12 Days til Christmas

Since the "12 Days of Christmas" comes after Christmas, we thought it would be more fitting to have a new and improved 12 Days til Christmas. As a Sunday School class we have decided that we are going to prepare for the coming of the Christ. This means that the next 12 days we are going to set aside some part of our day to prepare for Christmas. Not prepare such as, hanging lights, buying gifts, and practicing kissing under mistletoe... but prepare our minds and hearts spiritually for the celebration of the birth of our Savior. This will act as a count down as we get closer and closer to the date, the hope is that we will feel closer and closer to God, and our minds will have a different perspective on Christmas morning when we are stuffing ourselves with homemade donuts, and opening up gifts.

Everyday from now until "the donuts," there will be a new focus, a new thought, or task that we have come up with as a group that we think will help us focus more on the real reason for the season. You can do as little or as much as you feel led. If/when you experience God feel free to share with us over email, or one of the next couple Sunday's. Also if you feel that someone else would like to participate in the fun. If you choose not to do the task or to put time into the thought, then you are losing out on some major points that the cosmic score keeper is keeping, and frankly you will be less Christian than the rest of us...

On the 12th day til Christmas (Monday)

This is known as the day of thanks. On Monday you will focus on thankfulness in ways or at times that you would not normally be thankful.
Here are a couple ideas:
- Sincerely say thank you to a close family member for something they do all the time, that you may or may not always say thank you to. Make sure you emphasize your thankfulness and gratitude. It may be a little awkward and that is okay. If it is, that means you have done it correctly.
- Thank you journal. This activity you must write, you cannot just think of what you are thankful for, this time write it down. Take the good and the bad events from your day and find ways to be thankful for those events.
- Make a Thanksgiving craft. Simply trace your hand so that it resembles a turkey. Then on each finger/feather and write reasons of thankfulness about a person and then give them the craft. Just because you are of college age doesn't mean you can't reach back into your childhood and pull out a gem and encourage and lighten someones day.
- Think of someone of your past you need to thank them for. Write a letter or email and thank them.

Psalm 107:1
"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

1 Chronicles 16:34
O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His loving kindness is everlasting.