Filed under: Ashland Church, Family, South Jersey, Voorhees, children, christian, church, giving, kids, making a difference, parenting, serving | Tags: Christian parents, faith and deeds, James 2, Lyfe Jennings, volunteer
It is National Volunteer Week (April 27 – May 3, 2008)!
At Ashland Church we have some dedicated volunteers that serve all year long. I am so grateful for them.
I’d like to encourage anyone who is not volunteering to get involved somewhere. Check out your church or local community outreaches and schools. Give up some of your time to make a difference in someone’s life. There is NOTHING more rewarding.
As Christian parents we should be modeling a life of faith and that includes serving others. You can even bring your kids along with you and serve side by side. Last Saturday we had volunteers from preschool to retirees come out and serve by planting a community vegetable garden. What a wonderful sight!
Look at what James has to say about faith and our deeds…
James 2:16-18 (New International Version)
16If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
Check out what Lyfe Jennings (hiphop artist, I will post more about him later) has to say in his song “Made up My Mind”
“But if you speak about it, you should be about it.
Not just preachin’ about it all day.”
How can you help others and volunteer? How can your family serve together?
Filed under: Ashland Church, Family, children, christian, kids, parenting | Tags: being thankful, gratitude, parenting
How do we teach our kids to be thankful? How do we model it for them? How can we step outside ourselves and show gratitude?
Ever feel like God is trying to tell you something? Several times within the past week I’ve been reminded to show gratitude. Too many to say it was coincidence (not that there are any).
The other night at small group we were discussing prayer and the topic of giving praise and thanksgiving instead of just a wish list. I shared how I had encouraged my kids to tell God what they were thankful for at our bedtime prayer time. Little did I know that this would shape their prayers every night. Another family has this as part of their dinnertime tradition. After the blessing they go around and share what they are thankful for. What a great idea! Better than, “What did you do today?” – “Nothing”
This morning I was reading Spotting the Sacred – Noticing God in the Most Unusual Places by Bruce Main of Urban Promise. I’d like to share some with you…
Gratitude may be a counterintuitive and counter cultural act, especially for us in our possessive, materialistic world. Basic provisions can be quickly forgotten without pausing to acknowledge the miracle of their origin…
In the midst of difficulties and suffering, finding reasons to be grateful can be extremely difficult…Being grateful is difficult work. Practicing gratitude can work against out natural instincts…
Gratitude is not something that comes naturally or easily to human beings. It takes intentional effort..
And as Nouwen believes, when we open ourselves to gratitude, we will become increasingly grateful for the most mundane things in our lives – ultimately realizing that there is nothing mundane or boring or unworthy or our attention and praise.
Another quick note. In thinking about gratitude I was looking for a paper to write notes on and guess what I found. Notes from the Thanksgiving message by Pastor Jamie Cupschalk. Coincidence?
He says that Thanksgiving is important because it…
- Reminds us of God’s provision
- Reminds us of God’s blessing
- Encourages us
- Clears our focus
- Glorifies God
So what are you thankful for? A roof? Food to eat? Health or that you’re still alive? How about being created? How about grace?
Ask your kids what they are thankful for and tell them what you are thankful for today. Who knows, maybe you’ll start a new family tradition of gratitude.
Filed under: Family, children, green, kids, making a difference, parenting | Tags: earth day, Family, Going Green
A little while since I last posted. Wish I could say it was because I was working on some huge project to save the world. But alas, (like the drama) it’s just been the daily busyness.
My son asked me what we were doing for earth day. I told him to turn off all the lights of the rooms we weren’t in which didn’t really work because it was too hard for his little fingers on our old lamps.
However I have been thinking of little ways that my family and I can “go green” in our daily life. I believe God’s given us this earth and we need be a bit more conscious of taking care of it then we have.
Please check out my friend’s blog “A Little Greener Everyday” at http://robinshreeves.blogspot.com/
She’s “on a quest to make this world a little greener every day” and bringing her family along. I’ve enjoyed her writing and ideas and am trying to implement some of them in my own life, teaching my family to do the same.
Filed under: Ashland Church, NJ, South Jersey, Voorhees, children, christian, church, kids, parenting, worship | Tags: Ashalnd Church, church, Matt Redman, NJ, Undignified, Voorhees, worship
If you were in the 11:00 service at Ashland Church on Sunday you may or may not have seen me jumping around in the front pew with my daughter and her best friend. You also may have seen the older children worshipping with a little quieter style, some with eyes closed, some open. It makes me miss the innocence of being young and worshipping without caring what those around you think. Hopefully I can learn from them.
Last week in kids church we talked about being excited about worshipping God. I held up pictures of local sports teams and of Miley Cyrus and asked how the kids would sound if they were at a concert or game. They all cheered and screamed (except the boys booed for Miley). Then I held up a picture to represent Jesus and I said now what do you sound like on Sunday mornings or at home when you worship. They all just stared. We talked about being excited and expressing our love and thankfulness through worship. Not that you have to jump or dance or sing at the top of your lungs to worship, but to consider what’s in your heart and express it to God whether it’s quiet or loud.
After we finished jumping around, I asked my daughter if she knows why we sing in church. I explained how it’s for God, to make him happy. So I asked her why we can dance in church and she said, “To make God happy.”
The joyful jumping in worship reminded me of David dancing as he brought the Ark of the Covenant home. His wife got mad and he replied basically that he doesn’t care what it looks like when he worships, he’d get even more undignified.
Matt Redman’s song “Undignified” is playing in my head right now so I’ll share the lyrics which I assume are based on the above story.
I will dance I will sing to be mad for my king
nothing lord is hindering the passion in my soul
I will dance I will sing to be mad for my king
nothing lord is hindering the passion in my soul
and I’ll become even more undignified than this
(some would say its foolishness but)
ill become even more undignified than this
I will dance I will sing to be mad for my king
nothing lord is hindering the passion in my soul
I will dance I will sing to be mad for my king
nothing lord is hindering the passion in my soul
na na na na na na hey!
na na na na na na hey!
Filed under: Ashland Church, Cherry Hill, Family, NJ, South Jersey, Voorhees, children, christian, church, parenting, serving | Tags: Ashland Church, children, church, hymn, Madeline L'Engle, NJ, parent, Voorhees, worship
Our intergenerational worship service yesterday caused me to think on some things. I thought not only of how worship is worship no matter what the instruments or melody or speed but also of the beauty of the hymns that were written before my time and how I love that my children are exposed to these great poetic prayers and teaching through worship.
I’m reading “Walking on Water, Reflections on Faith and Art” by Madeline L’Engle (author of “A Wrinkle in Time”). She questions the changing of words into modern translations (she’s referring to a prayer book) so they are more understandable. Though sometimes things can be more understandable they also leave us with less to think about and water down the meaning, not to mention the poetic beauty of hymns and prayers.
What a wonderful experience for my children to not only worship with the songs of their generation, but that of mine, of their grandparents, of their great parents and the gifted composers long before them.
I’ll end with the words of one hymn that really struck me with it’s beauty and meaning. “Be Still My Soul” (by Catharina von Schlegel, 1697-?)
Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul; thy best, thy heavenly, Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.
Be still, my soul, though dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears;
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrows and thy fears.
Be still, my soul; thy Jesus can repay
From His own fulness all He takes away.
Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul; when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
Filed under: Family, children, christian, gospel, kids | Tags: children, christian, God, happiness, happy kids, Jesus, parenting, spirituality
Check out this article.
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/life/story.html?id=b2f3c15d-7cde-4c63-bac1-1d2959dc3a40(sorry, haven’t learned how to correctly ad links yet)
I wonder why spirituality helps to make children happier. Maybe it’s because they have a hope in something beyond themselves, an eternal hope.
I wasn’t raising my children as Christian’s so they would be happier, I had more eternal reasons in mind. However, glad that others are seeing that not only does a relationship with God bring salvation (through Jesus) but also peace and happiness in this world.
Makes me think of the old kids songs “I’m so happy, so very happy, I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart!” and “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart…”
Filed under: Ashland Church, Cherry Hill, Family, Kwabeng, NJ, South Jersey, Voorhees, children, christian, church, giving, green, kids, making a difference, missions, parenting, serving | Tags: Cherry Hill, children, kids, NJ, parenting, rummage sale, South Jersey, thrift, Voorhees, yard sale
Want to get rid of some things you really don’t need, be green and help others out at the same time? Well then, start cleaning out those closets, cupboards, basements and garages and donate your gently used things to Ashland Church’s annual rummage sale. They take everything sellable and in good taste (clothes, kitchen gadgets and dishware, shoes, bedspreads, decorative items etc.)
All profits go towards missionaries who have grown up in or come out of Ashland Church including youth mission trips to Urban Promise and African Book Challenge (www.africanbookchallenge.org).
You can drop off your donations on Wed. April 16 from 10 am – 1 pm and between 6:30 and 8 pm.
The sale is on Friday, April 18 from 8 am – 2 pmAnd Saturday, April 19 from 8 am – 12 pm So spread the word and go shopping.
Going through your kids clothes and toys with them is a great lesson in teaching them how to give to help others. So take advantage of and enjoy the time with them. Explain how blessed they are and how they can use what they have to reach out to those less fortunate.
Also – it is apparently a “green” thing to do, buying clothing and resources that are already there instead of buying new ones thus creating more use of resources to keep new ones being produced. So help the missionaries, help the environment, and help your budget!
