Category: Christmas

The Story of St. Nicholas

12/2/2023

Featured in Faith and Science with Dr. Fizzlebop:
Fizzing Christmas Trees experiment

You probably have many wondrous Christmas traditions. At the Fizzlebop home, we exuberantly celebrate Advent with various activities, we open special pajamas on Christmas Eve, we make fizzy Christmas trees like you just did, and we celebrate Jesus’ birthday with a birthday cake! We also have a tradition called St. Nicking, where we leave gifts anonymously (which means secretly) on the doorstep of someone who needs a little extra at Christmas.

Have you ever heard of a man named St. Nicholas, also known as St. Nick? St. Nick lived a long time ago (around AD 280) in a place called Asia Minor, which is part of modern-day Turkey (the country, not the bird). As a boy, he traveled widely with his parents and saw many magnificent things, but sadly both of his parents died in an epidemic (which is an out-break of sickness), leaving him an orphan. Nicholas inherited his parents’ fortune, and as a strong Christian, he lived out Jesus’ teachings on generosity.

We can learn what Jesus had to say about being generous in the story of the Rich Young Ruler (Mark 10:17-31). Have you read that part of the Bible? If not, turn there now and check it out!

Jesus told the rich young man, “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

What the young rich man found to be a huge obstacle, Nicholas followed with all his heart. He gave generously from his inheritance and often gave anonymously. Not only did Nicholas want to give as Jesus had commanded, but he didn’t want to be praised or glorified by doing so. He knew that all he had came from God, and therefore it wasn’t really his at all.

To me, St. Nick is such a marvelous example of what Christmas is all about. When God gave us his Son, he gave the greatest gift he could. Jesus gave his life so people could be saved. It’s a free gift for anyone who chooses to follow him. Can you see how St. Nick’s selfless giving pointed toward what God and his Son, Jesus, both gave freely?

This Christmas, consider how you can give generously and anonymously to someone who needs to feel God’s exuberant, overwhelming love. I promise you’ll feel fizztastic inside, because when we do what God asks, we are filled with wondrous joy.

Prayer Time

As a family, pray for friends, family members, and people in your community who might need a little extra support this year. Ask God to reveal needs to you throughout the Christmas season.

Devotional Questions

What traditions does your family have at Christmas?

Are there any new traditions you’d like to start this year? (We have some suggestions here)

What is a way you can celebrate Jesus’ birthday by showing his love to someone in your community?

Speaking of Saint Nicholas Checkout this New Christmas Book

Can two girls secretly fill a neighbor's Christmas with joy?

Two sisters set out on a wintry adventure with one important goal: give Mrs. Umberoach a wondrous surprise for Christmas Day. But what will the girls find when they arrive to deliver their surprise at the mysterious house at the end of the street—the one where kites go missing and strange rumors abound? With the help of their mom, the sisters discover the joy of giving instead of receiving and that friends, indeed, are everywhere if only we look.

St. Nicking at Night is an adventure about seeing past appearances and loving your neighbor as yourself. Combining the anonymous giving spirit of Saint Nick with the three gifts of the magi (wisemen), your family will discover a new way to celebrate Christmas with an exciting new tradition you'll want to continue year after year.

Buy the book

Create a New Family Tradition

What is Saint Nicking?

A fun way to show God’s love to someone in need.

How do we start?

Ask your church or a local shelter to find a family in need. Learn the names and ages of each family member. If possible, find out clothing sizes, interests and specific needs.

How does it work?

Plan a Saint Nicking party as a family. You can also invite others to join the fun. Assign one member from the family in need to each family who wants to help. With a list of suggested items in hand, everyone heads out to shop. When everyone finishes shopping, the wrapping party begins. You can turn on Christmas music and enjoy cookies and hot chocolate as gifts are being wrapped. Now it’s time to deliver the presents. The key to a successful Saint Nicking is to deliver the packages without being seen (like Saint Nick). You can send one car to deliver the gifts. You could also wear fun disguises. Or you could ask your church or local shelter to deliver the gifts anonymously. Finally, imagine the joy of the family who receives gifts picked just for them! And pray for them to have a wondrous Christmas!

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Devotional for October 2023 (from Edge of the Galaxy)

9/13/2023

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God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
—1 CORINTHIANS 12:18-20

STARLOG ENTRY 1.001

Greetings from the orbital platform Provider!

My name is Gavin Greystone, and I live here on Provider with my family. My dad’s name is Phoenix, my mom is Nebula, my brother is Comet, and my sister is Aurora. You could say my family is living on the edge—both because we’re living on the furthest edge of human civilization, and because our work out here is so dangerous.

Here on Provider, we are somewhere between 746 million and one billion miles from Earth, depending on our current position in the solar system. That’s a long way from our home planet! Provider orbits Titan, one of Saturn’s moons, and it was built by the Alliance of Spacefaring Nations (ASN).

Five years ago, my family arrived at Provider on board a spaceship called Beyond. I was seven years old at the time. We moved here from Mars to oversee the construction of Inspire, the first human settlement on Titan and soon to be our new home.

We have an artificial intelligence system named KEWD. (Don’t ask me what it stands for because no one ever told me.) This AI is built into all of our computer systems, helping us with our work and with living life out here in space. Most of our work on the surface of Titan is done remotely by our team of constructo-bots. With KEWD’s help, my family creates these robots’ tasks, verifies their work, and solves problems that happen along the way.

There are a few other people aboard Provider too. Their job is making sure the station continues to function, communicating with the ASN command center on Earth, and conducting other experiments. But when it comes to establishing a settlement on Titan, it’s the Greystone family or bust. We are a hundred percent on the hook for the success or failure of our habitat, called a hab-dome, on Titan’s surface. Eventually, the Inspire settlement will include other hab-domes, but completing this one is our first priority.

Our family has trained hard to become a fantastic team. Not that we don’t have the occasional setback or argument! My brother, Comet, likes to be in charge (even though he isn’t), and my sister, Aurora, thinks she has the answer to every problem (even though she doesn’t). I don’t let either of them push me around. I may be the youngest, but I’m taller than both of them, and I read a lot because, well, there isn’t a lot else to do out here at what feels like the edge of the galaxy.

Dad and Mom are good about keeping us focused on our mission and helping us work out our differences. They take time to help each of us develop our own skill sets even if, at times, these skills aren’t necessarily something we want to learn. For example, why do I have to know how to solve math problems when KEWD can do all the calculations for me through my mTalk? I mean, isn’t that why we all have mTalk devices—to communicate, access information, and help us solve problems?

If all goes according to plan, Team Greystone will be departing from Provider to the surface of Titan next week to become the first settlers there, making us the third group to establish a settlement on a moon or planet beyond Earth (after the colonies on Luna and Mars). We’ll be the very first humans to touch the surface of Titan! That’s mind-blowing to think about. I’ll be walking in places where no human has ever been. Amazing!

Our current team consists of my family members, but it’ll soon expand with two additional families joining us down on Titan. And from there, our settlement will continue to grow. For now though, my parents will lead our family and the two additional families coming to Titan. I hope someday I’ll be as good at leading a team as they are.

Faith at the Edge: Teamwork

Hello, this is KEWD again. I’ll be extracting insights from Gavin’s daily journal entry to take you deeper into some of the challenges he is facing.

The Greystone family is a team. No matter what challenges come their way, they rely on each other for all of their successes and failures. Each person in their family has a different skill set that makes them all valuable team members. This is important to help them succeed in their mission to colonize Titan. No role is more important than another; each position is unique and helps the team work together more effectively. Mr. and Mrs. Greystone help Gavin and his siblings sharpen their skills and keep them focused on the task at hand.

The Christian life works very similarly to the Greystone team. When you put your trust in Jesus Christ, accepting His offer of salvation, you become a part of a heavenly team. This is a team of Christians working together for a common goal or task: to share God’s love with the world! We learn in 1 Corinthians 12 that this team is similar to the human body. Each part of the body has an essential job, and one part cannot work as effectively without the other. The Bible says that God put each part exactly where He wanted it.

God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
—1 CORINTHIANS 12:18-20

Just like Gavin’s parents help him and his siblings stay focused and sharpen their skills, the Lord does the same for you. He puts people in your life to help you grow in your relationship with Him, and He’ll develop your skills so that you can work effectively with your Christian team.

Gavin’s family is part of a critical team working together to achieve the goal of establishing a settlement on Titan. You, as a Christian, are also a part of an essential spiritual team working together to achieve the purpose of sharing Jesus with the world. So remember that God loves you and values you as part of His fantastic team.

Edge Questions:

What teams have you been a part of? What role did you play on those teams?
Did you feel that your strengths were used in these roles? Or is there something else you would have liked to try?
Read 1 Corinthians 12. What is the reason we are a team? How has being part of a team strengthened you? How has being part of a team helped you realize the value of having people with different gifts and skills?

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A Family Christmas Refocused

11/19/2021

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By Brock Eastman
Article first appeared on Tyndale's Parenting Blog in December 2015

Travel by air. Travel by land. Travel by sleigh. Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Gifts for every family member, co-worker, teacher and friend. Peppermint Mocha. Gingerbread Latte. Flavor from your childhood memories of Christmas now in your caffeinated drink as an adult. This is the ‘Holiday Season’ these days.

Entrusted by God as parents of four little souls, my wife and I strive to make Christmas more about why we celebrate, than the over-merchandised cash-in on the ‘Holiday Season’ thing we often find ourselves caught up in. Now I’m not the Grinch and I love yummy flavored coffee, traveling to see family, and getting gifts that will make others’ eyes light up and set smiles on their faces. Still my wife and I hope Christmas will be a time of family togetherness that reflects on the birth of our Savior in a manger. We want our kids to understand that Christmas is not only getting gifts, but of giving gifts. As God gave us his Son, as the Magi gave gifts to Jesus, and as Jesus gave His life for us. To immerse our kids in this idea, we’ve started several meaningful, but simple traditions that help us have fun as a family while learning the importance of giving.

Advent Calendar: I can’t take any credit for this one, aside from taking part and being excited about the activity we’ll pull out of the drawer each day. My wife does a wonderful job creating and planning 25 Advent activities. Starting on December 1st, these activities range from bell ringing for the Salvation Army (yes all 6 of us) to making marshmallow snowmen on paper or going on a family hot cocoa date. Each year we have several activities we keep doing because we’ve found them to be family favorites, while others get replaced with new ideas. And though we’re a few days into December, it’s not too late to start. You can check out a full list below of the Eastman’s 2015 Advent Calendar to get ideas for your own calendar. And you’ll notice our activities aren’t always focused on the birth of Jesus. Pinterest is a great place to find ideas for Advent.

Christmas Reading List: This one is my favorite and not because I’m an author. I love having my four kiddos on my lap and gathered around me while we turn the pages to a Christmas themed book. Ten to fifteen minutes before bed each night or at the dinner table to read a story together is all it takes. We have a wonderful time listening, looking at pictures, and discussing what will happen next in the story. It’s also a great way to help our kids relax before bed. My wife and I have amassed a collection of Christmas books over the last few years, (getting a few books is one of our Advent activities) but for those who may not have a personal library yet, consider going to your local public or church library and checking out a dozen or so books. You can make this an every other night event to get started, but I’m sure your kids will soon ask for a story every night even beyond Christmas. Our books aren’t only about Christmas, some are winter themed. A couple family favorites are The Nutcracker or Snow by P.D. Eastman (no relation, at least that I know of). And the books we read about the birth of Jesus are a reminder of the ultimate gift we celebrate at Christmas. Plus reading to your kids at bedtime or anytime will pay huge dividends later as you’ll see them excel in school and their imaginations flourish. If you need book ideas we’ve created a list for you.

Three Gifts of the Magi: Are your kids’ lists for Santa each a mile long? Has one of your kids ever said, “If you don’t get it for me, I’ll ask Santa?” America is a prosperous country and often that causes us to be more materialistic than we want, it’s simply; we see it, we want it, we get it, because we can. In light of this my wife and I wanted to refocus our family’s celebration of Christmas with an idea that helps simplify our gift giving each year. We use the three gifts the Magi presented to Jesus at his birth as the basis for each gift our kids receive each year; yes that’s three gifts, but each one is intentional and meaningful. This tradition allows us to read of the three wise men and their journey to the manger in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-12), and creates a tangible connection with the baby Jesus and your children through the gifts they receive and each gifts’ purpose.

Frankincense: A gift for the body can be a shirt, shoes, perfume or something exercise related.
Myrrh: A gift for the spirit might be a Bible, devotional, worship music, or might I suggest Adventures in Odyssey (disclosure, I was a producer for Adventures in Odyssey.)
Gold: A gift of luxury. What’s the one thing your child wants; a doll, Legos, a dinosaur, a movie. This is the gift that fulfills their greatest want.

St. Nicking: A fun event to do with a group of families on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, or by your family alone. First ask your church or a local shelter to find a family in need this Christmas. Be sure to ask the church or shelter for the names and ages of each family member. If possible find out clothing sizes (shirts, pants, shoes, etc), any specific interests (books, princesses, cars, penguins), and specific needs (winter hats, school shoes, Bible, or water heater.) Next invite everyone to your house for a St. Nicholas party. Assign one member from the family in need to each participating family. Next read the story of St. Nicholas aloud. We recommend The Legend of St. Nicholas: A Story of Christmas Giving. With family members assigned, a list of suggested items in hand, everyone heads out to shop. We suggest 1 to 1 ½ hours for shopping. When everyone arrives back the wrapping party begins. It’s a Christmas party too, so have everyone bring cookies to share. Now it’s time to deliver the gifts. The key to a successful St. Nicking is the anonymity of it just like St. Nick. We want our kids to understand that these gifts are given without receiving credit. That brings me to an important point, if you have the address of the family send one car to deliver the gifts to the front door. The key is to not be seen, so ring the door bell and leave before they answer. If you do not have the address, ask the church or shelter to deliver the presents to the family without revealing your identity.

Advent Calendar Ideas:

Decorate for Christmas
Make a Christmas craft
Open a new Christmas book
Have a sleepover with friends
Go on a hot cocoa date
Hang Christmas lights outside
Make and deliver cookies to the local fire or police department
Bell ringing for the Salvation Army
Visit Santa
Have a family fun night. Eat at a restaurant or go play at an activity park
Host or attend St. Nicking event
Go watch the Nutcracker
Enjoy ice skating outdoors
Christmas shopping for siblings
Go see Christmas lights
Christmas parade
Watch a new Christmas movie
Receive a Christmas activity book
Bake Christmas cookies
Make Christmas ornaments
Present wrapping party
Have a fancy dinner at home with your kids
Build a Gingerbread house
Open new Christmas Pajamas
Bake a birthday cake for Jesus (Christmas Day)

From my family to yours Merry Christmas and we hope you’ll enjoy trying out these new ideas this season. Whether you do them all or just one, the key is to remember to focus your kids on the real meaning for Christmas; the birth of Jesus. We’d love to hear if you’ve incorporated any of your ideas into this Christmas season.

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The Story of St. Nicholas

Featured in Faith and Science with Dr. Fizzlebop:
Fizzing Christmas Trees experiment

Prayer Time

Devotional Questions

Speaking of Saint Nicholas Checkout this New Christmas Book

Create a New Family Tradition

Devotional for October 2023 (from Edge of the Galaxy)

STARLOG ENTRY 1.001

Faith at the Edge: Teamwork

Edge Questions:

A Family Christmas Refocused

By Brock Eastman
Article first appeared on Tyndale's Parenting Blog in December 2015

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The Story of St. Nicholas

Featured in Faith and Science with Dr. Fizzlebop:Fizzing Christmas Trees experiment

Prayer Time

Devotional Questions

Speaking of Saint Nicholas Checkout this New Christmas Book

Create a New Family Tradition

Devotional for October 2023 (from Edge of the Galaxy)

STARLOG ENTRY 1.001

​Faith at the Edge: Teamwork

Edge Questions:

A Family Christmas Refocused

​By Brock EastmanArticle first appeared on Tyndale's Parenting Blog in December 2015

Follow me

Join Phoenix eNews

Share a Joke.

Archives

Categories

Services

Company

Support

Featured in Faith and Science with Dr. Fizzlebop:
Fizzing Christmas Trees experiment

Faith at the Edge: Teamwork

By Brock Eastman
Article first appeared on Tyndale's Parenting Blog in December 2015