I was going to just put up a "They're up!" post on FB and IG, but then my description turned into a whole passionate thing so... You can absolutely skip this whole thing and just go check out the shop, but if you want to hear my heart and story behind all of this... here it is.
Y'all, this is my heart. I don't want to wait until they are "older", to begin to give my children the truths of God's love. I want them to know the greatest gift of life - Jesus.
My heart is for kids - but also for you as a parent. Hear this… There’s no magical level in your walk with Christ where you finally have the knowledge and authority to give your children a love for Jesus. If there were, I wouldn’t be giving my children anything, because I haven’t “arrived” yet either!! But God has shown me that I can show them Jesus from where I am. And as I lead, He will lead me. As my children grow, I will grow and He will show me things I need along the way.
What a lot of people don’t know about me, is that I love to write. I’ve written many Bible studies and devotions for Camp and King’s Daughters Club back in the day, but married life, mothering, and ministry have kept me so busy that I haven’t been able to sit down and put words to paper in so very long. Until now.
It began 3 years ago. Sparrow was barely turning 2 and the triplets were on their way. Parenting was really starting to get real. She was talking and learning and soaking in every single thing. I was amazed at how much of a sponge she truly was... Is… It didn’t matter if it was Barney she was watching or baby shark. She knew all the lyrics and hand motions. She repeated phrases that I knew she must have heard me say, but couldn’t remember saying. And the flame began burning inside of me. Oh, how I wanted so much more for her than a “normal” childhood. She was a sponge. Why was I not using every single opportunity to soak her in Jesus? It broke me. I couldn’t shake it.
And that brings me to Christmas 2017. How I wanted so much more for Sparrow than the “normal” American Christmas. I wanted her to know that Christmas is about Jesus. That everything we do at Christmas is in anticipation and celebration of the birth of Jesus. Because His birth was just the beginning in His plan to save the world. I wanted to plunge the sponge deep into a Jesus Christmas. At barely 2 years old, we began to celebrate Advent together.
I searched online for Advent for children. The best I could find was a walk through the Jesus Storybook Bible with beautiful picture cards. I printed out the plan and we waded through it, but the JSB was just a little too wordy for her at barely two years old and still reading “Brown Bear Brown Bear”. And then a family that I follow on Facebook, the Anderson Family and “Story of this Life”, suggested a new Christmas tradition. They bought a large fancy Nativity Scene and packaged and wrapped each piece for the month of December. Their children came into the family room every morning to find the single wrapped gift under the tree. Opening it, it led them into family devotions. I loved it. Like really loved it. So I found a not so fancy Nativity and sort of recreated my own Nativity Advent. I plotted out as many days as I could and strategized when to start and off we went. I would read parts of the Christmas Story and gift Sparrow one piece of the Nativity. Then we would head to the table, review the previous days’ stories, and add the new piece as I would talk for the characters and retell the story for her in words she could understand.
So, present day. - This is what I’ve done. I have created both a Toddler and Children’s Advent for you to use this Christmas at home with your children - of all ages. My prayer is that this set will make it easy for you to create a new tradition with your babies. Even 1 year olds that can barely stand. Tell the story, Mama. Tell the story, Daddy. Tell the story Grandparent, Aunt, Uncle, Teacher, Friend. Don’t wait until your child is “old enough”. Start now. While they’re little. Babies are sponges. Soak them in Jesus.
I’ve done the work of selecting characters and scheduling the days. I pulled Scripture verses and wrote down the stories for you. I have even assembled a nativity set for you to specifically use for your Nativity Advent. One that will go perfectly with the days chosen. You can choose from a Paint-Your-Own Nativity Set or one that is Pre-Painted. You can also choose the Advent Guide that fits your family best. “Christmas Is About Jesus” is the Advent guide for Toddlers (aged 1-5 years). “Expecting Jesus” is the Advent Guide for Elementary aged children (aged 4-8 years). And then I also wrote “Expecting Jesus” Devotion. This is a guided Devotion for older children or even adults to be worked alongside either Advent Guide. There is the option for a physical spiral-bound book or digital file for each book.
I would be honored if you would browse my shop and share this post or shop with your friends.
So much love to you all and Merry CHRISTmas!
SHOP MY ETSY HERE
Comments