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Amy Gannett

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    • Take Root Seminars
    • The Rooted Home
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  • Practical Theology

    Ministry in the Day of Small Things

    August 22, 2018August 25, 2018

    I graduated from seminary with a sense that theology would change the world. In part, I was right: the truth of who God is has changed everything about who I am and everything about the community in which I live. I walk the streets with this inheritance in hand – hope for any and everyone

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    • There are few meals we sit down to throughout the week that bring such grace and joy as this one. At the end of a Sunday - one in the Word, spent with other members of our family of faith, watching believers grow in Christ - we sit down to this meal that reminds us of our call to sabbath rest. We work during the week (and on Sundays), and then we rest, trusting God to bring the fruit by His Spirit. And He does. He’s never disappointed us or let us down. He’s never left His people. And because He is good and faithful, we rest. Happy Sabbath, friends.
    • So thankful for the deepening community of women at @trinitygreenville. We shared delicious food, swapped holiday mugs, and shared a sweet time in the Word. Grateful for all God is doing here and for each of these women!
    • I always want to believe that this season of Advent brings out the best in me. That decorating in festive lights postures me towards my home, neighbors and family with generosity and good will, just like the Christmas hymns sing. I want to believe that these Christmas lights in every corner of our little home will be mirrored in some way in my inner person. And yet, as I stand at this mantle straightening this stocking, I’m more aware of my own inner darkness than ever before.
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This is the first year we’re hanging three stockings at the fireplace as we anticipate our first little one joining the family in the spring. We didn’t think we’d be able to conceive, and ever since we did my fear of losing this child has only grown proportional to my growing belly and strengthened with little girl’s strengthening kicks. I know this anxiety would be by my side in any season of pregnancy, but there’s something vulnerable about the Christmas season. Something about hanging a stocking for our little girl that reminds me of my doubts, life-long fears, anxieties and weaknesses.
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I want Christmas to bring out the light in me. But somehow, it always seems to remind me of the shadowed places in my heart.
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The Christmas commercials that picture idealistic family celebrations remind me of my own broken relationships. The cheery store greeters handing my flyers for Christmas sales remind me of my financial worries. The decorations on the dining room table remind me of the friends I long to share this table with — those I miss, and those friendships I long to make.
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And I think this is why the season of Advent (the days leading up to and following the celebration of the coming of Christ) has such a profound grip on me. It’s a season all about preparation and waiting. While the world around us grows saccharinely cheery the minute thanksgiving dinner ends, Advent is all about waiting for the lights to come on as we anticipate the one who was born to be the light of the world. And do you know what it means to wait for the Light? It means it’s dark. (Read the rest on the blog today at the link in my bio ✨)
    • It’s that kind of Saturday around here.🎄
    • I’ve wanted a home to host in for years now. For a long time I wondered why God arranged the days of our lives in such a way that put off home ownership for years into marriage. But I’m starting to see what He’s up to. Last night, we hosted a few of our new friends from @trinitygreenville for thanksgiving in this dining room. There were so many dishes and napkin rings and this new light fixture that gave me so much joy to share. But as we sat around that table, I noticed something: the ministry was the same. Yes, I was able to share some of the beauty that makes my heart sing, but the fellowship and laughter around this new table, much-sought after rug, and my favorite old dishes was just as good as when I was living in a transitional apartment with no more than paper plates. Because God meets His people. I think it’s that simple. We can minister anywhere because God is there. Fancy or not, china or paper, new light fixture or fluorescent dorm lights ... He uses them all to shape and grow His church. And THAT is joy.
    • I settled in front of the Christmas tree this morning for my quiet time. And the twinkle lights (that usually don’t get strung until after thanksgiving) were mesmerizing. And as I prayed and studied I was reminded: Christmas never comes too late. In the darkest hour of human history — when the world was full of murder and families being torn apart and sickness and corrupt governments (sound familiar?) — a light dawned. The Christ came. He wasn’t from among us as if the human race could produce some kind of self-lit salvation, but He came from heaven and dwelt among us to be the light of the world. The Word who spoke the world into being became the Light that shown in the darkness. And the darkness has not overcome it. These little tree lights remind me that His coming is always on time — just when it seems darkest. His arrival is always miraculous — because we couldn’t save ourselves. And His Christmas birth is always our secure hope — the light that illuminates our hearts to know and love Him. Let your Christmas decor (even if you won’t hang it until Friday) point you to advent, to Jesus, to Christmas. Because the world is desperately dark, and we need the light of Christ more than we could ever know.
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    Copyright 2019 Amy Gannett