Creative Family Prayer Idea

 Christmas, Family, Parents, prayer  No Responses »
Feb 052013
 

I was talking with my friend, Tammy Bukowski, recently and she was sharing about a prayer idea she and her husband, Brock, were doing with their kids. I asked her if I could share it with you. This is in her own words:

The best solution payday loans


This year our family started a new tradition. We received many Christmas cards this year celebrating Jesus and family. Generally I look at each card, marvel at how the children in each family have grown and then add it to the card pile that will be moved from space to space until it reaches a drawer for the year.

This year I wanted to try something different. As each new card came in, I added it to an O ring. After Christmas, instead of retiring the pile to a drawer, we began to get the stack out a dinner and talking about a family. That family became our prayer family for the day.

Many times the kids do not know the family that we are praying for. When that happens, the person with the connection to the family shares what they know about the family. This has brought about many opportunities to talk about different family dynamics. As a family we have prayed for non-Christians to know Jesus, the blessing of adoption, new friendships, old friendships, that families will grow in their love of Christ, and new birth.  A politician, Veritas leaders, old preschool buddies, and out of town family promise to be the focus of our discussions next week.

I love to see Christ working through my children’s hearts as they step outside of themselves and excitedly ask who the prayer family of the day is. Bowing our heads together as a family to lift up others, pray for their needs, celebrate their successes brings us closer to Christ. It is so easy to become wrapped up in ourselves and what we have going on. This is one way our family uses to step outside of that.

 

Christmas Greetings from Gergu! (+ Insider Kids Club News)

 Christmas, Family, Kids Club, Parents, Uncategorized, Videos, Volunteers  6 Responses »
Dec 202012
 

Hey friends! Remember Gergu from Bolskavia?

You know, he was Jimmy’s #1 Fan at Kids Club this past summer. Here’s a video that might jog your memory about our good foreign-exchange friend, Gergu.

Anyway, he is a swell Bolskavian guy and sent all of us Christmas Greetings via a video! Are you ready?

By the way, if you’re wondering when you might get to meet Gergu again, Kids Club will be June 3-7. Get ready for pirates at Treasure Island! (Shhh, you didn’t hear that from me. This insider Kids Club news is off the official record.)

Be sure to LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW and let Gergu know how much we miss him!

Giving Good Gifts

 Christmas, Family, Parents, Reflection  No Responses »
Dec 182012
 

If a child asks his parents for a fish, will they give him a snake? Of course not! If people, who are not perfect, know how to give good gifts to their children, won’t God, who is perfect, do a much better job of giving good gifts to his children when they ask him?  Matthew 7:10-11

This is a funny time of year as a parent. We ask our children what they want for Christmas and we do whatever we can to get them what they want. Well, everything within a reasonable price range, right? This year, when I asked, I didn’t get very many ideas from my four children. I was actually a little shocked and puzzled. What do I get for them if they don’t have anything they want?

This started me down a two week process of trying to discover how to give gifts to my children that will last and will be meaningful to them. And to help me have a proper perspective on the giving of gifts.  I’ve been searching for ideas from people and other resources. I wanted to share a few things that I have found helpful.

The Gift of Simplicity and Giving to Others

One friend offered up this idea she found on a blog that she is trying with her children this year. She asked them to give her an idea for these four areas: something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read. And basically those four gifts are all they will be getting under the tree. Her reasoning is to simplify not only what she buys but also help her children focus on more than what they will get for Christmas. And the rest of the money she would normally spend on gifts, she would offer to each child to give away to someone else in need. The catch is they get to help pick how that money is spent or given. So instead of the decision being in her hands, they get to think, pray and decide on where that amount of money will go.

A Gift to Remind us of the True Gift

Another idea I ran across came from an old devotional I had from Group Publishing called Family-Time Devotions. You start by placing a wrapped gift on the dinner table (can be anything that you have already purchased for someone in the family). Pass the gift around the table and encourage each family member to guess what’s inside and explain why that’s the object guessed. Then say, I wonder what is in this present? Does anyone want to open it right now and see what’s inside? (don’t open it though)

Let’s read Luke 2:15 and see what it has to do with this present. “When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’” They couldn’t wait to go see the gift.

We’ll wait until Christmas Day to find out what’s inside this present, but now we know how the shepherds must have felt. They heard about this wonderful gift God had given all mankind, and it was just minutes away in Bethlehem. They wanted to go see for themselves!

Ask: If you’d gone with the shepherds, what do you think you’d have seen? Why do you think Jesus was the most special gift?

The Gift of Time Out

Most children understand the concept of “time out”. So create your own personal “time out corner” this week before Christmas. Choose a sunny window seat, a large closet, or anyplace that affords a little quiet. Put yourself in “time out”, take along a Christmas card with a beautiful nativity scene, a special Christmas poem, your journal, your Bible, some music, etc. Quiet your heart and ponder the message of Christmas. Invite your children to find their own “time out” place to think about the wonderful gift God has given us at Christmas. It’s amazing what 5 or 10 minutes of quiet reflecting can bring out of your children. (This idea is from an advent calendar called Making Christmas Meaningful)

“God loved us all so much

He gave us His only Son to save us.

The angels sang,

The shepherds saw,

The wise men came to bow.

God knew everything we needed.

So He gave us Jesus,

The greatest gift in all the world,

Is with us now.”

-The Greatest Gift


Family Christmas 2012

 5th Grade, Advent, Christmas, Devotional, Event, Family, Little Ones, Parents, Preschool, Treasuring God in Our Traditions  No Responses »
Dec 102012
 

Last Wednesday evening, hundreds of Crossing Kids and their families gathered to worship our coming King during Family Christmas Celebration 2012: Heaven and Nature Sing.  Our evening started in the auditorium with a collection of different animals singing “Joy to the World” in their native tongues.

This was followed by a dramatic reading of Song of the Stars by Sally Lloyd-Jones.  Each family in attendance was able to take a copy of this great book home at the end of the night.

Candace then lead us in a time of worship.  We took a closer look at the lyrics of “Joy to the World” and learned that this Christmas favorite is really about all of creation worshiping and longing for the day when Jesus returns and all things will be made new.

Families then left to participate in games that helped us understand what it means to wait in eager anticipation.  They also created paper chains to count down the days until Christmas and use with this year’s Family Advent Devotional.  If you weren’t able to make it, you can download a free downloadable version and order your own copy of Song of the Stars to use alongside it.

Found Advent Poetry: Waiting and Hope

 Advent, Christmas, Devotional, Family, Parents, Reflection, Treasuring God in Our Traditions, Volunteers  No Responses »
Dec 062012
 

A found poem based on Keith Simon’s sermon from Advent past.  You can listen to the entire thing here.

We are Christmas people,
not Advent.

Waiting feels
unnatural,
countercultural,
uncomfortable.

Yet waiting
is just as much a part
of our reality
as it was theirs.

We no longer wait
for his birth,
but His coming.

Eternity amnesia
blinds us to the reality
that this world isn’t all
there is.

Just like kids
tearing open presents
we ask,
“Is this it?”

Unrealistic expectations
that life
can’t deliver.
We ask too much
of other people.
We misplace priorities.
We misunderstand suffering.
Robbed of meaning
and purpose.

We are wired by God
for more.
Eternity set inside
of every human heart.

There is surely
a future hope
that will not be cut off.
A hope
on the other side
of the grave.
This world is
preparation,
not a destination.

A life of wisdom is dependent
on knowing this
isn’t all there is.
Don’t set your hope here
set your hope on the grace
to be brought to you.

We wait as they waited.
We long as they longed.
Come Lord Jesus, come redeem us
we will wait for You.

Come Lord Jesus: Advent Ideas

 Advent, Christmas, Devotional, Elementary, Little Ones, Parents, Preschool, Treasuring God in Our Traditions, Volunteers  No Responses »
Nov 292012
 

Growing up, Advent and Lent were seasons that not just my church but my family observed.  Both were times of anticipation and waiting.  Both were times of drawing closer to the manger and to the cross.  Both were opportunities my parents used to start intentional conversations about the Gospel.

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.  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 this video to be a helpful explanation of why seasons like Advent are important.

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

 

Here are a few things I’m doing this year to prepare my heart along with a few additional resources and ideas from others your family might enjoy.

1. Advent Candles
For many years, people have been lighting Advent candles as a way to remember Christ being the light of the world (Matthew 4:16; John 1:4-9, 8:12).   I’ve recreated this with 5 simple candles–four for the weeks leading up to Christmas and one for Christmas day.  Traditionally these candles have represented different things–hope, peace, joy, love, and ultimately how all of these are found and fulfilled in Christ.

I’ve also chosen to spend sometime contemplating each word throughout that particular week (see chalkboard.)  An easy way to do this is a simple keyword search using something like Bible Gateway.  Here are a few thoughts on hope.

2. Advent Devotional Guides for Grown-Ups
Last year I used Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus to prepare.  It features Advent excerpts from Spurgeon, Martin Luther, Tim Keller, etc…

This year, I’m using The Village Church’s free advent guide.

3. Advent Devotional Guides for Families
Over the years, Crossing Kids has developed several Advent Guides for families.

Last year, we took a closer look at how cultural icons of Christmas are really just sign posts that can point our families to a greater spiritual reality.  “Every Good and Perfect Gift” is available for free download.  You can also read more about how the Tiemeyer family used it together.  Rachel Johnson also shared a list of her favorite Christmas picture books while Rachel Tiemeyer shared another great post with practical ideas for pre-schoolers.  We will also have a new Advent devotional guide for you to take home and try at our Family Christmas Celebration next Wednesday, December 5.

Several families at The Crossing have also used Ann Voskamp’s version of The Jesse Tree that you can also download for free.

4. Advent Playlist
While I like some Christmas music and will enjoy it throughout the holiday season, I’m sure.  The purpose of this  is different, though.  These are songs that create a since of angst and anticipation in me.  There are songs that have a more Advent/Christmas feel to them like Red Mountain Church’s “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus and JJ Heller’s “My Savior’s Love Endures/Magnificat” 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.

5. Treasuring God in Our Traditions
This incredible book by Noel Piper is filled with both vision and practical ideas on how to shepherd your child’s heart both every day and during special holiday seasons.

 

10 Reasons You’ll Want to Come to Our Family Christmas Celebration

 Christmas, Event, Family  No Responses »
Nov 242012
 

Your family is invited to…

Our event is geared toward families with kids ages 3 through 5th grade, but the whole family is welcome to come.

Here are 10 reasons you might want to come…

1 . I don’t know about you, but my young kids are already brainwashed by TV shows and commercials representing the “magic of Christmas” and all that we NEED to buy and/or receive. It’s a cold hard Christmas fact in our culture that Jesus is “out” and buying and getting stuff “in”. The Family Christmas Celebration, however, is about helping your family re-discover and celebrate the real “magic of Christmas” and our true need–a long-awaited Savior who came as a baby.

2. A contest involving animal masks, noises, and yours truly on stage. Yeah, we’re crazy like that. (Seriously, I think this is going to be hilarious.)

3. It’s an easy event to invite friends to who don’t go to church. Our goal is to make it something that anyone can enjoy.

4. Claire Novak (a.k.a. Wacky Wanda and other hilariously famous skit characters from Kids Club) is doing a dramatic reading of Song of the Stars by Sally Lloyd-Jones. If you don’t know Claire, she’s brilliant on stage.

5. We’ll join in singing with all of “heaven and nature” as Scott Johnson, Candace Lawhon, and the worship team lead us in some of our favorite Christmas songs.

6. A few brief hands-on games/activities and then some yummy food. (Don’t forget to bring along a delish finger-food snack to share please.)

7. Time for you to sit by, sing with, talk to, and play with your child.

8. Time for your child to sit by, sing with, talk to, and play with you.

9. We’ve purchased a hard back book of Song of the Stars for each family who attends! This is one book you’ll come back to year after year with your family.

10. Along with the book, we’re sending you home with a Family Devotional full of easy discussion questions and activities that will help you countdown the days to Christmas. You’ll take 5-10 minutes a day to read parts of Song of the Stars or the Bible, as you prepare your hearts for the coming King.

We hope you’ll come to the Family Christmas Celebration on Wednesday, December 5 and bring friends! But, we need to know you’re coming to plan for enough supplies. Be sure to sign up at our table in the foyer on Sundays or online here through December 2.

Crossing Kids: Christmas Eve 2011

 5th Grade, Christmas, Elementary, Family, Little Ones, Parents, Preschool, Volunteers  No Responses »
Dec 262011
 

Little Ones

Basic Truth: Jesus wants to be my friend forever.

Key Question: How do we know God loves us?

Bottom Line: God gave us Jesus.

Memory Verse: “God has given a son to us.” Isaiah 9:6, NCV

Bible Story: Jesus is born.  Jesus’ Birth • Luke 2:1-17

Monthly Song: “Jump for Joy” “He is Born” from Jump for Joy

Bible Story Summary

Mary and Joseph traveled a long, long, long way to Bethlehem. When they got there, they had to stay in a stable. Baby Jesus was born in a stable and went to sleep where the animals eat.

Teachable Moment: Play Time

It’s Jesus’ birthday! Throw Him a birthday party. Look at the calendar, and determine when you can have a birthday party for Jesus. Then, gather party plates, napkins, noisemakers, and whatever else your family does for birthday parties. Bake a cake with your little one and decorate it for Jesus. Then, on the designated day, sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus and celebrate Him!

 

Preschool

Basic Truth: Jesus wants to be my friend forever.

Key Question: Why is Jesus special?

Bottom Line: Jesus is God’s Son.

Memory Verse: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son.” John 3:16, GNT

Bible Story Focus: Not everyone knew Jesus is God’s Son.

Jesus Born in a Stable • Luke 2:1-7

I Wonder Questions

I wonder… what did Mary ride on to get to Bethlehem? A donkey.

I wonder… where Mary and Joseph able to find a room at an in? No!

I wonder… where did Mary and Joseph stay? A stable

I wonder…what kind of animals do you think were in the stable where Jesus was born?

 

Elementary

Scripture:  Matthew 1:18-2:12

Story: Jesus’ Birth

Ways to Follow Up:  Watch the video below together or read the Christmas Story together as a family in Matthew 1:18-2:12.  You could also act the story out together or use a nativity scene to retell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v__QaCsdvQk

Say: 

In Matthew 1:23, the Bible talks about Mary and Joseph naming Jesus. It says, “They will call him Immanuel–which means, ‘God with us.’”

That’s exactly what Jesus is–he is “God with us”. Jesus is God in human form. God came into the world as a person and even though he is the God of the whole universe, he came into the world as a tiny baby–not a powerful king or with a huge celebration–and he lived a life here on earth.

God came into the world the way he did to show us how much he loves us and wants to be with us.

 

And all this was for our salvation…

 Christmas, Devotional  No Responses »
Dec 252011
 

“How are we to think of the incarnation: The New Testament does not encourage us to puzzle our heads over the physical and psychological problems that it raises, but to worship God for the love that was shown in it.  For it was a great act of condescension and self-humbling.  He, Who had always been God by nature,writes Paul, did not cling to His prerogatives as God’s equal, but stripped Himself of all privilege by consenting to be a slave by nature and being born as mortal man.  And, having become man, He humbled Himself by living a life of utter obedience, even to the extent of dying, and the death he died was the death of a common criminal (Phil. 2:6).  And all this was for our salvation.

The key text in the New Testament for interpreting the incarnation is not, therefore, the bare statement in John 1:14, the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, but rather the more comprehensive statement of 2 Corinthians 8:9, you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.  Here is stated, not only the fact of the incarnation, but also its meaning; the taking of manhood by the Son is set before us in a way that shows us how we should set it before ourselves and ever view it–not simply as a marvel of nature, but rather as a wonder of grace.

…The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity–hope for pardon, hope for peace with God, hope of glory–because at the Father’s will Jesus Christ  became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he might hang on a cross.  It is the most wonderful message that the world has ever heard, or will hear.”

-J.I. Packer, Knowing God-

Merry Christmas, everyone!

What Will Be On Our Christmas Dinner Table

 Christmas, Recipes, Treasuring God in Our Traditions  No Responses »
Dec 242011
 

Those who know me well know this: I love food…a lot. I think about food a lot. I cook food a lot. I read about food a lot.

One night, after my exuberant reaction over an article about root vegetables, my husband made up a new term for me.

ferdie – (n) a cross between a foodie and a nerd

I’ll take that as a compliment!

The past few years, since we’ve been staying home on Christmas with our little ones, I’ve been working on our Christmas dinner tradition. For our family, Christmas is about celebrating and welcoming our Savior. It’s a rich time of thankfulness and worship with our loved ones. So, I want our food to reflect that and point toward the great banquet believers will experience in heaven one day with Christ. I don’t cut many low-calorie corners here, and I don’t feel bad about that!

Here is where we’ve landed so far with our dinner tradition, although this may be expanded upon and/or tweaked in years to come.

Roasted Beef Tenderloin - The mother of all beef. This cut is the most tender, succulent, melt-in-your-mouth piece of meat you’ll ever eat. It’s also easy to fix yet expensive! That’s why we only buy it and eat it at Christmas. I make this Horseradish Cream Sauce for dipping or topping that is to die for.

Hashbrown Casserole – How can you go wrong with this old standby? To make it a bit healthier, I use organic frozen hashbrowns, organic lowfat milk, and use an organic cream of chicken soup.

Green Beans – We keep it simple–steamed and tossed with a little butter, salt, and pepper.

Roasted Winter Vegetables – The handy thing about this recipe is that these veggies are great at room temperature, as well as warm from the oven.

Bread – I cut corners here and pick up a favorite loaf from a local bakery, warm it up, and serve with butter.

Homemade Chocolate Cake – We call this our Jesus cake, because we use this to celebrate Jesus’ birthday. The kids get SO excited to sing “Happy Birthday” to him, blow out the candles, and partake of this once-a-year cake. The recipe comes from Ina Garten and is just about a perfect chocolate cake to us. The coffee used in the cake mix and icing enhances the chocolate and provides a richness of flavor you’ll never find in a Pillsbury box. Warning: This is usually takes me about two hours to make from start to finish…but is worth it!

What is your Christmas dinner this year?

Originally posted on heathlyrefuge.com

 Older Entries