Gift Tags to Help Kids Connect Gifts with Worship

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Gifts are wonderful, but sometimes getting stuff is complicated for our insides, especially for kids! I had a random idea to help my kids connect gifts with the ultimate Gift-Giver:

The idea was to give each kid a little present at the beginning of the Christmas season with a tag that featured James 1:17, which says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” When they memorize the verse, they get the present. On one hand, I get that it sounds like they’re “buying” their present by saying a verse, but my true intention is to give them a strong association with that verse and gifts, so it comes to mind when they open a present. How cool to think “Every good and perfect gift is from above” every time we unwrap something! For more visuals on this, check out this reel I posted on Instagram.

Want the tags yourself?

Hope for the Lonely on Thanksgiving (and Other Holiday

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If the table reminds you

of who isn’t there

And the silence exposes

the things you don’t share

If the posts twist the sharp knife

that lives in your soul

If the holiday points to

that big gaping hole

If the longings and losses

Pound loud like a drum

Lean closer and I’ll tell you

of all that will come:

Of the table He’s made by

the wood off a cross

Of the family around it

made whole by His loss

One day our tears, grief, and pain

Like butter will melt

One day there is only gain

All horror unfelt

Because He redeemed it all,

Each wound of the heart

He was pierced to make us whole,

Never more apart

Together is the ending

Of this big story

All the zigs and zags will be

All for His glory

Today it’s okay to cry

And to grieve what’s not

But as you weep my dear friend

Cling to this true thought:

Christ has come, He will return,

He sits by your side

He understands how you yearn

He knows how you’ve cried

You may feel alone today

But He is with you

And He has promised one day

To make it all new

Gift Ideas for Kids!

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In my mind, a classic, can’t miss gift pairing for a kid is a great book + a cute stuffed animal. What could be better than curling up with a good book and a snuggle buddy, you know? So, with the help of my own kids, I tracked down a great stuffie to pair with each of my kids’ books, and maybe it’ll spark your imagination as you purchase gifts for the kids in your life this Christmas (or really, any time!).

Three things:

  1. Each of these books was written for kids ages 4 through 8 and are are available wherever books are sold.

  2. You can find the exact link for each stuffed animal beneath each photo, and each photo is linked to my Amazon storefront, where you can see options Amazon currently has available. (That means this post contains affiliate links, which does not cost you anything, but it can benefit my ministry in a small way.)

  3. According to my 10-year-old daughter, this is “a really snuggable gift.”

On Parenting with Wisdom

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While washing grapes,

while watching them swim,

stories I never meant to collect,

stories too heavy for me to hold,

flood my mind:

A library of scary,

dewey decimal-ed,

organized without my permission.

The anxiety creeps in.

It fills my belly.

It clamps around my jaw.

I used to give it the wheel,

let it decide where to turn

let it lure me with its promises:

“I will keep you safe”;

“I will keep you in control.”

But now I’m three kids

and ten years in,

and I’ve started to see what this is:

anxiety, not wisdom.

And I’ve learned that anxiety isn’t good at driving.

(It will pretend its keeping us safe

and then drive us off a cliff.)

Wisdom needs the wheel.

And you know,

with all these stories we collect,

it’s as if we think fear of stuff

is the beginning of wisdom,

but it’s not.

“The fear of the Lord

is the beginning of wisdom.”

So I have to hit the brakes.

I have to see where I am:

I’m in the library of scary,

soaking up stories that are not my business,

acting on themes are are not mine.

I have to return the stories I’ve checked out,

and read another instead,

I have to start by fearing God,

who has all power,

who is in charge,

and can be trusted

(even when I don’t understand what He’s doing

or agree with what He allows).

And so when the anxiety rises up,

when I’m washing the grapes,

while I’m watching them swim,

I’ve started to do a new thing:

Get small before my big God,

and pray stuff I know about Him

about stuff I don’t know about my life:

“Dear God you are God.

You made me, and you love me.

You made my kids, and you love my kids.

You have every day of our lives

written in your book.

I know I can ask you for things.

Because you’re my Father who loves me.

And I know I can trust you

to give and withhold

based on what is ultimately good

(and you decide what is good

and I’ve decided that’s good).

And so, I ask you: protect my kids—

I know you know this lump in my throat—

and protect me because

I am prone to collect anxieties

you’ve told me to hand to you.

And the anxieties hurt me,

and tempt me to parent unwisely,

and tempt me to think I’m in control,

and tempt me to think

I can keep us safe from everything,

and to think I hold the whole world in my hands.

But my hands are too small,

and I have more limits than I can count.

I cannot keep watch

over every grape.

I cannot keep watch

over every splash of water.

But fueled by your grace,

I can be a wise and watchful parent,

knowing I am parented

by the wisest and most watchful parent.

Help me not to collect anxieties

(they do not come from you),

but to collect wisdom instead

(this comes from you).

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” Proverbs 9:10a

“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.” James 1:5

Free Poster Print!

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IT’S MY BIRTHDAY, AND I MADE YOU SOMETHING!

Did you ever watch that very very tragic movie Little Princess, the one with Shirley Temple? I don’t want to talk about it or I’ll cry, but just before the movie takes THE SADDEST TURN of all time (I don't want to talk about it!), the little princess has a birthday party and she gives all her guests a present! Classy move, right? I always loved that, so for the past few years I've given away digital downloads on my birthday. 

This year, I made a new one, adapted from this post, and based on Psalm 118:24, “This is the day the Lord has made." It’ll print beautifully on a standard poster size (24x36), and my Walgreens had it ready for me same-day. (Please promise you will use a coupon code when you have this printed at your local Walgreens or wherever. I've never paid more than $15. I will be personally offended if you do not. And of course, you can print it a different size if you want, live your life. I printed it straight from my computer on 8.5x11 paper, and it looked great.)

Thanks for celebrating with me today!