Merry Christmas!

And the angel said...

"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

May you have a blessed Christmas celebration and may this thought be in the forefront of your mind as you celebrate.


The Family Resources Blog will be taking a break from now until Jan. 2nd. May God bless the time you spend with your family over the course of the next few days all the while reminding you of his indescribable gift, his Son, Jesus Christ!


MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

"What Are You Singing?"

Whether or not you realize it, the more you hear/sing something, the more familiar it becomes. Sometimes, something can become so familiar that it loses it's power and ability to impact us. One of those "familiar" things I'm always faced with this time of year are Christmas songs.

Everyone loves "Joy to the World" and "O Come All Ye Faithful." Christmas songs have undoubtedly become part of our culture/world (i.e. - entire radio stations dedicated to them starting at the end of November).

On a hunch, I went and looked up many of the lyrics to these songs, and God was gracious and reminded me of just how powerful this Christmas idea is.

Listen to these lyrics...

"He comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found." - Joy to the World

"The hopes and fears of all the years, are met in thee tonight" - O Little Town of Bethlehem

"Born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth." - Hark, the Herald Angels Sing

What if, this Christmas, as you were listening to a song, you asked your children about the lyrics of the songs that they may or may not know by heart? Can you imagine what would happen if dads and moms and kids were driving in the car talking about the realities that some of those very popular, and yet familiar, Christmas songs pointed to.

If that's not a conversation starter...I don't know what is!

Traditions Are Important!

Christmas is only a few days away, and it's always been my favorite holidays of the year. I don't think it has much to do with the presents (although I did love presents growing up). For me, Christmas brings back all kinds of memories and traditions. Here are a couple...

• Every Christmas Eve before bed, we would read Luke 2.
• My dad would always let us open one present on Christmas Eve to "prime" the pump.
• When I got older, our family would sit down and watch our favorite Christmas movie, "A Christmas Story" and laugh about BB guns, frozen poles and tongues, and leg lamps.
• As much as we wanted to rush through the pile of presents, my parents only allowed one person to open a present at a time. We all took turns and everybody got to see the joy on the face of the person opening the present (plus, it taught us a little patience, too).

If you have children, know this. Christmas time is full of opportunities to create long-lasting, meaningful traditions. Some of them are goofy and some are very serious, but this time is like no other when it comes to memories being made and traditions being created. Look for ways to create those kinds of special moments with your kids over the next couple of days.

"Santa" or "No-Santa"? That is the question...

I have a new son...this will be his first Christmas. Now, he is much too young to even acknowledge or even grasp the idea of Santa Clause, but the other day, I couldn't help but think about something. How am I going to handle the issue of Santa Clause?

My first thought was..."there doesn't seem to be any harm in a mysterious, gift-giver at Christmas"?

Immediately, my mind went another direction... "if I have to have a conversation one day with my son about how Santa Clause doesn't exist, will he immediately turn to me, call me on my deception, and ask me if Jesus is real, too."


One of the questions that Christians have had to answer for themselves is whether or not they choose to celebrate Christmas with the idea of Santa Clause. There's a wide range of opinion on the matter.

There's the "everything goes/it's all good/accept it all" crowd. Santa Clause is absolutely fine all the time...in fact, if you asked our kids, they would probably think we talk about Santa more than Jesus crowd.

Or, there's the the crowd that likes to point out that if you rearrange the letters in "S-A-N-T-A" you can spell "S-A-T-A-N." All joking aside, there are very genuine believers in Jesus who choose to keep Santa completely out of their families' celebration of Christmas. There are two very different sides to this coin.


Regardless of what side of the fence you lean toward, I would ask you to consider and give careful thought about how you choose to use the idea of Santa in your home, with your children, and in your celebration of Christmas (the celebration of the "Word becoming Flesh" - John 1). Here are 5 different people giving five different viewpoints about how Christians should handle the issue of Santa Clause.

Down with Santa - Thabiti Anyabwile
What We Tell Our Kids about Santa - Mark Driscoll
Thinking About Santa - Noel Piper
Santa, Strategically - Jennifer Wilkin
Santa Christ? - Sinclair Ferguson


As you can read, there is plenty of discussion about proper ways to include or not to include the idea of Santa in a Christian celebration of Christmas.

• Your thoughts?
• How have you handled this in your home?
• Have any of your thoughts been tweeked/changed after reading some of these articles?
• Do you think there is a potential danger in blindly accepting the very commercial idea of Santa?
• If you have incorporated Santa into your Christmas celebration, did you think critically about that choice or was it more of "that's what we did in my family growing up" thing and so we didn't give it much thought?

Merry Christmas...hope you forgive me if I sent you into an internal debate that you're not sure you had time for...

Christmas is BIGGER...

...than simply a baby born and put in a manger. It's one of the climactic moments of God's entire redemptive plan that was set in place before the creation of the world...a redemptive plan that is not finished...YET!


This might be a great video to watch with your kids...take the 12 minutes to watch it together and see what kinds of conversations form, what questions are asked, and what they truths they might be able to connect!





Enjoy!

REPOST: Christmas Tips for Dad

Every year, I re-post this same thing, because I think it's that important...

Now's the time, Dads! The Christmas season gives you lots of opportunities to create memorable moments in the lives of your children. Fight the temptation to fall into the same old patterns, or even worse, stress/worry yourself so much that Christmas time isn't the joyful time it was intended to be. Here's a list of things you need to be thinking about and challenging yourselves with.

#1 – Dad needs a plan for the holidays to ensure his family is loved and memories are made. Dad, what’s your plan?

#2 – Dad needs to check the local guides for what’s going on to make fun holiday plans for the family.

#3 – Dad needs to carve out time for sacred events and experiences to build family traditions that are fun and point to Jesus. Dad, is your calendar ready for December?

#4 – Dad needs to not let the stress of the holidays, including money, cause him to be grumpy with Mom or the kids. Dad, how’s your joy?

#5 – Dad needs to give experiences and not just gifts. Dad, what special memories can you make this holiday season?

#6 – Dad needs to manage the extended family and friends during the holidays. Dad, who or what do you need to say “no” to?

#7 – Dad needs to ensure his family is giving generously during the holidays. Dad, who in need is your family going to adopt and bless?

#8 – Dad needs to schedule a big Christmas daddy date with his daughter. Dad, what’s your big plan for the fancy daddy date?

#9 – Dad needs to schedule guy time with his son. Dad, what are you and your son going to do that is active, outdoors, and fun?

#10 – Dad needs to help Mom get the house decorated. Dad, are you really a big help to Mom with getting things ready?

#11 – Dad needs to ensure some holiday smells and sounds. Dad, is Christmas music on the iPod, is the tree up, and can you smell cookies and cider in your house?

#12 – Dad needs to snuggle up and watch some fun shows with the kids, especially the little ones. Dad, is the DVR set?

#13 – Dad needs to take the family on a drive to see Christmas lights while listening to music and sipping cider. Dad, is it mapped out?

#14 – Dad needs to help Mom get the kids’ rooms decorated. Dad, do the little kids get lights or a small tree in their room?

#15 – Dad needs to read about Jesus and pray over his kids. Dad, how’s your pastoral work going with each of your kids?

#16 – Dad needs to repent of being lazy, selfish, grumpy, or just dumping the holidays on Mom. Dad, are you a servant like Jesus to your family?

This list was developed by Mark Driscoll - Daddy Christmas Tips

Friday Media

How are you leveraging this time of the year to talk about the things of God? There's so much more out there than just taking 20 minutes to read Luke 2 right before you open gifts. Have you given any thought to the teachable moments that might exist this time of year that don't normally happen.

Here's a link to an audio clip to help you get in the right frame of mind...


What Are Some Ways to Talk About the Meaning of Christmas?

Good luck...and enjoy!

Christmas is Dangerous

Usually, those two words don't go together, but the more I think about it, the more I believe it. There is no other time of the year where children are tempted to be more self-centered and selfish. I don't really know what it is. It could be the fact that everyone is asking them "what they want." It might be tons and tons of commercials that are purposefully directed at your children. It might be that for your kids, Christmas, despite all your efforts, is still all about them.

And so, because of that...it's my belief that Christmas is a dangerous time for the hearts of your children. Proverbs 4:23 instructs us to "guard our hearts, because they are the wellspring of life." What are you doing over the next few days to protect the hearts of your children from the greed-inducing, selfishness-producing, and materialism-enhancing holiday season.

Here are just a couple of thoughts off the top of my head...

• Reward and acknowledge generosity and selflessness in your home
• Ask the children about what they're giving for Christmas as much as you ask them about what they want for Christmas
• Give them change/money to give to the bell-ringers outside of stores and then explain where that money goes
• Clean out their rooms of "old" toys in preparation for the new ones and give it to worthy organization/charity

I'm sure there are more, but I'll let you be creative on the rest!

Is Christmas Stressing Your Out?

Are you stressed out already? Are you wondering how you're going to fit all of those holiday parties and commitments into one month? Are you stressed out about how you're going to get the shopping list done? Are you thinking about something else you have to do in the middle of reading this email?

If you're anything like the rest of us, there is undoubtedly some Christmas stress that has happened or will happen sometime this month.

I ran across a series of writings about ways to combat the Christmas stress when it comes to your family.

Christmas Stress, part 1
Christmas Stress, part 2
Christmas Stress, part 3
Christmas Stress, part 4


Enjoy!

Friday Media...

Starting on Sunday, December 4th, we'll have some new themes and big ideas that we'll be leading children through on Sunday mornings for the month of December.

As usual, it helps you as parents know what we're talking about so that you can reinforce what we're teaching on Sunday's, so that, as we work together (parents and church), we can make a difference for Christ in the next generation. So, here are the summary videos for the month of November. Watch them, and begin to ask God to give you insight into how these can become part of your conversations with your kids.


Elementary

Preview: Wrapped Up! (December 2011) from Orange on Vimeo.

Preschool

FL Preview : Christmas Clues (December 2011) from Orange on Vimeo.

Have a great weekend!

You're in a War...

Because you live in the United States, and because you live in the suburbs (if you live within 15 miles or so of Firewheel Church), your kids will battle consumerism, selfishness, and materialism all their lives.

What's even scarier is that it's Christmas time right now, and the danger is for kids to begin to think that this time of year is all about them. I'm not saying throw out the presents and don't do Christmas this year, but I am asking you to consider how you can "war against" this mindset in your home and your families.

One of the easiest ways to battle materialism and selfishness is to begin to develop children with a generous heart and promote generosity in your family. Do you have a plan for that? Here's a quick little message to give you some inspiration.

What have you done to teach your children the importance of giving?

Throughout the month of December in in the elementary area, we will be talking about this idea of "GENEROSITY." There may be lots of opportunities for you as a parent to have discussions with your kids about what they're learning and why it matters.

It's the most wonderful/ridiculous time of the year...

Black Friday has come and gone, and we're officially in the midst of the Christmas season. As I grow older, I've developed a little bit of a love/hate relationship with the Christmas season. Let me explain.

I love it because, it's a chance to celebrate that God intervened in the world by sending His Son to the earth. I still haven't gotten over that fact that God would love the world enough to do that. The idea that the "Word became flesh" is literally the event most worthy of celebration in the history of the world.

On the other hand, I live in a world that "celebrates" a much different Christmas. For the next solid month, I'll be surrounded by rampant consumerism, credit card debt, and some downright ridiculousness. It might be that I'm just getting older, but it seems to get more and more ridiculous every year.

So here's you're thought for the day as you wrestle with this tension about how to focus your family's life and thought for the next month or so...

There will be tons of people who are more more concerned with what they want from Santa rather than being concerned with what Jesus wants from them. How can you combat that in your family's life? What's your plan because you can't stumble into intentionality?

Thanksgiving

Hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

May you use this day to not just be thankful FOR things...but may you be thankful to the GIVER of ALL good things!


"Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." (James 1:16-17)

Family Devotional 101 (Part 4 of 4)

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, I'm going to take on a couple of different topics that will require some length. So, I'll break it into "bite-size" chunks!

Family Devotional 101 (Part 4)

A Plea to Dads

Dads, please hear my heart. Take the lead in your family. The Bible tells you to do it. With leadership comes responsibility. The Lord hasn’t given you leadership for your own sake but that you could serve your family. Leadership and responsibility work hand in hand.

I know it’s hard. I know you’re busy, and that there are so many days during the week that you come home exhausted and want to curl up in the bed. I know that sometimes you don’t feel strong enough spiritually to lead your family. The admittance of that to yourself and to your family is a wonderful example to them that you’re not “there” yet either.

I’m pleading with you, on behalf of an entire generation. Don’t let someone else, some TV show, or some other influence mold and shape your children. God gave them to you as a gift, to do your best with them for as many years as you have them. Find time with them every day to talk about the things of God.

Final Encouragement

You can do this…You must do this! Don’t leave the discipleship of your children to someone else, even if you feel like you’re not adequately prepared. Parents are the single most important influence in a child’s life. That can be a scary thought. It ought to produce fear and trepidation in the hearts of parents. But there’s a good kind of fear, the kind of fear that pushes us to keep pressing forward, to keep trying, and to never give up.

Family Devotional 101 (Part 3 of 4)

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, I'm going to take on a couple of different topics that will require some length. So, I'll break it into "bite-size" chunks!

Family Devotional 101 (Part 3)

What should I do during this “devotional” time

I want to do my best to take the stigma off of “family devotional time.” Most people hear that phrase and they get really nervous, thinking that they have to have a grand 4-year plan for working through all the stories of the Bible. It really doesn’t have to be that hard, and if you were to over-plan or super-prepare, you might come off as cold and stale.

The number one thing you can do is to…Read the Bible! Read the Bible! Read the Bible! Why?

“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes...More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” Psalm 19:7-11

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:9-11

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16

There are so many more passages that talk about the impact of Scripture in our lives. It’s amazing how much kids get out of reading the Bible. Take a passage of Scripture. You can even have the kid(s) read it for the family. Then simply discuss what they heard, observed, learned, and think about that particular Bible passage.

Try an experiment. Open up to a story of passage of Scripture. Read it together as a family, and then ask a very simple question, “What did you think about what the Bible just said?” You’ll be amazed what a kid will come up with as an answer to that question. It doesn’t have to be long. You can do this in 10 minutes or less, but the impact may be far greater.

So many times, we get wrapped up in trying to teach our children all the books of the Bible and every detail of every Bible story. We don’t need any more Christians who grow up with huge heads (filled up intellectually about God) and tiny, weak hearts (with no passion for God). Personally, if I had to choose, I’d rather have a whole generation of kids who grow up knowing a couple of very simple things that have really gripped them and make a difference in their lives on a daily basis. I want them to know that every thing we have is a gift of God through his grace, including salvation. I want them to know that they can trust God in all situations (good and bad). I want them to know what it means for them to “love their neighbor” and actually do it. You don’t have to be the world’s best Bible teacher to do this! Pick out a couple of big ideas that you want your kids to know and believe with everything they are, and be relentless.

Another really important facet of a “family devotional time” is prayer. I implore you to teach your kids to pray. Model for them how to come to the throne of God and converse with God about what’s going on in their lives. Teach them to not only pray for themselves or the things that affecting them, but teach them, more importantly, to pray for others. Pray for your neighbors. Pray for your family. Pray for their siblings. Pray for their friends. Pray for missionaries around the world.

Do your best to model for them the kind of honesty that prayer requires before God. Pray, pray, and pray some more. Pray without ceasing!

The last part/conclusion is coming up on Monday...see you then!