No one begins the New Year with aspirations to quit. We want to finish the year well, and we want to finish our life course well.

In truth, we serve a God of miracles (hello, just read Luke 2), but our tendency when peering into the future is to predict it based on the rate of past progress. We pray desperately for God to do what we can’t, then we rise from our knees, look at the date the prayer request was first entered, and sigh. “Not gonna happen, at least anytime soon,” we feel, even if we don’t say.

Recently, I began thinking of the intangible gifts that staff members give to me on a regular basis, and I came up with a list of ten. (I’m sure there are many times more.)

Each year at Christmas, I look forward to pulling the boxes of seasonal decorations out of storage. Our family has always had so much fun decorating the house and hanging ornaments on the tree.

It’s a strange thing about Christmas. We celebrate Jesus’ birth, and we use the celebration to further our efforts in sharing the gospel. But somehow we seem to easily lose focus this time of year more than any other.

Christmas is coming! It is the most wonderful time of the year! Even the unsaved are singing about the Lord! During this season, you are able to freely say, “Merry Christmas,” to everyone you meet! Use this season to tell of the Reason for Christmas.

Be sure that every student is included (we usually include all those three years old through the sixth grade). If children do not have an individual speaking part, they should be part of a choir or a group saying verses.

One of the blessings of the Christmas season is people’s openness to talk about Jesus. In my experience, it’s one of the best times of the year in terms of tender hearts and responsiveness to gospel invitations in the community.

What single word best describes your walk with the Lord? I think all of us would love for that word to be passion. And not just today, but every day. We’d like consistent passion in our walk with God.

There are so many areas for parents to invest themselves in raising their children. And there are many resources available in learning to be godly parents. But there is one resource that is more powerful than any book, seminar, or method.