Tradition!

I LOVE Christmas! Who couldn’t really. It’s especially fun with my kids. We’ve been hard at it decorating our house. We feel particularly blessed this year since we’re finally in an actual house and not crammed into an 800 sq ft apartment like we’ve been the last three years. I can’t believe I really have the room for a big tree, and that I have a real fireplace mantle. I have an actual dining room to entertain in, and an outside to decorate too – it’s funny what becomes a big deal when you go without for awhile.

Most important to our Christmas season is our traditions. I’m a huge proponent of having traditions with your family. Specifically, realistic ones that can be maintained. Because ministry has always kept us away from our family, we determined early that regardless of whether we had family with us or not, we would always maintain our traditions. And in our home Christmas is chock full of them, starting with Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving dinner is the beginning of our season. I make the full dinner, turkey, cranberry sauce, homemade rolls, etc. And we pull out our fine china. My kids even eat on the china (with a lot of, “please be careful!”). Then after our requisite Thanksgiving afternoon nap, we always go as a family to the movie theater to watch a Christmas movie. (There wasn’t a very good one this year, I must admit.)

We don’t often do too much to support Black Friday. I refuse to give up an extra minute of sleep just to fight the crowds at any store or shopping center. Instead, we do stockings on this morning, rather than Christmas morning. And then we spend the rest of the day decorating our house, both inside and out.

The last big tradition we do on a yearly basis is our Jesse Tree. Using our Jesse Tree ornaments, we learn the Old Testament background for the New Testament story of the birth of Christ. We have a devotional book which includes daily Scripture readings that we use as family devotions.

If you’re trying to change the way your family celebrates Christmas, think about starting some traditions. Here is a link to a calendar of activities that you could pick from or it might spark some ideas of your own. Whatever the case, make sure that you refocus your time and attention on Christ this Christmas season. Help your kids to understand why we celebrate this time of year. And most importantly, make sure that you are focused upon Jesus Christ our Savior and Redeemer. Many blessings!

 

Choice & Action

So, I have this thing I tell myself a lot: Choice and action…choice and action; that’s all it takes to get things accomplished. I really want to teach my kids that they have the power to choose and that God asks (even expects) them to make good choices.

 

Facing the Sometimes Difficult Realities of Life (Part 2)

As I shared in my previous post, life isn’t always kind. Things don’t always work out like we expect. And the reality is usually more difficult to accept, and consequently, grow from, because it’s not the dream we were hoping for. When we are trying to heal from life’s painful blows, the beginning step is to revise our expectations to better fit the reality of our current situation. 

 

Heaving a big sigh…

My middle daughter was the source of a lightbulb moment for me the other day. We were in the house and she was bee-bopping around playing by herself when I heard her heave a great, big, obviously overdone sigh. I stopped what I was doing and asked, “what was that sigh for?” Her response [with much animation]: “This is the sigh school. I’m teaching you how to sigh BIG.” I stood and looked at her for a minute, then asked, “Why would I want to sigh like that?” To which she responded, “Well, that’s how you sigh, momma.” Hmmmm –

 

Raising Christian Families (Deut. 6:6-7)-When you lie down and when you get up

Anyone else been feeling a little crazy lately? Man alive…I’m positive I’m meeting myself as I’m going a different direction these days. But it’s all good, so I can’t complain, really.

I wanted to finish up with my posts regarding raising Christian families according to Deuteronomy 6:6-7. The last part of these verses say to talk about God when you lie down and when you get up. And what does this mean? Well, just exactly what it says. Bedtime and morning time are two of the best opportunities in each day to place your focus upon Christ. 

 

Raising Christian Families (Deut. 6:6-7)-When you walk along the road

I’ve been blogging lately about raising your family according to the verse found in Deuteronomy 6:6-7:

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

I began by discussing what it means to talk about God and a Godly lifestyle when you sit in your home. I discussed how this is intended to be planned time. It is formal instruction. It is INTENTIONAL decision-making, and follow through with your family. And I talked about discipline, responsibilities, social life, and family time & traditions.

So now I want to talk about the next section of this verse which tells us to talk about God when you walk along the road.

 

Raising Christian Families (Deut. 6:6-7)-When you sit in your home: Part 2

Last post we talked about the biblical mandate found in Deuteronomy 6:6-7. Specifically, I began talking about God’s command to talk about Him when you sit in your home. I discussed how this is intended to be planned time. It is formal instruction. It is INTENTIONAL decision-making, and follow through with your family. And I talked about discipline. This post I wanted to finish up in this area of discussion by dealing with the topics of Responsibilities, Social Life, and Family Time & Traditions.

 

Raising Christian Families (Deut. 6:6-7)-When you sit in your home

Remember what Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says:

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

In this post, I want to start talking about what it means to raise children when you sit at home. 

 

Raising Christian Families (Deut. 6:6-7) – Intro

My husband and I had the opportunity to speak to a group of couples this weekend about personalities in marriage and tips for raising Christian families. It was a really fun time as couples realized their differences, and similarities (which is sometimes the more challenging part) and learned how to coordinate those traits to better their marriage. After that I shared with them the Godly mandate found in Deuteronomy 6:6-7:

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

 

Getting Organized…AAAHHH!

Okay, so I have had a lot of people ask me how in the world I manage my household, teach, and travel full-time without pulling my hair out on a regular basis. So I thought I’d take a left turn and pass along some of the things I regularly do to maintain some semblance of order and peace in my house. I am, by no means, a guru. Just one who HAS to be organized.