A huge topic of controversy in recent years has been when one is allowed to decorate for Christmas. The two main stances in this debate are whenever you want and after Thanksgiving. There are some things I think we can all agree on (I think?) and that’s that having Christmas items in the...
A dear friend of mine was still in-utero when his father died. His father said to his mother on his deathbed, “be sure to teach this baby about Jesus so that I can meet him one day in heaven when we’re both with Jesus.” That meeting has yet to occur, but, my friend knows Jesus...
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret...
Do you ever answer the phone and know who it is without the caller saying? Do you have loved ones whose phrases you can anticipate based on a given situation? It’s because we come to know voices of people we spend time with. We know what they sound like. We know what they will...
“Great Grandpa and Great Grandma are working on the Apostles’ Creed,” my three-year-old son said this morning. We have been working on memorizing the Apostles’ Creed with our five-year-old and three-year-old and of course his comment meant he thought his great...
Who is my neighbor? We hear this question asked of Jesus in Luke 10:29. And Jesus responds by telling the parable of the Good Samaritan where Jesus leads to an understanding that we should do what the Samaritan did. But today, I want to consider the question from a slightly different...
Teaching the Lord's Prayer to children or those new to the faith is a valuable use of time because it is the way that Jesus taught to pray. [Matthew 6:9-13] Here are a few ideas to teach it: Pray this prayer daily in your home--morning, mealtime, devotional time, or...
We have a little Baptism "birthday" tradition in our family. We dig out the candle and light it, we sing a Baptism song with the person’s name inserted, sometimes we incorporate shell and water play, and we always talk about what God does in Baptism—forgives our sins, makes us part...
As God’s people, we are welcomed to gather together in order to worship God in two groups: With those we share a household with (most often our family) God has designed our homes to be a gathering spot for faith formation. God has called each of us to lead our families in discipleship at...
Do you ever wonder what to pray about? Pray without ceasing is nice and all, but sometimes it seems unattainable at best, and totally impossible at worst. Certainly, we should pray to God in adoration for who He is and what He’s done for us. Absolutely, we should confess our sins regularly...
