December 2017

Teach Children What to Treasure

Despite Christians’ efforts to honor the true meaning of Christmas, each December we must do battle with our consumer-oriented culture. The temptation to overindulge our children isn’t limited to the holiday season, either. All year long, kids are bombarded by ads for “must-have” items. Parents often give in, either because they can or because they don’t want their kids to feel deprived or left out. From a spiritual standpoint, materialism shifts our priorities and dependence from God and heavenly things to what the world offers. From a developmental standpoint, overindulged children are less able to cope with stress, often lack self-control, and are at risk for being self-centered and depressed,

researchers say. As the Christmas season approaches, keep these tips in mind. Don’t rely on gifts as substitutes. Children desire time with you and emotional security. Deep down, they want relationships more than things. Emphasize the importance of nonmaterial values. Prioritize spending time together as a family, whether you’re engaged in experiences and activities or spending quiet time at home. Watch the example you set regarding shopping and spending. Help children explore their values. Instead of just saying “no” to every request, use the moment to discover what’s important to kids.

POWERSOURCE ASK GOD:

1. To bless your family’s Christmas

preparations and reflections.

2. To help your children feel satis-

fied with what they have.

3. To show your family the value of

spiritual things rather than

material things.

Worship at RLC

Saturday @ 5:00

Traditional, relaxed

Sunday @ 8:00 Contemplative w/

Communion Sunday @ 9:00 Traditional Sunday @ 11:00 Praise and Worship www.rosevillelutheran.org

Someone’s Coming! Cornerstone Christmas Program on Dec 10th at 11:00

Nurture Generous Hearts

Jesus gave us the best guidance for living in a culture that overflows with materialism. In Matthew 6:33 (NLT), he challenges us to “seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” When we trust Jesus to provide, we can be generous and find joy in giving to others. Helping children develop a heart of gratitude is the best cure for a sense of entitlement. Gratitude moves the focus off ourselves so we can consider other people’s needs and act generously in response. Start by talking with your children about sharing. Then discuss why God wants us to be generous—and how sharing our blessings with others becomes a blessing for them. Try these ideas to nurture generosity and a giving spirit this Christmas.

Hearts for Jesus Make a big stocking with the name “Jesus” in glitter. Let children make felt or paper hearts with their names on them and give their “hearts” to Jesus. (After all, that’s what he wants the most at Christmas!) 12 Days of Serving As a family, come up with 12 acts of service you can perform together during December. For example, shovel snow for a neighbor, donate extra blankets to a homeless shelter, and deliver cookies and hot cocoa to homebound senior citizens. Try Tithing When children receive money for Christmas, have them use 10 percent to help someone else, whether they donate it or buy a small gift. Together, keep a journal detailing how children use that 10 percent—and see how the blessings add up! Adopt a Family Purchase gifts and a holiday meal for a family in need. Then deliver everything on (or right before) Christmas Eve. You can do this anonymously. All-Night Anticipation Curl up in sleeping bags beneath your tree on Christmas Eve. Before going to sleep, talk about what Mary and Joseph experienced on the journey to

“Store your treasures in heaven … Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your

heart will also be.” —Matthew 6:20-21

Bethlehem and in the stable. Before opening gifts in the morning, emphasize that Jesus is the first—and best—Christmas gift. Baby Blessings Older kids can throw a baby shower (complete with birth announcements!) for Jesus and then donate items to a local crisis-pregnancy center. Anonymous Angels On Christmas morning, have family members draw names. During each of the next 12 days, angels should anonymously do something special for their person (do a chore, leave a note or drawing, make a treat, etc.). On January 6 (Epiphany), have an Angel Party and reveal your identities. Serve angel food cake and discuss what it was like to bless others—and to be blessed by others. Bearing Gifts Fill lunch sacks with small treats and tape them shut. Read aloud Matthew 2:1-12 and say: “After Jesus was born, wise men traveled a long way to bring him gifts. Let’s pretend to be wise men and camels!” Take turns being wise men who guide camels on all fours—carrying a sack on their back. Then talk about what gifts the wise men gave Jesus and what gifts we can give him.

TEACHABLE MOMENTS

The Greatest Gift Beforehand, wrap a small gift for each family member. (Choose a variety of items that anyone would enjoy.) Sit in a circle and give each person one gift to hold. Say: As I read the Christmas story, pass your gift to the person on your right every time I say “God,” “Lord,” or “Jesus.” When I’m done, I’ll say “amen,” and you’ll keep the gift you’re holding at that time. Read aloud Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 1:26-38; and Luke 2:1-20. Then say “amen.” Have family members hold their gifts while you ask these questions: What did you have to do to receive the gift you have? What did we have to do to receive the gift of Jesus? What is most exciting to you about the Christmas story, and why? Say: Jesus is the greatest gift of all! He freely gave his life for us out of love. Because of Jesus, we’ll live forever with him—and so will everyone else who loves him. Close in prayer and open your gifts.

Someone’s Coming! Cornerstone Christmas

Program on Dec 10th

During 11:00 Worship!

MEDIA MADNESS

MOVIE Title: The Star Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy Rating: PG Cast: Tyler Perry, Oprah Winfrey, Kristin Chenoweth, Zachary Levi Synopsis: A brave donkey yearning for adventure teams up with some eccentric stable animals. When the new friends follow a star, they become unlikely heroes of the first Christmas. Our Take: This major Sony Pictures release includes lots of big-name talent, including a title song by Mariah Carey. Based on the trailer, the movie seems to offer more comedy and animated antics than religious insight. It is refreshing, though, to have a holiday release that actually focuses on the reason for the season—Jesus.

BOOK Title: Malala’s Magic Pencil Author: Malala Yousafzai Synopsis: The 20-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, who advocates for human rights and education, offers inspiration in this new picture book. While sharing her vision for equality and opportunity, she encourages young readers to change the world. Our Take: Despite Malala’s experience surviving an attempted murder, this book remains age-appropriate for kids ages 4 to 8. There’s a suggestion of danger and hardship, but Malala’s message about educational ideals and the goodness of people is positive. Older kids may wonder what the author endured, and the book may provide a great opportunity to discuss the basics of Christian faith versus other faiths.

Games, Sites & Apps

Anaxi In this lighthearted card game, which won a “best family fun” award, players make creative connections between words. The goal is to brainstorm people, places, and things that have qualities in common. Answers can be challenged. For ages 8 and up.

AutismHwy.com This site, launched by the mother of an autistic boy, features fun games for children who are on the autism spectrum. It’s also filled with lots of helpful information for parents, including a blog, articles, resources, events, and specialists. Users must create an account to access site material.

Leela Kids This free educational app for kids ages 3 to 15 curates podcast content based on topics and age groups. Topics range from science and space to music and animals. Kids and parents can rate and share any episode or story. Parents can hide certain age categories as desired.

CULTURE & TRENDS

An Eye-Opener Spending more time playing outdoors has a protective effect on children’s eyesight, say researchers. Lots of exposure to outdoor light may also reduce kids’ chances of needing glasses for nearsightedness. (cnn.com)

Moods Are Catchy Children whose friends deal with bad moods are more likely to report being in bad moods themselves, according to a new study. The opposite is true for children whose friends are generally happy. (time.com)

QUICK STATS

“Spoiled” Alert! 46% of parents say they’ve gone into

debt buying something their children want. (cnbc.com)

Tipping the Scales The number of obese children and teens worldwide now tops 124 million. That’s more than 10 times the number from four decades ago. (The Lancet)

Pardon Me About half of parents say they’re interrupted by their smartphones at least three times a day while talking with their kids. These interruptions contribute to negative behavior among children, research reveals. (telegraph.co.uk)

This page is designed to help educate parents and isn’t meant to endorse any movie, music, or product. Our goal is to help

you make informed decisions about what your children watch, read, listen to, and play.

Of all the qualities God tries to build into our character, gratitude seems to be one of the most obvious. It

doesn’t take long to tell if someone is thankful or not. It’s the kind of quality that sets a pattern for the rest of

an individual’s personality. “Gratitude,” “gratis” and “grace” come from the same Latin word.

So do “ungrateful” and “ingratiating.” No one straddles a middle line when it comes to gratitude. Either you’re

thankful, or you’re not, and everyone usually knows which one you are (or aren’t).

Why do you suppose God has so much to say about the importance of gratitude? We hear “Give thanks” re-

peated throughout the Psalms, and Jesus Himself pauses to give thanks to the Father before setting a table

for five thousand hungry guests in Galilee.

I guess God not only knows that gratitude makes us more gracious, but He also knows what happens when

gratitude is absent. Have you ever stopped to think about what gradually happens to your child’s heart when

they learn to show gratitude to others and even to God? Or what happens gradually when our children ne-

glect to demonstrate gratitude?

If they don’t learn to be intentionally grateful, they develop some pretty unhappy habits: an unhealthy ego,

burned-out friendships, taken-for-granted family members, a sense of entitlement, constant discontent-

ment, frustration, anger, relational dysfunction . . .

Sometimes people turn over and over trying to figure out God’s mysterious will for their lives. This one’s not

a mystery. I Thessalonians 5:18 makes it clear. If you want to know what God’s will is, it’s gratitude. “Give

thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)

Something extraordinary will happen in the heart of a child when they learn to look for something to be

thankful for in every situation. Gratitude is something that will affect every relationship your child will have. It

will affect how they see God, how they see others, and even how they see themselves.

So, take a gratitude check. If you can help your child make a gratitude adjustment, that is something you can be thankful for.

By Reggie Joiner

Parents Night Out on Dec 1st!

Looking for a night out and don’t know what to do with the kids? RLC is having a Parents Night Out on Friday, Dec 1st from 6-9 pm. Bring your kids ages 12 months—10 years to the Commons to sign them in, and then enjoy the evening doing whatever you wish! Youth from RLC will be caring for your kids. Cost is $15 per child or $40 per family. Proceeds to toward scholarships for our youth to go on Summer Trips and Camps. Pre-registration is required so we know how many kids to expect. Sign up in the Commons at the Children, Youth and Family Corner, in the church office, or at the Children’ Youth and Family desk in the lobby upstairs.

Pajama Day on Sunday, Dec 3rd!

Sunday, December 3rd is a fun day at Roseville Lutheran

Church! Look around and you will see kids and their Shepherds

in their jammies, learning about God’s love in a comfy, cozy

way! Come to church in your PJ’s and bring a new pair of PJ’s

for a child or youth to have that needs them! Let’s try to collect

150 pair of pajamas this year! We especially need larger sizes

for a 10-12 year old to wear.

Bring your donations to the bin in the lobby!

Did you

hear?

Someone’s

Coming!

Cornerstone

Christmas Program

Sunday, Dec 10th

11:00 Worship

I have something like 1,300 contacts in my phone. No doubt, 1,300 is a crazy number. You might

have double that, or half that. It’s just the world we live in.

But even if you only had 100, you wouldn’t really know each of them well. Not deeply. Not personally.

You couldn’t. Our relational span just isn’t that big.

But there’s also a “favorites list” on my phone, as there probably is one on yours. On that list are the

people who are one touch-of-the-screen away from a call or a text. My favorites list is much shorter.

In fact, there are less than twenty people on that list. If I were to get even more granular, there are

really only about five that I call or text all the time. These are the handful of people closest to me.

These five know me inside out…my good points and not so good ones. My dreams and my struggles.

My favorite and least favorite things. They’re the ones who are not only great friends but great advi-

sors.

I’m sure you’ve got those people too. But do your kids?

When your kids need to talk, who do they talk to? I mean beyond their friends and beyond you as a

parent? Friends are of limited help; sometimes the last thing a 16-year-old needs is advice from an-

other 16-year-old. And sometimes the last person they want to talk to is a parent. I’m sure there are

parents who say, “my kid will talk to me.” But let me ask you something, did you tell your parents eve-

rything? Exactly!.

So who do they go to? To whom can they turn?

I dream of a culture in which every child has five adults, other than their parents, they can talk to

about the important stuff. Like school. And girls. And parents. And the future. And God. And faith.

And their problems.

Posted by Carey Nieuwhof

FIVE other adults (Con’t)

If you were fortunate when you were growing up, you might have had someone you could talk to

other than your mom or dad about the big stuff and the little stuff. Maybe it was a coach who took

an interest in you, a teacher, a neighbor, a grandparent, or an uncle who always seemed to have the

time for you. If you had someone like that. you know what a difference those relationships can make.

That’s why I wanted my kids to have at least…

five other adults in their life guiding them and giving input.

five people who know their hopes and dreams,

five people who know their quirks and good points.

five people they can talk to honestly about what’s really going on in their lives.

five people who can offer wisdom when life gets confusing.

five people who care about them and pray for them.

My question is simple: who are your kids’ five? Who will they text and who will they call when they

don’t know what to do?

If you don’t know who those five are, you’re not alone. But you can change that. Soon.

I would encourage you to spend some time over the next month identifying people your kids can

build a trusting relationship with.

My guess is between small group leaders, neighbors, family friends, uncles, aunts, grandparents,

coaches, and teachers, you will find a few who will be willing to spend a little one on one time with

your child periodically.

Ask them if they’ll spend some time getting to know your child or teen, and even pray for them regu-

larly. And then watch what happens.

If every child and teen ends up with five adults on their phone’s favorite list, we might indeed be rais-

ing a wider, more secure, more grounded, more Christ-centered, more joyful generation than we’ve

seen in a long time.

And if you’re still not convinced, I have a simple question. Don’t you wish there had been five other

adults in your life growing up that you had a great relationship with, trusted, and could talk to?

I do. Which is why years ago, I sat down with my sons and drafted theirs. It’s a different world out

there. And it can be a better world.

Someone’s Coming! Cornerstone Christmas Program on Dec 10th

during the 11:00 Worship Service

Mark your calendar!

December is a busy month and we don’t want you to miss a thing at Roseville Lutheran Church with your kids! Here is what is happening in the weeks ahead! Sunday, November 26 Advent Activity Day! Cornerstone kids make special crafts for Advent after music rehearsal Sunday, Dec 3 Pajama Day in Cornerstone and Luther League– wear your PJ’s to church and bring a new pair for someone else! Saturday, Dec 9 9-noon BIG rehearsal for Cornerstone Christmas Program in the Worship Center with musicians and all involved! Sunday, Dec 10 Cornerstone Christmas Program at 11, Rehearsal during Cornerstone at 10 Sunday, Dec 17 Birthday Party for Jesus in Cornerstone at 10 Sunday, Dec 24 Worship at 10:00, Family Blessing at 3 & 4:30 Christmas Eve services at 9 & 11 pm Monday, Dec 25 Christmas Worship at 10:00 Sunday, Dec 31 Worship at 8, 9 & 11, New Year’s Eve Jazz at 7 pm Sunday, Jan 7 Cornerstone Resumes at 10:00