Just Another Day at the Office: Prepping for Our Family Christmas Celebration

 Event  No Responses »
Nov 292011
 

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It’s t-minus eight days and counting until the Family Christmas Celebration on Wednesday, December 7 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.  Have you signed up for it online or in the foyer yet? This Sunday is the last day to do so.

This year’s theme is “A Spy Story.”  That means your family will be a part of uncovering the mystery of the greatest spy story ever told!  You and your kids will be traveling through the building to crack different parts of our Christmas code, meeting some interesting spies, getting your own spy gear, and much more.

I must tell you, we’re going all out for the event.  We have boxes full of manilla envelopes, disguises, spy hats, and a lot more top secret supplies sitting in our office that I’m not authorized to tell you about yet.

Here’s a sneak peek at a few things we were working on today…

Christine and Molly are putting together these top secret instructions for you to help us crack the Christmas code.

Emily and her small group are putting together 600 Spy Kits for all your kids who complete their Take Home Mission afterwards. There's some serious spy fun in there!

We decided it was necessary to test the spy gear (and probably creep out Kay and Wendy behind the front desk in the process.)

A few last reminders:

- This would be an easy and fun event to invite your neighbors and friends, too.  Just please sign them up so we have enough supplies.

- Don’t forget to bring a finger-food snack to share.

- You can help out a kid in need by bringing a jar of peanut butter for The Food Bank’s Buddy Pack program.

Hope to see you a week from Wednesday for a night we hope you won’t soon forget!

Advent Devotional (November 27-December 3)

 Advent, Devotional, Elementary, Preschool, Treasuring God in Our Traditions  No Responses »
Nov 282011
 

Every Monday of Advent, we are posting a brief devotional that your family can do together to prepare your hearts for Christmas this year.  Each week, we will discuss how many common, cultural icons are really just sign posts that point to a far greater spiritual reality.  You can check out a printable version of the Advent Devotional here.

You can also check out past editions below:

Advent Devotional Week 1: November 13-19

Advent Devotional Week 2: November 20-26

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You might also consider watching this together as a family during the second Bible reading portion.

 

http://youtu.be/jTSJsi7ymcc

 

Crossing Kids: November 26, 2011

 5th Grade, Elementary, Family, Little Ones, Parents, Preschool, Sunday Morning, Volunteers  No Responses »
Nov 272011
 

Little Ones

Basic Truth: God Loves Me

Key Question: Who is always with you?

Bottom Line: God is always with me.

Memory Verse: “God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9, NLT

Bible Story: God takes care of me.

Baby Moses: Exodus 1:21-2:10

Monthly Song: “You Are With Me” from Forever/Home & “Wherever, Whatever” from I Can Count on You

Bible Story Summary:  God is with baby Moses. He saves him from the mean Pharaoh and places him in the care of the Egyptian princess.

Teachable Moments:  The thought of God always being with us when we can’t see Him is hard for a child to understand. Introduce this truth to your child by taking a favorite stuffed animal wherever you go for a day, a week, or even a month. Throughout the day tell your child that God is with her wherever she goes kind of like her stuffed animal. When the time comes to put the stuffed animal back in the toy box, tell him you had fun, but God is the only one who can ALWAYS be with us.

 

Preschool

Basic Truth: God loves me.

Key Question: Who is always with you?

Bottom Line: God is always with you.

Memory Verse: “God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9, NLT

Bible Story Focus: God gives me what I need.

Manna, Quail, and Water• Exodus 16:4-18, 31; 17:1-7

Monthly Songs: “God Loves You and Me” from One Big Gulp & “Dance” from TRU Worship

Teachable Moment: Bath Time

Bath time can be a great time to slow down and reflect on the day. As you bathe your child, talk about all the places you went that day. Was God with you at the grocery store? Was God with you when you ate your lunch? Was God with you when you were playing outside? Is God with you while you take a bath? Yes! God is always with you!

Dinner Table Discussion

Discuss the following questions as a family during dinner this week.  They’re meant to prompt further conversation about what was experienced on Sunday morning.

I Wonder? Questions

I wonder…what were Moses’ people doing in the desert? They were walking to the land God had promised them.

I wonder…when the people were hungry, where did the bread come from? The sky.

I wonder…what other food came from the sky? Quail.

I wonder…for how long did God give food to the people? Every day.

I wonder…when the people got thirsty, how did God give them

water? The water came from a rock.

I wonder…God gave Moses’ people what they needed in the desert. 

What does God give to you?

 

Kindergarten – 4th Grade

Key Concept: God wants us to prepare our hearts to celebrate Jesus’ birth at Christmas.



Scripture: John 1



Memory Verse:  The Lord does not look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.  1 Samuel 16:7

Unit Overview:  In this unit, children will learn about the life and message of John the Baptist and use his teachings to help prepare their hearts to celebrate Jesus’ birth at Christmas. God gave John the Baptist the important job of preparing the way for Jesus’ earthly ministry, and his teachings can also help us today to prepare our own hearts to celebrate the birth of our Savior.Students will examine four truths John the Baptist revealed about Jesus—Jesus is the Light of the World, Jesus is our Rescuer, Jesus is the Lamb of God, and Jesus is God with us.

Ways to Follow Up:

▪                Read John 1 or read/watch “He’s Here” from The Jesus Storybook Bible p. 176-183 or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v__QaCsdvQk

▪                Discuss the memory verse together by asking:

  1. What does this verse say that people look at/pay attention to?
  2. What does this verse say that God pays attention to?  What does that mean?

Use The Crossing Kids Advent Devotional to help your family prepare their hearts for Christmas.  Additional copies are available at the Welcome Desk.

 

5th Grade

Grapple Question:  Am I Only Supposed to Be Friends With Christians?

Kids Learn: How to be in the world, but not of the world.

Dig Into the Bible:  Mark 2:15-17; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; 6:14-15

So Many Wonders

 Devotional, Parents  No Responses »
Nov 242011
 

A prayer of thanksgiving from Praying the Bible for your Children by David and Heather Kopp.

Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.  Psalm 127:3

My Heavenly Father,

On behalf of my family today, I bring You offerings of thanks for what You have done. You have opened Your hands and rewarded us with children, gifts from heaven.

Lord, You have breathed Your breath of life into our family. You have knit together babies in the womb (Ps. 139:13). You have surrounded the lonely with children (Ps. 113:9). You have given us honor and fulfillment as parents (Prov. 17:6). O God, Your works on our behalf are wonderful (Ps. 139:14)!

Now, as I name my children in Your presence, I pause to offer specific thanks for each child…

Father, I know that sometimes Your blessings are disguised as a challenge or a disappointment. As I listen for Your voice about my children, show me what I may have overlooked or undervalued.

All day, help me see past the responsibilities and routines, the hassles and worries, and remember to celebrate. When I look across the table at mealtime, may I see more than bad manners and hear more than demands. May I see You in their eyes and hear Your voice, for “of such is the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:16)

Many, O Lord, are the wonders You have done at our house–more than I had even thought (Ps. 40:5)!

Thank You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Advent Devotional in Action: Our Family’s First Stab

 Advent, Family, Uncategorized  No Responses »
Nov 222011
 

Have you tried out Crossing Kids’ Advent Devotional yet? You must, you must! It’s easy to lead and provides a quick but rich time in God’s Word with your kids, if you’re asking me.

I know we’re a bit behind, but our family just got around to doing Week 1 of the Advent Devotional tonight. We’ll catch up with Week 2 later this week.  Our older kids are ages 3 and 4, so we adapted it just a bit.  The entire family devotional time took about 10 minutes from start to finish, which is perfect for my squirmy little people.

Here’s a peek into how it went…

We began by drawing things that remind us of Christmas while discussing the opening questions. This simple activity helped to focus busy little hands while we talked.

Next, we listened to Daddy read James 1:17 and then discussed it briefly.  I was surprised at how much our preschoolers understood the verse after hearing it just once.  Young kids hear and understand far more than we give them credit for.

To end our time, we decided to make up some motions to the memory verse. Each motion was a “karate move” (Jack’s idea) that corresponded with parts of the verse.  They really got into it.  Okay, I did too.

Our time ended with a prayer* and hanging up our Making It Stick sheet in a visible spot.  That way we’ll remember to review our verse and corresponding karate moves throughout the week.

We’d love for you to share with us on this blog in the comments section or on our Crossing Kids Facebook page any stories, pictures, or feedback from your family’s use of the Advent Devotional.  May your family enjoy a rich time of learning and worshiping God together this Advent season!

*After first reading the devotional, I got inspired to write a short rhyming prayer to read to my kids at the end of each week.  We will read the previous week’s prayer and add on the new portion each time.  I thought I’d share this poem with you, if it’s helpful to have a prayer guide for your family.  Or, perhaps this will serve as inspiration for your family to write your own prayer.

A Week by Week Advent Prayer

 Week 1:

Trees, gifts, and Christmas lights
Holiday music and festive bites.
Every good, perfect gift is from above
And sent from You out of love.

Prepare our hearts this advent season
To understand the ultimate reason
You give us things like lights, a tree
Music, food, and gifts for me.

Week 2:

Thank you God for Christmas Trees
That point us to remember these:
The Tree in the garden, the very first sin
Our Savior on a cross, where that sin ends!

Week 3:

Thank you God for Christmas lights
Shining through dark, winter nights.
The Light of the World shines right in
To our dark places, removing our sin.

Week 4:

Thank you for gifts under the tree
We soon forget them, but they help us see
The greatest gift, a baby boy,
Our Savior Jesus brings lasting joy!

Week 5:

Thank you for songs like Jingle Bells
They’re fun and joyful and often tell
Us to remember once again
Jesus remains when Christmas songs end.

Week 6:

Thank you God for good food to eat.
Like Christmas cookies, what a treat!
Much better food is yet to come
A feast for us in our Forever Home!

Advent Devotional: (November 20-26)

 Advent, Devotional, Family  No Responses »
Nov 212011
 

Every Monday of Advent, we are posting a brief devotional that your family can do together to prepare your hearts for Christmas this year.  Each week, we will discuss how many common, cultural icons are really just sign posts that point to a far greater spiritual reality.  This week, we’ll take a closer look at how Christmas Trees can point us to two other trees that are central to “The Big God Story.”

You can also check out past editions below:

Advent Devotional Week 1: November 13-19

Crossing Kids: Sunday, November 20, 2011

 5th Grade, Elementary, Little Ones, Preschool, Sunday Morning  No Responses »
Nov 202011
 

Little Ones

Basic Truth: God Loves Me

Key Question: Who is always with you?

Bottom Line: God is always with me.

Memory Verse: “God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9, NLT

Bible Story: God takes care of me.

Baby Moses: Exodus 1:21-2:10

Monthly Song: “You Are With Me” from Forever/Home & “Wherever, Whatever” from I Can Count on You

Bible Story Summary:  God is with baby Moses. He saves him from the mean Pharaoh and places him in the care of the Egyptian princess.

Teachable Moments:  The thought of God always being with us when we can’t see Him is hard for a child to understand. Introduce this truth to your child by taking a favorite stuffed animal wherever you go for a day, a week, or even a month. Throughout the day tell your child that God is with her wherever she goes kind of like her stuffed animal. When the time comes to put the stuffed animal back in the toy box, tell him you had fun, but God is the only one who can ALWAYS be with us.

Preschool

Basic Truth: God loves me.

Key Question: Who is always with you?

Bottom Line: God is always with you.

Memory Verse: “God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9, NLT

Bible Story Focus: God is with me so I can be brave.

The Israelites at the Red Sea• Exodus 13:17-14:31

Monthly Songs: “God Loves You and Me” from One Big Gulp & “Dance” from TRU Worship

Teachable Moment: Cuddle Time

Cuddle up with your child and pray with him. “God, it makes (name of child) and me feel so good inside knowing you are always with us. Thank you for being with (name of child) when he wakes up, and when he’s playing, and when he goes places in our car and when he goes to sleep. Thank you for being with us always. We love you God. Amen.”

Dinner Table Discussion

Discuss the following questions as a family during dinner this week.  They’re meant to prompt further conversation about what was experienced on Sunday morning. 

I Wonder? Questions

I wonder…how did Moses and his people know which way to go in the desert? God provided a cloud during the day and fire at night to lead them.

I wonder…who chased after Moses and his people after they left Egypt? Pharaoh and his soldiers.

I wonder…where did the cloud and fire lead the people? To the Red Sea.

I wonder…how did Moses and his people cross the Red Sea? God parted the waters.

I wonder…did Pharaoh and his soldiers follow them through the sea? No, God sent the waters crashing down on them.

I wonder…God lead and protected Moses and his people from Pharaoh. How does God protect you?

Kindergarten-4th Grade

Key Concept: God wants us to prepare our hearts to celebrate Jesus’ birth at Christmas.

Scripture: John 1

Memory Verse:  The Lord does not look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.  1 Samuel 16:7

Unit Overview:  In this unit, children will learn about the life and message of John the Baptist and use his teachings to help prepare their hearts to celebrate Jesus’ birth at Christmas. God gave John the Baptist the important job of preparing the way for Jesus’ earthly ministry, and his teachings can also help us today to prepare our own hearts to celebrate the birth of our Savior.Students will examine four truths John the Baptist revealed about Jesus—Jesus is the Light of the World, Jesus is our Rescuer, Jesus is the Lamb of God, and Jesus is God with us.

Ways to Follow Up:

 

  1. What does this verse say that people look at/pay attention to?
  2. What does this verse say that God pays attention to?  What does that mean?

 

  • Use The Crossing Kids Advent Devotional to help your family prepare their hearts for Christmas.  Additional copies are available at the Welcome Desk.

 

5th Grade

Grapple Question:  Why Do Some People Have More Friends?

Kids Learn:  What Makes a Real Friend

Dig Into the Bible:  1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19:1-7; Proverbs 18:24

Do we ever really outgrow wanting to be liked and accepted? What seems like a grade-school thing is actually an everybody thing. This week let your kids know that you can relate to their desire for real friendship, and point them to Christ. Share about a time you struggled with not having enough friends, or share about a time you felt Jesus was closer than any other friend.



 

Thanksgiving and the Ten Lepers

 Devotional, Thanskgiving  Comments Off
Nov 172011
 

What is the first image that comes to mind when you hear the word, “Thanksgiving?” Turkey? Family? Pumpkin pie? Vacation? Pilgrims? Football? Lepers?

Wait a minute…lepers? Most of us probably don’t think of lepers when we think of Thanksgiving. But the story of the ten lepers in Luke 17 has a lot to teach us about Thanksgiving. What are we really giving thanks for on Thanksgiving? More importantly, who are we giving thanks to?

The Bible tells us in 1 Chronicles 16:34, to ““Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

I love this verse. It simply tells us to give thanks to God for His love lasts in eternity. How often do we stop on Thanksgiving and meditate on God’s enduring love? How do we give thanks to the One who has given us everything?

The story of the ten lepers speaks into the meaning of true thanksgiving. Luke 17:11-17 reads:

11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Lepers were required to keep away from people in fear that others would catch their disease. The disease is quite terrible. They cannot feel anything. No pain, nothing. Because of this they get infections and injure themselves without knowing it. Then the infection spreads and they smell like rotting meat. They often lose finger arms feet and other body parts.

Lepers were outcasts. Their condition had made them unclean in the eyes of the public and the authorities. They were not allowed to join in with the rest of society. They had to avoid ANY contact with any other people. They could not touch anyone and no one dared to touch them. They could not touch anything that others would touch. And no one dared touch anything that belonged to them. They could not stay in the same place, they could not worship with others, they could not work, could not drink the same water, could not eat the same food. They were forced to live away from everyone else – completely isolated. They were rejected. Lepers were not allowed to mingle with the public in any way.

If the lepers had tried to approach Jesus there would have been a riot. Instead, they kept their distance and shouted all together as one voice “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” In this way, Jesus was drawn to them.

By what they had heard about Jesus, they knew that had the power to heal them.

Jesus healed them, but then Jesus did something that seems a little strange. He asked them to go to the Priests. Why? Because even though healed, people would want to have a public validation that they had been healed. Only the Priests could do that. Priests were the ones who could inspect a leper and say, “Yes, you are clean now, go free. You don’t have to remain an outcast anymore”. By this, Jesus not only healed the lepers, but also brought them back into fellowship with the community.

The big question is: why did only one leper come back and give thanks? After Jesus did this huge thing for them, wouldn’t you think more would come back to Jesus and “give thanks to the Lord for He is good?”

The truth is it’s easy for all of us to forget to give thanks to the Lord – on Thanksgiving Day and every other day. We get busy with work and friends and responsibilities and forget to give thanks. On thanksgiving – it is a whole day set aside to help us to remember to give thanks for all God has given us. We have a lot to be thankful for because God gave us EVERYTHING.  When I think of all I have to be thankful for – it overwhelms me how much God has done for me.

The one leper who did come to give thanks can teach us a lot about how we do this. The Bible says he “praised God in a loud voice” and “threw himself and Jesus’ feet.” I encourage you and your family this Thanksgiving to consider what you are thankful for. Maybe make a list or go around at the dinner table and share. Then, spend some time praising God and falling at the feet of Jesus. Maybe you can spend some time in prayer, singing songs or journaling this Thanksgiving. This Thanksgiving, let’s be like the one leper who came back to Christ and gave thanks for all He had done.

These are a few of my favorite things…

 Advent  No Responses »
Nov 172011
 

I’m not Julie Andrews.

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes don’t really do it for me.

I’m not Oprah.

So unfortunately I won’t be passing out large quantities of my “favorite things” to all who peruse this page.

I have, however, quickly compiled a few of my favorite things as we enter the season of Advent.  Advent comes from a Latin word that means “coming.  It’s a time of preparation and expectant waiting that I’ve participated in for as long as I can remember.  Growing up, it was special family time.  Colored candles glowed, manger scenes were played with, small calendar doors opened, the Christmas story was read, and the countdown for Christmas day grew in anticipation with each passing day. I found the video below to be a helpful explanation of why seasons like Advent are important.

Q&A – The Advent Season from The Village Church on Vimeo.

As an adult, this season has taken on additional significance, intentionality, and if I’m to be honest, challenge.  As a single woman, there are many opportunities for temptation.  My life is a beautiful place filled with so many undeserved, gracious gifts from my Heavenly Father.  Yet, my heart and my mind have a tendency to drift, struggle, and snowball into unhealthy, idolatrous places in this season of Hallmark cards and family cookie baking commercials.

That’s why intentionality becomes even more important.  I know where I struggle and need to have ready access to the Truth for those moments I waver.  I need help remembering what is ultimate and Eternal rather than temporary.  Below are a few things that I think may aid in this process, perhaps you’ll find a few of them helpful as well.

1.  I made an Advent playlist.  I love Christmas music and will enjoy it throughout the holiday season, I’m sure.  The purpose of this  is different, though.  Sure, there are a few thoughtfully selected Christmas songs (Red Mountain Church’s “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus,” JJ Heller’s “My Savior’s Love Endures/Magnificat”, etc…) but there are also quite a few other “anytime” hymns and songs that give clear reminders of where my Treasure really does lie.

Case in point, Page CXVI’s version of “Abide with Me.”

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

2.  I’ll be using Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus for devotional help this season.  From Martin Luther to John Piper, Spurgeon to Tim Keller wisdom and encouragement from generations of believers.

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.  You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy…

Isaiah 9:2-3a

Fun Thanksgiving Ideas

 Family, Parents, Treasuring God in Our Traditions  No Responses »
Nov 152011
 

Over the years our family has tried many different activities with our kids during the week of Thanksgiving. I thought I would share a few of our favorite ones.

A game that has lasted with my kids at all different ages is “The Turkey Hunt” or “Hide the Turkey.”.  It’s a fairly simple game and all you need is a stuffed turkey.  One kid will take his turn hiding the stuffed turkey around the house and then the others will try to find the turkey. Whoever finds it, gets to hide it next. My kids always look forward to playing this game with their cousins each year.

One year the kids helped make turkey place settings for the table that we have used every year since.  Each kid painted their hand prints in different colors (red, yellow and orange) on the paper. When the paint was dry, we cut and added brown construction turkey bodies and glued on googly eyes.  Lastly we added their name “Turkey…”  These are also a reminder of how little their hands once were.

     

One year I went all out and we had a contest to see who could make the best turkey out of a potato and vegetables.  I cut up various colorful veggies and put in bowls.  We used toothpicks and peanut butter to attach the items to their potato.  Each child got to name their Turkey.  This is great activity for the afternoon time when the adults want to nap but the kids want to play.

I’m thankful to God for my family and for the time I get to spend with them over Thanksgiving break to laugh, to eat and to give thanks to God for all he has done for us in Jesus.  I might even pull out the veggies again this year and see if they are up for the Turkey challenge.

What are some of your favorite things you do Thanksgiving week with your family?

*A lot of the ideas I have used over the years come from Family Fun. Definitely worth looking online or subscribing to the magazine if you want creative fun ideas to do with your kids.

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