Learning new things became part of my every day in 2020. You, too? Coming off an exciting 2019 with clear goals for 2020 kept me on my knees, off the couch, and exploring new tribes of communicators to keep telling the good news of Jesus to families in the most creative ways possible. Here are three big things of the hundreds of new things I learned in 2020:

Stay Learning
It’s exhausting to be in a constant state of learning, but it’s also invigorating and builds our joyful obedience muscles. With the time I worked from the home office, I took online classes, watched instructional YouTube videos, listened to podcasts, read books, joined and engaged with closed Facebook groups which would grow my toolbox to be a better communicator. Ministry with children and families is not event planning, it’s communicating. I quickly learned which organizations were putting out relevant content and which weren’t. There was no time to waste on lamenting, repackaging what used to work, and anything prefaced with ‘back before COVID…’ 
What will you learn before Easter?

Stay in Relationship
Joyful obedience and momentum was the goal. The most important relationships floated to the top and made for long phone calls several times a week, extended verbal processing of what I was learning with others, and oh the time to grow relationships through online Bible study in community with new friends and old. Several relationships grew deeper and more fruitful as other disciples began reaching out to explore doing stuff better and more creatively together. This was hard and took the most time, but the investment was worth it. I am better together with others and just knowing I wasn’t alone gave me courage, helped me think through the logistics of the most innovative season of ministry ever. In the words of one of my fellow-innovators, “I LOVE putting our McKids front and center to bring others to Jesus. Get some rest…we have LOTS to do in the new year.”
Who will you share the journey with in the new year?

Stay Brave
I found tribes with a Spirit of YES! Submitting to all of the authorities over me, I asked the questions which would get a YES and began to discover those who could mentor me to be my best-self-right-now so that I could confidently say, “I was created for such a time as this!” We have brothers and sisters who have and are risking their very lives to share the love and knowledge of Jesus in harsh and uncertain environments all around the world. These folks had faithful parents, grandparents, Sunday school teachers, and local churches, who realistically trained them that following Jesus would be hard, would be filled with challenges, and they’d face opposition at every turn. Yet they still said YES! Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean it’s not of the Lord. It is in the problem-solving when courage roars the loudest.
Who helps you be brave and how can you spend more time with him/her/them in the new year?

Bob Russell shared in his blogpost of December 27, 2020, of Cam Huxford, Minister of Compassion Christian in Savannah, Georgia. When asked to explain why the current situation actually energizes him, he said, “All my life, I’ve felt guilty when learning of Christian leaders in other parts of the world enduring hardship and suffering persecution.  I have been so pampered and spoiled.  Now it’s my turn.  Thankfully I don’t have to show up in heaven like a trust fund baby who served in the most comfortable country, in the most comfortable time in history.  I may actually have some wounds and scars when I stand before the Lord.  But the reward is not to the pampered but to those who have been faithful in battle.”

“There will always be big problems to solve, that’s what leaders do, and we must lead with hope and belief that they are solvable.” – Dan Reiland

Listen to this blogpost as a podcast at In the Trenches with DeDe Reilly.

There are seasons when the decision-making takes on such a rapid pace that it helps to write a few down for accountability and clarity. Here are a few decisions I made last week:

Lead a small group in 2021
The church needs more teachers today to share the journey of following Jesus. Not more content, but rather coaches who can engage in robust conversation over the scriptures. I’ve partnered with a younger mom to co-lead James Bryan Smith’s A Good and Beautiful God. We will learn and practice weekly soul training which will direct us to become more like Jesus, not just learn about Him. We start on Thursday, January 20 at 11:30am-1pm to specifically target our preschool families and will offer it on zoom on Wednesday nights for our non-preschool friends.

Hang up only what is important
One of my bucket list items for Mr. Bob to consider retirement to do something different was to have the inside of our home painted…even the closets. What a hot mess! But I love our new alabaster white walls. As I rummage through the piles of what came off of our walls and out of the closets, we’re not putting up everything we took down. A whole lot is going into the basement because we are in a different season of life. Without going all Marie Kondo, we are only putting up what brings us joy, is a major part of our story, and what we want our grandchildren to recall as visual memories of Mimi & Pop’s house as they grow older. 

Stay the course in healthy habits as I follow that yonder star
I lost almost 100 pounds during quarantine. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I made a decision last January to be ready for whatever God had in store for me next, but I desperately needed to get healthy in my body, heart, and in my head. A friend who got healthy several years ago and kept it off coached me through a program which would compliment my schedule, my calling, and my temperament with some quick wins and a community of like-minded pilgrims. I made my own sausage for that Thanksgiving dressing with sour dough bread rather than white bread. I’m able to take stairs without needing oxygen and feeling much better about my testimony.

Pursue leading a podcast
Following beaucoup promptings and affirmations from my tribe, I will put out a podcast in the new year. Edited to less than 20 minutes, I want to hear how YOU are loving kids and families to Jesus in your local church and in the ultimate small group = your family. A silver, sparkly composition book is filling with practical ideas, names of children’s ministry champions serving in the trenches of the local church as well as those serving their families as grandparents prioritizing the sharing of their faith with their grands, and needs. “For with God, nothing is impossible.” Luke 1:37a

What decisions will you be making as you prepare for moving forward in your next steps of discipleship and serving your local church?

“But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5

 

With the various festivals and remembrances shared in the scriptures, we serve a God who delights in His people stopping their work, gathering together as families, and celebrating His presence and faithfulness. How delightful to find our great God giving us an evening treat on the first night of winter: A Christmas Star.

The planets of Saturn and Jupiter will be so close as to shine a bright light in the southwest sky which can be seen without a telescope. The light will be beautifully radiant on each clear night the entire fourth week of December! Anytime we can encourage our families to lift their eyes up to the Lord let’s join them with vocabulary and tools to be amazed at God’s creativity and wonder.

The following information and a generous supply of OREOS (dark/light) will make this a wonderful opportunity for families to engage in some fun at home with some shared conversation about our GREAT GOD and His son, JESUS, the light of the world who shines in the darkness. 

For people in the Northern Hemisphere (in the United States of America), winter is a season of cold, dark days. The WINTER SOLSTICE is the shortest day of the year and marks the exact day when our half of the Earth is tilted the farthest away from the sun.

Our GREAT GOD, who created the sun and placed it in the sky at the beginning of time, planned for this day to be the day of the year with the shortest daytime (light) and the longest nighttime (darkness). Every daylight after the WINTER SOLSTICE will be a little longer, until we reach the day with the most hours of daylight in the summer.

On Monday, December 21, 2020, the WINTER SOLSTICE marks the first day of winter. This day will have the shortest daytime (lightness) and the longest nighttime (darkness). Our GREAT GOD is also giving us a CHRISTMAS STAR to see!

The planets Jupiter and Saturn will align so closely in the night sky that they’ll almost appear to collide creating a radiant point of light often referred to as the CHRISTMAS STAR. The last time these planets came this close to deliver such a radiant light was 794 years ago!

On the WINTER SOLSTICE, look for the CHRISTMAS STAR about 45 minutes after sunset in the southwest sky. The planets will be at their closest on WINTER SOLSTICE of 2020 and will be visible from anywhere on Earth for about one hour after sunset for the entire fourth week of December! If you’re viewing with a telescope, you may also be able to see Jupiter and Saturn’s largest moons orbiting them that week.

Our GREAT GOD is amazing!

With the LIGHT & DARK of the WINTER SOLSTICE, here are some family fun ideas to celebrate OUR GREAT GOD and his gift of light in the darkness: His son JESUS!

Cookie Stacking – Who can get the highest stack in one minute?

Cookie on a Fork Relay – Put a cookie on a fork and race to the finish line; run around the kitchen twice; walk up and down the staircase without the cookie falling off. No touching the cookie with your hands unless you are frozen and resetting.

Cookie Face – Move a cookie from your forehead to your mouth with only your facial muscles. No touching with your hands!

Cookie Center Gone – Who is the fastest person to lick the crème center out of the cookie? No teeth, 100% licking only!

“When JESUS spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the LIGHT of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the LIGHT of life.” John 8:12

Each year children’s pastors present the Christmas stories in fresh, exciting ways. Seeking to learn something new each year, we’re about to bust with excitement to share when the season comes. Deanna Cotton published The Christmas Story: Experience the Birth of Jesus Through Scripture Writing through iWrite Bible. Hot off the presses, a dear friend, my daughter, and I are taking this advent journey together. We read a passage, scribe the scripture, recite and memorize a favorite verse of the daily reading, respond in written prayer, write what the passage tells us about God’s character, followed by any questions or thoughts we have. It’s made for some wonderful conversations about these familiar people.

To scribe the scriptures, we’ve got to linger. So I listen to Christmas music low in the background and set to study each day. Starting the Christmas story in November teaching children’s Sunday school we’ve made some great discoveries about the scriptural depictions of the many, familiar people God used to bring Jesus from heaven to earth.

Zechariah – God met him at work, carrying on the ordinary tasks of an ordinary day in an extraordinary way. Keep doing the work. God is there.

Elizabeth – She’s loud! Everyone has that loud relative. “Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.” I’m praying for my clergy couple friends and all the couples who are in ministry together. Those in the mission field together. Together they are mighty. Together they face challenges. Even in the place of personal disappointment (“But they had no children…”), they remained upright in the sight of God….and what a legacy!

Gabriel – His name means “God is good.” The news he brings is good. We find him in the Old Testament with Daniel and in the New Testament with Zechariah in the temple, and with Mary. Y’all! The news is good! Not news from the TV, phone, or paper. Good news: Do not be afraid, God is with us.

Mary – She is the eyewitness and the keeper of the treasured stories pondered in her heart. For us to know what happened at John’s naming, she would have been one of the only eyewitnesses for Dr. Luke to ‘carefully investigate”, so I’m thinking she stayed beyond the birthing. Would this have helped her when she delivered her own baby in a stable? One of my favorite Christmas songs is Mark Lowry’s Mary Did You Know. What did Mary know? Yeah, Gabriel told her she’d have a baby who would save the world, but what else? According to the Magnificat, she knew that God was mindful of her, interested, mighty, holy, and merciful, scattered the proud, lifted up the humble, and filled the hungry with good things. How did she know these things? I’m thinking her Mama and Daddy told her, talked to her, showed her, and reminded her that our Great God is all these things and more. Mamas and Daddies who love the Lord teach their children to love the Lord. They share their stories of God’s faithfulness, might, presence, provision, and love. Oh how I love and pray for my Mamas and Daddies to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength so their children know what a person sold out for Jesus looks like, sounds like, lives like. Tell the stories!

This week we study Joseph. Joseph was a good man. Mary’s recollection has him saying nothing in the scriptures, but makes sure we know that her man did what God told him to do to protect all that’s beautiful and to see his work through immediately, completely, and sweetly.

Nathan Clarkson wrote a poem in the middle of his book Good Man. 

What is a good man? I really want to know.
I’ve been searching and searching and got nothing to show.
What were we made for? Why are we here?
It’s got to be more than just how we appear.
Even if it is, we’re not doing that great.

Men today have become angry and given in to their hate.
We’ve become selfish and we take what we please.
“Don’t think of the consequences. That’s for the weak.”
We curse the wind and feed our pride,
completely ignoring the cancer inside.

We don’t need any help and won’t confess our sins.
“Real men don’t cry or let anyone in.”
Then some of us are just lost, looking for home.
But our dark is too thick, and we walk all alone.

But I need to believe that there’s got to be more.
‘Cause if God created us, there’s something He created us for.
Maybe we were made to be whole, honest, and true.
To protect all that’s beautiful and to see our work through.

To love with abandon and own our own scars.
To see real redemption take place in our hearts.
To laugh at the future and embrace all we can.
To know our Savior: Maybe that’s a good man.

So what is a good man?
Maybe it’s this:
One who lets his Creator tell him who he is.

Twenty-one good men I know will be getting this book for Christmas.

“Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses, and servant of the word.” Luke 1:1-2

This we know: everyone decorates for the Christmas holidays with their own family treasures. Even my friend who only tapes a Little Debbie Christmas Tree to her kitchen counter hangs something up to celebrate. Why not add a sacred and fun way to celebrate the hanging of the greens at home for littles and their bigs? Using a Canva template, we prepared a paper guide for Hanging Of The Greens At Home. Along with an Advent pop-up calendar, our families are ready to celebrate! 

Hanging of the Greens is the time we decorate our homes for the season of Advent and Christmas. As you prepare your home spaces for the coming of the holidays, let us prepare our hearts and minds to remember Jesus is the reason for the season.

Christmas tree
Say: Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus!
Read aloud: When we set up this tree the Holy Spirit reminds us to keep growing in our knowledge of Jesus who came as a baby to save the world.
All: Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus!

Wreath
Say: Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus!
Read aloud: When we hang this wreath the Holy Spirit reminds us that God’s love is ’round about His people.
All: Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus!

Candle
Say: Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus!
Read aloud: When we light this candle the Holy Spirit reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world.
All: Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus!

Nativity set
Say: Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus!
Read aloud: When we see this nativity the Holy Spirit reminds us that God chose ordinary people to do extraordinary things to tell people about Jesus.
All: Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus!

Special decoration
Say: Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus!
Read aloud: When we set up this special Christmas decoration the Holy Spirit reminds us to tell our special family stories of how Jesus has loved us. (Share the story of why this decoration is so special).
All: Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus!

Special snack or beverage
Say: Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus!
Read aloud: When we come to the table to eat and drink the Holy Spirit reminds us to taste and see that the Lord is good.
All: Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus!

Everyone sings: Joy to the World, the Lord has come.
Let earth receive her king.
Let every heart prepare Him room.
Let heaven and nature sing, let heaven and nature sing,
Let heaven and heaven and nature sing.

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7

When we sing together of the Lord and His great works, we are reminded of our common dreams, our common trust, our common beliefs that our God is an awesome God, He is mighty to save, and His grace is amazing how sweet the sound. Christians singing reminds us where we came from and to whom we belong. We share our beliefs in our great, creator God, our friend, savior Jesus, and our guide and comforter the Holy Spirit in shared lyrics, in rhythm. We etch these thoughts and beliefs in our memory banks because rhythm and long-term memory are right next to each other in our brains. Thank you, O great and wise Creator!

Our Bibles are filled with the songs of celebration and lament shared by God’s people. Of all the things that made it into Miriam’s backpack when she was told to pack to leave Egypt and head into the desert, she brought a tambourine. A quick evacuation was hardly the time to think of singing and dancing, yet she and a whole bunch of women thought to bring instruments for at some unknown point, they’d be singing before the Lord in praise and thanksgiving. They were right! An evil spirit took over King Saul until the boy David played his harp. The songs of a child kept evil spirits at bay! Acts 16 has Paul and Silas broken, bodies torn, chained, hungry, hurting, thirsty, dark, sore at midnight breaking into song to equip them to persevere. Colossians 3 reminds us to sing to one another of the Lord to teach and grow a heart of gratitude. When we sing, we are praying in rhythm from the depths of our souls and it pleases the Lord.

I know of small gatherings of Christians in this country who gather for worship and shut the blinds, turn off the lights, and pull their children close….just to sing praises to the Lord. They sing acapella because instruments are too loud and they’ll be heard, reported, arrested, fined, and imprisoned. This is not an act of rebellion, but rather a weekly measure of sustaining mental and spiritual health. Just think: entire genres of music have come out of human history of oppression, sorrow, disappointment, and despair to offer hope. Hope is felt when we sing these songs together.

Beth Moore wrote Entrusted: A Study of 2 Timothy in 2016. She teaches from 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, “This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” The word servants here comes from the Greek huperetes with hupo = under, beneath and eretes = a rower. Think of the third-tier rowers, the under-rowers, of those days were men crammed into the bottom of a sailing vessel rowing without knowing where they were headed, backs to the front, all moving in sync to a common destination, moved by the muscles of many in tandem without much light, weary, sweaty, in repetition, but moving onward against the tide, together. The speed and synchronicity of movement was set by song. A song sung at times by one, at times by some, and at times by all of the under-rowing sailors.

Singing in community is a super spreader of the pandemic and who knows what else. I confess it’s terribly awkward to sing in the living room or to a laptop. When I sing, I’m just loud unless I’m in community. Then I sound pretty good. Anyone else sound better in a choir or with others or is that just me?

If we, like Paul, profess to be slaves to Christ, we are under-rowers. I’ve got to sing! Beth Moore says, “Sometimes the song reminds us it’ll be worth the work.”

A dear friend who listens to me wrestle with these tensions said just last week, “My voice has changed because it’s not being used.”

I’m not sure I want to wave the banner of rebellion. I’m a rule follower and I submit to the authority over me. Like everything else, I must find a way to do it differently because that’s what love requires of me. I have committed to sing every day in my home, in my car, and with my family. I will encourage my ministry families to sing each day. I will do my best to do no harm, but I will sing….I must sing. My heart needs to sing, my head needs to hear the music shared with the saints who have gone before me, our children know there is joy in the home when Mama sings.

I’ve brought out my CDs from the 90s and early 2000s of gospel hymns, Amy Grant, Sandi Patty, Phillips, Craig & Dean, Michael W. Smith, 4Him, and Point of Grace. I know all the words and I can sing as loud as I want in my car with tears streaming down my face in ugly cry for these were my helps when I was teaching my own children the language of our shared faith. 

We are about to enter a season which is defined by bright lights, evergreens, the babe in a manger, and seasonal music. These words repeated year after year stick in our minds and hearts with personal memories attached and are filled with the language of our faith. The apostle Paul reminded the young Timothy to remain trained in the words, the language, of our faith. We have always used music as a vehicle to pass along the language of our faith in Jesus to littles. Music makes words and language sticky. Especially for littles. And if it’s good for littles, it’s good for everyone. It’s just going to look different.

I’m packing my tambourine….

“Standing on the promises of Christ my King, Through eternal ages let His praises ring; Glory in the highest I will shout and sing. Standing on the promises of God.”

“He’s got the whole world in His hands. He’s got the whole world in His hands. He’s got the whole world in His hands. He’s got the whole world in His hands.”

“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day.” Psalm 96:1-2

We started teaching the Christmas story last Sunday…in November…in the Sunday school discipleship hour….with power tools, a virus kit, six boxes of Legos, slime, stickers, gold beads, and money.

The research from Lifeway, The Barna Group, and in my own personal experiences continue to report that one of the most impactful and equipping opportunities offered by the local church community for students who never left their faith as teens or young adults was to give young people experiences in vocational discipleship….robust conversation with Titus 2 men and women who love Jesus and are living out their calling in the world.

“Vocational discipleship involves being aware of the career aspirations of teens and young adults in our communities, and helping them to connect those goals with how God designed work.” (Faith For Exiles by Kinnaman and Matlock, pg. 156)

This is how we will teach the Christmas story this season through these experiences.

Families registered their students for their top two preferences of small groups for the seven weeks of November and December. They will remain in these small groups, in these specific spaces, with this leader for all of November and December.

K5-2^nd grade – Knowing God through Sticker Art, Science, Lego building, and Games led by a musician, a scout leader, a dentist, and an evangelist. All are living out their calling to love the Lord and their neighbor in their chosen, skilled vocation.

3^rd grade – We have a rite of passage/ tradition of this age level learning and making Chrismons in November then will become part of a class of K5-5^th graders for Nativity worship art in December, as well as any students who begin attending after the November 8^th  led by an art teacher of the year who loves the Lord and her neighbor.

4^th & 5^th grade – Knowing God through Nursing Science, Power Tools, Money Matters, and Worship Art led by a nurse, a general contractor, an accountant, and another art teacher of the year. All who are living out the great commandment and great commission in their daily line of work.

Each week they’ll lead their small group in learning about the major players in the Christmas story: Zechariah, Elizabeth, Gabriel, Mary, Joseph, Shepherds, the posse of animals and angels, Jesus, and the Wisemen.

The weekly online classroom will be set up each week to learn more about each major player which will also serve as the background for each of the leaders and our families with curated online content. The leads will teach the who (basic facts of the major player), the where (find it in the Bible), and the WOW! (why it matters) along with a discussion question. Then they are off to learn the focused skill for the remaining time.

With the goals of vocational discipleship, dedicated time spent with Titus 2 men and women (the best way for kids to learn to love Jesus is to spend time with people who love Jesus), and a call to families to “come on home,” I can’t wait to see how God will continue to grow kids’ hearts and minds, hands and feet, to the One and Only who loves them best: Jesus!

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” Colossians 3:23