Today is the first day of Advent, that special time in the church year where we begin preparing ourselves—our hearts, our homes, and our lives—for the coming of the Messiah. We are waiting, preparing, and holding on to the hope that God will indeed make true the promises that are written on our hearts and treasured in our beings. Let's spend time this Advent with our families thinking and talking about what we really are anticipating. Let's find time to marvel at how this promise of "God with us" is about to be fulfilled in the birth of a tiny child.