Another Santa

I'm not trying to overload you with Santa stuff, and I know many may disagree or not care, but I thought this was another great article by Mark Driscol, a pastor in Seattle. He says we can either reject, receive or redeem Santa.


So, as the parents of five children, Grace and I have taken the third position to redeem Santa. We tell our kids that he was a real person who did live a long time ago. We also explain how people dress up as Santa and pretend to be him for fun, kind of like how young children like to dress up as pirates, princesses, superheroes, and a host of other people, real and imaginary. We explain how, in addition to the actual story of Santa, a lot of other stories have been added (e.g., flying reindeer, living in the North Pole, delivering presents to every child in one night) so that Santa is a combination of true and make-believe stories.

We do not, however, demonize Santa. Dressing up, having fun, and using the imagination God gave can be an act of holy worship and is something that, frankly, a lot of adults need to learn from children.

What we are concerned about, though, is lying to our children. We teach them that they can always trust us because we will tell them the truth and not lie to them. Conversely, we ask that they be honest with us and never lie. Since we also teach our children that Jesus is a real person who did perform real miracles, our fear is that if we teach them fanciful, make-believe stories as truth, it could erode confidence in our truthfulness where it really matters. So, we distinguish between lies, secrets, surprises, and pretend for our kids. We ask them not to tell lies or keep secrets, but do teach them that some surprises (like gift-giving) and pretending (like dressing up) can be fun and should be encouraged. We tell them the truth and encourage them to have fun watching Christmas shows on television and even sitting on Santa's lap for a holiday photo if they so desire. For parents of younger children wanting them to learn the real story of Santa Claus the Veggie Tales movie Saint Nicholas is a good choice.

(I, JC, added the italics)
Merry Christmas.

Santa?

This is from a blog (Deyoung, Restless and Reformed) I read by a guy named Kevin Deyoung. He has a much more extensive blog on the history of Santa, i simply included the ending of his article. Katie and I have landed pretty similar to him, not "teaching" Santa Claus, simply enjoying the holiday and letting the kids pick up what they will. Giving gifts. Enjoying family. Worshipping Christ.




How should Christians relate to the traditions of Santa Claus? C.S. Lewis embraced them and so included Father Christmas in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Other Christians, fearing syncretism, stay clear of Santa, reindeer, and a tree full of presents. I’ll leave it to you and your family to form you opinions on observing the Christmas holiday (see Rom. 14:1, 5-6). Personally, we try to walk in the middle of the road on this one: we don’t teach our kids about Santa, but we are happy to enjoy It’s a Wonderful Life, a couple Christmas trees, and a little Bing Crosby. And if the kids, picking up bits and pieces from other places, end of listening for flying reindeer landing on the roof, we’re not going to introduce the laws of physics to crush their anticipation. Most of all, of course, we try to press home that Christmas is about Christ.

But if you have a lot of Santa Claus around, why not use him to your benefit and talk about the real St. Nicholas. We don’t know a lot about him, but we know he lived and was revered. According to legend–one of those stories that probably isn’t true, but should be–when Nicholas was little boy he would get up early in the morning to go to church and pray. One morning, the aging priest had a vision that the first one to enter the church in the morning should be the new bishop of Myra. When Nicholas was the first to enter, the old priest, obeying the vision, made the young boy bishop right on the spot. But before he consecrated Nicholas a bishop, the priest asked him a question. “Who are you, my son?” According to tradition, the child whose legend would one day become Santa Claus replied, “Nicholas the sinner.” Not bad for a little boy.

With what little we know about St. Nicholas, it is safe to say he would not be pleased to know he had eclipsed Christ in the hearts of many as the central figure of Christmas. For the Bishop of Myra no doubt knew the angel’s words to Joseph: “Mary will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

So this Christmas, give gifts if you like. We will in our family. Receive them all with thanksgiving. But do not forget what we need most–salvation from our sins. This is one gift the real St. Nicholas would not have overlooked. In fact, I’m convinced, if given the opportunity, he would have loved to be there with the shepherds and the angels, bowing down around the manger in Bethlehem. And I bet he would have brought a present too.

Ghetto Sleigh Ride

Sometimes you just need to have fun around the house.

A few pics.

Here are a few pics.
A few days ago we had a picnic in our backyard.
Tomato soup and grilled cheese.
Love the fall.

Lying in the hall crying

A couple of nights ago I told Davis that sometimes when I get scared I'll just lie in bed and pray to God.
I'll tell Him all the things that I'm thankful for and thank Him that He will never leave me.

Last night Katie and I were lying outside of Davis' room as he was falling asleep and from his crib I hear this...

"God, thank you for my light, thank you for mommy and daddy, thank you for my heart, and thank you for my room. And God keep me safe. AMEN."

I've got nothing...
Just lying in the hall crying.

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." (Deut 31:6)
Thats good news.
Even to a 2 year old.

cades cove

We took a trip up to cades cove over the weekend and had a great time.
thanks to Andy and Olivia Ogle for letting us use their backpacks.
Enjoy

Fear

This is something new...fear.
Davis has never really been a fearful kid. He likes most people he meets, he hasn't been afraid of much and all of the sudden, fear.
Halloween is a crazy time for an almost 3 year old.
Lowe's has a huge witch that moves.
Party City has a Jason figure that swings a knife over his head.
One of our neighbor's goes all out and deocorates with witches, spiders, pumpkins, etc... (they have an autistic son who really likes the lights)
But for Davis it's new, and often with new comes fear.

This is not unique to Davis, it's humanity. When a new opportunity presents itself to me I can choose how I respond, fear or faith.
Far too often i choose fear.
Fearful of failure, fearful of the unknown, fearful of what might be, fearful that I'm not enough, fearful that they might find out, fearful that it won't matter in the end... fearful.
It's interesting what scripture has to say about fear. Fear is NOT wrong in scripture. Actually the bible says that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Huh? Fear the Lord? But it makes perfect sense, if I fear the Lord, whom else do I have to fear? Fear of the Lord is the only appropriate fear.
So the other night Davis said, Daddy will you pray for me? Sure bud, what do you want me to pray? Pray that God will keep me safe...

Amazing.
Faith like a child.
Davis really does have fear, but his fears aren't real.
The same with with me.
"He has not given us over to a spirit of fear, but rather a spirit of sonship." (Romans 8:15)

Back

I have thought a lot about the validity of this blog. Do i keep putting random thoughts and pics on the WWW for the world to see? Is this more for me than it is for anyone else?
But I have decided to jump back in.
I promise to blog at least once a week (at least) and go from there. It may become a more rounded blog, not simply pics of the kids and an update on the current parenting joys and struggles.
What am I thinking about...
What are we doing, both good and bad.
So....
there you go.

We grew up going to the zoo, my mom loves it.
Davis and Annie have already been to the zoo 4 or so times in their short lives.
I've been on a safari in Africa.
Never seen anything like this.
Thank God for glass.
You really only need to watch the first 45 seconds.

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Unfortunate

This is just unfortunate.
I am hoping this person isn't in advertising.
Their kids are scarred for life...
"No honey, you aren't huge, the sale was huge!"
"Not what the sign said mom...not what the sign said."

Father/Son

This past weekend Katie was on a pastor's wives retreat with some ladies from Fellowship (this is a real gift that they have this community). So while she was away at Whitestone for a day, my parents were keeping Annie at their place, which left Davis and me.
Just me and Davis Friday Night and Saturday morning. It is strange when you have a kid solo how much differently you pay attention to them, notice things about them and are affirmed how much you love this little person.
We went and looked at dogs, ate pizza at Chuckie Cheese, played games together, went and got ice cream and just talked.
He is getting to the point where he really can just talk to you, its really fun.

My favorite part of the night was sitting outside at Marble Slab and just talking.
"Davis, what's your favorite_________" He would answer
"Dad, do you have favorite__________" I'd answer.
Back and forth back and forth.

I won't tell you the whole conversation, there are some things that are just for a kid and his Dad... and i like that.
Kind of reminds me of my Heavenly Father.
Praying and hoping for many more of these times.

Swimming Baby

We have tried a lot of different floatation devices in the pool.
We have yet to try the float around the head.



Apparently it's all the rage in China.

A good week back in the saddle after the beach.
A few final pics of the family from last week.

I taught Crossroad on Monday. For those interested you can listen here www.crossroad.fefc.com I continue to be so humbled by what God is doing through this ministry and how He allows me to play a small role.
Grace.

Working on a video...

300th Post

300 Posts.

Thanks for checking.

I'm glad our 300th post can be some fun pics from the beach.

This shirt is sort of serious and sort of not. I've worn it for so long now I can't remember why i started wearing it.



Davis and Annie have a ritual of Papa making them a prebreakfast snack of Lucky Charms on the porch. We tried to do it in doors but Davis insists that it be outside.

A few pics from the beach

We are currently spending some time with the family over at Folly.
Great weather.
Empty Beach.
Having a good time all around.
Annie LOVES the water. She will just go running into the waves until she face plants and then just laugh and laught.

We walked out on the pier one night w/ some ice cream. Some guy caught a huge sting ray.

More to come.

Kids

I promise we still have amazing kids.
Sorry for the lack of updates and when we do update its on church or something random.
we have some great pics around here somewhere.
They will be found.


2 things:
1. Annie has never worn this hat/skull cap/flower growth in public, but it does make her look cute
2. Look at those cheeks.

Ministry

I love what I get to do.
This is a picture from Crossroad on Monday Night.
This is what a lot of ministries celebrate, numbers.

People ask us, Fellowship, how we do it.
We don't, He does.
People act like Jesus isn't enough.
He is.
Every time.
This is what I love to hear, life change.

College Life: Be In Community from Fellowship Church Knoxville on Vimeo.

Annie Dedication

It was a real treat for us to dedicate Annie at Fellowship on Sunday.
She is such a gift.
Thankful for a church to raise her in focused on the Gospel.

Baby Dedications 2010: JC and Katie Neely from Fellowship Church Knoxville on Vimeo.

Crossroad CD

At Fellowship we have the privilege of having one of the largest college worship gatherings in the city, Crossroad. It is amazing what God has done through this ministry over the last 7 years. It has grown to have over 900 college students on some weeks.
This past semester we made a live worship cd. You can listen to a preview below and buy it at the website listed $10.




www.crossroad.bandcamp.com

A dad's life

Andrew Jenkins passed the video along to me and it is too good not to share.
It is in the same vain of the infamous swagger wagon.

Dad Life from Church on the Move on Vimeo.

Crazy Days

Well it has been a crazy couple of days.
1. We have been trying to potty train davis, hopefully a whole other post on that soon. He is doing well. We are just learning that there is no formula and that kids are different.
2. We painted 3 rooms in our home over the last week. I know, maybe not the best week to do this trying to potty train and all. We mainly painted at night. I think it gave Katie and I a sense of accomplishment after long days of sitting near a potty!

In the midst of it all we did manage to get in a day on the lake Sunday at Muma and Papa's house.
It was great. Katie and I had about an hour long ride and then we went and picked up Davis. He loved being on the boat with his puddle jumpers. Hopefully many more of these days ahead.

Farming

Katies grandfather, Poppy, had a great garden in his backyard when Katie was a child.
My family owned a produce business where tomatoes were some of the largest product.

Here is mine and Katie's attempt at farming.

Unfortunatley our largest tomato plant snapped last night. We know that we used to small of a string to hold up the plant. Eventually the weight of the plant against the small string just snapped it!
Here is a picture of a couple of the tomatoes that were on the fallen stalk! Katie is thinking she may try to fry them up and have some fried green tomatoes.

We still have 3 other plants that have smaller produce on them. We will see how we fair this season. We are thinking about putting a raised bed in the back corner of our yard next year.

Rain

It has been very dry in Knoxville this summer.
We need rain.
I can't make it rain.
That fact resizes me.
As much as I would like to think that I am in control, God uses nature to constantly remind me of how out of control and dependent on Him I am.

When it does rain it is a physical reminder of how badly I need His refreshing.

Happy 4th

The 4th was on Sunday.
Didn't see a single firework.
I'm a dad.
I know bottle rockets are cool, but if you shoot another one off at 11pm near my house with 2 sleeping children, I will strap you to the next rocket. But no really, what do you expect this one to do that the last 237 didn't do? It will probably shoot up in the air with no accuracy, make a loud noise and have very little show.
I digress...

We found Annie IN the cabinet under our tv the other day. She is crazy and I love her.

A couple of pics I took of Davis outside yesterday. He is growing up incredibly fast. He's got his dad's short fuse.
It makes me love him all the more.
He reminds me daily of my need for grace and patience from my Heavenly Father.

A guest post

This is a post from a blog I read occassionaly.

Thought it was fitting for here.

"An open letter to people without kids."

Dear people without kids,

Hello! I hope you’ve been enjoying doing whatever the heck you want, whenever the heck you want to. There are a few things that those of us with kids would like you to know though. I hope you’ll take a few moments to read the following letter and, more importantly, heed the advice.

Right this second, you are at your most idealistic about parenting. You’ve read all the books, taken all the classes, and discussed all of the popular parenting philosophies. Little do you know, you’ll forget all about your promise to “never shove candy in your kid’s face to get him to shut up” the first time you’re baby decides to freak out in an airplane. I know. I was you.

You close the door too loud. It’s a proven fact that, when a kid is sleeping, the single loudest thing in a house is a closing door. From now on, twist the knob, open, twist the knob again, close. If it makes it easier, pretend you’re a spy or something.

The current TV volume is what we have chosen to be the maximum acceptable volume (also known as the Dan Buice Rule). When our kids are sleeping, take our subtle hints. We’ve chosen volume level 27 for a reason. We’re whispering to each other for a reason. We’re “calling it a night” and escorting you to the door for a reason.

Don’t parent my kids. If I haven’t put a stop to what my kid is doing, don’t feel the need. Chances are, he’s probably used to doing that thing because his parents have previously approved of it.

Men, it is never OK to touch a pregnant woman’s stomach without an invitation. I don’t go around touching your wife’s abs just because I heard she’s been working out, do I? Same thing.

When a baby is freaking out in public, feel sorry for the parents. Sure, you’re natural tendency is to get mad at the infant who is incapable of controlling his emotions. But let me challenge you to redirect that anger into something more worthwhile – sympathy for the parents. They’re the ones in pain.*

Thanks for your time. Enjoy the movie theater!
Tyler

Anything I need to add? This is just a work in progress, so all you parents out there, feel free to give your input.

*It should be noted that I LOVE being a parent and wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Most of my advice is a direct result of my own pre-kid ignorance.

Love these pics

Times like these make me happy for camera phones

This one is definitely my favorite.

A few pics from the beach

We had a great trip to Charleston with the Fendley Family.
We had great weather.
Here are a few pics.