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, hearts, cupids and candy that overflow from store shelves this time of year, I know I can feel overcome by the commercialism of it all. That’s when it helps me to focus attention God’s love for us. And that’s the message I work to communicate to all the children in my care every day.

This year, Ash Wednesday comes just three days after Valentine’s Day. As Christians observe both, our Savior reminds us of his love for us, despite our sins. In the weeks of Lent ahead, as we prepare our hearts for Easter, we will think often about the mercy and compassion of our Lord Jesus who died on the cross because He loved us so much.

God himself is the source of all love. He is the essence and definition of the word love. In response to all he has done and all he will do for us, both now and throughout eternity, we actively look for ways to demonstrate his love by serving others.

Check out the CTA website for some great ideas about keeping children (and adults, too) connected to their Savior throughout the Lenten/Easter season. You will find many products and projects there that will make the all-important truth of God’s love a fun and easy one for your children to learn. Now that’s something to celebrate!

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 ice, and we are happy if the temperatures reach into the double digits.

Still, while I was driving to school after Mass this morning, I saw God’s glory reflected everywhere. The sky was a pristine blue, and the sun was shining. The overnight fog had crystallized on the trees, and snow blankets everything in sparkling white.

It reminded me that every day is new in Christ. Why? Because our sins and wrongdoings are things of yesterday. God is full of grace and healing, mercy, forgiveness, and compassion. Every day when I arise, He gives me the opportunity to start anew, to consecrate the day to Jesus, and to remember that He lives in me.

May He bless your new day today in that hope!

But the Wise Men won’t arrive in Bethlehem until January 6—the “Twelfth Day of Christmas” and the day the church traditionally celebrates the visit of the Magi and their worship of the Christ Child. In liturgical churches, this is called Epiphany. In some churches the  season lasts until Ash Wednesday. The word “Epiphany” refers to God’s appearance to live with us as one of us, and the season marks the many ways Jesus revealed Himself as the Son of God.

That’s why I want to scream! I want to keep Christmas in the present.

My parents celebrated Epiphany, and it was a blessing. As a child, I would receive a small gift—some fun, but useful item like a cute pair of socks. As I got older, the gifts morphed into a Christmas tree ornament or some other decoration for the following year’s Christmas celebration. As I look back at the traditions and those little reminders of God’s love in Jesus, I realize that they strengthened my faith-relationship with Him.

So on Wednesday,  I will again celebrate Epiphany by sharing a little reminder of God’s Gift with my husband and our three sons and their wives.  

How about you? How might you celebrate “Christmas Present”—Epiphany? Surprise someone! For Christians, Christmas is never over!

The kits were easy to assemble and the children loved the experience of “creating” their own nativity set, especially since they have read and learned so much about Jesus’ birth this month. 

Traditionally, the Christmas season in liturgical churches starts on Christmas Day and extends into January, culminating with Epiphany on January 6, so it is not too late to use the nativity kits.

Christmas Day will soon come and go, but we will have some winter vacation days at home with our children before they must go back to school.  This craft would be an excellent activity for one of winter’s cold and snowy days at home! 

Enjoy your families and may God grant you all a blessed and Merry Christmas!

Just as we adults can feel bombarded by the materialism of our society at this time of year so, too, can our children. They can so easily be drawn into the glitter and bright lights of the shopping season, deceived by ads designed to help them confuse “What I truly need” with “What I really, really want.”

As Christian adults and children, we believe a relationship with Jesus fills our deepest need. We know that his love for us is the one gift that truly lasts forever. Together, we remind one another of this—in church, in our families, in our circle of friends. For example: 

• During this Advent season, we sing songs focused on God’s gift of a Savior.
• We plan ways to do kind things for those around us.
• Maybe you remember the practice of putting a handful of hay or a single straw in a small ”manger” when you do something helpful for someone else during the weeks leading up to Christmas. Children still love that practice! It works!
• In my class, we always plan a “Happy Birthday, Jesus” party as well.

CTA has been an enormous help to me, both as a mother and a teacher, in helping children keep the main things the main things during the Christmas season. I encourage you to check out CTA’s Christmas crafts and gifts for children.

The Christmas Story Pen is a meaningful gift all your students will find intriguing and fun–and for only 99 cents each when you buy a dozen! You might even buy two for each student and help them learn to use the second one to share the Good News of Jesus’ birth with a friend.

Want to know more? Check  out the video description!

As you walk or run today, think about the Scripture below. Ask yourself the questions. Talk with Jesus about your answers. Enjoy your time with your Savior! 

[Jesus] went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. (Matthew 14:23 NIV)

Runners (and often walkers, too) pay particular attention to their knees. Knee injuries can ruin an athletic career or an exercise program. 

† As I serve today in Jesus’ steps, how diligent am I in my “knee work”? 

† When have I seen my Savior respond to my prayers? What do I want to say to him about that today?

 Lord Jesus, you graciously choose to hear my prayers. You promise that my prayers touch your heart. Lord, teach me to pray, just as you taught your first disciples to pray. Amen.

I find this to be a very special time of year, yet another beautiful season God sends us to enjoy. With these changes, we also begin to see pumpkins and scarecrows. Whether we live in a farming community or not, we begin to hear talk about the fall harvest.

In my classroom this time of year, we talk about the differences between fall and summer. Although many of my kindergarteners prefer summer, talking about all the positive aspects of fall helps them discover God’s glory in every season. As they name their own fall favorites, cooler days, raking leaves, bonfires, and going apple-picking almost always find their way onto our class list. We talk about the harvest, and about how God has blessed us with food for the winter months ahead.

Children love pumpkins, especially carving them and decorating them. I teach that just as a pumpkin with a candle inside shines with light from one end of the neighborhood to the other, we can shine with the light and love of Jesus. He lives in us and that means his love radiates from us into the lives of all the people we see every day.

CTA has some wonderful resources to help reinforce this theme. Check them out on CTA’s Fall Festival pages or look for G.L.O.W. or S.H.I.N.E. products.

Happy autumn!

Pumpkin Prayer Bookmark

Halloween is a great example! This year, I plan to cut out bright-colored fish, a heart, and cross shapes similar to those on CTA’s Pumpkin Prayer bookmark. I also plan to cut pumpkins out of construction paper in proportion to the fish, hearts, and crosses. 

Then, using the symbols, the children can create their own pumpkin faces. If I send home the Pumpkin Prayer Activity kit or bookmark from CTA, it will explain the project and the symbols in a way most parents will notice. 

This can also work a larger scale. If you are responsible for a children’s message or devotion for children’s church in October, think about creating a giant Prayer Pumpkin in front of the group. Then send home a Pumpkin Prayer bookmark or Pumpkin Prayer Activity kit with each child. It is a great way to help equip families with tools they can use to guide them in their child’s faith formation.

Have a fun, friendly, and faith filled fall!

Grandparents help provide the roots we all need–when we’re young and later on in life, too. Unconditional love. A sense of history and of being part of something bigger than ourselves. A listening ear. A storyteller’s heart. Oatmeal cookies. Lessons in hook-baiting and kite-flying. Grandparents touch our lives in all these ways and more.

If you plan a recognition of Grandparents Day in your church this coming weekend (September 13, 2009), good for you! Thank God for his gift of family and for the legacies each worshiper has received from previous generations.

Check this site if you want to learn more about how Grandparents Day began. Think, too, about offering a simple intergenerational Sunday school event. You might serve home-made cookies and cocoa. Invite each family in attendance to partner with one or two other families. Each family may share 1) ”favorite grandparent stories”; 2) the faith legacy of each family–even if that legacy is beginning with the current generation; and 3) thoughts about 2 Timothy 1:3-7.

As you ponder the Bible text, consider what Timothy’s family must have been like. How must their faith have encouraged the great apostle Paul?! Then ask yourselves, “Who might we as a family encourage?”

One last thought. Be sure to extend a special invitation to widows, widowers, and single seniors to your event. They, too, have a contribution to make, a legacy to leave, as they mentor, teach, and serve as examples in your church.