Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’

Thinking About Advent, Family Traditions and Rhythms of Life

November 23rd, 2010

Advent begins a week from today. The past few years, before I had a child, I really enjoyed celebrating each of the different seasons of the church calendar, but since becoming a mom all of that went out the window. My mind and heart were pretty absorbed with just figuring out how to do life with a new baby. I had little to no motivation to do anything special beyond just getting dinner on the table. Lately though as my hormones finally start to stabilize again, as my son get’s a bit older and more interested in the external world, and as I begin to get more sleep and have more energy, I find myself longing for ways to observe the changing seasons in the natural world and in my spiritual heart. I find myself longing for traditions, and rituals and routines (something I’ve never been very good at in the past). I think often about what sort of family traditions I want my child to grow up with.

I recently read a blog post from Holy Experience about living a celebrated life and bringing beauty and ceremony into the everyday. It really inspired me. I want my son to grow up with the security and comfort that comes from regular, predictable, times of celebration and beauty as well as the surprise moments of celebration. I want him to grow up with a sense of being part of a deep rhythm of life. We are part of a natural rhythm and part of a spiritual rhythm as well and I want him to know that. God himself initiated a structure and rhythm to life when he gave us the gift of the Sabbath as well as the gift of the changing seasons of nature. I want my son to grow up feeling these changes deep in his soul. I want a day of Sabbath, I want seasons of planting, working, harvesting and resting. I want seasons of remembering Jesus’ birth, life and death.

I long for a daily rhythm, a weekly rhythm, a monthly and seasonal rhythm.

As Advent begins, and I find myself once again at the start of a new liturgical year, I’m thinking a lot about what kinds of rhythms and traditions I want to start in my family. How do I want my son to experience seasons? How do I want him to learn about and enter into the liturgical seasons? How do I want him to celebrate and encounter various holidays? Which holidays do I want to make particularly special and how do I want to do that?

It all starts with Advent… how do I want my son to grow up experiencing Advent?

These are all questions I have right now, but I’m not sure I really have answers for them yet. I think that’s ok though, since my son is only 14 months old. But, I do want to be intentional even this year about starting to create some traditions and rituals for our family moving forward.

So, what do you do to celebrate Advent? If you have kids I’m particularly interested to hear how you engage in Advent with them. Please share!

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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12 Dollars of Christmas: The Stewart Family

December 30th, 2008

This post is part of the 12 Dollars of Christmas series I’m doing, sharing with you about different charities and people who are making a difference for God’s kingdom and asking you to join me in praying for them and in giving $1 dollar (or more) to each of them.

Over the past few months Bryan and I have spent a good deal of time getting to know Mark and Joanna Stewart and their little boy Sasha. They are one of the most creative families I have ever known and I am continually amazed by them. So, I’d like to tell you just a quick little bit about each of them individually:

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Mark is that he is a man of prayer. I feel like Bryan and I are learning to pray through the times we spend praying with Mark. Mark is also a skilled photographer. He has a great way of putting people at ease and capturing them in a natural and authentic way. Mark’s heart is for the artists of Prague and his vision for this segment of the Czech population has been an encouragement and inspiration to me over the past few months.

Joanna is seriously one of the most holistically creative people I’ve ever known. She is constantly making something, or more accurately she is constantly making a lot of things. She is creative and industrious in the kitchen, making her own marshmallows, cheese, Bailey’s Irish Cream and many other things from scratch. She’s an avid knitter and always has a number of knitting projects on hand. She also sews and makes stunning purses from recycled material. She has been an incredible creative inspiration to me over the past few months. Joanna is also a truly beautiful mother. I love the way that she handles, teaches and disciples their son Sasha. They are also expecting their second child soon and I am excited to see how she mothers this unique new life.

I love their son, Sasha. He has the best vocabulary of any kid I know his age and as a word person myself I really appreciate this. He’s got a lot of energy, but he’s a really bright child and very fun to be with.

The Stewart’s spent 3 years as missionaries in Uganda, but felt God calling them to Europe. They followed that calling to Prague and came to help start Faith Community Church here in Prague through World Harvest. Mark and Joanna particularly have a heart for the artistic community of Prague and a heart for social justice. Here’s how they describe their work here on their web site:

“We want to enter into the arts community in this city. To encourage artists, performers, musicians, creatives and to build them up, to facilitate their growth. We want to invite them to seek,  and to grasp, hope. To offer them a strong draught, so that they might drink deeply of the true satisfaction that is in Christ. To challenge them, and to facilitate them, to make a difference in the world around us.
And not just to the artists, and not only to the beautiful people, must we pour out our lives. So we seek to incarnationally, sacrificially, love those who can offer us nothing in return. The poor and the hungry, the sick and the abandoned, the orphan and the widow. And not to do this alone, but to invite others along with us in that journey.”

If you want to learn more about this talented and passionate family that God is using in Prague please check out their web site.

And prayerfully consider joining Bryan and I in giving $1 dollar (or more) to the work that they are doing here in Prague as part of our 12 Dollars of Christmas experiment. To donate please visit this link.

Lord, thank you for the Stewarts and for bringing them to Prague. I pray that you would bless them and keep them and make your face to shine upon them. Lord, make them into a light that shines in darkness. Use their unique creative gifts to bring beauty and LIFE to the city of Prague. Lord, I pray that you would give them hearts of thankfulness and praise and that you would be glorified in all that they do. I pray that when people see Mark and Joanna and their children they would see you – they would see your love, your generosity, your grace, and your freedom. I pray that through them you would bring a new wave of creative freedom and life to your church and to the city of Prague as a whole.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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12 Dollars of Christmas: Love God Love People

December 26th, 2008

This post is part of the 12 Dollars of Christmas series I’m doing, sharing with you about different charities and people who are making a difference for God’s kingdom and asking you to join me in praying for them and in giving $1 dollar (or more) to each of them.

A few years ago some people I know started talking about starting a non-profit. I remember being impressed by their passion and vision, but honestly it seemed like a big undertaking and I wasn’t sure where it would go. Now that vision and passion has grown into something real and growing, a group of people who are really making a difference in the world around them, showing love in tangible ways and bringing the kingdom of God on earth. I feel proud to say that I know people involved in this movement and today I want to tell you about this group so that you can pray for them, support them financially or physically get involved yourself.

They are LOVE GOD LOVE PEOPLE (commonly referred to as LGLP) and that is exactly what they are doing. In the beginning of December they worked together with 3 other organizations to plan an outreach event in Mexico where they gave “over 1,500 people shoes, and 1,200 bags of food” as well as giving Christmas presents to over 2,000 children. But, this isn’t an organization that is just about the one time big events, they are about more than that, they are about long term commitments. Every month they take a group of people down to Mexico and consistently work with a number of different needs in the area. They also have begun working with Homeward Bound, “a transitional housing program for homeless and domestic violence families, located in Phoenix.”

I encourage you to check out their web site. Explore their About LGLP page, go to the prayer requests page and pray with them for the needs of those they work with, and if you are in the Phoenix area find out how you can get involved in their monthly trips.

As part of my $12 dollars of Christmas campaign I also encourage you to join me in praying for LGLP today and to join me in sending $1 (or more) to help support them and further the work God is doing through them. Right now LGLP is in the process of applying for their non-profit status so that contributions can be tax deductable; so, I will tell you up front that this one is not tax deductible yet. But, I believe strongly in the work they are doing and I believe that as people of God we are called to give generously whether or not we get a tax benefit from it. So, if you want to join me in contributing to this wonderful ministry you can do so by sending cash, or coins, spare change, or a check (made out to LGLP) to this address:

LGLP
6771 W. Miner Trail
Peoria, AZ 85383

Lord, I pray that you would continue to bless LGLP. Connect them with more and more people who desire to see your kingdom come in Mexico and in Arizona. Give them positive and helpful partnerships, give them the resources and support they need to further and expand the work they are doing on behalf of the poor and broken. And use them to show your deep love to people and through them call people to follow you in your way of love.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

Photograph by LGLP

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12 Days of 12 Dollars of Christmas

December 24th, 2008

This year I wanted to celebrate and remember Christ’s incarnation for more than just one day on the 25th of December. I wanted a way to participate in and enter into Christmas for all 12 days of the Christmas season (December 25th until Epiphany on January 6th). So, I’ve been thinking about different things Bryan and I could do for the 12 days of Christmas, I had a lot of ideas that went through my head, but here are the things we stuck with:

-          We are going to read the Christmas story each of the twelve days of Christmas.

-          We are going to together read the book “The Story of the Other Wise Man” by Henry Van Dyke over the Christmas season. We’ll read seven pages a day to finish it in exactly 12 days. I’m really looking forward to this – I’ve read this book before and really liked it and I’m excited to share it with Bryan.

There’s one more thing we decide to do, but it takes a bit more explanation and it involves YOU and this blog.

-          Each of the twelve days of Christmas I will write about a different charity, non-profit, or missionary family here on the blog. Most of them will be organizations and people who Bryan and I have some kind of relational connection with. This will be a way for you all to find out about some great organizations and people and a way for me to advocate on behalf of others about the wonderful work that God is doing around the world. But, there’s more… Bryan and I will also be giving at least $1 dollar to each of these charities/people. I know $1 dollar isn’t much, just $12 dollars for the whole Christmas season. But, here’s where YOU come in. Each day as I talk about these people and companies I’m going to ask YOU (my readers) to also give just $1 dollar (or more if you’re able). I figure $1 dollar isn’t much for any one person to give, but if we each give $1 then it could definitely add up. So, I look forward to telling you all about some great organizations and people over the next few days and I hope you will join me in supporting the work God is doing through them and praying for each of them over the Christmas season.

So, what are you doing over the 12 days of Christmas? I’d love to hear your ideas for this special holiday season and how you are remembering the incarnation of God and stepping into incarnational living yourself.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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Christmas Eve in the Czech Republic

December 24th, 2008

There are definitely similarities between Christmas in the Czech Republic and Christmas in the states, but there are also some rather unique differences in the ways that Czech’s celebrate the season and I thought I’d share some of them with you all today.

Like my family, Czech’s decorate Christmas trees, but unlike my family traditionally Czech families wait to decorate the tree till Christmas Eve. In the Czech Republic Christmas eve is when the real festivities happen.

This evening Czech families will gather for Christmas Eve dinner, which is traditionally made up of fried carp (and or carp soup) and potato salad (not what I would call a traditional Christmas dinner). I don’t know if you know anything about carp, but it’s a fish that most people (in the states at least) would consider basically in-edible because it is mostly bones. But, what makes the carp eating even stranger to me is that a few days before Christmas Eve large tubs of carp will appear on the sidewalks for people to buy it off the street. When you buy your carp you can choose to have it killed there, but many people will take their carp home and have it live in the bath tub for a few days. If they choose to take it home then the men of the family will kill the carp on Christmas Eve. I’ve never had carp, but this whole idea seems more than a bit strange to me.

After dinner the superstitions start showing up. It’s said that Christmas Eve is a magic time when people can see into the future and maybe even influence their futures. There are many things that a Czech family might do after dinner to try and predict the future. One such tradition begins with cutting an apple in half; if the core of the apple is in the shape of a five-pointed star then you will have health and happiness in the next year. If instead of a five-pointed star your apple core is in the shape of a cross then you can expect an unlucky year ahead.

Another such Czech tradition is the floating of walnut shells. Each person gets a half of a walnut shell and places a small candle in the shell and lights it. The shells are then placed in a large bowl of water. If your walnut shell makes it across the bowl reaching the other side then you will have a long and healthy life, if it sinks then that means bad luck.

The Czech’s also have a number of Christmas Eve traditions that are supposed to foretell marriage. One of these traditions is that an unmarried girl can cut a twig off of a cherry tree on December 4th (St. Barbora’s Day) and place the branch in water, if it blooms by Christmas Eve then that girl will marry within a year. The other marriage predicting tradition is that after dinner on Christmas Eve an unmarried girl is supposed to throw a shoe over her shoulder towards the door. If the shoe lands with the tow pointing the door then the girl will be leaving home to get married within a year.

After the dinner and fortune telling the children will be sent up to their rooms or somewhere away from the Christmas tree. This is the time when Ježíšek comes. Ježíšek is baby Jesus, and for the Czech children he brings their presents instead of Santa Claus. After the children have been away for a little while a bell will be rung and they will rush back to the tree where they will find the tree lights on for the first time and their presents now under the tree.

So, that’s a little bit of what a traditional Czech Christmas Eve might look like. Wherever you may find yourself today and whatever your own family and cultural traditions may be for this day, I pray that this day is filled with true hope and deep laughter for you.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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