![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Christmas-FL-Scene-Joy.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nI breathed in my Lord as I resumed my walks this week. I\u2019m so glad I did. I had to bundle up to be in the crisp, cold early morning air, but I was warmed by many of my neighbors\u2019 outdoors\u2019 displays. Those pictured here are just a few. Sure, there are Santas and snowmen and other signs of the season, but I\u2019ll admit that those \u201cfaith and promise\u201d displays ignite my passion for this season so much that I stopped to take off my gloves and take these photos. No \u201charking of angels in the sky\u201d or a \u201cstar so bright it caused me to follow it\u201d, but simple, hopeful expressions that Jesus really is the Reason for the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Christmas-FL-Scene-Wisemen.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nI noticed. I stopped. I looked. I was in the moment. And isn\u2019t that what Advent is all about? I believe that is what God wants to pause and even stop thinking about the things we can\u2019t do anything about. And, considering our ongoing election drama, it is such a sweet distraction. The second Advent candle that is lit today represents faith. And, as my blog a couple of days ago spoke of Mary\u2019s complete surrender to trusting in the promises told her by Gabriel, I choose to place my trust in the promises God has given me. Those like:
\u201cNever will I leave you or forsake you\u201d (Hebrews 13:5)
\u201cFor I know the plans I have for you’, declares the LORD, \u201cplans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.\u201d (Jeremiah 29:11)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first purple candle on the Advent wreath symbolizes hope. It represents the anticipation of the coming Messiah, and because we know He did come\u2026..we can live in great expectation of our Lord\u2019s promises to us that what He starts\u2026He finishes. We can pause to recalibrate our minds and hearts to HOPE in Gabriel’s words to Mary: “Nothing is impossible with God.\u201d (Luke 1:37)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Christmas-FL-Scene-Noel.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAnd, the second purple candle that is lit today represents faith. It reminds us of the faith of Mary and Joseph as they made their way to Bethlehem. Maybe the faith that this 2nd Sunday of Advent represents is why I\u2019m stirred up in faith \u2013 that if God loved us so much that He would send His one and only Son to this earth as a baby to be one of us \u2013 and we believe it by faith \u2013 then ANYTHING we trust and believe God for \u2013 IS possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am purposing to being more attentive to STOPPING to give my attention to the sights and sounds during this Advent Season. It will soon be Christmas Day when we celebrate our Lord\u2019s coming as a baby AND His coming back to take us home to live with him throughout all eternity. \u201cBe still and know that I AM God.\u201d Psalm 46:10. STOP and know the baby in the manger is the Great \u201cI AM\u201d!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Last Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent. We\u2019re making the trek to Bethlehem and the night that Christ was born. Today, the second Sunday of Advent, the second candle will be lit. I took this photo of the Advent wreath last Sunday. Those of us who have purposed to slow down and breathe in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13567,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15708,15618,19302,16128],"tags":[579,731,1210,734,1769,251,267,293,19301,40,4260],"class_list":["post-13566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advent","category-christmas","category-coming-messiah","category-nothing-is-impossible","tag-advent","tag-advent-wreath","tag-blog","tag-candles","tag-christian","tag-christmas","tag-faith","tag-great-expectation","tag-hope-and-a-future","tag-inspiration","tag-reason-for-the-season"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13566"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13566\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13571,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13566\/revisions\/13571"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}