Merry Christmas!

Unless I feel completely move by the Spirit, I will be taking a break from blogging so I can spend the holidays relaxing (although, I do consider blogging relaxing) with my family, getting some much needed cleaning and organizing done, sleeping in, probably a little shopping, attending church and family gatherings and whatever else comes my way.  I hope you have an amazing Christmas with your family and friends.  I'll be back in the New Year!

 

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."  Luke 2:11

 

"She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  Matthew 1:21

 

 

 

 

A Tangible Expression of Love

As you are spending this Christmas with friends and family take a moment (or lots of moments) to pray for the families affected by the tragic shooting in Newton, Connecticut.  So much has been said regarding the families whose loved one was taken from them and rightly so... but I am also thinking and praying for those children, teachers and staff, police officers, EMT's and others who witnessed the shootings or the after affects of coming upon the scene of the attack.  Those people are forever changed because of this incident... please remember them as well.

The Sunday School classes at my church are taking part in a special activity to encourage and lift the spirits of  the children affected by this tragedy.  In mid January, school will resume for the children in a neighboring town and it is the desire of the Connecticut Parent-Teacher Association to have as many handmade snowflakes hanging from the ceiling of this new school.

If you, your extended family or church would like to participate in this act of love you can read about this special event here.  The address to mail completed snowflakes is given at the bottom of the article. 

Although, many may chose not to discuss the events of Friday morning, December 14th with their younger children, this activity may allow you to have an open discussion with your older children and give them a chance to display a tangible act of love for those who are struggling.  I teach a preschool/ kindergarten Sunday School class and although we will not be discussing the shooting, we will participate in making snowflakes and I will talk to the children about how each individual snowflake is different, which reminds us that we are all unique and special.

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."  Galatians 6:2

 

"The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."  Galatians 5:14

Parenting With Grace

I have been thinking lately how we often feel pressured to live our lives based on what other people think or say.  We seem to be living in an age of less grace, although I'm not sure it's anything new really.  I know this firsthand... For many years, I was not very gracious toward people if I felt like they didn't measure up to a standard I developed in my mind.  Then God took me on a journey to knock me off my very high pedestal and taught me that we are all very unique.

 

I recently read an article online about one author's opinion on a subject.  I happened to agree with the author, but based on some of the comments I read that wasn't the case for everyone.  There were many who felt they had to justify their decision in the comments section.  Or they were critical of the author, claiming he lumped everyone into one class.  After reading the article and then the comments, it made me sad that people dumped all the good and failed to see that the author was speaking from his heart and from experience.  He wasn't claiming that everyone who made the same desicison he made would have the same results. So why do we feel the need to explain every decision we've made to people around us?  I think Jesus would like us to be grace givers.  We aren't all on the same faith journey and what might be right and good for me, may not be right and good for another person.  I don't think we need to apologize to everyone for the journey that God has us on.

 

We also need to be parents who model grace; and it starts with offering grace to our kids.  One of the best books I have read on parenting was by Dr. Tim Kimmel called Grace Based Parenting.  It's a book I need to read yearly since I'm prone to easily forget.

Ouch! My Head Hurts

Some days I feel like I’m beating my head against a brick wall talking to my teenager.  I’m new to this stage of life, so those of you who have already entered this phase, I applaud you as you have already ventured into this crazy, unpredictable, sometimes frustrating and often rewarding stage of life. J

I have a new appreciation for parents of teenagers because it’s hard to accept a child moving away from the stage of needing my constant attention to sending them off to test their wings.  Sometimes I just plain don’t like it!

If you are not yet in this stage of life, pray today for a friend who is there and/or send them a message of encouragement.  And most importantly pray for the teens in your family as well as your church family… they are dealing with some hard issues and sometimes awkward situations. They desperately need our prayers!

How I Am Affected by the Sandy Hook Shooting

There is so much information floating around cyberspace regarding the situation that unfolded last Friday in Newton, Conneticut at the Sandy Hook Elementary school.  I'm not here to debate about gun control or mood altering drugs.  I just want to share a few ways my life has been affected by this tragic event.

First, this blog post by one of my favorite authors, Lysa TerKeurst captures how my heart is feeling in these post Sandy Hook days.  There will come a day very soon when life gets back to "normal"; we will open our computers and not be inundated with news stories regarding the victims of the school shootings.  But I don't want my heart to grow cold to the needs and sorrows of the families affected by this tragic event, so I encourage you to read Lysa's wise counsel and listen to the raw emotion she too is feeling in these days.

The second thing I want to share with you is a poem, written by Cameo Smith.  I saw it posted on a facebook page by my local radio station.  I hope you find encouragement in the words.  The above picture goes with the following poem...

twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38
when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.
their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.
...they could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.
they were filled ...

with such joy, they didn't know what to say.
they remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.
"where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.
"this is heaven." declared a small boy. "we're spending Christmas at God's house."
when what to their wondering eyes did appear,
but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
then He opened His arms and He called them by name.
and in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring
those children all flew into the arms of their King
and as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,
one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.
and as if He could read all the questions she had
He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad."
then He and the children stood up without a sound.
"come now my children, let me show you around."
excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.
all displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.
and i heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,
"in the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."
Written by Cameo Smith, Mt. Wolf, PA

 

The last thing I want to share with you is a story I heard yesterday.  A grandmother of one of the victims told the story of how her granddaugher wanted to wear a special dress to school last Friday, her mother said "yes" and the grandmother related how this greiving mom will forever have the picture embedded in her mind of her little girl all decked out in her pretty pink dress. 

 

This story hit me like a ton of bricks because Sunday night my 6 year old asked me if she could wear her Christmas outfit to school on Monday.  I said "no" that it was special and she should save it for Sundays.  When I heard the grandmother's story, I realized I had to forget about the possiblity that her outfit could get ruined on the playground.  I needed to let my beautiful daugher, wear her special outfit because she simply wanted to. 

 

So yesterday I told her she could wear it to her special Christmas luncheon at school on Thursday.  Needless to say, she is absolutely thrilled!  One the first things she asked me this morning was if TODAY was the day she could wear her beautiful Christmas outfit.  To think I almost deprived her of the joy of wearing something so pretty and I almost deprived myself of watching the joy and excitement in the heart of my little girl.

"Beware of Christians"

Over the weekend I watched a documentary on Netflix called "Beware of Christians".  Four college age guys took a 5 week tour of Europe talking to people about what they believed regarding their identity, materialism, sex/relationships, the church, wealth/poverty, media/entertainment and alcohol.  I admit I was intrigued at the documentary title, but also a bit leery of the conclusion these 20 something boys would come to.  I watched it with my teenage son and was encouraged and convicted by what I heard and learned.

The premise of their 5 week trip was more about a personal search to find out what God had to say about the above seven topics.  They had all been well churched, but were now struggling with what they truly believed about God. 

Their findings? 

They discovered that Jesus and His teachings need to be supreme... not the church, their parents, pastor or youth leaders.  We all know that to be true, but how often do we fall prey to Satan's lies to put the opinions of man above God.  My husband and I both did that for many years.  We grew up believing the lie that our faith was measured by the way we looked and the things we did or did not do.  For me it was never stated that way outright, but somewhere along the line I believed if I was good enough, then I was complete and acceptable to Christ.  When we discovered our faith wasn't based on religion, we were set free to live out our faith in Jesus Christ.

This is exactly what the religious leaders of Jesus day were doing.  They had become accustomed to certain religious practices and turned those practices into genuine faith.  When they began to watch Jesus heal the sick on the Sabbath and eat with publicans and sinners, their undies got in a bunch and they began to accuse Jesus of not following after the Jewish faith.

As I read about Jesus' ministry the other morning, I came away feeling that hanging out with Jesus was way more fun than hob nobing with the stuffy scribes and Pharisees.  This is a relatively new thought to me (at least within the last 3-4 years), life with Jesus is rewarding and enjoyable.  I've learned that God wants me to live in grace and freedom with Him.

This is a truth that MUST be shared with the youth of our day, I think they can easily fall into the same trap of believing the Christian life is full of do's and don'ts and that we must appear sullen and somber.  That is soooooo not true!  Jesus said...

"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."  (John 10:10)

 

Sit down with your kids and ask them what they believe Jesus meant when he told the Pharisees that He came to give them an abundant life.  Do they know this as truth in their own life?  This verse rocked my world and I can imagine it turned the Pharisees world upside down too.  It is sad that they decided to hold onto their stuffy religion rather than experiencing abundant joy in Christ.

 

Here are some verses to get excited about...

 

“Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”  (Nehemiah 8:10)

 

 "Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do."  (Ecclesiastes 9:7)

 

"My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy."  (Psalms 63:5-7)

 

Note: The link to "Beware of Christians" is a trailer of the movie.  I did a quick google search and couldn't come up with the actual documentary outside of Netflix.



Grace to Mature

I read today from Luke 2, seeking to prepare my heart and mind for this Christmas season.  The end of the chapter relates the story of Jesus (age 12) and his parents going to Jerusalem for the Passover feast.  At the end of the feast Mary and Joseph began the journey back to Nazareth only to discover after a day of traveling that Jesus was not with them.  Have you ever read that passage and gotten a little irritated at what seems to be a lack of consideration on Jesus part?  I have.  I've wrestled with how He could leave his parents hanging out there while they searched with anxiety and concern.  I don't in any way mean to sound blasphemous toward Jesus, but my human mommy heart totally understand the anxiety Mary felt when she discovered Jesus was missing.

I'm sure at one point in your life you've been in a public setting and one or more of your children temporarily go missing.  Usually, they are hiding in the midst of a clothing rack, but think back to the panic you felt when you didn't know where they were for that split second.  Once you find that missing child, relief washes over you and then what comes next?  Anger... anger that they caused you such anxiety.  You give them the talk about staying close to mommy and you tell them not to ever do it again.  Think about that situation... was your child acting in rebellion or silliness?

I recently read an article about one parent's struggle not to make his family an idol.  He talked about how we often react to our child's behavior because they've offended or embarrassed us as a parent.  In reality we care very little about the child's behavior and care a lot about how we will look to our friends, family or fellow Christians.  I know I'm guilty of that.

I think back many years to when I was a girl and my brother a young adolescent adult.  If you knew my brother he was very fun loving, silly at times and in general just loved to have a good time.  He didn't always make the best choices, and so he was often criticized, ostracized and labeled a "bad kid" by some.  But he wasn't acting out of rebellion, just immaturity.  Thankfully, my parents had the grace to allow him to mature.  Today he is the same fun loving person he's always been; he is someone I have a great amount of love and respect for because his heart is so full of love for God and man.  He lives out Luke 10:27...

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

My point is this.... when Jesus stayed back to talk with the teacher's in the temple he wasn't acting out of rebellion to his parents.  Because Jesus was God in the flesh, He too had to learn how to mature.  Luke 2:52 says...

"And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man."

 

In a nutshell... Jesus had to mature!  As parents, we need to remember to give grace in the midst of immaturity. 

 

My pastor preached a very helpful sermon on this topic this past spring.  If you find yourself wrestling with this passage in Luke 2:39-52, it may be helpful to listen to the sermon here.

A Word Fitly Spoken: HOPE

Hope... it's a powerful word!  Lately, I've been seeing it in print, hearing it sung and reading about how God spoke hope into the hearts of His people.  Did you know the Bible mentions the word hope 150 plus times?

 

We usually use the word in expectation with a bit of doubt mixed in... "I hope I get an iPod for Christmas" or "I hope we'll go to Disney Land for vacation".  But when God speaks the word hope, it carries the idea of a confidence that something will happen.  Throughout the Old Testament God spoke of the coming Messiah and the people waited in confident expectation for the coming of their Savior and King.  In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with the confidence that one day Jesus will come back to rule and reign on the earth.

We can tolerate a lot when we know there is hope.  A women can undergo a difficult pregnancy because she knows there is hope for relief at the end of nine months.  A person can endure a painful illness if they have hope the treatment will cure them.  A mom can survive a rough day at home with the kids if she has hope that dad will be home by supper.  A child can "suffer" through their chores when they have hope that they can play video games or play with their toys at the end of the day.

So, I've been seeing, hearing and reading about this word and wondered why.  I knew God must be trying to tell me something.  I began writing this article last evening still wondering why.  Then as I asked God and waited for Him to speak to my heart He told me!

God has spoken hope into my heart, but I'm not very good at speaking it into the hearts of my children.  I find myself holding back all the time.  They ask me if we can do something special over the weekend and I can't seem to give them a positive, definitive answer... I hold back with a "maybe" response.  I asked myself why I respond that way and the answer is that I'm afraid of disappointing my kids... if something should come up that is out of my control or maybe more honestly, if I don't feel like doing it when the weekend rolls around I have an "out".  I want my kids to understand, grasp and cling tightly to the hope they have in Christ and I believe God is telling me and showing me that I need to show them what hope can look like even though it's coming from a flawed mom.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."  ~Jeremiah 29:11

"So that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."  ~Titus 3:7

 

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."  ~I Peter 1:3

 

"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."  ~Romans 15:4


 

Hodge Podge of Christmas Gift Ideas

Are you wondering what to give your kids teacher's and school staff for Christmas?  To help you get your creative juices flowing, I'm going to share some of the ideas I found after scouring Pinterest.  Some will be more spendy and others budget conscience, so you can pick and choose based on your cash flow.

Spendy Ideas:

1. Various ideas for male teachers... I always think male gifts are more spendy.
2. "Ten Terrific Basket Themes"
3. "Thank You for Helping Me Grow" - potted plant with gift card
4. Survival Kit
5. 12 Days of Christmas - different gift for the 12 days leading up to Christmas
6. Gift cards
7. Movie night - gift card for movie rental, popcorn, box of candy
8. Candy flower pot

Store Bought, Yet Inexpensive:

1. Bottle of Sprite - "I Hope Your Holiday's Are Merry and Sprite"
2. "Quench My Thirst" - Drinking cup with tea/lemonade packets
3. 15 gifts for under $2 - some are a little corny
4. "... Picked a Better Teacher" - fruit themed basket with lotions, etc. (Would also work with actual fruit basket)
5. Candy Bar Snowman
6. Snowman Hot Chocolate
7. Crayon bowl
8. Frosty the Snowman candy jar

Homemade:
*Presentation is the key to a great homemade gift!

1. Apple Carmel Jar - Homemade carmel dip with apple
2. Fudge
3. Christmas cookies
4. Hand dipped pretzels
5. Card made by student
6. Art made with crayon, pencils, etc.
7. Soup mixes
8. Cookie, brownie, bread mixes in mason jar
9. Soaps and bath salts

Please share your ideas too.  I am doing several different things this year.  Since my son is in Jr. High now and has a gazillion teachers (okay just 8) I'm doing a miniature version of the candy flower pot for the female teachers and a scaled down version of the movie night for the male teachers.  For the past couple years I have made a gift basket for my kids elementary teachers that we called "A Few of My Favorite Things".  At the start of the school year, I give the teachers a "homework" assignment asking them what they're favorite things are (candy, treat, drink, color, flower, hobby, restaurant, store, etc.).  I use that homework assignment to help me assemble a gift basket that includes some of their favorite things.  It's always fun to see their reaction when they ask, "How did you know this is what I liked?"