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As We Come to Christmas Morning – {A look at It Came Upon the Midnight Clear}

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Welcoming Christmas with It Came Upon the Midnight Clear - DoNotDepart.com

With all the hustle and bustle and marketing and pounding messages that lead up to Christmas in our current day, we so often hear people around us (and sometimes even ourselves) say, “Only __ more days, and then Christmas will be done!”

Christmas can quickly become a “thing to get through,” rather than a time to cherish, love, and grow in hope.

This is one of the reasons I love the carol, “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.” Take a look at the lyrics:

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:

“Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,
From heaven’s all-gracious King.”
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come,
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O’er all the weary world;

Above its sad and lowly plains,
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever o’er its Babel sounds
The blessed angels sing.

For lo, the days are hastening on,
By prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever circling years,
Comes round the age of gold.

When peace shall over all the earth, 
Its ancient splendors fling;
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.

Written in 1849 by Edmund H. Sears (and music by Richard Storrs Willis), the lyrics focus on the angels’ call for peace on earth that we read about in Luke 2:8-14:

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

It’s interesting to note that this song was written shortly prior to the United States entering a civil war, and the country weighed heavily with strife and dispute. They needed peace, and we need it now, as well. (See this article for lyrics to a lesser-known original stanza speaking directly to the issues of that time.)

But how can we welcome Christmas when the world hurts or is too busy to see it?

3 Ways to Welcome Christmas

–Be still to hear those angels. “The world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing.”
Stillness is hard to come by in our society, isn’t it? When “busy” is treated as a stamp of success, to actually protect time and space for stillness can be regarded poorly. But, besides the many health benefits of stillness and rest, we need stillness to listen, really listen and observe and see and hear what God is speaking to us through His creation.

–Look for the Good News. “And still their heavenly music floats / O’er all the weary world.”
We see hurt everywhere we turn right now–children torn from families, refugees unable to obtain the basic needs of life of safety and food and home, selfish action instead of cooperation. But, if we seek the light, we will find it. Listen for the wing beats of goodness. Watch our brothers and sisters acting as hands and feet in sharing love. We can choose to put good into the world in His name. We can see the joy. (Luke 2:10-11)

–React with praise and hope. “And the whole world give back the song / Which now the angels sing.”
Choosing to react with hope and gratitude can be tough, and it’s something that takes daily renewal and a strength greater than our own. But, let’s keep praising, thanking, and hoping. One day, at the second Advent, the whole world can sing the angels’ song back.

Ann Voskamp recently posted on her Instagram account: “Because if we don’t always fiercely stand for Hope, regardless of the risk, cost, or ending — we steal all future Hope. … Now is the season to believe: Stories may not have gone as we hoped — but Hope is not gone. Hope comes down and Hope never stops coming. We can’t afford to lose Hope – or we lose our future, our faith, our fight, our fortitude.”

So let’s hope. Let’s sing it. Let’s hear those angels and share the good news that Jesus Christ is born.

Sara Groves’s version is one of my favorites of this song. While there isn’t a video of it that I can find, you can listen to it on iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud, etc.

MercyMe also has a lovely version here:

[If you can’t view the video, please click here.]

Resources:

[amazon_link id=”078523182X” target=”_blank” ]Then Sings My Soul: Special Edition[/amazon_link] by Robert J. Morgan

[amazon_link id=”087486917X” target=”_blank” ]Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas[/amazon_link]

Hawn, C. Michael. “History of Hymns: ‘It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.'”

What other carols are you using for praising and singing Good News to welcome Christmas this year?

3 Ways to Welcome Christmas, even amidst the busy and bustle:

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Welcoming Christmas morning with It Came Upon the Midnight Clear #ChristIntheCarols:

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O Come, O Come, Emmanuel… Walking in the Fulfilled Promise

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When I was about 10 years old, my parents bought a Christmas carol book with a sweet Victorian-era image on the front. I loved opening the soft covered book and finding carol after traditional carol.

As a ten year old, I spent time trying to memorize all the words to the more common songs like “Silent Night”, “Joy to the World,” and even “Jolly Old St. Nicholas.” But I discovered treasure in that book and still have very fond memories today of learning “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman,” “Good King Wenceslas,” “I Saw Three Ships,” and “We Three Kings.”

One song that I loved but usually overlooked was “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” I loved the sweet, mournful tune, but for some reason the lyrics didn’t catch my attention. I learned the first line and went on.

As an adult, this carol is one of my favorites! The words to the song drip rich with meaning… and the older and busier I get at Christmastime the more I long for Jesus. I long for Him to come, ushering in His presence and peace.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel... Walking in the fulfilled promise of a Savior. Read more of Cherishing Christ in the Carols at DoNotDepart.com

Walking in the Fulfilled Promise

There is so much promise and hope in these lyrics. The promise of a Savior has been fulfilled and this song reminds me of just how hungry our souls are for more and more of Jesus. Oh, how desperately much we need Him! Not only for our soul’s salvation, but also for help, freedom, guidance, wisdom, and peace on this Christian journey we traverse.

Here are the full lyrics. I urge you to read these words, penned so long ago (in the 12th century), and dwell on how much they mean even today:

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o’er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,
In ancient times did’st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Oh, what great joy we have as Believers in Christ Jesus! We can rejoice (and rejoice again!) because our Savior, the rod of Jesse, has come! Like the lyrics to this carol state, He cheers our spirits and puts the shadow of death to flight with His marvelous light, and leads us to Him on a safe, though narrow, path. We can rest in those truths, dear friend.

Pray with me? Precious Lord Jesus, I thank you that you have come! You’ve come to set the captives free and ransom my soul from lonely exile apart from your presence. I ask that in the busy days between now and the celebration of your birth on Christmas day, you fill my heart with peace, hope, and great rejoicing. May your light be reflected in me and spill out onto a dark world who needs knowledge of your arrival! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,” (Luke 4:18, ESV)

If you love the song, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” here’s a version that you may enjoy:

O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Because Christ has come we walk in promise fulfilled! #ChristInTheCarols

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What great joy we have as Believers! O Come, Emmanuel, and cheer our spirits. #ChristInTheCarols

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God the Creator {Series Wrap-Up}

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“Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” – Genesis 2:1-3 (NIV)

Advent began two days ago, and though advent means “coming” and involves a waiting, a preparation, an anticipation, I associate it with a period of rest, too.

We need to prepare our hearts and our minds to renew to Him, focus on Christ’s birth, but there’s also only so much we can do. God has taken care of the rest. He has done the work of bringing Jesus to our earth and guiding His plan in motion.

Maybe rest is a part of preparing and part of the cycle God intends. He worked creating this world, and then He rested, too.

This month, as we’ve looked at being creative as our God is the Creator:

We’ve read on God’s creation and now, as we enter the season of Advent, we can guide our focus to rest our weary hearts (and hopefully our minds) while we wait for and celebrate the coming of more of His creation.

Thank you for joining us this month.

How will you celebrate God’s creation this Christmas season, as well as partake in his rest?

God the Creator - a new series on Genesis 1 and 2:1-3 at DoNotDepart.com

A wrap-up of @DoNotDepart’s series on #GodTheCreator:

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Advent involves a preparing, a waiting, and perhaps rest too. A wrap-up of #GodTheCreator series:

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The Christmas Star From Afar – Create a New Family Tradition

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Today we welcome Natalie Ard, creator of The Christmas Star From Afar. Natalie’s unique activity helps kids focus on Jesus and stay in the Word as they anticipate Christmas. Be sure to check out the review Do Not Depart team member Ali Shaw wrote on her blog as well!

Learn more about The Christmas Star From Afar, a Christmas tradition that helps kids focus on the true meaning of Christmas
As a mother, I strive to find traditions that are both meaningful and playful for my children. I want traditions that we can experience together as a family, and when it comes to Christmas I want my children to understand the reason why we celebrate this special holiday. It’s not about the lights, the decorated trees, or the gifts we receive. Christmas is about the birth of a Savior.

Years ago I began searching for a Christmas tradition with these qualities, but there was nothing to be found. So I began to wonder… how could I bring a little more of Jesus to our Christmastime fun?

Through my desire to embrace my children’s excitement and my quest to find a fun daily reminder of Jesus during Christmastime, I began to dream and brainstorm about creating a new tradition for our family. I longed for a tradition that not only thrilled my children with a countdown to Christmas but also told pieces of the story of our Lord’s birth. God blessed me with the idea of the Christmas Star From Afar.

Learn more about The Christmas Star From Afar, a Christmas tradition that helps kids focus on the true meaning of Christmas
Our Star From Afar tradition began as a very simple activity. I used a nativity set we already had at home and I cut out a Star made of cardboard. We began by reading the scripture of the Three Wise Men and then our daily hide-n-seek fun began.

Every night my husband or I would hide the Star in our home. The next morning my children would hunt around the house until they found the hidden Star. Once they found it, they would bring all Three Wise Men to the Star’s location.

We would repeat this over and over until Christmas Eve. On that special night I would leave the Star on top of the stable, and on Christmas morning my children, and their Three Wise Men, would find baby Jesus. We have had so much fun with our family tradition and it brings me so much happiness that our fun is rooted in the true meaning of Christmas.

Learn more about The Christmas Star From Afar, a Christmas tradition that helps kids focus on the true meaning of Christmas
A couple of years after implementing our playful game, friends and family began to encourage me to do something with the idea. Finally, after many Godly nudges…. I said, “Yes!”

I began to draw and write again, which I had not done in years, and before you know it, The Christmas Star From Afar was born. The Lord would continue to open door after door on this project and within just ten months The Star From Afar was ready for the public.

Writing and drawing have been a passion of mine since I was a child but I am not a trained professional nor have I had a long-standing career in product development. So, I have often asked God, “Are you sure you have the right girl for this?” He gently reminds me that He doesn’t always call the equipped, but He will ALWAYS equips the called.

Learn more about The Christmas Star From Afar, a Christmas tradition that helps kids focus on the true meaning of Christmas
Learn more about The Christmas Star From Afar, a Christmas tradition that helps kids focus on the true meaning of Christmas
The Star From Afar creates the journey of the Three Wise Men through your home. Children learn through experience and play. We also offer scripture cards to go along with the story. This game has not only created special memories for my family, but it has given me a chance to show my children that Christmas is not about the presents they receive, or Santa, or snowmen. Christmas is about the greatest gift of all—the birth of our living God, Jesus.

Learn more about The Christmas Star From Afar, a Christmas tradition that helps kids focus on the true meaning of Christmas
The Star symbolizes not only the guidance and hope of the Three Wise Men, but it also represents the Light of the World. I love watching my children look high and low for their Star every morning, hearing their squeals of excitement when the first child has spotted it, and knowing they are being reminded daily of Christ’s birth.

 

I pray that your family will enjoy the Star From Afar as much as mine has, and that it may bring a little more Light into your Christmas.

Many Blessings,
Natalie Ard

 

View More: http://sharnimedinaphotography.pass.us/natalie-ard
Natalie Ard is the creator, author, and illustrator of The Christmas Star From Afar®, She is a wife and a mother to three children and has built her company on the foundation of creating lasting memories for children and their families. You can connect with her on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.

 

Start a new Christmas family tradition with The Star From Afar! #LetTheChildrenCome

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This Christmas focus on Jesus with your kids. Learn more about The Star From Afar.

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Let The Children Come - DoNotDepart.com

Finding Jesus in the Old Testament

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Did you know that the whole Bible points to Jesus? Even the Old Testament…

The entire Old Testament points toward Jesus as Savior, and if you miss that, you’ve missed the entire point of the Scriptures. Jesus is the Messiah and the fulfillment of prophecy.” -Adrian Rogers

If you look, you can easily find Him there. Not only does the Old Testament point to Him, but He was present, as part of the Godhead.

Finding Jesus in the Old Testament, with Printables for you from DoNotDepart.com

As one of the triune parts of God, Jesus created {and sustains} all things (John 1:3, Col 1:16-17), was the Rock that accompanied Israel through the desert (1 Cor 10:4), some scholars say He was the fourth person who walked with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace (Dan 3:25), Jesus refreshed Elijah in the wilderness (1 Ki 19:5-7), and Himself claims to be the Great I Am of the Old Testament (John 8:58).

I find it amazing that the very first verse in our Bible points to Jesus. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

The Hebrew word for God used in this verse is Elohim. …A plural word that allows for further expansion of the concept of a triune God revealed throughout the gospels and New Testament.

And not only was Jesus present, but the Scriptures also prophesied both a physical-Jesus-with-us-in-the-flesh coming, and the purpose He would accomplish by putting on flesh and taking our sins. Without the putting on of human flesh, being born in the humblest of states to Mary and Joseph over 2,000 years ago, the work of our Messiah and Savior could never be accomplished. And matter of fact, the Bible contains over 300 prophesies concerning the coming of Jesus.

And He fulfilled them all. (That befuddles the best of mathematicians!)

Jesus Himself met with disciples on the road to Emmaus, in His post-resurrection form, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27)

This month at Do Not Depart, we’ll be looking into specific scriptures of the Old Testament that show us Jesus. We pray that the more we look at Him as Christmas draws near, the more our hearts will warm in adoration, worship, and praise!

And since this is a printable tools month, each post will contain a special something you can print and use to help you remember all we’re discussing.

Be blessed, and Happy Advent!

Finding Jesus in the Old Testament. A new topic with printables for you! #JesusInTheOT

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Want to find Jesus in the Old Testament? Prepare your heart for Christmas! #JesusInTheOT

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Jesus Our Immanuel

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{I’m very excited to share today’s guest post with you! I had the pleasure of meeting Jenni Keller recently at a Hello Mornings Leadership Retreat (she’s the Bible Study Director and I serve as a Leadership Manager). I was really excited to get a copy of her latest Bible study and so I asked her if she would do a guest post for DND to tell you all more about it. I know you’ll love her heart for Jesus just as much as I do! – Ali} 
Loves Comes Near - An Advent study by Jenni Keller, for you and your family. Find out more at DoNotDepart.com

God has always been Immanuel. We see this name for God used in the Old Testament in Isaiah 8:8 (ESV), “…and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.”

As believers, sometimes our language becomes common. Words lose their rich flavor. Perhaps that’s why when the angel appears to Joseph in a dream, announcing, “they shall call his name Immanuel” (Matt 1:23 (ESV)) and Matthew retells it, he makes sure to add the extra detail: Immanuel means “God with us.”

Matthew wants to make sure we don’t miss what he is saying. God is here. He is with us. Breathing the same air, walking the same ground.

John 1:14 in The Message says, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”

Christmas is a time when we celebrate his nearness. We marvel at how by sending His son and involving humanity in His story, we not only experience nearness, but learn how to draw near ourselves, to God and each other.

This Advent season, I invite you to walk slowly through the Christmas story and marvel with fresh eyes at how love came near 2000 years ago, and every day since.

He is God with us. Our Immanuel.

Marvel with fresh eyes at how Love Comes Near. 2ooo years ago, and every day since. #LoveComesNear

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Love Comes Near by Jenni Keller. An Advent Study for you with a family calendar. #LoveComesNear

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{If you’re interested in any of Jenni’s studies beside [amazon_link id=”151876665X” target=”_blank” ]Love Comes Near: An Advent Bible Study[/amazon_link], check out [amazon_link id=”1514195445″ target=”_blank” ]Establish Your Heart: A Six-week Study of James[/amazon_link] and [amazon_link id=”1508825408″ target=”_blank” ]Complete in Christ: Illuminating the Pure Truth of Jesus[/amazon_link], available through Amazon.}

Jenni Keller, author of Love Comes Near - Advent Bible Study... read more at DoNotDepart.com
Jenni Keller, Bible Study Author

[amazon_link id=”151876665X” target=”_blank” ]“Love Comes Near”[/amazon_link] is a 25-day personal Bible study, designed to walk slowly through the Christmas story through the Advent season and look closely at how Love comes near to us in each passage. The Bible study includes an optional Family Advent Calendar, so you can take your kids on the same journey with you. You’ll walk through the Christmas story, told in both Matthew and Luke, as well as look through Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah. Available on Amazon or jennikeller.me.

 

Uncommon Gifts Wrap-Up and Review

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Were the Christmas gifts given and received in your life all you hoped for? Sometimes earthly gift leave us feeling surprisingly … disappointed. Not so with #UncommonGifts. The best gifts are uncommon, given out of sacrifice for the love of giving. They outweigh the love of self, loving both to be given and received.

Uncommon gifts wrap-up and review

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17)

The Do Not Depart team prays that you have been encouraged by this month of celebrating our Savior and reflecting on the uncommon gifts we each have to offer Him. As we peer into the dawn of a new year, let’s give Jesus our best.  Our #UncommonGifts.

A Wrap-up of Uncommon Gifts

The best gifts are #UncommonGifts

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Uncommon Gifts Christmas

Help Kids Keep Easter about Jesus

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Disclosure: Do Not Depart sometimes uses affiliate links. See the bookstore page for full disclosure. Thank you for supporting this site.
 

Help Kids Keep Easter About Jesus - http://donotdepart.com/keep-easter-about-jesus

With all the commercialism of Easter, it can be easy to simply follow the culture’s norm with your children. Buying new dresses, hunting for Easter eggs and filling Easter baskets can become more of a focus than Jesus’ death and resurrection.

But the way we parents celebrate the most important moment in Christian history makes a real impact on our children. Christian parents must be intentional about keeping the focus of Easter on Jesus.

We’d like to help, so we have gathered a few resources for you to consider using to help teach your children about Easter and to celebrate Jesus with them. There are many more resources than we’ve listed. Let us know your favorites and add to the list!

Read together

  • Use a reading plan for Easter week using the ever popular Jesus Storybook Bible (via Home with the Boys)
  • Read out loud from a “grown up” bible, using our Easter Week reading plan
  • Read a devotional together (our family especially enjoys the fictional [amazon_link id=”0825441714″ target=”_blank” ]Amon’s Adventure[/amazon_link])

Make a craft

Spend Time in the Kitchen

Daily Activity Plans and Bible Studies for Young Children

  • Written by Do Not Depart’s founder, Katie Orr, Find More Jesus is an eight day activity plan, designed to start on Palm Sunday.
  • A Sense of Resurrection by Amanda White includes twelve activities for young children, which you can spread out as best fits your family.
  • Grapevine Studies offer many bible studies for all ages and topics in the Bible, including Easter studies. Check out the sample lessons that you can download for free on their sample lessons page, including a resurrection lesson.

Share a Seder Meal

  • Remember Jesus’ final Passover meal by sharing a Messianic seder with your family. In our home, we often do this the Thursday before Easter, and conclude by washing each other’s feet.

For More Ideas

And now a question for you: Do you have family traditions that keep Jesus as the focus of Easter? Please tell us about them in the comments!

Let the Children Come - monthly feature on helping children to abide in God's Word via DoNotDepart.com

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Recap: Good tidings in modern times

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In the past month we’ve celebrated the Word who became flesh and lived among us. We’ve talked about how to use our gift of words to display God’s glory and to share His truth. It’s all about Good Tidings in Modern Times.Good tidings in modern times

Good tidings tools we’ve shared

Though most ribbons are untied and most gifts are unwrapped, it’s still the right time to use our gift of language to reflect and share about the Word.  In him is life itself!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:1-4)

We’re grateful to have you reading with us at Do Not Depart as we share tools and encouragement to abide in the Word.

 

If your thoughts have already turned to a new year and you just can’t wait for January inspiration, take a look at last year’s theme about Spiritual Disciplines.

How to Grow in Spiritual Disciplines

(from January 2013)

 

Studying the Bible {for Little Learners}

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(Disclosure: Affiliate links are included in this post. Please see the end of the post for details. Thanks for supporting this site!)

That lovely spring day, as I was sitting in the lecture hall, the professor was saying something about COGS (that’s “Cost of Goods Sold” to you non-finance majors), income statements, cash flow statements, equity, and all that fun stuff. While the professor lectured, I, of course, was looking around the classroom, checking the time, doodling on the margin of my notebook–anything but taking in the words that he spoke. It wasn’t that I was bored with the subject (what can be more fun than studying finance!), but I was not and am still not much of an auditory learner! (I did pass the class, and go on to get my business degree.) I can’t even listen to audiobooks. Once I got home and I read through the chapter, it made more sense to me. There were charts and numbers to look at on the pages.

Kids are exactly the same way when it comes to learning. Some learn better through reading, and others by doing. Although there are serious topics that we can discuss about in the Bible, we also have to make it fun and interesting for kids (and adults) to want to learn it.

As a former Child Development student (yes, I almost also was on my way to getting this degree), we were taught about all the different learning styles. There are even combinations of the learning styles too. Today, I want to share with you three learning styles, and a few resources that are available for those types of learners.

Visual Learners

Visual learners learn best through seeing things. Maps, charts, sign language/hand motions, videos, outlines, flashcards, notes, and highlighting are all things that are helpful for visual learners to absorb the information. Jesus Storybook Bible cover image

Resources for visual learners

  • DVDs – [amazon_link id=”B00BBJ63IM” target=”_blank” ]What’s in the Bible DVD series[/amazon_link]
  • Bible Storybooks – [amazon_link id=”1414348304″ target=”_blank” ]My First Hands-On Bible[/amazon_link], [amazon_link id=”B007UQ46P2″ target=”_blank” ]The Beginner’s Bible[/amazon_link], [amazon_link id=”B007WRPUFE” target=”_blank” ]The Jesus Storybook Bible[/amazon_link]
  • Game –  [amazon_link id=”B000CR7J32″ target=”_blank” ]Superbook[/amazon_link]

Auditory Learners

Auditory learners learn best through hearing things. They like things read out loud or set to music. Audiobooks, videos, and discussion are great ways to engage auditory learners.

Resources for auditory learners

Seeds Family Vol 7 album image

Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners

Tactile/kinesthetic learners learn best through through experiencing/doing things. Games, sports activities, experiments, role-playing, building models, crafts, dance, adventure books, field trips, and memory games are great for teaching a tactile learner.

Resources for tactile/kinesthetic learners

    • Awana clubs – Leaders teach creative Bible lessons using skits, visual, puppets, object lessons
    • Art – [amazon_link id=”B004PZWV08″ target=”_blank” ]See the Light[/amazon_link] (Drawing Children to Him), Mike’s Inspiration Station
    • Vacation Bible School during the summer
    • Putting on a play
Here are a few other resources and ideas that help guide kids in learning about the Bible or Biblical character:
What resources have you found useful in teaching kids about the Bible? Share your ideas in the comments!

Joyce is a business major turned PreK teacher turned stay-at-home mommy to 2 little girls (ages 5 and 2.5.) She likes to dabble in a little bit of everything, from writing newsletters (for our family and for MOPS) to crafting to trying out new recipes…basically just trying new things.

She loves God, family and friends, date nights, board games, books, and blogging. You can visit her over at Keeping Up with the Moys.

Disclosure: Some affiliate links are present. If you click on those links and then purchase the item, we will receive a small commission. Regardless, we only share products we personally support, love, and think you would benefit from, too. Thank you in advance for supporting this ministry!

Family Vacation Faith Journal

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You have such good intentions, but then you get swamped by the list of things to do to get ready to go:  stop the mail, give the neighbor the key, set your vacation email response, take out the trash, turn off the water, pack the Epi-pen, get sunscreen, print off the reservation … And so by the time you get in the car, you’re just so glad to be driving away from it all. You can’t wait to get out of cell phone range so you can really relax.

You wanted to memorize together, do a devotion together, and simply pray together, but maybe you need to invite a member of the Do Not Depart team to go with you on vacation for that!  (We would LOVE to!  We pack light and don’t take up much room! Just contact us through our FB page :) ) What you need is a journal to guide you on the journey.

This month we’ve given you some golden practical printable tools to use when you travel.  If you use them, you will be BLESSED to make the truth a sweet part of your vacation experience. That, we can guarantee, even if you don’t invite us to go with you!

But today I want to give you a 10-page journal to guide your journey. Family Vacation Faith JournalHere are some ways to use it.

5 Way to Use the Family Vacation Faith Journal

  1. Take a look at the pages together before you even start to pack.
  2. Take it into a restaurant with you to use, instead of those coloring pages.
  3. Take a clipboard and let the “back seat dwellers” use it as you travel.
  4. Take a few minutes over breakfast each day of your trip to do a page.
  5. Take it “on location” for when you need 5 sitting down min. at the beach/park/camp.

 

You can print out your copy right now, or print out a copy for each family member, but make the  Family Vacation Faith Journal a part of your next family journey. Single or without kids? No matter … we can all use a Faith Journal in our travel bag. You will be blessed, even if the journal helps you focus on a solo trek. Use your other printable tools to go with your journaling times.

Remember, “Vacations are not only times for adventure, rest, and relationship. Vacations are also opportunities for a fresh infusion of truth into our tired lives.”

Remembering on the road: Memory verses for trips (and free printable)

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Before you hit the road this summer, take these easy steps to make your trip more meaningful.

Through the intentional use of memory verses, you can discover God’s love in new ways everywhere you go.

Memory Verses for Trips

1. Choose the right verse

Set yourself up for success—pick an easy one. Either concentrate on one you’re already learning, or pick a fresh one specifically for your trip [see suggestions here]. A mission trip might need a different scripture than a visit to Grandma’s.

The family might learn one verse together, or each member learn a separate verse.

2. Gather your supplies

Write out your verse on sticky notes ahead of time to place on the hotel fridge or the ice chest in your tent. Bring a pack of 4×6 cards and markers for your kids (and you!) to write out the verse or sketch a picture of it during travel time. Consider bringing a simple rewards chart with stickers for once-a-day (or every other day?) recitations.

3. Get creative

Take one picture a day where you see this verse in action—maybe in a colorful wildflower or a child’s toe dipping in the ocean. Collect physical mementos that remind you of the verse. Draw a picture; write a song; compose a poem.

Proactively make tangible connections between the truths in the verse and the God all around you.

4. Share it with others

If you stay plugged in on your trip, post a picture to Instagram or Facebook with your memory verse as text or with a link to the reference on Bible Gateway. Send a postcard about it to friends back home.

As you seek opportunities to share the words you’re learning, you’ll stay more aware of them yourself.

5. Collect in an album

Back home, gather your photos and 4×6 cards in a small album as a reminder of God’s faithfulness on your trip. Or turn your Instagram pictures into picture magnets.

Having visible reminders of the relationships you made between the written word and the Living Word will cement your memories even deeper in your heart.

Most of all, keep it delightful. Training ourselves to clearly see God’s beauty everywhere should be an exciting adventure, not a guilt-ridden drudgery. If you miss a day, don’t sweat it. Maybe you won’t totally memorize your verse word-perfect; that’s okay. Bask in God’s truths through new experiences, new people, and new memories.

Because every trip is far better when God travels with us!

 

Resources

Memory-Verses-for-Trips_donotdepart

FREE PRINTABLES:

Have you ever memorized on the road?
What theme scripture might describe your summer?
Is there a verse you’re learning right now?

Please share in the comments.

Bible Study Tools for Truth While You TRAVEL Holy habits || www.donotdepart.com

7 Days of Devotions for Your Family Vacation

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When our kids were young we did a lot of cross-country driving. Combine little money for airfare with living far away from grandparents and you’ve got at least two long days in the car – one way.

It’s not easy to keep 3 kids under 10 restrained in the back seat for hours on end. I did everything I could think of to keep the kiddos occupied. Lots of snacks – healthy and not so healthy. Games like I Spy and 20 Questions. Books and toys.

Travel time, whether it’s by plane, train, or automobile, does provide a great opportunity to teach our kids about God. But we must be purposeful. Don’t skip the Word, when you skip town!

Family devotions, travel When Julie introduced our June theme she said:

Vacations are not only times for adventure, rest, and relationship. Vacations are also opportunities for a fresh infusion of truth into our tired lives.

The Do Not Depart team wants to help you do just that by providing tools you can use. Today, the tool is a 7-day devotional guide you can use during your family vacation. Do it in the car, on the beach, or around the campfire, but take the opportunity to get in God’s Word together.

Each Scripture reading is about a biblical journey. Questions are provided each day to get your family talking together about the truth presented in each story. Download the guide. Print it off and pack it. It won’t take up much space!

What are some things you’ve done in the past to keep yourself and your family in the Word when you travel?

Bible study tools for vacation & travel season

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When temperatures rise, class schedules end, and daylight hours linger, most of us take time off from routines and work.  Vacations call us to places of rest or adventure. The open road invites us to sigh deeply and hit our inner reset button.

Bible Study Tools for Truth While You TRAVEL Holy habitsIf we’re honest, it can take a lot of work to get to those places of rest, but it’s worth it. Just one day of digging our feet in the sand, smelling crisp mountain air, or hearing unfettered laughter from those we love is enough to motivate us to do what it takes to go on vacation. After searching for the best deal for our budget, reserving our lodging, buying tickets or checking tires, making arrangements for the cat, stopping the mail, buying sunscreen, and more, we still hope and pray we haven’t forgotten anything. We might leave out what matters most.

If weighing luggage is part of your preparations, you carefully decide what goes and what stays. If children are part of your plans, you pack every crevice of a mini-van with tricks for every potential over the miles, and then you drive all night. With so much to think about to make a vacation all we dream it can be, all we pray it will be … it’s not hard to see why we might forget something that’s part of our routine lives, but still needs to be part of our time away. How can we keep up holy habits when we’re on the road and away from home?

Vacations are not only times for adventure, rest, and relationship. Vacations are also opportunities for a fresh infusion of truth into our tired lives.

While we probably don’t have room to take our study Bibles, prayer notebooks, concordances, and prayer partners, there’s an alternative to just leaving truth out of our time away. This month we invite you to open up your beach bag or backpack and pack some tools designed to help you make the truth a fresh and functional part of your travel plans. We’ll share some ideas for individuals and even for family. After all, Jesus beckons us to get away from our burdens and find rest … in Him.

 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” ~ Matthew 11:28

The Do Not Depart team looks forward to taking a deep breath, closing our eyes, and enjoying a rest from work and routines. It’s not only a great chance to catch up on sleep, read good books, eat seafood, try a paddle board, sleep on the beach (Can you tell we really want to go on vacation?), or play games late into the night. It’s also a sweet time to quench our thirst with the Living Water and enjoy Him apart from the usual things of our days.

Will you join us? It’s time to get away for a little vacation together!

Click to tweet this post and share about the June theme at Do Not Depart.

Sharing the Word Through Service

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I love words, and words carry power.

But action itself speaks, meets needs, and shares God’s love (and, yes, His Word in action) in affective ways.

With less than a week until Christmas, we might be tempted to say, “I didn’t serve as much or as well as I wanted this season. And now it’s too late.”Sharing the Word through Service - Ideas from Do Not Depart

It’s not too late! Below are several ideas you can implement this week to share God’s love and His word through serving others. Build these activities into family time, and worship through serving others with His heart.

Sharing the Word with Action

Here are a few ways we can serve people now and share God’s love through action:

  • One of our team writers, Teri Lynne, shares 10 Ways to Help in Your Community on her personal blog. These ideas require little planning and most can be implemented in an afternoon.
  • Grab a few friends and/or family members and go caroling in a neighborhood. When you carol, choose songs spreading the joy of the season. Sing one or two, wish the neighbors a “Merry Christmas,” and then move on to the next house! It’s a non-pushy, fun way to spread word of His birth.
  • Set up Christmas lights between two trees or in your yard simply forming the word “peace,” “joy,” or “love.”
  • Prioritize your emphasis on the season and intentionally renew your focus on Him daily, inwardly and as an outward example. Christmas is not about a certain number of gifts or how busy we can be, but is about celebrating His birth, presences, and grace. (Verses that help me when I begin to feel stressed: Luke 2:10, Luke 10:41-42, and Ephesians 2:8-9.)
  • Make homemade gifts with your kids with the Word included, like these chalk pastel paintings, this “Joy” word sign, this Christmas carol plaque, or this verse-a-day gift.
  • Lead a group of (willing) neighborhood kids or a church preschool class in nativity-focused games and activities, like this Find and Fill Nativity Lesson.
  • If it’s cold enough if your area, make a few of these beautiful ice ornaments and include wooden letters spelling out “joy” or “peace.”
  • Stick these tags on your gifts and give away the bookmarks!
  • Donate to worth-while and Christ-focused causes.

A few ideas you can jump in on now and save for next year:

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14

 

How are you and your family sharing God’s Word through service this season (and throughout the year)? What’s one way you include His Word in your gifts or actions? Share in the comments below.

10 Meaningful Family Activities for Christmas

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The real meaning of Christmas can get lost in the shopping, cooking, cleaning, and decorating. These 10 suggestions will help you and your family focus on Christ and also help you share His message with people who need to hear. You’ll have a lot of fun in the process too!

  1. Christmas card prayers – At the dinner table or at bedtime each night, pray for the families you received cards from that day. Use a basket or some other kind of container to hold the cards and keep it on the dinner table or nightstand.
  2. Play the Christmas story – Use a toy nativity set to act out the story of Christmas with your children or grandchildren. I bought a cloth version for my grandson at a craft show. Fisher Price has a really cute one too. Available at Family Christian Store. 
    Nativity, Christmas activities
    Cloth nativity is kid friendly!


  3. Gifts for needy children – Help your children experience the joy of helping others. Connect with a faith-based charity through which you can help provide for children in need at Christmas. Efforts like Operation Christmas Child by Samaritan’s purse and Angel Tree by Prison Fellowship are two good choices!
  4. Hang The Christmas Nail – Years ago someone gave our family “The Christmas Nail.” It’s a six-inch sturdy spike with a red ribbon through a hole in the top. Here’s the short poem that accompanies the nail:

This is the Christmas Nail. It is to be hung on a sturdy branch, a branch near the trunk, a branch that will hold such a spike without being noticed by well-wishers dropping by to admire one’s tinseled tree. The nail is known only to the home that hangs it. Understood only by the heart that knows its significance. It is hung with the thought The Christmas tree but foreshadows the Christ-tree which only He could decorate for us, ornamented with nails as this.

You can purchase your own nail here. I have also made nails – using spikes I purchased at a hardware store and red ribbon – to give to friends and neighbors for their own trees. Make hanging the nail a meaningful event. Gather the family around the tree and decide how the “hanger” will be chosen. For example, it could be the youngest or oldest. Pray and contemplate Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.

5.  Bread of Life for the neighbors – A yummy Christmas gift can double as a message of life. Gather the family in the kitchen and make an event out of baking small loaves of sweet bread. If the family doesn’t enjoy cooking, you can do the baking and then the family can help wrap the loaves and go together to make the deliveries to the neighbors. Wrap the bread in pretty cellophane and add a tag with John 6:35. “Jesus is the bread of life.” I have a recipe for Pumpkin-Cranberry bread that everyone loves. It’s festive and can be doubled or even tripled!

6.  Musically spread the Good News – We have at least one caroling group stop by our house every year. However, I’ve noticed the groups sing mostly secular Christmas songs. You and your family can share the real reason for the season with your neighbors. Make caroling a festive party by asking a few Christian friends to join you. Gather at your house first for a quick practice session. Make sure your carols spread the Good News by including songs like “Joy to the World” and “Silent Night.” After caroling in your neighborhood, serve hot cocoa and goodies back at your house for the carolers.

7.  Birthday party for Jesus – last week, Patti shared about hosting a children’s birthday party for Jesus. Read more about this outreach event.

8.  Read the Christmas story – We read the entire Christmas story on Christmas Eve. However, if your children are young, break the story up over several nights. I found two great downloadable resources at FamilyReadingBible.com you should check out. One is a Christmas story reading plan that lists readings from December 13 through Christmas Day. The other is a Bible story reading booklet to print!

9.  Watch “The Nativity Story” – The biblical Christmas story comes to life right in your living room when you watch this beautiful movie with the family. Rent it at your neighborhood video store, Netflix, or iTunes, or buy it at Amazon to watch every year!

10.  Celebrate the advent – Anticipate the celebration of Jesus’ arrival by adapting traditional advent activities for home. Focus on the Family has some great resources.

I’d love to know how these work for you. Also, feel free to share your suggestions for meaningful activities with us!

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