

[chorus]
For ChristMas this year/
Gonna make a sound gonna make it loud/
We're gonna make some noise let the world rejoice/
for ChristMas this year/
for Christmas/
For Christmas this year/

Holy Holy holy/
God is coming near/
onto us a savior born/
on a midnight clear/

Holy Holy holy/
God is coming near/
onto us a savior born/
on a midnight clear/


[chorus]
For Christmas this year/
Gonna make a sound gonna make it loud/

for Christmas this year/
We're gonna make some noise let the world rejoice/
for Christmas this year/
for Christmas/
For Christmas this year/

Holy Holy holy/
God is coming near/
onto us a savior born/
on a midnight clear/
[end]

New discoveries...

For the first time in my life, I can state that I just spent an entire weekend with my boyfriend...what a peculiar and awesome experience! In person even, not a 2-D Skype conversation! He actually showed up and hung out with me & my friends in my town! It was an intensely wonderful few days; there's nothing that I would choose to cut out, but I can't help wish there hadn't been quite so much "stuff" packed into so short a time frame. There just weren't quite enough hours between picking Caleb up in the mornings & dropping him back off at night (he stayed at my pastor's house.)


In spite of the busyness, I am discovering that having a boyfriend is just as much fun as I always thought it could. At the time I'm writing this, I'm curled up on the couch feeling extremely warm & fuzzy  - both because I'm enjoying my memories of the last few days, and because I'm wearing my new cozy soft hoodie representing his alma mater (my Christmas present!)

As I've been pondering my interactions with Caleb, something else has also been playing in my mind. God has been revealing to me in a deeper way lately what it means that HE loves me, and how my identity is based in Him. Obviously I'm bit distracted these days, so it's been taking a deliberate effort to remember & ponder that truth in the course of my days & the events that unfold. What's been fun to discover is that as Caleb is gradually revealing glimpses of how he feels about me, God is doing the same. Part of that comes into play in simply hearing God whisper that He wants me to be blessed as Caleb & I are progressing & figuring out this exciting new relationship. Part of it is when Caleb does make a sweet comment or smiles in a way that I'm learning indicates he's enjoying my company, I can sense God's smile and support and muchness (for lack of a better word!), promising me that He, my King & Savior & Father, enjoys & delights in me even more.

Of course, no boyfriend, no matter how marvelous, will ever be a perfect representation of Christ. I fully anticipate that there will be days & conversations in the months ahead where Caleb will say or do something that hurts or cause me to risk being offended. It's a part of being in any type of relationship with fallen people! The good news is that I don't have to fear that with God. He is the one "Lover of my soul" that can & will always guarantee to be there for me, will always love me, and will never be disappointed in me. Even when I fail, my Heavenly Bridegroom is standing ready to welcome me back to His presence with arms wide open to catch me as I fall. He truly knows my heart, my dreams, my heartaches, my temptations, my passions & my fears... and still delights in & cherishes me.

I've always loved fairy tales - Beauty & the Beast, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, etc. They are tales of romance & adventure, of a lonely girl being saved by a strong man who sees her true beauty and worth & values her when no one else does. I'm definitely a romantic at heart. Taking the first steps down what I hope will be my own story to share someday with my children is a thrilling experience! Yet I've also learned over the years that the only One who can ever fullfill those longings completely is Jesus. Only in Him can I securely rest in the greatest love story of all.