Does your family dream?

Yesterday we put an offer in on a new home, and it was accepted.  There is nothing like purchasing a home to make your mind start racing with dreams of DIY projects, holidays to come, and memories to be made.  Each night we all climb into Pete and I's bed to read a chapter of a book.  Last night the book went MIA, but the girls were too cozy to be hurried out to their own rooms, so instead of reading I posed the question, "What do you dream of doing in our new house?"  We talked about tire swings and patios, building a fire pit and a tree house, simple dreams, but beautiful ones.  As the girls were sharing their dreams I was thinking, "why don't we do this more often?"  We are so blessed to live in a time and place where we have the freedom to dream.

Yesterday was a good day to remember to dream as our nation honored the man who gave us the "I Have A Dream,"  speech and with it a vision for future children in America.  Yesterday was a good day to dream as a man was sworn in as our President, a man who a few generations ago could not have dreamed that dream because of the color of his skin.

My devotion yesterday led me to Jeremiah 29:11.  It was the perfect reminder that yesterday indeed was a good day to dream, but so is today, and tomorrow will be a good day as well, for our everlasting, unchanging God  says,

        "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and      not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Does your family dream together?  Perhaps a divorce, loss of a job, or a death have caused you to stop dreaming.  I hope you will start again, for among the trials of life God's plan for you and your children still stands.  It is a good plan, and He wants you dream with hope of the future He has waiting for you.

January's Family Devotion - We Are Wonderfully Made!

This month's devotion is coming out a bit late - but with some exciting changes.  Below you will find the devotion in my standard format, but you can now also choose to print out an easy to follow booklet format by clicking here or the This Month's Family Devotion button on the homepage.  Enjoy!

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We are wonderfully made!

For Parents:  In this lesson, we will be looking at three scripture verses that teach us how God uniquely makes each person. After the discussion, family members will each make a snowflake.  As a family you will write unique gifts, strengths and talents onto each person’s snowflake.   The goal is for each person in the family to celebrate their God-designed uniqueness and think about ways to use it for the glory of God. 

Materials Needed:

·         Bible

·         A piece of 8x8 or 12x12 paper or cardstock for each family member plus one extra piece

·         Scissors

·         Pens or markers

·         String

·         Tape

Introduction:  When God created the world, He made an amazing variety of creation.  Did you know there are over 5,000 types of ladybugs in the world?  Everywhere we look, we can see variety in God’s creation.  Just look at something as small as a snowflake.  Scientists believe that no two snowflakes are alike.  Isn’t that amazing? If God would take such care in the creation of something as small and fleeting as a snowflake, just imagine the care that went into creating you – His child.  God has made each of us in a special way.  We are going to read three readings from the bible which talk about God special, unique creation of you.  

Readings:  There are three short readings.  Read all three before moving onto the Discussion section. 

                Genesis 1:27 – God creates man

                                Psalm 139:13-14a – I am wonderfully made

                                1 Corinthians 12: 14-21 One body, many parts

Discussion Questions: 

1.       In Genesis, we read that God created men and women “in His own image”.  What does that mean? Were any of God's other creations made in His image?

2.       In Psalms we read that God intimately knows each of us.  He put us together in our mother’s womb.  What does that tell us about our unique value to God? 

3.       In Corinthians, Paul wrote that each one of us is part of the body of Christ.  He wrote that each part of the body is important and has a unique job.  Why do we need a variety of people?  What would happen if everyone were the same?

Family Activity-   I am wonderfully made snowflakes 

                               

  Step 1:  Make paper snowflakes:

·         Give each person a piece of paper to create a snowflake.

·          Fold the paper into a triangle three times, creating a small triangle. 

·         Cut out a design in the triangle, being careful not to cut all the way across a fold as you will end up with two or more snowflakes!  Do not cut away too much as you need room to write on your snowflake.  (parents if you are helping younger children with cutting, do not cut any two snowflakes alike.)

Step 2:  Compare your snowflakes

• When everyone is finished, open your snowflakes together and lay them out for everyone to see.
• Compare the different designs.
• Discuss how the different designs reflect how each member of your family is unique.

Step 3:  Personalizing the snowflakes

• Write your name on your snowflake.  Write down 3-5 things that make you unique/special.  (Note to parents of younger children.  Ask your child questions such as “What do you like to do?”  “What are you good at?”  Write down their answers for them – whatever they are!)
•  When everyone has finished, start passing the snowflakes around so that each family member has the opportunity to add things that they love, admire or see as gifts from God in that particular family member.  Each person should have an opportunity to add things to every family member’s snowflake. 

Step 4: Share your snowflakes

• Return each snowflake back to its owner.  Each person should take a turn to read aloud everything that has been written on their snowflake.   Family members can take this time to elaborate on anything they wrote on another’s snowflake. 
•  After everyone has shared their snowflake, each family member should pick one characteristic written on their snowflake and share how can use this unique gift to serve God.  (Parents – you will need to help younger children with this.  Look for simple and concrete suggestions such as:  “Lisa you wrote that you love to sing, you can worship God with your voice when you sing praise songs.”  Or “Matthew you wrote that you love Mommy,  you can make God very happy by showing your love for Mommy by obeying her.”)

Step 5:  Use your left over piece of paper to write out Psalm 139: 14  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.    Hang each of your family’s snowflakes and the verse in a place where you will see it regularly.  One suggestion would be to hang it on the back of the door that you use most frequently, so that as you leave the house, you are reminded to celebrate your uniqueness and go use it for God’s glory.   

Prayer:

Close your devotion time in prayer, remembering to thank God for each person in your family and asking God to help you to serve Him through your unique gifts.  If you wish, you can follow the prayer below.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank you for this time together.  Thank you Lord for your Word that teaches us that we are wonderfully and fearfully made.   We praise you Lord for each person in our family.  We know that you created us each to be unique and special.  We thank you Lord for all the wonderful gifts you have given each of us.  Help us to find ways to use those gifts to serve and worship you.  In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.  

Random Acts of Birthday Kindness - Guest Post by Cindy McCarty Grubenhoff

Happy New Years my dear bloggy world friends.  I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are getting back into your regular life swing of things. I had a little delay it getting back to blogging due to a bug in Blogger.  But I'm back!  To start off the New Year here at The Celebrated Family, I asked my high school friend Cindy to guest blog about how she celebrated her birthday last month.  It's pretty awesome!  I know it will inspire you.  With my birthday just a few weeks away, I can't wait to follow her lead!

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So I had a big birthday this year.  No, not THAT one.  I was turning 38.  What’s big about that, you ask?  Well, I was turning 38 on 12/12/12!  So I wanted to do something special, something I wouldn’t easily forget.  I chose to celebrate my birthday by performing 38 random acts of kindness on the 38 days leading up to my birthday.  I read about a woman who performed 36 random acts of kindness ON her 36th birthday, but that just sounded stressful to me.  So I decided if I did one per day for over a month that would be not only more fun, but also have more of a lasting impact.  

I wasn’t planning to tell anyone about my plan, after all, I really didn’t want someone to think I was doing this to get attention.  But honestly, I just could NOT keep my mouth shut.  I had so much fun and I felt so great that I just had to share it.  I ended up posting a couple pics on Facebook and the comments came rolling in.  Then Wendy asked me to write this blog post about it with a complete list.  So here you go!  Whether you decide to do something similar or just pick one from the list once in a while, I can guarantee it will make you feel great...even if it just makes you smile today.

1. Gave my daughters hand-me-down clothes to a single mom with three girls

2. Bought Starbucks for person behind me in the drive through

3. Gave a power bar to homeless guy on the street corner (I actually keep a stash in my car and do this on a regular basis - I feel better giving food - protein - than money)

4. Volunteered at my kids’ school to help put away the book fair books

5. Gave my plumber a cold soda when he came to check on a problem

6. Complimented strangers

7. Gave a new Mom  and her baby a seat when it was crowded in church

8. Put stray grocery carts away in the King Soopers parking lot

9. Donated over 5 pounds of Halloween candy for troops overseas (my kids got over it)

10.  Sent a thank you note to my kids’ teachers at school

11. Bought a hamburger for homeless man at McDonald's

12. Picked up trash and extra dog droppings while walking my dog

13.  Brought baked goods and a thank you note to my favorite mechanic

14. Hid $1 bills in the toy section at the dollar store (with a note that said “Please enjoy this random act of kindness!” I didn’t want a Mom to be suspicious about where their kid got the money!  (this was my favorite random act)

15. Donated clothes, shoes and household items to ARC

16. Helped a man find what he was looking for at the grocery store

17. Left a 50% tip for our nice waitress

18. Taped 2 quarters to the game machine at the restaurant 

19. Made bread for a family at church

20. Bought dessert for the eyeglass store employees who always fix my son’s glasses

21. Bought sunflowers for my Mom and Mother-in-Law on Thanksgiving

22. Shared coupons with others in line on Black Friday

23. Left pennies by the fountain for wishes at the mall

24. Bought clothes, toys and shoes for a family in need at church

25. Put a quarter in an expired parking meter

26. Took home a friends child from school so she didn’t have to rush to get there 

27. Left 50% tip for another waitress - another favorite since I used to be a waitress!

28. Raked part of my neighbors yard while raking mine

29. Left a note on a diaper changing table which said "You're a great Mom! Keep up the good work!"

30.  Brought 8 pizzas and soda to the Emergency Department at Children's Hospital (where my husband works)

31. Brought my massage therapist and hairstylist a thank you card and doubled my usual tip

32. Left $5 taped to the gas station pump 

33.  Made cookies for our postal worker

34. Gave school crossing guard a $10 Starbucks card

35.  Donated dog food, treats, toys and blankets to the local dog shelter

36. Left thank you note and tip for the trash and recycling workers

37. Donated 50 used children's books to our library

38. On my birthday I bought 12 lottery scratch tickets and hung them on the back of bathroom stall doors with a note saying "Is today your lucky day? 12/12/12"

 The best part about doing this is that I have created a new “habit” and I can’t seem to stop.  I believe each of us has the ability to make an impact on the world around us, and I want mine to be positive. Thank you for the privilege of letting me share my list - I hope to hear your ideas for Random Acts of Kindness!

Cindy Grubenhoff