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November 2014 Devotion:
I was walking into Lowes the other night with my 4 year old daughter right by my side. As we walked through the second set of sliding glass doors that opens up into the main part of the store, my daughter screamed, “Dadda!! Dadda!!! Santa Claus!” I looked down at her and she was pointing toward the top of two sets of shelves that have the Christmas decorations on them. More specific – the yard inflatables that make the outside of your house look like the Grizwolds…at least according to my wife.
My daughter then wanted to know when we were going to put up our Christmas decorations and when could she go talk to Santa and let him know all the toys that she wanted and when was she going to see the “big Christmas tree show at church with all the BIG lights and funny looking people”, and when was…you guessed it…she had a million questions all centered around Christmas.
Don’t get me wrong. I love everything about Christmas. I mean EVERYTHING.
What I have seen, though, is a period of time that passes and we rush right through Thanksgiving to get to the “Holiday Season” and we don’t spend the time we should in being thankful.
This Thanksgiving season, I’m going to encourage you to let Thanksgiving be more than just a day on November 27th that you rush through. Why not take time during this week and next to remember God’s blessings and thank Him for them? If your Thanksgiving Day is already full with family craziness, then set aside some time on the day before or the day after to remember all that God has given, and to say “Thank you.” You might just discover that your overall happiness with life improves.
Expressing heartfelt gratitude to God is one of life’s greatest joys. It’s a joy that many of us rarely experience. And it is the true heart of Thanksgiving.
So let me invite you and your family to take time in this season of Thanksgiving for real expression of gratitude to God. You’ll be glad you did.
- Jay Rebsamen
High School Pastor
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This Month's Challenge
Spend some time thanking God with your spouse and your family during this season. It could mean stepping away from the television screen for an hour or even taking a walk around the neighborhood. Enjoy and thank God for the many blessings that He has given!
He deserves the ultimate thanks this day and every day!
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Nurturing a Toddler
Toddlers are a precious gift from God. Do you ever wish your toddler would never grow up? Susan Yates tells some funny stories and offers some great advice on making the toddler years last forever in her article entitled The Toddler Years.
Access The Toddler Years here!
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Guiding in Grade School
The story of the Bible is the most powerful story of all time, but how do we communicate this story to children in a way they can understand it and respond to it? The Bible for Children has all the tools you will need to communicate the Bible to your kids well.
Access the Bible for Children here!
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Teaching a Teen
We are living in a technological age. Everything we do is centered on technology and teens are perhaps the most active users. Crosswalk provides this list of ways that parents can stay up to date with technology and, in turn, understand their kids better.
Access Crosswalk here!
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