New Beginnings for Graduates is not your average graduate devotional. It’s real and applicable! I felt inspired during the first two pages and enjoyed each witty remark and analogy that followed. It’s a great combination of spiritual insight and practical ways to put it to use! What a great gift this will be, and as a Youth Minister, I appreciate how inexpensive it is!- Tessa Schuermann, River Falls, WI

In New Beginnings for Graduates, Tim Wesemann does an amazing job of reminding grads that God worked some of His greatest miracles (and best work) in the Bible when He walked beside His people through their life transitions. And that the God of Mary, Paul, and all the disciples will continue to do miraculous things throughout the lives and transitions of new graduates today!- Chad Schuermann, River Falls, WI

Catch the vision! When I wrote New Beginnings for Graduates I envisioned a meaningful, down-to-earth small devotional for high school graduates, inexpensive enough for leaders to purchase one for each of their graduates. I’d love to see youth leaders, Mother’s Club/parent groups, school boards, teachers, pastors, or other school /church leaders giving each of their graduates a copy of this affordable, Christ-centered devotional book — New Beginnings for Graduates: Plans for Hope and a Future. How are you going to use this devotional or other CTA graduation products? Your comments help other school and church leaders as they look for Christian gift ideas for their graduates.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

Honoring members in this way is a good idea. But how could you step the value up from merely good to great, maximizing the assimilation value and encouraging true Christian fellowship?

 Here are four ideas:

1.  Get a group of friendly and established members to introduce people to one another. 
2. Provide name tags. Just because you know everyone doesn’t mean long-term members know newcomers or vice versa.  
3. Put sheets of ice breaker questions at each table. Include silly or serious questions. Ask people to name their favorite _______ (fill in the blank). Have everyone describe their best Easter/graduation/Mother’s Day of all time. Open ended questions like these can get everyone sharing in a way that feels safe and fun.  
4. Provide pencils and note cards and encourage everyone sitting at each table to exchange  prayer requests for the upcoming week. If they share phone numbers or E-mail addresses so they can stay in touch. Encourage them to contact each other at least once before next Sunday.

 Do you want to help worshipers break the every Sunday “hit and run” habit? Proactively leverage spring events to deepen relationships!

Graduation Stainless Steel Travel Mug

While we have personally gone that route, we also want to give graduates something that will point them to the strength behind their accomplishment – Jesus Christ. We’d like gifts that encourage them in their faith and also leave them with a passage (or more) from the Bible. Besides, or along with, a gift card we like to give a graduation gift they can use and that might even bless their Christian faith in the future.

That’s one of the things we love about all of CTA’s gifts – including their graduation gifts. We can go down that checklist above and find Christ-centered, faith-strengthening, Scripture-based gifts for graduates that can even bless their journey into the future with their Savior.

It’s going to be a doubly busy month, but a doubly exciting time to celebrate our children’s accomplishments and the Lord who made them all possible! I have to run … time to address graduation invitations!

By the way, congratulations and God’s blessings to all the grads out there!