Christmas, Holidays (Other)

Have Yourself an Awesome Little Advent 2022: 12 (Mostly FREE) Advent Devotionals, Activities, and Resources

Is your family getting ready for Advent? Loosely defined, Advent is the period of time leading up to Christmas when we commemorate Christ’s first coming and anticipate His second coming. And what better way to do so than by making Bible study and worship part of your family tradition? Here are some awesome Advent resources for young and old alike. Most of them are free, but the ones that aren’t, I’ve marked with a 💰.

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December Advent!– Here’s an advent calendar, craft, and devotional all rolled into one! Naomi’s Table is a women’s Bible study resource that I highly recommend for sound doctrine and right handling of God’s word. Have a listen to their daily Advent podcasts and make the Advent calendar that goes with them!

Need a good Advent playlist? I’ve created one on YouTube. Your favorite Advent (not Christmas) song isn’t included? Leave a comment and I’ll add it if appropriate.

The Coming of the King– “For most of us, Advent is synonymous with Christmas. After all, don’t our Advent calendars count down to December 25th? Isn’t Advent a time to think about the birth of the baby in the manger, the angels and the shepherd? It certainly is. Advent means the coming of the special baby who was laid in a manger in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. But J.C. Ryle would also remind people of the ‘Second Advent’ when Jesus will come again. On that day, Jesus will return to our world, not as a baby but as the unmistakable King of kings and Lord of lords.” Twenty-five readings for Advent, by J.C. Ryle.💰

The Word Became Flesh– Make this album part of your family worship time, or just enjoy listening as you go about your day. R.C. Sproul narrates nineteen theologically rich, beautifully orchestrated and sung hymns and worship songs. Also available on Amazon Music, Apple Music, and on CD.

Here’s a different kind of Advent calendar that you and your kids can create together. The Names of Jesus Advent Chain is a 25 link paper chain that you create from a free printable. Each day, remove one link, look up the Scripture passage and discuss what that day’s name of Jesus means.

Advent Guide– “I made this 10-day Advent Guide specifically with busy families in mind…I wanted to keep things simple and focused mainly on worship, while also allowing time for a few of the very best Christmas picture books and a couple of fun Christmas traditions. You can start this guide at any time during advent,…and you don’t have to do it every single day in order to get through the whole guide. It only takes ten days.” Poetry, music, art, crafts, recipes, and more! Check out this Advent guide for busy families from Becky Aniol.

Hallelujah: Cultivating Advent Traditions With Handel’s Messiah– Love Handel’s Messiah? How about incorporating it into your observance of Advent? “With Hallelujah: Cultivating Advent Traditions With Handel’s Messiah, Cindy Rollins leads the way in building a rich Advent tradition for you and your family. Inside you will find: weekly Scripture passages, hymns, and poems, daily Messiah listening schedule with background information…Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany recipes…” and more!💰

Are you super crafty? Try your hand at this cozy Advent candle decoration. Here’s a list of materials you’ll need, or just substitute a candle, ornaments, ribbon, play dough, and greenery you have on hand around the house. (If you decide to tackle this one, send me a picture of your creation to share on my social media pages!)

Advent Bible Reading Plan for 20221– How about a family Bible reading plan for Advent? You can find two here, plus some fun facts about the history and tradition of Advent. One of the plans runs December 1-24. The other uses the traditional Advent schedule, this year, November 27 – December 24. You can also get a free, printable Advent banner and the plans in a printable PDF format if you choose to subscribe to the email list of this site.

1(The link above is provided only for the Bible reading plans.)

Names of Jesus Advent Calendar– These lovely cards highlighting the various names of Jesus could be a charming, interactive addition to your family’s Advent traditions. “I was tired of not having a meaningful calendar to use with my family during Advent. So I designed the Names of Jesus Advent calendar. I realized that going through Jesus’ names is a unique and interesting way to teach my kids more about Jesus’ life and character.”💰

The Magnificat– “Is Christmas really that important? Does the story of Christ’s birth really matter? In this sermon on Luke 1:46–55 titled “The Magnificat 1,” Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones preaches of the true significance of Christmas. Christmas is not simply to warm hearts, nor only to produce a cheerful attitude. Christmas is a time when believers in Jesus Christ must magnify the Lord their God. Through an explanation of ‘The Magnificat’ in Luke’s passage, Dr. Lloyd-Jones aids listeners with a rich and theologically profound explanation of Mary’s song of praise upon learning she is pregnant with Jesus.” Listen in to this wonderful three part sermon series by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Come, Lord Jesus– Explore this super Advent devotion with activities that Julie and her husband created for their sons. “…beginning December 1 we set aside time each day to open the pages of Scripture and read about a different person in the lineage of Christ…We also sing a corresponding hymn and listen to a section of Handel’s Messiah. To help tie it all together for young minds we put a tiny object representing each of the people we are reading about in a numbered envelope… Perhaps you too, would like to break through the distracting decorations, shopping sprees, and holiday havoc and join us in celebrating Christ’s first coming by looking forward to His second…” Devos and candles and coloring pages, oh my! (Be sure to click all the headings at the top of the page for all the devotions, materials, and instructions.)

What’s your favorite Advent resource?


1I do not endorse anything on any of these sites that deviates from Scripture or conflicts with my beliefs as outlined in the “Welcome” or “Statement of Faith” tabs at the top of this page.
Sermons

Gathered 2021: Family Worship Conference Teaching

I recently had the exciting opportunity to attend the Gathered conference here in Baton Rouge.

The topic of the conference was family worship in the context of the local church – how parents must disciple their children in conjunction with the church body, and how the church body can, in turn, support those parents and help them disciple their children.

There were four plenary sessions by Dr. Scott Aniol. Currently a professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Scott was recently named Executive Vice President and Editor-in-chief of G3 Ministries. And you’ll definitely want to check out his website, Religious Affections Ministries, a wonderful resource for churches, families, and individuals.

Other presenters included Andrew Pressley, Associate Pastor at First Baptist Church, Lindale, Texas (Tom Buck’s church), and Matt Sikes, Pastor of Discipleship and Worship at Pray’s Mill Baptist Church (Josh Buice’s church).

You’ll find all of the main sessions and men’s breakout session (be sure to share them with your husband!) linked, but I wanted to feature the two women’s breakout sessions taught by Scott’s wife, Becky Aniol, who, among other fine pursuits, is a stay at home, homeschooling mom of four. She gave us a lot of biblical precepts and practical tips for family worship in her two part session A Family Worship Toolbox: Resources and Routines for Monday – Sunday. You’ll find them helpful with your children, grandchildren, or the children you minister to at church. I’m sure you’ll enjoy her sessions as much as I did.

Plenary Session 1: The Goal of Family Discipleship

Plenary Session 2: Practice Makes Perfect

Plenary Session 3: Q&A
(Scott and Becky Aniol, Matt Sikes, Andrew Pressley, and Laramie Minga)

Plenary Session 4: From Integration to Segregation

Men’s Breakout: The Father’s Responsibility in Family Worship Part 1

Men’s Breakout: The Father’s Responsibility in Family Worship Part 2

Parenting, Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday ~ 12 Techniques for Raising Bible-Saturated Kids

Originally Published April 15, 2015

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And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Phew. That’s a pretty tall order, isn’t it? God may have said this through Moses to Old Testament Israel, but His words are just as relevant for 21st century Christian parents. God wants our children immersed in His word as they go about their daily lives. Ephesians 6:4 reminds fathers that they are to bring their children up “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord,” and as moms, we have the joy of supporting our husbands in that venture by bringing Scripture and prayer to bear on all those little daily “walk by the way” moments. But how? Here are some practical ways I’ve discovered for capturing those teachable moments and pouring God’s word into them.

1. Set an example.

Be faithful to your own Bible study and prayer time. Let your children “catch you in the act” from time to time. Share with them what you’re learning from God’s word, things you’re praying about, things you’ve asked God to forgive you for, etc.

2. Train your children to have their own daily Bible study time.

You might be surprised at how early you can start developing this godly habit in your child. With an infant, you might simply take a few minutes of her morning feeding to read aloud from your Bible and pray. With a toddler, you can regularly set aside five or ten minutes (when she’s not tired or hungry) for her to sit down and look at pictures in a children’s Bible, maybe while you’re sitting nearby with your own Bible, modeling for her. As children get a little older and can read, you can set aside a block of time before their bedtime for individual Bible study and prayer. When they’re very small, children aren’t going to understand much from the Bible (although they will surprise you sometimes!), but they will still be absorbing some valuable things: the Bible is an important book, God is the top priority in my family, and God and His word should be preeminent in my life.

3. Establish a regular time of family worship at home.

If your husband is a believer, be careful not to usurp his leadership in this area. It is ultimately His responsibility to lead his family in worship. Help each other think of ways to make your family worship time age appropriate for the children, and support your husband as he teaches God’s word. Also, understand that with children comes chaos. (My four children who are still at home range in age from 11 to 19, and I still have to remind them to quiet down and stay on track during family worship.) It’s going to happen. Just tuck and roll and don’t give up.

4. Sing.

Who cares if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket? God doesn’t, that’s for sure. Sing some hymns while you’re washing the dishes. Sing along with a worship CD in the car. Music is a great way to get God’s truths into your child’s heart and mind.

5. Conversation Prayer

During our family worship time, we used to go around and share prayer requests, then one or two people would pray. We found that the children were either forgetting the prayer requests or we would have to spend time writing them down. So now we often do what we have dubbed “conversation prayer”. One parent will say a brief opening prayer, and then the “floor is open” for anyone to say a (or several) one or two sentence prayer about whatever is on his heart (“Please help me do well on my math test tomorrow,” or “Lord, please save Grandmamma.”). When it seems like everyone is finished, the other parent says a closing prayer.

6. What is God up to?

Sometimes it’s hard for children (and even adults) to recognize and remember the ways God is answering prayers and working in their lives. When our children were smaller, I put up a piece of posterboard on the wall of the breakfast room with the title “What is God up to?” at the top. Whenever God answered something we had been praying about, provided for us, moved in our lives in some way, or blessed us, we made a little note about it, along with the date. It had big things – like my daughter getting saved – as well as little things – like my son finally learning to tie his shoes. It helped my children to recognize God’s sovereignty over all areas of our lives, that He does answer prayer, and that He gets the glory for everything.

7. Let’s pray about this.

Your children are going to struggle with things. They’re going to have times of rejoicing and times of sorrow. There will be times when they have disobeyed and need to repent of their sin. What better opportunities to teach them to take everything to God in prayer? Teach them how to ask God for help when something is too hard. Teach them to thank God for blessing them and ask Him to comfort them when they’re sad. Show them how to ask God for forgiveness when they’ve done wrong.

8. Sprinkle life with Scripture.

(In order to do this, you’re going to have to know Scripture, so be sure to be faithful to your own study of God’s word.) When you see a beautiful sunset, talk about how God created the sun and moon. When your child is kind to someone, praise him and tell him God wants us to be kind to others. When you discipline him, show him his sin from Scripture, and talk about repentance and God’s forgiveness.

9. Memorize Scripture together.

There is a wonderfully wide variety of Scripture memory resources out there. My children were all involved in Awana at church when they were small, and we worked on their memory verses together at home. Our home schooling curriculum, at the kindergarten level, had a 26 verse Scripture memory program in which we memorized a verse beginning with each letter of the alphabet. Seeds Family Worship is a fantastic program with word for word Scripture songs and other great resources. And you can always make up your own fun programs, songs, and contests to help the whole family memorize God’s word.

10. Ask questions.

“Would God be pleased with the way you’re acting? How do you know?” “What does the Bible say about the way we should treat each other?” “What does the Bible say about _____?” Questions like these get your children thinking. They take your children from simply reading and hearing God’s word to applying Scripture to their lives and recognizing that they must submit to it.

11. The Gratitude Game

Forget popping in a CD or DVD. This is a great way to harness that down time in the car (or anywhere else) and use it to teach your kids about prayer and thankfulness. It’s kind of like playing “I Spy.” Just look out the window and take turns thanking God for what you see: “Thank You, God, for making birds.” “Thank You for ice cream.” “Thank You for police officers who help us.” Or pray for people as you pass by various buildings. “God, please help the sick people in that hospital…help the pastor of that church do a good job of preaching Your word…provide homes for the people in that shelter…” We also made it a habit to pray for victims of accidents or tragedies whenever we saw an ambulance or fire truck.

12. Kiddievangelism

Our kids need to see us sharing the gospel with people as a normal part of everyday life, and we need to explain to them why it’s so important. There’s an easy way to get your kids personally involved, too, especially when they’re small: tracts. Get some doctrinally sound tracts (my favorites are from Living Waters – biblically accurate and fun, too, and look at these awesome ones just for kids!) and let your child leave one in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, on the table when you leave McDonald’s, or hand one to the cashier at the store. I’ve had people turn me down when I offer them a tract, but who’s going to refuse an adorable three year old? Get them started on a lifelong habit of sharing the gospel wherever they go.

 

As Christian parents it’s our responsibility before God- not the church’s, the Sunday school teacher’s, the Christian DVD’s, etc. – to train our children in the Scriptures, prayer, and godliness. If we slow down and ask God to direct us, He will show us all kinds of ways we can teach them diligently to our children, when we sit in our houses, and when we walk by the way, and when we lie down, and when we rise.

 

What are some fun or unique ways you’ve found
to pour God’s word into your children’s everyday lives?


This article was originally published at SATISFACTION THROUGH CHRIST.