Christmas tree decorations
Craft at school
item at local carols
Giving Tree in church
Christmas Hampers
Mall opportunities
christmas article
Christmas pagent
Christmas Carols in the Park
Thursday, December 27, 2007
The Mystery Gift
Next year our family is going to have a "Surprise Present"
It will be the first present we all open. An envelope. None of the kids will know what is in this envelope or who it is for. I think we'll do it every year.
A charity gift from our family to a community or family overseas that has real physical needs. I would like our family gift giving (which is still important by the way) to start off by thinking of others.
I know this organisiation operating in Australia does these kind of things:
Baptist World Aid
I'm sure other organisations do these too. If you are in a different country you can find a local charity by doing am internet search for "charity, gift, Christmas" in your country.
Grace and Peace,
Michael
It will be the first present we all open. An envelope. None of the kids will know what is in this envelope or who it is for. I think we'll do it every year.
A charity gift from our family to a community or family overseas that has real physical needs. I would like our family gift giving (which is still important by the way) to start off by thinking of others.
I know this organisiation operating in Australia does these kind of things:
Baptist World Aid
I'm sure other organisations do these too. If you are in a different country you can find a local charity by doing am internet search for "charity, gift, Christmas" in your country.
Grace and Peace,
Michael
Good Gifts
Charles Colson has another good article about using your gift giving to give meaning at Christmas.
Giving Gifts
Giving Gifts
Creating Culture
A Good Article
Charles Colson has a good article to think about ways of changing and challenging our culture. I suspect a lot of the tacky stuff that happens out there happens because no one has any better ideas. It's all happening in a vacuum. There's no real meaning so no one knows any better. (That and the driving force of retail sales)
I also think Christians whinging about what's wrong with the hijacking of Christmas are not going to change it. The pagans aren't going to say, "Oops, sorry, well change it back right away."
We need to be active in finding better ways of expressing the meaning of Christmas that capture the glory of the incarnation and communicate it to our neighbours.
I like the idea of creating a family tradition that displays the gospel at Christmas
Grace and peace,
Michael
Charles Colson has a good article to think about ways of changing and challenging our culture. I suspect a lot of the tacky stuff that happens out there happens because no one has any better ideas. It's all happening in a vacuum. There's no real meaning so no one knows any better. (That and the driving force of retail sales)
I also think Christians whinging about what's wrong with the hijacking of Christmas are not going to change it. The pagans aren't going to say, "Oops, sorry, well change it back right away."
We need to be active in finding better ways of expressing the meaning of Christmas that capture the glory of the incarnation and communicate it to our neighbours.
I like the idea of creating a family tradition that displays the gospel at Christmas
Grace and peace,
Michael
Carolling Carolyn
Carolyn wants to go carolling!
We took our church youth group to a church in the big city for the evening service, then we went and looked at the Christmas lights on the well known streets.
For a bit of a laugh we stood in front of one particularly bright house and sung a christmas carol (Away in a Manger). And then we did it again, and again and again, and loved it. Next year we are going to take our song books and do it again.
This is how it turne out - Here on Youtube
You could do it too.
* Choose a street or two that are well known for their lights. Especially one where people get out of their cars and walk around.
* Choose a night when lots of people are out and about (before the serious family dinners start)
* Choose carols that tell the real meaning of Christmas.
* Go and enjoy the lights and the evening and sing a few songs in front of random houses as you go.
It worked impromptu this year. I'll let you know how it goes next Christmas.
God Bless,
Michael.
Christmas is coming
Obviously!
Christmas is coming, and so is this blog.
This blog was inspired by a walk down a street full of Christmas lights only a couple of days before Christmas. So I guess it's next Christmas we are aiming for.
So, have a merry and holy Christmas - next year.
Grace and peace,
Michael
Christmas is coming, and so is this blog.
This blog was inspired by a walk down a street full of Christmas lights only a couple of days before Christmas. So I guess it's next Christmas we are aiming for.
So, have a merry and holy Christmas - next year.
Grace and peace,
Michael
Sunday, December 23, 2007
reclaiming Christmas
Nobody has a clue what Christmas is about. Either that, or nobody cares.
That's the impression I was left with after touring the Christmas lights last night in Wagga Wagga. After walking up and down two street seeing at least 100 houses, there were only two with a nativity scene on display.
We saw the Simpsons, Bob the Builder,Humpty Dumpty, Tigger and Pooh Bear, Goldilocks and the three bears, Big Bird and the Sesame Street characters, a singing tree, Jimmy Neutron and hundreds of Santas (in various states of dress and sobriety).
Now I don't think everyone is deliberately taking the Christ out of Christmas. And I don't think Christians whining about it all the time is very helpful. But I do believe we are in a period of cultural change maybe even a culture war.
Think about it, why would your ordinary non-Christian citizen put up a display of something they are not really interested in, that doesn't affect their lives the other 364 days of the year. And if you do take the Christ out of Christmas, what do you display - whatever makes you happy, whatever the kids might like, whatever can be tackied up with tinsel and glitz. So I don't expect any different, really. But it's not what Christmas is about.
So I've set up this site hoping to find the time to challenge and equip Christians to reconnect with their community and to reclaim and proclaim the glorious significance of Christmas. It's up to us to put the Christ back into Christmas.
When those hundreds of families do their annual Christmas lights pilgrimage, I want them to see what Christmas is about, let's show and tell them in our front yards, in our dining rooms, in our workplace and in our conversations.
God Bless,
Michael
That's the impression I was left with after touring the Christmas lights last night in Wagga Wagga. After walking up and down two street seeing at least 100 houses, there were only two with a nativity scene on display.
We saw the Simpsons, Bob the Builder,Humpty Dumpty, Tigger and Pooh Bear, Goldilocks and the three bears, Big Bird and the Sesame Street characters, a singing tree, Jimmy Neutron and hundreds of Santas (in various states of dress and sobriety).
Now I don't think everyone is deliberately taking the Christ out of Christmas. And I don't think Christians whining about it all the time is very helpful. But I do believe we are in a period of cultural change maybe even a culture war.
Think about it, why would your ordinary non-Christian citizen put up a display of something they are not really interested in, that doesn't affect their lives the other 364 days of the year. And if you do take the Christ out of Christmas, what do you display - whatever makes you happy, whatever the kids might like, whatever can be tackied up with tinsel and glitz. So I don't expect any different, really. But it's not what Christmas is about.
So I've set up this site hoping to find the time to challenge and equip Christians to reconnect with their community and to reclaim and proclaim the glorious significance of Christmas. It's up to us to put the Christ back into Christmas.
When those hundreds of families do their annual Christmas lights pilgrimage, I want them to see what Christmas is about, let's show and tell them in our front yards, in our dining rooms, in our workplace and in our conversations.
God Bless,
Michael
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