Join us at NewSpring for a Christmas Eve service. KidzWorld will be open for all 7 services with a great celebration of the birthday of Jesus. We will even have some live animals including camels for all of the services.
If you can’t make it in person, join us online at newspring.org/live or catch one of our televised broadcasts called Unwrapping Christmas. Find the times in your area at newspring.org/unwrappingchristmas.
May this be your best Christmas ever!
If you’ve been attending NewSpring Church and your kids have been coming to KidzWorld for a while, you have probably heard of the Parent Cue App. It is an incredible tool to help your family make God part of your daily routine. The Parent Cue app lets you see what your kids are learning each week but it goes way beyond that! It includes ideas for ways you can keep the discussion going about what your child learned in KidzWorld on the weekend. It also has some great parenting tips. Be intentional in talking with your children about God and His impact on their lives. Download the Parent Cue App today in your app store.
Last night at NewSpring’s First Wednesday service, I had the privilege to speak on the subject of gratitude. It truly can be a game-changer in your life and the lives of your family. Watch the entire service here.
NewSpring Church Family Ministry is excited about promotion weekend on August 7/8. Kids and students from age 2-12 grade will be moving into their new environments. To see how this will affect your family, visit newspring.org/promotion.
Do you like to garden? Did you know that we are all gardeners, in a sense? Every single day we are planting seeds that will produce a future harvest. There are many seeds to choose from: love, joy, kindness, envy, discontentment, even hatred–just to name a few. But one thing is sure. You harvest what you plant. You harvest later than you plant. You harvest more than you plant. Stop and think about what you’ve been planting in your family. Are you heading toward the harvest you desire? Do you need to change the seed? Does the soil need some additional preparation?
Here are some practical “gardening” tips.
Debbie and I are getting ready to go on vacation! As I anticipate our time away, I am reflecting on a priority that we set early in our marriage. From the first years of marriage, we looked for opportunities to get time away–ALONE. It wasn’t always easy because it takes some guts to ask a friend or even a family member to take on the responsibility of five kids! But the benefits that we reaped have been so worth it. Even though our kids are now grown with families of their own, we still love to get away together–we really enjoy spending time with each other. And that’s because we cultivated our own relationship all throughout our marriage.
Don’t let the busyness of the moment stop you from investing in your future! Determine right now that you will make “time away” a priority.
This past Sunday we were privileged to host a Baby Dedication Celebration with 40 families participating. The purpose of this celebration is to give new parents an opportunity to think about the importance of their role in shaping their child’s first 18 years. Intentional is a word we repeat over and over. Great relationships don’t just happen. They take planning with purpose. Here are some great ways to be intentional in your parenting.
Congtratulations, parents! We are cheering you on!
In the gospels which were written by eye-witnesses to Jesus and his life on earth, we find many stories of miraculous healings. One incident that I love is the story of a blind man as told in John 9. The man had been blind since birth and so in order to live, he had to beg on the side of the road. One day Jesus and his disciples saw this man and the disciples equated his blindness with his own or his parents’ sin. They asked Jesus about it and Jesus replied that his blindness was not caused as the disciples suggested but rather it “happened so the power of God could be seen in him.” (John 9:3 NLT)
Of course, Jesus healed the man and that’s when all the trouble started! This man had his vision restored! He was able to see clearly! And yet, no one seemed to rejoice with him. His neighbors couldn’t believe that it was actually him. Then they wanted to know the whole story. After hearing that, they still didn’t rejoice. Instead, they took him to see the Pharisees because this great miracle had happened on the Sabbath. Now the Pharisees wanted to hear his story. Once again instead of rejoicing, the man is subjected to criticism of Jesus and questions about his authority to do such a miracle. It got so bad that even his parents basically washed their hands of the issue and didn’t have anything to say about their son’s healing.
Here is a man who was a nobody. People walked by him every day without any concern or care for him. This man who was a nobody all of a sudden became somebody that everyone was talking about. Because of his healing, this man got to share his story of his encounter with Jesus. Did everyone believe it? No–it would seem that hardly anyone believed it. But the man’s life was changed forever. Read this story starting in John 9:1 but don’t stop before you get to the really great part. Spoiler alert!
When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”
“You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”
“Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus. John 9:35-38 (NLT)
What’s your story? Be ready to share it. Don’t let anyone talk you out of giving God glory. No one can dispute what God has done for you personally. Let God’s power be shown through your story!
If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I’m just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies , preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not share the true meaning of Christmas, I’m just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not demonstrate kindness to strangers, it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband. Love is kind, though harried and tired. Love doesn’t envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens. Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way. Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can’t. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure. “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Author Unknown
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