It’s easy to see how Christmas has become a holiday focused heavily on consumerism and marketing over the years and it can be easy to dwell on this and feel an absence of Christ during his holiday. I’ve found that the best way to keep Christ in Christmas is by not being disappointed about the hustle and bustle of the season, but rather being our best selves and remembering to stop and reflect on if we are doing and listening to what Christ has told us to do.
These moments of reflection will help to focus our hearts and minds on the person Christ became so that we can continue to bring goodness, kindness, justice and love into our lives and the lives of others as well. The teachings of Christ are meant to be incorporated in our daily lives and we need to stop and recognize that life happens and sometimes we become too busy and overwhelmed and forget that we are students of the Lord. It’s important that as his students we incorporate and share his love and light always, especially at Christmas. As our daughters get older, we want them to be aware that as Christians we need to carry out God’s work for the poor, the hungry and the oppressed. We want our girls to understand the fulfillment and love of giving to the needy. Teaching them the importance of charity at a young age will influence how they decide to give back to those in need for the rest of their lives. Remembering to do and listen to what Christ tells us to do will help us bring some much needed light and love into the world during Christmas. We live in a diverse city and need to remember that not everyone shares the same religious beliefs, but realize that keeping Christ in Christmas has nothing to do with what others do and believe, but everything with who we choose to be. That is the best way for us to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.
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With all the talk of turkey, pumpkin pie, and Santa right around the corner, it can be easy to forget to take a moment to pause and reflect on all we have to be thankful for. Let’s all make a sincere effort to remain conscious of the true meaning of Thanksgiving, beyond all the delicious food. Here are some ways to keep gratitude at the center of your day tomorrow.
"I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds." Psalm 9:1 Fall is a great time to switch up your workout routine and get a jumpstart on creating good exercise habits during the upcoming holiday season. Here’s a list of different ways you can switch up your workout and be one step ahead of the New Year’s resolution crowd at the gym in January:
Remember to keep your focus by setting goals and using these different ways to help you switch things and motivate a new workout routine for the fall! Fall has finally arrived and it’s time bust out your scarves and light sweaters, shop for Halloween costumes, and carve pumpkins! Here is a list of 10 family fun activities to do during this season.
1.Bake fall treats. Whether you have a traditional family recipe or you found something on the internet, have a baking session with your kids. Make Halloween inspired cupcakes with candy corn, a pumpkin pie, or pumpkin bread. 2.Decorate your front porch. You and your family can let your neighborhood know how excited you all are for the season with pumpkins and friendly scarecrows. 3.Take a drive. As leaves change color this season, take a drive to adventure through roads lined with trees, and enjoy the beautiful scenery. 4.Carve pumpkins. Find a pumpkin patch garden and explore ways to carve fun pumpkin faces with your family. 5.Toast pumpkin seeds. Be sure to save the seeds while carving your pumpkin! Drizzle oil and salt, and bake them in the oven for the perfect fall snack. 6.Get lost in a corn maze. Put your brains together and find your way out of the maze. 7.Make Halloween costumes. Find a fun do-it-yourself costume for the family to enjoy making and wearing this Halloween. 8.Take your family holiday card photo. Fall is a perfect time to look your best with warm colors. On a warm and sunny afternoon venture out to take your family photo. 9.Make a scarecrow. As you dig through your fall decorations, have your family decorate a scarecrow to place in the backyard. 10.Remember to give thanks. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, but it’s never too early to be mindful of all of your blessings. Have fun this fall season! Feel free to share your photos of all your creations and activities! As parents, we have a laundry list of concerns when it comes to our children and their safety and we pray each day that God watches over all his children. Being kind to one another is the Word of God, but as parents we need to lead by example so that our children understand the truth of being kind and are able to help themselves and one another if they are bullied. October is Anti-Bullying Awareness Month and is a great time to bring up the topic of bullying with little ones.
A great way to approach the topic of bullying with children is to recap what they have already been taught in church and at home about kindness to others. It’s definitely heart-warming to listen to children talk about what they’ve learned about kindness and love in church. This is a great way to get the conversation going. Bullying goes against everything the bible teaches and does not express God’s love for one another. It can make children feel like they are standing alone, so it’s important to talk to them about standing up for their faith and for others. Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord and your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” The first thing kids should know is that if they are being bullied, they need to let an adult know. A teacher, principal, coach or parents will be the best people to help resolve the issue so that it does not continue. The best thing we can do as parents is: - Listen to your child and ask questions about how the bullying started - Let your child do the talking and listen in a non-judgmental way - Let your child come up with ideas on how to make the bullying stop by asking questions like, “What do you think you can say or do? What do you think might work? What do you think will help? - Make sure your child is the one coming up with the solution with your guidance As parents, let's all make a promise to do our part to teach our children that bullying is never acceptable, and that kindness should always win. Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.
While it may seem like there is a holiday for everything these days, this Sunday is one we don't mind celebrating. Sunday is "Wife Appreciation Day", and we honor the special women in our lives we are blessed enough to call wives. We love them for all they do, from providing a place to come home to, to being a messenger of God’s unconditional love for us. Wife Appreciation Day is a reminder of the covenant before God that unifies two into one spirit. She is a half of one whole, created by Him to become a servant in Christ. A wife becomes a part of His mission for one team in marriage and with nurturing in faith, the union bears fruit. With a lot of work and His guidance, the two are strengthened. Wives are delicate, but strong. Wives are loving, but firm. Wives are selfless, but valued. Wives are our best friends sent by God. There were times when I would reflect in prayer and ask, “God, I pray you lead me to the person you have created just for me,” because as God made Eve with Adam in mind, so too did He create wives with husbands in mind. We are truly blessed that our God loves us so much, that we may experience just a tiny portion of that infinite, overwhelming love through the love of our wives. Wives become our support. They lend a shoulder when we are weary, they lend a knee when we are weak, they lend an ear when we are anxious, and they give their heart always. Wives create our families. They become the mothers of our children. They take our house and make it a home. By simply existing, these special ladies make our world much more wonderful. Husbands, love your wives. Study and admire her just as Adam did his wife. You will see all the things God created in her with you in mind. It’s hard to define love in a Biblical context—in John 15:12, we are told to love like Christ: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Does that mean that we do not truly love until we sacrifice our own life to save theirs? Initially, I found these thoughts discouraging. How can I do as God commands if I am not consistently putting my life in danger for others?
Upon further study, I realized that God does not refer to love as just an emotion, as we tend to think of it today. Love is an action, and not just one, like dying for a friend—it is a mindset that defies our selfish nature. We get so caught up in what we believe God’s plan is for us that we refuse to see God’s true will that is evident and working every day. Matthew 22:37 says that “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”. The implications of this command do not relay passivity; rather, we as Christians should strive to go out of our way to love others and to show the love of Christ to others. Think of the example that Jesus gave us: he spent his life preaching the Good News wherever he was led. There were no “working hours” for our savior. He used every possible opportunity to spread love and to be the true example of love. Love is the stamp across our foreheads that announces our faith. Love is a truth that we live every day, and as a result should show in every relationship we have (not just our family and closest friends). This is not to say that you should stay in abusive or unhealthy relationships due to the obligatory chains of guilt disguised as love; love can be setting boundaries so that they can be the version of themselves God made them to be. As 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends”. Make this weekend one to build on all three.
Starting off with Friday, remember to thank Him for giving you a week that was filled with work, struggles, and triumphs. All three of these are given to remind us that life is filled with ups and downs and God is there to help us with both. Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Thinking about family this weekend can give you the opportunity to plan a fun activity for everyone. Go outdoors. Drop the cell phones, tablets, and game controls. Make this weekend one for the books and get the whole family together to enjoy the gifts that God has given you. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. (Acts 10:2) Help strengthen your relationship with God this weekend by giving your hands over for help. Any small act of kindness that can be put forward will help make this weekend one of building. Remember to thank Him for everything there is to be thankful for and show your love for Him as he has shown His love for you. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:9-11) Without paying attention to your preference, schedule, and abilities, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the prospect of getting fit. It’s hard to stay motivated if you set impossible goals or force yourself to work out in a way that doesn’t interest you. Regardless of what you choose, make sure to set realistic goals for yourself. Baby steps are the key to a successful lifestyle change. Take a look below at the list of different workout options you can choose from depending on what motivates you to get fit!
If the thought of lifting heavy weights or spending hours on end at the gym unnerves you, try doing an H.I.I.T. workout: high intensity interval training. This workout combines cardio with lighter weights to create a calorie-torching exercise in as little as 20 minutes. If you prefer a slower paced, solitary workout, find a jogging trail at a nearby park or do yoga at home. There’s nothing like breathing in fresh air or soaking in some me-time while working towards your fitness goals. Some of us love the atmosphere of the gym; the sound of weights hitting the floor, the gym enthusiasts, pop music blaring—it’s exhilarating. If you need to pull away from the comfort of your couch to feel motivated, an environment where everyone is working toward the same goal will push you further than you could go alone. The best way to implement a fitness regimen in your life is finding a time where you can do it at the same times every week to establish the routine of fitness. If you skip a day, you’ll see just how much you miss it! Having fitness buddies also helps tremendously to keep you accountable to your plan as you help them stick to their own. Changing your fitness routine up a bit can help you stay interested and excited to workout, whether it’s boxing, Crossfit, or jogging around the neighborhood. Don’t be afraid to try new things and challenge your body to work harder; you’ll be more than pleased with the results! In the wake of the recent violence around the world, it's easy to find yourself more and more discouraged when it comes to your outlook of the world. You wake up and dread turning on the news, waiting to hear about the next devastating story.
Heavy-hearted, I was reading in Romans one morning and stumbled upon Romans 8:18: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us”. I first thought of all the sufferings of this time: soldiers who don’t return home, the enslaved, genocides in other countries, the godless voices drowning out those that speak with truth. Then I thought of the glory waiting for me in heaven: the unimaginable joy, the grandeur, the complete absence of pain. Romans does not only say that the glory of Heaven will be greater than the pain on earth; it says that the difference is so vast that the two are not even worth comparing. Many of you probably feel the same heaviness that I carry with me, and may also be mourning over our nation and all the hurt it contains. As Christians, however, we have hope that outlasts the trials we face. As Hebrews 6:19 says, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain”. Whenever you feel dismayed with the world and unsure of our future, remember that God truly has conquered all, and we already know the outcome of the battles we fight. The hope that Christ places in us is more sure and steadfast than anything we can manufacture and deeper than any relationship we can foster. The light of Christ within us is meant to be shared, so don’t keep it to yourself! There are plenty of ways to get involved and help out in your community. Also, there are plenty of charity organizations that welcome help from kids too, so there’s no reason that giving back can’t be a family adventure. The San Antonio Food Bank, for one, has great service opportunities that you can explore. The world as we know it can be a discouraging place, but we can still do something by praying for those around us and volunteering for causes we hold dear. |
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AuthorsAntonio Daniels Archives
August 2018
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