We love because He first loved us!

One thing we are trying to be intentional about  is teaching our kids (and ourselves!) to look for opportunities to show God's love.

We try to remember to ask God every morning, "Who do you want me to show Your love to today?" 

Why? Because when we are on the lookout for opportunities to show God's love, we are less likely to miss them. God showed me a metaphor for this concept the other day as I was reading Usborne's Farmyard Tales with my kids. We had read through several chapters before I remembered that the illustrator hides a little yellow duck on each page. We hadn't noticed any up until that point: they got lost in the rest of the picture. But when we went back we found that, sure enough, they were on every page we had looked at. We had just missed them, because we weren't looking for them.

I LOVE Valentine's Day!! It is a holiday for expressing your love. And not just your love, but it is the perfect opportunity to express God's love to those who need it most.

Thanks for this idea, Tina Ambler!

We all need His love, but who are the Father's precious sons and daughters created in His image that may be without hope this Valentine's Day? A neighbor going through a divorce? A single mom in your child's class? A lonely resident in a nursing home? The homeless person you pass on your way to work? A forgotten inmate in your county jail? A soldier far from home?

I have a feeling that if we ask God to reveal to us a person in special need of His love this Valentine's Day, we won't have to look very long or very hard.

A fun idea God gave me several years ago was to host an annual Valentine's party. I pull out all my fun card making supplies, invite a bunch of girlfriends over, and enjoy fellowship while we create Valentines for our husbands, our friends, sisters, etc... The best part is the inspiration we get from each others' creations!
I was having a hard time justifying spending the money on some fun supplies this year, but after some prayer I felt okay about it because:
1. It is creating an opportunity for fellowship.
2. It is supporting marriages by creating an opportunity for wives to put some TLC into a special hand-made Valentine for their man.
3. It is promoting God's love.
4. God is the one who put this idea on my heart, so it would be DISobedient not to go out and buy some cute card making supplies for the party (right? ;) )

Hope the ladies will have some fun with all this!

My sweet daughter has a very loving and generous heart and loves crafty things. She wants to host a party for some of her girlfriends, too. They can come over and have a snack and create some beautiful Valentines. We will present the option of making some extras for either the homeless or the nursing home. Probably the homeless, because Madison has a very special place in her heart for the homeless. In fact, last year she used $40 of her own money  to purchase little cardboard heart boxes and made them into prayer boxes, which she had the privilege of  hand delivering on Valentine's evening. Some of the recipients assured her that they were going to keep it forever :) I regret that I forgot to take pictures of such a sweet memory.

The final thing we hope to do to take full advantage of this Valentine's holiday is a tradition we started last year. The kids made and decorated adorable heart cookies, which we passed out to our friends at a local nursing home.We go with the intent of spreading God's hope and joy, but we always end up receiving more than we give.

Making Valentine cookies for our nursing home friends last year.

As you can see, they took their work seriously!

Ms. Ollie gave us flowers!

Isn't that the way it always works? We go to share God's love and joy..and come home with hearts full of love and joy!

I pray that God will be glorified as we remind each other of His undying love for each of us. I pray that He will use us to be vessels of His hope and that we will make the most of every opportunity to give the reason for the things we do.

"We love because He first loved us."

How could we keep this extravagant love all to ourselves?

My heart bursts with thanksgiving!

In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;  In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.  -Psalm 5:3

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him.   -Lamentations 3:25

Two weeks ago, I was in tears, discouraged because we didn't even have enough money to pay for the gas we needed to make the 18 hour trip north to spend (potentially our last) Christmas with our family.

I was questioning if we should stay home, but Michael encouraged me that God would provide, and we left for our trip in faith.

I am overwhelmed by God's provision during our trip. It seemed that everywhere we turned, people were giving us money to help out with gas! We were amazed by His provision and so blessed and touched by the generosity and obedience of those whom God asked to give.  We feel so blessed and are overwhelmed by His goodness.

Secondly, we were trying to take advantage of our time away from the daily grind to seek God's timing for us. Can we really make it there by July? We've still got quite a ways to go in our support raising. We still need to take the required courses. The clock is ticking. Where will we live if we have to wait until October to go? Lots of questions and not quite sure of the answers...

Well, I think God was trying to speak to us today. We had $1,000 in support checks waiting for us in the mail when we got home! I received another unexpected financial blessing this morning from a dear sister. Then we got a phone call from dad that someone had contacted him wanting to support us! Then within 10 minutes of that phone call, we received word online of another substantial donation! I was more and more choked up with each report to Michael, who by the end was responding with "No way....Are you serious?"

With hearts full of thanksgiving and overwhelmed by God's goodness, we gathered together as a family tonight to praise God for His provision. We told the kids, "We have been asking God about when He wants us to go and I think He might be trying to give us an answer!" :) No, we're not totally certain that we'll be able to go in July, but He is definitely encouraging our hearts that He is making a way.

The most beautiful part of this testimony is that the last two generous donations we were surprised by today were from people that we have not even told about our call to Africa! They just somehow found their way to us. I know my Father and I know He worked it out this way on purpose... to remind us once again that this is His work. We are not raising the funds. He is.

But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for He has been good to me.   -Psalm 9:10

Christ-Centered Christmas Traditions

I'm always looking for new traditions that our family can enjoy to make the holidays meaningful and memorable. Here are some that our family enjoy. Wanted to share incase you're looking for new ideas like me :)

Christ-Centered Christmas Traditions

1. “What God wants for Christmas” activity/nativity (by FamilyLife)

•  It’s so  easy to use and the kids love it! 

2. Advent wreath/devotionals 

• light a candle and share a brief devotional each of the 4 Sundays leading up to Christmas.
  

 

3. The Jesse Tree is a centuries-old family Advent devotion that helps kids (and adults) follow the faithfulness of God throughout history, eventually leading us to Christ's birth on Christmas Day. You hang a symbolic ornament on your tree and read a corresponding Scripture passage each of the 28 days of Advent.

• Here’s a great link to get you started: Jesse Tree Devotions and symbols.

Our Jesse Tree... thanks to Kathy and Lois Wills!

And a close-up

4. Schedule a night to cozy up as a family to watch a movie that tells the Christmas story.

• Greatest Heroes and Legends of the Bible –The Nativity is a good cartoon video for preschoolers 

5. Serve as a family

• Fill OperationChristmas shoeboxes for needy children around the world

• Bake a holiday treat to share with a neighbor or someone who might need a little extra love around the holiday

• Visit a nursing home - sing Christmas carols and hand out candy canes to the residents. (They love seeing the kids!)

This was actually caroling to my parents' neighbors in Chicopee last year.

• Invite someone to celebrate the holiday with you who may not have family in town

6. As you receive Christmas cards, place them in a basket near your dining room table. Each night at dinner you can read one card and pray for that family. If you want to go the extra mile you can even email or facebook that person to let them know your family prayed for them that night.

   7. Host an outreach for your neighbors

• party, cookie exchange, anything… the point is to show you care and to build relationships. 

 
8. Make a gingerbread house together and teach them about the different “homes” of Jesus and the home He’s preparing for us in Heaven. (Use this “Gingerbreadgospel” as a guide.)

From 2009

           

    9. In the beginning of the season wrap a bunch of children Christmas books in Christmas paper and place them in a basket. Each night let a child unwrap one Christmas book to read together by the Christmas Tree.

   10. Let the kids help bake and decorate a birthday cake for Jesus and encourage them to make cards/special gifts to celebrate His birthday.

Last year's birthday party

11.  Each time you turn on a light during Advent say, “Christ is  
      Welcome in our home.”

• When you turn on your tree lights say, “Jesus is the Light of the World!” 

• Children love the repetition and learn valuable truths. (Tyler, age 2 now, remembers this from last year and yells it out on his own every time we see Christmas tree lights or lights outside. :)

   12. We put a “pregnant Mary” on display with our Willow Tree nativity set until Christmas Eve. Then after the kids go to bed, we replace her with the original Mary so that when they come down on Christmas morning, they see that she is no longer pregnant but now holds baby Jesus in her arms.     

This is what the kids see Christmas Eve when they go to bed...

..And this is what they see when they wake up! :)

   
   13. Dress in cozy jammies and drive around as a family looking for Christmas lights and listening to/singing Christmas carols. As you admire the lights you can discuss the symbolism of Christmas lights. (see the Symbolism of Christmas Traditions post)

   14. Label some gifts under the tree:  “To                        . With love, Jesus”

• “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” (James 1:17)

I love new great ideas, so please don't hold back if you have some!!