12-17-20 This Week in Faith
/Merry Christmas!
December Memory for Kids
We have been choosing our memory verses from different CD’s produced by Seeds Family Worship. The music is a great way for kids [and parents] to get Scripture stuck in their heads. Getting God’s Word into the heads and hearts of our kids is one of the most valuable things we can do for them. This year, we are using their CD I Believe. They are also producing an online family devotional for these verses that you can find HERE. If you don’t already do family devotions, this might be a great place to start.
CD’s are in! If you would like an I Believe CD, or a code to download the album for FREE, find me or Stephanie Atkinson this Sunday at church. We’d love to give your family one!
Scripture Memory- Luke 1:46-50
New City Catechism- Question 29 and Question 30
STUDENT MINISTRY SCHEDULE
Middle School- We are done for the year and will start back on Wednesday, January 13.
High School- This Sunday [12/20] is the final high school meeting of the year. We’ll provide dinner. Bring a white elephant gift [$5 or under]. [High school will start back on Sunday, January 10]
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Hope for Our Children
Advent is a time of waiting on God’s promises. It reminds us that even though it sometimes seems like we are waiting forever, God always keeps his promises. The Israelites hadn’t heard from God for hundreds of years…and then a star appeared in the sky and angels sang of a newborn king. We need to remember this promise-keeping God in our parenting as well. It can be discouraging to watch the daily ups and downs of our kids lives and wonder- “Do they know Jesus?” “Am I doing enough as a parent?” “Why do they make such bad choices?” This is a good reminder to take our eyes off of our kids failures and our parenting shortcomings, and put them on our faithful savior Jesus who loves our kids and is at work in them.
Click here to read the article by Kendra Dahl.
How to De-Stress Your Family’s Pandemic Holiday
These are some helpful things to think about as we head into a holiday break that may feel different than usual. One of the things I like best in this article is the list of questions to think about with your kids before they get on the phone or a Zoom call with family. I feel like my kids always struggle talking to grandparents or other family members over the phone and this section is a good way to set them up for success on those calls [especially since in person visits may not happen this year].
Click here to read the article by Kara Powell.
A Christmas Morning Liturgy
We have done different things over the years to try to make sure Christmas morning was about more than just opening presents. We enjoy Christmas a lot, even giving and getting presents. But we also want to take time to praise God for Jesus and his coming at Christmas. This is something I think we’re going to try this year. It’s a short reading and response time you can do as a family to infuse Scripture into your Christmas morning routine. There are a couple of options, depending on the age of your kids. Whether you choose to do this, or something else, I would encourage you to take time with your kids on Christmas morning to focus on the good news of Jesus and to thank him for the greatest gift we can receive- Him.
Click here to read this from Justin Whitmel Earley.
MOVIE: The Insanity of God
The Insanity of God is the story of a couple, facing a crisis of faith, who traveled around the world interviewing Christians who worship in persecuted churches [Pastor Bob mentioned this book and their story a number of times]. There is so much we can learn from the faith of those who risk everything to worship Jesus. And it’s important for our kids to see that following Jesus is not the guarantee of an easy life but it is the promise of a God who walks with us through all of life. I haven’t watched this yet to know what age it’s appropriate for but I’m looking forward to it.
Click here to watch the movie The Insanity of God.
PODCAST: Ask Alice- Screen Protection for Youth
This is always the time of year when I think more about my kids and technology, probably because that seems to be most of what ends up on their lists these days. It’s why we gave our middle and high school students a book written by a college student on how to think about healthy technology use and ways we can glorify God through it. The book is going to be the basis for our lesson series when we come back in January. But this podcast may help you think through the challenges those new Christmas gifts may bring to your family and even some healthy practices you want to implement in your home for the new year.
