You are currently browsing the monthly archive for December 2008.
Now that I am a dad, I have been wondering what exactly to do with Santa. Since I have not yet reached any kind of conclusion, I will not offer much of my own thoughts. Rather I just wanted to pass along a link to a web-site that provides information about St. Nicholas, the original Santa Claus.
Just like wild animals our children can smell fear. OK so that is a bit dramatic, however especially for us first time parents each new adventure challenges our ability to draw on the scant resources at our disposal and offer a solution that will affirm prior parenting choices, protect our kids, keep us sane, and form our progeny into healthy, godly, and emotionally well adjusted children. OK so that might be seen as a bit dramatic as well. The good news is we are not in this alone. Not only do we have a marvelous Creator God to rely upon (I am in prayer over parenting choices with my 7 month old regularly), but we have the wisdom of His servants to draw from.
Jim Burns draws upon his years in ministry with youth and parents, as well as his own experience as a father, to provide for us a great tool that we can use gain confidence as parents. Mom and dad, give yourself a gift this Christmas and pick up Confident Parenting to read together. You kids just might thank you for it.
Here are a few links for devotions that can be used this Christmas season with your family.
Lutheran Hour Advent Devotions
Christmas Family Devotions from HomeWord
HomeWord Christmas Parents Newsletter
If you find resources that you would like to share with the families of SOTH, please post them in the comments below.
Each evening while my wife feeds our son for the final time that day, she or I offer a prayer of thanks for that day, blessings for the next, and for any special needs for family and friends. Children learn to pray from hearing their parents and other adults pray with them. They learn to communicate with God through their own participation in that communication as lead by others. But, you might say, we are not all that natural in our prayer lives. True. First I want to assure you that prayer is not simply the formal, corporate prayers that we hear on Sunday morning. Prayer is a heartfelt communication with God. God is not impressed with flowery words, but with open hearts. Second, when learning to pray or teaching a child to pray, it can be helpful to make use of sample prayers that give you a feel for what prayer can be. In this way you can work toward your own prayers. You might then try you hand at writting your own prayers, before finally gaining comfort with more spontaneous prayers.
For your use in learning to pray and teach you children prayer, might I suggest you make use of Luther’s morning and evening prayers. From these you get an idea of what might be included in your prayers. Feel free to up-date the language to help avoid stumbling over words your kids might not comprehend.
LUTHER’S MORNING PRAYER
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
LUTHER’S EVENING PRAYER
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
Yesterday I noticed a bulletin on a college student’s facebook page that caught my attention. Her father has just turned 49 last Thursday on Thanksgiving. Saturday morning he passed away due to a heart attack. Nothing can entirely prepare one for such a tragedy to take place. Yet, her words on her announcement of his death cut right to the heart of the issue “I’m not ok and probably won’t be for a while, but I know that God has bigger plans.”
When life hits us between the eyes it is right to say that we are not ok, but to realize that God has bigger plans. Travis (last name withheld for privacy) and his family have been hit between the eyes this week, learning that Travis has an inoperable brain stem glioma. As a congregation we are well equipped to offer love, care, and support for Travis and his family, but they are not ok and probably won’t be for a while. God has bigger plans, but we are not always privy to them when we might like to be.
This Sunday, Pastor Kevin will be preaching on Isaiah 9:2-7. This prophecy on the coming of the Messiah, points to the darkness that we find ourselves in when the light comes to shine into the darkness. When times are good we so easily forget that we have a great need for God in our lives. Why would we need God when we seem to be able to handle things ourselves? Why would we need a Savior with we can save ourselves?
The truth is that we need a Savior, we need a God, because we cannot save ourselves, we cannot handle life on our own. To think that we can is to either deny our need or have false faith in ourselves. Proper faith clings to the cross of Christ with the knowledge that God not only have bigger plans but is Himself bigger than any trial that comes our way. God is the beginning and the end. God’s love is unfathomable. God is the cornerstone of our faith and the rock upon which we build our lives.
Please be in prayer for Kaila (the student who lost her father) and be in prayer for Travis and his family as they look to God to comfort and healing.
