February 24, 2010 – 1:19 pm
Christians from many different traditions use the weeks and days leading up to Easter as a time to prepare our hearts to celebrate Easter with joy. As we journey through Lent, I like to spend quiet time reflecting.
This year, I find my thoughts focused on what I do and do not have. Most people at [...]
By Anne Conway
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Posted in Christian Worker, Easter, Lent/Preparing for Easter, Men's Ministry, Pastor, Women's Ministry
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Tagged Christian, Easter, Easter preparation, Lent, men's ministry, Pastoral Ministry, Women's Ministry|
February 11, 2010 – 10:58 am
C. S. Lewis may have been the first to tell about the little boy who was asked what God is like. The boy responds in words like these: “God’s the sort of fellow who goes around looking for someone who’s having fun—and tries to stop ’em.”
This picture of God, mistaken though it is, nonetheless captures [...]
By Jane Fryar
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Posted in Devotions, Easter, Free Resources, Lent/Preparing for Easter, Ministry, Sermon Ideas
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Tagged Care and Comfort, devotion, Easter, Encouragement, Fat Tuesday, Lent, Pastor, Pastoral Ministry, Sermon Ideas|
February 9, 2010 – 9:26 am
We love because he first loved us.
Short. To the point. Powerful in its simplicity. First John 4:19 is all that and more. I call attention to this verse as I work with my kindergarten students and as I talk with my own children each year whenever we focus on Valentine’s Day.
Looking around at the flowers, [...]
February 3, 2010 – 11:31 am
It’s a truism in marketing. Customers must see an ad 5–7 times before it has any potential for changing their behavior. That’s why Nike puts its “swoosh” everywhere, positioning it prominently in televised sports and other athletic venues.
It’s also why more and more churches have begun to look for ways to “theme” major celebrations—like the [...]
By Jane Fryar
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Posted in Devotions, Easter, Free Resources, Lent/Preparing for Easter, Ministry, Pastor, Sermon Ideas
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Tagged children's Easter ideas, Easter, Easter preparation, Lent, Lent theme, Lenten theme, Pastor, sermon helps, Sermon Ideas|
February 1, 2010 – 12:35 am
As regular readers know, I serve on the faculty of a Christian preschool. As I teach, I love taking students into our church on sunny days. Among other things, they enjoy seeing the way the light shining through the stained glass windows casts a colorful shadow on the walls and floor. The children love seeing [...]
By Debra Kreienkamp
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Posted in Christian Worker, Church Volunteers, Devotions, Encouraging Volunteers, Epiphany, Men's Ministry, Pastor, Women's Ministry
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Tagged Christian, devotion, Encouragement, men's ministry, Pastor, Women's Ministry|
January 20, 2010 – 12:53 am
As editor of CTA’s monthly Grab & Go newsletter, I just put the February issue to bed. If you’re subscribed, you’ll be receiving your copy in your E-mail box the first Tuesday in February.
While it’s on my mind, I wanted to alert you to the fact that Tim Wesemann wrote the cover article for the February issue, focusing [...]
January 18, 2010 – 9:03 am
We are now several weeks into the New Year, and I find myself reflecting on New Year’s resolutions and another new year in my own life.
Here in Minnesota, it can be hard to think of January as a time of new beginnings. We are in the heart of winter; everything is covered with snow and [...]
January 4, 2010 – 7:38 am
I feel like screaming, “It’s not over!”
True enough, the Christmas music in stores is gone, decorations and trees have disappeared from the malls, and few people are jumping up and down with excitement at the prospect of buying ½ price Christmas merchandise for next year. Most everybody is headed back to work or school.
But the Wise Men won’t arrive [...]
December 19, 2009 – 8:58 am
The Gift Is for You
Introduction
In just a few days we will celebrate Christmas. For most of us, Christmas is more than just one day; it is an entire season filled with so many different sights and sounds and memories. Just about everyone seems to have favorite foods, activities, and family traditions. For most of us, [...]
Christ the Savior Is Born!
I would like to share that I ordered the “Christ the Savior Is Born!” party packs with nativity craft kit to use with my kindergarten class and with my 8-year-old son and 4-year-old granddaughter. What a big hit they were!
The kits were easy to assemble and the children loved the experience of “creating” their own nativity set, [...]