My favorite part of Christmas is that our daughter has a lengthy break from college. It allows us some time together when she isn’t forced to spend a lot of time on schoolwork. This year instead of spending all of that free time with your kids in separate rooms doing different things or stuck with your total attention on devices, make a difference.
How you make a difference is totally up to your family’s creativity, energy and resources. I love this cute little idea from the Women’s Ministry at our congregation. It’s not only a little something to brighten someone’s day, but it leaves them with the name of the church of the (hopefully) nice person who was so kind and friendly to them.
Want other ideas? You can go to our parent website at Teach One Reach One and find a lot of other ideas for service projects. Or if you are on Pinterest, follow our founder Thereasa Winnett or search for her service board, where she has pinned other great service ideas from around the internet.
Service projects are a great way to teach your children lots of godly commands and principles. It gives them real world experience in who, how and why God wants us to serve. If done well, it can also give your children practice in beginning to share their faith with others. Hopefully, what you do will also make a positive difference in the lives of people who need to experience a little more of God’s love in their lives through your family.
So pull out your family calendar. Gather your kids and start planning your Christmas of serving!
If you are like me, clothing care labels are more confusing than helpful. Many of those international symbols are not quite as clear as I am sure their designers had hoped. Attempting to place labels on people can cause confusion and a lot of unintended problems as well.
Often when I talk with pre-teen, teen and even college aged girls, the conversation gradually turns to some variant of a discussion of popularity. With the younger set, the focus is often on being popular with fellow girls. As they get older, many of those discussions turn to how to get boys to “like” them. No matter the age or the direction though, the basic need they are trying to meet is being loved and accepted for who they are.
Do you have Christian parents on your Christmas list? Are you looking for a great gift for your spouse? Are you thinking of ideas for presents friends and relatives can give you? While the Bible is always your best resource for finding the answers you need in life, sometimes it helps to have some extra practical ideas or encouragement from someone who has walked in your shoes.
I love to bake. To me it’s a relaxing way to show my love to others. Usually, I am a fairly decent baker. Last week though, I was tired and a bit distracted when I tried to make a batch of cranberry scones. I grabbed the bread flour instead of the normal self-rising flour I use in that recipe. I didn’t realize my mistake until too late, but decided to bake them anyway. Let’s just say the scones which are normally light and fluffy looked and tasted more like bricks. The absence of the leaven or rising agent made a huge difference!