This Christmas Give Books Which Make a Difference

 

Yesterday I wrote about the book - Praying Deeper Through the Psalms for Children! It makes a fantastic Christmas gift for the children you love ages four through fourteen. Today I wanted to share with you about three books in the "Praying Deeper" series of books which will help parents and grandparents pray Scripture for their own walk with God and for the children they love as well - young, grown, and grandchildren!

My Christmas "Carol" for Today - Christmas Eve/Sarajevo

When I think about my favorite Christmas songs, one is best enjoyed as an instrumental, and as such it must be Trans-Siberian Orchestra which plays the music! Yes, I know this is supposed to be a "Christmas Caroling" post, but I am very happy to share with you the link so you are able to enjoy this song. 

Share the Joy of Children's Ministry - a Simple and Pure View of God!

Recruiting can be a never-ending job at times, but one way we might find more people to serve in our Children's Ministries is by sharing the joy which comes from serving in  Children's Ministries! Today and tomorrow, I'll share some of joy I experienced by serving in the Children's Ministry; today it is the joy of being able to see all over again a simple and pure view of God!

This Christmas Give the Gift of Prayer with Praying Deeper Through the Psalms for Children

 

Please share this post with the parents and grandparents in your ministry - 

One of the most powerful things we are able to do for the children we love is for us to pray for them. One even more powerful thing we are able to do for them is to help them learn to be people who pray. This Christmas give a gift which will help you do exactly this - give the children you love ages four through fourteen the book - Praying Deeper Through the Psalms for Children!

Countdown-to-Christmas Caroling - O Come, O Come Emmanuel - the Piano Guys

You may be wondering why I'm posting my daily "Christmas Carol", well, on my other blog - grandma's cookie jar - I "carol" my readers each day between Thanksgiving and Christmas - I thought I'd do the same here. 

Emmanuel means God with us; and this is why Jesus came . . . to be with us! This is why we celebrate Christmas. When I hear the song, O Come, O Come Emmanuel I think about what it would be like if we were still waiting for Him to appear and I rejoice in knowing He has come and we can know Him because He is with us!

Treasure Your Volunteers . . . "Notice"!

Do you treasure your volunteers? Volunteers are a gift from the hand of God . . . it is absolutely completely appropriate for us to appreciate these "gifts". Today I want to focus on some things we might do to "notice" our volunteers so they know - beyond a shadow of a doubt - they are most sincerely appreciated! Consider the following ideas -

Give the Gift of Confident Faith & Family Fun for Christmas with Generations Quest - Cultivate the Faith!

 

Please share this with the parents and grandparents in your ministry - and just fyi, my church uses it in their Children's Ministry as well!

Are you looking for a Christmas gift which will create memories while you hand down confident faith? If so, then the book - Generations Quest - Cultivate the Faith! is for you! 

Countdown-to-Christmas - the Hallelujah Chorus - Like You've Never Seen It Before!

When you think about songs which praise Jesus and share the good news of why He came, you have to think of the Hallelujah Chorus! Written 250 years ago, according to Wiki,  "Handel's   Messiah has been described by the early-music scholar Richard Luckett as 'a commentary on [Jesus Christ's] Nativity, Passion, Resurrection and Ascension', beginning with God's promises as spoken by the prophets and ending with Christ's glorification in heaven. The music for Messiah was completed in 24 days and at the end of his manuscript Handel wrote the letters "SDG"—Soli Deo Gloria, 'To God alone the glory'. This inscription, taken with the speed of composition, has encouraged belief in the apocryphal story that Handel wrote the music in a fervour of divine inspiration in which, as he wrote the 'Hallelujah' chorus, 'he saw all heaven before him'."

Don't Underestimate Children

In addition to writing this blog about Children's Ministry, I also write a "grandma blog" - grandma's cookie jar. A number of years ago I wrote about my grandson when he turned six - he was a really fun six year old! One thing he liked to do was to read. Yes, I said he liked to read! Not only did he like to read, but he often actually shocked his aunt with how good of a reader he was! One day we were celebrating because his dad had earned his Master Mechanic Certification and my parents gave him a card. On the card was the word, "Congratulations!" my grandson picked the card up and read the word - on his own with no help. 

Evaluate What You Are Doing - Deeper In for Children Will Help You Get Where You Want to Be!

 

As the Christmas season begins more and more churches are offering fewer opportunities for children to be engaged in their Sunday School and/or mid-week ministries. Whether you offer these opportunities or not, it is definitely time to evaluate what you have been doing, what has been working, and what has not - or what you might be able to improve.

When you evaluate, it is definitely time to look at the curriculum you have been using and how effective a tool it has been to help you do the things which matter most -