Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! I'm looking forward to a great 2009!

The Little Pink Card

Man, I wish I had known about this a week ago!

Here's some handy gift guidance for the husband who needs a little help when selecting a present for his wife...a camp I am firmly in!

This little card (found out about it on the Building Camelot blog) has all the essential info you need to make an informed purchase in the "heat of battle". Is it lame to have to consult a little card to know what perfume to buy your wife? Yes! But not as lame as not buying it all because of your own ignorance...

While I am not willing to pay $9 plus shipping to have a professional one made, I will be putting this little idea to good use with a DIY card for my wallet.

The Little Pink Card

Tabernacle Model Kit

While doing an online search for model kits to give the boys for Christmas, I stumbled on this cool kit. I doubt my boys would appreciate this under the tree, but I'm thinking this would make a great family project at some point, and a great way to teach the theology of the Tabernacle.

Tabernacle Model Kit

Imprint of a Godly Man

“An imprint of a godly man on the heart of a boy forms the contours and diagram of what he needs to become. This by the way explains the reason gangs are so prevalent in urban cultures. The numbers of fatherless boys far exceeds that in the suburbs…..and the pull toward violence/cruelty is amplified in these situations. Repeat teenage pregnancies and unmarried liaisons have produced streets filled with young boys desperate for a man’s guidance…..without nature to challenge; with limited places to release energy; without a father, grandfather, or positive male mentor, the boy views the streets as his proving ground….and the wretched cycle of violence, sexual conquest, abandonment of children, substance abuse, and irresponsibility repeats itself over & over again……and what has been the norm for fatherless children in the inner city is quickly becoming the norm in the heartland”

paraphrased from “Passed through Fire” by Rick Bundschuh

Marriage Alive

Here's another marriage and family educational organization, dedicated to providing resources and training to help congregations and community groups build better marriages and families.

Their teach-right-out-of-the-box marriage education program, 10 Great Dates is used by churches, community marriage initiatives and other groups around the country and internationally as a low- key, fun, male-friendly, yet skilled-based program that appeals to the masses and to couples in any setting.

I have not read the books or gone through the series, but it does appear to be Christian-based.

Marriage Alive Website

The Armor of God

Part of creating impactful ceremonies with your kids when conducting a rite of passage or manhood/womenhood ceremony is presenting them with a meaningful, valuable keepsake.

These can be as simple as a rock picked up along the path or as elaborate as a personalized, inscribed sword. If the item carries with it symbolic meaning and reminders of the principles that have been imparted, all the better.

Here are some great items I stumbled upon that fit this description wonderfully...all based on the Biblical metaphor of "The Armor of God". These would make a great gift at any age to remind your son that he is a warrior belonging to the Army of God.

I've seen the dog tag item in person and was impressed by the quality. Check it out:

The Armor of God products

The Perfect Present

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and of course that brings the eternal question of what to get the kiddos. Although their lists are full of high-tech gadgets (even my 10 yr old wants an ipod!), I've been seriously considering going low-tech this year.

In fact, I've got an idea for the perfect present: The Stick. Here's an article about the classic toy, which recently landed in the National Toy Hall of Fame:

Curators said the stick was a special addition in the spirit of a 2005 inductee, the cardboard box. They praised its all-purpose, no-cost, recreational qualities, noting its ability to serve either as raw material or an appendage transformed in myriad ways by a child's creativity.

"It's very open-ended, all-natural, the perfect price -- there aren't any rules or instructions for its use," said Christopher Bensch, the museum's curator of collections. "It can be a Wild West horse, a medieval knight's sword, a boat on a stream or a slingshot with a rubber band. ... No snowman is complete without a couple of stick arms, and every campfire needs a stick for toasting marshmallows.

The lowly stick, a universal plaything