Posts Tagged ‘advent’
Advent Week 4: Prayers & Practices for Parents
Easy Advent Practices: Week 4 Surprise neighbors with Christmas cookies. Talk with your kids about what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). Give your child one extra hug each day. With all the bustle and busyness of December, we can forget that the simplest practices bring the most joy. “If I have all…
Read MoreAdvent Prayers for Overwhelmed Parents: Love
God of love, You came to us within a family. You know how hard family life can be. This season when we gather with relatives, Especially those we don’t see often, Be with us through our challenges and conflicts. We give You all the hard things we cannot carry alone: Grief and grudges. Disappointment and…
Read MoreAdvent Week 3: Prayers & Practices for Parents
Easy Advent Practices: Week 3 This year we’re sharing easy (and free!) ways to deepen your prayer as a parent in Advent: an activity to share with your children and a Scripture verse for you to pray later. Pray before you buy for each person on your Christmas list. Or keep a prayer list of…
Read MoreAdvent Prayers for Overwhelmed Parents: Joy
God of joy, This can be a heavy time of year for our mental health. For many of us, the world outside grows cold and dark. The sun sets early. The wind blows hard. Our minds and bodies suffer From the lack of light and shorter days. We were already struggling, but now everything feels…
Read MoreAdvent Week 2: Prayers & Practices for Parents
Easy Advent Practices: Week 2 This year we’re sharing easy (and free!) ways to deepen your prayer as a parent in Advent: an activity to share with your children and a Scripture verse for you to pray later. Print religious images to pray with. Try Google Image to find artwork with Advent themes, or check…
Read MoreAdvent Prayers for Overwhelmed Parents: Peace
God of peace, We’ve done it again. We’ve crammed our calendar full to bursting. We don’t know how we’ll get it all done. December is packed with Parties, plays, and performances, Christmas concerts and celebrations At school and church and work And everywhere in between— Shopping, planning, decorating, baking, Prepping, giving, buying, wrapping, Doing, doing,…
Read MoreAdvent Prayers for Overwhelmed Parents: Hope
God of hope, Help us in this season of stress, This beautiful time of year that Can bring added burdens. Less money, more expenses, increased anxiety, Christmas coming right around the corner— Everything feels overwhelming right now. For rising costs and mounting bills. For Christmas lists and year-end deadlines. For groceries and gas and everything…
Read Morecome, the still-joys
He laughs now, this rolling plump of a babe. Chortles like a chuckling gentleman when I tickle under his chin. The laughter is intoxicating; we are all addicted. His doting brothers swarm the changing table for a chance to coax out another. In the instant when his round eyes brighten and his soft mouth opens…
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