"Since 1863, on the fourth Thursday of November, families and friends in the United States have gathered to commemorate an old tradition linked back to the early European settlers.

You know the story: The pilgrims and Native Americans came together for a happy feast to celebrate the harvest and forge new friendships. A few hundred years later, this event became a legislated holiday and got Norman Rockwelled into the fabric of American life. We call it Thanksgiving." - Jonathan Parnell

Hope and Desire

This time of year is always a joyous time to gather as family and eat a ton of food. And this year we want to give everyone practical helps to make this Thanksgiving enjoyable but also very fruitful and intentional. Below we linked a few blog posts that will be helpful for you this holiday season as you prepare for the madness. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Opportunities | Remembrances 

5 Simple Ways To Have A Missional Thanksgiving: These five things will help you and others understand what thanksgiving looks like. Doing the things on this list will lead you away from a me understanding and into a we understanding. How can I not just say thank you to God but learn to walk out that thankfulness in the everyday. The principles above in this blog post can start to be walked out in many ways that don't have to happen just at Thanksgiving.

Who Are You Inviting to Thanksgiving?: In order to fulfill the Great Commission, we need to know whom Jesus wants us to invite to our Thanksgiving dinner.

Thanksgiving on Mission: What if God had more for our kin this Thanksgiving than the Macy’s parade, tryptophan-induced naps, and NFL football? What if we saw our gatherings with extended family not as a chance to check out, but as an opportunity for Christian mission? 

TensionsHow to Deal with Holiday Family Tensions?: Here are a few quick thoughts on what followers of Jesus ought to remember, especially if you've got a difficult extended family situation.

Rethinking Thanksgiving: I’ve always thought of Thanksgiving as a day to count my blessings, to take an inventory (at least a partial one) of what I’m grateful for, to try not to take God’s providence for granted. This year I’m wondering if there’s a risk in blessing-counting, at least when those blessings are things...

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Weekly Once-Over (11.21.2013):

5 Things Mistaken for Evangelism: In the matter of evangelism, I’m concerned about a number of things that people take to be evangelism that aren’t. And this case of mistaken identity can have consequences more serious than mere embarrassment. Let me mention five things mistaken for evangelism.

How To Live In A Secular Culture: How should Christians relate to a secular society that does not know Jesus? Paul’s letter to Titus sheds light on this scenario, showing us how God’s grace should motivate Christians to be good citizens and neighbors.

Intolerant Tolerance: Today morality is more like wine tasting than banking. In banking, there is a right and wrong answer. If you deposit a thousand dollars in a new bank account and a week later try to withdraw eighty dollars, you would not be willing to agree to disagree when the teller says your account is empty. But we don’t see morality like banking anymore. Instead, we see it more like wine tasting. In wine tasting, everyone has their favorite blends and no one is necessarily right or wrong—it all depends on individual palates. No one has the right to declare as an absolute truth that simply because they prefer a specific grape or vintage, it is superior to all other wines. The problem is, the God of the Bible sees morality like banking, not wine tasting. 

The Cure For Backsliding: All Christians are sinners, but not all Christians are currently backsliding. Backsliding is not the loss of one’s salvation (this is impossible), nor the loss of God’s love and care (his faithfulness endures forever). To say it simply, a backslidden Christian is one whose communion with Christ is waning and whose faith is weakening. I shared what some potential symptoms of a backslidden condition look like in a previous post on my site. Today, I would like to point us to the cure for a backslidden heart.

Why You Can't Push Your Kids Into The Kingdom: Children are a divine stewardship. They are not for us to own, but for us to love, carefully guide, and then release to God’s provident care. We cannot pressure, bully or force them into faith. We parent, not with anticipation of some promised outcome, but out of faithfulness to Jesus, leaving the outcome to him.

The Idol Of Hospitality: My husband and I host people in our home all the time. We are called to live in community with one another. We strive to live in community on a regular basis, but with that community comes hosting duties. As a hostess I provide food, entertainment, and above all make sure my house is clean. These three things can become an obsession for me, so much in fact that I find I never leave the kitchen. It’s unbelievably easy to get wrapped up in the details and not enjoy our company. We get so distracted with preparing that we leave little time for fellowship and gospel-intentionality.

This is Discipling: What would it look like if, as leaders, we focused less on the things that make our churches entertaining and more on making disciples? The video below gives a great simple look at what discipleship looks like.

Weekly Once-Over (11.14.2013):

3 Ways Christ Can Be Outside Your Church: "Yet here's the great irony: For all its fine reputation, Jesus was standing outside the door of this dazzling church, knocking (Rev. 3:20). To me, this is one of the most extraordinary pictures in the Bible. Christ outside his own church! Jesus knocking on his own people's door! I know this text is often used to invite unbelievers to open their hearts to Christ. And that's fine. But the first application is not to unbelievers, but to the church."

Did the Devil Make Me Do It?: "Sin isn't evidence of demonic strongholds in our lives; it is simply disobedience that is inconsistent with our salvation in Christ. We don't need an advanced degree in demonology in order to be obedient; we don't need exorcisms or deliverances."

A Mommy's To-Do List: "We live in a culture that celebrates productivity and efficiency. We like to see results. We like to get things done. We like when we accomplish something big. It makes us feel important. At least it does for me. But here is something I’ve learned in my first year as a mommy."

6 Actions For Younger Women: "Younger women are critically important in the church. Not only do they have much to contribute as they serve and lead as deacons and ministry volunteers, but those who are mothers help shape the next generation of children who we pray will love Jesus. Paul give Titus six characteristics of a godly younger woman."

5 Actions For Younger Men: "Everything here should be viewed through the lens of Jesus and his redemptive work in reconciling all things to himself. The principles of how to be a godly man can be lived out in a million different ways, but it must be in Christ."

4 Actions For Older Men: "For older men, the evidence of the gospel changing us from the inside out exhibits itself in these behaviors. Paul says in Galatians 5:13-15, the outcome of obeying Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit is summed up by how we love our neighbor. We know we're maturing in Christ if the gospel takes root in us and works itself out in our life and relationships."

Three Vital Questions to Consider Before You Decided to Get Married: "As I've thought about the issue while talking with friends, considering my own marriage, and searching through the Scriptures, I've concluded there isn't any quick, easy answer. Instead, I want to simply put forward three questions, and a couple of caveats, to help singles and couples navigate the dating and marriage decision."

How To Be A Man At Home: "Having been married for 19 years and being the father of four kids, I have learned a lot about what it means to be a man at home.  Here are five simple but effective things that I strive to live out every day."

Osteen Keeps Using God's Band-Width: "To the surprise of no one, Joel Osteen is on the cover of another magazine and the author of another book. The life-coach with a million dollar smile continues to be widely popular. To be clear: I am not against life-coaches or good smiles. I even have a personal soft-spot for a mullet and a well fitting suit. However, what I am against is a guy who continues to use Jesus’ bandwidth to broadcast his message."

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The Christmas season is soon upon us and that means it is time to celebrate the wonderful season of Christmas with family and friends. Recently at Redeemer we encouraged the people within our Gospel Communities to start hosting parties and invite their neighbors and non-Christian friends to these gatherings. We want our Gospel Communities to throw such great parties that our neighbors that don't know Jesus want to come and join you. Yes this blog post may seem a bit soon before the season begins but we want you to start planning now. And these parties don't all have to be just seasonal, start now and invite neighbors over.

Mission is central in the life of our Gospel Communities and within those who are found in Christ. Christ came into this world on a mission to bring sinners back to God. Jesus had a mission, he did not sit back and not do anything, he was active and cared for us even to the point of death on a cross. As Christians we are called to care about all those who don't know Jesus. One of the primary reasons we gather as the body of Christ outside of Sundays is to reflect the glorious truths of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This Christmas season let us be active within our neighborhoods and be on mission.

So here are 3 easy steps to throwing a great party this Christmas season to get to know your neighbors. This is just a list of suggestions, but our hope is that these steps will spark disciples of Jesus to embrace being missionaries within every area of their lives.

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1. Come up with a catchy seasonal name for your party

It's important to come up with a name for your Christmas Bash. Don't do something simple like "Samish Neighborhood Christmas Party". Think outside the box! Do something like "The Ultimate Christmas Bash"! Make it unique to pique the interests of your neighbors and friends. God created you with a creative bone, so be creative and have fun with it.

Ideas for different Christmas Parties: 

• Gift Exchange
• Have a "Best Ever Christmas Enchilada Contest".
• Progressive Dinner Party (For those in a GC who live close in proximity)
• Christmas Caroling (Outside with candles, of course, the kids will love it)

2. Gather your GC Family to Pray and Plan

At this GC family gathering it is important to first and foremost ask God together to use this neighborhood party to bring glory to His Son Jesus Christ and ask Him to bring opportunities to get to know your neighbors and care for them. Ask God to give you creative minds to pull off a great party that is welcoming to people. Ask God to provide moments to talk about your King Jesus (Disclaimer: Don't be weird, listen to your neighbors and ask questions about them: more about this below)

After your time in prayer with your GC family, it is time to plan the party. Assign different jobs for people to do so you don't have to do everything.

• Who's designing and/or making the invitations? (Physical invites are helpful for people to come, no Facebook. Don't be lazy, go door to door and invite people with a friendly smile to your Christmas Party) Easy Invitations to make.
• Who's making the food? If it's too much to cook for a ton of people, plan the Christmas Party for after dinner, do dessert. Fun Food Ideas for Christmas Parties.
• Make a guest list (At least know how many people is too many for you to connect with). Look at the location you are hosting your party. If space is limited, don't invite more than 8 people in your neighborhood. The smaller the place and the more crammed people feel at the party, the more people feel more guarded and shut off. Think of your environment carefully and choose how many people is too many. 
• Assign people from your GC family will come to the party to do odd things around the house so you can be present talking to your neighbors. Not everyone from your GC needs to be at the actual party as that gets a little weird. (Have assigned people in your GC serve food, do dishes, refill drinks). These people should be present but not distracting. 
• Know the space you intend to use and organize it accordingly. Check link for some great ideas on making the most of the space you have.
• Plan which games to do. Even if it is cold outside, that’s ok, do games outside. Give people something to do besides just talking. Plan games for both adults and children. (Example of some games are horseshoes, corn hole, Red Rover, tag, and three legged races. Three legged races with parents and kids can be a huge hit and great icebreaker for everyone involved.) Other Great Party Game Ideas.

3. Have Fun and Get to Know Others at the Party

You are throwing the party to get to know your neighbors and become friends with them. So ask questions about your neighbor’s lives. Care about others by listening to them. You don't have to always talk, ask a lot questions. 

Sample Questions:

• What do you do for work? Do you like the job? What's your dream job?
• Do you have any children? What sort of things do you like to do for fun with them in ______ (Insert town name here)? 
• What do you like to do for fun when you're not working? If it is something genuinely interesting, ask if you might have them show you some time. (Disclaimer for men and women: Before you go and ask someone to invite you along with them, to be above reproach, make sure you say this to gender specific people. This will just elevate any weird or false signals)

The goal is to have fun, get to know your neighbors and throw a great party. Be on mission this holiday season and may God continue to save people by His grace.

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Weekly Once-Over (11.7.2013): 

PhoneStack: Next Time We Meet, Let's Do This: "Of course, this might not work for every gathering (Kempt got a boatload of negative responses and exceptions), but I do love the intentionality of a group of people acknowledging the challenges of smartphones and choosing to do something together to enrich their time." Here is a fun game to play the next time your out with friends.

Elected Homecoming Queen: An Exceptional Story:  "Molly Anne Dutton shouldn't be here today. Not according to the opinion polls. Even many pro-life Christians make an exception that would have snuffed out her life." This is a great post about hope and encouragement for pro-life.

Men, here is How to Plan Fall Traditions:  "Gentlemen, it is time to start thinking about and planning this season. Think about some of your favorite childhood memories. Chances are they involved two big things: repetition and your senses." Gentlemen, the words "I don't care" should not be words in your vocabulary. Here are some practical ways husbands can plan traditions for their families.

Driven vs. Called:  "The pressures of church planting can shift the defining reality of our hearts from following God's call to being driven by our own merits. Here are a few practical ways to check the motives of your ministry."

Is All Sin Equal in God's Eyes:  "A reader of this site recently asked me this question: Is all sin equal in God’s eyes? It is a common question and the answer is of the variety that is always a little bit unsatisfying: It is one of those “yes and no” answers." Let the blog post explain.

Top Ten Myths About Giving:  "...in the spirit of Mythbusters, I have used bad science to compile this top ten list.  Gallup can spend their energy accurately polling the populace to determine ranking.  I will continue to eschew proper sample sizes in favor of personal conjecture. But regardless, I’m fairly confident that you have fallen prey to at least one of these myths about giving, so read on."

18 Thing I Will Not Regret Doing with My Kids:  "Like most parents, I have those moments where guilt and regret comes over me like a wave. I consider then how much of my parenting time has already passed by and how little remains. My oldest child, my son, is thirteen. He is already a teenager, just one year away from high school, just eight years from the age I was when I left home to get married. My girls are following close behind him. When that wave rises up, when I feel like I could drown beneath all that regret, I sometimes consider those things I will never regret. Here are 18 things I know I will not regret doing with my kids."

"Evangelism is as much about listening as it is about speaking." - Steve Timmis 

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Weekly Once-Over (10.31.2013) :

Flight or Fright? How to Redeem Halloween: Every year Halloween seems to grow in popularity. Bigger decorations, better candy, badder costumes. And every year Christians wonder how to handle this strange event that brings neighbors together over ghoulish scenes of death and unhealthy piles of chocolate. So as Christians, what do we do?

Those Who Sleep in the Dust Will Awake:  I believe that day is really coming. The sin of the man of dust will not get the last word in Hope's life and death, nor mine. Instead, the man of heaven will come and call us to life. Everyone joined to him by faith can anticipate the day to come when once again, God will breathe his very own life into bodies that have become dust.

Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?:  ...There is no demon meat – just meat that can be eaten in celebration of Jesus. Jesus made meat, and it is a good gift. Don’t get rid of the meat. Rather, get rid of its demonic association and redeem the meat for Jesus...

Parents, Require Obedience of Your Children:  I am writing this to plead with Christian parents to require obedience of their children. I am moved to write this by watching young children pay no attention to their parents’ requests, with no consequences. Parents tell a child two or three times to sit or stop and come or go, and after the third disobedience, they laughingly bribe the child. This may or may not get the behavior desired...

How To Read More - A Lot More:  When you read a lot of books people inevitably assume you speed read. In fact, that’s probably the most common email I get. They want to know my trick for reading so fast. They see all the books I recommend every month in my reading newsletter and assume I must have some secret. So they ask me to teach them how to speed read.

God's Commitment to Forgetfulness:   When God promises to forget your sin and never bring up your past indiscretions, your flaws, failures, and rebellious deeds, He is serious. He will never again bring up your sins. As far as the east is from the west, our sins have been removed.

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