Category Archives: Parents

Don’t Toss Those Christmas Cards

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Another Christmas in the books with great times shared by all. Now comes the dreaded decoration take down. Once more the routine of hauling boxes to and from the attic, everything packed away until next Thanksgiving. Exhausting isn’t it? The house returns to “normal”, and for a moment seems kind of bland. It’s as if that Christmas feeling is suddenly sucked out of the air, and I truly miss it. But of all the decorations I miss the most are the ones sent by family and friends, the Christmas cards.

Yes, in our household Christmas cards are decorations. We figured that if our friends and family take the time to send us a card we should do something special with them. So, we decorate with them as they come in. And when it’s time to take them down, we are left with the question of what to do with them. I hate throwing away Christmas cards. It feels as if I’m tossing away something special. For years we bundled them up with a rubber band, and stored them with the rest of the other decorations. But now we do something special with them. We pray for the ones who sent the cards.

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Beginning New Year’s Day, we take one card and pray as a family for the person or family who sent that particular card. Each day another card is drawn from the pile, and the senders of that card are prayed for.

This is a great way for you and your family to spend time together and focus attention on someone else. It teaches your kids about prayer, to think of others, and gives them a model to pass on to the next generation.

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Make this process fit for your family. If you can’t do this everyday, don’t worry. Just make it a part of your schedule and make it routine. It can be done at bedtime, or at the beginning of the family meal. You set the schedule.

The Apostle Paul urged Christians to encourage, build up, and pray for one another. Prayer for another is an act of Christian love. Jesus said people will know we are His by our love.

Christmas is about giving. The best gift we can give another person is to pray for him or her. Don’t toss those cards! Keep giving throughout this new year.

Peace

Yes there is a Santa Claus

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(Photo: Stained glass window in St. Nicholas Parish Church – Guisborough, England)

Yes world, there really is/was a Santa Claus. Or, a Saint Nicholas, as he was known in the 4th century. Known as the Bishop of Myra, Nicholas’ wealthy parents died when he was young leaving him financially secure. After being raised by an uncle and later ordained as a priest, Nicholas gained a reputation for helping the poor, especially children.

One story tells of a poor man who had three daughters. Without money for a dowry for each of his girls, the father knew his daughters would have no future, be unmarried, and have to resort to prostitution as a means of earning a living. Nicholas wanted to help, and during the middle of one night, threw three bags of gold coins (one for each daughter) through the window of the man’s house. Legend has it that one of the bags fell into a stocking hanging to dry by the fire. This act of kindness helped secure the girls a much different future.

Nicholas lived a life of generosity, helping those in need. He was even called Saint Nicholas before he died, giving rise to the legend children know today as Santa Claus.

So next time your kids ask that inevitable question, you can honestly say, “Yes, there really was/is a Santa Claus. He exists in our hearts, and represents the spirit of Christmas through giving and helping others. Merry Christmas everyone!

Faith That Sticks

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Orange Conference 2014 week has arrived! Our Getwell Road family ministry team has been in the process of organizing, planning and strategizing our upcoming Orange Experience. ReThink pulls out all of the stops to make this conference an amazing experience for all church attendees. Our goal is to recharge, vision, rethink and fill up with all that is offered in the various ministry areas, so we can bring ideas back to further our partnership with parents and families.

I asked myself, “What would our children’s lives look like if that kind of strategizing, planning and attention was given to their spiritual development?” Would it make such an impact that as they grew and matured, they would be able to withstand the pressure of culture and the world? Would it help provide them with a faith that sticks?

From birth until high school graduation we have approximately 936 weeks with our children. For the parents with an infant, this might seem like a long time. From a parent of a sixth grader, it is not so long. In fact we have only 315 weeks until our daughter graduates and heads off to college. Sounds crazy to count doesn’t it? But as Reggie Joiner says, “When you see how much time you have left, you tend to do more with the time you have now.” So whether we are at week 935 or week 1, what are we as parents going to do to make sure our kids know Jesus, know the truth of Scripture, and develop a faith so strong that they can withstand everything the world throws at them when they leave for college? We need a sticky faith strategy!

You see, statistics show that only 50 percent of our kids who graduate high school and have attended church or youth group will have a faith that sticks with them through college. That’s one half people! And the only way we are going to reverse this trend is for parents to analyze, strategize and implement a plan to help their child(ren) have the kind of faith that sticks with them. It is a fight folks that will impact the future of the next generation of your family!

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 supports this idea of sticky faith. Because if we want our children to follow Jesus and have a faith that sticks, then we must make Jesus a part of our everyday experiences. We must teach them to see Him in all aspects of life. Not only do we do this by living out our faith with our kids, but we must give them the knowledge and place people in their lives that will assist us in carrying out our sticky faith plans. Your children will seek another voice to speak into their lives when they get older. What better plan than for you as parents to have influence as to the other voice that will speak into their lives! Seek out that older youth, young adult and senior adult to pour into your child. And when your kids start to doubt and question their faith (and they will), they have built a relationship with others who have spoken truth into them, guiding them through those doubting moments or difficult times.

Getwell Road our kids need a faith that sticks. They need to know that they are part of a bigger story, God’s story. They need truth. They need to know that they are loved not only by God, but by our church family as well. They need to know that no matter what life throws at them or what mistakes they make, they are forgiven. They need this sticky faith to pass on to their kids and grandkids so that future generations will share in the love of Christ. No matter what stage your child, children or grandchildren are in, develop a plan. Let’s reverse this 50 percent trend and be the church that develops sticky faith in our kids. See you after Orange!!