The Christmas Child

My grandson, Ethan (4), cupped my chin in his hands, looked into my eyes, and said, "God wants to do great things with little children."

He reminded me of this statement two or three times throughout our Grandma/Ethan date. I couldn't help but giggle.

On reflection, I realize how powerful a line my young grandson delivered. For isn't that the very heart of Christmas?

God wants to do great things through a Child.

And so He did. 

God came down in human flesh, clothed as a baby . . . as one of us. Humble beginnings in a manger. Feeling the same soaked diapers we experience, the same hungry stomach gnawing, the same loneliness, sadness, grief.

In order to identify with mankind. With you. With me.

To know how we feel, in every way . . . physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. He became one of us. 

And then He died, for us. Because He could. Since He was also fully God, He was the only One who could bear our sin, offering redemption through His blood.

Oh, glorious Christmas Child! The One who invites each of us to become little children in the attitudes of our heart. To be humble enough to admit our sin, draw near to Him, and accept His gift.

The ultimate Christmas gift from one Child to another.

~~

Eileen Rife, author of Second Chance, invites women to discover who they are in Christ and what part they play in His amazing story! The article above is taken from a newly-released devotional titled, Penned from the Heart, compiled by Marilyn Nutter. www.eileenrife.com, www.eileen-rife.blogspot.com,

How Volunteering Can Round Out Your Child's Education

I drove to the zoo to drop off my oldest daughter, Rachel, on her first day of volunteering. She was assigned to the petting zoo where goats and sheep awaited the eager eyes and hands of preschoolers. Rachel would feed the animals, clean up their waste, and supervise the children as they observed the animals. As a twelve-year-old, Rachel was ready and willing to assume the responsibility of a volunteer position, one of three she would hold before graduating from high school. I was thrilled, but apprehensive about her newfound challenge. Time would reveal that my concern was unfounded, for the benefit of volunteering far outweighed any liability. I believe every parent should strongly consider offering his child the opportunity to participate in community volunteer work. Here’s why.

Volunteering Matures a Child

As I watched Rachel tend to her four-hour a week summer zoo position, I noticed she was developing more maturity. No longer was she merely looking out for herself or her little sisters, but she was also looking out for a host of preschool children who were left in her charge. Furthermore, the discipline of caring for the goats and sheep caused her to care for her room at home more efficiently. Once she proved herself in the petting area, the zookeepers awarded her more responsibility by placing her in the gift shop for two hours a week.

Volunteering Builds on Academic Skills

Not only does volunteering mature a child, but it also builds on her academic skills. Rachel’s gift shop service afforded her experience using a cash register and counting out change, which enhanced her math skills. Others have reported volunteer experiences where their child read to younger children in the library, thus enhancing reading and verbal skills. Still others have participated in peer tutoring through the refugee department, as Rachel did for two years. This experience gave opportunity to actually tutor a foreign student in reading, grammar, and math.

Volunteering Develops Social Skills

Equally important as academic skills are social skills. While most children are immersed in peer relationships for the majority of the day, the child who volunteers is exposed to people of all ages. He learns to relate well, not only to his peer group, but also to multiple personalities of varying ages and backgrounds. When Rachel volunteered with the SPCA, she bumped shoulders with moms, teens, the elderly, and younger children. She would “check out” a puppy or kitten from the SPCA and take the animal to the veteran’s center or hospital to make rounds. In this way she aided both the animal’s and the patient’s emotional health, as well as learned to communicate with people from all walks of life by answering questions about the animal. In addition, work with peer tutoring exposed her to the culture and customs of Vietnamese people. As she tutored the twelve-year-old girl once a week, she got to know the entire family. None of them spoke English very well, so she was stretched to discover ways to communicate with them. They invited us over to their modest home for a generous spread of spicy Vietnamese food and we invited them over to our house for pizza and cookouts. Later, we invited them to a Christmas program at our church.

Volunteering Can Clarify Future Goals

While volunteering can breed responsibility, build academic and social skills, it can also help clarify future goals. Rachel enjoyed the zoo and pet therapy programs because she was used to pets of her own. Three cats, a dog, hamster, and a variety of fish kept her busy as pet caretaker and offered her a glimpse of what it might be like to be a veterinarian, which was her goal for several years. However, during her peer tutoring experience she committed her life to career missions in India. Her tutoring opportunity, more than any other, led to more open doors to teach English as a second language. The summer after her junior year of college, she attended community classes to observe English being taught to a mix of foreign families from Croatia, Peru, Vietnam, and Brazil. Later that summer, she spent six weeks in China teaching teens English. Her experience overseas came in handy when she finally left for India in 2004.

Make Room for Volunteer Work

So, volunteer work can supplement a child’s education, but how do you find time for one more activity? Building volunteer work into your child’s already packed schedule can be a daunting task, but well worth the effort. Sit down with your child and make a list of all the activities and responsibilities your child already has. Pray over the list, then begin to number each item according to its importance in the child’s life. When deciding which activities to add or delete, encourage your child to think about what he wants to accomplish this year in his life and to also consider future goals. Point out how volunteering might clarify goals for him. You and your child may find that one or several items no longer play a significant role and can be dropped. Call or visit your local library and request a pamphlet on volunteer opportunities in your area. We were surprised to discover that our city offered over thirty different volunteer activities for young teens and teenagers. Always allow your child to choose which position he would like to try. That is how he will learn what best suits his interests and personality.

Once you and your child have sampled some volunteer options, you, too, will discover that community work is a vital part of your child’s education. He will mature in his ability to handle responsibility, grow in his academic and social skills, and experiment with options for fulfilling future goals. Volunteering is a great way to round out your child’s education.

Volunteer activities can include:

Hospital candy striper

Pet therapy with the SPCA

Peer tutoring

Zoo work

Museum helper

Teacher’s assistant

Library page

Clerical assistant at medical facilities

Rescue mission work—sorting clothing, stuffing envelopes, serving in the soup kitchen

Crisis pregnancy organizations

For a complete listing of opportunities in your area, call or visit your local library.

America, Bless God

"So the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is today."  -Deut. 6:24

Ever since 9/11, I get a little irritated when I pass signs and billboards that boldly proclaim, "GOD BLESS AMERICA." While it is encouraging to see folks turn to God, I have to ask:  Has He not blessed America already? The real issue is, what are we doing with those blessings? In our greed and complacency (and that goes for Christians and non-Christians alike), we feel we deserve more. We're Americans--Hear us roar! We're superior; we're better; we deserve freedom.

But are we willing to pay the price? Some are. They have already demonstrated their commitment. But I fear the vast majority are simply spewing off lofty platitudes with no real substance to back up their words. I hope I am not one of them. Writing these words is a wake-up call to examine my heart and see what I am really made of. As Americans, and especially Christian Americans, our day of persecution may be dawning brighter.

 I pray we are ready.

Christians all over the world have suffered greatly for their faith down through the centuries. It has been reported that more Christians were martyred in the twentieth century than all other centuries combined. Islam zealots have hounded believers for over one thousand years. Their goal is to erase Christianity from the globe in the name of Allah. They truly believe they are serving God and are willing to die for the cause. With ease of communication and transportation, the world is smaller. Access is easier. Persecution a very real threat.

But everywhere that persecution thrives, so does Christianity! Instead of being squelched and snuffed out, Christianity prospers. The Church of the living God multiplies. Believers are thankful and joyful, even when suffering. Only the one, true God can provide that kind of strength!

Perhaps, it is because we as Americans have had such an easy time that we are complacent and lethargic. We are riding the coattails of our founding fathers who did pay the price, who did honor God. And God, in turn, blessed our great country on account of their commitment to godly principles. You see, God blesses the country who blesses Him. It has always been so, all down through the ages.

Somewhere along the line, we as Americans have forgotten to pass the baton to succeeding generations. The further each generation gets from the source of blessing, the easier it is for them to become lazy and ungrateful. That's why in the Old Testament, God urged Moses time and time again to encourage the Israelites to pass the baton of faith down to their children and their children's children. He commanded them to tell their children how HE had delivered them from their enemies. He told them to write it down "for the generation to come; that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord" (Psalm 102:18). The godly passion of the parents rubbed off on the kids. They constantly rehearsed God's words and feared His honored and awesome name (Deut. 28:58). And when the people strayed, God gave them an option: "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life, in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days" (Deut.30:19-20). When the people honored God, He delivered them from their enemies.

Sadly, America has come along way from honoring God. We have forgotten our godly roots implanted by our forefathers. They acknowledged a God in heaven who rules in the affairs of men and chose to honor Him first. But somehow, as time wore on, succeeding generations lost the vision and basked in the sun of God's blessing without returning the blessing. We turned our back on the very God who had endowed us with liberty, countless wealth and resources. In our pursuit of happiness and equality, we stripped His name and His story from our children's textbooks. We denied His name spoken in prayer in school and public events. We tore down His commandments from our courthouses. We purged our schools, stores, and public squares from any semblance of the true meaning of Christmas and Easter. And as time goes on, we silence men of God, pushing them further into their pulpits, because that's where Christianity belongs, right? "Keep it in your church, but don't infringe on my rights by forcing God on me," we hear today. How long will it be before the pulpit is no longer a safe and honored place? How far will Satan have to drive us before we speak out on behalf of God and our founding fathers?

There will be no stopping secular humanism and false religious ideologies from advancing if we as God's children don't take a righteous stand against Satan's agenda. He is out for the destruction of the human race. And he would love nothing more than to see the Christian faith stamped from the face of the earth!

One of the most compelling political cartoons I have ever seen was published during World War II, when American hearts were once again turned toward God. The cartoon pictures Uncle Sam kneeling by a bed in a typical American bedroom. A portrait of a soldier hangs on the wall above the bed. Uncle Sam's head is bowed and his hands are folded in prayer. Oh, how we need to once again rely on God as our strength and sufficiency as Americans lift the defenders of freedom up to the throne!

With that said, what are you doing today to pass along God's blessings? What am I doing today?

Perhaps you could pass a tract to a service man who comes to your home for a repair. Or maybe pray with a troubled neighbor. Perhaps call your congressman and express your opinion on an urgent bill affecting religious freedom. Or pray with a parent who has a son in the military. Maybe you could sit down with your child, open the history book, and share how GOD used his servants to birth a country under His name so that the gospel could be spread to other lands. One of Columbus's primary motives in seeking out the new world was to perpetuate the gospel. George Washington's personal diary is full of entries addressed to his God and Saviour and records hours of time spent on his knees in prayer. But those are two facts the average textbook conveniently ignores. There are many, many others! Our future generation needs to know what America is really all about!

Find one way you can share God's blessings today with someone else. Be a part of restoring godliness to a nation who desperately needs a return to its roots. Keep rehearsing God's faithfulness to your children. 

Only as America blesses God will He bless America!

THE TRUTH PROJECT

How you counter the culture makes a difference in your child’s life.


During a recent camping trip with a few families from our church, I (Eileen) was adding more wood to the fire when I overheard a conversation among three of the boys.


“I wonder if there are any bears around,” Max commented, fear written on his face.


“You know, we’re animals, too,” Bradley said, stirring a stick through the dirt.


Max’s brother, Joey, jumped in, hands on hips, glaring at Bradley, “We are not!”



“Are too!”



Max rallied to his brother’s side, “We are not animals; we’re human beings!”



“Well, in school the teacher said that we are the highest form of animals,” Bradley insisted, to which Joey replied, “Well, this isn’t school, this is Bible land we’re standing on now!”



My Bible rested on the picnic table, so I said, “Well, let’s see what Genesis chapter one has to say. I read through the text detailing God’s creation and landed at verse 26, Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’



The boys listened intently. I had caught them at a teachable moment. Explaining that man was set apart from the animals because he was created in the image of God with intellect, emotion, and will and given rule over the animals, I pointed the boys to God’s Word, the Truth.



I left that encounter more convinced of the need to ground our children in the truth of God’s Word to counter the secular, humanistic culture in which we live. Perhaps, as a Christian parent, you desire to do the same, but just don’t know where to begin.



A good resource is The Truth Project compiled by Focus on the Family and taught by Dr. Del Tackett. A DVD-based curriculum comprised of twelve one-hour lessons, The Truth Project communicates the Christian worldview verses a secular worldview. Carefully researched, biblically sound, and masterfully presented. Every parent should go through this course, then lead their children through it before they leave for college.



Visit www.thetruthproject.org for more information.

A DIVINE APPOINTMENT

A man wearing brown pants with beige dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, stocked the cracker shelves as I swerved around the corner with my grocery cart headed for the saltines.

“Hi, how are you today?” I said, sweeping past him.

“Good, how ‘bout you?” he countered with southern drawl while shoving a box of Ritz into an available spot. An overhead light beamed off the baseball-sized bald spot on the top of his head.

“Oh, fine, just fine.” I said, torn between scanning the shelves for my selection and exchanging cordialities.

Chattering on as if he hadn’t talked to anyone all day, he spoke of everything from the weather to his first grandchild due the end of October.

A bell sounded in my head. This was a topic near and dear to my heart, for my husband and I now had five grandchildren, the latest born in our home only weeks earlier, and the sixth on his way the beginning of October.

The man’s glasses slid down his nose as he reached to unpack another box. His wiry, sandy-colored hair stuck out over his forehead like a visor. Somewhat stocky, his belly loped over his belt when he squatted to straighten the cracker boxes on the bottom shelf. His daughter, only nineteen, would give birth to a son, he told me, lining up a row of Ritz like new army recruits.

“I was just getting used to the empty nest, and now this—I can hardly believe I’m going to be a grandfather.”

I had been where he was four years ago. With two weddings in one year and two babies the next, I was still gulping for air.

“I know what you mean,” I assured, lamely glancing at him one second and squinting at the saltines the next.

“But you have to let them go. You do the best you can raising them, then you just have to let them go,” he said, forcibly brushing his hands together to illustrate his words.

I inched my cart down the aisle, but paused out of politeness when he continued talking.

“I wonder, though, young people today probably won’t discipline their kids the way I was brought up. It was a trip to the woodshed for me. Yep, I learned a thing or two with the strap.”

Nodding, I assessed whether to stick around and humor this stock boy—well, man—with more of my presence or make my getaway.

Was this a divine appointment the Lord had placed in my way on this sunny September morn?

As we conversed more about the need for discipline in our culture, a story popped into my head.

“You know, you’re right, discipline is so important for children. I remember a speaker I listened to once share how he decided to teach his children a significant lesson after they had misbehaved one day.”

The man’s eyes flitted to my face as he reached for yet another large cardboard box full of crackers.

“The father told his two children to come into the bedroom. Once there, he pulled his shirt off, handed them each a leather belt, leaned over the mattress, and told them to whip his back with the belts.”

A whisper of a frown passed over the man’s face as he cocked his head to listen.

“Well, as you might expect, the children were totally confused. ‘Daddy,’ they said in unison, ‘why do you want us to spank you? We’re the ones who did wrong.’”

“‘Yes, you did wrong,’ the father stated, “’but I want you to whip me. I will take your punishment.’”

“’No, Daddy, we can’t let you do that!’”

“By now big crocodile tears were inching their way down the children’s cheeks.

“’Please, Daddy, we can’t do this!’

“The father insisted, and the children struck him with the belts, over and over again at his command. His back, layered with red stripes, pulsed with pain. His children dropped to the floor weeping uncontrollably.

“The father turned, stooped and stretched his arms around his broken children. ‘That, my children, is what Jesus did for us. He took the punishment that we deserve when He died on the cross.’

“The children never forgot their father’s lesson, nor did they ever require a spanking again.”

With eyebrows arched like Howdy-Dowdy, the man stood frozen for a second, “Yep, that’s a powerful lesson, all right.” Shaking his head, he retrieved more cracker boxes and resumed shelving.

“Well, you have a good day now; nice talking with you,” I said, gripping the cart handle.

“Yeah, you too. Have a good one.” He waved a hand, signaling the end of the conversation. Yet, something in his eyes indicated he would be thinking on our visit for some time to come.