Sunday, December 17, 2023
Sunday, October 15, 2023
Christmas Books to Foster Faith This Advent
2) The King is Born (The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series)
4) The Shepherd Girl of Bethlehem By Carey Morning
Sunday, December 25, 2022
The Peace We Need This Christmas
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, ESV)
As the days become shorter and the nights longer this winter, darkness greets me quicker than I want. I find myself longing for the sunrise each morning and compelled to put up my Christmas lights to combat the encroaching darkness. This extended darkness makes my days seem too short. Fleeting. I find my heart longing for hope and peace in the uncertainty the night often brings with it.
Perhaps you understand the weight of darkness as well. Concern for a child. Waiting. The grief of loss. Broken systems. A crumbled dream. Discord in relationships. The losing battle against sin.
Oh, how we long for peace. For the day war is not on the radar. When darkness no longer advances. When injustice doesn’t prevail. And death’s sting ceases. As Advent unfolds, we receive a word regarding the hope and peace our hearts ache to see.
In Isaiah 9:6, we have been given a gift in the form of a child, a baby. This gift—Jesus—will bring us a just kingdom and keep doing God’s extraordinary work. He will guide us in God’s ways (and turn our own plans upside down). He is mighty and strong. He will be our Father in charge through all the ups and downs now and forever. He holds peace in His right hand.
Jesus is both the gift and giver of peace. For believers, we will live in this kingdom with Him—and this truth sparks hope to endure in our faith until that day. For this lack of peace on earth won’t have the final say.
As the Christmas hymn, “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks” reminds us:
All glory be to God on high
And on the earth be peace
Goodwill henceforth from heaven to men
Begin and never cease
As we prepare our hearts to celebrate Christmas, we can rejoice in the Prince of Peace who left the splendor and peace of heaven to step down into a broken, unjust world and usher in peace for you and I—for we were on His mind to be recipients of this peace.
Jesus is the light and peace the world—and all of us—need this Christmas and always.
Originally published on The Round Farmhouse.
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Advent & Christmas Book Ideas For Your Family
Advent begins on November 27th this year! As parents, if we want to be prepared to dive into the season we should decide which resources to utilize this year to guide our families. Whether you have preschoolers or elementary-aged kids, here are nine resources to consider:
1) The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
This book is one of my favorites to read with my boys each Christmas. Through compelling and hilarious fiction following the crazy Herdman family, Robinson engages young readers with a modern understanding of the incredible gift Christ is and how this should change the lives of everyone. If you haven't read this with your kids, you should! Robinson helps kids see how powerful the coming of Jesus truly is.
2) The Littlest Watchman by Scott James
This storybook is a creative way to engage kids with the beautiful message of the Christmas story. Young readers can identify with having to wait for Christmas just like the main character, Benjamin.
3) The Littlest Watchman Advent Calendar by Alison Mitchell
This is a great advent calendar for kids ages 5–8. I used this with my own boys for a few years and loved it. Since it accompanies the book, it's a great way to keep things simple while still focused on the heart of Advent with kids.
4) Jesus Came for Me: The True Story of Christmas by Jared Kennedy
This board book for preschoolers walks through key elements of the Christmas story from the arrival of John the Baptist, the birth of Jesus, to the visit from the wise men.
5) The Light Before Christmas by Marty Machowski
This family Advent devotion incorporates fiction with devotions on the meaning of Christmas. I'm looking forward to diving into this with my boys this year!
6) The Christmas Promise Storybook by Alison Mitchell
This storybook walks young kids through the Christmas story and traces the faithfulness of God to keep His promise.
7) 12 Days of Christmas Around the World by Wycliffe Kids
This free guide will take your kids on a journey to learn how other cultures celebrate the holidays. This resource is highly adaptable depending on your family's needs. It can be as simple as five minutes (and skipping the activity) or take longer if you have time to do each day's suggested activity.Saturday, November 13, 2021
ADVENT IDEAS FOR MOTHERS WITH YOUNG KIDS
It feels counter-intuitive to start thinking about Advent before Thanksgiving, but I’ve learned over the years that a little planning ahead helps prepare my boys’ hearts—and mine—for Christmas.
The busyness of these final two months of the year can sometimes get in the way of what really matters. We can easily get caught up in “the things that are seen” and “transient”—Halloween costumes, bags of candy, school projects, travel plans, gift ideas, photos for Christmas cards—and leave little room for “the things that are unseen” and “eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18). While we know preparing our hearts and minds during Advent is wise, it can quickly become lost in the midst of a thousand things calling for our attention.
Read the rest of my article on Momma Theologians.
Saturday, October 30, 2021
5 Global Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids
1) Discover The World Game
Free Global Advent Guide
12 Days of Christmas Around the World will take your kids on a journey to learn how other cultures celebrate the holidays. This advent resource is highly adaptable depending upon your family's needs. It can be as simple as five-minutes (and skipping the activity) or take longer if you have time to do each day's suggested activity.
Consider adding on a brief time to pray for the people from the country you learn about that day. Even a 30-second prayer is a good way to model the importance of praying for the nations.
Curious to check out this resource? Click here to access the Wycliffe PDF file.
Monday, December 23, 2019
CHRISTMAS: LISTENING TO TRUTH
- John 18:37
With two days on my children's countdown calendar until Christmas, I yearn for the truth of Christmas to shine into the depths of my heart. I want to silence the competing voices this holiday season so I can embrace the beauty of Christ coming to bear witness to the truth.
In John 18:37, Jesus stands before Pilate—the final moments leading up to the cross— and discusses His kingdom. Pilate fails to recognize the kingship of Jesus. Instead Pilate focuses his attention on the immediate concern of maintaining his own power and image.
Jesus is the King of kings, but left the riches and splendor of heaven to become poor for us out of love. He came knowing rejection, shame, and misunderstanding would be His norm. But He also knew some would one day listen to Truth and follow Him.
The cultural baggage of Christmas can sometimes distract me from embracing the difficult path of Christ. Nothing about the Christmas story was easy. A young, unmarried girl giving birth without her support network. The whispers of others who assumed the worst about Mary and Joseph for marrying her anyway. A young carpenter thrust into fatherhood and finding a job in an unknown place. Thousands of baby boys murdered in King Herod's crazy attempt to secure his earthly kingship.
Truth can be inconvenient and not well received. It involves risk. And yet without Truth we have no hope for peace with God. As Christians we cannot force anyone to believe the Truth, but we are commanded to follow in the footsteps of Jesus to proclaim it. The story of redemption doesn't begin with Jesus' birth. It began back in the garden.
I hope this Christmas I prioritize the kingship of Christ over my own comfort and ease. I want to marvel at redemption and how Christ's birth affirmed our deep need for help had arrived. May I listen to His voice and point others to do the same. For His kingdom is eternal.