In this week's Sunday "Family Advent Gathering" (worship), we thought about looking for glimpses of God's glory that get submerged under our urgent expectations for Christmas. This article from The Root Cellar (in Portland and Lewiston) appeared on my desk Monday:
Robbie's Gift. by Christine Ming. Robbie had worked hard for weeks. He came to program early and asked, "how can I help out today?" He knew that every little taks he did gaev hima star on the big chart on the wall. Every month the stars convert to dollars for shopping at The Root Cellar Kids' store. The store has all kinds of things which include notebooks, pens and pencils, puzzles and even candy. There was one item in particular that Robbie was very interested in, a bright red remote control race car. He talked about it for weeks.
Finally the long-awaited shopping day arried and Robbie came with a secret-"Today." he said, "is my birthday! My dad said that we can't afford any birthday gifts right now, but I can use my Root Cellar dollars to get my own gift!"
As he walked towards his prize, Robbie noticed an African princess Barbie and stopped short. He was obviously torn, and confessed that his 4 year old little sister's birthday was coming up in just 3 weeks. "She would love that Barbie doll," he said.
At the end of the day, Robbie's love for his sister won over his desire to have the race carand his simple good-hearted giving speaks volumes to all of us! What a reasure to see a heart of compassion growing in your childen. Perhaps the best gift we can give our children this Christmas is a better understanding of how very joyful a life of giving is.
On Tuesday, a friend posted a link to one of my "best memories." Coming home on my first College Christmas break on the 4 hour bus trip from Ames, Iowa to St. Paul, Minnesota, I was full of plans for my first mission trip. Getting involved in the Wesley Center Campus center brought me into a group of students inspired by group trips into scripture and excited about making the world a better place. We were getting ready to tromp off to Appalacia, to a partner of the Red Bird Mission, Lend-A-Hand in Sintking Creek, Kentucky. This video is a walk down memory lane to a place that helped plant my call to ministry in the hard day to day work of God's people.
You might take a few minutes to watch it with a friend, or your favorite children, and count the glimpses of glory you see. I wonder what glimpses tomorrow will bring me!
Red Bird
Finally the long-awaited shopping day arried and Robbie came with a secret-"Today." he said, "is my birthday! My dad said that we can't afford any birthday gifts right now, but I can use my Root Cellar dollars to get my own gift!"
As he walked towards his prize, Robbie noticed an African princess Barbie and stopped short. He was obviously torn, and confessed that his 4 year old little sister's birthday was coming up in just 3 weeks. "She would love that Barbie doll," he said.
At the end of the day, Robbie's love for his sister won over his desire to have the race carand his simple good-hearted giving speaks volumes to all of us! What a reasure to see a heart of compassion growing in your childen. Perhaps the best gift we can give our children this Christmas is a better understanding of how very joyful a life of giving is.
On Tuesday, a friend posted a link to one of my "best memories." Coming home on my first College Christmas break on the 4 hour bus trip from Ames, Iowa to St. Paul, Minnesota, I was full of plans for my first mission trip. Getting involved in the Wesley Center Campus center brought me into a group of students inspired by group trips into scripture and excited about making the world a better place. We were getting ready to tromp off to Appalacia, to a partner of the Red Bird Mission, Lend-A-Hand in Sintking Creek, Kentucky. This video is a walk down memory lane to a place that helped plant my call to ministry in the hard day to day work of God's people.
You might take a few minutes to watch it with a friend, or your favorite children, and count the glimpses of glory you see. I wonder what glimpses tomorrow will bring me!
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