Life2gether

Advent is a time of expectation and preparation for the celebration of Christ’s birth.  I encourage you to set aside some time with your family to focus on Jesus in these weeks leading up to Christmas.  Here are some ideas:

Christ the King Presbyterian Church has developed two Advent devotionals you can download here and here.

Jared Kennedy posted some great ideas for families to celebrate the Advent season.

The Resurgence also has an excellent series of posts onLearning to Advent together.

Justin Taylor points to a new Advent Narrative Book that looks really good.

Tony Kummer highlights some Advent Lessons for Kids that teach through the nativity.

One thing we do in our home is sing Christmas songs together (I can still manage to play a few on the guitar!) and talk about the words to these songs.  I’ve found that some of them are rich in theology (i.e. Joy to the World). Whatever you do, make it simple and fun for your kids!

Here’s a good laugh as you go into the weekend. And here’s a good post on being intentional.

These two videos were shot last year … the first one when we visited Churchill Downs and got a peek at what it’s like sitting in the grandstand, and the second, a Kentucky tradition with the kiddos.

Churchill Downs! from Doug Wolter on Vimeo.

Untitled from Doug Wolter on Vimeo.

Over at ministry-to-children.com, you can check out a children’s bible lesson I wrote awhile back based on J.C. Ryle’s sermon for children called, No More Crying.  This sermon and other addresses to children can be found in the book, The Two Bears, (Grace and Truth Books, 2004).

The lesson is shaped around “3 places” which kids (and parents) will easily remember:

As people enter our doors this Easter Sunday, will they see us as real people worshiping a real Savior? Will they enter a community of grace? Tim Chester, in his excellent book, You Can Change, lists some great questions to discern if your church is a community of grace, and thus attractive to broken, needy sinners.

• Are people open about their sin or is there a culture of pretending?
• Is community life messy or sanitized?
• Are broken people attracted to your community?
• Is conflict out in the open or is it suppressed?
• Are forgiveness and reconciliation actively pursued?
• Do you constantly return to the cross in your conversation, prayers and praise?

I like these videos of the Easter Story (taken from this website) that walk through the Book of Mark:

1. Jesus on the Cross (Mark 15:22-32)
2. The Death of Jesus (Mark 15:33-39)
3. Jesus is Alive (Mark 16:1-7)

I encourage you to prepare your mind for Easter by printing out these Resurrection Letters by Andrew Peterson.

During these weeks of Lent, I’m reading through Nancy Guthrie’s book, Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter.  Here are some of her opening words:

Too many years I’ve found that I have rushed from Palm Sunday into Easter morning, from palm branches to the empty tomb, without giving my mind and my heart over to thoughtful contemplation of the cross. If you can relate to my lament, then I hope you will join me as we turn our gaze toward the cross through the pages of this book.

You can read online for free Guthrie’s preface, as well as Martin Luther’s “True Contemplation of the Cross” and John Piper’s “He Set His Face to Go to Jerusalem.”

Here are the other chapters.

Guest Post by Cam Potts

Matt Chandler offers some challenging thoughts on why Christ came to earth: