Stuff a Stocking

Good Wednesday morning!

The Gallery Pic is of Josh wearing Mikie's Dirty Santa gift. I thought Roxie would be the one to proudly display our new hat, but surprisingly, Josh grabbed it while Roxie declared it to be "not cool." I give up! But I do like the hat. Very, very festive.

CONTEST! - Time's running out! Read Monday's post for details. You have until midnight Thursday, December 17 to enter. (Just put your name and the word "Contest" in my Comment Section, send me an e-mail or put it on Facebook and you will be considered "entered.")

28 REAL WAYS TO SHARE YOUR FAITH ON CAMPUS - I mentioned this little book I found while driving Austin's truck this week. It's a great "How-To" book, not only for campus, but for anywhere and everywhere. I'll share a few of the ideas today, tomorrow and Friday:

1. Pray for a real burden for lost people around you. Pray for the students around you that don't have a relationship with Jesus and for those who are walking away from Him.

2. Commit to pray for two lost friends or acquaintances on campus. Pray for them every day and ask two Christian friends to pray with you.

3. During your time with God, ask the Holy Spirit to open the hearts of your non-Christian friends and pray they will become curious about Jesus.

These first three steps are preparing you to share.

After attending orientation and listening to most of what "they" had to say (I tried to listen to all of it, but they just kept talking and talking and talking and at 48 I have the attention span of a two year-old), I came away with these three phrases stuck in my head:

1. "Back off and let your child embrace diversity." A lot of things listed under the category of "diversity" could also be described as "sinful" and "worldly." After 18 years of trying to teach Austin to "flee" from temptation and other dangerous situations, why on earth should we now encourage him to "embrace" these things? (I know all diversity is not bad. You had to be there. This chick was talking about some of the bad stuff, too.)

2. "Let your child experiment and experience life." Experiment what? Are they talking about chemistry, biology, nuclear physics? Nope. After talking to a lot of moms of kids attending our local universities and Austin, much of the experimenting has to do with drinking, smoking, profanity, etc. Guess what? Experimenting with these kinds of things do not a man (or woman) make.

3. "Do NOT be a hovering helicopter parent." After one semester under our belt, I will admit the Faulkner Helicopter has been fairly active. Have we flown up there every single day? No. But we've swooped in now and again to answer questions, offer advice and encouragement and remind Austin the commitment he made at seven years of age is not null and void for four years. It was a life-long, eternal commitment... and it most definitely includes the next four years.

That's why I like this little book so much. It's practical. It's Biblical. It's "doable." It encourages him to reach out to other Christians, as well as non-Christians.

If you're interested in getting a copy of the book for your high schooler or college kid, you can call 1-800-264-1255, extension 276. Your child can also check with the Baptist Campus Ministries on their campus for a copy.

DISCLAIMER: Austin isn't perfect. I'm not with him all the time. I don't know what he does every minute of every day. The things I mentioned above are things I am praying for him and reminding him of... a lot.

And I don't have all of this stuff figured out. I'm just a Freshman, you know! (And right now, I've got to gas up the helicopter! Austin may be home, but Josh is driving today... and you can guess the rest of THAT story!)

CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY IN DECEMBER

DAY 12

17. One day while the kids are out of school, set up blankets under the tree. Have a breakfast picnic with Christmas music playing softly in the background. A 15-minute breakfast will become a fun memory. (If everything is going smoothly, it would be a great time to read one of your Christmas books, too.)

Wednesday Wisdom

"Blessed are those who give without remembering. And blessed are those who take without forgetting." Bernard Meltzer. Simply stated. Simply beautiful.

Stuff a Stocking

This idea was shared by my friend, Robin O., and it sounds like a lot of fun.

When my sisters and I got "older" and we married, Mom came up with the idea for everyone to have a filled stocking on Christmas morning. Stockings were made for everyone in the family (moms, dads, sisters, husbands, kids, etc.). These were hung at my Mom's house, and some time before Christmas morning everyone had to visit her home and put an item in each stocking.

On Christmas morning after we exchanged gifts, everyone received their stocking and "unloaded" it!

This has become a great tradition and continued after the grandchildren came.

It is a lot of fun to find just the right gift for everyone. We try to keep it at $1 or less. Sometimes throughout the year I'll find something just right and buy it to save for a stocking. Sometimes life is busy and I give everyone their favorite candy bar or soda. When the kids were little they would make bags of mini marshmallows and label it "Snowman Poop," or bake cookies, or give oranges.

Doesn't that sound fun? I love the idea of stuffed stockings and everyone visiting Grandmother's house during the Christmas season at different times to deliver the goodies. Thanks for sharing, Robin.

Have a wonderful Wednesday. Tomorrow I have a little Blog Linkage, a fun date and some more practical ways for your child to share his/her faith on campus. I also have another unbelievably CHEAP (Code for COSTS NOTHING) Christmas experience to share with your family.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda