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Making New Year’s Resolutions as a Family
January has long been heralded as a month of renewal and a time to set goals for the coming year. We make resolutions concerning all kinds of things. Maybe you want to get a better grasp on your finances or pay off the loan on a car. Or perhaps it’s more spiritual sounding like developing a deeper prayer life. Regardless of the goal, don’t make your resolutions a solitary event. Take some time this month (if you haven’t already) and sit down with your family to discuss goals for the coming year and the motivation behind the goals. As Christians, all goals should ultimatly honor God and draw…
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The Keeper of the Christmas Kitchen
For some of us, Christmas means cooking family favorites that make the season special. We deep six counting calories and fat content. We fold in real butter, sugar, and vanilla. We chop nuts and mash spuds. It can mean hours in the kitchen, aching feet, and tense attempts to make everything come out hot at the same time. As I sort recipes and make my shopping list, part of me eagerly anticipates the scrumptious smells that will soon emanate from my oven. But another part of me needs to hear The Keeper of the Spring story once again. The late Peter Marshall, chaplain of the United States Senate, told this…
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Christ-Centered Family Advent Activities
Staying focused on Christ’s birth can be a challenge throughout the holiday season. Amongst the busy schedules, shopping, and presents, the incarnation of Christ gets lost. One way to bring the message of Christ into your holiday schedule is to build traditions with your family that help you focus on the Christmas story. Take time to slow down and enjoy simple family moments. Use these cherished opportunities to have valuable spiritual conversations with your children. Many families enjoy making homemade ornaments together. It’s fun, cost effective, and a great opportunity to nurture your family’s faith. Christmas Stars — Various directions and ideas abound for making star ornaments. Here's a star pattern…
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How to Have the Best Moments with Your Family During the Holidays
Sometimes the best moments in our lives happen to us out of the blue. We don’t plan them or seek them out. We go in without any expectations and we don’t try to force anything to happen. These special moments just show up—unexpectedly. So how can we have more of these moments with our families during the most stressful time of the year? I love the holidays. I find great joy in gathering around a table with my loved ones, reminiscing about God’s faithfulness throughout the year. I get excited about all the holiday season stuff, especially the food! I don’t like the drama that comes with it all.…
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Pope Francis and the FedEx Cup
Pope Francis was the news this past week. I must say it has been a long time since the national media devoted so much uninterrupted time to hear and even affirm various messages from a person of faith. In our skeptical age it was refreshing. For a person of faith it was encouraging to see the cross lifted high and Jesus and the power of the gospel exalted. Observing the multitudes at various venues I am reminded of Ecc 3:11 how “God has set eternity in the hearts of every person.” Blaise Pascal said it well that “there is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man.” This…
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Why We Lost…or Did We?
Leadership is broken because leaders are unbroken We lost. 5-4. A crushing loss after an unbroken string of losses dating back to Roe vs. Wade in 1973. This most recent loss, same sex marriage, happened a long time ago, not on June, 26, 2015. That loss happened when we decided to trade in God’s weakness for our power and chose to trust political process instead of spiritual resources… Don’t get me wrong. As citizens of the United States of America we should use every means our constitution gives us to advance our cause, but we cannot depend on our rights to make our nation right. Surely we know that when…
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Leadership Lessons from a Family Pastor!
For those that don’t know, I serve as the Family Pastor for my local church. It’s a great opportunity for anyone who loves the concept of the family like I do. I oversee age groups from birth to Sr. High and I’m seeing overseeing marriage ministry as well. I love that God has given this responsibility to me and I love the thought of what a Christ-Centered family looks like. As the Family Pastor, I’ve already made some discoveries in leadership that I’ve been a bit eye opening and yet familiar. I have learned a few lessons along the way and I have a feeling I’ll be learning more…
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Conversation Starters with Kids
Whether you have kids, or you teach kids, or you just simply know kids, questions come in handy. If you’ve ever struggled with getting to know a child better, perhaps some of the following questions may work as great conversation starters.
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A Family Advent Activity with Mary’s Magnificat
Many of us spend part of the Advent season reflecting on Christ’s birth together as a family. But do you ever get to the point where you feel like you’re just saying the same things over and over? This year I sat down and compared Hannah and Mary’s songs of praise to God and found quite a few similarities. Mary’s song reflects her deep knowledge of the lives and words of the Old Testament saints, and in particular, Hannah’s story seemed to resonate with Mary. Over a thousand years earlier, Hannah sang a song of praise to God for blessing her barren womb, and Mary praised God for making fertile…
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Thanksgiving: Are You Rich? Take This Test.
Repeat after me: “I am filthy rich.” I know. I know. I learned this week that we need $15,000 to replace the cooling system in our home. And that’s the off-season price. I know you have bills and pressures that are probably even more pressing. But still…. Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on how much we have for which to be grateful. So I’m thinking some categories from leadership expert Robin Sharma, author of The Greatness Guide, might provide us with some structure for thinking how much we have. He identifies seven forms of wealth: · Inner wealth · Physical wealth · Family and social wealth · Career…