Friday, November 30, 2012

The Jesse Tree: Near and Dear

I'm so excited that so many of you have contacted me and emailed me to ask more about Jesse tree. I hope that I can answer some of the questions here....

Ann Voscamp does a great job defining Jesse Tree, much better than I could.  So, take some time to hop over to her blog and download her version of Jesse tree.  Read her first two or three pages, it is very good and encouraging! A Holy Experience - Her blog!

Last fall I watched EE-Taow, It really struck me because it made me realize we have given our kids so many pieces to the "puzzle", Bible stories here and there....but never really putting them all together into HIS STORY...HISTORY! I realized that the way The Mouk Tribe fell in love with Jesus was hearing the whole story in order from Creation to His birth and ultimately his death, burial, and resurrection! I was convicted that my own kids needed to learn in this way,  I had been studying the Bible this way for the past two years and it had meant the world to me....making more sense than ever before!   This was the exact moment when I realized we HAD to do Jesse tree full force, intentionally and with the faith that our children would grow through this and it not just be another Christmas "story-time".  THIS IS CHRISTMAS!

With all that said, don't worry about how cute or ugly you think your ornaments are....or even if you have them all.  The ornaments are important, but it's not the most important part.  The crafts and snacks are fun, but not important at all.  And, no...I do not do everything on the lessons I have made.  The important part is setting aside a time every night to experience the Bible with your child,  the story of our coming Savior and how it all started.

It will plant seeds, it will grow them, it will flourish their relationship with Christ! We constantly pray for the salvation of our children and last year during December a prayer was answered.  The Holy Spirit spoke sweetly to Molly Cate's soul, we saw her wrestle with why Jesus had been born and how He loved her so.  It was amazing to hear her questions and thoughts.  She answered Jesus' call to follow Him last December....and THAT is why this is so important to our family.  I feel like God used this simple, beautiful way to show her who He is and why He sent His son so long ago to be born in that stable.

So, don't be afraid.  I hope to encourage you with the ideas and fun things, but not overwhelm you with "something else" on your busy Christmas schedule.  Like I said before THIS IS CHRISTMAS...what better time to jump into God's Word with your children!


MC last December in front of our Jesse Tree

Lessons 6-10 for your to enjoy:

I also stumbled upon another great book by Sally Lloyd Jones & Jago, Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing....THIS IS WONDERFUL!!! Great for ALL ages! I added a few of the devotionals from this book to the lessons above.  

SLJ is a very talented writer and Jago an equally talented artist!!! If you do not have this devotional book for your kids yet, it would make an EXCELLENT Christmas gift!!

I know that many of you want to know how exactly I made my ornaments, and hopefully I will be able to do a tutorial on that soon. 

Thanks for all of your sweet kind comments and emails, I pray that your family will be able to focus on this...the true reason for Christmas this year!


1 comment:

  1. Ashley - I was so excited to hear about you doing this last year that I decided to start this year since Mary Brooke is 2 1/2 and loves her storybook bible.
    I purchased Dean Meador Smith's - The Advent of the Jesse Tree - book from Amazon. Mrs. Smith is from Hattiesburg and I have heard multiple familis that use this book and have for decades. I also ordered a set of felt ornaments off Etsy for $25. I would love to make my own but knew it may not get done and I didn't want to risk not doing the tree this year because of my procrastination:) The ornaments are simple but I love them that way for a 2 year old.
    We start tonight and Troy and I are very excited! Thank you for sharing such a special family time with us!
    Emily :)

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