we are so grateful to our amazing a partner for the admin series the Christian Standard Bible or csb for starters it's a faithful readable translation which I think really matters and there are so many options available as far as the cover design soft or hard back the extra features that are included they have one called The Everyday With Jesus that is perfect if you're looking for a daily reading plan B everyday with Jesus Bible is arranged so that you read it from cover to cover and for 365 days there's a reading from the Old Testament the New Testament psalms and Proverbs it's not date specifics you can start it any day of the year and that way if you miss a couple of days I missed days you know I do you can just pick up where you left off without the pressure of going back or catching up so you're on the right date and there's a brief devotional from someone to use each day as well they're still help head over to lifeway.com csb to browse all the csb Bible and use the code tsf to save an extra $10 off any order over $40 you all these vials are already price
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 hi friends welcome to a very special episode of that sounds fun this week we are kicking off our Advent series ivanhoe's Annie F downs I'm really happy to be here with you today the Advent series is a chance for us to walk through the season of Advent together focusing on the gift of Hope peace love and joy each represented by an Advent candle that we like as we celebrate together if you didn't listen to the introduction episode yesterday I would definitely encourage you to go do that to get a feel for the plan for this series traditionally Advent Begins for Sundays before Christmas and mark the time of the church slows down to intentionally look forward to the coming of Jesus yes looking forward to celebrating when he came to Earth a little over two thousand years ago on that first Christmas and also looking forward to his promise to return a gift for us to discover so each week of Advent we will release daily devotionals Monday through Friday focused on one of those gifts hope
 enjoy each week this week is all about Hope and I am so ready to dive in be sure to follow along and the Advent series guide book or you can find the scriptures we reference questions prompt and space to record your Reflections your thoughts your feelings all of it but I haven't series guide book and all of our other Advent resources like video podcast of these conversations and some other great stuff for all available to purchase at Annie F Downs. Calm Advent and for all of you parents and grownups with many BFFs in your life we also have an advent plan for the mini BFF today over at Annie's mini BFF podcast we were least an episode on Hope for kids as well we'll have an episode for our many BFFs every Monday and there's resources available for purchase is over at Annie F Downs. Calm Advent for all my many BFFs as well okay are you ready to go let's do it
 matter
 hi friends happy Advent so what in the world are we doing on that sounds fun and why are we doing this well let's light a candle and talk about it our friends can see this on video if you want to see video had to Annie F Downs. Cam Advent
so why are we doing this and why not just like a normal set of Christmas episodes on the podcast well if you heard Sunday's episode I went to this little bit Sunday was actually the first day of Advent so if you didn't hear that one go back and listen that episode with summary is this things are hard things are for you things are hard for me things are just hard and even honestly when I look around my life I don't have a lot of friends who are like I am driving it's just not where we are and we all need help next year is hopeful but if we tell ourselves the truth even before the pandemic we always hope that next year would be the one that didn't hurt and somehow they always do
 some years to a greater degree than others but none are without cost and pain Advent is about expectation of course it is it's the season on the Christian calendar that leads up to the birth of Jesus Christ the Messiah the one the world have been waiting for but just like with every other Christmas season maybe this month is also about getting some gifts and taking them into this next year with us gifts that will really help us
 hey did you remember the podcast episode with Taya it was episode 415 when she asked do you think Jesus smells like frankincense and myrrh I have thought about that so much because remember those are the gifts that he was given that he kept remember that part of the story that you know the song of We Three Kings the three wise men the three kings show up with three gifts gold frankincense and myrrh and they smell wonderful. The three of them do for sure and I wonder how long Jesus smelled like those guess he was given I want this year's gift of admit to stay on me too I want to smell like them I want to be marked by them hey friend I'm just interrupting quickly to tell you about one of our incredible Partners the chosen of the chosen is a series of shows based on the Life of Christ it's beautifully written gives us great visuals to inspire us as we read the gospels you on our new let's read the gospel so I guess I hope you subscribe but if not be
 sure to do that wherever you're listening to this there are already two seasons of The Chosen available for your watching pleasure but the first two episodes of season 3 are out now in the theaters for a limited time we took our team to see them and y'all out there just so well done and maybe just maybe you'll get to hear from some of the team who worked on the show maybe some of the cast on a five-mile episode later this week the same as season 3 is all about wrath something about you and I both need a little more of these days it starts with us getting to see Jesus deliver the most famous German in history and then see the story of what follows the consequences of living out his teachings The Shining and do have worn off the group of people curious about following Jesus and the group of people who oppose him are both growing there are new troubles tensions and tough questions but in the midst of all that upheaval Jesus brings rest episode one and two are in theaters until December 1st and episodes will start releasing for free and the chosen at before Christmas for more information visit the chosen tickets.com again that's the chosen tickets.com for all the
 and now back to hope they won and the traditional Church calendar there are four weeks of Advent and four candles the fifth candle added on Christmas Eve represents Jesus himself but each candle has a different meaning and a different Focus hope peace love joy
 Boston this week this whole week right along with churches around the world thinking about Hope is that a cool thought that churches around the world or talking about hope this week to help is Feit a word three things for me and one of them is Hope
 so why does Hope matter I asked myself this question I heard the answer in my own head because hope doesn't disappoint there's a Bible verse that says this so I went back and read it I want to read it to you now this is Romans 5:3 through 5 in the NIV and the niv84 because I've had this Bible forever
 This is 5 or 6 325 chapter 5 verses 3 through 5
 not only so but we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance perseverance character and character hope and hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit him he's given us and back to birth is translated in the csb it says this hope
 this hope will not disappoint us this hope will not disappoint us does that make you kind of roll your eyes I hear myself and I hear your eyes rolling I'm not going to start lying to you now but why do I feel and have I felt disappointed
 a relationship that ended earlier this year we had a challenging spring at work my nephew passed away we've had some trauma at church I tore my meniscus disc in my knee
 it has not been my favorite year even though I really tried to have the best summer ever
 is not been my favorite and I've been very disappointed
 so I think we need to establish something here
 this hope doesn't disappoint you can feel disappointment about things in your life me to that's not a sin or anything when you hope for things to happen and they don't happen that is so disappointing
 but that's not this hope when you and I say I hope that we get to eat Mexican food for dinner and I do hope we get to eat Mexican food for dinner that's not this hope
 this hope the one that doesn't disappoint it comes really hard earned you heard me read it and the scripture suffering perseverance character and hope it's a process
 it makes me think and this will not surprise you of gifting someone cross stitch at Christmas a couple of years ago I used a pattern from she reads truth from their Advent study and I made red bird ornaments like red cardinal ornaments for all of my cousin so I ended up making six or seven and I'm a date I made 8 I made 8 of the exact same Christmas ornament for my cousin's it took me all fall to have it ready so I made that gift it is very different than if I would have given them each the pattern and the string and needles in end of Claude if if I hadn't given them that gift they're two very different gifts both our gifts
 one requires some time and attention and work and the other one doesn't
 right one of them says to them make your own thing and the other says I made this for you and do this whole series we're actually going to see how those two types of gifts play out but this hope this help is one you got to do this hope is the one that is lasting it is that Jesus is who he says he is the hope that you are not all alone in this life that even when your hopes are dashed this hope doesn't change but unfortunately we learn that through suffering
 and when you suffer that produces perseverance in you and that perseverance builds your character
 and then it's then when your character is strengthened that's when this hope gets lit in your heart
 so here's my hope matters hope matters because you're suffering matters the things that you have been through do not let them go to waste as soon as it starts to hurt as soon as you start to suffer you start the clock internally on that promise cycle from God okay I'm hurting I'm hurting god build perseverance in me
 what does it look like not to quit here what does it look like to persevere because then you keep hanging on and your character actually changes
 and then this hope shows up matters
 because it shapes you
 so I'm not going to give you homework every day of Advent or anything there is that advent series guide book available to you that goes along with us every day it has questions and scripture and some things for you to sit with and even take notes while you're listening if you want to
 but today I just want to say again your suffering matters your pain matters if we look at admin if we look at Mary's life her pain mattered
 makes me think of this Andrew Peterson song from his Behold the Lamb of God album and and in a song they sing it was a labor of pain it was a dark sky of the for the girl on the ground in the dark Every Beat of her beautiful heart with a labor of love
 hope matters hope matters see you tomorrow
 Oprah's I can't wait to see what God is going to show us during these next few weeks spend some time with the questions in your admin series guide book remember there is an amazing Community to share thoughts and responses with in the Advent series Facebook group if you need easy to find Annie F Downs on Instagram Twitter and now yes you'll see me on Facebook all the places you may need me that's how you can find me I think that's it for me today friends go out or stay home and do something that sounds fun to you and I will do the same keep searching for help and we will see you back here tomorrow