Give a little differently this Christmas - CFN Newsletter Week 137

CHRISTIAN FAMILY NETWORK NEWSLETTER 137

> Pay it forward - and remember the reason for the season
> News:
> Christian MPs push forward family debate
> CARE backs UN concensus on the Family
> Church of Fools reopens - for individuals only
> Sites:
> Christmas games
> Christian-based online magazine for women
> Marriage MOT: For better, for worse
> You've got to laugh: Christmas jokes
> Members' Zone latest

> OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS WEEK

Christmas resources for your church from CPO and much more are now available at http://www.cpo-online.org.uk
Mail neillcooper@christianmedia.org.uk to advertise here

> FROM THE EDITOR

Hi there

Hope you're surviving the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations, and finding time to enjoy the anticipation of Advent in the midst of it.

Plenty for you to read and catch up on this update, which will be the last one this year - our next newsletter and web updates will happen around 7 January.

Every blessing this Christmas - may the God of surprises surprise you afresh with his love and peace.

"Today in the town of David, a Saviour has been born to you: he is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11)

Russ Bravo
Christian Family Network
info@cfnetwork.co.uk
http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk

PS Christian Family Network is here to direct you to the best in parenting, marriage and family resources; to link you up with other Christian families up and down the UK; and to help you make the most of life as a follower of Christ - at home, at work, at school and college, at play and online.

Your feedback, positive and negative, enables us to develop CFN in the way that is most useful for you - so please tell us if we're off the rails or on the button!

And don't forget - if we can pass on material (sample copies of Families Together, leaflets) which will help you tell your friends and your church about CFN, just mail Lyn Bedford at marketing@christianmedia.org.uk and she'll be glad to help you out.

ADVICE

Pay it forward

Charles Stanley has a reminder for the Christmas season ...

We're often told that Christmas is a season of giving, evident in the gifts we so carefully wrap each year. But why do we give? Is it just tradition and ritual, or is there something more - a symbolic meaning behind this whole process of giving and receiving?

We celebrate Christmas because of the ultimate gift God gave to us: his Son, Jesus, as payment for our sin. Oftentimes, it's easy to lose sight of the meaning of Christmas due to the glitz, glamour, and over-commercialisation of the holiday season. Yet, as believers, it is our responsibility to realise the profound meaning of this season.

In the past, you may have thought of Christmas as an opportunity to stock up on your DVD collection, gain a few pounds from the abundant food, or receive another pair of socks from in-laws. But how much do you think about giving at Christmas by offering your time and service to others?

When we think of giving, neatly wrapped presents may be the first things that come to mind. Yet, this holiday season, think about ways you can "pay it forward" and do something kind and unexpected for a friend, family member, or someone else in need.

The innkeeper offered his inn; Jesus' mother, Mary, offered her body to the Lord's service; the angel gave the good news of Christ's coming; the shepherds and wise men gave praise and honor to God by visiting Jesus. Christ's entire life involved service to others. These are all examples of kindness we should actively seek to follow.

While it never gets old opening gifts and enjoying the festivities of the holiday season, it's important to never forget the reason for our celebration. Two thousand years ago, an innocent, perfect infant, Jesus Christ, entered this world, only to die a brutal death over 30 years later - all so that we could experience God's abundant grace. This was the first Christmas present in history. But it wasn't a pretty package to unwrap. Instead, it was a selfless act of service.

Proverbs 3:3 says: "Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart." When we follow these commandments, we will feel a sense of fulfilment knowing we offered a part of ourselves, through service, to someone else. More importantly, God will "find favour" in our actions.

Take some time this holiday season to pay it forward. You'll never know what unexpected kindness means to someone in need.

www.crosswalk.com

> THIS WEEK'S NEWS

> Christian MPs push forward family debate

Earlier this week, members of the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship raised a debate on family policy.

Go to http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/news.asp for the full story

> CARE welcomes UN consensus on the Family

CARE has warmly welcomed the UN General Assembly Resolution agreed by consensus recently, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the International Year of the Family. This is a major development in the global debates on family policy.

Go to http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/resources.asp for the full story

> Church of Fools reopens - for individuals only

Church of Fools, the UK's first 3D online house of worship, has re-opened - as a place for private prayer and reflection.

Go to http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/news.asp for the full story

> MARRIAGE MOT

For better, for worse

What fearsome words – how little we know what may lie ahead. Sometimes we marry thinking that our love will change our spouse – we’ll soon cure those bad habits or break that addiction. All it needs is a little love.

Have you heard what the bride said as she went up the isle to the altar, "I’ll alter him"?

We all like the sound of "better", but sometimes easy times may lead our hearts to wander as we take each other for granted. "Worse" is more ominous, but we hope with boundless optimism that everything will be all right. It won’t happen to us.

And then we wake up one morning to remember the tears of the previous night as we confronted our loved one for letting us down or see the empty pillow and remember the argument that led them to sleep in the spare room, or remember the unpaid bills, or the doctor’s diagnosis. Where do we turn at those times? How do we find a way through?

Facing our problems fair and square. Taking responsibility for our on actions and forgiving each other. Being prepared to be the one who bears the weight of life for a weakened partner. Setting our face with determination to get through. Choosing to love our spouse when there seems nothing attractive or loveable about them and the pain threatens to engulf us. Leaning on God if we know him.

Why do we do it? Because we don’t want to be alone. Because somewhere inside we long to go on. Because we made a vow all those years ago to do it. Because we want what’s best for our loved one and our children. Because we hope that would do it for us. Perhaps because they are beside us working through it, too. Because we believe there is hope beyond the pain.

Have you been through some of those "worse" times? What helped you through? What did you learn? Do you know each other better? Did your marriage grow stronger through it?
> Check out our archived marriage tips in the Members' Zone, plus stacks more marriage resources at http://www.2-in-2-1.co.uk

> EVENTS

> YOU'VE GOT TO LAUGH ...

What do they call Santa's helpers?
Subordinate Clauses

Who sings "Love Me Tender" and makes Christmas toys?
Santa's little Elvis

If athletes get athlete's foot, what do astronauts get?
Missile toe

How does Santa Claus take pictures?
With his North Pole-aroid

What do you call the fear of getting stuck while sliding down a chimney?
Santa Claus-trophobia

The 3 stages of man:
He believes in Santa Claus
He doesn't believe in Santa Claus
He is Santa Claus

> CHRISTIAN FAMILY NETWORK THIS WEEK
(MEMBERS' ZONE) - http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/default.asp

> Advice

> Kate's Marriage advice - for better, for worse
> Eric Spellmann on e-mail urban legends
> A Christian doctor puts the case against the Government's Mental Capacity Bill - and says it could lead to euthanasia
> Elaine Storkey on what we can learn from a Russian Orthodox Christmas

> Resources

> Award-winning photographer Don McCullin finds hope among Aids/HIV sufferers in Africa
> Meet the Belfast pastor bringing youngstes together from both sides of the sectarian divide
> Learning from a world war two tragedy
> A little girl learns how to be Santa ...
> A memo to all personnel re Santa Claus' visit

> News

> Christian MPs push forward family debate
> CARE backs UN concensus on the Family
> Church of Fools reopens - for individuals only

> Sites:

> Christmas games
> Christian-based online magazine for women

> Events: What's on near you

> Webwatch index: more than 700 sites categorised at your fingertips

> Site Search Engine: the easy way to trawl our 1,000-page plus archives

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