"You are my beloved child; with you I am well pleased." This is the truest, most fundamental thing about us. Claim that identity, let God in, and watch how your life begins to change.

The message of Christmas is that God is with us. Have confidence and trust in that, and when you sense that God has provided you a star to follow, follow it!

It can be difficult to recognize the people around you as being children of God when they live or believe differently than you. When you find yourself caught in difficult conversations or feeling irked, offer the following prayer: "Lord, expand my heart." The more we live our faith, the more He does expand our hearts to accept that we are God's beloved children, with all of our brokenness, and so are the people around us.

As Fr. Dave and Fr. Tony think back on memories of Christmases past, they remind us that God is eager to be with us in everything. Sometimes we forget to ask, but He will always come when we invite him in. He is eager to be with us, and when He's with us, life is a lot less scary and a lot more joyful.

How do we find God so we can connect with him? God frequently goes out, through the efforts of his creatures, his people, to others with whom he wants to connect. God often makes us his messengers without our even knowing it. God made us to be with him, so it shouldn’t be that hard to find him – but since his ways aren’t our ways, finding and connecting with him has to be our top priority, even when looking for him is the last thing you feel like doing.

Is unquenchable joy possible? Not entirely, but we can get glimpses of it here on earth by getting off of ourselves and giving thanks to God for the work He is doing in the ordinary circumstances of our lives. God is active in each one of our lives, and oftentimes we miss that. God works through even the hardest experiences in our lives specifically to help us grow, to help us be better people and to help make the world a better place. If we can trust in that (which, yes, is hard to do!) it creates a whole new freedom in us and around us.

We are constantly bombarded with messages of fear, outrage, anxiety, and division. It’s easy to turn away and shrink in on ourselves. But God is calling us to be His light in the world. To do that, start practicing gratitude daily, intentionally, faithfully - opening your heart to God so His light can shine forth even brighter.

The season of Advent is an opportunity for us to train ourselves to be spiritually stronger. Do something every day this Advent to focus on the Lord, even if it's just a minute or two, to help redirect you from the traps in our everyday lives.