I have a favorite Bible verse for this time of year: Luke 2:52. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men. At Christmas we talk a lot about when Jesus was born. Pretty soon it will be Easter and we'll be talking about when Jesus died and rose again. In between we may read about his miracles or his teachings or stories about his disciples. But aside from the story about him teaching in the temple as a young teenager (Great story to read when you're having a bad mommy day...if Mary and Joseph could lose the son of God for a couple days some of my problems start to seem a little smaller!) we don't read much about his childhood. But I love this verse that summarizes his growing up. I love it because it points out four different areas where we can grow too.
Look carefully and think about ways that you - and your children - can grow like Jesus in 2009. The four areas in the verse are intellectual (wisdom), physical (stature), spiritual (favor with God) and social (favor with men). Think of one goal for each of these four areas for yourself and your kids.
Maybe you'd like to take a class, start learning a foreign language or just read a book that doesn't have pictures in it! For your children, an age-appropriate goal might be to learn colors, shapes or the alphabet.
Choose a physical goal that is actually attainable - literally growing in stature doesn't work; believe me - I've tried. A physical goal could be in regard to eating healthier, adding more activity into your lifestyle, or learning a new sport, and similar goals could be made for things you want to work on with your kids.
A spiritual goal could have to do with reading the Bible more often, memorizing certain verses or praying FIRST instead of as a last resort. For our children it may mean taking them to Sunday School, starting them in AWANA, or teaching them to pray out loud by repeating after you.
Social goals for our kids may involve making new friends, practicing sharing or learning manners. For us adults, it may mean being more intentional about practicing hospitality or not gossiping.
Will you take the Luke 2:52 Challenge with me? Pick one goal for each area. Write it down. Tell someone and ask them to check in with you periodically throughout the year. Whether we like it or not, we will get older this year and so will our children. So let's be intentional in our growth for 2009.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Friday, December 19, 2008
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Merry Christmas! For years we have enjoyed writing an annual newsletter, selecting the "Christmas card photo" and recently added the tradition of the annual video. This year was no exception - but, we have had to switch to an on-line format instead of an actual printed card, letter and the mini dvd. So, above is the family photo. Here are the links to the video (on youtube) and the newsletter (as a pdf file).
Musni Newsletter 2008
Musni Video 2008
Most of our regular columns are back - Josh and Annie's updates on themselves and their little brothers, my month by month year in review, and Craig's (infamous) Top Ten list. The only one missing was the "Was it a rumor?" column from 2006 and 2007. Hopefully we've dispelled all myths about moving to Boise by now...
We truly are enjoying the printed cards we are receiving in the mail as well as all the e-mails and facebook messages. We love hearing from you (so please post any comments!) and wish you all a wonderful Christ-filled Christmas.
God bless,
Vickie
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Simple CHRISTMAS Tips
C-hrist should be the center of Christmas
H-help others however you can this season
R-emember to say thank you
I-nitiate conversations with others about the true meaning of Christmas
S-hop carefully - debt is not good!
T-raditions are important, but it is okay if you don't do every one every year
M-ake or bake gifts for people
A-lways choose "people" over "things"
S-avor the moments!
H-help others however you can this season
R-emember to say thank you
I-nitiate conversations with others about the true meaning of Christmas
S-hop carefully - debt is not good!
T-raditions are important, but it is okay if you don't do every one every year
M-ake or bake gifts for people
A-lways choose "people" over "things"
S-avor the moments!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Thanksgiving Blessings
What is Thanksgiving all about? I've heard lots of lessons about Pilgrims and Indians over the years but as a mother of preschoolers, that isn't necessarily where I want to put the emphasis when teaching my little ones about Thanksgiving. Say it with me, Thanks-giving. It's about thanks and giving. It's about counting our blessings AND being a blessing. This is something that with some focused effort on our parts, even our toddlers can begin to understand.
How can we teach our kids to say thanks? With really young ones, simply have them repeat kind words of thanks every time an opportunity arises. As their vocabulary grows and kids can create their own sentences, encourage your little ones to come up with their own expressions of thanks. Whether we are leaving Sunday School, a friend's house, or the childcare center at the gym, I nudge my 3 year old toward the teacher or friend and ask him to say something kind before we leave. I don't care if he says "thanks for playing with me" or "thanks for the snack." I just love hearing him express thanks in his own words. Count blessings with your kids. Write them down in a journal, make a blessing scrapbook, or simply thank God for something or someone together each day.
What about the giving part? This is a great time of year to have kids make cards or pictures for special people in their lives as token of their thanks. Brighten the day of your child's teacher or babysitter, grandparent or your neighborhood mailman with a beautiful piece of art! For older preschoolers, you may want to type a thanksgiving message using a "bubble" font and let them color in each letter. Look for opportunities to model generosity. In our household the buzz word is "share" at this age. Whether we are packing a shoe box full of goodies to share with another child, baking cookies to share with a neighbor, or sorting clothes and toys for our "share" pile, young children can be a part of meaningful giving.
This Thanksgiving, I encourage you to help your children to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and teach them by your example that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 1:9). Count your blessings together and be a blessing to others!
How can we teach our kids to say thanks? With really young ones, simply have them repeat kind words of thanks every time an opportunity arises. As their vocabulary grows and kids can create their own sentences, encourage your little ones to come up with their own expressions of thanks. Whether we are leaving Sunday School, a friend's house, or the childcare center at the gym, I nudge my 3 year old toward the teacher or friend and ask him to say something kind before we leave. I don't care if he says "thanks for playing with me" or "thanks for the snack." I just love hearing him express thanks in his own words. Count blessings with your kids. Write them down in a journal, make a blessing scrapbook, or simply thank God for something or someone together each day.
What about the giving part? This is a great time of year to have kids make cards or pictures for special people in their lives as token of their thanks. Brighten the day of your child's teacher or babysitter, grandparent or your neighborhood mailman with a beautiful piece of art! For older preschoolers, you may want to type a thanksgiving message using a "bubble" font and let them color in each letter. Look for opportunities to model generosity. In our household the buzz word is "share" at this age. Whether we are packing a shoe box full of goodies to share with another child, baking cookies to share with a neighbor, or sorting clothes and toys for our "share" pile, young children can be a part of meaningful giving.
This Thanksgiving, I encourage you to help your children to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and teach them by your example that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 1:9). Count your blessings together and be a blessing to others!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Just Imagine...
One of my favorite descriptions of God is found in Ephesians 3:20. The apostle Paul describes God as one "who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine." I don't know about you, but I have a pretty good imagination. I can imagine all kinds of nice things. And I've been known to ask for stuff too. I often ponder this verse as I wonder what God has in store for our family next. What is he going to do that I haven't even imagined yet?
I know his plans are good. They are plans for us to prosper, not plans that will harm us (Jeremiah 29:11). So, since I know that, it can be exciting to see what God will do to provide. What job opportunities will he bring? Just how does he plan to pay the mortgage next month?!?
This week I've been thinking about this work a lot. I started a new job on Monday - I am the new office coordinator for Multnomah University's Reno/Tahoe campus, and I LOVE it! I love the job, the people I work with, the school, the students and faculty that I have met so far. I love it. The hours are good and there is enough flexibility that I am not neglecting my family or our business. The pay is decent and I am eligible for half-price tuition!
To full appreciate this story, I should tell you that about 10 years ago I started thinking that I should go back to school some time and get a Masters degree. About 8 years ago I was doing some research and started learning about some of the programs that Multnomah offers. In fact, three years ago, when our family was trying to move out of Reno, I looked at Portland (home to Multnomah's main campus) to see if that was a viable option for our family. None of those doors opened and even after 2 years of trying to move to Idaho, we ended up staying in Reno.
In July, the small Bible college in Reno officially became a satellite campus of Multnomah and in August I saw the president at a church function (our pastor teaches there). On a whim, I sent him my resume and now I am on staff there! I never imagined that Multnomah would come to me the way that it did.
How about you? What do you imagine? What has God done for you that has been immeasurably more than you have asked or imagined?
I know his plans are good. They are plans for us to prosper, not plans that will harm us (Jeremiah 29:11). So, since I know that, it can be exciting to see what God will do to provide. What job opportunities will he bring? Just how does he plan to pay the mortgage next month?!?
This week I've been thinking about this work a lot. I started a new job on Monday - I am the new office coordinator for Multnomah University's Reno/Tahoe campus, and I LOVE it! I love the job, the people I work with, the school, the students and faculty that I have met so far. I love it. The hours are good and there is enough flexibility that I am not neglecting my family or our business. The pay is decent and I am eligible for half-price tuition!
To full appreciate this story, I should tell you that about 10 years ago I started thinking that I should go back to school some time and get a Masters degree. About 8 years ago I was doing some research and started learning about some of the programs that Multnomah offers. In fact, three years ago, when our family was trying to move out of Reno, I looked at Portland (home to Multnomah's main campus) to see if that was a viable option for our family. None of those doors opened and even after 2 years of trying to move to Idaho, we ended up staying in Reno.
In July, the small Bible college in Reno officially became a satellite campus of Multnomah and in August I saw the president at a church function (our pastor teaches there). On a whim, I sent him my resume and now I am on staff there! I never imagined that Multnomah would come to me the way that it did.
How about you? What do you imagine? What has God done for you that has been immeasurably more than you have asked or imagined?
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