Equipping Parents for The Journey
Holy Week allows us an opportunity to reflect upon the shift in Jesus’ life as He moves toward His sacrifice on the cross. Starting with Palm Sunday when Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem, Holy Week leads us through the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, His crucifixion on Good Friday, and ends on Easter Sunday with...
I want to confess, I have been eagerly awaiting the season of Lent almost since we finished the season of Advent. There is something in me so hungry for the rhythm and routine of intentional worship and study of the life of Christ. As a parent, I am eager to share the journey with my...
One of the most important jobs we parents do is leading the spiritual training of our children. How can we balance the sacred and secular when it comes to holidays like Easter? I really do believe that Easter baskets, gifts, and bunnies can be celebrated alongside the cross and the resurrection of Christ. Our...
The two biggest events on the Christian calendar are Christmas and Easter. It is troubling that we put so little emphasis on Easter. While we are busy months in advance planning for Christmas, Easter seems to creep up on us with very little planning and focus. But Easter should be a BIG deal! This...
Telling the Easter story can be confusing and even a little scary for our little ones. After all, we tend to use lots of words they are not familiar with, and we talk a lot about death. So in our "stay at home" situation, our Ministry Leader for Early Childhood, Kristin Langford, provides us...
A long time ago, an enormous group of people found themselves on one side of an uncrossable river looking longingly to the other side. They had traveled a long time to get to this place, but there was no bridge, no ferry, and no way to get to the other side. Until GOD! God...
The television host leaned over to make sure the microphone was close to the precocious girl’s mouth. He’d just asked her, along with a panel of other school-aged children, about the real meaning of Easter. Her classmates’ answers ranged from getting candy and trinkets from the Easter Bunny to marking the official beginning of spring....
For many families, the story of Easter is nothing more a gigantic rabbit leaving eggs all over the lawn, followed by a Pinterest-worthy lunch and maybe a church service thrown in for good measure. For Christians, however, Easter begins in The Garden with death becoming a reality because of sin (Genesis 3). There is unspeakable...
My heart rejoiced when I learned how many families at Stonebriar chose to purposefully celebrate Advent last year. Many of you resurrected it from your own childhood traditions, and many others chose to incorporate it into their lives and homes for the very first time. Just as the darkness of Advent sets the stage and...
I have mentioned in the past that my family follows the three-gift-principle at Christmas, and it has proven incredibly beautiful in all its simplicity. Our children are elated with what awaits them as they tear the paper to reveal surprises underneath. While we do not have a gift rule for birthdays, we are very mindful...
Yesterday was stunningly beautiful. My boys and I enjoyed the Spring-like weather and spent some quality time outdoors. I’m hopeful that the change of temperature will help their bodies finally get over the hump of winter colds. In all the playing in the leaves, digging in dirt, and swinging action, we had a few...
