All of us want to do special things during the holiday season, make memories with our loved ones, and bring true meaning (back) to the center. But how?  What does it look like, practically speaking?  How can we fit it in?  and does it even matter?

Discipleship always matters. Start by putting aside regret for time not spent in planning and the comparison that so quickly discourages.  Breathe.  God is with us.  He speaks and acts and ministers through us, in spite of us.  So, just start.

You don’t have to commit to something for every day of the month or even every week.  Just start with once.  And then, be open to God’s prompting for more.  Invite your child, gather your family, or get together with some friends and spend time in God’s Word and prayer together, inviting Him (back) to the center of this season, a celebration of His birth.

Here are just a few resources to take a look at.  But again, don’t bite off the entire huge production.  Just start with one.  And give thanks to God for it afterwards!

• 25 Characters of the Christmas Story: an Advent Experience for Families
  Each day between now and Christmas Day, they will release a new character that’s relevant to the Christmas story… adaptable to various ages.
• What God Wants for Christmas
  a listening series from Family Life Today; 6 messages to encourage and spark discussion
• Advent Hope
  From the Lifeway Women blog, this article takes a look at what Advent means and how it applies to our weary world
• Celebrating Advent (with kids at church)
  Yes, this blog post is written with children’s ministers in mind.  But it gives a great outline of themes/verses you can dive into as a family
• God Gave Us Christmas
  For younger children, this book is available on Amazon (in print & kindle versions).  [As Little Cub and her family prepare to celebrate the most special day of the year, the curious young polar bear begins to wonder… “Who invented Christmas?”  Mama’s answer only leads to more questions like “Is God more important than Santa?”]

It’s the little moments (now) that add up to big “aha” moments (later on).
And your time and energy spent on making disciples is never wasted.

“But when the kindness of God our Savior
and His love for mankind appeared,
He saved us –
not by works of righteousness that we had done,
but according to His mercy,
through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.
He poured out this Spirit on us abundantly
through Jesus Christ our Savior,
so that having been justified by His grace,
we may become heirs 
with the hope of eternal life.”
Titus 3:4-7