Children's Christmas Program

Wow! Thankful it's over, but thankful we did it too. The church was full for our first Children's Christmas program in years. The S.W.A.T. team, our Jr. High puppet ministry, performed several numbers in between our Sunday school and JAM - Diggin' In Bell Choir.

My favorite part though was the Bob Snook Christmas parody of the Family Feud. It pitted "Traditional Christmas characters" vs. "Non-Traditional Christmas characters. " The question was "What do you think about when you think about Christmas?" The 4 answers on the board were Santa, Shopping, Stockings, and Toys. Needless to say the Non-Traditional Christmas characters guessed all the answers. But the final poignant question to the audience was "What do YOU think about when you think about Christmas?!"

Anita, my wife and Children's Director, put in countless hours making costumes, writing the script, coordinating the teachers, setting up props, and so much more. Kudos to her for a great job!

The program went well, but there were minor glitches. Most could have been avoided or dealt with if only two things had happened: 1) Attend the practice. I know we lead busy lives, but if something is important to you, you must make time to practice it. 2) Show up early. We asked teachers to arrive 30 minutes early to help dress the children in their costumes and get ready. How some people think they can show up 5 minutes before the program and expect everything to run smoothly and everyone to be happy, is beyond me.

Final thought: We should have served some coffee and donuts after the program. So many of the parents and grandparents who came tonight don't attend church regularly or at all. Providing a time for volunteers in our ministries to mingle with those guests would have been a wise move.

A Guide for Giving this Christmas

Did you know that the Bible speaks more about money than any other subject? It’s true! One of Jesus’ main teachings concerning money is that we are stewards of all God has entrusted to us. Ironically during the season celebrating Jesus we have the most difficult time keeping our wallet in check. Below are a few tips to help you out this year as you plan your giving.

1. Budget – Plan ahead and write down what your family will spend this year on Christmas. Break your list down into categories: gifts, food, cookies & desserts, travel, miscellaneous. Our family even broke down how much we planned to spend on each person on our gift list.


2. Only Pay Cash – Don’t use credit cards. It’s too easy to spend much more than you intended when you use credit cards. Use your budget and pay cash this Christmas. If you don’t have the money in hand, don’t buy it. It’s that simple. The Bible says, “the borrower is slave to the lender” and again, “You cannot serve both God and money.” Using cash protects against becoming a slave to MasterCard or Visa.


3. Give Creatively – Buying something for everyone is not your only gift giving option. Handmade crafts often mean much more to people and can save you money. Time has become a precious commodity in our culture. Give homemade coupons to loved ones that they can redeem for special times with you. Use your imagination to come up with unique gifts. Go to http://www.familyfun.com/ for more ideas!


4. Send Ecards – The cost of Christmas cards combined with postage adds up quickly. Using the Internet you can send out ecards to your friends and family and it won’t cost you a cent! Customize the ecard with your family photo, favorite Bible verse, and your own message to make it personal. Go to www.dayspring.com/ecards/ or http://www.crossdaily.com/cards to start.