Open up your eyes to see it, 

Open up your ears to hear it, 

Open up your mind, believe it, 

Open up your heart, receive HIM.”

-Christy Nockels “The King is Coming Prelude

Quickly diving into a small portion of the history of advent…

Advent is the period of four Sundays and weeks before Christmas (This year, Advent starts on Sunday, November 29th). Advent means ‘Coming’ in Latin. This is the coming of Jesus into the world – The King is coming! As followers of Christ we can use these four Sundays and weeks of Advent leading to Christmas to prepare our hearts and remember the true meaning of Christmas.

The Advent wreath was invented in the early 1800s by a Protestant pastor named Johann Hinrich Wichern in Germany. He was pouring out his life into the poor children in the urban suburbs when just like us around this time of the year he was surrounded by many little ones asking, “Is it Christmas yet?” In response to their constant questioning over their excitement for the arrival of Christmas he fashioned the first advent “wreath” from a wagon wheel. He screwed 25 holes around it, one candle for each day. He then placed 20 red candles on it and 4 white candles. The more widely know advent wreath these days you will find there are four candles for the four Sundays before Christmas and (sometimes) a fifth candle to be lit on Christmas day. Each candle holds a meaning: hope, love, joy, and peace. Four Sundays before Christmas one candle is lit. The first Sunday, the first candle is lit; the hope candle. The second Sunday before Christmas the first and 2nd candle are lit; the hope candle as well as the love candle. And so on and so forth.

“When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, we make present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming.” 

The word liturgy means worship. The root of Advent comes from the Latin word adventus. Which means: coming, waiting.  The Liturgy of Advent is the remembrance and anticipation, the expectant waiting and preparation. The worship of the King as we remember His birth and anticipate His second coming. It’s a practice of worship in our waiting, longing, hope and expectancy.  

Years ago I read something that said something along the lines of, “Why do we have celebrations that come back year after year? Why do we come back to ponder the same thing over and over?” The conclusion I have come to in my own heart is this: repetition is a beautiful teacher. We are designed to remember and celebrate. We are designed to want the truths presented to dwell in our hearts, and what better way to do that than to focus on them again and again, that they may become a part of us – lingering in our hearts. I am always one for a beautiful word picture so this makes me think of an instrument that continually needs tuned.

Lord, tune my heart to sing thy grace.

I think the act of continually re-tuning our hearts to gaze at the Lord’s beauty, to relive those moments of agonizing waiting, raw hoping, and eager expectation is to allow the gospel to become alive in our hearts again and again – this tunes our hearts to sing His grace. Binding our wandering hearts to Him, for we are, and I am, so apt to forget all too quickly.   

For sometime now I have wanted to share several things we do in our home to herald the birth of our Lord and Savior. How Josh (my dear husband) and I spark discussion and weave the narrative of Christ into the very fibers of our days during this Christmastide. I am just beginning in this journey and have by no means “arrived and perfected” my methods. I know there are so many meaningful and beautiful traditions surrounding this season that I do not know of nor do I do. I love many things we have done and incorporated in our home and my hope is that by sharing this it will be a blessing to you and spark inspiration as you magnify the Lord in your home.

Friends, I’m finding these moments in time don’t have to be extravagant to teach our children. I think we put too much pressure on ourselves to achieve perfection in our traditions. As we are layering Jesus in each moment; pointing beyond ourselves, beyond this earth, Jesus can be found in the simple repetitive acts of our humble homes. In fact, the very definition of tradition is a custom or belief which passes from generation to generation. And what sweet joy it is to discover Jesus & the wonder of His arrival with my little family this Christmas season through those endearing daily moments that create customs and build foundations of what our family believes.

It’s choosing the slow. It’s lingering upon the sacred and it is allowing His presence to saturate our hearts and homes.

It’s not in the perfection of our traditions or how magically our homes are decorated or how picture-perfect our crafts look that will change hearts. We simply point our hearts and the hearts of our children, our family, our friends to the Cross to which we cling and allow Him to do the rest.

I found that as I am weaving the narrative of beholding Christ in our home I do so through our five senses. This was very unintentional (at first) but the more I thought on it the more I saw the beauty of it. Our senses are deeply tied to our memories. I can tell you exact smells, songs, et cetera that instantly transport me back to a very vivid and specific memory.  We are creating memories through taste, smell, and touch that can showcase Christ incarnate to our children

“The King Is Coming!” 

“Open up your eyes to see it,” through scriptures, quotes, poems, and art all around us. I love being creative and tucking artwork around our home that calls us to ponder this season. Mary caring for her child, the tears of Simon as he held His long awaited Savior in his arms; poems, hymns, and scripture written out for those passing by to read and linger upon. 

“Open up your ears to hear it,” through reading and lingering upon Scripture together, the reading of books, and through music. Jennifer Naraki shares this perfectly and poetically in the introduction of Slow and Sacred Advent.

“Music  is powerful. Rhythm and melody dance off the page, and into our hearts, not only guiding us in lyrical content but creating deep memories. This truth is evidenced the moment you hear a familiar string of chords. Instantly you are brought back to a certain time. A particular place. The Creator of our world sent the sweet song of angels to celebrate Christ’s coming. Beloved Christmas Carols + Hymns have been woven throughout hearts and homes across our globe, while lingering throughout the ages.” 

Open up your mind, believe it, 

Open up your heart, receive HIM.”

-Christy Nockels “The King is Coming Prelude

And so without further ado here are some of our family favorite traditions (with links) we have built into this sacred season. To help us remember, to help us linger, to cause us to worship and rejoice. It is my hope that they encourage meaningful conversation and stir up joyful and thoughtful reflection in your hearts and homes. (Also, I think it’s worth saying, lest you think we do all of this every year. This is a list of things we have done in the past and hope to do someday. Not by any means is this a list of everything we do EVERY year. It wouldn’t be a time of slow and sanctuary if we tried to fit all of this into the month of December.)

• Slow and Sacred Advent (This beautiful advent is without a doubt one I hope to incorporate in our home every year. Jennifer wove such a sacred depth in the hum of this advent with repetitive readings, crafts, recipes, and truth all rolled together simply, deeply.) Keep scrolling for more advents. 
• Books (to see a list of favorite books with links. Keep scrolling ) 
• Baking Homemade treats together. 
• Baking Christmas Cookies to buy a Chicken for children in need through Compassion International   
• Bringing out the Fisher-Price Christmas Story manger and hiding Mary and Joseph as they are traveling to Bethlehem. I try to remember to hide them each evening for the boys to search for the next morning. I got the boys this manger several years ago and I love that they can play, interact, and imagine the story playing out. And I am not worries something will break  
• Layering artwork throughout our home. (Google search for pictures and simply print them off and hang/frame them. It doesn’t have to cost much.) 
• Memorize a poem together over the month of December. Last year we memorized a stanza from a childhood favorite of mine, In the Bleak Midwinter by Christina Rosetti. We also listen to the Keith and Kristen Getty song of this beautiful poem. 
• Telling the Christmas Story through Christmas Carols.I am SO excited about this one! I am hoping that this is the year we get to do this one. We shall see. It has been around four years since it’s been on my heart to actually do. Gather around the piano and read the Christmas story from Matthew 1–2 and Luke 1–2. while pausing throughout the reading to sing hymns + carols mixed in. (i.e. sing Silent Night after you ready Jesus in the Manger, sing Hark the Herald Angels Sing once you read about the angels appearing to the shepherds, etc.) Do all this in the glow of candlelight and your twinkling Christmas lights.   
• Bake a cake together to celebrate Jesus’ birthday – we call it the Happy Birthday Jesus Cake! 
• I go through my own personal Advent study and allow that to pour over onto my family. This year I am doing the Advent by Revive Our Hearts, Born a Child and Yet a King. Here is another advent by Revive Our Hearts, Consider Jesus. In past years I have done (and loved) the advent studies my sweet friend, Gretchen Saffles has prayerfully put together. You can find her ministry, Well Watered Women here. 
• Josh and I also have done advent readings together so we are learning and growing together as a couple – as we wait and behold our King. Was it last year or the year before that we did, God is in the Manger by Dietrich Bonhoeffer? We are planning on doing this one again this year. 
• Building a manger together for baby Jesus. One year we went on a family walk and collected sticks and built our own manager for baby Jesus. 
• Wrap all your Christmas books and put them under the tree. Open one each day and read under the lit up Christmas tree! Add a new book or two every year. 
• Cut down a Christmas tree as a family at the Christmas tree farm.. Bonus idea: bring hats or gloves and give each person one to “mark” their favorite tree, then vote which one to cut!
• Make cranberry, popcorn, dried orange garlands for the tree. 
• Have a hot cocoa party with different flavors and toppings.  Bonus idea: have a contest for the best or craziest combination!
• Draw names, and each person makes a handmade gift for the person whose name they drew. On Christmas Eve, each person sits in the “special chair” one at a time to receive their handmade gift, and then everyone goes around and says why that person is special. 
• Sleep under the Christmas tree on the night before Christmas Eve.
• Make a bunch of different Christmas treats, box them up and deliver them to neighbors. Last year, we made homemade beeswax candles as a craft as we talked about how Jesus is the light of the world. We then gifted those candles to our neighbors symbolizing spreading the light of Jesus to those around us. 
• Go on a snowy horse drawn sleigh ride the day, bundled up and sipping hot cocoa. 
• Go Christmas caroling!  
• Drive around to look at Christmas lights.
• Instead of gift tags, wrap each person’s gifts in their own wrapping paper. It makes it easier for kids who can’t read yet, and it’s fun to see all the different paper!
• Set up your tent (or build a fort) and have a “camp in” while watching a Christmas movie, and then sleep in the tent for the night!
• Make Gingerbread houses OR a gingerbread nativity together as a family. 
• Have a Shepherd’s Dinner on Christmas Eve. Make food that they would have eaten back in Jesus’ day, dress up as shepherds, sit on the ground and eat by candlelight, and then read the Christmas story from Luke. 
• Allow the Lord to work in our hearts and highlight. We need to quiet our hearts and allow the Lord to lead. Not be harried and do all the things. But allow the Lord reign.
• And one of the most important parts, dedicating and committing this season and our hearts to the Lord. “Unless the Lord builds a house, those who labor, labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1a) May we not be “doing all the things”  filling our days to bursting, and miss the coming of the Lord into our ordinary days. He wants to meet us there, He is in our midst. Emmanuel, God with us. 

A virtual bookshelf of our favorite books we enjoy during the winter and Christmas season: 

• The Christmas Miracle of Johnathan Toomey – A touching story of a bitter widower and how his life was touched by a young widow and her innocent son. 
• The Legend of the Candy Cane – Another dear story that I have done with the boys for years now. We never look at the candy cane the same. 
• An Orange for Frankie – This one makes me cry every time. 
• The Little Drummer Boy  – Last year this was David’s favorite song. This book makes it come alive. 
• The First Christmas Night – beautiful vivid illustrations. 
• Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale – Such a sweet story.   
• The Story Orchestra: The Nutcracker – Magical. 
• The Story of Holly and Ivy – Anything by Barbara Cooney is a must! 
• Christmas in the Big Woods – We love all the Little House books. 
• Mortimer’s Christmas Manger  – A fun story from the perspective of a little mouse. 
• The Legend of St. Nick – A sweet introduction to the story of St. Nick. 
• All Creation Waits – I have yet to read this one but it looks wonderful! 
• Jotham’s Journey: A Storybook for Advent – Another on my list to read, maybe in a year or two. 

Favorite music for the season I can’t recommend enough: 

These two albums above are two of my all time favorites that you will hear often if you visit our little cottage during the month of December. Though, I certainly have a whole bunch more I could share. Maybe in the next week or two I’ll put together a Slow and Sacred playlist to share with you all in the coming days.  

There are so many lovely resources for this Advent/Christmas season here are some favorites and some I think look life-giving and truth-filled: 

• Slow and Sacred Advent 
• Ann Voskamp has four beautiful devotional youtube videos, recored at home, one for each Sunday. I love watching these and being reminded and blessed. Advent Video 01. Hope., Advent Video 02. Love., Advent Video 03. Joy., Advent Video 04. Peace.
• Unearthing Wonder Advent Guide follows along with the book, All Creation Waits
• Peaceful Press’ Christmas Guide  
• Here is a free advent printable that follows along with The Storybook Bible. 

Note: I have not used all of these advent guides or Christmas guides but these are all something that tug at my heart and I would use. I like simplicity in our season so I don’t do everything. Some years I even plan on doing something but if it doesn’t end up happening it rolls over onto the list for next year. Remembering this season should become a sacred sanctuary of basking in the glory of our Savior and not an endless list of “have to do” is key for carving out a slow and sacred advent season. Maybe something tucked within these lists are the perfect fit for your family, I hope so.

May we treasure Christ in our traditions. May we come to His throne as a family and Behold the Lamb anew. May our homes and hearts become a sanctuary in the midst of these restless days.

I’d love to hear what you all are doing this year to behold the coming of our King. Or if you’d like to share if anything I shared sparked inspiration in your heart.

With love,

Brooke

The Tower of the Flock called Migdal Eder. According to Genesis 35 we know this is were Rachel was buried and it is called Bethlehem in this passage and there is a lot of significance there in Genisis 35 if you dig. This is where God says to Jacob “You are no longer called Jacob but Israel.” and in the same passage Rachel, whose name means Ewe (as in a sheep) dies during childbirth. And we see the Tower of the Flock referenced in Micah 4:8 where is says, “And you, O Tower of the Flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, to you it shall come, even the former of dominion shall come the Kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.” Upon further investigation there is so much beauty surrounding all of this.

According to early Jewish writings we find that sheep born anywhere in the vicinity of Bethlehem would be for temple sacrifice. There is a strong evidence from early Jewish writings and traditions of that time that the shepherds whom the angels appeared to were, quite possibly, the shepherds who kept watch over the sheep designated for temple sacrifice. 

Passage in Luke 2:1-20 says, 

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

((This will be a sign to you)) you will find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. 

Scholars say the Luke’s audience would have immediately known the significance of the Bethlehem shepherds watching their flocks by night. Aware of the Old Testament and the Jewish temple worship of the day they would have known when you say Bethlehem you meant sacrificial lambs. According to the Torah two lambs were required for a daily sacrifice in the temple meaning that 730 were needed each year plus the tens and thousands needed for Passover and other religious rituals. Since every event in Jesus’ life pointed to his death, prophesied long before that, His birth went right in line with all of it. The angels instructed the shepherds “You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.” The shepherds immediately responded “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass which the Lord has made known to us.” And in studying these things we realize the shepherds knew exactly where to go. There was no need for the angels to give specific directions to the birth place because they maybe really knew. These are the men who raised the lambs for sacrifice. According to Jewish writings during lambing seasons the sheep were brought to the tower of the flock from the fields throughout Bethlehem and the lower level of the tower was used as the birthing room for the sacrificial lambs being themselves under special rabbinical care, these priestly shepherds would strictly maintain a ceremonially clean birthing place or these lambs. Thank nice birthed the shepherds would routinely place the lambs in a depression of limestone rock known as, the manger and would wrap the newborn lambs in swaddling clothes preventing them from thrashing about and harming themselves until they had calmed down so that they could be inspected for the quality of being without spot or blemish. So when the angels appeared to these Bethlehem shepherds the imagery was all immediately there for them. They knew what the manger of Bethlehem meant and the sacrificial lambs were laid in it and were swaddled, they were inspected to be without blemish. Knowing the Old Testament through and through and understanding blood sacrificing covenant it’s entirely possible that they would understood the significance right away. That this is the Lamb of God born for sacrifice. 

All those who heard the shepherds glorifying the Lord wondered at what they were told. Just ponder the depth of the Good News the shepherds were told on that cold winters night! 

Oh, the call of a shepherd in a field nearby

To tend and to carry his flocks by night

They were not ordinary sheep; they were set apart,

Born to be Passover lambs.

And when a spotless male was born, he was held on the manger floor.

Swaddled up just to keep him calm until his time, and the shepherd sang:

Wrap this one up. He is a lamb without blemish.

Wrap this one up. He’ll make his way to the temple.

Born for sacrifice, he’ll join the others and pay the price.

Wrap this one up. Wrap this one up.

Oh, the call of a mother in a town nearby

To tend and to carry on this holy night

Not an ordinary Child, but the Son of God,

Breathed by the Holy Spirit.

And when the Baby King was born, He was held on the manger floor.

As she swaddled Him up, she knew His time would come as she sang:

Wrap this one up. He is the One that we adore.

Wrap this one up. He’ll wear the crown forevermore.

He’s come for you and me. He’ll finally set us free.

Wrap this one up. Wrap this one up. He’s the One.

Gloria! Gloria! Gloria! Sing Gloria! In excelsis Deo!
Gloria! Gloria! Gloria! Sing Gloria! In excelsis Deo!

Oh, the call of a Savior on a hill nearby.
All alone, He would carry the weight of all mankind.
Becoming the curse for us, He gave His life
For He knew that His time had come.

Wrap this one up. He is the lamb without blemish.
Wrap this one up. He paid the price, and it is finished.
That death would have no sting, He rose in victory!
Oh, hallelujah to the King!

Gloria! Gloria! Gloria! Sing Gloria! In excelsis Deo!
Gloria! Gloria! Gloria! Sing Gloria! In excelsis Deo! In excelsis Deo! In excelsis Deo!

Most of the words above I just jotted down from Christy Nockles podcast The Glorious in the Mundane when she shared the inspiration behind her beautiful song “Wrap This One Up”. If you would like to listen to her podcast were she shares this CLICK HERE. Have a rich, blessed, and Merry Christmas friends! Let us ponder this awe invoking revelation that our King Jesus was wrapped at birth. The most priceless gift ever given was wrapped up, placed in a manger signifying this is the Lamb of God that would become the sacrifice for our sins so we might be washed white as snow. Wrap this one up. He is a lamb without blemish. Wrap this one up. He’ll make his way to the temple. Born for sacrifice, he’ll join the others and pay the price. Wrap this one up. Wrap this one up. 

I started asking myself about when others see me, (especially my son and soon this little wee one inside of me) observe how I go about my days, how I react, how I love, how I live, will they unmistakably see my Jesus in me? Years down the road on this journey of life will the testimony of my life shape Josiah’s love for the Lord because he witnessed his Beloved Jesus in His mommy? 

In 2 Timothy 1:5 Paul was talking to young Timothy saying, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.” Timothy’s sincere faith that dwells in him was forged from the lap of his mommy. It dwells in him because of the sincerity of the faith he saw and emulated that was in his mother and his grandmother. 

And also in 2 Timothy 3:14-15, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it  and how from infancy you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” 

Just as Paul is exhorting Timothy to continue in what he has “learned” and “firmly believed” because he (Timothy) knows those “from whom he learned it” (in this case his grandmother and his mother) Timothy knew their characters, their hearts, the “sincerity of their faith” (1:5) walked out in their daily lives. They showed him Christ though their lives, through their actions, and words, they instilled the holy scriptures in him from his infancy, planting those seeds through his childhood and all through his growing up years and because of that, because he sees Jesus in such a stunning display through the testimony of his grandmother and his mother, Timothy’s faith is sincere and rooted deeply. Because of the teachings he had at his mother’s knee, because her love for Christ so compelled her to teach her son and it spilled over every facet of her life. He saw Jesus, he fell in love with Jesus. Because of the impact his mother made on his life… because she allowed the LORD to flow through her to her son… and spill over into his life. 

“The Hand that Rocks the Cradle” 

Woman, how divine your mission,

Here upon our natal sod; 

Keep—oh, keep the young heart open 

Always to the breath of God! 

All true trophies of the ages 

Are from mother-love impearled, 

For the hand that rocks the cradle 

Is the hand that rules the world.

  William Ross Wallace (1819-1881)

A mother’s sincere faith and loving instruction in the way of the Lord will shape this child, an eternal soul, and in turn shape the world. What a vital truth I need to remind myself each day that my life and my actions are being watched, will my children see Jesus displayed? The atmosphere I create in my home will mold the minds, hearts, habits, and lifestyles of my children. What are we portraying to our children? How our we molding their minds, their hearts, their lives?  May it be eternal. Oh mothers, how divine our mission!

“Her husband went in unto her, and the LORD gave her conception…” (Ruth 4:13) 

There is a beautiful truth found in this verse. The Lord enabled Ruth to conceive.

The magnificent, mysterious, humbling truth is…despite the science (which the Lord created and saw good.) and a+b=c formula that confirms conception as natural and understandable and “just the way things happen” when a man and a woman are together, God *gave* me conception. He *enabled* it to happen. With one lifting of His divine finger, with one breath of His almighty decree He allowed a little soul to be created that He deemed necessary in His eternal plan…just as simply and perfectly as if He had seen fit *not* to give conception. It was a staggering thought to be reminded that every life: every unwanted pregnancy, lost pregnancy, preterm pregnancy, full term pregnancy — you name it! Every. one. came about because God enabled it. Human life is no mistake. It is not merely an inevitable end result of a man and a woman being together….it is a purposeful decision in the mind of the Creator of the universe.

So often we lose the wonder and beauty of how perfect are the ways of our sovereign Lord. We get lost in the “normalcy” of it all. The hum drum, mundane that is the way it always is and always will be part of life…but the glorious reality is…nothing the LORD does is mundane. For everything there is a reason. Shall we seek for his glory in the seemingly mundane moments of our lives? 

Let us ponder the true wonder, miracle, and precious gift each child is. The Lord saw fit to give me this child to me. He has enabled, he is sustaining, he has given. 

“Before I formed you in your mother’s womb I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

A huge thank you to Allix Ruby for sharing this in the first place and allowing me to mix my thoughts with hers to share with you all.

Those 114 days in the hospital in room 409 are a a vivid haze. Some moments I wouldn’t mind forgetting and yet those are the moments my Lord was there upholding and sustaining in a way in which I had never known before. He was the Rock on which I stood, the safehaven in which I ran to. My fortress and my God. This is a journey that proclaims the majesty of my God. A journey, that though hard . . .it was beautifully hard. What a paradox. . .

Life is made of moments. Those moments define you. How you react to those moments define your days. 

I chose JOY during those days — even though we were not in our own home Josh and I delighted over our first born son. Rejoicing in our perfect miracle and every sweet and precious thing he did. We praised the Lord for the life of our son and the testimony of the Lord’s faithfulness that was and is evident every moment of every day. 

Oh the sweet memory of getting to see Josiah open his eyes for the very first time. Watching him try so diligently to open his fused eyes open when he heard his mommy’s and daddy’s voices. Oh to see him wrinkle his little brow and try with all his might to open that eye. And oh what celebration when he succeeded! I shall never forget my little pirate boy who opened his eye when he heard my voice. What joy! 

 Being able to witness his growth outside my womb. To see the miraculous beauty of the handiwork of our Creator as He continued forming our son before our eyes. How perfect he was. How perfect he is. 

I will never forget my longing to just kiss my sweet precious son. Even just a quick kiss on his ever sweet face. Please oh please. And yet there was an isolette preventing me from leaning over and kissing my son. Oh the day I got to kiss him. May I never take that simple kiss of love for granted. Oh did my arms ache to hold him near. To protect him, to sing to him, to comfort him, to love him. {I don’t think I could ever describe the feeling — to have your child so near, where his heartbeat and yours beat together, in the same vessel. And to all of a sudden – be prematurely torn apart. It isn’t what is meant to be.} To one moment having a little life within you moving and making himself known to the world and the next moment to not. With no remembrance of how that happened except for a physical pain of an emergency c-section – evidence that you did indeed have the tiny miraculous life growing within and an ache in your heart missing your child that was there just hours before inside of you.

And yet we do not live in a perfect world. This world full of sin, in need of redemption. Though some things are not supposed to happen, they do, but they happen because our Savior turns it into something beautiful. No matter the circumstance, no matter the outcome, HE is there turning ashes into beauty, showcasing His glory! 

This all may sound so horrible, so hopeless…but it wasn’t…despite it all Josh and I had His peace that surpasses all understanding, His constant, tender care. He guarded our heart and our minds. 

The nurses and doctors and surgeons hands were the hands He used. He guided them in everything. And we thank Him daily for the tender care of the Master Surgeon, The Creator of all. We thank him for hand selecting a wonderful team of nurses to love on our dear boy. We thank Him that our son’s life is a testimony to all who hear. 

So many milestones. So many mountains to climb. So many miraculous moments. Each peak seemed more intense but with every mountain scaled the strength of the Almighty seemed more and more evident. Abounding all reason. solidifying our trust. Grounding and deepening our faith. 

I won’t pretend it was easy, because it wasn’t. But I won’t pretend it was hard either because in my weakness HIS strength became tangible and visible like never before. Looking to HIM every step of the way. Trusting. Knowing without a doubt HIS way was perfect. 

“Living a life with hands wide open.” That phrase is penned many times through my journal before and during my pregnancy. He was wooing and preparing my heart for such a time as this. Building a foundation on my heart. A solid foundation that HE could build upon and make my faith stronger. Isaiah 7:9 “If you are not firm in faith, then you are not firm at all.” 

Faith. It is one of those elusive words of the Christian walk. It is used and referred to countless times. But what is it truly? It is complete and unyielding trust in our LORD Jehovah. “If you do not have a firm and unyielding resolution in the might and ability of your God, then you, your life, are not firm at all.”

“Faith thanks God in the middle of the story.” Ann Voscamp 

“Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.”

“Faith is the indefinable certainty of God behind everything.” Oswald Chambers 

Am I living a life of faith that man can not explain?! I remember asking myself this question. I remember the Lord whispering this question to my heart. Even now, this question rings… Is my faith rational? Can the rational men and women of this world explain my faith or is my faith unwavering when everything else around me is? 

I prayed a prayer using a favorite song on mine and my unborn bebe boy. As the song began to play Josiah would dance and flip as if to say “this is my favorite song mommy” even to this day it is his favorite. As my bebe boy danced within me a welling desire began dancing in my heart, “Lord, give me a trust without borders. Deepen my faith like never before. Strengthen me with your steadfast grace. Little did I know how the Lord would begin answering that prayer of my yearning heart. A heart that He was wooing, a heart that wants to be fully His. There are no words to completely capture the peace of His presence in each moment. Each wave that seemed to get stronger and stronger wanting to take us down with it only pushed us closer into the depths of His storehouse of grace. 

“Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders // let me walk upon the waters wherever you would call me // Take me deeper then my feet could ever wander // & my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior.” 

He called us out upon the waters

The great unknown where feet may fail and there we find You in the mystery — In oceans deep Our faith will stand because…

“Your grace abounds in deepest waters // Your sovereign hand will be my guide // Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me // my You’ve never failed and you won’t start now.”

I can say with unwavering certainty that His grace is sufficient. His strength is alway sufficient. 

There is a quote by Charles Spurgeon saying, “I have learned to kiss the wave that drives me against the Rock of Ages.”

And even though there were many strong waves that hit us during this season instead of gasping for breath and fighting against the waves we leaned upon the strength of our Solid Rock and HE refreshed us, comforted us, reassured us, loved us, and deepened our faith, strengthened our trust, filled our hearts with joy everlasting, and gave us an even deeper vision of Calvary’s love. 

“Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus // just to take Him at his word…just to know thus saith the Lord” 

The Lord taught us so much during the time we spent in those four walls that were called “Josiah’s Room” for the time being. So many memories, not all that I would want to repeat: waiting to hear if my son was still breathing after a surgery, seeing my mighty mini man laying completely still with his sweet swollen tongue between his parted lips (because they had paralyzed him for his surgery because he was a mover and a shaker) the only evidence that he was with us was the monitor showing his heart beat, the beat of life, and the swell of his chest with the help of the breathing machine…each morning moment was an opportunity for us to choose trust, to choose Christ. It bring tears to my eyes still remembering those days. I thank the Lord for my husband, Josh, and what a source of strength he was to me. My strong tower, whose faith and trust in his Lord blew me away and challenged me to rest in Him knowing this was all for His glory & renown! 

“When peace like a river attendeth my soul // when sorrows like sea billows roll // whatever the cost, you have taught me to say // it is well, it is well with my soul” 

Our little nest changed over the course of time as bit by bit we added to the warmth and ambiance as the sand of time ran it’s course day by day. A scripture full of depth and meaning here, a picture brimming full of memories there…I hope you enjoy this little glimpses into our little Apple Nest throughout the seasons of the two-in-a-half years we called it ours.

Season by season I stand here amazed. In awe of your mystery and Your {perfect ways}

This is the worn old step that I crossed as a bride…Here is where I began learning how to be a wife…Here I made this house into a home…Here I had dreamed the exquisite, happy dreams of anticipated motherhood. Here I became a mother…

This house became a home bursting full of so many memories. Full of love, grace, and joy. It holds memories of mountain peaks and valleys, tears and joy, countless prayers, boundless love, and abundant blessings. I will forever hold dear each moment scripted in our {Apple Nest}

You might have seen our announcement video a while back… Well, our little one decided to come in to this world a little earlier than we were expecting and surprise us!

On July 1st Brooke and I were back from our first swim of the season, when Brooke’s water broke quite unexpectedly. I called 911 and Brooke was rushed to the hospital. Just under 1 1/2 hours later our son Josiah Daniel was born via emergency C-section.

There are so many miracles that have gotten this little one in to this world, and so many more we are continually expecting the Lord to perform. We just wanted to write about a few of them to testify to the faithfulness of our Lord.

{Josh} On the night of July 1st, I was outside the Operating room waiting for Brooke to come out of surgery. Just a little under 30 minutes in to the surgery, the doctors and nurses wheeled out our son. “You have a son!” were the words out of the nurses mouth. I remember feeling so relieved and thankful that Josiah was born, that he was alive and doing well for a baby born 3 1/2 months early. The surgeon performing the C-section stepped out of the OR and came up to me. “I just wanted to let you know that time was of the essence in this situation – If you had come just a couple minutes later, I don’t believe the baby would be alive.” The Lord was sustaining our little one even before he fully made his appearance in the world.

{Brooke} The mere fact that my body signaled to cause my water to break alerting us that something was happening inside of me. The mere fact that I was 25 weeks (and 3 days) along and not 24 weeks and my baby was considered “viable” in the world’s standards – viable enough to consider saving my precious boy’s life. The mere fact that if we were even just a few minutes behind I wouldn’t have my sweet son. The mere fact that HIS peace that transcends all understanding washed over me the minute my water broke and instead of fear – words of prayer and trust came out of my mouth. The mere fact. There are a lot of facts in this story HE is scripting. Facts that declare the work of our Father’s hands.

A little bit about Josiah’s name…

Josiah means: The Fire of the Lord; Intuitive Perception. The Lord who purges & refines, the God who heals. 

Daniel means: Spiritual Judgement, Integrity, Spiritual Discernment. God is my judge. A man of excellence and prayer; resolute and wholly given for His Master. The most common comment we receive about Josiah is that he’s a little feisty one! He’s very active and strong. I’m excited to see how the Lord develops that in the coming years, and sharpens our arrow to be ready to send forth against the enemy.

In the Bible, Josiah was king at 8 years old – the youngest king recorded. (You can find the full story in 2 Kings 22-23:30). His story is about the power of God cleansing Israel, and bringing healing to the land. He did not turn to the right or the left, and the Bible says, “And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.”

Daniel was a prophet during the Babylonian captivity (read about his story and prophesies in all of the book of Daniel). He refused to follow the king’s orders, and served only one Master – the King of Kings. He was among a few that were chosen from Israel as some of the young men who were upright, skillful, and full of wisdom. He ends up being a council and prophet to the Babylonian kings Nebuchadnezzar and Darius, chosen as first above all princes because of the Lord’s spirit that resides in him. Even when the other princes tried to kill him by having the king sign in to law a decree that required all those bowing to another god other than king Darius be thrown in to the den of lions, Daniel made friends with the lions that were meant to destroy him, and king Darius turned his heart to the Lord because of Daniel’s actions.

Josiah Daniel has a strong name for one who was born at 2 pounds 2 ounces & 12 inches long and yet … “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” {1 Corinthians 1:27}

We stand amazed that as we see how perfectly of a fit Josiah’s name is for him. The depth of meaning of names have always been important to the both of us. We took our time as we thought over names for our arrow. When we settled on Josiah Daniel – there was no doubt in our mind, if we have a boy this name is the perfect fit. In Isaiah 49:1(b) it says, “The LORD called me before my birth; from within the womb HE called me by name.” The Lord has been guiding our every step throughout this time and in SO many ways He has revealed His knowledge, sovereignty, and power. He has truly gone before us and Josiah’s name is just one instance where the LORD has shown us that. Josiah was called by name, the Lord has known him before the foundations of the earth. Josiah’s life in these past 26 days have refined Josh and my faith and trust in our Lord and Master. Ever deeper. Not only that the Lord showed us in that first day, July 1st, when Josiah came into this world early, the fact that Josiah of the bible became king at a “premature” age and then to top it off our Heavenly Father said, “And do you not remember? I named your son Josiah – Jehovah who heals!” He knows how to strengthen our hearts!

God has a grand plan for our Mighty Man (m&m) and He has started even now. It blows us away to see how one life, so young, can affect so many, and draw us all deeper still into the vastness of our Lord!

“But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. “For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

Isaiah 43:1-3b

Dancing sunlight. Fresh blooms. Saturday mornings with my husband…

“I believe the nicest and sweetest of days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string…”  {anne of green gables}

“On this day, my hand is yours to hold, my heart forever yours to keep.”  -Irish Wedding Vow

It was an unforgettable day – the day Josh and I got married. It never ceases to make us beam. September 30th, 2012 will always be engraved in our memory! A lot of people who are married say that their wedding day was perfect, and no other wedding day on any other planet could even come close. Though we are of the persuasion that our wedding was pretty amazing, we don’t want to subject you to our opinions, so we’re going to put you in the judge’s seat and let you decide for yourself about our wedding day.

A mixture of Josh’s and Brooke’s perspectives:

Where does one begin? This chapter in our story is such a blessed part of the beautiful journey God has scripted for Josh and I. September 30th, 2012 was a beautiful day, full of HIS presence! And yet, our wedding day isn’t the end of our story. In fact, it is just the beginning of the novel known as the Kinabrew Chronicles. One thing Josh and I prayed as the days came ever closer to the day we would be joined in covenant marriage was that we wouldn’t merely prepare for our wedding day but most importantly we would prepare for our marriage. . .

Waking up on your own wedding day is quite surreal. Some thoughts that ran through my {Josh’s} mind was: “Am I old enough for this?” “Is it really happening to me?” Brooke had been planning this day for around 3 months. Was it already here? The culmination of planning little details to the excitement of knowing that we would be joined together as one in Christ in front of all those present at the wedding was almost too much to bear. There was an unspeakable joy in the air as we made preparations for this most perfect of days.

{History about our wedding day}

Before we start, we wanted to share a little about the background of our wedding day – September 30th, 2012. Right after our engagement we went to work finding the right wedding venue (which is quite the task indeed!). After settling upon the place, we then had to settle on the date. There were only a few days in mid to late September that were available for the place we had chosen, The Tapestry House. We ended up deciding on Sunday, September 30th. After we had decided on the date, one of Brooke’s friends asked her, “Did you plan on having your wedding be on the first day of Sukkot (which is the Jewish feast of Tabernacles)?” Without us knowing, the Lord had hand-picked our wedding date. The feast of Tabernacles is also known as the rehearsal for the wedding feast of the Lamb. The significance blew us away – our wedding was on the day where the Jewish nation celebrated the wedding of the Lamb to His Bride. Our desire and ultimate prayer, especially when the Lord brought to our attention about how the day of our wedding was on the Jewish feast of Tabernacles we wanted to show a picture of Christ returning for His pure, radiant bride.That day we would live out a reflection of what is to come. What an amazingly blessed experience it was to be apart of a “rehearsal of what is to come”! This life is but a breath, this life is but a reflection, this life is meant to be a reflection, a shadow of things to come. We thank the Lord for allowing us to be a picture of Christ the Groom coming for His bride, the church and to learn of our Heavenly Bridegroom in such an intimate way!

Details, they are very important to me {Brooke} the Lord in His perfect way fulfilled every detail, every jot and tiddle, every tiny thing, no matter how miniscule is a reflection of our Lord and Savior. Maybe that is one of the reasons details are so special to me. Both Josh and I desired that everything, down to the smallest detail of our wedding would point to Christ. And that even if our guests couldn’t see the significance of everything that was a part of the day, we would know and rejoice in HIS perfect ways. Every detail came together more beautifully than I could ever have asked or imagined. With it all compiled together it made our day a beautiful, Christ-saturated and picturesque victorian dream come true! The day was absolutely perfect! Thank you Jesus! One key verse that (is found engraved on a locket Josh gave me, found dangling on my wedding bouquet as well as the communion cup he used to ask me be his for forever) and which encompasses our relationship, our wedding, and our life is found in: Colossians 1:18 which says, “That in all things HE may have the preeminence.” That is our hearts desire. Every single detail of our wedding day knit together to become a beautiful work of art. And may it not stop there… may our lives as husband and wife become a breathtaking tapestry saturated with HIM, only because of HIM!

Josh and I wanted to incorporate lanterns in our wedding because of the picture that is painted in of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13 where it challenges us to not be caught without oil in our lamps, for the coming f our Heavenly Bridegroom. We wanted this reminder to be before us and all those who came to witness our union to “Be Ready!”

One of Josh’s favorite songs is “Inevitable” by Anberlin which we had played as we walked down the aisle after we were announced husband and wife.  One of the phrases in that song is, “I wanna break every clock, the hands of time can never move again // we could stay in this moment for the rest of our lives.“ Josh had a wonderful idea, which I really liked, and that was to put a clock as the centerpieces on some of the table and have the clock set to a certain time representing a time or date… a time or date that was special to us. We set the clocks by times or dates and then put a little note on the side of the centerpiece sharing with those who were at the table why that time or date was important to us. That phrase is also engraved on the pocket watch that Josh wore. And was he ever the most dashing groom with his vest and pocketwatch! Another special little detail is found on Josh’s boutonniere (that I got to hand-make the morning of our wedding) is found a key… the key to my heart.

My wedding dress is near and dear to my heart and holds so much meaningfulness. Not only was my gown yards and yards of beautiful lace which makes my heart happy, there is a little quote found in a wonderful book about a little orphaned girl named Anne, where she said, “There is magic in the words silk and lace isn’t there? The very sound of them make me feel like skipping off to a dance!” this saying resonates with me. *smile* Some parts of this most lovely of dresses was lovingly and prayerfully sewn by my Mother-in-love and the lace used for the sleeves as well as the back was lace that was from my Mothers wedding dress from 26 years ago when she was a young bride! You can read more about my dream wedding dress on our photography blog HERE! What a beautiful dress I was blessed with & what faithfulness is shown by HIM in every detail & stitch that created this lacey dress that I would slip on as I adored myself for my groom!

{Wedding Ring}

The ring that Brooke is wearing is one-of-a-kind. We are really into symbolism, if you couldn’t already tell. Symbolism seems to be a part of God’s language. The fact that everything He has designed requires a second, third, or even millionth view to fully behold what care and Love has gone into creation alludes to the fact that our God loves hiding nuggets of treasure in the little details. The first band {the engagement band} has 3 diamonds held on the ring with 12 pillars. The number 3 symbolizes divine perfection (think of the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) as well as new life. The number 12 symbolizes governmental perfection (think of the 12 tribes of Israel, and the 12 Disciples.) The second band {the wedding band} has 4 diamonds on it, the number 4 symbolizes creation (think of the 4 seasons), symbolizing this earthly journey we are on, and this marvelous creation our God has made. When the two bands are intricately joined together the total number of diamonds becomes 7, which signifies spiritual perfection. When the two bands are joined together they are no longer a separate entity in and of themselves, they create something wholly new. This symbolizes what God does when He joins us together. No longer are we separate entities, He sees us as one – a wholly new and complete creation. Upheld by His perfect government, with the Trinity at the core surrounded by creation. We like it.

{First Look}

A jewish tradition that we decided to put our own little spin on is that of a first look. Traditionally, the Groom would lift up the veil and make sure that his bride was Rachel instead of Leah. (See Genesis 29.) Our first look was a little to the side of the beautiful victorian house at the wedding venue, tucked away on a little path. In the background drifted the beautiful melody of the song near and dear to our hearts, “Anguish of Your Heart” (You can listen to it HERE) it was an unplanned touch God placed there as a sweet gift to mark the atmosphere of that day, from beginning to end, with Himself. {Josh} As Brooke slowly tapped on my shoulder and I turned around, I saw before me the most beautiful woman to ever walk the face of this planet. There before me was truly a radiant bride. As we embraced, the chorus of Anguish began to swell and we began weeping. It was such a beautiful moment to hear the words of the song, “To you my King belongs the crown, so pour me out for Your renown!” {Brooke} Deep breath, soak everything in…I was walking in a perfectly lovely dream…so it seemed…but this was reality, this was really real, today, I am a bride! This is the day, I have adorned myself for my groom. Everything began swilling into place, the accumulation of all those hours spent planning, preparing, and dreaming all came down to that day; that moment. I remember only bits and pieces of things happening around me, little snapshots, my dear mom doing this and that while my hair was being styled, my mother-in-love ironing my veil. All my brides maids doing this and that, both of my mothers helping me into my wedding gown. Many dear faces looking at me with shining eyes, my dad standing in the doorway “just staring at me” and then I was off…off to see my groom! I walked up behind Josh and gently tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and his eyes that sparkle with joy and life met mine. A deep joy washed over me as I hugged the man that would very soon be my husband. It was a beautiful and sweet moment that we got to share as music drifted through the air and the most incredible gift stood before me, my best friend, my groom, the one whom I love! I fell in love with his heart and his life that is wholly devoted to the calling and guidance of his King. This is the man I was called to serve and serve alongside (ALL the days of my life). This handsome, tender, passionate, man. He chose me… and that made my heart swell in awe. There is something so wonderful to know to know that even in spite of my imperfectness he choose to love me. What a beautiful picture this portrays that even in spite of our unworthiness to be the bride of the Most High LORD He has chosen us, and clothed in purity and arrayed us in beauty!

{Wedding Video} And even after all of that, our mere words can’t really do this glorious day justice. We are sitting here, trying to find adequate words that could hold the depth of joy and gratefulness that filled our hearts that day. So instead of trying to capture the beauty with just words we thought we would share a video of that most beautiful celebration that just happens to be our wedding day.

{Ceremony}

A few details about the ceremony…

The song we chose to play during communion in our ceremony is called Anguish of Your Heart. This song was written by two of our dear friends Ella Powell and Steve Rosen during the first Ellerslie semester in Summer 2010. This song has tugged at both of our hearts both individually and together. We had the privilege of having them perform it while we took communion, which was such an amazing blessing. The lyrics in the song couldn’t be more fitting to our calling to be Christians in a world that esteems wealth and power over sacrificing your life for the vulnerable. “To spend my life is Your reward! To You my King belongs the crown, so pour me out for your renown!” This is our desire – to be completely poured out and wholly spent for Him. May it continually ring truer still in our lives each passing year!

Sheva Brachot – The Seven Blessings – to go along with the Jewish traditional theme we asked my {Brooke} long time friends to pray this blessing over us in English and then repeat it in Hebrew. Sheva Brachot is traditionally spoken at a wedding so as to pronounce blessings over the new husband and wife. A couple verses are as follows: “Blessed are You, LORD, our God, sovereign of the universe, who created everything for His Glory”… “Blessed are You, LORD, our God, sovereign of the universe, who created joy and gladness, groom and bride, mirth, song, delight and rejoicing, love and harmony and peace and companionship. Soon, LORD our God, may there ever be heard in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem voices of joy and gladness, voices of groom and bride, the jubilant voices of those joined in marriage under the bridal canopy, the voices of young people feasting and singing. Blessed are You, LORD, who causes the groom to rejoice with his bride.”

Now I {Brooke} must confess something…I am a planner, I like everything to have a space and slot… every “t” must be crossed and every “i” completed with a dot. So, in my planning mode I was trying to set a basic outline for the ceremony and give a time to everything, to make sure we would relatively stay on track and not miss anything. In my haste, I wrote on the schedule, “The Kiss: 1 minute.” Now I knew it wouldn’t take THAT long but for the flow of time instead of breaking everything into seconds I kept it that way… My Father-in-love (among others *ahem*) chuckled and teased me during the rehearsal. I thought that was over with and didn’t think of it any further… maybe I should have. *smile* — Josh gave each of the groomsmen a pocket watch and unbeknownst to us they were in league with Bruce, my father-in-love. Right before “the kiss” he shared that little story of the “planned” minute long kiss, the groomsmen pulled out their pocket watches, laughter ensued. We didn’t even come close to reaching the minute long goal but our first kiss {ever} was lovely.

Here are a few snapshots during our rehearsal of when that was being talked about.

{Thanks} We would like to take a moment to thank everyone who made this day possible, we truly could not have done it without each of you. Both of our parents, Bruce and Denise, Tony and Gail, our siblings- Aaron, Caleb, Micah, Becca, Brittany B., Jonathan, and Bridgette. Steve, Kara, Matt, Ella (& Elijah), Carrie, Kelsey, Valerie, Felicia, Judah, Nathan B., Kayla, Lauren, Grace, Jenn, Jade, Rachel, Kourtney, Bri, Samantha, Mandy, Olivia, Brittney W., Austin, Stephen, Nathan R., Esther, Annabelle, Kate, Anna, Melissa, Diane, Andrew, all of those who served the dinner.  What an immense blessing to see all those the Lord has placed around us to encourage and support us! We are so blessed!

For future years to finish…

(From Josh’s Perspective)

I like symbolism. The Bible is riddled with symbolism that one can only understand if looking for the symbolism. All of the Jewish feasts were made to help those participating remember what the Lord brought them through (and will bring them through in the future). The Passover feast had always stood out to me, mainly because it’s one of the few feasts the Bible gives specific details of Jesus celebrating. It’s as if God wanted to hallmark certain aspects of this feast so that everyone who knew the law would have no excuse as to not knowing who the Messiah is.

During the Passover, Jesus took the bread in His hand and says, “This is my Body”. After that, he takes the cup and says, “This is my Blood”. When I was studying Jewish tradition, a man seeking to get married would take bread and wine to his soon-to-be Bride, and they would partake of that together. After the man took a drink of the wine, he offered it to his soon-to-be Bride, and if she drank from the cup, it was her “Yes” answer to his proposal. It’s an extremely prophetic image to behold during the Last Supper – Jesus is essentially proposing to his disciples, and they are responding with a “Yes”. I always liked this imagery, so I decided to incorporate it in our engagement.

During my meeting with Brooke’s father earlier on, we had sort of discussed the main points I wanted to accomplish during the engagement. I wanted him to go around the table and bless each one of his children on different nights with something that meant a lot to each of them individually.

As it turned out, I was invited to go up to Estes Park with the Berberich family the day before I had planned out the engagement. Brooke had no clue as to what was going to happen the following day.

I had searched for a communion chalice for quite some time while planning this, and only just found one a couple hours before heading down to Castle Rock. Who says God isn’t in the details? I had it inscribed with one of our favorite verses: “That in all things He might have the preeminence”.

In the nights prior to our engagement, around the dinner table Tony blessed and prayed for each of Brooke’s brothers and sisters. On the night of July 16th it was Brooke’s turn.

At this point, I had a job that I worked at from 8am to 5pm, and the dinner they had was around 6pm. Windsor is a good 1.5 hours away (especially in 5:00 traffic in Denver) from Castle Rock where Brooke lived. The timing was just right so that Brooke wouldn’t be expecting me at all. The day wasn’t on a weekend, so I wouldn’t have planned to go down to Castle Rock at all.

One of the biggest things I was worried about in the planning for the engagement was the fact that it was a surprise – I wanted to model after Christ, who when He comes for His Bride, it will be a surprise to her as well. . As I was driving down to Castle Rock my heart was pounding, and thoughts of whether or not the surprise was ruined flooded my mind. “What if someone slipped? What if Brooke knows I was going to propose to her today?” I’m not usually someone who is extremely nervous about something I will be doing or where I will be going, however this engagement surprise had me a little on edge, which only added to the emotion of when the moment finally arrived.

Remember what I said way back in the first blog post about God being an artist and us being His canvases? God was speaking this very thing to me on my drive to Castle Rock. As God was painting this beautiful picture right before my eyes, a thought hit me. He delights in giving good gifts to His children. He delights in taking blank canvases submitted to the King and painting a picture that uniquely displays His handiwork in every aspect. From each brushstroke, to the colors chosen, to even the time in which He decides to paint – it all displays a unique picture of His Glory in a way that nothing else can. Just because He can. I got to see this first-hand in the planning for this engagement. Even if Brooke had found out that I was going to propose that day, it would have still been just another brushstroke in His masterpiece.

After they were finished eating dinner, and after Brooke was blessed and prayed for, Tony went to go get “her gift”. I was hiding in the garage. As he went to open the garage door, I heard Brooke’s sister Bridgette say something along the lines of “I’ll bet you her gift is Josh.” Only Tony, Gail and I knew what was happening that night, Bridgette was making a random guess and I was kind of shocked that she guessed right! She came running down the hall towards the garage as I stepped in the house. “Josh! See, I knew it!” I tried to hush her so that I could preserve some of the surprise. As I stepped around the corner, Brooke was a bit shocked. Her family left the room, and I took her to the table.

I don’t exactly remember what I said during that point. I had rehearsed it so many times in my head, but in the moment nothing came to me. I took the cup in my hands and took a drink of the juice. I asked Brooke, “Will you marry me?” as I passed the cup to her. “Yes!” was her answer as she drank. After that I prayed over our lives together – that we would be a shining example of what Christ does with two people wholly focused on Him. After that I told her for the very first time, “I love you.” Oh, the joy that washed over me after saying those words. I was saying them to the one with whom I would spend the rest of my life with – and I meant them with every fiber of my being. The moment couldn’t have been any better. The Lord was with us as we took this step of faith, knowing that He would lead us in His path.

Brooke wore a ring on her ring finger that was given to her by her parents as a purity ring. As a symbol of her passing from her Father’s headship to mine, I had asked that Tony would remove the purity ring and I slip the engagement ring on her finger.

Afterwards, I clearly remember Brooke was still in shock. So much so that she wouldn’t even finish her dessert pie. I popped open my computer and Skyped my family with Brooke to tell them all about what had happened. They were in on it from the beginning of planning, but to see it come to fruition brought my mom to tears.

I’ll never forget what happened that day – the Lord brought us close together, and began preparing us for marriage. One of the great pieces of advice we were told during our engagement was that we shouldn’t just prepare for a wedding that lasts a few hours, we should prepare for a marriage that lasts a lifetime.

God had been preparing our hearts for marriage in the time that we were courting, but even more so in these three months before our wedding, we saw God prepare us for what He would pour down on us during our wedding ceremony.

Oh what a wonderful day that was.

 (From Brooke’s Perspective)

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

2 Corinthians 9:15

July 16^th, 2012 began like any normal day. The day before (the 15^th) my family and I drove up to Estes Park, Josh joined us. We all walked up and down the main street and even got old-fashioned pictures taken. (seen below)

My plan for the 16^th didn’t include too much. My goal for the day was to go through my entire room and de-clutter and organize. I had been working all day, every now and then I would pause to send a text to Josh, or venture downstairs to grab a bite to eat, or see what everyone else was doing down stairs… as of late my parents had been having an evening “dedicated” to each of us in the family where they would make our favorite meal, pray over us, and pour encouragement into us, and bless us with a little gift. That evening it was my night. I came down stairs, whips of hair going in all directions, and a little tired from my days work. My mom had prepared my favorite meal and a pie…mmmm pies. We all chose to save the pie for later on in the evening, so after we all sat down in the living room my dad and mom began sharing scriptures that the Lord had placed on their hearts for me. After my families words of encouragement my dad eluded to the fact that my gift was in the garage. He then proceeded to go retrieve it. Bridgette jokingly giggled, not serious in the least, “Brooke’s gift is Josh. Josh is in the garage.” I thought that was utterly unreasonable since I had been talking to Josh that day and he had told me he had an important meeting that evening and yet my heart did a little flutter and flip. Bridgette, who couldn’t wait to see what my gift really was ran to the hall that led to the garage. Then she exclaimed, “JOSH!?” Now, I honestly thought she was teasing, carrying on her previous statement, then I saw the smile on my mom’s face, the confusion in Bridgette’s, and I heard a loud “shhhhhhh” from the hallway and then I began to doubt my certainty. I calmly (outwardly) walked to the intersection of the living room and hallway and there he was. Standing there, tall and handsome, a smile lighting up he face, eyes twinkling, and maybe a little hint of “did I surprise her?” in his eyes too. Oh I was surprised all right. I stood there, quite unable to move. The reality of the moment sinking in as the clock ticked. My parent’s began gathering up my siblings, shepherding them out to the front porch. The dreamy haze of “will I know when the moment came?” had finally come. I stood there, like one in a dream, not knowing what to do, no one had proposed to me before. Josh gently said, “ Would you like to come sit at the table?” I nodded, heart pounding, the realization rolling through my mind, “it is happening, this is real, and it is happening to me!” We sat down, Josh at the head, I at his side. . . and then it all happened. There in front of us sat a silver challis with the words of Colossians 1:18 engraved upon it. “That in ALL this HE might have the preeminence.” Part of what is done during a Hebrew engagement is having communion together. It signifies the contract of marriage. It was a seal to our vows of a forever covenant between the betrothed.

In words that seem a blur to me Josh spilled forth what the Lord had intricately placed in his heart. Josh chose me. He desires to grow old with me. He is asking me to become his bride, his love, and his wife. Oh the beauty of it all. This can’t be real! With the covenant cup in hand filled with the portrayal of our Savior’s sacrifice, life, and love Josh asked me to be his wife. He asked me to marry him! He then took a sip of the grape juice, signifying poured out wine, lives forever in covenant with our Lord and in covenant together, poured out at the very feet of Christ. Then the cup was passed into my hands. I knew that taking a sip would be yes enough but before I drank I said, “Yes!” and then to seal my vow before my Father in Heaven and my soon-to-be groom I took the covenant “wine”. I didn’t cry, I was so happy; tears of joy couldn’t even escape. Josh led us in a prayer of thanksgiving and rejoicing hand in hand, heart to heart. Words cannot really express this moment in time! Time to go get my family who have been anxiously waiting on the front porch… before we headed to the door Josh hugged me with strength and tenderness…and love. Leaning down, he whispered in my ear, that single word which I longed to hear, “I Love You Brooke” oh what beautiful words to hear spoken for the very first time. Oh the depth of LOVE…the greatest of these. I whispered back, meaning it with every ounce within me, “I LOVE you Josh” …it was worth saving that word for that moment. Not flinging it about, carelessly saying it, but purposefully saving it.

Our Messiah’s Betrothal to us, His Bride:

One of the last things that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ did before His Ultimate Sacrifice of love for us was to, betroth us to Himself. In Mark 14 starting in verse 23-25 it shares the words of Jesus,

“²³And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. ²⁴ And he said to them, “This is my blood of the (new) covenant (other versions say, New Testament), which is poured out for many. ²⁵ Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

  There are two beautiful pictures illustrated in this passage. One is Christ’s blood is a covenant, a binding contract, to us that if we allow Christ’s perfect righteousness to cleanse us of ALL ungodliness, if we confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts that HE is Lord then we will be grafted into Him. Christ in us the hope of glory! Second, you have to understand, Jesus disciples are of the Jewish lineage, they understand the traditions and customs of their people. The moment Christ “took up the cup…and offered it to them.” They knew that He as their Bridegroom was entering into a covenant betrothal with the Church, His Bride. Just read Hosea 2:19-20 it talks about us being betrothed to Him forever. Unbelievably beautiful!

In verse 25 of Mark 14 Jesus shares with us that He will not partake of the marriage cup until the wedding feast, the new covenant. When is the wedding feast? It is the day that the Groom comes for His bride!

We will be His Bride when He triumphantly comes back to us on a white horse. (Ladies, for those of you who desire your prince to sweep you off your feet as he is victoriously riding by on his white steed, look no longer! Jesus Christ, whose name is Faithful and True, who is also called The Word of God, He has come to woo you, to sweep you off of your feet and even an insignificant, little girl dream such as a prince on a white horse will be fulfilled in the most magnificent and glorious way! Read Revelation 19! O see the grandness of our Groom! Who can compare!? Just think, we are betrothed to HIM! Can you grasp that!?

Revelation 19:7-9 declares, “⁷ Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife (his bride) hath made herself ready.⁸ And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.⁹ And he saith unto me, “Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.””

Jesus was setting the stage for us long before our betrothal to Him. When He said in John 14:1-3, “I go to prepare a place for you?   And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” One of the duties of a bridegroom during the betrothal time was to prepare a place for his bride. Not only did Jesus say he was preparing us a place for us…if that isn’t enough evidence that we are His Bride, He adds, “and I will take you to myself.”

 May I add here, it boggles my mind that He gives us the honor of choosing us to be so intimately joined to Him. Why a Bride? Why not a servant? Why not the lowest of low ranks? After all, He gave His life so mine may be saved. (The most beautiful Love) When everything is said and done, May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering! I would be a servant prostrate at His feet for a lifetime at it would be worth it. And yet, yes, we are His bondservants, but it doesn’t stop there, we are adopted into His royalty; children grafted into His lineage. But it gets deeper, we become His Bride, the ultimate honor, the Bride of the Most High! Wow! My words and descriptions are so insignificant.

Another tradition is the bridal gift that the groom gives to his betrothed (Matan ntm) or another way of calling it a pledge of his love. The pledge or earnest of our Heavenly Bridegroom is the Holy Spirit. (Eph. 1:13-14) a promise of love and that He will return for us. Interestingly this pledge was given at Shavuot (Pentecost) – Acts 2:1-4. Could He also be telling us not only of His love but just how He is fulfilling this pledge (Jer 31:33)?

My story continues, the story of the day Josh proposed to me. Josh had a pledge of his love for me hidden away in his pocket. I was in too much of a haze to completely notice. Once my whole family came into the house with huge smiles on their faces, just beaming at us, my Dad came up to me and caught my left hand. On my ring finger was the purity ring my parents had given me. My Dad then began explaining, “Brooke, your Mother and I gave you this purity ring to signify your saving your heart for one, for this very moment…you get to exchange it.” as he was speaking he began to twist the ring off my finger passing it to Josh. As Josh slipped my ring, the earnest of our wedding celebration, he explained to me the meaning of my beautiful engagement band. It has three diamonds held on the ring by twelve pillars. The number three symbolizes divine perfection and new beginnings, as well as symbolizing the Trinity. The number twelve symbolizes governmental perfection. And if you look at the ring from the side the shape of a heart is made from the middle diamond. (The meaning of the wedding band will come later.)

The moments that compiled in that evening shall be sacred in my memory forever.

Needless to say that evening before drifting off to sleep I…sat by my open window in a great sheen of moonshine and murmured a prayer of gratitude and aspirations that came straight from my heart. There was in it thankfulness for the past and reverent petition for the future; and when I slept on my white pillow my dreams were as fair and bright and beautiful as maidenhood might desire…

…for now… : )

 Picture Credits:

Felicia Wondolowski, Lauren Robertson, & Myself, Brooke.