Wow, it has been busy around here lately with birthdays, appointments, kids work schedules and getting ready for the holidays! Some days I feel like I have so much to do that I will never keep up, but I love this time of year and wouldn't trade the memories we are making for anything!
Part of getting ready for the holidays for us, is starting to prepare all of our ideas for our Advent Project. Thanksgiving is a perfect time to start planning. As your family is reflecting on all the things they are thankful for, you can talk about how you can share those things with others around you!
The Advent Project was written for a friend after a conversation we had about Christmas and how easy it is to get caught up in all the hustle and bustle and “I want” attitude of Christmas. It started as just some ideas to celebrate Jesus’ birth, giving to others and building memories and traditions as a family. As I was sharing some of my ideas, I realized how eager others were for the very same thing! I decided to put it all together in one place and share it with everyone–my Christmas gift to you!
The idea of the Advent Project is simple, everyday there is a Bible verse (part of the Christmas story in Luke) and then there are family activities, books and movies. You can do an activity every day, once a week, whatever works for your family. Some activities will require some pre-planning and are designed for a wide variety of ages, so you choose what is most appropriate.
It is not supposed to be a complete list, but a jumping off place--ideas to get you started. Every family has different traditions, commitments and resources. My hope is that you are inspired to make the holiday season more meaningful for your family, to teach and encourage giving not just gifts, but your time and thoughtfulness and love.
Every year our planning is a little different. As our kids have gotten older, we have let them pick and plan a lot of the activities that they want to do. It is so heartwarming to watch your kids pack shoeboxes of gifts for other children or pick a name from an Angel Tree and use their own money to buy special gifts for a foster child. Baking and decorating sugar cookies has always been a special time for our family and we have had as many as 20 guests sitting around our table laden with frosting and sprinkles, sipping hot cocoa, listening to Christmas carols and laughing as we shared a memory and some time together. The goal is to create meaningful memories, not necessarily centered around gifts, but around being together and celebrating the greatest gift of Christmas!
Download your FREE copy here:
The Advent Project 1
Feel free to print and share as many copies as you like.
Showing posts with label christianity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christianity. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Superstition and Fear
"All your works praise you, LORD;
your faithful people extol you.
They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom." Psalm 145:10-12
Superstition and fear-mongering have no place in the Christian life! If you claim to believe in Jesus you should recognize He is sovereign and holy!
As Christians we are called to spread hope, joy and peace! Not fear and doom, or belief in luck (good or bad), jinxes or any other man-made idea (including horoscopes).
What we talk about, read about, and yes, even post of facebook is a reflection of what is going on in our hearts. It is the window to the world of what we truly believe. If we are spreading fear and gloom, then we are not walking in the light. And even though we live in a fallen and sometimes scary world, we are to spread the hope that comes from knowing that Jesus has overcome the world!
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
"If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth." 1 john 1:6
"You, LORD, have abandoned your people, the descendants of Jacob. They are full of superstitions from the East; they practice divination like the Philistines and embrace pagan customs." Isaiah 2:6
"To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it." Deut. 10:14
" You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." 1 John 4:4
" Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead." Deut. 18:10-11
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 ( KJV)
“Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.
“As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.” Genesis 8:21-22
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~This morning when I got on Facebook my heart was grieved by the amount of things posted that dealt with superstitions, horoscopes and articles proclaiming doom and gloom on the earth by people who claim to love Jesus. I know for some, it was probably just a lack of forethought before they posted, but we are still accountable for our actions. If we are the only Jesus that some people see, what are we showing them?
I know I will probably offend some and I am sure I will receive some unhappy email, but this is something that God has laid very heavy on my heart. I am not perfect nor am I claiming to be. Sometimes God opens our eyes to a truth that must be proclaimed.
your faithful people extol you.
They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom." Psalm 145:10-12
Superstition and fear-mongering have no place in the Christian life! If you claim to believe in Jesus you should recognize He is sovereign and holy!
As Christians we are called to spread hope, joy and peace! Not fear and doom, or belief in luck (good or bad), jinxes or any other man-made idea (including horoscopes).
What we talk about, read about, and yes, even post of facebook is a reflection of what is going on in our hearts. It is the window to the world of what we truly believe. If we are spreading fear and gloom, then we are not walking in the light. And even though we live in a fallen and sometimes scary world, we are to spread the hope that comes from knowing that Jesus has overcome the world!
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
"If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth." 1 john 1:6
"You, LORD, have abandoned your people, the descendants of Jacob. They are full of superstitions from the East; they practice divination like the Philistines and embrace pagan customs." Isaiah 2:6
"To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it." Deut. 10:14
" You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." 1 John 4:4
" Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead." Deut. 18:10-11
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 ( KJV)
“Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.
“As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.” Genesis 8:21-22
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~This morning when I got on Facebook my heart was grieved by the amount of things posted that dealt with superstitions, horoscopes and articles proclaiming doom and gloom on the earth by people who claim to love Jesus. I know for some, it was probably just a lack of forethought before they posted, but we are still accountable for our actions. If we are the only Jesus that some people see, what are we showing them?
I know I will probably offend some and I am sure I will receive some unhappy email, but this is something that God has laid very heavy on my heart. I am not perfect nor am I claiming to be. Sometimes God opens our eyes to a truth that must be proclaimed.
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